HOME VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: 'Mother and Child,' 'Catfish' and 'The Social Network'

The dish on recently released films worth renting.

By R. Kurt Osenlund, The Good Life film critic


CATFISH

You heard about this one. It's the documentary that might not be a documentary at all, and the thriller you shouldn't say anything about lest you spoil the twists. Well, I can say that its shielded plot should be a lesson for all films, as the lack of prior knowledge doesn't make the movie any more than a minimal stunner, but it does, naturally, make the narrative more engaging. Wouldn't all movies be better if we saw none of the details or revelations coming? "Catfish" is more proud of itself than it should be, and its ambiguous authenticity puts a damper on its desired effect. But is it worth checking out? Absolutely. It feels like both a son of "Blair Witch" and a progenitor of a potential new genre.






MOTHER AND CHILD

Consider this an addition to both your must-see list and mine. One of my most regrettable missed-its of 2010, this maternal drama features the combined acting talents of Annette Bening, Naomi Watts and Kerry Washington, with sideline support from Jimmy Smits and Samuel L. Jackson. Best of all, it's written and directed by deeply intuitive female-friendly filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia. He's the gifted man behind "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her" and "Nine Lives," an extraordinary assemblage of single-take vignettes that I'm constantly recommending to friends and colleagues. I will rent his latest; you should, too.







THE SOCIAL NETWORK

What more do I need to say about this movie that I haven't already said? It's the best picture of the year and, quite possibly, one of the best pictures of the next 10.

See it. Right now. Go.