Pick of the week: “Thanks for Sharing” — My full review is here. While “Shame” turned sex addiction into an epic tragedy, “Thanks For Sharing” is a refreshingly grounded comedy-drama that treats it like any other addiction. Mark Ruffalo is a five years “sober” addict trying to start a new relationship with cancer survivor Gwyneth Paltrow, while Josh Gad is a straight-up perv trying to get its life in order. I’d say it’s about two-thirds drama, one-third comedy and generally appealing.
“The Way Back” — My full review is here. Escapees from a Russian gulag make their way across a perilous 4,000-mile journey to freedom in this fact-based survival drama from Peter Weir (“Witness”), featuring strong supporting performances by Ed Harris and Colin Farrell.
“Capital” — My full review is here. A two-fer from director Costa-Gavras this week, with his new film a savage indictment of global finance, as a ruthless banker vanquishes enemies both inside and outside his firm. Call it “Debit Cards.”
“Amen.“ — Costa-Gavras takes on another massive organization in this 2004 drama, the Catholic Church, in this drama about a German chemist and a priest who find resistance from Vatican higher-ups when he seeks to expose the Nazi genocide campaign.
“Sabrina” — Harrison Ford is a little too dour and Greg Kinnear a little too sunny, but Julia Ormond is terrific as a young woman navigating the attentions of the two feuding brothers in Sydney Pollack’s remake of the old Humphrey Bogart-Audrey Hepburn-William Holden classic.