Pick of the week: “C.O.G.” — David Sedaris fans will want to check out this big-screen fictionalized adaptation of one of his essays, as an arrogant Yalie (Jonathan Groff of “Frozen”) spends the summer picking apples with the common people in Oregon.
Pick of the week: “The Iceman”: My full review is here. Michael Shannon is effectively scary in this true-life gangster tale of a New Jersey hitman responsible for killing hundreds of people, all the while maintaining the facade of a normal family man. Shannon can go off the rails in a perfromance, but here he’s frighteningly tuned down, not a psychopath, but a man who has found a trade he’s good at.
Pick of the week: “Crystal Fairy”: My full review is here. Michael Cera is very un-Bluth-like as a drug tourist in Chile, obsessed with finding a rare cactus that can be turned into a powerful hallucinogenic. Dragging his Chilean friends along the way, he runs into a hippie girl (Gaby Hoffmann) who upends his quest. It’s a very dry, very strange comedy, and something more besides.
Pick of the week: “Frances Ha” — My full review is here. Noah Baumbach’s beautifully ode to aimless twentysomethings and female friendship has all the zingy dialogue and sharp characterizations we’ve come to expect from the creator of “Greenberg,” and “The Squid and the Whale.” But perhaps because of star, co-writer and partner Greta Gerwig, the film has a generosity of spirit we haven’t seen before from Baumbach.
Pick of the week: “Skyfall”: My full review is here. I know I usually make the pick of the week some kind of semi-obscure indie gem, but good gravy do I love the last James Bond movie. It has all the classic elements of a great Bond movie — great villain, exotic locations, killer pre-credits sequence, but those all feel put in service to a real movie.
Pick of the week: “Blancanieves”: My full review is here. This sumptuous Spanish film reimagines the Snow White legend as a silent black-and-white film set in the world of toreadors. If you liked “The Artist,” you’ll love this.
I’m kind of a wuss when it comes to horror movies, which makes me that much more susceptible and appreciative when a good one comes along. In honor of Halloween, here are five recent horror films that did the trick for me.
Pick of the week: “Dirty Wars”: My full review is here, and my interview with Jeremy Scahill is here. Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill (a Wauwatosa native) looks into America’s secret war on terror, including targeted assassinations and drone strikes, and ponders the blowback that we may be unleashing.
Classic of the week: “Wake in Fright”: My full review is here. A cultured schoolteacher is waylaid in a rough Australian town in this 1971 film, and a dark night of drinking, carousing and kangaroo slaughter unleashes his inner beast.
Documentary of the week: “Ai Weiwei Never Sorry”: My full review is here. The combative Chinese artist Ai Weiwei mixes art and activism to crusade against his government’s abuses.
Thriller of the week: “In Bruges”: My full review is here. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell are hitmen on furlough in a picturesque Belgian town in this very funny and very violent film.
Western of the week: “Two Mules for Sister Sara“: Not my favorite Clint Eastwood Western, as Clint reluctantly takes on a prostitute masquerading as a nun (Shirley MacLaine). But still, a Clint Eastwood Western.
Aside from the top pick, it’s a classic movie bonanza at Instant Gratification this week.
A new month, a new crop of movies available to stream on Netflix Instant, including a bundle of great ’90s movies.
Pick of the week: “Brighton Rock” — This adaptation of an early Graham Greene novel updates the action to the “mods” vs. “rockers” gang wars of the 1960s, as a ruthless young gangster (Sam Riley) woos an innocent waitress (Andrea Riseborough). The film makes good contrast of its cheery seaside locations against its gritty underworld plot, and Helen Mirren and John Hurt make strong supporting roles.
Madison Movie 