I’d have to say this is a pretty good week at the cinema. There must be a couple of interesting ones for most people. Ok, there’s nothing big and brash, no popcorn movie, but there’s plenty of those little gems, and it’s good that they get to see the sun on occasion.

I was at the première (of sorts) of the Grand Seduction and Mr. Gleeson Sr. was interviewed by Miriam O’Callaghan who repeatedly asked him about his Oscar chances. He was having none of it! Quite entertaining in itself. She wasn’t talking about this film, but instead Calgary, which I really can’t see getting the nob by the Academy. The Grand Seduction is a slow and sweet comedy, and perfectly gentle.

Otherwise, there’s Jon Hamm post Mad Men and trying to make it in the major leagues (I made a funny). Night Moves and Mystery Road both deserve your attention. Yep, lots to see!

Obvious Child – A twenty-something comedienne’s unplanned pregnancy forces her to confront the realities of independent womanhood for the first time.

Director: Gillian Robespierre
Writers: Gillian Robespierre, Karen Maine (story), 4 more credits »
Stars: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann

88%-Rotten Tomatoes
7.2/10-IMDb
75%-Metacritic

The Grand Seduction –  To survive, a dying Newfoundland fishing village must convince a young doctor to take up residence by any means necessary.

Director: Don McKellar
Writers: Michael Dowse, Ken Scott
Stars: Taylor Kitsch, Brendan Gleeson, Liane Balaban

7.3/10-IMDb
63%-Rotten Tomatoes
57%-Metacritic

Mystery Road – An indigenous detective returns to the Outback to investigate the murder of a young girl.

Director: Ivan Sen
Writer: Ivan Sen
Stars: Aaron Pedersen, Hugo Weaving, Ryan Kwanten

6.4/10-IMDb
88%-Rotten Tomatoes

Night Moves – Three radical environmentalists look to execute the protest of their lives: the explosion of a hydroelectric dam.

Director: Kelly Reichardt
Writers: Jonathan Raymond, Kelly Reichardt
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard

6.3/10-IMDb
84%-Rotten Tomatoes
75%-Metacritic

As Above, So Below – When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead.

Director: John Erick Dowdle
Writers: Drew Dowdle (screenplay), John Erick Dowdle (screenplay)
Stars: Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge

6.2/10-IMDb
25%-Rotten Tomatoes

If I Stay – Life changes in an instant for young Mia Hall after a car accident puts her in a coma. During an out-of-body experience, she must decide whether to wake up and live a life far different than she had imagined.

Director: R.J. Cutler
Writers: Shauna Cross (screenplay), Gayle Forman (novel)
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Jamie Blackley |

7.1/10-IMDb
38%-Rotten Tomatoes

Million Dollar Arm – A sports agent stages an unconventional recruitment strategy to get talented Indian cricket players to play Major League Baseball.

Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Thomas McCarthy (screenplay)
Stars: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Alan Arkin

7.4/10-IMDb
60%-Rotten Tomatoes