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As one of the most anticipated films to come out of Sundance this year, David Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a beautifully painful southern drawl of a film. Starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, and Keith Carradine, it has the touch of Terrence Malick with the bite of 1970s crime dramas. And Lowery has had quite the prolific year—between shooting this, editing Shane Carruth's stunning Upstream Color, finding himself attached to numerous other projects in the works, and now heading to Cannes next week where the film will screen as part of the festival's Critic's Week. 

Toss your beloved DVD collect to the side and head to the theater, because all of your favorite movies are playing this weekend. And no, I doubt I'm being hyperbolic when I say that there is surely a personal classic for everyone screening around the city, and what better way to view your most cherished piece of cinema than in the format it deserves? Whether you're one for PT Anderson's evocative ensemble dramas, Terrence Malick's magic hour murders, David Lynch's haunting and heartbreaking surrealism, or Quentin Tarantino's black-humored violence there are plenty of undoubtable masterpieces of film to enjoy, alongside some of the most-acclaimed new movies of the year. I've rounded up the best of what's playing throughout New York City this weekend—so peruse the list, see what you're in the mood for, go get yourselves some Twizzlers, and head down to the cinema. Enjoy.

Bursting onto the screen with frantic gasp of air, Amy Seimetz's Sun Don't Shine grabs you by the neck and holds you captive. From its fierce and emotionally-charged opening scene—a rough and muddy lover's quarrel—to the dreamy back road driving sequence that follows, you're entranced in the film's hot and sticky world straightaway, teeming with tension, anxiety, and fear. With swampy earthy tones of the Everglades and rosy hues of passion, Seimetz's directorial debut is both visceral and expressionistic, playing out through feeling and texture, guiding you with potent emotion as you follow a young couple on the run.

Emerging from Sundance as one of the most anticipated films of the year, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a beautifully painful southern drawl of a film. Harkening back to 1970s classics yet with the freshness and grit of a new filmmaker truly establishing a voice, writer and director David Lowery has found himself on the tip of everyone's tongue. After editing Shane Carruth's stunning Upstream Color, Lowery completed his own directorial debut, and now the southern crime drama will officially be headed to Cannes.

Shane Carruth’s hotly anticipated follow-up to Primer, the striking bio-romance mystery Upstream Color, is less a mind-bender than a mind-pulverizer. So you may find, as I did when the lights came up after the late showing at the IFC Center last night, everyone stunned into silence. No one wants to speak first after a cinematic experience of that sort, because what if you sound like a complete idiot? Well, here are some remarks to help you get the ball rolling.

Well, it's Thursday and although the week has flown by faster than expected, it's been a tough one. The weather's been pleasant and hopefully helping to keep our collective spirit from plummeting into a dark abyss, and come tomorrow night you have two full days to focus on what's truly important—movies. No, but movies do provide a nice escape from life and with a plethora of great films, both new and old, to choose from, I would suggest grabbing yourself some discount candy in bulk and heading to the cinema. I've rounded up for you the best in what's playing this weekend in New York so peruse and the list and enjoy.

Although vastly different in theme, tone, and character, this week's free Criterion films on Hulu all look to "tickle the mathematically minded cinephile." Whether you're preferences lie in French New Wave classics, Japanese historical dramas, or early Lynchian masterpieces, there's a wonderful selection of films to choose from. So if you spent your weekend in the theater weepingly gazing at Terrence Malick's To the Wonder, embedded in Shane Carruth's Upstream Color, or left pale by Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral, here are some fantastic and rare films to watch from the comfort of your laptop. Enjoy.

This past Saturday, I walked to the IFC Center for a mid-afternoon showing of Upstream Color to find the line for ticket holders longer than a city block. It was a beautiful day out and I truly didn't mind waiting and was especially pleased because it reminded me that, okay yes, people are interested in seeing good films and the hunger for cinematic experience is still there. For a film as small and self-distributed as this, the success it's had thus far is amazing—and I couldn't be happier.

This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of watching Steven Soderbergh moderate a Q&A with Shane Carruth after a sold-out mid-afternoon screening of his incredible new film Upstream Color. Of course, Soderbergh, "retired director" asked a sprinkling of serious questions about the film but also went on to question such things as: for all the pigs in the film, why were there no cats? And so on. But when not interviewing beloved young directors for awestruck audiences, Soderbergh is currently putting out the highly-anticipated Liberace drama for HBO, Behind the Candelabra. In an interview back in January, he said that the film was, "really fun. The world of it was just bananas. It was great to see Michael [Douglas] and Matt [Damon] jump off the cliff together. Nobody can accuse them of being shy. They just went for it. It’s pretty gay." 

I don't know about you, but I fully intend on spending my weekend curled up with a box of Junior Mints in a darkened theatre. It's been a long week thus far and with the myriad premieres and screenings going on over the new few days, you really have no excuse to not get yourself into a cinema. From Antonio Campos and Shane Carruth's stunning sophomore efforts to Terrence Malick's latest poem of emotions, to the wonder of Dennis Hopper and the debut of Darren Aronofsky, there's a certainly a diverse mix of films to see. So to get you ready, I've compiled the best of what's playing around the city this weekend—take a look and go buy yourself some candy and/or popcorn. Enjoy.