THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013)

There is just something so wildly exuberant about Thor: The Dark World.  The plot sounds more complex than it is: thousands of years ago the Dark Elves tried to send all the realms of the universe into darkness with a force called The Aether, but their evil leader Malekith barely escapes with his own life when Asgardian soldiers manage to capture The Aether, hiding it away as it cannot be destroyed.  Flash-forward to present-day Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, who is actually kind of annoying in this film), angry at Thor for not keeping in contact in two years, who ends up a host for The Aether when she accidentally discovers it, bringing Malekith back to Asgard to retrieve the strongest weapon in the universe when Thor learns of what's happened and tries to protect her.  The battle scenes and special effects are HIGHLY ramped up here, in a fun, even funny and exciting film with Hemsworth and Hiddleston now fully grown into their respective roles as Thor and Loki.  Loved it! (rated PG-13)  ****1/2

THOR: THE DARK WORLD trailer

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (2013)

Covering a very private part of a very public life, The Invisible Woman is the story of  Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones), a fledgling actress from a family of actors who - at the age of 18 - had the honor of meeting, and working with, the writer whose work had already become her obsession: Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes).  Larger than life, generous to a fault and incredibly gifted, Dickens soon becomes her obsession, as well - the man, in return, finding Nelly's educated companionship preferable even to that of his own wife.  The two enter into an affair that must remain secret, due to both his fame and the vast difference in their ages, and while the conventional Nelly finds the treatment Dickens gives to his wife and the sanctity of their marriage a travesty, at the same time she can't help but feel her love for him, however wrong, is something that can't be denied.  A look into the private world of one of the greatest writers of all time, Fiennes bringing Dickens vividly to life on-screen, even during the slower moments of the film.  Must-see for Dickens fans, especially. (rated R)  ****

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN trailer

THE LION KING (1994)

The Lion King opens with the birth of Simba, lion cub to King Mufasa, who will continue Mufasa's reign over the African Pride Lands upon Mufasa's death.  Simba's birth is a cause of celebration for all the animals of the land ... with the exception of Scar, brother to Mufasa and - until Simba's birth - the heir to Mufasa's throne.  Scar, very much the black sheep of the family, plots to have both Mufasa and Simba killed so he can rule the Pride Land at last, but when only half the plot works and Simba runs away in shame and guilt, Scar's reign begins and the Pride Lands seem doomed unless Simba can find his way home again.  A beautiful film, wonderfully scored (the opening scene, and song "The Circle of Life" especially, are incredible) and with comic touches via Timon, Pumbaa, and a couple of wicked hyenas. (rated G)  ****

THE LION KING trailer

THE NUT JOB (2014)

Surly (Will Arnett) is a city squirrel who lives in a big city park full of animals but only thinks of himself.  While his animal brethern are concerned with storing enough food to get them through the upcoming winter, Surly's greed and self-serving ways results in a caper that destroys what food the animals have been able to save - which gets Surly banished from the park for life.  But when Surly and a female squirrel from the park, Andie (Katherine Heigl), both get wind of a major heist in the form of a nut store nearby, Andie's fight for the park and Surly's fight for himself gets in the way of the very human gangsters who own the nut shop ... who are using it as a front to break into the bank next door.  Decent animation, an okay storyline, a few stand-out characters, and lively action elevate this fairly average animated film to a nice ride for both kids and parents.  Love the dog, especially. (rated PG)  ***

THE NUT JOB trailer

LET MY PEOPLE GO! (2011)

One of the funniest, most charming films I've seen in awhile is this French farce about a young gay French Jewish boy, Ruben (Nicolas Maury), who lives with his Nordic boyfriend in Finland, where he works as a mail carrier after his dreams of opening up his own sauna have fallen on hard times.  An altercation/set of mishaps with someone on his mail route leaves Ruben with almost $200,000 Euro and the impression he accidentally killed a man, and when Ruben tells his boyfriend Teemu about the incident, Teemu kicks him out when Ruben refuses to go to the police and confess.  With nowhere to go, Ruben hops a plane to Paris and his eccentric family, just in time for the Passover holidays, where even more bizarre sets of circumstances land Ruben in even deeper trouble.  Funny, sweet, and with THE perfect lead in the beguilingly innocent Maury as Ruben, this film is a treat from start to finish, the viewer rooting for Ruben all the way. (not rated)  ****1/2

LET MY PEOPLE GO! trailer

STAGE FRIGHT (2014)

Blending horror and comedy, Stage Fright opens with the vicious murder of opera singer Kylie Swenson (Minnie Driver) by a masked killer, soon after her triumphant opening night in "The Haunting of the Opera" ... before we flash-forward ten years to a bunch of spastic, musical theater-loving kids attending summer theater camp, performing an over-the-top musical number about how theater geeks rock, may or may not be gay.  Kylie's daughter Camilla and son Buddy, raised by their godfather Roger McCall, (Meat Loaf) who owns the camp, now work summers in the kitchen ... until Camilla decides to audition for the lead in the big show, a reworking of "The Haunting of the Opera" set in feudal Japan - giving an excuse for a musical theater hater to don a Kabuki mask and start killing again.  Even with a lull in action between the first and subsequent murders, and an obvious low budget to work with, there is something quirky and very watchable about this oddball horror comedy that actually comes with a few decent jump scares ... and musical numbers! (rated R)  ***

STAGE FRIGHT trailer

AUTHORS ANONYMOUS (2014)

As a writer, I loved the premise of this film: a fledgling writers group in Los Angeles is torn asunder when their newest member Hannah (Kaley Cuoco) sells her first novel, inciting jealousy among the other members.  Billed as a comedy, it's sometimes hard to tell what's funny when you have a group of characters so distinctly unappealing and unlikable, you care very little what happens.  Only Chris Klein, playing nerdy pizza delivery guy/would-be novelist Henry, elicits an ounce of sympathy, whereas the petty jealousies, over-inflated egos and childish behavior of the others (Hannah included) wears almost as thin as the CONSTANT product placements from Coca-Cola, throughout the film, of their various products (I started counting how many times I caught the logo alone; stopped at ten).  A semi-sweet tag scene, during the credits, offers little redemption for what (other than a few nice moments) is otherwise an unpleasant, unfunny film. (rated PG-13)  **1/2

AUTHORS ANONYMOUS trailer

HOW I LIVE NOW (2013)

In How I Live Now, Saoirse Ronan vividly brings to life an isolated American teenager, Daisy, who is sent to stay with distant relatives in the English countryside by an indifferent father.  A loner still hurting over the death of her mother, Daisy is hostile to her foreign cousins (whose own mother works in a high-level government position, so is rarely around) until drawn out of her shell by handsome cousin Eddie (George MacKay) and his younger brother and sister ... just in time for England to be attacked as the world breaks out into war.  Forced into separation from her male cousins (who will be trained to enter the war), only her young cousin Piper at her side, Daisy fights not only to survive ... but to be reunited with her new-found family, taken from her just as she's found both love and a purpose in life.  Thanks to the always-brilliant Ronan it's Daisy's story of growth all the way, a simple and artful indie film well worth seeing. (rated R)  ****

HOW I LIVE NOW trailer