Steven Rea's Weekend Movie Selections

Francofonia Alexander Sokurov's quasi-documentary is a brilliant meditation on art, on war - and what happens to art when nations go to war. In a bold mashup of archival footage, reenactments, and reimaginings, the filmmaker examines how France's famed museum, the Louvre, came into being. And how its palatial galleries - and the masterpieces in its collection - survived World War II. No MPAA rating

The Meddler Susan Sarandon stars as a mother, a widow, who can't stop herself from interfering in everybody else's life, starting with her daughter's (Rose Byrne). The role is rich in detail, richly performed, a character study filled with bittersweet comedy and heart. Set in L.A., with J.K. Simmons as a retired cop who offers the possibility of real romance, intimacy. PG-13

Sing Street John Carney, writer and director of Once, the little Irish movie that could, and did (and then did again as a hit stage musical), is at the top of his game with this coming-of-age charmer. A shy 14-year-old Dubliner falls for an older girl and tries to impress her by forming a band. It's the mid-'80s, the music of Duran Duran and the Cure are big, and so is the hair. PG-13