This second film by director Asghar Farhadi (pictured, below right), whose 2009 film "About Elly" already received widespread attention, has been leading the box-office in France. Parisians have been lining up and many of the screenings have required advance reservations to guarantee seating. Not bad for an axis of evil country. With decent marketing here, the same response should be anticipated even though this movie will likely only play to New York and L.A.

Why so much eagerness about it? Because “Separation” has been doing exceptionally well with the critics. Le Monde called it “excellent” and La Croix said the movie was “breathtaking” and “fascinating.” And that’s just a sampling of the praise that the film has been showered with

“Weekend” isn’t so cynical that it’s incapable of showing its characters’ feelings for each other. It’s simply unflinchingly honest about Russell and Glen’s lives: everything from their childhoods to their sexual habits is discussed in detail—with an openness that you’d never see in a straight romantic comedy.

Farmiga’s direction keeps the story moving while never tipping into melodrama. In other hands the film could have lost its focus on its protagonist’s journey and emphasized the cult-like church instead—but Farmiga maintains her concentration on her character, allowing everything else in the film to swirl around, but never obscure, her. Just for this, the film deserves praise; the fact that it’s also simply excellent is an added bonus.

Directed by Cindy Meehl. Starring Buck Brannaman. [jwplayer config=”TrailerPagePlayer” mediaid=”4020″]

Brand-new trailer for The James Bobin-directed, James Hanson-written "The Muppets," slated for release this Thanksgiving 2011.

As Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," which opened in major cities at the end of last month, is getting ready for its nationwide rollout, a how-to featurette has been released by distributor Fox Searchlight Pictures in the hopes that it will help shepherd the meditative film across the dusty trails that await. Because in order for a movie to make money, as Mike Fleming of Deadline New York reports, it needs to connect with a young audience and as anyone who's seen "The Tree of Life" knows, this might be a head-scratching challenge for the distributor.

The inimitable Kevin Bowen reviews the latest Ryan Reynolds, Martin Campbell-directed vehicle "The Green Lantern."

Test pilot Hal Jordan joins an interplanetary army built on the idea that pure willpower can overcome fear, making the universe safe for corrupt politicians and the military industrial complex.