The Exotic Marigold Hotel

Movies to See this Week

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Polisse

This weekend, I recommend one of the year’s best – Polisse, the story of the police child protection unit in Paris.

Bernie, a very funny dark comedy by Richard Linklater, shows off Jack Black’s talents in a whole new light.  The story of aged Brits seeking a low-budget retirement in India, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is much more than a fish-out-of-water comedy. Another entertaining movie is the Norwegian dark comedy Headhunters, with Aksel Hennie as a smug corporate headhunter/art thief who panics when a high tech commando hunts him down.  The Five-Year Engagement is an appealing romantic comedy.

You can still find one of the year’s best movies, Monsieur Lazhar, the story of French-Canadian fifth graders recovering from a traumatic experience with their replacement teacher, an Algerian immigrant.

On Monday night, HBO will begin broadcasting Hemingway and Gellhorn, starring Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman.

I haven’t yet seen Hysteria, which opens this week. You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is the Chinese action comedy Let the Bullets Fly, the all-time #2 most popular movie in China (behind Avatar).

Movies to See This Week

by
BERNIE

This week’s highlight is the release of Bernie, a very funny dark comedy by Richard Linklater that shows off Jack Black’s talents in a whole new way.

The story of aged Brits seeking a low-budget retirement in India, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is much more than a fish-out-of-water comedy.  Another entertaining movie is the Norwegian dark comedy Headhunters, with Aksel Hennie as a smug corporate headhunter/art thief who panics when a high tech commando hunts him down.  The Five-Year Engagement is an appealing romantic comedy.

You can still find one of the year’s best movies, Monsieur Lazhar, the story of French-Canadian fifth graders recovering from a traumatic experience with their replacement teacher, an Algerian immigrant.

I haven’t yet seen Where Do We Go Now? which opens this weekend.   You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is the cancer comedy 50/50 with Joseph Gordon Levitt and Seth Rogen.

Movies to See This Week

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HEADHUNTERS

For sheer entertainment, I recommend the Norwegian dark comedy Headhunters, with Aksel Hennie as a smug corporate headhunter/art thief who panics when a high tech commando hunts him down.

The must-see movie in theaters now remains Monsieur Lazhar, the story of French-Canadian fifth graders recovering from a traumatic experience with their replacement teacher, an Algerian immigrant. It’s an emotionally compelling film that was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

Last week’s releases were middling.  The best of the bunch, the romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement, is intelligent, authentic and leisurely with some chuckles.    The Hunter is a paranoid thriller, starring Willem Dafoe as a professional hunter sent to the primordial forests of Tasmania.  Pirates! Band of Misfits is a merely amusing offering from the masters of claymation, Aardman Studios (Wallace and Gromit); don’t pay extra to see it in 3D.

I haven’t yet seen the very promising The Exotic Marigold Hotel which opens this weekend. You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is War Horse, Steven Spielberg’s World War I epic.