It seems as if the moratorium on good movies might finally be ending. This week has multiple movies being released both in mainstream theaters and arthouses that might actually be worth seeing. Sure, none of them will be great, but the fact that their is an actual selection of semi-decent movies is a big step up from the trickle of quality films we have had to deal with so far this year. And as an added bonus the DVD releases are quite good themselves.

As far as the multiplexes go the buzz on the street is all about Jason Segel’s penis. Me? I’ve had my fill of gratuitous male nudity, but what I haven’t had my fill of is Jackie Chan and Jet Li. But as much as I want to see the two of them in a movie together The Forbidden Kingdom isn’t my pick for this week. Neither is Audrey Tatou’s newest film, the French farce Priceless. My choice this week is a movie I have already seen, and while not a great movie, I still think it is a movie worth taking the time to go see. That movie is Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

As for DVD releases the big name this week is Cloverfield, but the two movies I am recommending are two of my favorite films from last year. The first is the Spanish horror film The Orphanage. Produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Juan Antonio Bayona it is a slow moving tale high on atmospherics and low on jump scares. If you go into this movie expecting a lot of shocks, scares, and gore you will be very disappointed as The Orphanage takes its sweet time telling its unsettingly creepy tale of a mother who has lost her son.

The other film is one I can’t recommend enough, even though it is bound to bore a good portion of those who watch it, is Daft Punk’s Electroma. Foregoing their own music in favor of those who influenced them, Daft Punk’s Electroma is a film that uses extended shots, bizarre imagery, and a complete lack of dialogue to tell the tale of two robots who are desperately searching for their own humanity. It is an outstanding film, though definitely one you should watch first before you buy it.

As always trailers are after the break.

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