■ A Long Way Down
A washed-up TV host (Pierce Brosnan) pauses before jumping from a tall building in London. Next thing he knows, three other wannabe suicides line up behind him: a failed grunge musician (Aaron Paul), a hard-pressed mom (Toni Collette) and a drug-addled club girl (Imogen Poots). Based on the novel by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity), A Long Way Down is often hilarious and ultimately endearing, set at the point where pop culture and deeper significance converge.
■ Circle the Wagen
That baby blue ’72 Volkswagen bus captured the imagination of Dave, who looks as if he hadn’t been born when the rig rolled off the line. In this charmingly oddball documentary, Dave buys the thing on eBay and tries to drive it cross-country, only to be hampered by breakdowns. To the rescue comes a network of VW clubs and enthusiasts, whose brotherhood is less noisy but no less intense than the more publicized Harley riders.
■ Burt’s Buzz
Burt Shavitz is an unreconstructed back-to-the-land hippie, albeit he might be uncomfortable being labeled as that (or anything else). The documentary Burt’s Buzz is a revealing look at the diffident man who became the instantly recognizable Colonel Sanders of organic products. Shavitz sold honey jars along the roadside in rural Maine until a neighbor with entrepreneurial vision began building his brand and product line. To those who disturb his privacy, Shavitz wants to say, “Buzz off.”
