Some interesting smallish movies in town this weekend: "Caramel" is a sort of Beirut "Beauty Shop," "In Bruges" an uneven but well played tragifarce about British hoodlums (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, both excellent) adrift in Belgium. They're the feature film debuts of, respectively, Lebanese actress/writer/music-vid director Nadine Labaki and Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, both of whom we'll assuredly be hearing more. TMI: Labaki (in photo above) is my new movie crush.
I haven't seen "Taxi to the Dark Side," about the US use of torture in the War against Terrorism, but Wesley likes it even better than "No End in Sight." Cowboy up and check it out; you know you don't want to but you also know you have to, especially when stories like this one are in today's paper.
In a minor miracle of film distribution, Paris Hilton's new movie, "The Hottie and the Nottie," opens in the Boston area today only in Revere. Unfortunately, "Fool's Gold," a classic February dog starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, is opening everywhere.
At the art-houses and institutes: Tonight (Friday), the Harvard Film Archive is welcoming back Cecilia Miniucchi, an alum and distingushed documentarian whose narrative debut, "Expired" stars Samantha Morton and Jason Patric. Saturday and Sunday the HFA hosts Spanish director Jose Luis Guerin and shows a sampling of his luminous, mysterious work about the spaces between people and the world.
The African Film Festival continues at the MFA, and there's a free screening tonight of "The Gates," a documentary about the artist Christo's brilliant assault on New York's Central Park.
Classic romances at the Brattle until Valentine's Day. Tonight is "Harold and Maude," all you suicidal lovebirds.
