REEL TALK: MOVIES RATED BY TREATMENTS FOR OLYMPIC FEVER

DARK HORSE | PROXY WAR ELIXIR

From Todd Solondz, writer-director of Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness and Storytelling comes … aw jeez, just typing that list made us feel all creepy and misanthropic. Well look at that, the trailer is all about a free spirit who doesn’t let his lack of talent or sex appeal stop him from pursuing his dreams! That sounds … wait, what is he setting us up for? [NR | Kendall Square Cinema, Fri 8.10.12]

GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH | FREE SPEECH ZONE SALVE

Joe Dante’s sequel to megahit Gremlins ups the ante in every measurable way: more gags, more horror comedy, more gremlins. It even had the newly-minted PG-13 that was made specifically because people thought the first one was too violent. It’s not as tight as its predecessor, but it’s still funny as hell with terrific creature creation by legendary FX man Rick Baker. [PG-13 | Coolidge Corner Theatre, Fri 8.10.12 & Sat 8.11.12]

CHINATOWN | HOMELESS DISPLACEMENT OINTMENT

Chinatown is Roman Polanski’s last American film before fleeing the country for that thing he did (he DID do it, you know. No getting around that). Loathe as we are to give Polanski an inch, it is a masterpiece of neo-noir, with Jack Nicholson giving the performance he was born to play as a P.I. in 1937 Los Angeles with one of the most unexpected endings in all of film history. [R | Harvard Film Archive, Sun 8.12.12]

DEAR MANDELA | FREE SPEECH ZONE PILL

The struggle against Apartheid did more than just remove an unjust system: it inspired the world. But now that the first generation of “free” South Africans have come of age, many are left wondering what happened to the promise of their revolution. Dear Mandela follows the lives of South African slum-dwellers who would like the nation’s most celebrated icon to chime in on their plight in the Jacob Zuma era. [NR | Brattle Theatre, Mon 8.13.12]

THE CAMPAIGN | NATIONALISTIC PAGEANTRY INHALER

Director Jay Roach and Will Ferrell have each led us astray before. But the best way to go into The Campaign isn’t as the latest Ferrell vehicle, but as the IPO of the latest alignment from the Funny or Die/Eastbound & Down crew and a preview of future Ferrell vehicles. If it’s good, expect more to come. If it sucks, don’t get too invested in the recently-announced Anchorman sequel. [R | Wide Release, Fri 8.10.12]