The first time the audience sees Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) in the early 1980s, he seems far from a model politician. Surrounded by strippers, a Playboy Playmate, and cocaine, the naked congressman lies in a hot tub at a party. Despite the distractions, the TV news catches Charlie's attention as Dan Rather reports from a war-torn Afghanistan. As Soviets invade the country, the Afghans lack the money and technology to defend themselves. Enter Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), a wealthy Texan who champions the cause of Afghanistan and, by extension in the Cold War, America. Together with CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Charlie begins a secret war where he must unite Israel, Pakistan, Egypt, and America to defeat the Soviets. Just as director Mike Nichols brought a sense of fun to what should have been dour proceedings in films such as The Graduate and Closer, this comedy about the largest covert war to date never feels like a history lesson. Writer Aaron Sorkin's dialogue is as sharp as fans have come to expect, and it's delivered with impressive verve from the film's trio of Oscar winners. Hoffman is famous for transforming into various characters, and he's remarkable, but it's Hanks's turn that's the most surprising. Outwardly, Charlie could resemble many of Hanks's previous roles, but the actor adds layers to the character and changes without the aid of makeup or prosthetics. Based on a true story as written by George Crile, the script for Charlie Wilson's War displays all the trademark wit of Sorkin's writing. As in Sorkin's other work, notably The West Wing and The American President, the characters in Charlie Wilson's War display a fierce love of their country. The screenwriter's own politics often rise to the surface, but this smart comedy never feels preachy.

Writer-director Mitchell Lichtenstein's feature debut is a horror comedy combining elements of atom-age 1950s horror films with mythology and feminist theory. The result is a smart, sassy B-movie satire—funny, gross, and with a high squirm factor. A risky idea that could well have turned into a lower-tier Troma production, Teeth is a unique and surprising creation. Dawn (Jess Weixler) lives the life of a normal suburban teenager, except for the two nuclear reactors looming over her house. A goody two-shoes by any measure, she leads the local chapter of a chastity group, lecturing younger children on saving themselves for marriage. She finds herself stirred in unexpected ways, however, by new member Tobey (Hale Appleman). Dawn lets herself get closer to him than she has to anyone else, but when he rapes her, she discovers—-in the most grisly way—-that she is a true incarnation of the vagina dentata myth. As Dawn attempts to come to terms with her emerging sexuality and her second set of choppers, more men with bad intentions fall victim to their worst nightmare. Lichtenstein, sometime actor and the son of artist Roy Lichtenstein, reportedly first heard of the vagina dentata myth while studying under Camille Paglia, and his take on it proves to be as frightening (and bloody) as one would expect. As Dawn, Weixler is winning, and watching her transformation from meek to empowered is a blast to watch. A handful of wincingly gory sequences will have horror fans howling, but there are layers to the film for those willing to peel them back. Cult favorite Ginger Snaps, which examined menstruation as a metaphor for lycanthropy, is an obvious cousin and great candidate for a double feature, but Teeth is completely its own.