It is now officially Springtime. The air is warm, the bees are buzzing, and the flowers are blooming (much to the delight of my daughter). The worthless Sportsball tournament is finally over and we are into April. (In fact, I was able to play an April Fool's joke eight minutes into the holiday, much to the consternation of my work supervisors.) What better way to celebrate Spring than by staying indoors away from all the pollen and allergens and annoying warm air? Luckily, the University of Louisville Floyd Theater has you covered, as usual.

Tonight the Floyd Theater presents a screening of acclaimed Iranian film “A Separation,” which tells the story of a married couple who are torn between two obligations: leaving the country for the benefit of their child or staying in Iran to care for a parent with Alzheimer's. This film did quite well on the awards circuit, winning both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and snagging an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay (which it lost to Woody Allen's “Midnight in Paris”). “A Separation” plays this evening at 5:00 and 8:00.

I am thrilled to share with you that the weekend is to be occupied by what I consider to be the best film of 2011: “The Artist.” I absolutely love old silent films (two of my top five favorites of all time are silents - “Sunrise” and “Metropolis” - as well as the entire work of Charlie Chaplin, who I consider to be one of the most important people to have ever lived - seriously) so I was quite excited to see a new one emerge, especially one which is essentially an homage to that whole era. “The Artist” stars the incredibly sexy (yup) Jean Dujardin as a great silent film actor who struggles to maintain relevance after the advent of “talkies.” The film received ten Oscar nominations and won five, including Best Director, Best Actor, and, of course, Best Picture. “The Artist” plays Friday and Saturday at 5:00 and 8:00. Don't miss this one – it deserves the big screen treatment.

(Bonus tip: for more modern examples of silent films, check out the work of Guy Maddin, especially his bizarre masterpiece “Brand Upon the Brain.”)

The Floyd Theater is located on the third floor of the Student Activities Center on the University of Louisville campus. Admission is $1.50 for students of the university and $3.00 for the general public. Further information can be found at the SAB Film Committee Facebook page.

Image: Internet Movie Database