Killer Joe is NC-17 for a reason and will either thrill or disgust you; that notwithstanding, it pops and crackles with excellent performances by Mathew McConaughey and Juno Temple. Ruby Sparks is an hilariously inventive romance that probes whether realizing a fantasy can bring happiness. The Intouchables is a crowd pleasing odd couple comedy – an attendance record breaker in France.
It’s worth seeking out the compelling documentary Searching for Sugar Man, about the hunt to uncover the secret fate of an artist that didn’t know that he was a rock star. The same holds for Bill W., the story of the reluctant leader of a movement, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The brilliantly made Louisiana swamp fable Beasts of the Southern Wild enters the life and imagination of a child and celebrates her indomitability. It’s on my list of Best Movies of 2012 – So Far.
Farewell, My Queen is a lavishly staged and absorbing French drama of Marie Antoinette’s Versailles at the onset of the French Revolution; it features excellent performances and was shot at Versailles itself.
The wistfully sweet and visually singular Moonrise Kingdom is another must see, and it’s hanging around some theaters. Adults will enjoy Brave, Pixar’s much anticipated fable of a Scottish princess, and it’s a must see for kids.
The Dark Night Rises is too corny and too long, but Anne Hathaway sparkles. Magic Mike has male stripping, but no magic. The relationship drama 360, which opens this week, is a snoozer.
I haven’t yet seen the franchise thriller The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker). You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.
My DVD pick this week is the American spy documentary, The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby.