Top-down movie-making, or, Why we need cinema minima

A Faded Hollywood Power Broker Relinquishes His Talent Business. The struggle of Michael S. Ovitz to regain a dominant position in the entertainment industry collapsed as his company was absorbed by a firm run by a younger generation. By Bernard Weinraub and Anita M. Busch. [New York Times: Arts]

THE MYSTIC MASSEUR directed by Ismail Merchant; written by Caryl Phillips, based on the novel by V. S. Naipaul

The Rise of a Leader in Credulous Trinidad. Ismail Merchant's rich and absorbing new film is setin the bosom of Trinidad's Indian community in the 1940's and 50's, when the island was still under British control. By Stephen Holden. [New York Times: Movies]

An Elite of Equals in Cannes, at Least at First. On paper, the Cannes Film Festival beginning on May 15 looks like one of the strongest lineups in years, a deft balance of regions, styles and sensibilities. By Dave Kehr. [New York Times: Movies]

ABC AFRICA directed and edited by Abbas Kiarostami

A Darkness Cast Upon Childhood. Abbas Kiarostami's new documentary about the plight of Uganda's orphans leaves you overwhelmed, hopeful and, perhaps paradoxically, illuminated. By A. O. Scott. [New York Times: Movies]

WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE. Directed by Shohei Imamura; written (in Japanese, with English subtitles) by Motofumi Tomikawa, Daisuke Tengan and Mr. Imamura, based on the novel by Henmi Yo

Stricken With Guilt (and Water). A fascination with the physical representation of emotion, particularly guilt, cuts a wide swath through Shohei Imamura's new film, a tribute to the concept of release. By Elvis Mitchell. [New York Times: Movies]

Filming an Art-Heist Mystery and Hoping for a Happy Ending. In a quixotic bid to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation find a stolen Vermeer painting, the documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles is volunteering his time to solicit clues. By Ralph Blumenthal. [New York Times: Movies]

• Find the Art
• James (Whitey) Bulger
• Rebecca Dreyfus Feig
• Harold J. Smith
• Isabella Stewart Gardner

THE LADY AND THE DUKE by Eric Rohmer

Eric Rohmer's Gorgeous Terror. A gripping memoir by Grace Elliott, a Scottish noblewoman, inspired Eric Rohmer's ravishing new film "The Lady and the Duke." By Leslie Camhi. [New York Times: Movies]