KILL ME THREE TIMES (2014)

Contract hit-man Charlie Wolfe (Simon Pegg), a consummate professional who prides himself on quick, clean kills with no fuss or muss, quickly finds himself up to his armpits in weirdness when he's sent to take out the wife of a motel/bar owner in the Australian town of Eagles Nest, only to find this woman's husband isn't the only one who wants her dead.  This dark action comedy, feeling like the love-child of the films of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, twists and turns in its trio of tales, all coming together in the end all the loose ends are forced to confront each other.  Oddly, the most annoying thing about the film is Pegg himself, who overacts and seems very camera-conscious (the scene in the car, where he's drinking from a flask, is positively cringe-worthy), helping to give the film's B-movie vibe even more validity - but if you don't mind your comedies also somewhat dark and violent, the beautiful scenery of the area and all-in-all engaging story (and yes, it has its funny moments!) make me glad I saw it. (rated R)  C+

KILL ME THREE TIMES (Redband trailer - explicit language/violence)

THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH (2014)

Though not as good as its predecessor - missing Daniel Radcliffe, the wonderfully gothic Edwardian setting, and quite the same level of creepiness - this serviceable sequel from the iconic Hammer house of horror films (still a thrill, just seeing the logo at the beginning of the credits!) also doesn't deserve the heaps of abuse it's gotten.  Set over 40 years after the first, the basic plot concerns two female teachers during WWII London - one middle-aged and all business, the other younger and with her own dark past - who bring a group of children to Eel Marsh House, when London becomes unsafe due to the Nazi bombings.  One of the kids, Edward, has just lost both his parents, the traumatized boy reawakening and attracting the titular spirit, who seems to want him for her own.  Spookiness, death, secrets, and a surprisingly good number of real jump scares make this film B-movie fun that isn't wholly original, but is more than worth seeing! (rated PG-13)  B-

THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH trailer

COMMITMENT (2013)

No one does espionage thrillers like South Korea, and Commitment stars Choi Seung Hyun (better known as T.O.P in the uber-successful Korean boy band BigBang) as North Korean teenager Myung-hoon, who - when his father is killed after a failed job - is forced into training as a spy in order to save his younger sister.  Arriving in Seoul two years later, he goes undercover as a high school student, ordered to track down an assassin who is killing off North Korean members of the spy ring Section 8, but soon learns that even his own countrymen can't be trusted - and that no one gets home alive.  T.O.P is incredible here, so good I had to keep reminding myself that this was the guy from BigBang (and that's an achievement, as his branding as a pop star is so solid it borders on iconic), and while this isn't a rollercoaster of tension like The Suspect, Commitment combines action, drama, even a love story - about this amazing kid, who only wants to keep his sister safe - into a moving film that, yeah, had my eyes moist as the end credits rolled. (not rated)  A-

COMMITMENT trailer

LILTING (2014)

Junn (Cheng Pei-Pei) is a Cambodian Chinese widow living in an assisted living facility in London, mourning the recent death of her son Kai (Andrew Leung), her only child.  In another part of the city, the same pain fills Richard (Ben Whishaw, who anchors the film with full-on heart and soul), Kai's "roommate," whom Junn has never liked and feels is responsible for Kai's (even temporarily) placing her in her new home.  Both are grieving the loss of a man they loved deeply, a language barrier keeping them from communicating until Richard hires an interpreter, hoping to reach out to the mother of the man he loved, their shared memories and devotion to Kai their only bond.  Moving, gentle, and honest, Lilting is a melancholy (but not depressing) portrait of coping with grief, loss and acceptance; of coming to appreciate what we have in common, as people, instead of letting our differences keep us apart.  The performances, by all three leads (especially Whishaw), are understated and poetic. (not rated)  B

LILTING trailer

PADDINGTON (2014)

A young bear from the jungles of Peru, when his home becomes uninhabitable, is helped by his aunt onto a ship bound for London.  His aunt and uncle, visited long ago by a British explorer who became their friend and taught them English, told their nephew he'd always be welcomed there (as the explorer once promised), but he winds up instead all alone in the busy Paddington station.  That is, until found by the Brown family, in particular Mrs. Brown (Sally Hawkins), whose big heart reaches out to the young bear even as her uptight husband (Hugh Bonneville) wants none of it.  Along with their two kids, the Browns take Paddingtion - so named by Mrs. Brown - home for the night, beginning an adventure that finds Paddington (perfectly voiced by Ben Whishaw) learning that big city life is far different than he'd imagined ... and even dangerous, once he gets the attention of a wicked lady taxidermist (Nicole Kidman).  A wonderful, upbeat, chicken-soup-for-the-soul kind of film - and, as directed by Paul King as if via the eyes of an imaginative child, one of the year's best. (rated PG)  A

PADDINGTON trailer

PIRATES (2014)

Original, funny, romantic, touching, and exhilarating; all describe the one-of-a-kind joy that is Pirates.  Set in 1388, the film's main story begins when a group envoy, sailing to Korea to bring an emperor his royal State Seal, gets in the way of a giant gray whale that destroys their ship - and in the process swallows the seal, housed in an ornate red and gold box.  Embarrassed, those at fault tell the emperor pirates ambushed the ship and took the seal, causing him to offer a reward to anyone who finds it.  Newly-minted female pirate captain Jang Sa-jung and her crew are forced by a naval commander to go after the whale, while a group of mountain bandits (providing terrific comic relief), led by handsome former soldier Yeo-wol, also plot to steal a ship and seek the reward.  Mayhem, merriment, lots of swordfights and aerial stunts, and one of the best/funniest action movies put to film results, making Pirates the most boisterous, just plain fun experience I've had in a long time. (not rated)  A

PIRATES trailer

TABLOID TRUTH (2014)

When a promising young Korean actress, on the verge of making it big, is implicated in a sex scandal involving a married politician by an online "tipsheet", the woman's suicide sends her manager, Woo-gun (Kang-woo Kim), into a tailspin of despair.  Not only was she his only client, they'd worked together from her first days of trying to break in and had also become the best of friends.  Guilt and his conviction of her innocence drive Woo-gun to dig deeper into who started the false rumor and why, and as he strives to clear her name the hapless manager also uncovers an intricate, dangerous web of lies, political conspiracy, and story swapping that can destroy the innocent and hide the guilty - even as Woo-gun's efforts attract the attention of those out to silence him.  Though a bit slow in its first third, Tabloid Truth picks up steam fast and has a rousing, surprising finale that will have your pulse racing one minute and eyes glistening with a tear or two the next.  Again, no one does thrillers quite like South Korea. (not rated)  A-

TABLOID TRUTH trailer

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (2015)

Is Fifty Shades Oscar-worthy?  NO.  Is it a great film?  Again, no.  But does it deserve the hate, from women's groups to critics to uptight conservatives, that it's gotten?  Most definitely, no.  Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), an English Lit major, interviews handsome, enigmatic Seattle billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) as a favor for her roommate.  From jump their attraction is palpable, and as Ana finds herself falling under his spell she also learns that Christian's past has made him a man in need of total control over his life - even in bed - and that to enter into a relationship with him is to enter a world she'd never imagined.  The sex scenes aren't overdone (for the subject matter), and while the film tries hard to also tell the tale of this broken man and the woman who just may be able to heal him, the script, acting, and casting of Anastasia could all have been better.  Still, Ana is no "victim" here; if anything she has the ultimate control, all her decisions her own.  A mixed bag, but worth seeing. (rated R)  B-

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY trailer

FOXCATCHER (2014)

Sports-themed films aren't often my thing, but with this cast alone - though knowing little about the subject - I was eager to give the Oscar-nominated Foxcatcher a try.  The brothers Schultz - Dave (Mark Ruffalo) and Mark (Channing Tatum) - are Olympic gold-winning wrestling champions when Mark is "discovered" by millionaire John du Pont (an unrecognizable Steve Carell), who wants to move Mark to his estate and help him form a winning team for the upcoming 1988 Olympics.  Though du Pont wants both brothers, Dave is settled into life as husband and father, so this becomes Mark's chance to step out from under his older brother's shadow and prove himself.  Dazzled by the eccentric du Pont's wealth and seeming faith in him, Mark is determined to be the best, but as the trials get closer and du Pont's erratic behavior gets worse, the brothers find themselves on a dark path that leads to unexpected results.  Arguably Tatum's best work, with Ruffalo and especially Carell Oscar-worthy in this "based on a true story" drama the grabs you about thirty minutes in and doesn't let go. (rated R)  A-

FOXCATCHER trailer

WE'RE THE MILLERS (2013)

When David (Jason Sudeikis), a low-level pot dealer, loses a lot of cash he owed his boss to a robbery, he's forced to smuggle a "smidge" of weed over the border from Mexico, to the States, to repay his supplier.  Realizing families are least likely to be searched at the border, David gets his boss to supply a huge RV, and talks a dorky neglected teen (Will Poulter), a homeless goth girl (Emma Roberts), and his stripper neighbor (Jennifer Aniston) into traveling with him - hence The Millers, the squeaky-clean, all-American family just driving home from their Mexican vacay.  But the border proves to be the least of their worries when the "smidge" of weed ends up being two metric tons - and when they also learn they inadvertently stole their valuable cargo, thanks to David's boss, from the real drug kingpin!  We're the Millers is foul-mouthed, cynical, over-the-top nuts ... and also very funny and fairly terrific.  There's even a little heart, under all its sardonic sense of humor, and you can't ask for more than that. (rated R)  B+

WE'RE THE MILLERS Red Band trailer (adult language)

THE PYRAMID (2014)

While it's true The Pyramid doesn't break new ground in the horror genre (critics trounced it), for me it was still a solid B-movie I sat through much of with with my fingers covering my eyes, the suspense tight as a piano wire.  Father-daughter archaeologists Holden and Nora (Denis O'Hare, Ashley Hinshaw) are in the Egyptian desert, 250 miles south of Cairo, where they've discovered an anomaly: a three-sided pyramid, much of it still buried in the sand.  It is August 2013, Cairo in conflict over the coup/takeover, so when they and a documentary team recording the expedition are told to leave Egypt the next morning, that night they send a robotic scout down a tunnel leading to the apex of the pyramid ... which promptly disappears, forcing them inside to retrieve it (where more than a robot awaits).  The film relies only a bit on the "found footage" technique (thank God), and though compared to As Above, So Below (the better film), I felt The Pyramid had enough fun, scares, and B-movie awesomeness to engage my brain and jack up my fear factor. (rated R)  B

THE PYRAMID trailer

BLACKWOOD (2014)

I had big hopes for Blackwood.  Indeed, the first half of the film plays beautifully like one of the better, creepier Hammer house of horror films of the 1970's; college professor Ben Marshall (Ed Stoppard), after suffering a nervous breakdown, pulls his life and family together and relocates his wife and young son to an old country home, called Blackwood, where soon after moving in Ben starts to sense something very wrong in the house.  He begins seeing what appear to be ghosts, reflections of a mystery surrounding the home, and as Ben investigates the house, the town, even the local priest seem to be against his learning the truth.  Blackwood is a cool, dark, twisty tale of the mind, creepy and wonderfully done, but - for me - with an ending that delivered a twist I found just a little disappointing, as well as a couple of things (like the owls) I wish had been better unexplained. (not rated)  C+

BLACKWOOD trailer

PIZZA (2014)

I'd heard great things about Pizza, so had been trying to see it for awhile.  What I didn't realize is there are two "versions" of the film - one in Tamil, from 2012, and a remake in Hindi (both films made in India), released in 2014 - so when I sat down to watch this one, it was without knowing it was the remake.  The premise is awesome: hardworking pizza delivery man Kunal (the handsome, likable Akshay Oberoi), recently learning his wife (a horror writer) is pregnant, is trying to do well by his job so he can get promoted.  He dislikes what his wife does for a living, thinking it nonsense, but she tells him everybody has a horrific tale in their life to tell - which Kunal learns when he makes a delivery to the home of a woman who promptly disappears, leaving him trapped in the house ... not exactly alone.  Sadly, Pizza was just "okay"; it doesn't really play fair with the viewer, and the time Kunal's trapped in the house actually drags, with few real scares.  The touches of humor are welcomed, but even the "twist" that ends the film wasn't, sadly, all that inspired. (not rated)  C-

PIZZA trailer (click on "CC" for English subtitles)

JOHN WICK (2014)

Initially, all we know of John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is that he is deeply mourning the recent death of his wife from cancer.  Soon after her funeral, John receives delivery of a puppy his wife arranged to be sent to him after her death, so he'd still have something - someone - to love.  When a chance run-in with some Russian mob thugs results in Wick turning down their offer to buy his cherry 1969 Mustang, they show up at John's house and beat him, steal the car ... and kill his dog.  And that is when we learn John is a former mob assassin, The Boogeyman, who got out of the business when he fell in love five years before - but is now back, and after the leader of the thugs who took everything from him ... who also happens to be the son of his former mob boss.  Reeves' "block of wood" acting style is perfect here, and if you can handle that Wick kills about 5,000 people in this film there is a mindless, surreal fun about John Wick that somehow keeps things both deadly serious and darkly humorous.  Often at the same time. (rated R)  B

JOHN WICK trailer

DOUBLE HARNESS (1933)

William Powell, one of my favorite actors since childhood, stars in this RKO classic playing John Fletcher, a spoiled playboy who's inherited his father's shipping empire but has no interests in life other than pursuing polo, women, and anything that avoids work.  That is, until he starts dating Joan Colby (Ann Harding), a woman who used to regard marriage as a business proposition herself, but soon finds she's falling in love with John the cad.  So much in love, she tricks the confirmed bachelor into marrying her, hoping she can (in time) make him love her in return - and that's when the real mess begins.  The first half of this short film plays like a drama, the latter more comedic (and featuring a wonderful supporting role by Reginald Owen, playing a manservant), which comes off a bit disjointed though things meld together nicely in the end.  Quirky but worth a watch, with solid performances. (not rated)  B-  (Note: the link below is not a trailer but the entire film - featuring two minutes of restored footage!)

DOUBLE HARNESS (complete film)