Along with Quentin Tarantino's "kosher porn," movie screens around the world seem to be peppered these days with an interesting array of movies with Middle East themes.

Probably the worst of the lot is "Cairo Time," a "romantic drama" starring Patricia Clarkson as a Canadian journalist who travels to Cairo to meet her husband, a UN worker in Gaza, so they can visit the pyramids.

Clarkson's husband is held up in Gaza, and so Clarkson falls for the charms of Alexander Siddiq ("Syriana"), a retired Egyptian cop and old friend of Clarkson's husband.

"Sometimes you need to forget the rules and follow your heart," is the "Cairo Time" promo...

As the trailer suggests, and the early reviews support, "Cairo Time" looks like it is based on an endless series of over-worn cliches.

The National Post movie critic panned the film, saying it was "closer to a promotional film for Egypt's tourism board than a genuine romance."

The Globe and Mail also offers a tepid review that calls "Cairo Time" little more than the "skin of a story stitched into a pretty travelogue."

Also in movie theaters now is "Amreeka," the writing/directing debut by Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis.

"Amreeka" follows the path of a divorced Palestinian woman who moves from the West Bank to suburban Illinois to try and build a better life for her teenage son. The mother/son wrestle with all the expected challenges, from anti-Arab kids in school to ignorant businessmen who think all Palestinians are terrorists.

Hollywood Reporter praises the film and says Dabis "has thoroughly re-energized the [American immigrant] genre with refreshing wit, honest emotions, incisive observations and a perfect cast."

Dabis recently discussed her work and the movie on "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross.

Perhaps the most controversial new film is "Ajami," an Israeli movie that delves into the often-tense relationships between Arabs and Jews living in Israel.

"Ajami" recently won the Israeli Oscar for best film, and has garnered critical praise.

The film was recently caught up in a high-profile call from prominent Hollywood actors and celebrities to boycott the Toronto Film Festival because of its plans to honor Tel Aviv as part of the celebration.

"Ajami" is not the only Israeli film winning awards these days.

"Lebanon," a new film the focuses on one Israeli tank crew during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, recently won top prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Below is a rough translation of the trailer from someone on YouTube: 

Newsweek hails "Lebanon" and "Ajami" as "powerful examples of Israeli cinema's emergence as one of the country's most vibrant engines of introspection and moral commentary."