apropos of nothing

Hey, America! Go See a Movie Without Explosions This Weekend

Clockwise from top left, Tell No One, A Girl Cut in Two, Elegy, Man on Wire.Photos courtesy of distributors

Today’s Times offers a nice primer from Stephen Holden on ten good art films that have sneaked in under the radar this summer — from Man on Wire to Tell No One. Once you’re finished checking out the greatest comedienne of our generation in The House Bunny tonight, and after you’ve watched The Dark Knight for the fourth time on Saturday — after all, you’ve seen it in Imax while stoned, and on a regular screen while not stoned, and on a regular screen stoned, but not yet in Imax not stoned — maybe you should set aside Sunday to see a movie that didn’t cost untold millions to make? It’ll do you some good, and there are a lot of great films out there you haven’t seen yet.

You can see David Edelstein’s review of The Edge of Heaven here. Edelstein reviews Frozen River as well, and we’ve spoken to its director, Courtney Hunt, twice — in March and earlier this month. We’ve written plenty about Vicky Cristina Barcelona, of course, but check out our angry debunking of Woody’s publicist’s threesome claims, plus Edelstein’s review. Edelstein had real problems with Elegy, but it’s worth seeing to argue about his suggestion that “we should abandon altogether the idea of adapting Roth.” (And Ben Kingsley has his first-ever sex scene!) We talked to Man on Wire’s star, the high-wire artist Philippe Petit, back in April, and Edelstein raved about the movie last month.

Serious Pleasures: Season’s Sweet Spots [NYT]

Hey, America! Go See a Movie Without Explosions This Weekend