Pick of the week: “Renoir“: My full review is here. The legendary painter in his late years is the subject of this French biopic, but the real star is the colors, the frame dappled with gorgeous orange and vermillion that the artist himself would have envied. Aside from the arresting visual poetry of the film, it’s otherwise an agreeable but shallow look, as the painter’s son (who will one day become “Rules of the Game” filmmaker Jean Renoir) falls for one of dad’s nude models.
“Afternoon of a Faun” — Get out the hankies for this poetic and poignant documentary about the dancer Tanaquil Le Clercq, who served as a muse to legendary choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. In addition to creating dances for her bold, long-limbed style, both fell in love with her (Balanchine married her), but her career was cut short when she contracted polio at the age of 27.
Pick of the week: “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead“ — “Croupier” star Clive Owen and writer-director Mike Hodges reteamed for this pitch-dark 2003 British noir, about a homeless man seeking vengeance against the gangster (Malcolm McDowell) who drove his younger brother to commit suicide.
Pick of the week: “World War Z” — My full review is here. That rare summer blockbuster that doesn’t insult your intelligence (like this summer’s “Edge of Tomorrow,” this fresh zombie thriller has Brad Pitt globe-hopping a planet covered in zombie hordes, who don’t just chase the living but swarm en masse like fire ants. This leads to some well-executed setpieces, including a massive attack in Israel and a satisfyingly low-key climax in which Pitt plays cat and mouse with zombies at a World Health Organization facility. Note: Netflix also has the unrated version available for streaming.
Pick of the week: “Stories We Tell”: My full review is here. Actress turned filmmaker Sarah Polley, after making a couple of strong narrative features in “Take This Waltz” and “Away With Her,” turns the camera on her own family, and a family secret that everybody sort of knew but nobody ever confirmed. The result is a family drama, a mystery and a fascinating exploration into the shifting nature of memory, and how we construct the stories about our lives that make sense to us. One of the best movies of 2013.
Pick of the week: “Annie Hall” — Upon further review, “Manhattan” may be a slightly better movie, but “Annie Hall” is still that one Woody Allen film that feels perfectly balanced between comedy and something more serious, as young Alvy recalls his love affair with the daffy and unforgettable Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). La-di-da.
Pick of the week: “Diggstown“ — Michael Ritchie’s later films were a pretty spotty bunch, but one bright spot is his immensely entertaining 1992 film starring James Woods, a shady boxing promoter who bets the town patriarch (Bruce Dern) his over-the-hill boxer can beat 10 of Dern’s best fighters — in 24 hours. It feels like a great B-movie from the ’40s, snappy and punchy and full of surprises.
Pick of the week: “Dear Mr. Watterson“ — My full review is here. My daughers are just discovering my old “Calvin & Hobbes” books, and I imagine that someday their kids will fall into the magical, funny, poignant and beautifully-rendered world of Bill Watterson. This highly entertaining documentary deliberately doesn’t try to contact the reclusive Watterson, instead talking to fans, fellow comic strip artists and colleagues to celebrate and investigate why we love it so much. There’s treasure everywhere in this movie.
Pick of the week: “Much Ado About Nothing“ — My full review is here. The gimmick behind Joss Whedon’s Shakespeare adaptation is a lot of fun, he shot it in his own house, using a lot of actor friends (including Nathan Fillion and Amy Acker) in under two weeks, as a break between shooting and editing “The Avengers.” But the film, set in present-day Los Angeles, is an efficient and knowing adaptation of the text, never skimping on the fun of the Bard’s plot while throwing the play’s sharp anti-feminist themes into sharp relief.
Pick of the week: “Metallica Through The Never“ — As if still fearing that they were wussified in the excellent and revealing documentary “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” one of hard rock’s greatest living bands embraces the myth in this film, which mixes impressive live concert footage (shot in 3D for theaters) with a bonzo narrative about a young roadie who has to fight demon hordes to get a mysterious bag. (The roadie is played by the fine Dane DeHaan, currently seen as Harry Osborne in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”
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