Nightcrawler

— This is an excellent film that slowly worms its way into your mind. It’s the story of a news stringer with a camera whose sense of ethics and morals are on the blink. It ends up he’s not the only one with such problems. Jake Gyllenhaal is extremely good as the sociopathic stringer with something wicked just beneath his controlled and slightly charismatic façade and Rene Russo rocks as the news editor willing to manipulate the news for ratings. It’s a look at the seedy L.A. life after dark, and at paparazzi- and freelancer-driven news. It will make you feel uncomfortable, voyeuristic, and cynical.

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[2014. 117 min. Directed by Dan Gilroy. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nightcrawler-2014

John Wick

— Liking this is sort of a guilty pleasure. It’s pretty much what you’d expect when Keanu Reeves, a retired hitman, goes after the guys who killed his dog. This is an all action film with plenty of blood and violence. The fight scenes aren’t a jumpy mess of overly cut footage but nicely choreographed scenes with an interesting attention to the details of things like reloading guns and going in for the kill shot. This movie does a pretty good job of what it’s supposed to do and I like that.

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[2014. 101 min. Directed by David Leitch, Chad Stahelski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, and Alfie Allen.]
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2014/10/keanu_reeves_action_movie_john_wick_reviewed.html

St. Vincent

— Let me begin by saying I liked this film even though it was predictable and threw every imaginable cliché at me. A curmudgeon who’s a cross between Jack Nicholson and Walter Matthau, a mother starting over with and her innocent son after leaving her cheating husband, a pregnant Russian prostitute, a bully, a loan shark, and even a perfectly groomed white cat. The plot may be a familiar, but the actors add nuance to almost every line. It’s definitely Bill Murray’s film and he does a remarkable job, but credit also goes to Melissa McCarthy who toned down her usual, somewhat physical, comedic shtick, to play a believable mother struggling to start a new life, as well as to Jaeden Lieberher who plays the son without the smugness and cuteness that makes you want to slap most child actors. I laughed, I cried, and only very rarely did I groan. Go to see Murray.

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[2014. 102 min. Written and directed by Theodore Melfi. Starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Lieberher, Maomi Watts, and Chris O’Dowd.]
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140906-bill-murray-deserves-better-films

Words and Pictures

— Two decent actors as two high school teachers with lots of baggage in a film that seems awfully familiar. “Words and Pictures” (DVD) is a romantic drama/comedy with enough witty dialogue and intellectual passion to make it a pleasant enough experience.

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[2013. 111 min. Directed by Fred Schepisi. Staring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/words-and-pictures-2014

Fury

— This is a rock solid war film, filled with the tension of war, only interrupted by occasional respites before the soldiers in the tank, “Fury”, move on to the next battle and the next one after that. This is a bloody, realistic war, where everyone is enemy or friend, killer or killed. There is something deceptively simple in the script but the outcome is a rare look at innocence, barbarousness, survival, comradery, and valor in 1945 Germany. This is a good film but not one that’s easy to see or forget.

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[2014. 134 min. Directed by David Ayer. Starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, and Jon Bernthal.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/movies/fury-starring-brad-pitt-a-raw-look-at-warfare.html?_r=0

The Equalizer

— Denzel Washington, even on a bad day, can add some complexity to an action film. This one’s a little slow to develop but once the blood starts splattering, it moves along at a good clip. It’s the sort of film anyone who likes it would only recommend with the caveat “if you like that sort of thing”. I’m not opposed to heroes who are nearly sixty, bloodbaths, and a world where some things really are black and white, so I’d recommend it too…if you like that sort of thing.

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[2014. 132 min. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Starring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, and Chloe Grace Moretz.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/toronto-film-review-the-equalizer-1201297616/

The Judge

— Talented people in a movie that has few surprises. It’s a better script than many on Lifetime and it’s neatly but not subtly packaged. It’s a father/son drama that pulls out most stops to keep you emotionally involved and liking it.

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[2014. 141 min. Directed by David Dobkin. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Vicent D’Onofrio, and Jeremy Strong.]
http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/review-robert-downey-jr-is-guilty-of-being-shameless-in-the-judge

Belle

— Nicely produced and acted film inspired by a painting which provided a storyline overlapping with the 1786 Zong massacre case in Great Britain. Although "Belle" (DVD) is a little too “love conquers all” for my tastes and seems to wallow in the trappings of period pieces, it more than touches on the important issues of race and gender equality.

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[2013. 104 min. Directed by Amma Asante. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sam Ried, Tom Wilkinson, and Matthew Goode.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/movies/belle-centers-on-a-biracial-aristocrat-in-the-18th-century.html

The Railway Man

— With Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman in the lead roles, the script and directing would have to be terrible for "The Railway Man" (DVD) to be without value. Luckily, both are acceptable and after a somewhat slow start, the pace picks up and a story of letting the pain of the past rule your present, of moving from revenge to acceptance, and of opening your heart come through. Not the best film of either Firth or Kidman’s careers, but perfectly acceptable.

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[2013. 116 min. Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. Starring Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, and Stellan Skarsgard.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-railway-man-2014/

Love Is Strange

— “Love Is Strange” cries out for the art theater crowd. John Lithgow and Alfred Molina do a great job as the partners who, after 39 years together in NYC, finally marry, leading to one of them losing his job and medical benefits as a music teacher at a Catholic school. With only his partner’s pension, they can no longer afford their apartment or the lives they’ve lived. It’s a touching look at a relationship and its tender and difficult times. It’s impossible not to be angry at the circumstances which proved to be their undoing, or to smile at their unshakable love, but it falls a little flat in the end. Maybe that’s the way life is.

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[2014. 94 min. Directed by Ira Sachs. Starring John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei.] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/movies/love-is-strange-stars-john-lithgow-and-alfred-molina.html

The Skeleton Twins

— This is worth seeing. It’s is a good little film that catches you unaware because with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig starring, you expect something leaning more on the comedy than that drama side of things. There are some very funny scenes and lines, but Hader and Wiig prove themselves up to the task of serious and sometimes dark drama as well. They’re siblings who were once close but haven’t spoken in ten years, brought together again. Both of them are damaged souls with lives teetering on the brink of despair, trying to shake old demons, discover a better future, and just make it through the day. It’s a little hard to know where the film is going as the scenes unfold giving glimpses of the guilt and angst with an ability to see the oddly funny dimension to their situations. In the end, it feels like some tender resolution is reached, but I’m not really sure it’s enough to sustain them.

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[2014. 93 min. Directed by Craig Johnson. Starring Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Luke Wilson.]
http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-the-skeleton-twins-1201064119/

Gone Girl

— “Gone Girl” may have been a little long at 2.5 hours, but at least there was enough plot to sustain the time. The actors all did a fine job although Neil Patrick Harris seemed like an odd choice for his part, and the directing was more than competent. Of course the highlight was really the script which may have lost a little of the depth of the novel, but still worked as a psychological thriller, unfolding from various perspectives until you had a full picture of the main characters and their relationships. Definitely worth seeing.

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[2014. 149 min. Directed by David Fincher. Starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Niel Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, and Carrie Coon.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gone-girl-2014