Where the Truth Lies
dir. Egoyan
Opens Fri Oct 28
Fox Tower

Where the Truth Lies is a whodunit centered around a fictional '50s comedy duo; an oddly cast (but surprisingly sufficient) Kevin Bacon is paired with Colin Firth, who plays the straight man to Bacon's jerkier, dirtier half. The mystery: A young woman's found dead in the comedians' hotel suite, and though never accused of involvement, the duo breaks up afterward. Skip ahead to the '70s, and cue plucky journalist Karen O'Connor (a fairly flat Alison Lohman), who wants to find out what happened.

The details of the plot are sometimes hard to follow, partly because as the mystery unfolds, the events that take place are hilariously improbable (lobsters, for instance, play a key role). What's more interesting is simply observing the styles and portrayals of the eras that the film toggles between (Karen's wardrobe is to die for). There's also a ton of sex and drugging and boozing, and even a bit of violence. One amusing interlude features goofball-fueled lesbian sex between Karen and a woman dressed as Alice in Wonderland, as Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" provides the soundtrack. It's that sort of thing that makes the film worth seeing, despite (or because of) its absurdities. MARJORIE SKINNER

The Silent World
dirs. Cousteau, Malle
Sun Oct 30
Guild

When I was a kid, I had a book by Jacques Cousteau that was pretty cool. It was mostly filled with color pictures of cute sea animals and stuff. I liked the book, but man, I had no idea—turns out that, as evidenced by 1956's The Silent World, Cousteau is a complete badass.

In fact, if it were up to me, I'd ditch the snooze-ariffic title The Silent World and replace it with Photographic Proof of Why Jacques Cousteau is Totally Awesome. With his ship Calypso and his crew (which includes a fat wiener dog), Cousteau and co-director Louis Malle sail about the Mediterranean, doing all sorts of awesome things: Being towed through the ocean by sea turtles, exploring creepy shipwrecks, watching sharks get frenzied, collecting flying fish that land on deck (in a skillet! for breakfast!), and watching about five billion dolphins jump in unison. It also turns out that Cousteau and his crew can be bastards—like when they use dynamite to wipe out a whole area of sea life, clip a baby whale with their propeller, or beat a bunch of sharks to death for no good reason. But sharks scare the shit out of me, so that's cool. With its gorgeous, retro-cool underwater photography and hilariously stilted and staged dialogue sequences, Photographic Proof of Why Jacques Cousteau is Totally Awesome is like the best PBS special ever. ERIK HENRIKSEN

Nine Lives
dir. García
Opens Fri Oct 28
Various Theaters

Made up of nine separate sequences showing different women (including Sissy Spacek, Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, and the omnipresent Dakota Fanning) dealing with difficult emotional experiences, Nine Lives' scenes at first appear to be unrelated—but by the end of the film, a complicated web of subtle connections becomes evident. Nine Lives' major concept? Human relationships cause emotional hardships, no matter what people's age, class, or race. That's hardly a profound realization, true, but thankfully director Rodrigo García is able to capture passion in each scene, forming a strong bond between the characters and the audience. Although you will feel for all these women, their experiences are different and heartfelt enough that there'll undoubtedly be a few sequences that one can relate to on a more personal level. Personally, I was grabbed by the film from the beginning, and was emotionally involved until the end—and while depressing tones prevail throughout García's picture, I actually left feeling pretty upbeat. CHRISTINE S. BLYSTONE