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