By PHIL VILLARREAL, Arizona Daily Star

Spoiler alert! Director Vadim Perelman wants you to know the twist ending of his drama "The Life Before Her Eyes" before you see the film.Read no further unless you're willing to play into Perelman's bet that you'll enjoy the movie more if you know the ending in advance.

Gus Van Sant rose from the ranks of the independents ("My Own Private Idaho," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues") to the commercial realm ("Good Will Hunting," "Finding Forrester") only to garner enough money and security to make understated, confounding experimental gems.

There's good Clooney and there's bad Clooney. George Clooney is often the very definition of cool -- he can speak volumes with a raised eyebrow or sideways glance -- but sometimes can be so cloyingly self-aware. Where his newest film, "Leatherheads," fits in remains to be seen.Good Clooney"Michael Clayton" (2007)

"Stop-Loss" is the latest in a slew of war-on-terror-themed films. Most have been documentaries, but a number of Hollywood luminaries have appeared in fiction work. A look at the quickly growing genre:"Control Room" (2004)Jehane Noujaim examines the perception of the invasion of Iraq, incorporating coverage from Al Jazeera.

Where's Lola when you need her?

It's tough to come up with a more effective poster girl for teen abstinence than Dawn. The protagonist of the horror comedy "Teeth" has got a second set of choppers just where you're thinking.As Dawn preaches sexual purity, her actions -- at first spontaneous in instances of fear and stress and then connivingly voluntary -- carry literal bite.

Watching "21" is as guilty a pleasure as sitting down at a blackjack table. You know what you're seeing doesn't make a lot of sense, and that things could turn from exhilarating to awful at any moment, but the thrills keep you in your seat.

The new wave of Mexican filmmakers has made theatrical fare more diverse, but the wave itself has lacked the diversity of a female voice. Mexican filmmaker Patricia Riggen, who says Mexican women are subtly discouraged to pursue careers as directors, is out to change all that.

Like the giant animated elephant star of "Horton Hears a Who!," you'll be surprised at what you're hearing.

Egyptians invade Israel with comical results in "The Band's Visit," which plays like something Wes Anderson would come up with if he had no budget and lived in the Middle East.First-time Israeli writer-director Eran Kolirin muses on quirks in cultural relations in his home region, using droll comedy to slip in his sly messages.