Pickins are slim in theaters this week, but we’ve got a great week coming up. Opening here in Silicon Valley next Friday are:
- Richard Linklater’s family drama Boyhood – potentially the best movie of the year.
- Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final performance in the John LeCarre espionage thriller A Most Wanted Man.
- The quirky indie comedy Land Ho!.
- Lucy – a Scarlet Johansson action vehicle that looks like it rocks.
While we’re waiting for THOSE movies:
- Jersey Boys is mostly fun – and features another jaunty performance by Christopher Walken.
- The Wife enjoyed Code Black – the documentary about emergency rooms in urban public hospitals.
- I loved the rockin’ Spanish Witching and Bitching – a witty comment on misogyny inside a madcap horror spoof, which you can stream on Amazon instant, iTunes and Xbox Video.
- Life Itself, the affectionate but not worshipful documentary on movie critic Ebert’s groundbreaking career, courageous battle against disease and uncommonly graceful death Life Itself is streaming on Amazon Instant, iTunes, Vudu and Xbox Video.
- The art vs. technology documentary Tim’s Vermeer is a yawner.
My summertime DVD/Stream of the Week recommendations are the superb surfing documentaries Step Into Liquid and Riding Giants. Step Into Liquid is available on DVD from Netflix and streaming from Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Hulu and Xbox Video. Riding Giants is available streaming on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and Xbox Video.