Our Movie Critic's Weekend Selections

Two Days, One Night Marion Cotillard, nominated for the Best Actress Oscar, stars as a laid-off factory worker who can reclaim her job if she can persuade her colleagues to forgo a bonus. So she goes knocking on doors, asking, begging. An almost biblical parable about compassion and community, from the Belgian kitchen-sinkers, the Dardenne Brothers. R

A Most Violent Year Set in 1981 New York, in a winter marked by crime, grime, and dread, J.C. Chandor's Lumet-style drama stars Oscar Isaac as an ambitious, upright businessman trying to make a go of it while the competition, and the D.A.'s office, bear down. Jessica Chastain stands by her man - to a point. But even she starts looking at him as if maybe he's not man enough for the job. Beautifully acted, and just shy of great. A compelling, suspenseful drama. R

Still Alice Shot through with piercing detail, and devoid of cheap sentimentality, the sad, beautifully realized story of a linguistics professor, a mother, a wife, diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. One of the defining performances of Julianne Moore's career, rightly nominated for an Academy Award. With Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth, and Kristen Stewart. PG-13