Whether it's training guide dogs, opening a bookshop or hunting down Nazis, everybody loves a good success story. Up To Date's indie, foreign and documentary Film Critics offer a list of must-see films for this weekend. Take a trip to your local cinema and be inspired by these tales of determination, risk-taking and a little bit of luck.
Steve Walker
"The Wife," R
- Upon the receipt of a Nobel Prize for Literature, an esteemed novelist is revealed to have been overly dependent on the talents of his spouse, played by Glenn Close in a performance that goes from slow boil to broiling.
"Pick of the Litter," not rated
- Those whose heartstrings aren't pulled by this documentary about the training of five Labrador Retriever puppies to become guide dogs for the blind should see a doctor for the ice in their veins.
"Operation Finale," PG-13
- In this intense thriller, Ben Kingsley oozes evil, playing Nazi mastermind Adolph Eichmann upon his capture in Argentina by Mossad agents, some of whom had survived the Holocaust, and the eventual trial in Israel.
Cynthia Haines
"The Bookshop," PG
- In this adaptation of the Penelope Fitzgerald novel, Emily Mortimer portrays an entrepreneurial widow whose new bookshop introduces a bit of progressivism to a reluctant, conservative English town.
"Puzzle," R
- In this English-language version of a 2010 Argentinian film, Kelly Macdonald stars as Agnes, a suburban housewife who suffers ennui, boredom, and neglect at home until a new hobby — competitive puzzling — shifts her perspective.
"Juliet, Naked," R
- Burned-out musician Tucker Crowe strikes up a discourse with online commenter Annie after she insults his latest album as a way to get back at her boyfriend, a Tucker Crowe superfan played by Chris O'Dowd.
