For something so acerbically observant of its time and place (mid-sixties Romania under the shadow of Ceausescu's spreading wings), Lucian Pintilie's The Reenactment seems way ahead of its time. The tale of two teenagers involved in a drunken brawl and sentenced by a magistrate to re-enact their crime for for an educational film on the dangers of alcohol is told in a style that presages the mockumentary features that made Christopher Guest a cult legend, won The Office every accolade critics were legally permitted to dispense and has now occupied the very heart of mainstream American comedy in Modern Family. more ›

The Life of Reilly, an adaptation of the late Charles Nelson Reilly’s one-man stage show, is finally screening in Chicago. After making the rounds on the film festival circuit, a limited theatrical release run began last November, hitting Austin, New York City and Washington D.C., and eliciting very positive reviews along the way. Directors Barry Poltermann and Frank Anderson championed the idea for the movie, convinced Reilly to perform his retired stage act a final time, and edited their footage of the three-hour show down to an 87 minute film. more ›