May 10, 2002 By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 3 min read

The new motion pictures opening today at a theater near you are: – “The Cat’s Meow”: Film buffs are anticipating this PG-13 melodrama that blends hard facts and gossip items in chronicling a 1924 incident in which motion-picture producer Thomas Ince (Cary Elwes of “The Princess Bride”) died under mysterious circumstances aboard a yacht owned by publishing giant William Randolph Hearst (Edward Herrmann of “Big Business”). Those on board during the notorious incident included Hearst’s mistress, Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst of “Spider-Man”), silent-film legend Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard of “Shadow of the Vampire”), novelist Elinor Glyn (Joanna Lumley of “Cold Comfort Farm”) and gossip columnist Louella Parsons (Jennifer Tilly of “Bullets Over Broadway”). Peter Bogdanovich (“The Last Picture Show”) directed.

– “ESPN’s Ultimate X”: The daredevils who participated in Philadelphia during the 2001 Summer X Games receive much bigger-than-life treatment during this large-format IMAX production. The PG-rated picture will play exclusively at the United Artists King of Prussia Stadium 16 and The Franklin Institute Science Museum’s Tuttleman IMAX Theater. The UA and Tuttleman theaters can be reached at (610) 222-8282, Ext. 222 and (215) 448-1254, respectively.

– “The New Guy”: A nerdy high school senior (DJ Qualls of “Road Trip”) convinces a prison inmate (Eddie Griffin of “Double Take”) to teach him to be cool and then hooks up with the hottest girl (Eliza Dushku of “Bring It On”) in his class. During this PG-13 teen comedy, he soon learns that possessing a cool streak can backfire. Ed Decter made his directing debut.

– “No Such Thing”: This edgy R-rated satire, originally titled “Monster,” looks at a society obsessed with instant gratification and tabloid news. The story concerns a young journalist (Canadian actress Sarah Polley of “Go”) who tracks a horned, two-legged creature (Robert John Burke of “RoboCop 3”), one reportedly responsible for destroying a news crew dispatched to find him. Helen Mirren (“The Pledge”) co-stars, and Hal Hartley (“Henry Fool”) directed.

– “Rain”: Set in New Zealand during the 1970s, this gritty drama follows a 13-year-old girl (Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki) as she begins a dangerous flirtation with an older man who appears to be having an affair with her hard-drinking mother. Christine Jeffs made her directing debut with the unrated import, based on the novel by Kirsty Gunn.

– “Unfaithful”: An attractive suburban couple (Richard Gere and Diane Lane) seem to have the perfect married life. That changes when the wife begins an obsessive affair with a younger lover (Oliver Martinez of “Before Night Falls”) and then finds her world spinning out of control. British filmmaker Adrian Lyne, who enjoyed success with the cheating-spouse chiller “Fatal Attraction,” directed the R-rated erotic thriller, which co-stars Chad Lowe (“Driven”), Kate Burton (“The Ice Storm”) and Margaret Colin (“The Devil’s Own”).