Rubber, opening at the Texas Theatre is my top pick (see my capsule review).

I can also recommend Potiche, a glistening, colorful, and altogether charming comedy by director Francois Ozon. Catherine Deneuve stars as a “trophy wife” (the rough translation of the French title) of umbrella factory owner Fabrice Luchini. She’s unhappy and trodden-upon, both by her husband and her daughter (Judith Godreche), supported only by her son (Jeremie Renier) and her own sense that she has more value in life than what she’s allowed to express. When her husband is taken ill, she is forced into taking over the factory, and discovers that she is even more capable than she’d dreamed. As her liberation takes hold, she renews an old friendship with labor leader Gerard Depardiue. Gorgeously photographed, Potiche is a very funny movie, and it captivated the sold-out crowd when I saw it at the Dallas International Film Festival a couple of weeks ago. It continues in its second week at Landmark Magnolia.

Also notable, in holdover engagements at Angelika Dallas: Certified Copy, a critically-acclaimed drama directed by Abbas Kiarostami, starring Juliette Binoche, and Of Gods and Men, the French award-winner based on a real-life story of monks and Algerians.

Notable openers include, also at Angelika Dallas, include: Miral, a drama by Julian Schnabel; In a Better World, the Academy Award-winning drama by Susanne Bier; The Conspirator, the Lincoln assassination drama by Robert Redford. And a handful of others; it’s a busy week.