HOW TO BE SINGLE (****)

(2016) Alice (Dakota Johnson), in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend Josh (Nicholas Braun), decides she needs them to take a break so she can explore for awhile what it means to be single.  Moving in with her obstetrician sister Meg (Leslie Mann) in Manhattan, she lands a job as a paralegal for a prestigious law firm ... where, on day one, she meets the not-so-prestigious Robin (the hilarious Rebel Wilson), who is determined to teach Alice how to be single in style.  Much partying, booze, and sleeping with a bartender named Tom (Anders Holm) follows.  Meanwhile, Meg - who has been on her own for so long she's grown almost fanatically independent - comes to terms with the fact that she wants to have a baby by going the in vitro fertilization route ... in time to meet a younger man who may want more than sex from her ... as Tom, the bartender and consummate player, finds his attention taken up a bit too much by Lucy (Alison Brie), who uses algorithms and graphs to plow through every dating site in the book, turning finding a man into a full-time job as she sits in his bar night after night for the wi-fi.  The film got mixed reviews, but I loved it; loved the views and magic of New York City (my prejudice, I admit) it portrayed, loved the humor - but what really impressed me is it wasn't one of those films that puts out the message that a person (especially a woman) has to find love to be happy.  That being single isn't just okay, but in some ways it's so much better.  And that "original" idea, in a romantic comedy, was very refreshing to see.  (rated R)

THOSE PEOPLE (****1/2)

(2015) Manhattan twenty-somethings Charlie (Jonathan Gordon) and Sebastian (Jason Ralph) have been friends for fifteen years, since childhood.  Both belong to the same small, intimate group of friends who party together and have each other's backs - but for the entire time he's known him Charlie has been pretty much in love with Sebastian, and it seems Sebastian is the only one unaware of it.  Both men are gay, but Sebastian has only ever seen Charlie as a friend, Charlie's friendship becoming all that more important when Sebastian's father is sent to jail for investor fraud, and the press seems intent on blaming Sebastian for not spilling the beans on his father's larceny.  Now mostly confined to his family's lavish apartment due to the stalking paparazzi, Sebastian begs for Charlie to move in and stay with him; a situation seemingly fraught with pain for Charlie, until he meets an older, handsome concert pianist named Tim (Haaz Sleiman) - who, for the first time, may be steering Charlie's love in another direction.  Those People may be one of those indie dramas that slips unobtrusively under your radar ... but it shouldn't.  Filled with spot-on performances (Gordon, Ralph and the always-terrific Sleiman head an extremely talented cast) and the real pangs of love and loss that most of us can relate to, no matter our sexual orientation (God knows we've all had that one friend we at least crushed on at one point, pining away for the day those feelings would hopefully be reciprocated), it would be an injustice for anyone to pass this off as a "gay film" and not see it.  I am wondering if the "Sebastian" character - who sometimes almost veers on being so needy that he's annoying (thankfully, Jason Ralph steers the character out of those waters before Sebastian gets there) - was modeled and named after the same Sebastian at the center of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, as the two are so alike; if so, it's a tribute to the film that it comes off more like an homage than a cheap copy of Waugh's classic novel.  A tenderhearted movie that feels very true to life and deserves to be seen by larger audiences than it will probably get.  Oh yeah, and be prepared to want to shake some sense into Sebastian ... wrap up Tim and take him home ... and, maybe, fall head over heels for Charlie.  (not rated)

THOSE PEOPLE trailer

DOUGH (***1/2)

(2015) Nat Dayan is an old Jewish baker in the UK whose generations-held family business is in trouble; his son, a big-shot lawyer, has no interest in taking over, and Nat's customers are falling off left and right - either by moving away from what's becoming a down-and-out section of town, or by being swallowed up by a big chain of food stores slowly putting Nat out of business.  When his baking assistant defects to the chain store to provide better for his family, Nat's cleaning lady - a sweet Muslim woman - suggests her son Ayyash (Jerome Holder) for the job.  For his part, Ayyash just wants to get him and his mom out of poverty and the apartment falling apart around them, so much so that he's taken to selling drugs for a punk dealer named Victor (a creepy Ian Hart) - even though he doesn't do drugs himself - and, after accidentally spilling some weed into the dough mixer one day, realizes he's got the perfect front to work for Victor.  Meanwhile, when sales at the bakery skyrocket over Ayyash's "special dough," Nat thinks he's found a baking genius.  Naturally things will come to a head fast, and even with a side romantic plot involving Nat's landlady (the wonderful Pauline Collins) that has its charms, Dough - while spotlighting the conflicts and prejudice that exist when a Muslim man goes to work in a Jewish bakery, via the fallout from Nat's friends and customers that follows - winds up a good, darkly-comedic indie with an ending that just feels a little too perfect to come off real.  (not rated)

THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE (***)

(2016) I might not be the best person to review this film; have never played the game, nor ever had an interest in it, as much as I just really love animated films.  So with only the film to go by, for me The Angry Birds Movie was a fun, sometimes funny film that felt too light on plot and too little on originality.  Sort of prequel to the game, the movie gives us backstory on how the flightless birds of Bird Island came to be enemies with the green pigs of Piggy Island - here focusing on Red (well-voiced by Jason Sudeikis), a red bird with thick, black, bushy eyebrows who has a bad temper and only wants to be left alone.  Trouble is, he's surrounded by happy, perky birds ... leading to an incident that has Red sent to anger management class, where he meets the highly-caffeinated Chuck (a bright yellow bird who can move faster than the speed of light, voice by Josh Gad) and the gullible, rotund Bomb (Danny McBride) - so named because he sort of, well, explodes whenever highly agitated (by far, Bomb was my favorite character).  When a ship lands on the shores of Bird Island and a green pig named Leonard declares his desire to make friends with the birds, Red is immediately suspicious - soon learning that not only does he have reason to be, but also that he and Chuck and Bomb need to band together to save the day.  The film looks great, has some truly funny moments, but lacks anything near a plot (it is, after all, based on a videogame), and - while entertaining - what plot there is plays out with total predictability.  What I call a "popcorn movie"; like popcorn, it fills you up at the time, though soon afterward you may find yourself hungry for something more.  (rated PG)

GRANDMA (****1/2)

(2015) In a film that takes place over the course of one day, Lily Tomlin plays the sarcastic, no-nonsense poet Elle, who has just broken up with her younger girlfriend Olivia (Judy Greer) that morning, when her teenage granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) shows up at her door to announce she is pregnant ... and in need of $600 for an abortion.  Estranged from her own daughter - Sage's mother - Elle understands immediately why Sage didn't go to her with the news, so while Elle herself is broke after paying off the majority of her debts, she and Sage set out on a quest to raise the money before Sage's 5:45pm clinic appointment that afternoon.  Starting with Elle tackling (almost literally) Sage's douchebag of a boyfriend(Nat Wolff) - the baby's father - for whatever cash he has, the liberated and outspoken Elle, to help her granddaughter, stirs pots and rattles skeletons and even re-opens some old wounds in trying to raise the money, all of which becomes an acting field day for Lily Tomlin, who creates in Elle the kind of fiercely loyal, outrageously funny grandma most of only wish we could have.  A must-see, especially for Tomlin fans, the film also has a stellar supporting cast and cameos from the likes of John Cho, Elizabeth Pena, Laverne Cox and more.  (rated R)

HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS (****1/2)

(2015) Doris (Sally Field) has, to say the least, led a sheltered life.  In her sixties, she lives on Staten Island with her ailing mother (who has just passed away), making the long commute into Manhattan every day where she works a low-level job in the accounting department of a big company.  Doris hangs out with her best friend Roz (Tyne Daly), mostly attending self-help seminars, and lives in a house packed with stuff (having learned to hoard from her mother).  It's shortly after the death of her mother that a lonely Doris attends an evening seminar lead by a guru-like speaker (Peter Gallagher) who convinces her life is only worth living if you go for what you want most ... which is why Doris decides to romantically go after the much younger-man in her office, John (Max Greenfield), whom she's developed quite a crush on.  Thankfully, the lead role of Doris was put into the more-than-capable hands of Sally Field; whereas another actor might have made Doris come off pathetic or even creepy, Field gives Doris the exact-right blend of humor, dignity and pathos that will have you both empathizing with her plight and even wanting her to succeed.  It's a flawless performance that makes Doris a character anyone can relate to who has ever found themselves lonely and single and unsure of where to go from there.  Funny, sweet, flawed, and wholly human a character as has ever graced a movie screen, thanks to the incomparable Sally Field in a lovely, lovely film.  (rated R)

THE GHOST THEATER (MIDNIGHT BALLAD FOR GHOST THEATER) (****1/2)

(2006) A musical comedy-horror film that's been compared to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the simple plot behind this unique and fun Korean film revolves around a young girl who, in searching for her missing grandmother, ends up working at the rundown movie theater her grandmother was supposedly on her way to, when she vanished.  One night while there, she meets the four ghosts who haunt the theater, all of them members of an acting troupe that may hold the key to her grandmother's whereabouts, if only she can get hold of the one never-before-seen film the troupe members all made together, and show it.  Problem is, there are those who don't want the film shown, as well as potential consequences if it is!  The soundtrack is killer, with songs ranging from hardcore rocking angry-girl rants to a wonderful ballad to music that reveals some of the ghosts' background stories.  The ending may be a bit too odd for some, but I loved the film and can see why, while not as popular on its initial release, has like Rocky Horror developed a cult following since.  A film I'd been trying to find and see for well over a year, since discovering clips on YouTube, and I'm so glad a friend was able to finally track it down for me (thank you, Christine!).  (not rated)

MIDNIGHT BALLAD FOR GHOST THEATER clip
(the original clip I saw that turned me onto seeing the film; could not find an English-language subtitled trailer, sorry)

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (****)

(2014) You have to be approaching middle age (or firmly in it) to know and appreciate the original cartoons this film is based on - and if you are and loved them, chances are the idea of modern renditions (even animated) of the genius dog Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman on the big screen filled you with dread.  Happily, much like The Peanuts Movie, this film correctly captures the spirit and personalities of its lead characters while bringing them into modern times, when young Sherman - dealing with a school bully in the form of popular girl Penny - reveals to her the existence of Mr. Peabody's WABAC machine (a time travel device Peabody uses to teach Sherman history first-hand), which Penny then uses to disappear into the past.  Rescuing her sets the trio off on a few pretty cool adventures in time (nicely done, as well as funny and engaging enough for children, with jokes adults will also enjoy) - before their exploits cause an actual rift in time that Mr. Peabody and Sherman must correct before it's too late.  Being a fan of the original cartoons, I half-expected to dislike this film, but even with an ending that's a little too predictable the film is colorful, funny, entertaining, and worth your time.  (rated PG)

MERMAID (***)

(2016) Anything written and/or directed by Stephen Chow goes immediately onto my "must-see" list.  If you've seen Kung Fu Hustle you'll understand why; one of the funniest, move original and inventive comedy/martial arts films ever, that movie has a cult following bordering on the obsessive and brought Stephen Chow international attention and fame.  Chow's other films are hit and miss, like any director, but he never fails to entertain - and while the same is true for Mermaid, sadly the humor of the film - in a couple places a bit too silly and over-the-top, even for Chow - is heavily derailed in the last third of the movie when things turn dark and even violent, in what feels like Chow's personal message about humanity and what we're doing to the environment; admirable, but really heavy-handed in the context of this film.  The plot is simple: beautiful young mermaid Shan is sent to dry land by her clan, in disguise, to aid in assassinating the rich land developer responsible for potentially wiping out her species - but in between a few funny, bumbling attempts by her fellow "people" to kill him, Shan finds herself falling in love with the guy.  Original, some really nice and funny moments, and strong performances from the cast bring about that feel of a Stephen Chow film, all right - but again, the film takes too drastic a change in tone toward the end; one that makes things more off-putting than engaging.  (rated R)

DEADPOOL (****1/2)

(2016) For years now, it's been a recurring issue that whenever I'm late in getting around to seeing a film that's become such a blockbuster that everyone but God is talking about it, the hype has been so loud for so long, ultimately the film disappoints me.  That is, until Deadpool.  Fully living up to the hype that's just as insane as the film itself, Deadpool stars Ryan Reynolds as the funny, foul-mouthed and excessively violent former Special Forces operative who has been put through such hell that - now resurrected as Deadpool - he is, simply, a "superhero" that just doesn't give an "F" anymore.  Determined to hunt down the bastard who put him through the vast majority of his aforementioned hell, Deadpool kills a whole mess of people ... while, in between, the story of his past personal life and backstory are flawlessly worked into the narrative.  The cast is perfect, humor often dark and hilarious, and Ryan Reynolds the best thing to come to the superhero genre in decades.  Sadly, it seems that other studios are determined to now make their superhero films R-rated, trying to copy the formula of violence and language and twisted humor that made this film such a runaway hit with fans and critics.  What a mistake, as there is only one superhero that makes it works so deliriously well ... in one of the best, most satisfying films of the year. (rated R)

LIFE (****)

(2015) I grew up with a love and fascination of classic Hollywood films, in particular those of the 1930's, '40s and '50s.  I still remember when I first saw Rebel Without a Cause and fell under the spell of Sal Mineo as Plato ... and, of course, the film's star: James Dean.  Dean was an incredible talent whose life was snuffed out at the age of 24 via a car accident before his third and final film, Giant, had even premiered, and Life tells the story of Dean (Dane DeHaan, in an understated and beautiful performance) not all that many months before his death, when he'd only just finished filming East of Eden yet managed to catch the attention of photographer Dennis Stock (Robert Pattinson, quite good in the far-less-showy role), who saw in Dean the mega-star he would become while the actor was still fairly unknown ... and becomes determined to shoot the actor for a spread in Life magazine.  But true to his nature, over time Dean proves more and more difficult to pin down, wanting only to act in quality work and unwilling to buy into the Hollywood machine of press and publicity and studios running their actors' live like cattle.  As the two men form somewhat of a friendship, Stock even accompanying the actor to his hometown in Indiana to try and discover - via his lens - the man behind the talent, the film quietly shows Dean for the flawed, intelligent, human, and supremely talented man who - with only three films - would become one of film's most beloved icons.  And for me (though I may be prejudiced, thanks to my love of classic Hollywood), DeHaan's performance alone brought all that vividly, elegantly to life; weeks later I still think of the film, of Dean, and of all that might have been.  (rated R)

THE GOOD DINOSAUR (****1/2)

(2015) The simplicity of The Good Dinosaur might, I feel, be at least part of what caused the mixed reviews for this Pixar film.  Usually viewers can expect more complexity, color, and broad humor from the same studio that created classics from Inside Out to Up to The Incredibles (among many others) ... but after getting over my initial annoyance with Arlo's scaredy-cat personality of The Good Dinosaur, I sort of fell for the film and, by the end, loved it.  Arlo is the runt of the litter of three dinosaur children back in prehistoric times, much smaller than his older brother and sister and afraid of nearly everything.  Though loved by his parents and family, Poppa also tries to teach Arlo to be the strong, dominant male he needs to be, contributing to the family and their farm and doing his part to keep the family going.  But after a tragic accident occurs, Arlo becomes even more determined to prove himself, and in trying to capture whatever creature is stealing the family's corn crop supply he comes across a tiny prehistoric human boy, more animal-like even than Arlo, who inadvertently sets the young dinosaur off on a series of adventures that leave him far away from home and the object of not just mother nature but the very predators Arlo so fears.  The Good Dinosaur is a wonderful, touching film, simple in story and presentation but full of emotional impact - and a good message for young viewers about how even the smallest of us can still become stalwart heroes.  (rated PG)

THE WAVE (***1/2)

(2015) This Norwegian disaster film set in the beautiful fjord of Gerainger is based on real-life facts that the mountains above the fjord are unstable - and one day may crumble and fall, creating a giant tsunami that will destroy everything in its path.  Centering on a geologist named Kristian and his family, the movie does a lot of  build up (as disaster films tend to do), both introducing you to the characters as well as setting up the conditions for the disaster to come - and indeed, when the you-know-what hits the fan the movie is riveting.  The aftermath, with Kristian searching for his wife and son, has its moments of tension that will also keep you glued to the screen - but once the wave hits (a scene that  plays out maybe 15-20 minutes, at most), everything afterward seems a bit anti-climactic by comparison, the film playing out like your standard, by-the-book disaster movie with a drawn-out rescue.  Very well-made and suspenseful, though drawn out a bit in the last third of the film.  (rated R)

THE WAVE trailer

VENUS TALK (THE LAW OF PLEASURES) (****)

(2014) Wow.  I'd never really seen a South Korean film get this explicit with sexuality and nudity, but if it were in the States this would easily garner a strong "R" rating.  A good "buddy comedy" (with touches of drama and romance) about three women, close friends for years, who are all over the age of 40 and feel as if  they are in the prime of  their lives even when society and those around them treat them like they're old.  Jung Shin-Hye is a beauty who works at a TV station and has just been dumped by her boss for one of her coworkers he got pregnant; a one-night stand with a hunk over a decade younger than her has her rethinking both her love and her sanity.  Lee Hae-Young is the single mother of a college-aged daughter who, though engaged herself, refuses to leave home and allow Hae-Young time with the kind,soft-spoken man she's been seeing.  And  Jo Mi-Yeon, the outspoken rebel of the trio, is about to kill her husband - who is sneaking Viagra to try and keep up with her demands that they continue to enjoy the kind of sex life they had when they were first married years ago.  Interchanging between the three ladies' storylines - as well as their get-togethers over coffee/tea and the need for advice or to vent - it's really nice to see  a film that treats women over 40 as vibrant, attractive, sensual and sexual human beings who can keep up with women half their age ...if not beat them at their game entirely.  (not rated)

WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW? (***1/2)

(2013) This Taiwanese film, billed as a romantic comedy, is about a married optician named Wei-chung, comfortable in his job/life with his wife and young son, who finds old attractions he's suppressed for years coming to the surface again when he meets a good-looking male flight attendant who comes into his store.  Meanwhile, Wei-chung's sister Mandy, engaged to a guy who fairly worships her, calls off the wedding last minute, sending her fiance into a tailspin until he finds his own gaggle of gay men (led by the wedding photographer) who do everything they can to help him win her back.  The film tries to depict how someone trying to do what they feel is the right thing can only live a lie for so long, and while I enjoyed the movie - which has  some nice moments that are by turns sentimental, funny (the storyline with Mandy's fiance is quite sweet), or charming - to me it came off more of a drama than romantic comedy.  Even a little melancholy, in the end (though Richie Ren, as Wei-chung, certainly turns in a heartfelt performance worth seeing the film for alone).  (not rated)

WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW? trailer

HOCUS POCUS (**1/2)

(1993) Amazing how, after 23 years of hearing about this movie and seeing bits and pieces of it on cable, I finally sat down and watched it (thanks, Liv!).  Even more amazing, considering how big a fan I am of Bette Midler - who by far is the most bewitching (yeah, I went there) part of the film ... which opens in old Salem, Massachusetts, when the three Sanderson sisters (Midler, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker) are hung for being witches.  Three hundred years later, a teenaged boy and his sister resurrect the ditzy trio, who set out after the children of Salem on Halloween to use them as part of a potion that will enable the sisters to live and be young forever.  The three ladies are charming, Midler a joy to watch as usual, but maybe with all the years of hype the film just came off as "okay" to me; sweet, funny, loving Bette's number during the Halloween dance ... but I didn't find myself laughing hysterically or being particularly glued to the screen (oh, and the little girl really got on my nerves).  Good, but - alas! - just average for me.  (rated PG)

EAT WITH ME (****1/2)

(2014) An indie film with heart that gave me the warm fuzzies, Eat with Me stars the wonderful Sharon Omi as Emma, a wife and mother whose marriage seems to be growing stale.  Tired of it all, she packs a few possessions one day and shows up at her deceased brother's Chinese restaurant, now owned by her estranged adult son Elliot (Teddy Chen Culver).  Though mother and son haven't been close since Elliot came out of the closet, Emma moves into his apartment while trying to figure out what she wants from life ... as, around the same time, Elliot meets and starts falling for a British drummer (Aidan Bristow) who just may be the answer to his commitment-phobic ways.  Eat with Me is a wonderful, funny, touching comedy drama about finding yourself and acceptance - as in acceptance of yourself, as well as others.  The cast is terrific (special note: Nicole Sullivan, of "MadTV" fame, plays Elliot's free-spirited neighbor, and her scenes with Sharon Omi are hilarious), the story very sweet and wholly believable, and the cherry on the sundae is the wonderful George Takei, in a small but pivotal role.  I loved it; so much so, it's one of those films I wish everyone who reads this would take the time to see.  (not rated)

EAT WITH ME trailer

DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! (***1/2)

(2015) In war-torn Calcutta circa 1943, a young college student sets out to find young detective Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant Singh Rajput), giving him his first case when the student asks Byomkesh to help find his missing father, a renowned chemist.  Immediately Byomkesh shows himself highly adept at finding clues to the man's disappearance, but in doing so is pulled into a much bigger conspiracy that - if not solved - may endanger his very country, if not the world, and change the course of WWII.  A very complex plot makes the film easy to become absorbed by, long as you're paying attention and don't lose the thread of what's going on, and as the great detective's net expands to include a smuggling operation, betrayal and peeling back the layers of those who may not be what they seem, it's easy to ride along with the very likable Byomkesh to the very end ... which, for me, was a bit over-the-top but still full of suspense that never lets up.  The setting, characters, action sequences - all are top-notch, and kept me fully entranced in this entertaining mystery thriller that I hope will lead to a sequel or series, thanks to the engaging Bakshy.  (not rated)

DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! trailer