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The Beautiful Country Drama about a biracial man, the son of an American national and a Vietnamese woman, and his search for identity in America after growing up in Vietnam as a social outcast. Directed by Hans Petter Moland (“Aberdeen”) from a screenplay by Sabina Murray. With Nick Nolte (“Hotel Rwanda”), Bai Ling (“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”), Tim Roth (“Silver City”), Phat Trieu Hoang (“Three Seasons”), John Hussey (“Arlington Road”) and Damien Nguyen. 136 min. R: Some language; a crude sexual reference. May 13 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics.     Citizen Verdict Thriller about an unscrupulous TV producer who comes up with a controversial courtroom reality show on which a criminal defendant must submit to a live execution if viewers vote him guilty. Directed by Philippe Martinez from a screenplay by Tony Clarke and Kristina Hamilton. With Jerry Springer (“Ringmaster”) as the TV producer, as well as Armand Assante (“Looking for an Echo”), Roy Scheider (“The Punisher”), Raffaello Degruttola (“What a Girl Wants”), Langley Kirkwood (“In My Country”) and Justine Mitchell (“Conspiracy of Silence,” “The Honeymooners”). May 6. IFG.     Cronicas Spanish-language drama about a Miami-based aspiring journalist who, eager to land the story of his career, travels to a small village in Ecuador to investigate a series of brutal murders. Sebastián Cordero directs from his own screenplay. With Damián Alcázar (“The Crime of Father Amaro”), John Leguizamo (“Assault on Precinct 13”), Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man 2”), Leonor Watling (“Bad Education”), José María Yazpik (“Nicotina”) and Gloria Leyton. Also known as “The Chronicles.” 98 min. R: Violence; a scene of sexuality; language. May 27. Palm.     God’s Sandbox Hebrew-language drama about a successful author who, in search of her free-spirited daughter, travels to the Sinai Desert coast, where she is inspired by the musings of a Bedouin storyteller. Directed by Doran Eran from a screenplay by Hanita Halevy and Yoav Halevy. With Razia Israeli (“Schindler’s List”), Juliano Mer (“Kedma”), Sami Samir (“Yellow Asphalt”), Meital Dohan and Orli Perl. Flat. 86 min. May 20. Indican.   The Great Water Macedonian-language drama, set in 1945 Yugoslavia, about a 12-year-old sent to an “orphanage” labor camp, where he attempts to resist the Stalinist state’s ideological re-programming. Based on the novel by Zhivko Chingo. Directed by Ivo Trajkov from a screenplay by Vladimir Blazevski. With Meto Jovanovski (“Before the Rain”), Nikolina Kujaca (“Welcome to Sarajevo”), Mitko Apostolovski, Branko Beninov and Risto Gogovski. Also known as “The Great Flood,” and “Golemata Voda.” Scope. 93 min. May 13. Picture This.     Jiminy Glick In La La Wood Comedy about a fawning, imbecilic entertainment reporter from Butte, Mont., who becomes embroiled in a murder mystery while attending the Toronto Film Festival. Based on the Martin Short character popularized on Comedy Central’s “Primetime Glick” TV series. Directed by Vadim Jean (“Leon the Pig Farmer”) from a screenplay by the “SCTV”-”Martin Short Show”-”Primetime Glick” writing team of Martin Short (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Paul Flaherty (TV’s “Muppets Tonight!”) and Michael Short (“Speed Zone”). Those reprising their “Primetime Glick” roles include Short (“Get Over It”) as Jiminy Glick and Jan Hooks (“Simon Birch”) as wife Dixie Glick. Co-stars include Elizabeth Perkins (“The Ring Two”), John Michael Higgins (“Blade: Trinity”), Linda Cardellini (“Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed”), Janeane Garofalo (“Wonderland”) and Corey Pearson (“Summer Catch”). Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Kurt Russell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sharon Stone, Susan Sarandon, Forest Whitaker, Rob Lowe, Kiefer Sutherland and Whoopi Goldberg contribute cameos. R: Language; crude sexual content. May 6 limited. MGM.     Asylum Drama about a woman who falls for one of her psychiatrist husband’s hospitalized patients, unaware that he brutally murdered his wife. Based on the novel by Patrick McGrath (“Spider”). Directed by David Mackenzie (“Young Adam”) from a screenplay by Patrick Marber (“Closer”). With Natasha Richardson (“Maid In Manhattan”), Ian McKellen (the “Lord of the Rings” series), Hugh Bonneville (“Stage Beauty”), Joss Ackland (“K-19: The Widowmaker”), Marton Csokas (“The Bourne Supremacy,” “Kingdom of Heaven”), Sean Harris (“24 Hour Party People”) and Judy Parfitt (“The Girl With a Pearl Earring”). R: Strong sexuality; some violence; brief language. May 13 limited. Paramount Classics.     Brothers Danish-language drama about a married – and long-presumed-dead – officer in Denmark’s military who returns home from a U.N. mission in Afghanistan to find that his irresponsible younger brother has moved into his house and assumed many husbandly duties. Susanne Bier (“Open Hearts”) directs from a screenplay by Anders Thomas Jensen (“Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself,” “The Green Butchers”). Connie Nielsen (“Basic”) stars in her first film from her native country with Ulrich Thomsen (“Max,” “Kingdom of Heaven”), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (“The Idiots”), Bent Mejding, Solbjørg Højfeldt, Sarah Juel Werner and Rebecca Løgstrup. 98 min. R: Violence; language; brief nudity. May 6 limited. IFC.     Crash Episodic ensemble meditation on race relations, set in Los Angeles, about: An Asian motorist who collides with a Latina; a white couple carjacked by two black kids; a redneck who taunts an Iranian shopkeeper; a white cop who harasses an affluent African-American couple; and another white cop who kills a black fellow officer. Screenwriter Paul Haggis (“Million Dollar Baby”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Haggis and Bobby Moresco. With Sandra Bullock (“Miss Congeniality 2”), Don Cheadle (“The Assassination of Richard Nixon”), Matt Dillon (“City of Ghosts”), Jennifer Esposito (“Taxi”), Brendan Fraser (“Looney Tunes: Back in Action”), Thandie Newton (“The Chronicles of Riddick”), Ryan Phillippe (“Igby Goes Down”), Daniel Dae Kim (“Spider-Man 2,” “The Cave”), Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (“2 Fast 2 Furious”), Loretta Devine (“Woman Thou Art Loosed,” “King’s Ransom”), William Fichtner (“Equilibrium,” “The Longest Yard”) and Tony Danza (“Meet Wally Sparks”). Scope. 100 min. R: Language; sexual content; some violence. May 13. Lions Gate.     Fighting Tommy Riley Drama about an ailing trainer who finds a way back into the boxing community when he begins mentoring a talented but self-destructive young pugilist. Eddie O’Flaherty makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by J.P. Davis. With Davis, Eddie Jones (“The Terminal”), Christina Chambers (TV’s “As the World Turns”), Paul Terrell Clayton (“Dragonfly”), Don Wallace (“Hell’s Kitchen”), Diane Tayler and Scot Belsky. 110 min. R: Language; some sexual content. May 13. IFG.     Le Grand Role Dark French-language comedy, set in Paris, about a washed-up actor who must convince his seriously ill wife that he has been cast by a famous American director in a Yiddish version of “Hamlet,” fearful that less-good news might weaken her health further. Based on the novel by Daniel Goldenberg. Steve Suissa directs from a screenplay by Daniel Cohen, Sophie Tepper and Suissa. With Suissa (“Ronin”), Cohen (“Kings and Queen”), Stéphane Freiss (“Alias Betty”), Bérénice Bejo (“A Knight’s Tale”), Peter Coyote (“Bon Voyage”), François Berléand (“The Chorus”) and Mickaël Sabah (“My Wife Is An Actress”). Flat. 89 min. May 6 in New York. First Run.     House of Wax Thriller about a group of young motorists who, while passing through a small town, encounter killers who like to coat their victims with wax. A remake of the 1953 horror classic “House of Wax 3-D.” Commercial director Jaume Serra makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Carey & Chad Hayes (TV’s “Baywatch”). With Elisha Cuthbert (“The Girl Next Door”), Jared Padalecki (“Flight of the Phoenix”), Chad Michael Murray (“A Cinderella Story”), Jon Abrahams (“My Boss’s Daughter”), Paris Hilton (“Raising Helen”), Damon Herriman (“Son of the Mask”), Robert Ri’chard (“Coach Carter”), Emma Lung (“Garage Days”) and Brian Van Holt (“S.W.A.T.,” “Man of the House”). Flat. 110 min. R: Horror violence; some sexual content; language. May 6. Warner Bros.