Instant Gratification: “Kings of Pastry” and four other good movies to watch on Netflix Instant

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Pick of the week: “Kings of Pastry” — Let’s start with dessert. This entertaining and mouth-watering documentary looks at the world-class confectioners who gather in France for a world pastry championship. In addition to marveling at their creation, less dessert than works of art, we learn about the chefs and their almost obsessive pursuit of perfection.

Roger Dodger — I’ve always liked this 2002 comedy, in which a foul-mouth misogynistic Campbell Scott tries to teach his nephew (a young Jesse Eisenberg) the rules for dealing with women. Instead, Scott’s character finds himself outclassed and outmaneuvered by his young protege.

“”For a Few Dollars More” — “A Fistful of Dollars” went up in February and “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” posted to Netflix last fall, and now Sergio Leone’s “Man With No Name” trilogy of Spaghetti Westerns is complete with this tale of an outlaw (Clint Eastwood) who helps a grieving lawman (Lee Van Cleef as a good guy!) extract revenge on a vicious gang. Bonus points for the best use of a swivel chair ever in a shootout.

Lars and the Real Girl — Girl, if you haven’t seen Ryan Gosling play a mild-mannered Wisconsinite who has a surprisingly deep connection with an inflatable sex doll, then you haven’t seen all sides of the Gos. It’s actually a very funny, straight-faced performance in a charmingly odd movie.

The Muppets Take Manhattan” — This high-spirited 1984 movie featuring everybody’s favorite felt creations may be the most underrated — it’s not the original “Muppet Movie” or even the “Muppets” reboot, but it’s let’s-put-on-a-show energy and funny cameos put it way above, say, “Muppets From Space.”

 

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