Ty's picks for Friday, April 20

"Hot Fuzz" is probably your best play for sheer, no-brain entertainment value among the weekend's new releases: It's a two-cop action movie tweaked to lowered British expectations, much as its director (Edgar Wright) and star (Simon Pegg) did with "Shaun of the Dead." Nice to see Timothy Dalton play a dweeb, too.

"The TV Set" is for smart people -- a droll, deliciously deadpan deconstruction of Hollywood groupthink with Sigourney Weaver and David Duchovny in change-up roles -- and "After the Wedding," from Denmark's Susanne Bier, is for smart people who don't mind a good bit of purple melodrama in their foreign-language cinema.

"Vacancy" looks like the usual horror chum ladled out to the jaded dice-and-slice crowd, but won't they be surprised when they get an actual good movie. Raw, no-frills, just enough grue -- this thing scares the dickens out of you and sends you on your way.

Of the films Wesley reviewed, "Year of the Dog" looks like the keeper. I've been waiting for Molly Shannon to get a real role, and it looks like Mike White may have finally given her one. Shame about the pooch, though.

"In the Land of Women," on the other hand -- that looks like a good, fun chunk o' really bad drama, although the trailer may have said all that needs to be said. I'll let you know when it comes on Cinemax at 11 p.m. in three months. Notable for Meg Ryan entering the Mom era of her career and for the appearance of yet another son of Lawrence Kasdan ("The Big Chill") behind the camera. (Jake directed "TV Set," Jonathan directed this.)

"Wristcutters: A Love Story" at the Brattle tomorrow night, with author Etgar Keret in person.

Burkino Faso's first woman director, Fanta Régina Nacro, will appear at the Harvard Film Archive this weekend with her movies. (That's a shot from Africas Africa" above.)

Tonight at the MFA: Max Ophuls' wonderful 1953 melodrama "The Earrings of Madame de..." If you've never seen it on a big screen, do yourself a favor.

And if you still haven't checked off Verhoeven's sneaky/brilliant "Black Book" on your must-see list, it's at the Coolidge for the forseeable future.