All hail “The Queen of Versailles.”

This irresistible documentary, about the effects of the 2008 economic collapse on a free-spending, über-wealthy couple, gives viewers an up-close-and-personal look at the gaudy weirdness that is the American Dream – in reverse.

“Versailles,” directed and produced by Lauren Greenfield (“Thin”), focuses on David and Jackie Siegel, who in 2006 broke ground on their 90,000-square-foot dream house in Windermere, Florida. They named it 'Versailles' and, upon completion, it would have been the largest private residence in the U.S.

Today, their hulking Versailles stands half-finished, a potent symbol for the nation’s economic collapse and the consequences on the housing market.

Greenfield began filming the couple in 2007, when they were still flying high (both...

When I was a kid and would fight with one of my five siblings and then go crying to my mother, she would tell me to get over it and make up with them.

“She’s your sister and she’s going to be your sister for the rest of your life, so you had better learn to live with her,” Mom always said (or, alternatively, “He’s your brother and …”).

Her parental wisdom -- it turns out, Mom was right -- came rushing back while watching “The Do-Deca-Pentathlon,” an amusing and perspicacious comedy about two adult brothers locked in near mortal combat while each trying to vanquish the other in a made-up athletic competition.

“Do-Deca” is yet another low-...

When a character wears thick glasses throughout a movie, there’s usually a reason above and beyond scoring 20/20 on an eye test. It’s to suggest that the character is meek, an intellectual or is attempting, like Clark Kent, to disguise his true self.

In the case of Tom Ricks (Ethan Hawke), the troubled American novelist who is the protagonist of this absorbing psychological drama set in Paris, the glasses are a symbolic tip-off. Moviegoers see the film through Tom’s perspective but come over time to understand that his view may not be entirely reliable.

Tom, who taught at a university and hasn’t been able to write since...

“Quirky” is one of those overused words that can damn with faint praise, especially when paired with “indie movie.”

To call the endearing “Safety Not Guaranteed” quirky, however, is an honest attempt to convey in a single word this indie dramedy’s many beguilements. Simultaneously loose-jointed and carefully constructed, it’s a heartfelt charmer about an eccentric guy planning to time-travel.

Early on, Jeff (Jake Johnson of TV’s “The New Girl”), a seasoned reporter at Seattle magazine, suggests to his dictatorial editor (Mary Lynn Rajskub, in an amusing cameo) that he track down the author of a classified ad which reads: “WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. … You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I...