THE BOY (****)

(2016) Nope, sorry, didn't see the ending coming with this one, as some reviews have complained about - which was one of the biggest reasons I found this low budget, creepy little thriller to be refreshing and fun.  "Walking Dead" alum Lauren Cohan stars as Greta, a young woman running from her own demons who takes a job for a family in England as a nanny, overseeing the care of the middle-aged couple's young son Brahms.  Soon after arriving, Greta is introduced to the boy, and is a bit taken aback (to say the least) to find that Brahms is a life-sized doll the older couple actually believes is their human child.  After the local guy who delivers groceries to the manor house explains how the Heelshires lost their son under horrible circumstances, having "adopted" the doll as their son to cope, Greta feels almost guilty at what appears to be the ease of her new job ... until Mrs. Heelshire comes up with a stringent and lengthy list of rules Greta must not break, and then the couple leave on a short trip - leaving Greta and Brahms alone - and the nanny realizes she's not exactly alone in the house, after all.  Very creepy and full of atmosphere, I was gripped from the beginning - and while I maybe should have guessed the twist at the end, I was too busy enjoying the ride to keep an eye out for the finish line.  (rated PG-13)

THE BOY trailer

SINNERS IN THE SUN (***)

(1932) Carole Lombard remains one of my favorite film actors from childhood - perhaps still tied with Bette Davis as my favorite female actor of all time - and she really elevates some dated material here as Doris Blake, a girl from a poor family who works as a live model in fashion salons and dreams of a better life.  To Doris that better life includes money and things - a dream that doesn't coincide with those of a garage mechanic (Chester Morris) she's in love with, who dearly loves her in return ... so instead Doris gets into the fast and flashy lifestyle of basically being arm candy for rich men, even if her heart isn't in it.  You can see the ending coming very early on, but Lombard makes this a likable, even enjoyable, romantic melodrama, backed by a strong cast.  Watched on YouTube, where you can see it for free (though not the best quality).  Viva Classic Hollywood!  (not rated)

SINNERS IN THE SUN (full movie)

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY (****)

(2016) Math was always my weakest (and most hated) subject in school, but thanks to Dev Patel (one of my favorite actors working today) and Jeremy Irons, I didn't find a single boring or lagging moment in this based-on-a-true-story of the innovative Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (Patel), whose pioneering theories brought him to Cambridge in the years of WWI, where he forged a friendship with his mentor, G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons).  The strong performances of the two leads kept me locked into the film, and though I found I wasn't as emotionally wrapped up in this one as, say, the superior (and similarly-themed) The Imitation Game, The Man Who Knew Infinity was much more a treat for me than the dry subject matter led me to think it would be.  In fact, I loved it.  (rated PG-13)

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY trailer