Brad Pitt in the title role of In the Case of Benjamin Button

The Mysterious Case of Benjamin Button made me cry over something that I cannot relate to in any way, something that makes no logical sense, and which even had little to do with the short story it came from. That’s quite a trick, if you ask me. Though the special effects are grand, and the sets are nearly as luminous as Cate Blanchett, what made this movie so wonderful is how it made the argument that true love isn’t born out of circumstance or lust or insecurities that need filling: true love is just true love.

Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino

See Gran Torino because you want to believe that people can change. See it because there aren’t enough good, honest movies about aging old men, or the immigrant experience. See it because the non-professional actors are really, really good, and because no one has ever done anything tougher than Clint Eastwood pretending to shoot gang members with his index finger. See it because it’s that good and has made $100 million, and that says something positive about us as a people.

Mickey Rourke as the title character in The Wrestler

Find your way to The Naro to see The Wrestler while it’s still around. Some might say that the heart of the American story is ambition. I say it’s redemption. In this movie an aging, broken-down wrestler (think an alternate life path for Hulk Hogan) struggles with the decision to either risk his health in the ring or sacrifice his dignity and start a new life making ends meet however he can. Mickey Rourke’s character magnifies the identity issues that are in the forefront of many American lives and choices. He confronts his own in the story with a heart-wrenching humanity rarely seen in theater, film, or even real life. The Wrestler is a gift.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett in Revolutionary Road.

Finally, last night I saw Revolutionary Road. “Nobody forgets the truth,” Kate Winslett’s character says of suburbanites abjectly not living their dreams, “They just get better at lying.” And isn’t it the truth? This movie might not be recommended for anyone who has been divorced, is considering a divorce, feels stuck in their life, has had or has admitted to having an affair, misses the city, wants to move to Paris but knows they never will, or wants to believe that everything will ever be ok. Or maybe, actually, it’s just the film for all those people.