Best bets in theaters this week:
- If you see the thought-provoking drama The Place Beyond the Pines with Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, you’ll still be mulling it over days later;
- I guarantee that you will enjoy the absolutely winning The Sapphires, a charmer about Australian Aboriginal teens forming a girl group to entertain troops in the Vietnam War.
- Read my ambivalent comments before going to see the enigmatic Upstream Color.
I haven’t yet seen (but I’ve been eagerly awaiting) the drama Mud, with Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepherd, Michael Shannon and the kid from The Tree of Life. You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.
PBS is broadcasting the compelling doumentary The Central Park Five from Ken Burns, et al. It’s also available streaming from Amazon Instant and other VOD providers.
On the Road is the faithful but ultimately unsuccessful adaptation of the seminal Jack Kerouac novel, with surprisingly little energy. I’m not a big fan of the shaky cam noir Sun Don’t Shine from promising indie director Amy Seimetz, available from various VOD outlets.
My DVD/Stream of the Week is the authentic and evocative coming of age movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s available on DVD from Netflix and Redbox and streaming from Amazon, iTunes and other VOD providers.
On April 30, Turner Classic Movies will be broadcasting the oft overlooked film noir The Prowler, starring usually sympathetic good guy Van Heflin as the twisted bad guy.