It Hurts Us

It Hurts Us (R; 124 min.)

Originally scheduled for a 2008 release, Spike Lee makes this joint worth the wait. Lee's new film explores the pain of white, middle-class suburbia. Zachary (Topher Grace) and Marilyn (Abbie Cornish), married after college, seem to have lost their ambition after only a couple of years of marriage. Lee limits his shots to the interior of the couple's three-bedroom (plus a bonus room over the garage), 2.5 bath, 1800 sq. ft. home. Both characters expected more out of their life but are learning to "settle." Lee refuses to pull any punches in the pivotal should-we-upgrade-to-granite scene, and Cornish's performance, reminiscent of Lady Macbeth washing her hands, makes you wish Zachary had gotten that raise. "I deserve this! I earned this! Laminate . . . it hurts me," Marilyn cries. Topher Grace is at his best in his character's candid response: "I know. It hurts us." This movie might hurt Zachary and Marilyn, but it only makes the world stronger. Beautiful film.

Domestic profanity, predictable sensual scenes, scuffed wood floors.

The Diary

The Diary (PG-13; 185 mins.)

When a woman (Jennifer Garner) returns to her childhood home following her mother's death, she discovers a diary her mother kept years earlier to record the trials and tribulations she experienced in raising a family. At first, Garner finds solace in the diary, and finds it helps her to relate to her mother and find closure in her loss. But her comfort turns to horror when she discovers that her mother was really tacky. For example, the mother often wrote down things she had overheard and thought were very profound but were in fact incredibly inane and idiotic. To make matters worse, the mother had horrible grammar, and didn't understand the difference between "they're," "there," and "their." As Garner struggles to understand a woman she thought she knew, but who apparently thought that a picture of Jesus petting a cat was "beautiful," she must come to terms with the fact that her mother was, in the end, just human. Don Henley's soundtrack is a master stroke, and features this summer's ubiquitous "Mama's Book."

Suggestive language; adult situations.

More than Money II

More than Money II (PG-13; 99 min.)

Paul Giamatti reprises his award-winning role as "the reluctant Wall Street insider" Biff Brookstone. As the owner of The Dead Cat Bounce Bakery and Day Spa, Biff becomes privy to some hot tips and insider chatter. As in the original, Biff loses his soul to money and begins leveraging all of his assets--including his established bakery--to catch the tide before all the boats rise. Screenwriter James Cameron takes us on Biff's journey from bull to bear, ultimately recapturing his love of baking (and the buy-and-hold strategy) as a broken man. Some of the financial scenes are sluggish and flat, and the Rope-like adherence to one-camera, continuous-shot cinematography was surely inappropriate for this film. Sofia Coppola takes the reins as director of the sequel and renews her role as Biff's oft-jilted love interest.

Brief strong language and some sensuality.

Sister Marguerite's Mouth

Sister Marguerite's Mouth (PG; 145 mins.)

Fox Searchlight Pictures delivers this satisfying though somewhat plodding update of the Sondheim stage classic about a nun (Laura Linney) who's not afraid to take the Lord's name in vain. The profanities fly when she and her Mother Superior (Glenn Close) are forced to drive cross-country together to retrieve the convent's runaway pet cat, but they discover they have more in common than they ever thought possible. Though the two principals shine, the cat is a distracting MacGuffin, with much of the dialogue wasted on pointless debates over the feline's lustrous coat and its propensity to eat tuna.

Brief nudity; strong language.