If you thought Sacha Baron Cohen’s dirty 2006 farce Borat was repulsive and offensive, then I would strongly recommend that you avoid his 2009 follow-up Bruno. On the other hand, if you were one of the many who thought Borat was hilarious, then you are in for a real treat. After all, as the tagline suggests, Borat was so 2006. If you can get past the graphic nudity and humor, then Bruno is quite simply one of the funniest movies of the year. It may not be quite as effective as Borat at exposing American culture, but it certainly isn’t short on gut-busting humor. I laughed violently throughout this movie.

Aside from a few achingly long dialog scenes, writer-director Tracy Trost’s story moves briskly along from plot point to plot point—and in a fashion that makes this possibly the most compelling suspense film I’ve seen in the last year or so. The setting and the performances kept me equally enthralled, as Jess and Paul dig themselves deeper and deeper into trouble. And honestly, Tyler Roberds and Fiawna Forte’ are so good as Paul and Jess that you won’t at all mind their periodic chattiness. I was so absorbed in the film that I completely forgot to take any notes whatsoever. All in all, this is great filmmaking on a shoestring that makes every inch of lacing count. Track down the DVD online. It’s a lot of fun.

To be honest, I would have been more comfortable with the story had it not included an almost deus-ex-machina turn from the decidedly appealing Rana Sultan as Nour, an actual pilot whose feminist independence leads her to befriend Raed. Sure, Raed—and the neighborhood kids, too—needs a savior. But Nour’s presence seems a bit too convenient, and even condescending. Still, this is small complaint, only valid if one is intent on wanting this film to be a great one instead of just a really good one. And I doubt American audiences would ever have even heard of the film if director Matalqa had made it to suit my tastes.

Writer/director Woody Allen has balanced a career of neurotic comedies and darker dramas over his four-decade career and he has won accolades for both. His new film, Whatever Works, is in the lighter vein and would have felt right at home in the director’s prolific period of the 1970s, so it comes as no surprise that the script was actually written in the ’70s. Written for Zero Mostel and then put aside after his death, the script was dusted off by Allen during the writer’s strike. Although it is far from his best work, the film is a return to the kind of movie that first made the director’s reputation.

The film deserves to be singled out on three scores, I think. First, it’s bold enough to portray spiritual disappointment in a fashion that compares favorably to seminal entertainments like Robbie Benson’s stunning turn in Death Be Not Proud. Second, I think I’ve rarely seen an inspirational film that’s designed to be more therapeutic for those left behind than those who’ve survived. And third—I’ve gotta say that this is a pretty remarkable directorial achievement for young Bradley Dorsey, who can’t be much older than 24. He knows what he’s doing with a camera, and with actors. PureFlix did the right thing in picking this low-budget indie up for distribution. I haven’t been so thrilled with some of their latest acquisitions, but this one is real find.

A day after seeing this film at an advance screening, I had the good fortune of a trip to Chicago, where much of the film takes place. The city is somewhat proud of its legendary criminal history; they even sell Al Capone bobble-heads for souvenirs. While there I had the opportunity to see the Biograph Theater, famous for being the location of John Dillinger’s death. Now, if you think I spoiled the ending of the new gangster saga Public Enemies, then maybe its time you brush up on your American history. The ending of the John Dillinger story is famous. The beginning, not so much; but don’t expect Public Enemies to provide much of a backstory for the famous criminal.