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

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (highly recommended): This sequel is actually much better than the original film, casting Jared Harris from “Mad Men” as villain Professor Moriarty and featuring nonstop action throughout. It’s long, but thoroughly exciting and worthwhile. Now playing in wide release. Read my review from yesterday.

Carnage (recommended): This Roman Polanski-directed film is essentially a play captured on camera, which means that it’s fascinating for its content but unremarkable for its style. Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, and Christoph Waltz all deliver memorable performances, acting out a clever and entertaining script.

Two so-called friends of mine dragged me to the first two “Alvin and the Chipmunks” films, and I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to avoid that same fate with Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.


New to DVD

Daddy Longlegs (anti-recommended): This showcase of bad parenting is a miserable film with a deplorable character and little sense of morality. Ronald Bronstein earned praise for his performance, but this film doesn’t deserve any commendation since it’s both negative and uninteresting.

I’m going to try to watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes sometime soon since I missed that while it was in theatres.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Hemingway’s Garden of Eden (anti-recommended): This period piece stars Jack Huston of “Boardwalk Empire” and Mena Suvari as two philanderers with matching white hair living luxuriously and doing little of any interest. It’s a pretentious, unfocused, unnecessary film without any appeal. Skip it.