That Old (But Good) Familiar Feeling: 'The Ides of March' and 'Weekend'

This week's cinematic selections follow oldie but goodie formulas and each managed to succeed one way or another.

First up was George Clooney's "The Ides of March," a political thriller that does not tell us anything we did not already knew about our messy election process. But the film is clearly made with a sure hand and features some sharp writing and performances.

Ryan Gosling continues to prove he's one of the best actors working in mainstream film, while Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti all give terrific supporting performances.

Andrew Haigh's "Weekend" also treads familiar ground. It takes the formula of Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" films, but transports the story to England, where two gay men - one shy and reserved, the other more outspoken - riff on everything from relationships, politics, gay marriage and art. The film takes a little while to draw us in, but it eventually manages to do so. It's a solid little picture.

Check out my reviews here.

Ever wanted to wander around in, say, a David Lynch or Stanley Kubrick film (especially "The Shining" or "Eyes Wide Shut?) or a Shakespeare play (say, "Macbeth"). Done, done and done! Last weekend, I took part in one of the most unique theater performances I've witnessed in a while.

And I literally mean "took part in." The show is a version, of sorts, of Shakespeare's great tragedy, but set in five floors of a spooky old abandoned hotel in Chelsea. Truly, there's nothing quite like it.

Read my piece on my experience with "Sleep No More."

Alas, I have no review for "50/50," with which I finally caught up over the weekend. It's a nice little dramedy and Joseph Gordon Levitt brings the right amount of humor and pathos to his role.

This weekend, there's much to be seen. Priority number one is Pedro Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In," but I'd also love to catch up with "Texas Killing Fields," Lucky McKee's "The Woman" and the remake of "The Thing."

I didn't make it to "The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)," mainly due to the fact that it's only playing at midnight. It will have to wait for video.