Mouchette (1967)

Drama Rated NR

Robert Bresson goes for the jugular here, even more so than in Au Hasard Balthazar. Mouchette is the sad – no, make that soul-sapping – story of a young teen (Nadine Nortier) whose life of poverty and misfortune devolves into horrific tragedy over the course of a few days. Balthazar the donkey had it good

Bicycle Thieves, The (1948)

Drama Rated NR

How many masterpieces are this pure? The Bicycle Thieves is a landmark of Italian postwar neorealism, yet that reputation would suggest a more academic and obtuse experience than this lovely little film. A jobless husband and father (unprofessional actor Lamberto Maggiorani) desperately needs work. There is a job opening to put up posters around Rome,

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Drama Rated R

“The use of red is so overdone that you assume the color must be paying for some sort of product placement.

Coriolanus (2011)

Drama Rated R

“And you thought Ralph Fiennes was scary as Voldemort.

Diary of a Country Priest (1951)

Drama Rated NR

“…about the unexpected – and little understood – intermingling of the earthly and the divine.”

A Man Escaped (1956)

Drama Rated NR

The Filmspotting Bresson Marathon continues with this classic, a "work of sublime simplicity.&quot

War Horse (2011)

Drama Rated PG-13

“Sentimental and old-fashioned, yes, but also vitally contemporary and terribly upsetting.

Certified Copy (2011)

Drama Rated NR

My Euro-art alarm bells were ringing with this one, considering early word about it only highlighted certain elements: a lot of talking, purposeful obtuseness, Juliette Binoche. And while the movie has all of those things, it’s also something surprising: impossibly romantic. Directed by Iran’s Abbas Kiarostami, Certified Copy stars Binoche as a French antiques dealer

Artist, The (2011)

Drama Rated PG-13

“Deeper than mere mimicry…

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

Drama Rated PG-13

“…an uncomfortable combination of movie precociousness and real-world catastrophe.