By Christopher Bonet

A round-up of the best (or worst) $10 you’ll spend next week.

“A Walk to Beautiful”
Documentarians Mary Olive Smith and Amy Bucher’s first collaborative feature documentary tells the story of five Ethiopian women exiled from their communities after complications during childbirth. As each of these women search out a special hospital in Addis Ababa in order to find a home where they won’t be persecuted for the first time in years, Smith and Bucher’s camera captures their attempts to rebuild their lives. The film premiered at the 2007 San Francisco Film Festival.

Opens in New York (official site).

“The Band’s Visit”
Israeli director Erin Kolirin’s debut feature finds a few of Egypt’s finest traveling to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab Culture Center… except they head to the wrong town. The comedy/drama premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury award.

Opens in limited release (official site).

“Fool’s Gold”
Matthew McConaughey may have fallen a little out of favor in the leading man department after the colossal failure that was 2005’s “Sahara” (and “Two for the Money” and “Failure to Launch” and… well, you get the idea). But the actor’s latest marks first reunion opposite Kate Hudson since their wildly successful rom-com “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” in 2003. McConaughey plays a treasure hunter whose relationship with his estranged wife (Hudson) is reignited after he discovers the real key to her heart: Spanish gold. Romance!

Opens wide (official site).

“The Hottie & the Nottie”
We’re surprised this indie comedy has neither a National Lampoon’s or direct-to-DVD stamp attached to it. Paris Hilton is the “Hottie” in this comedy that finds the infamous socialite the object of affection of Nate (Joel David Moore), a loser who hopes to woo his childhood love once he figures out what to do with her less-than-attractive best friend. “The Hottie and the Nottie” may have the worst poster of the year to date, questionably pitting Hilton against her deformed best friend. Now that’s just bad taste.

Opens in limited release (official site).

“How to Rob a Bank”
Newbie director Andrew Jenkins’ debut feature visits the worn genre of the “heist film,” though the helmer gets a bit creative with this exhausted concept by posing questions of who is robbing the bank and what are they after. A couple (Nick Stahl and Erika Christensen) find themselves trapped in a vault, with the bank robber (Gavin Rossdale, of Bush fame) stuck on the other side of the door. The film sounds a bit like “Panic Room” meets “The Nine”… in other words, possibly promising. The film premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival.

Opens in New York (official site).

“In Bruges”
While this Sundance opening night film may sound like familiar ground (heist-gone-wrong film with rapid-fire dialogue… just see one item above), we’re still excited about noted playwright-turned-director Martin McDonagh’s debut feature. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as a pair of hit men hiding out in Bruges, Belgium, awaiting word from their boss (Ralph Fiennes) after a botched job in London.

Opens in limited release (official site).

“London to Brighton”
Paul Andrew Williams’ inner -ity drama explores underground London culture, tracking a pair of beaten-up prostitutes, a pimp in trouble, and a man left bleeding to death on a bathroom floor. The film won a slew of festival awards in 2006, including the prize for Best Film at the British Independent Film Awards.

Opens in limited release (official site).

“Spiral”
For those yearning for a Joel David Moore double feature this week, the lead of “The Hottie and the Nottie” also co-directed and stars as a lonely telemarketer who is brought out of his shell by a new co-worker (Amber Tamblyn) in this indie thriller. Be on the lookout for a brief appearance by Tricia Helfer, also known as our favorite Cylon Number Six from “Battlestar Galactica.”

Opens in limited release (official site).

“Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show”
“Swingers” star Vince Vaughn selects four comedians to perform 30 dates in 30 nights across the United States. Sounds a bit like Dane Cook’s “Tourgasm,” except without the suck of Dane Cook. The comedians featured in this documentary include Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco.

Opens wide (official site).

“Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins”
Martin Lawrence further tarnishes his comic credibility in this family comedy that finds the formerly edgy comedian playing it safe once again. Lawrence stars as a popular talk show host who leaves Los Angeles for a raucous family reunion in the Deep South. We deeply miss the Lawrence of yesteryear (even “Blue Streak”…. anyone?) and hope that maybe, someday, he’ll return to the risky material that we all grew to love in the early ’90s.

Opens wide (official site).

[Photo: “In Bruges,” Focus Features, 2008]