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 and Netflix. I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below.

Now Playing in Theatres

Becoming Bulletproof (recommended): This affirming look at the making of a film by a production company composed partly of disabled actors is a fun, fresh, and inspiring chance to see how a positive community environment can present a wonderful opportunity for cinematic contributions from all people. Now playing at IFC Center. Read my review from yesterday.

Mississippi Grind (highly recommended): Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn are both excellent as gamblers unable to resist the allure of the game who form an unlikely partnership that leads them down a winding and immensely watchable road. Now playing at IFC Center. Read my review from Sundance.

Misunderstood (recommended): This film from Italian actress-director Asia Argento showcases a nine-year-old girl who has trouble fitting in thanks to her extravagantly destructive warring parents and other complications of childhood life. The acting is superb in this enjoyable and memorable movie. Now playing at IFC Center. Read my review from Thursday.

99 Homes (highly recommended): Michael Shannon and Andrew Garfield are fantastic as a real estate developer and the man he evicts from his home in this tense and involving drama about bank repossessions in Florida which is not to be missed. Now playing at IFC Center. Read my review from Sundance.

Western (anti-recommended): I saw this unmemorable, unengaging documentary at Sundance this past year, and it ranks as one of the worst films I’ve seen out of the 70+ I’ve screened there. Its look at a Texas border town and its Mexican counterpart should be much more interesting and involving than it is. Now playing at IFC Center. Read my review from Sundance.

New to DVD

Nothing to report this week!

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Because I Was a Painter (recommended): This documentary features artwork created in concentration camps during the Holocaust along with interviews with the survivors who created them. Its strongest asset is its theoretical exploration of finding beauty in something truly hideous.

Philomena (recommended): Judi Dench deserved her Best Actress nomination for her endearing performance as an older woman who tries to find the son she had to give up for adoption decades earlier, but her film isn’t exactly a worthy Best Picture nominee. It’s a fine light-hearted ride with a few memorable high points.

Serendipity (recommended): This 2001 romantic comedy about fate, destiny, and all that is a fun, enjoyable rides featuring likeable performances from John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, and a pre-“Entourage” Jeremy Piven.