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I’m going for a highly praised film that week, rather than the big buzz, but you can check out a couple of other big releases after the jump.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
In 1996, Julian Schnabel directed Basquiat. Led by the charming and unforgettable performance of Jeffrey Wright as the famous artist, the film laid out the art world of 1980s New York City with heart, and it showcased many of today’s top names. It was the straightforward film.

Now there’s Golden Globe winner Le Scaphandre et le Papillon, a feature that has taken Schnabel out of the straight-forward and into a world of tragedy and eye-opening imagination. It’s

a move similar to David Lynch taking on The Straight Story, but switched. Instead of strange complexity to charming simplicity, it’s the other way around.

Diving Bell is the true story of what happened to Jean-Dominique Bauby, a man who had been the editor-in-chief of French Elle, until a sudden stroke has left him still — only able to move one eyelid. It’s like taking the thought of paralysis and upping it — no legs, no arms, no lips. But it isn’t just a sad story of despair. After being forced to adapt to his condition, he write the memoir that becomes that film, all with the simple, blinking eye.

Continue reading New DVD Pick of the Week: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

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Original post by Monika Bartyzel