This week’s top choice is the cop buddy comedy The Heat – the best showcase so far for Melissa McCarthy’s comic genius.
My other recommendations:
- The magic documentary Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay;
- The rock documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, essential for music fans;
- the French drama Augustine, about obsession, passion and the birth of neuroscience;
- The HBO documentary about Southern public defenders, Gideon’s Army;
- Much Ado About Nothing takes the homework out of Shakespeare and puts the screwball comedy back in.
- Before Midnight, the year’s best romance, continuing the story of Ethan Hawke’s Jesse and Julie Delpy’s Celine from Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.
- The documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is Alex Gibney’s inside look at an improbable scandal. It’s also available streaming from Amazon, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play and other VOD outlets.
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I like the unsentimental Western Dead Man’s Burden, available on DVD from Netflix and streaming from Amazon, Vudu and other VOD outlets.
Also out right now:
- the gross-out comedy This is the End;
- Fast & Furious 6 has exciting chases, a silly story, a smoldering Michelle Rodriguez and a hard ass Gina Carano.
- There’s cleverness in the psychological thriller Berberian Sound Studio, but just not enough thrills for a thriller.
- Also out on VOD, Nancy, Please is a dark comedy about neurotic obsession among the over-educated. Not that funny.
- Neither is the VOD comedy Bert and Arnie’s Guide to Friendship.
I haven’t yet seen the promising coming of age comedy The Way, Way Back or the Pedro Almodovar rauchfest I’m So Excited. Both open this weekend. You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.
For the second week in a row, my DVD/Stream of the Week is the jaw dropping documentary The Imposter. You must see it to believe it. The Imposter is available on DVD from Netflix and streaming from Netflix, Amazon, iTunes and many other VOD providers.