NEW THIS WEEK

“Betting the Farm” A group of Maine dairy farmers — dropped by their national milk company — launch their own milk company in a bid to save their farms. Owned by the farmers and committed to paying a sustainable price for their milk, the company offers hope for the future of small farming. But faced with slow sales and mounting bills, can the farmers hang together long enough for the gamble to pay off? “Betting the Farm” is a verité documentary that follows three farmers — Aaron Bell, Vaughn Chase and Richard Lary — and their families through the tumultuous first two years of MOO Milk. With intimate access to their triumphs and disappointments, the film gives audiences a rare glimpse at the real lives of American — and specifically Maine — farmers at a crossroads. 84 minutes (NR)

“Butter” When her husband retires, a woman (Jennifer Garner) decides to keep his 15-year streak as Iowa’s champion butter carver going by entering the annual competition herself. Alicia Silverstone, Rob Corddry and Olivia Wilde are among her rivals trying to outdo her butter skills. 91 minutes (R)

“Frankenweenie” Tim Burton returns to his roots with this 3D, black-and-white feature-length adaptation of a famed short he made early in his career, about a boy who manages to bring his beloved pet dog back from the dead, with a few unexpected consequences. 87 minutes (PG)

“The Paperboy” A camp classic or a misunderstood drama? That was the debate that raged around director Lee Daniels’ adaptation of Pete Dexter’s novel when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Matthew McConaughey is a Miami journalist who returns to his home turf of the South Florida swamplands to investigate a story. His younger brother (Zak Efron), disgraced after having been kicked out of college, has been reduced to delivering newspapers for a living. Nicole Kidman, John Cusack and Macy Gray play some of the other residents of the town, where everyone is behaving a bit loony. 107 minutes (R)

“Pitch Perfect” Beca (Anna Kendrick) is that girl who’d rather listen to what’s coming out of her headphones than what’s coming out of you. Arriving at her new college, she finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together, in the new out-loud comedy Pitch Perfect. 112 minutes (PG-13)

“Samsara” This documentary devoid of dialogue and descriptive text explores the wonders of the modern world, including sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes and natural spectacles. Directed by Ron Fricke. 99 minutes (NR)

“Taken 2” Last time, they took Liam Neeson’s daughter hostage. This time, they’ve kidnapped Neeson himself. Are these bad guys trying to get themselves killed or what? 91 minutes (R)

ALSO IN THEATERS

“Arbtrage” A troubled hedge fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire makes an error that forces him to turn to an unlikely person for help. Starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Brit Marling . 107 minutes (R)

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days” An adolescent boy tries to survive summer misadventures in such fraught situations as swimming at the public pool and going camping. With Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris and Robert Capron. Written by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky. Directed by David Bowers. 94 minutes, (PG)

“End of Watch” Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are two police officers marked for murder by a drug cartel in the latest gritty cop drama from writer-director David Ayer (“Training Day,” “Harsh Times”). 109 minutes (R)

“Hotel Transylvania” (PG): Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Andy Samberg provide the voices for this animated comedy about a boy who discovers Dracula is real — and falls in love with his daughter. 91 minutes (PG-13)

“House at the End of the Street” A mother and daughter (Elisabeth Shue and Jennifer Lawrence) move to a new home and discover the girl who lived next door murdered her parents. 101 minutes (PG-13)

“Looper” (R): A time-travel movie like none you’ve seen before. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis play the young and old versions of the same character in writer-director Rian Johnson’s surprising, exciting sci-fi adventure set in the near future. 118 minutes (R)

“The Master” A new movie by Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood”) is always cause for excitement. But this story about a World War II veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls under the sway of the charismatic leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of a faith group looks exceptional, even by Anderson’s standards. Frankly, we can’t wait. 137 minutes (R)

“Robot and Frank” In the near future, an aging former cat burglar’s two adult children buy him a humanoid robot helper, with whom he forms an unexpected partnership. With Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden and Liv Tyler. Written by Christopher Ford. Directed by Jake Schreier. 89 minutes (PG-13)

“Trouble With the Curve” Although he said Gran Torino would be his final screen performance, Clint Eastwood apparently changed his mind to play an aging baseball scout who takes his daughter (Amy Adams) along on his last recruiting trip. Justin Timberlake plays the young ballplayer who just might be good enough for the big leagues. Directed by Robert Lorenz, Eastwood’s longtime assistant director. 111 minutes (PG-13)

“Won’t Back Down” Frustrated by bureaucracy and politics, two mothers (Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal) decide to do something to save their kids’ failing inner-city school. (PG)

— Compiled from wire reports

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