Saturday Night Movie Recommendations with Abe

Welcome back 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

Crystal Fairy (recommended): This bizarre comedy from the Sundance Film Festival is half road trip half drug trip, as Gaby Hoffman’s peculiar Crystal Fairy tags along with Michael Cera’s Jamie and his friends on their journey through Chile in search of a hallucinogenic cactus. While it has some trouble staying grounded, it’s intoxicating the rest of the time. Now playing at the IFC Center. Read my review from Sundance.

Fruitvale Station (highly recommended): This Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance deserved its prize. Michael B. Jordan, who will be familiar to TV audiences, delivers an outstanding performance as a doomed young father and ex-con living out the last day of his life in this extremely powerful dramatization of true events. Now playing at the Angelika and AMC Lincoln Square. Read my review from Sundance.

New to DVD

The Gatekeepers: This Oscar nominee for Best Documentary interviews former heads of the Shin Bet, the Israeli Secret Service, with a decidedly critical slant. Most worthwhile because it reveals surprising opinions from important players, this documentary suffers from a clear bias in its construction.