Saturday Night Movie Recommendations with Abe

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I'm going to be providing a handy guide to a few choice movies currently playing in NYC as well as several films newly released on DVD. I’ll also aim to comment on those films I have not yet had the chance to see, and I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below. Understandably, some weeks will have considerably fewer releases to address than others.

Now Playing in NYC

Martha Marcy May Marlene (mixed bag): This dark drama features a strong performance from Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of the Olsen twins, as a woman escaping from a disturbing cult. The film is unsettling but also disjointed and generally unsatisfying. Now playing at the Angelika and AMC Lincoln Square. Read my review from yesterday.

Cargo (anti-recommended): This story of a captive woman and the human trafficker driving her across the border from Mexico into the United States is a tight, focused film, but its contents, unfortunately, aren’t all that interesting. Now playing at the Quad Cinema. Read my review.

Revenge of the Electric Car (recommended): This follow-up to 2006's "Who Killed the Electric Car" spotlights four different producers of electric cars as they battle to forge ahead and help change the way the automobile industry works. It's an energizing, engaging film with an invigorating narrative and smart editing. Now playing at the Landmark Sunshine. My review will be up on Monday.

New to DVD

Bad Teacher (mixed bag): This foul-mouthed comedy starring Cameron Diaz isn’t as edgy as it wants to be, and is inconsistently funny. Justin Timberlake and Jason Segel deserve better, but this isn’t the worst way to spend an hour and a half.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (anti-recommended): Why we needed a fourth film after two miserable sequels is beyond me. This film is so far removed from what the original was that it’s often nauseating. Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush just aren’t trying anymore, and neither is this waste of a movie.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Three films to recommend not watching this week, of varying degrees of badness: Michael Shannon’s private investigator headed nowhere good in The Missing Person, the disturbing and weird series of hotel room vignettes Do Not Disturb, and the indigestible, incoherent look at the future Zenith. Avoid them all.