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.

At the Michigan Theater tonight at 7:30 and Sunday at 5, come sing along to “Grease,” the most popular movie musical ever released! It stars the young John Travolta as Danny and Olivia Newton-John, at the peak of her career, as Sandy.

Come dress up as your favorite character or come as you are. All who attend will get a goodie bag of fun stuff. Rydell High's most famous graduating class is back on the big screen with this newly restored print. You are encouraged to bring your own crew of T-Birds and Pink Ladies and join in on singing the hit songs, including “Grease,” “Summer Nights,” “Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee,” “You're the One That I Want,” “Beauty School Dropout” and more. Tickets will be available at the door or in advance online at TicketWeb.

Playing downtown at the Michigan

“Nowhere Boy” is a cinema chronicle of the early life of the late John Lennon (played by Aaron Johnson), who would have celebrated his 70th birthday last Saturday. Set in 1950s Liverpool, the film focuses on Lennon’s relationship with his aunt Mimi (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) and his estranged mother (played by Anne-Marie Duff) and ends at the formation of The Quarrymen — the band that forged the relationship of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Critics have found the film praiseworthy: “’Nowhere Boy’ is smart enough not to spell it all out. You can hear it in Lennon's music, which plays in your head as the movie works its subtle magic,” wrote Rolling Stone. “The creative process is almost audible in a silent moment when John turns an adoring gaze on the curvaceous body of his first guitar,” says the Wall Street Journal. And “The power of ‘Nowhere Boy’ is that, as directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, it captures how John Lennon's deeply sordid family life toyed with his soul by not letting him know who he was,” adds Entertainment Weekly. It opens Friday at the Michigan Theater.

“Heartbreaker” is a French comedy that Ann Arbor’s own Owen Gleiberman called “winsome and accomplished” in his Entertainment Weekly review. It is about Alex (Romain Duris), who is a professional heartbreaker — a man who can turn any husband, fiancé or boyfriend into an ex. He is charming, funny and effortlessly cool; however, he loses his cool when he falls for a client's daughter, played by the beautiful Vanessa Paradis. This European hit has made its way across the Atlantic with two of the most appealing stars France has to offer. It opens Friday at the Michigan Theater.

“Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo” is a Japanese film, but it is not what you are thinking — it is not a poorly lip-synced Japanese monster movie from the 1960s. Rather, it delves into the ineffable mystery of Japan's age-old love affair with insects. A labyrinthine meditation on nature, beauty, philosophy and Japanese culture that might force you to see “bugs” as lovely and diverse creatures, deserving of suitable admiration. This special screening at the Michigan Theater is presented by the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History and the U-M Center for Japanese Studies. “Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo” will have one showing, Tuesday, October 19 at 7 p.m., followed by a live video Q&A session with director Jessica Oreck.

Opening at your local multiplex “Jackass 3-D” means Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and the gang are back on the big screen, this time in 3-D, for the third installment of their TV show spin-off. No early reviews, so attend at your own peril.

“Red” — starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker — is based on the cult D.C. Comics graphic novels. Willis, Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren play blissfully retired CIA agents. However, these former top agents know about secrets that turn these retirees into the CIA’s top targets. As assassination targets, they must use their collective cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers. To stop the operation against them, the team embarks on an improbable cross-country mission to break into CIA headquarters, where they uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history. Show business journal Variety captures the positive spin of most early reviews: “An amusing, light-footed caper.”

See you at the movies!

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.