Atys (Lully)

To my mind, there is no musical ensemble responsible for more exquisite productions than William Christie's Les Arts Florissants. The ensemble has a head start by dedicating itself to Baroque music, but it maintains that lead by attending to every detail so that the whole is as close to perfect as possible.
This year, LAF and Opera Comique restaged their 1987 production of Lully's Atys.
The court of King Louis XIV birthed French opera in the middle of the 17th century, and the man most responsible for its development was Jean-Baptiste Lully, a musician and dancer from a working-class Florentine family. Under the king's oversight, Lully developed tragedies en musique incorporating highly stylized dance and costumes into the opera. Atys is one of his earliest productions, its subject matter chosen by the king.
The story of Atys comes from Ovid, as retold by Philippe Quinault.
Highly recommend.

Three Sisters (Anton Chekhov; new version, Sarah Ruhl)

Devastating production of a heart-wretching work.

Recommend

Peace, Love, and Light (New Haven Symphony)

Michael Brown's piano performance of the Beethoven was exquisite. I've never heard someone play with such command of the incidentals.
Rossini, Overture to The Barber of Seville
Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor, op. 37
Theofanidis, Peace Love Light YOUMEONE
Mendelssohn, Symphony no. 4 in A Major, op. 90, "Italian"

Recommend...and keep an eye out for Michael Brown

Another Earth (Mike Cahill)

This film's framing premise--that a mirror Earth unexpectedly and inexplicably approaches our planet--was almost enough to keep us from going to the cinema tonight. I'm so glad we followed through on our original plans.

Obviously a low-budget effort filmed here in New Haven--landmark spotting was the fun aspect of watching it--the directo, writers, and lead actors (all spots filled by Cahill and Brit Marling) focused on creating credible characters. After their shared but separate horror, watch them return to life in tandem, graciously allowing the other to help with the healing.

Like Tree of Life, this film posits a place of grace and forgiveness while avoiding sentimentality.

Highly recommend

Sarah's Key (Gilles Paquet-Brenner)

Mixed feelings about a highly emotional (and highly unlikely) tale.

Recommend with caveats

Point Blank (Fred Cavaye)

This French thriller doesn't let its audience relax for more than 15 seconds at a time. It centers on the efforts of a nurse's aid to rescue his 7.5-months pregnant wife who's been kidnapped. The line between cops and criminals are blurred, with both simply want to wipe out their enemies, while the husband just wants to find his wife. Multiple plot twists are further complicated by the involvement of a corrupt police detective.

Recommended.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Entertaining prequel in which all the humans behave badly, stupidly, or both. Clever ending to explain self-inflicted demise of humans, paving the way for the rise of the apes.

Recommend.