The Descendants
(Fox, $30)
George Clooney “has never been better, subtler, more deeply rooted in a performance” than he is in this quiet tragicomedy, said The Philadelphia Inquirer. Playing against type, Clooney is a disconnected father of two who’s forced to become a better parent when his wife lands in a coma.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Melancholia
(Magnolia, $27)
Lars von Trier’s sci-fi drama was one of 2011’s “most emotionally resonant art movies,” said the New York Post. Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg star as sisters facing doomsday as a rogue planet heads for a collision with Earth. The film’s originality makes it “essential” viewing for cinephiles.
Young Adult
(Paramount, $30)
This dark comedy from the team behind Juno achieves a “queasy brilliance,” said Entertainment Weekly. As a self-centered alcoholic returning to her hometown to win back an ex-boyfriend who’s now happily married, Charlize Theron exhibits a “really ugly inner childishness.”
-
Frauds: ‘fantastically stylish’ crime heist caper is a ‘triumph’The Week Recommends Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker play a pair of ex-cons planning one last job
-
The struggles of Aston MartinIn the Spotlight The car manufacturer, famous for its association with the James Bond franchise, is ‘running out of road’
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rightsThe Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
