On the Road With Mariah, Maya Rudolph and Zach Galifianakis

Your guide to what's new in theaters this week.

“Herb & Dorothy”
Based on three very simple criteria — affordability, portability and whether or not it would fit in their one-room Manhattan apartment — Herb and Dorothy Vogel devoted much of their married lives, and almost all of Herb’s salary as a postal worker, to quietly and without fuss accumulating what would one day become one of the world’s premier private art collections. Lacing the story with fond testimonials from artists and fellow enthusiasts, journalist-turned-filmmaker Megumi Sasaki’s debut documents the lives of two of the most affectionately regarded and wholly unlikely patrons of the arts as they prepare to donate their massive collection of minimalist and conceptual art to the National Gallery.
Opens in New York.

“Land of the Lost”
This big-budget, big-screen overhaul of the cult ’70s TV series finds Will Ferrell trotting out his trademark inept egotist routine to frolic with the dinosaurs. And let’s be honest, it’s an act that’s getting pretty prehistoric on its own. Director Brad Silberling’s campy, comic re-imagining has Ferrell playing the joke of the scientific community, Dr. Rick Marshall, who, along with his research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and a trailer park survivalist Will (Ferrell protégé Danny McBride), gets sucked into an alternate universe where his dignity is relentlessly assaulted by all things mythic and Mesozoic.
Opens wide.

“The Moon and the Sledgehammer”
While it was obviously much easier to cut yourself off from the world back in 1971 than it is today (damn you, Twitter!), watching people follow through on the idea so completely is remarkable nonetheless. Reissued after more than 25 years of sitting on a shelf, Philip Trevelyan’s humanist documentary about a self-sufficient family living in the home counties of Britain offers a compelling story of individuals unburdened by technology and a cautionary word against the modern marvels on which we’ve become so dependent.
Opens in New York.

“My Life in Ruins”
Given its status as one of the most profitable indie films in history, it’s unsurprising that, seven years on, people are still tweaking the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” formula in an effort to shove the lightning back in the bottle. Journeyman rom-com director Donald Petrie is the latest to try his luck by actually sending “Greek Wedding” writer/star Nia Vardalos to Greece for another bright and breezy comedy of cultural alienation. Vardalos plays a restless travel guide who rediscovers the beguiling charm of her homeland while leading a ragtag group of tourists (Richard Dreyfuss and Rachel Dratch, among others) around the Acropolis.
Opens wide.

“Unmistaken Child”
Israeli documentary filmmaker Nati Baratz shadows Tibetan monk Tenzin Zopa during his evolution from disciple to teacher on a long and grueling four-year search for the infant reincarnation of his beloved master, clued in by interpretations of funeral pyre smoke and lengthy consultations between Indian Lamas and Taiwanese astrologists. With Baratz acting as his silent observer, Zopa journeys to the beautiful valleys of the remote Tsum region, where it is believed that revered master Lama Konchog has been reborn. In English and Tibetan, Nepali, Hindi and Taiwanese with subtitles.
Opens in New York.

“Séraphine”
From French actor-turned-writer/director Martin Provost, this wonderfully old fashioned biographical drama of the life and times of naïve painter Séraphine Louis (aka Séraphine de Senlis) scored big in its home country, taking home an impressive seven Césars, including Best Actress and Best Picture. The story of an unlikely friendship, “Séraphine” stars renowned French actress Yolande Moreau as the visionary artist toiling in obscurity as a housekeeper prior to her accidental discovery by German critic and art collector Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur), who championed her work until her slow and tragic descent into senility. In French and German with subtitles.
Opens in limited release.

“Tennessee”
Ever since her self-inflated performance at the center of disastrous vanity project “Glitter” landed her a Razzie for worst actress in 2001, the notoriously demanding Mariah Carey has kept a low onscreen profile, offering only a single unremarkable performance in the equally unremarkable thriller “WiseGirls” and a cameo as herself in “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” between then and now. Here, she slips into Aaron Woodley’s low-key drama in the role of Krystal, a waitress who ditches her abusive husband to join two hitchhiking brothers, Carter (Adam Rothenberg) and the leukemia-stricken Ellis (Ethan Peck), on a road trip of redemption in search of a bone marrow transplant from their deadbeat dad.
Opens in limited release.

“Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love”
After her debut “A Normal Life” won the Best Documentary Award at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival, filmmaker Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi spent five years immersed in the culture of Senegal and the music of its most famous citizen, pop singer Youssou N’Dour. Vasarhelyi’s film chronicles N’Dour, described as the “Bono of Africa,” as he tries to create a concept album to promote the peaceable, tolerant face of his Islamic faith and faces backlash from conservative Islamic groups. In English and French, Wolof and Arabic with subtitles.
Opens in New York.

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