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 in NYC

Inside Llewyn Davis is at the top of my list to see this weekend, and stay tuned for a review early next week.

New to DVD

Not a big week for DVD releases.

Now On Demand / Netflix Instant Streaming

Bronson (mixed bag): This dark 2009 head trip from director Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive” and “Only God Forgives) was the first time that actor Tom Hardy landed on my radar, for his brutal, fiercely committed performance as a deranged criminal in an occasionally intriguing film.

Crystal Fairy (recommended): (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.

I Am Love (recommended): This visually stunning Italian delight stars Tilda Swinton in a magnetic central performance. The colors are magnificent, and the score is equally compelling. The movie’s plot, while less centric, is equally strong for those who enjoy an art film.

The Iceman (highly recommended): Michael Shannon delivers a tremendous, formidable performance as a real-life hitman who kept his day job from his wife and children. Shannon is electric, but the film is equally rich and captivating, making for one powerhouse cinematic experience. It’s violent but well worth it.

My Week with Marilyn (mixed bag): This film is most reminiscent of “Me and Orson Welles,” presenting a fleeting, inevitably doomed look at one bright-eyed young director’s experience with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The film presents intriguing turns from Michelle Williams and especially Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier. The film as a whole is less satisfying and impressive.

Serious Moonlight (recommended): The directorial debut of Cheryl Hines of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fame is a peculiar but oddly compelling story of how one woman (Meg Ryan) reacts to the news that her husband (Timothy Hutton) is leaving her for a younger woman (Kristen Bell). It’s a fun if relatively fleeting experience.