The Best Movies in Theaters

1. 'Rachel Getting Married'
Playing a deeply troubled drug addict sprung from rehab for her sister's wedding, Anne Hathaway bursts out of her Disney 'Princess' cocoon and morphs into a mature, complex Oscar-caliber actress right before our eyes. Severe emotional damage has never been so attractive. -- Tom DiChiara

2. 'Religulous'
Bill Maher takes blasphemy to new heights in this controversial doc that finds him on a globetrotting quest for answers about organized religion. Atheists and agnostics will cheer, those "mildly" religious will find it thought-provoking, and the deeply devout will be deeply offended. Bonus: It's directed by 'Borat' helmer Larry Charles, and there's not a naked Ken Davitian in sight. -- Kevin Polowy

3. 'Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'
It's cheesier and more teen-targeted than movies like 'Juno' and 'Superbad,' but this charming, 90-minute meet-cute will make you fall in love with stars Michael Cera (again) and Kat Dennings. It's also a nifty love letter to the New York City music scene, as its young couple moves from one venue to the next searching for a surprise show by their favorite band. -- Kevin Polowy

4. 'Flash of Genius'
A movie about the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper doesn't sound like Oscar bait or a crowd pleaser -- but somehow it's both. And that's due to Greg Kinnear's sometimes funny, often heartbreaking performance as Robert Kearns, the inventor of the aforementioned device, who boldly takes on Ford for stealing his creation. Genius? We think so. -- Tom DiChiara

5. 'Choke'
A movie about a Colonial-era theme-park attendant (the superb Sam Rockwell) who trolls sex-addiction meetings for easy women, cons people out of their money by pretending to choke at restaurants, and just might be the scientifically engineered son of Jesus Christ may sound hard to swallow. But it's a dark, deeply hilarious treat that goes down smooth as butter. -- Tom DiChiara

6. 'Burn After Reading'
The Coen Brothers' follow-up to 'No Country for Old Men' has little of that film's profundity. But what it lacks in emotional heft and philosophical depth, it makes up for in entertainment -- most of which is derived from stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney and John Malkovich hamming it up as three very different men with one thing in common: They're idiots. -- Tom DiChiara

7. 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'
The reviews won't be kind, and really, they shouldn't. But if you're seeing this live-action talking-animals flick, you're not expecting a nuanced portrait of the plight of immigrant dogs. Take it for what it is -- a family film as insubstantial as its tiny little heroine, a pampered princess pup voiced by Drew Barrymore -- and let the kids have their laughs. -- Angie Argabrite

8. 'The Duchess'
It's hard to fault Keira Knightley for doing so many period pieces when she's so damned good in them. As the Duchess of Devonshire, trapped in a loveless marriage to a duke (the superb Ralph Fiennes) obsessed with producing a male heir, she expertly embodies a woman who's fragile and fierce, romantic and realistic. The cleavage-enhancing corsets are just gravy. -- Tom DiChiara

9. 'Appaloosa'
Director Ed Harris won't reinvent the Western with this simple, unhurried story of two hired guns trying to bring order to an 1880s frontier town -- but he doesn't need to. After all, most Westerns aren't blessed with dialogue this witty, or with a cast comprising Harris, the excellent Viggo Mortensen and a delightfully evil Jeremy Irons. Saddle up and enjoy the ride. -- Patricia Chui

10. 'Ghost Town'
In this quiet comedy that evokes wistful smiles rather than guffaws, Ricky Gervais is delightful as a snippy dentist whose brush with death grants him the unwanted ability to communicate with needy ghosts. The living-must-help-the-dead plot's been done, well, to death, but the performances and dialogue are pitch-perfect, and it's fun to watch the tubby funnyman fall in love. -- Raven Snook