France

In the spirit of how the U.S. typically goes after what it needs these days, Moore took it upon himself to lead his army of one and “invade” a number of countries that have employed good ideas in their societies, all with the intent of stealing those notions and bringing them back home to the Land of the Free. The results of those efforts are now chronicled in the director’s latest documentary.

In August 1974, crowds of open-mouthed New Yorkers were captivated when a little-known French high-wire artist named Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) undertook and achieved the unthinkable – stringing a cable and successfully traversing the space between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, 110 stories (1,350 feet) above the ground.

During a time of shifts in public opinion and social values, it can be difficult to maintain the status quo, especially among those who are helping to drive those forces of change. So it was in 1914 England with Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander), a headstrong, self-assured, independent thinker with aspirations far different from those of most women at the time. Rather than be relegated to a life of conventional marriage and homemaking, for example, Vera fought for the right to apply to Oxford to earn her college degree and become a writer, much to the consternation of her parents (Dominic West, Emily Watson). What’s more, despite the subtle matchmaking attempts of Vera’s brother, Edward (Taron Egerton), to fix her up with his friend Victor (Colin Morgan), the idealistic young nonconformist resisted these efforts, insisting that she preferred to live her life without a husband. Clearly, Vera was a force to be reckoned with.

When we embark on the journeys of our lives, we seldom know what awaits us. Yet, if we leave ourselves open to the range of possible experiences available, we enable the potential for a wealth of rewarding and wondrous opportunities for creative fulfillment, many of which are unexpected yet ever so satisfying. Such are the sorts of personal odysseys profiled in the entertaining new comedy-drama, “The Hundred-Foot Journey.”

Life would be pretty tedious if everything could be explained in purely rational terms. As valuable as logic and the intellect are, they don’t take into account the mystery of magic and the intuition, elements that add spice and flavor to our lives and the realities we create for ourselves. And forgoing one of those components of existence at the expense of the other can be a painful experience, to be sure. Learning to strike a balance between the two is important to our well-being and happiness as a beleaguered protagonist discovers for himself in the latest offering from director Woody Allen, “Magic in the Moonlight.”

It’s easy – perhaps all too easy – to become reconciled about our lives. We convince ourselves that our journeys are destined to follow set, unalterable paths. Yet we also often hope that they’ll take different courses, especially if the directions we’ve become sold on aren’t to our liking. And sometimes we even wind up pleasantly surprised. No matter what the outcome, however, we can always count on life’s inherent continuity, for better or worse and no matter what we choose to manifest, an idea explored in the delightful new French comedy-drama, “On My Way” (“Elle s’en va”).

For many, Paris is the ultimate destination. One of the world’s most beautiful cities filled with art, culture, wine and incredible food. Although for special diets such as vegan, gluten free and dairy free, it seems that it might not be the most accommodating place to visit. But I’m glad to report that it is quickly becoming a hotspot for delicious dining, no matter your dietary restrictions!