John Powers

The new romantic comedy "Fallen Leaves" tells a story about love on the margins of society. The film has won several big international prizes. It was written and directed by Aki Kaurismaki, who first put movies from Finland on the map in the 1980s. Our critic-at-large John Powers says "Fallen Leaves" is a rare bird, a refined art movie that's also a crowd-pleaser.

A new Australian comedy series called "Colin From Accounts" is about a 40-something man and a late-20s woman who were brought together by a dog. The series begins streaming on Paramount+ tomorrow, and our critic at large, John Powers, says that its warmth, good humor and essential benevolence might make it the perfect antidote to what's going on in the world.

When Helen Garner published her first novel, "Monkey Grip," in 1977, it made her a literary sensation in her native Australia. She's been a famous writer there ever since. The American publisher Pantheon has begun releasing her most popular books, starting with her 1984 novel "The Children's Bach" and her 2014 true crime book "This House Of Grief." Our critic-at-large, John Powers, says that Garner is one of his favorite writers and that these books offer the ideal introduction to a woman who's forever grappling with the hard stuff of life.