Whelp, here we are. Back again. Another week trapped in this corner of The Argus. Let us out! (Haha just kidding.) What else is new? Oh, movies! That’s right. This week, we’ve got a nice selection for you all to savor, and we really mean it this time. “Blood Simple,” “Germans & Jews,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” AND “The Bastard?” The Big Red Bird (a.k.a. the Cardinal) has just got to be itchin’ in its britches at this delectable lineup. Go to the movies if you feel like it. If you don’t that’s completely understandable. Whether you go or not, we’ll be right here with you in this corner of The Argus ready to receive your thoughts, concerns, feelings, or anything else you want to share (at cinefilesdigital@gmail.com). Here are some questions that might help jog a thought:

1. We’ve all heard of comfort food (mac & cheese, warm cookies), but tell us about your favorite comfort movies! We could really benefit from your suggestions this week.

2. Have you uncovered the central Cinefiles pun? Hint: it’s in the title.

 

Blood Simple

1985. USA. Dir: Joel & Ethan Coen. With Frances McDormand. 99 min.

Wednesday, Nov. 16. 8 p.m. Free.

The Coens’ magnetic debut feature begins in Texas, where a single thought sparks a flood of violence. When a loutish bar owner hires an unsavory private eye to murder his wife and her lover, double-crosses and death cause matters to spiral. Set in a haunting, lurid world lit by neon signs and jukeboxes, this heart-pounding thriller defines neo-noir.

 

Germans & Jews

2016. USA. Dir: Janina Quint. Documentary. 76 min.

Thursday, Nov. 17. 8 p.m. Free.

Is it possible for the wounds of tragedy to ever fully heal? In Germany, the Jewish people suffered unspeakable atrocities and the nearly 200,000 Jews living there today must confront this thorny question. During a dinner party between Jewish and non-Jewish Germans, the conversation draws out uncomfortable issues in a society eager to move beyond the past. Q&A to follow the showing with director Quint and producer Tal Recananti.

 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

2016. New Zealand. Dir: Taika Waititi. With Sam Neill. 101 min.

Friday, Nov. 18. 8 p.m. $5.

When a gruff survivalist pursues his runaway foster child through the New Zealand wilderness, child services mistakes this rescue attempt for a kidnapping. The mismatched pair’s struggle to outrun a nationwide manhunt is played for dry laughs and a few well-earned tears by director Waititi (“What We Do in the Shadows”).

 

The Bastard (Akutaro)

1963. Japan. Dir: Seijun Suzuki. With Ken Yamanouchi. 95 min. 35mm print.

Saturday, Nov. 19. 8 p.m. Free.

Expelled from his Tokyo high school for consistently picking fights, our titular troublemaker heads to a countryside boarding school. This rarely-screened, watershed film from cult darling Suzuki (“Tokyo Drifter”) tells a tale of doomed love with jazz-like verve, and marks the start of the director’s 40-year collaboration with art director Kimura Takeo.