Noël Coward's Brief Encounter, a classic 1945 British film directed by David Lean and adapted from Coward's one-act play Still Life, tells the story of a middle-class London mom's forbidden romance with a dashing married doctor. Every Thursday, Laura heads into town to do the shopping for her family and take in a matinee; it is during one of these routine outings that she first meets Dr. Alec Harvey in the train station. (He removes a piece of grit from her eye.) A second chance encounter marks the beginning of an affair which, though never consummated, offers both a weekly escape from suburban domestication, and also sends Laura into a spiral of guilt-wracked inner torment. more ›

Gothamist's pick for any kind of moviegoing this weekend is by far, Lost in Translation, the best movie we've seen in a very long time. We were struck by it when we first saw it, and may have to see it again soon as it opens today. It has a brilliant performance from Bill Murray, who is being talked up for an Oscar nod at the very least (let's hope, unlike when he was last mentioned in the same breath as Oscar during Rushmore, the Academy actually nominates him). more ›