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Weekend Movie Forecast: <em>The Help</em> Vs. <em>30 Minutes Or Less</em>

Based on the uber-bestselling novel of the post-Oprah book club world, The Help is coming out today, and it's sure to turn the multiplex into Hankytown, U.S.A. The story follows Skeeter, a Southern society girl, who returns home from college with the aspirations of becoming a writer (she didn't move to Broooklyn?). She begins interviewing her best friend's maid for material, much to the chagrin of the community. Well, you could probably see where this goes based on all the "feel-good" postbellum race relations movies you've seen before. We imagine friends become enemies, enemies become friends, and everyone learns something on their heartsmart journey towards equality. The book has been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, but the movie being released today does not star Gregory Peck, so we're not holding our breath.Reviews have been very mixed, with Scott Tobias from The A.V. Club saying: "The civil-rights movement might have ended segregation and beat back centuries of slavery and oppression, but letâs save a slow clap for well-meaning white folks with the moral courage to put themselves at the center of the narrative. Based on the bestest-seller by Kathryn Stockett, The Help joins Glory, Cry Freedom, Driving Miss Daisy, and many other noble adaptations in filtering the black experience through the white experience, but credit Stockett (and the film) for conceiving a sneaky end-around."Shot like an inductee in the Hallmark Hall Of Fame, The Help covers an ugly era in superficial gloss thatâs only punctured by the particulars of Mississippi race law or hiring practices that are a mere hairsbreadth away from slavery. The whole thing is rigged for crowd-pleasing payoffsâa bit about chocolate pie gets more mileage than a Priusâand those payoffs are about honoring white viewers for not being horrible racists. Kudos to them." — Gothamist

Published Aug 12, 2011

Modified Aug 12, 2011

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Click on the film stills for details and reviews on this week's new releases and repertory screenings, which include: The Help, 30 Minutes or Less, Final Destination 5, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, Senna, Robert Ryan, The Films of Frank Sinatra, Damn!, DocuWeeks 2011, and Cannibal Holocaust.