Deadgirls and Grouchy Gurus

British bureaucrats, sex zombies and fed-up therapists populate movie theaters this week.

“Paraiso Travel”
A hit in its native Columbia, director Simon Brand’s sophomore feature explores the issues of illegal immigration and the disconnect between the promise of the American dream and the reality of scratching out a living under the radar. Angelica Blandon and Raúl Castillo co-star as Reina and Carlos, a newly arrived Latin American couple who find themselves lost and separated in a seedy New York neighborhood. In Spanish with subtitles.
Opens in limited release.

“Shrink”
Having honed his skills as a helmer-for-hire on “Chuck” and “Battlestar Galactica,” director Jonas Pate delivers his first feature since 1997′s thriller “Deceiver.” Kevin Spacey lends his singular brand of deadpan misanthropy to the role of Dr. Henry Carter, shrink of choice for Hollywood’s elite. Tired of hearing their self-absorbed prattle, Carter diagnoses himself with “compassion fatigue syndrome” and self-prescribes time away and extensive marijuana therapy. Saffron Burrows, Mark Webber and an uncredited Robin Williams fill out the cast as a few of Dr. Carter’s dysfunctional patients.
Opens in New York and Los Angeles.

“Surviving Crooked Lake”
Filling that inexplicably underserved niche between “Deliverance” and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” this wilderness survival thriller follows four teenage girls forced by a tragedy to fend for themselves and find their own arduous way home when a camping trip in the Canadian Shield goes very wrong. The low-budget tale has a unique look to it — enough to nab it the Vision Award for Cinematography at Slamdance last year.
Opens in limited release.

“The Ugly Truth”
A specialist in throwaway crowd-pleasers (“Legally Blonde,” “21”), Aussie director Robert Luketic’s latest features brooding machismo expert Gerard Butler attempting to do warm and fuzzy. Butler plays a relationship expert whose controversial advice for the single ladies (“It’s called a Stairmaster, get on it.”) is put to the test when he takes neurotic morning show producer Abby (Katherine Heigl) under his wing for a crash course in romance. Can’t imagine where this one goes.
Opens wide.

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