One of the perks of writing for Cinema Sentries is that I sometimes get free Blu-rays and books and things. The owner of the site offers things up and I request anything that looks interesting. I usually choose things that I’ve seen before and really liked, or that I’ve heard good things about. Sometimes I’ll offer to review something I’ve never heard of and know nothing about. When I’m lucky that things turn out to be really good and I’ve added to my collection of wonderful things.

Such was the case with Enough Said a lovely little comedy/drama starring Julia Louis Dreyfuss and James Gandolfini. It wasn’t a major piece of work, it didn’t redefine cinema or even make it to my best films of the year list. It was a small little film with some good writing and terrific performances. We need more films like that.

It was directed by Nicole Holofcener who has a new film out, You Hurt My Feelings and from everything I’ve read, it has that same vibe, that same low-key goodness. It also stars Dreyfuss who plays a novelist with what she thinks is a pretty happy and fulfilling life. Then one day she overhears her husband (Tobias Menzies) discussing her latest book in none-too-flattering tones. Delving into the feeling this creates is the plot of the film.

That’s a pretty small plot to base a film on, but if Enough Said is an example of the kind of work Holofcener makes then I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

Also, out this week that Looks interesting:

Coma (1978)(Special Edition): Michael Crichton wrote (along with Robin Cook) and directed this film about a bunch of hospital patients going into comas and the horrible conspiracy behind it. It is not a great film, but it is a lot of fun and it’s got some really creepy images to back it up.

A Moment of Romance (1990): A triad gangster is forced to take a young woman hostage. When his bosses tell him to kill her he refuses setting up all sorts of problems. I love this period of Hong Kong cinema so I’m looking forward to checking this one out.

Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971): David Hemmings stars in this mystery about a school teacher that learns his students may or may not have murdered the previous teacher and he sets out to find the truth.

Hardcore (1979): George C. Scott stars in this Paul Schraeder-directed drama about a deeply conservative and religious man discovering his daughter has run away and is starring in porno films.

The Night of the Hunted (1980): French director Jean Rollin made a name for himself making beautifully shot, erotically charged horror films. I’ve only seen a couple of them but I really want to see more of them. This one is about a woman taken to a mysterious clinic whose patients have a mental disorder in which their memories and identities are disintegrating as a result of a strange environmental accident.

The Rape of the Vampire (1968): The first film from Jean Rollin is about four women who are led to believe they are vampires and are held hostage in a beautiful chateau.

Bo Widerberg’s New Swedish Cinema Blu-ray: I don’t know anything about these films, but it is being put out by Criterion, and that always makes my list.