Art, deliciously animated, in Milorad Krstic's delightful RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR

What a treat for art aficionados is the new movie from Hungarian animator Milorad Krstic! With animation that nods to a plethora of art "greats" (or supposed greats: Warhol's Double Elvis figures into things here), RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR offers up everything from Velásquez to Botticelli, Caravaggio to Renoir, and all looking like they were somehow re-conceived by a certain guy named Picasso.

Animated by Mr. Krstic (shown at left) with the kind of super style you might call cubism squared (or is it squarism cubed?), I can't immediately think of any other animated movie in which I've enjoyed the actual animation more than this one (it makes this year's Oscar winner, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse look every bit as paltry as it truly is). Downright gorgeous, and just as amusing and fun, this 94-minute movie is an absolute knockout.

And if the movie's content doesn't quite live up to its style, when that style is so far above all else that it's off the chart, are we going to complain?

The story here takes in everything from family, parenting and parentage to art, art theft and performance art and handles it all with sublime wit, charm, subtlety and speed.

And for those who demand action, car chases and even murder, hey -- they're here, too. Along with Haydn and Mozart.

TrustMovies was having so much fun watching this film that he had to give up taking his usual notes and simply stay glued to the screen, for fear of missing something else that was special.

If you know and love fine art -- both the older and newer varieties -- I can't imagine your not heading straight out for the theater nearest you. If you're not an art fan, then at least half the film will be lost on you, but what's left, animation-wise, might still be enough to ring your bell. (Mine rang so often and loudly I'm surprised I haven't gone deaf.) In addition to the many art references, there are plenty of nods to movies and other touchstones of culture, as well.

The film has two protagonists, one a crack psychologist suffering from terrible nightmares who is soon to become an art thief, the other an ace detective with a missing-father issue. Supporting characters include a group of thieves who happen to be patients of our psychologist/thief (he's teaching them how art can save their sanity and life).

That's all you need to know. Now find a theater near you, sit back and let you eyes widen and your mouth drop open. From Sony Pictures Classics, Ruben Brandt, Collector opened on our uber-cultural coasts a couple of weeks back and will hit South Florida (in Fort Lauderdale at The Classic Gateway, and in Boca Raton at the Living Room Theaters and Regal Shadowood) and elsewhere across the country this Friday, March 8. Wherever you live, simply click here and then click on View Theaters at the bottom of the screen to find those nearest you.