Reviewed in brief: "Afghan Star," "No Impact Man" and "Play the Game"

★★★ out of four stars

Rating: Unrated. • Where: Lagoon.

After decades of oppressive rule, pop culture is taking hold in Afghanistan. One-third of the country watches a popular TV talent competition, and texts in their votes; for many it was their first taste of democratic choice. Director Havana Marking crafts a lively and absorbing horse race among the contenders, who include a traditional folk singer, a raffish crooner who slays the ladies and a high-spirited woman whose modern dress and dance moves outrage conservative leaders. Some call for her to be executed for her audacity. The film balances the performers' personal stories and viewers' on-the-street interviews with eye-opening political insights. "Afghan Star" won the directing and audience awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

COLIN COVERT

★★ out of four stars

Rating: Unrated. • Where: Lagoon.

Colin Bevan, a New York City history author, wanted his next project to affect the future. His decision to go green for a year, giving up electricity, consumerism and non-local food, is laughably impractical. The push-pull between his absolutism and his wife's reluctance to kick her Starbucks, shopping, takeout food and TV addictions gives this documentary a mild comedic kick. Directed by Minneapolis native Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, the film is agreeably balanced. Bevan comes off as smug and a tad hypocritical: Plenty of trees were chopped down to print his book about the experiment. Then again, all the stair climbing and bike riding boosted the couple's health, and their tube-free parenting time with daughter Isabella brought the family closer. The film makes a reasonable case for scaling back a little on consumption and stress.

★ out of four stars

Rating: PG-13 for language, sexual content. • Where: Mall of America.

This will forever be known as the film where Opie's dad boinks Seinfeld's mom. The premise feels like a Screenwriting 101 assignment: Write a formulaic sex comedy whose central character is over 80. Things are pretty dull at the retirement home for Grandpa Joe (Andy Griffith), an old-school gentleman seeking platonic companionship with Rose (Doris Roberts, "Everybody Loves Raymond"). His bad-boy grandson Dave teaches Gramps some foolproof pickup tricks, and voracious Edna ("Seinfeld's" Liz Sheridan) feeds him a Viagra love potion. Joe soon racks up a stable of conquests that leaves Paul envious. First-time writer/director Marc Fienberg thinks it's funny to send Griffith a-courting player-style, in a powder-blue track suit and backwards ball cap. If that doesn't warn you away, I don't know what more I can do.