Circumstance: Tehran's a tough town to be young and in love in, even more so when the lovers (Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy) are the same gender. The film's sappy, melodramatic overtones can be overlooked, as this is as much a political statement as it is a love story.
- Marc Savlov
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: In this funny, tense and fascinating film, a researcher (James Franco) raises a young chimpanzee uniquely affected by his experimental brain-repairing drug. Here's a movie where you can almost forget you're watching special effects, and simply fall into watching a great story.
- Scott Renshaw
