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Editor's note: Comment on today's "Cinema Chat" for a chance to win free movie tickets to the Michigan Theater. Some time between now and 9 a.m. Monday, leave a comment on this column, written by the Michigan Theater's Russ Collins. Offer your opinion on a recent movie you've seen, or on anything Russ mentions. A winner will be randomly selected, and we’ll notify that person via the email address they signed up with. They will get two passes to a movie of their choice, courtesy of The Michigan Theater. Full rules here.

Opening downtown: “The Tree of Life”

“The Tree of Life” was the top prize winner of the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival. Director Terrence Malick, the acclaimed artist behind such classic films as “Badlands”, “Days of Heaven” and “The Thin Red Line,” tells an impressionistic story of life and the universe presented within the context of a Texas family in the 1950s.

The film follows the life of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of his childhood into his adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers both personal and cosmic. Through Malick's signature imagery, we see how both the brute forces of nature and the transcendent power of love shape not only individual lives and families, but the universe itself. A.O. Scott of the New York Times says, “With disarming sincerity and daunting formal sophistication ‘The Tree of Life’ ponders some of the hardest and most persistent questions, the kind that leave adults speechless when children ask them.” “The Tree of Life” opens Friday at the Michigan Theater.

Classic American stories at the multiplex

Directed by Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”), “Green Lantern” takes place in a universe where a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. Ryan Reynolds stars as the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan, a gifted and cocky test pilot. The film is based on the DC Comics character published by Martin Nodell (using the name Mart Dellon) and Bill Finger in All-American Comics #16 in 1940. “Green Lantern” opens Friday.

Based on the 1939 children’s literature classic, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” stars Jim Carrey as Mr. Popper, a driven businessman who is clueless when it comes to the important things in life, until he inherits six penguins and the mischief begins. Popper's penguins turn his swank New York apartment into a snowy winter wonderland - and the rest of his life upside-down. Filmed on a refrigerated soundstage with real Gentoo Penguins! “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” opens Friday.

Woody Allen’s great new film and locally shot “Trust” continue downtown

Woody Allen’s new film, “Midnight in Paris,” moves from the Michigan to the big screen at the State Theatre on Friday. This is a wonderful film - fun, pleasing to look at and smart. David Edelstein of New York Magazine is in line with 92 percent of critics who gave it positive reviews. He writes, “This supernatural comedy isn't just Allen's best film in more than a decade; it's the only one that manages to rise above its tidy parable structure and be easy, graceful, and glancingly funny, as if buoyed by its befuddled hero's enchantment.”

The locally filmed “Trust,” starring Clive Owen and directed by David Schwimmer, also moves over to the State Theatre. The film follows a family devastated by a crime committed against their teenage daughter. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times says, “It's easy to imagine how this story could have been exploited and dumbed down. It works instead with intelligence and sympathy.”

Special screenings

Francis Ford Coppola’s epic Godfather films are more than just your average gangster movies. Regularly named to “Best of” lists, the films have cemented themselves as a cornerstone of American filmmaking by being critically, artistically and financially successful. “The Godfather” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning for Best Picture, Best Writing (adapted screenplay) for Coppola and Mario Puzo, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Marlon Brando. “The Godfather Part II,” often cited as one of the greatest sequels ever produced, was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro. Presented in a Double Feature format at the Michigan Theater, the films play as part of the Summer Classics series on June 19 at 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., and on June 21 at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Summer Documentary Series continues at the Michigan Theater this Monday with “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child.” Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, he achieved international stardom. Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. As a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man. “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child” Plays June 20 at 7 p.m.

Russ Collins is executive director of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Tune in to the audio version of “Cinema Chat” on WEMU radio (89.1-FM) each Thursday at 7:40 a.m. and 5:40 p.m., or listen to it online at WEMU's web site.