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 theatres 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

This week’s big release is Skyfall, which I haven’t yet seen but imagine will be quite thrilling given how enjoyable both “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” were.

New to DVD

The Amazing Spider-Man (recommended): This franchise reboot is nothing astonishingly original, but it’s an expectedly entertaining take on the series, superior to the previous three films, with Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Denis Leary leading a fun cast in this relatively action-packed superhero flick.

Your Sister’s Sister (highly recommended): This terrific Tribeca entry from this past year features Mark Duplass, from last week’s DVD release “Safety Not Guaranteed,” as a depressed man caught between two half-sisters, wonderfully played by Rosemarie DeWitt and Emily Blunt, during a weekend away at a cabin in this superb and entertaining dramedy.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Gardens of the Night (anti-recommended): This miserable 2008 movie featuring Gillian Jacobs, now of “Community,” as the victim of a child abduction is an ill-conceived, disturbing story that doesn’t need to be seen. Tom Arnold delivers a decent disturbing performance as a pedophile, but that’s hardly a reason to see the film.

The Grapes of Wrath (highly recommended): This 1940 Oscar winner for Best Director John Ford and Best Supporting Actress Jane Darwell is a marvelous and classic adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel. Henry Fonda is excellent in the lead role as the kindly Tom Joad, who travels across the country with his family during the Great Depression in this great must-see movie.

Out of Sight (recommended): This 1998 Steven Soderbergh film stars George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez as a bank robber and the U.S. marshal after him, respectively. It’s a lot of fun, but altogether not nearly as memorable as other cinematic Elmore Leonard adaptations like “Get Shorty” or FX’s “Justified.”