Win free movie tickets 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 6 a.m. Wednesday, 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. We'll randomly select a winner and notify that person via the email address they signed up with. They will get two passes to a movie of their choice.

“Answer This!” is a fine-looking, locally made film by Ann Arbor natives and successful entertainment industry professionals Christopher and Michael Farah.

The sneak preview at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Michigan Theater — featuring live appearances by the cast and crew — is sold out. However, a limited number of tickets will go on sale 10 minutes before the screening, and a new, 10 p.m. screening has been added as well.

Filmed in Ann Arbor in partnership with the University of Michigan and set in the world of competitive bar trivia (the shooting title of the film was “Trivial Pursuits”), the movie follows a group of frustrated academics who get a shot at beer, babes and nerdy redemption when they enter the most important contest of their lives... the First Annual Ann Arbor Trivia Tournament. “Answer This!” stars Christopher Gorham, Arielle Kebbel, Nelson Franklin, former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Chris Parnell and the beloved Professor Ralph Williams.

Playing downtown at the Michigan and State

“Never Let Me Go” opens Friday at the Michigan. It is based on the acclaimed novel by Kazuo Ishiguro and is directed by Mark Romanek (“One Hour Photo”). Critics and audiences are swooning: “A superb, poignant film about everlasting love,” said Richard Corliss in TIME magazine. It is a sci-fi drama set in the English countryside centered on thirty-something Kathy (Carey Mulligan), who reflects on her time spent at Hailsham, an English boarding school, alongside classmates Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield). The three struggle with their destiny and their love triangle. The acting is especially highly praised, including creepy performances from veterans Charlotte Rampling and Sally Hawkins.

“It's Kind of a Funny Story” is the third film from directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck of “Half Nelson” and “Sugar” fame. It opens Friday at the State. Critics are providing a split verdict, but all are loving Zach Galifianakis. The review in Variety is typical: “The filmmakers fully retain their offbeat sensibility and attentiveness to character while providing perhaps the sharpest showcase yet for Zach Galifianakis' outsized talents.” The film is about a clinically depressed teenager (Keir Gilchrist) who gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward, where he bonds with one patient (Galifianakis) and sparks romantic interest with another (Emma Roberts).

At your local multiplex

“Life as We Know It” is by TV director Greg Berlanti ("Dawson's Creek" and "Brothers & Sisters") and stars Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. It is about two single adults (Heigl and Duhmael) who become the caregivers to an orphaned girl when their mutual best friends die in an accident. Sounds more like the outline for a TV drama, but it is billed as a comedy and has gotten surprisingly positive reviews.

“Secretariat” is from director Randall Wallace (who wrote “Pearl Harbor” and “Braveheart”) and writer Mike Rich (“The Rookie"). Working for Disney, they have effectively dramatized the life story of Penny Chenery (Diane Lane), whose racehorse, Secretariat, won the Triple Crown in 1973. Critical response is generally strong: “This conventional but rousingly effective picture pulls through its occasional faltering stretches by focusing on the essentials of its incredible real-life saga, even if the details have been massaged for maximum uplift,” Variety writes. Also stars Scott Glenn and James Cromwell.

“My Soul to Take” is a 3-D film created by the legendary horror/comedy director Wes Craven. It was edited and 3-D effects were added here in Ann Arbor, and Mr. Craven and his crew did many screen tests with the Michigan Theater’s state-of-the-art digital 3-D projector. In this film, Craven sets loose a serial killer in his hometown to stalk seven children who share the same birthday as the date he was allegedly put to rest.

Special screening at the Michigan “Freedom’s Fury” is a fascinating documentary about the infamous 1956 water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, a contest later dubbed "the bloodiest game in Olympic history." It will be presented at the Michigan tonight only, Thursday, October 7 at 7:30, free of charge, in celebration of the UM Department of Political Science’s 100th anniversary.

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 AM and 5:40 PM, or listen to it online at WEMU's web site.