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In the landscape of modern cinema portraying aging and mortality, “Memory Lane” (“De Terugreis”) emerges as a delightfully nuanced Dutch film that deviates from the traditional grim plot. This Oscar-nominated film, directed by Jelle de Jonge, explores the transformational journey of an elderly couple in a tragic yet frequently hilarious manner.

Martin van Waardenberg and Leny Breederveld play Jaap and Maartje, a couple married for nearly 50 years, with amazing depth in the film. Their characters are a riveting study of long-term partnership: Jaap, a ceaselessly grumbling pessimist preoccupied with bleak news, and Maartje, a lively lady slowly succumbing to dementia but full of life’s excitement.

“Memory Lane” has already received widespread recognition in the Netherlands, earning Golden Calf awards for Best Actor and Best Film. What distinguishes this film as art is its delicate blend of comedy and sorrow, which provides a more humane perspective on aging than the stark,...

In recent years, movies about senility and mortality have taken on a pitilessly bleak, frightening tenor, notably in such awards magnets as “Amour,” “Vortex” and “The Father.” Preferring a less grim approach is the Netherlands’ submission to the Oscar international feature race this year. Jelle de Jonge’s “Memory Lane” is a sometimes boisterous, ultimately affirming seriocomedy about an elderly couple who take a road trip to retrace some of their youthful steps, probably for the last time. A hit on its home turf earlier this year, de Jonge’s film is a well-crafted crowdpleaser that should cross borders with relative ease … unlike its oft-squabbling protagonists.

Jaap (Martin van Waardenberg) and Maartje (Leny Breederveld) have been married close to half a century. But despite their material comfort, the 70-somethings aren’t exactly enjoying a harmonious retirement. He’s an endless grumbler whose doomsaying view that “the world’s on fire...

Legendary indie songwriter Elliott Smith’s final album, From a Basement on the Hill, has been remastered and reissued for its 20th anniversary by Kill Rock Stars. Hear the new versions of the songs below, and pick a physical copy here.

Originally released via Anti- Records on October 19th, 2004 — almost exactly a year after Smith’s passing — From a Basement on the Hill has become an integral part of the Elliott Smith canon, both showcasing his incredible talent and hinting at what artistic directions he might have taken in the future.

The new reissue was overseen by Larry Crane, Smith’s official archivist, and remastered by Crane and Adam Gonsalves. The two engineers, who previously collaborated on the remasters of Either/Or and Elliot Smith, used digital transfers from Rob Schnapf and Joanna Bolme’s original 1/4-inch tape mixes.

“When comparing the new transfers against previous ones, plus the existing CD master,...