A hodgepodge of good films - you just have to look a bit.

This week’s slate consists of three very different films – 1 theatrical and 2 DVD releases – all of which are worth seeing.

First up is “Brothers”. This remake of a Danish film stars Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire and Jake Gylenhaal. Maguire plays Sam, who goes off to fight in Iraq, only to be taken prisoner and held as a POW. On the home front his wife Grace (Portman) is informed that he died in action. As life starts to go on, her brother-in-law Tommy (Gylenhaal) discovers that he may indeed be a family man – in his brother’s family. When Sam returns home from the dead, all bets are off. What could have been a woman’s melodrama unexpectedly has some substance, primarily due to the performances of Maguire and Portman. Maguire channels a pair of Nicholson performances – “The Shining” and “A Few Good Men”. Portman is her usual solid self as the glue who holds everything together. The other good performance here is Sam Shepard, playing Sam and Tommy’s father. He’s great at playing an ass. For some reason I cannot explain or understand, the last third of this film is extremely affecting – I found myself in tears. I recommend the film, but I recommend more that you bring tissues.

Next up is “Cheri”. I’ve never hidden my adoration of Michelle Pfeiffer. I think she’s one of the best actresses of this generation, and I respect her and her work greatly. I hope to look that good at her age. This film is a period piece, a flip side to her “Dangerous Liasons” performance. She is the older woman (a courtesan, actually) who becomes enamored with a much younger man. As the relationship progresses, we see how maturity doesn’t have a thing to do with age. In addition to Pfeiffer, there’s also support from Kathy Bates as another courtesan. The direction by Stephen Frears is also fantastic. The last minute and a half is a closeup of Pfeiffer’s face (similar to the ending of “Wolf”), and she’s got quite a bit of aging makeup on. Not many actresses would be brave enough to even try the shot, but Pfeiffer just radiates.

Finally is “World’s Greatest Dad”. In light of all the heat that Robin Williams is getting regarding his latest Disney fiasco, it’s a shame that people didn’t really see this EXTREMELY dark satire, directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. At times extremely funny, at times disconcerting, and always right on the nose, Williams plays Lance, a high school teacher with no life who suddenly becomes a celebrity when his son commits suicide. What could be extremely dark ends up revealing something about us as a culture relating to celebrity as its effects. It might not sound good, but trust me, it is.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Catch me next week when who KNOWS what I’ll end up seeing (although I can guarantee it WON’T be “Avatar”).