ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE (2013)

You can put up with a lot with horror comedies.  Most are low-budget, low-brow, and viewers tend to give them a lot of leeway on quality, not expecting much.  That said, All Cheerleaders Die - which I was really looking forward to seeing - doesn't come off as much of a comedy, is certainly weak (even by lowered standards) as a horror film, and seems more like the dream child of a couple of horny frat boys whose goal was to make a horror flick with scantily-clad chicks (though, oddly enough, there's almost no nudity here), and even some girl-girl action.  The acting is okay (what you'd expect), special effects kind of cool in some places, super-lame in others, but the story - of a quartet of cheerleaders brought back to life, via some enchanted crystals, by the lesbian goth girl in love with one of them - gets sillier as the film goes on, when for some reason (it's never explained) each of the girls needs to feed on blood to survive.  And while there are a couple of hints of dark comedy, the film is never funny ... or for that matter, even particularly interesting. (not rated)  **

ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE trailer

DARR @ THE MALL (2014)

Opening with a mall security guard killed by a tall, menacing figure in black, Darr @ the Mall is a creepy Bollywood horror flick that has slow moments early on, but gets stronger as the bodies start to pile up (and the reasons behind what's going on are revealed).  Jimmy Shergill plays Vishnu Sharma, new head of security at Amity Mall, Asia's largest shopping mall about to open to the public.  Problem is, there have already been nine mysterious deaths since construction began on the mall (plus the guard, in the opener, who was also forced to set Sharma up to replace him), so right off Vishnu finds odd things going on.  The fun really begins when the mall owners host a lavish party for family, friends, and VIPs the night before the opening - a party that soon has ex-army Vishnu fighting to save the guests, all while dodging who (or what) brought him there in the first place.  Fun, nice jump scares, and a good reveal in the end - all without pummeling you with gore.  Loved it! (not rated)  ****

DARR @ THE MALL trailer

DOC OF THE DEAD (2014)

Irreverent documentary about our obsession with zombies, supposedly from the roots of the "zombie" in Haiti through White Zombie to George Romero to World War Z - but the film is scattershot, all over the place, unsure of whether it wants to be funny or really explore the topic (the latter would have been nice).  Worse, the film comes off slamming the very fans it showcases, from Romero's "I don't get it" reaction to all the hype (though he's made a fortune from it), to pompous World War Z author Max Brooks, to those who openly exploit the fans for financial gain by selling zombie survival kits or real-world walk-through scenarios of a zombie apocalypse.  The fans come off here as social misfits with little else going on in their lives; so much so, I even felt a bit uncomfortable myself - by the end - for even being a fan of the genre.  p.s. The too-brief Simon Pegg bits aren't bad. (unrated)  **

DOC OF THE DEAD trailer (R-rated)

GHOST (2010)

With a lack of originality in film today, why a re-do of the 1990 mega-hit?  Because 2010's Ghost, a Japanese film in which a distraught, grieving man works to solve the murder of his wife using a spiritual medium to communicate with her ghost, has more than just a gender switch to make it worthwhile.  While viewers will recognize elements such as the pottery wheel scene, the "dark" ghosts who escort you below, and the lilting refrains of "Unchained Melody" (even "ditto"), much of the comedy from this Ghost has been left out in favor of the more dramatic - and romantic - storyline.  Here, we see how Nanami and Juno met, fell in love, and married; the romance, and just how much they loved each other before Nanami was struck down, is better developed.  While the ending slips a bit into melodrama, once the 'real villain' is revealed, this is a worthy retelling that may not replace the Swayze & Moore "recognizable star quality" of the original ... but is still quite the enduring love story. (not rated)  ****

GHOST trailer (Japanese)

WALK OF SHAME (2014)

Meghan Miles (Elizabeth Banks), an L.A. TV news reporter who always plays it safe and is nice to everyone (except cats; cats, for some reason, hate her beloved guts), finds herself up for her dream job at CNN - but when she loses both it and her live-in boyfriend on the same night, is talked into a night of partying with her two BFFs.  A lot of liquor later, Meghan goes home with the bartender (James Marsden), then through a bizarre set of circumstances finds out she's still in the running for the CNN gig after all ... but now is stranded in downtown Los Angeles, late at night, with no car, no money, no purse, and still wearing the tight, bright yellow dress she'd borrowed the night before.  With mere hours to get to the studio for her final interview, Meghan must do it on foot - eluding cops, gangbangers, drug dealers, a horny teenager, a posse of Orthodox Jews, and other Angelenos who think she's a washed-up hooker on drugs.  Banks is so hilarious and charming here, in a very funny comedy about a desperate good girl just trying to get her life back.  Loved it! (rated R)  ****1/2

WALK OF SHAME trailer

THE BODYGUARD (2004)

Thai comedian-turned-actor/director Petchai WongKomlao co-wrote, co-directed, and stars in this action-packed, very funny movie about a bodyguard named Wong Kom, assigned to protect the family of a wealthy businessman, who does his job incredibly well in the bullet-riddled action/chase scene that opens this film ... only to, in the end, lose it when the very man he's assigned to protect gets killed.  Humbled and shamed, Wong Kom seeks only to prove his merit by staying with the family - something the new widow wants, yet her only and obstinate son blames Wong Kom, firing him.  Soon after, a gang of incredibly inept thugs try to kidnap the son, who instead flees to a poor section of town, staying incognito with a family even as he falls for their tomboy daughter ... all while Wong Kom and the bad guys scour the city trying to find him.  A funny, uplifting film featuring one of the most unlikely yet likable leading men you'll ever hope to find (and Tony Jaa even has a cameo!). (not rated)  ****

THE BODYGUARD trailer

ENEMY (2013)

Been awhile since seeing an American film that made me THINK.  So welcome to Enemy, where college professor Adam's life is beyond sedate until, on the advice of a co-worker, he rents a movie to watch ... and spots, in the background on-screen, a man who is his exact double.  Confirming it online, Adam becomes obsessed with tracking down the actor, Anthony (both played by Jake Gyllenhaal), and eventually gets the guy's wife on the phone - who, when he does, thinks it's Anthony playing a joke on her because he even has the same voice.  When they finally meet, their two worlds colliding in David Lynch-ian ways, Anthony becomes as obsessed with Adam's world.  And then there are the spiders.  You may have to watch this one a couple times to even figure out the spiders.  Shot in muted yet saturating colors, the film builds up an increasingly uneasy suspense throughout, ending with a final two seconds that make 'WTF' an understatement.  Odd as hell, not for everyone, but really creepy and intriguing - and Gyllenhaal is terrific. (rated R)  ***1/2

ENEMY trailer

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014)

It's a given that a Wed Anderson film is going to bowl you over visually (this one's no exception), but the story of legendary concierge Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), as recounted in present day by the hotel's current owner (F. Murray Abraham) to a traveling journalist (Jude Law), is just as outrageous, daring, funny, captivating, and beautifully rendered as the film itself.  Told through the eyes of Gustave and the new lobby boy (Tony Revolori, who virtually outshines all his A-list co-stars) he's taken under his wing at the hotel, their adventures involving a stolen painting and a sadistic wealthy family complete with murderous henchman (Willem Dafoe), make Indiana Jones' exploits look tame by comparison.  Set during the period of unrest that pervaded Europe between the world wars, and told with such love for the spirit of adventure of those times, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a fresh yet nostalgic, funny yet romanticized nod to the kind of films Hollywood simply doesn't make anymore. (rated R)  *****

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL trailer

AFTER (2012)

Quiet, shy young Ana (Karolina Wydra) and handsome comic book artist wannabe Freddy (Steven Strait) meet as sole occupants of a Greyhound-type bus driving through the late night.  The two get chatty after finding out they are both originally from the same small hometown, but minutes later the bus crashes ... and when Ana wakes up again she's in a hospital in her hometown - completely alone.  I mean, NO ONE else is in the hospital, on the streets ... anywhere.  Finally crossing paths with Freddy, who's also solo, the two try to find out what the hell is going on, even as they learn of a monstrous black cloud that's slowly swallowing up the town from all sides, sure to do them in if they can't figure things out first.  When a film's two leads are nearly the only characters in the film, it really hurts the movie when one of those actors - in this case, Wydra - is so unbelievable in the role, you can't buy into the film at all.  Really like Steven Strait, think he's often underrated, but this film is confusing, too dark (literally), without a plot, and without central characters you really give a hoot about.  Disappointing. (PG-13)  *

AFTER trailer

NOT SAFE FOR WORK (2014)

For only 74 minutes in length, this thriller packs quite a punch.  Max Minghella (the reason I watched the film) stars as Tom Miller, an ambitious paralegal for a huge law firm who often goes above and beyond his job duties to help - a trait that gets him fired over an innocent error.  Heading out of the office that afternoon, head low, Tom notices some odd activity in the lobby that leads him back up to the 34th floor ... where he soon finds himself and a couple of unwitting co-workers trapped on the empty floor with a coldblooded killer (JJ Feild, AWESOME here) who shoots first and doesn't bother to ask questions (well, not that many) later.  A small cast and limited sets (nearly everything takes place on the office set) only add to the tension of this well-paced, tautly-written thriller that deserves a much wider audience than it's likely to ever get.  The ending could have put more of an exclamation point to things, but that said this was a VERY pleasant surprise. (unrated)  ***1/2

NOT SAFE FOR WORK trailer

NON-STOP (2014)

Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is a federal air marshall well past his prime, still dealing with an alcohol problem stemming from the death of his daughter years ago and now just going through the motions ... until boarding an international flight to London, where a series of texts forces Bill into a game with an unknown fellow passenger - one who will see to it that someone on the plane dies, every twenty minutes, until the airline transfer $150 million to an overseas bank account.  As the game plays on, a devoted Bill determined to keep everyone safe even as bodies start to fall, the marshall also learns that he's been set up as the terrorist himself, cutting Bill off from nearly all outside - even on-board - help, his only allies the lead flight attendant (Michelle Dockery) and the woman sitting next to him (the wonderful Julianne Moore) ... who may or not be what she seems.  Tense and suspenseful, Non-Stop is a nonsensical mental puzzle that - if you can suspend the necessary disbelief - is also an entertaining, enthralling film that solidifies Liam Neeson's growing rep as an awesome (if unlikely) action movie hero. (rated PG-13)  ****

NON-STOP trailer

ANOTHER HAPPY DAY (2011)

Another Happy Day - billed as both a comedy and drama (not sure "comedy" even loosely fits) on IMDB - is the story of volcanic, high-strung Lynn (Ellen Barkin), who travels to Annapolis with her husband and three younger children to attend the wedding of her oldest child, a son she's been both physically and emotionally distanced from since he was a kid.  There, she has to contend with her coldly impersonal mother (Ellen Burstyn), ailing father (George Kennedy), and bitchy sisters, all while keeping her drug-addicted son (Ezra Miller) and emotional wreck of a daughter (Kate Bosworth) from going under while also dealing with her ex (Thomas Haden Church) and his overbearing second wife (Demi Moore) ... the "family reunion" Lynn was hoping for unleashing more of the family's insanity instead.  Burstyn and Miller are especially great, but Barkin overplays, oozing melodrama, and you never really grow to care about these people, making the film even more of a downer.  Average. (rated R)  **1/2

ANOTHER HAPPY DAY trailer

SNOWPIERCER (2013)

In the near future, scientists release chemical CW7 to finally combat global warming - which instead starts a new ice age that kills off nearly all life.  By 2031, survivors live circling the globe on a constantly-running super-train, whose movement sustains its eco-system and therefore all life on it.  The train's also developed its own class system; the rich and powerful at the front of the train enjoying untold luxuries, the quality of life dropping as you go down the train to the general populace in the end cars - the poor, starving class beaten down by their "superiors".  It's all run by the deity-like Mr. Wilford, the mystery man at the engine - and the target of a group of rebels at the train's end led by Curtis (Chris Evans) and his wise mentor Gilliam (John Hurt); a courageous group determined to claw, scratch and kill their way to the engine and Wilford - to live as equals or not at all.  What they find along the way makes for some stunning cinema ... and a hard-to-forget film, even if the ending doesn't quite live up to the promise of all that came before. (rated R)  ****

SNOWPIERCER trailer 

PETALS ON THE WIND (2014)

It's been ten years since the events of Flowers in the Attic, and "perfect" siblings Christopher (Wyatt Nash), Cathy (Rose McIver), and Carrie (Bailey Buntain) Dollanganger are mourning the death of their guardian, Dr. Sheffield, who took them in soon after they escaped the attic.  Determined to forge a career in ballet, Cathy enters into a relationship with a volatile principal dancer in New York, who gets her into his company there - even as the darkness of their past (and rich-bitch mother) still haunt them, payback always hovering in the back of Cathy's mind.  Packed with as much melodrama, over-the-top story, and the siblings-who-are-more-than-siblings Ick Factor you'd expect if you've read the novel (even with major book-to-film plot changes), POTW definitely benefits from the recasting of McIver (Nash was good as well, though I was sorry to see Mason Dye go), the sequel much more fun to watch than Flowers.  Definitely "guilty pleasure" material ... though what the hell was with having so little Ellen Burstyn in this one?! (TV-14)  ***

PETALS ON THE WIND trailer

UNIDENTIFIED (2013)

Admittedly, I would watch anything Parry Shen is in; he's one of the most likable, watchable, natural actors working today, and has been since Better Off Tomorrow.  That said, I still don't get the negative reviews I've read for Unidentified.  True, the film doesn't always seem sure of what genre it wants to be; about four friends who go to Vegas for a shady poker game, then end up on the run from a loan shark before ending up stranded in the Nevada desert with extraterrestrials, this part comedy, part science fiction, part horror, part buddy film is helped greatly by Shen and the always-excellent Eddie Mui, who - along with Colton Dunn and Eric Artell - help the film's slower first third give way to a healthy dose of suspense and creepiness until The End.  Go in with the right frame of mind - that this isn't Gandhi, but a low-budget buddy/road trip comedy/alien invasion horror film with good special effects and better-than-average acting, designed to entertain - and there's no reason not to enjoy the ride. (not rated)  ***1/2

UNIDENTIFIED trailer

THE LEGO MOVIE (2014)

As someone who didn't play with Legos much as a kid, I was completely bowled over by this film - easily one of 2014's best.  The storyline's simple: per a prophecy, lowly Lego construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) is thought to be the new "Special" by a rebel group of master builders when he discovers the missing "piece of resistance," the only thing able to stop the machine the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell) is going to use to destroy all the Lego worlds.  So various Lego-ites, including many recognizable film, book and TV characters (Best. Batman. EVER.) band together to help a nobody save the world ... a world that just pops on-screen, beautifully rendered and wholly believable, in a film that kids will love, while at the same time adults will enjoy, laugh at, and "get" (there's even a sort of Orwellian theme going on), as well.  One of the best animated films ever made, I think The Lego Movie - had it been released just a few months earlier - might easily have snagged the Oscar from Frozen.  Yeah, it's that good. (rated PG)  *****

THE LEGO MOVIE trailer

TRUST ME (2013)

Howard Holloway (Clark Gregg) is a former child star in Hollywood, who now represents young talent as an agent - or at least, does so when super kid's agent Aldo Shocklee (Sam Rockwell) isn't stealing even the most moderately-decent talent from him (often by any means necessary).  When Howard accidentally comes across a genuinely gifted fourteen-year-old named Lydia (a quite impressive Saxon Sharbino), up for the lead in a new series of big-budget Hunger Games-style films, and finds potential love in a beautiful neighbor (Amanda Peet), it seems as if the "bottom-feeder" agent is on top of his game at last.  But this is L.A. - where very little, if anything (or anyone) is what it seems for Howard, something that Trust Me echoes as a film; it's not the comedy the poster and trailers imply, but more of a dark comedy-drama that even comes with touches of film noir.  Written and directed by Gregg as well, it still an impressive film that - if a bit uneven - does VERY much paint the industry as exactly what it is (wow, does it).  That he captured perfectly. (rated R)  ***

TRUST ME trailer

BLACK WIDOW (1987)

Catherine (Theresa Russell) is a beautiful young woman who has married and murdered three millionaires for their insurance.  With each one she changes her appearance, dons a new name, and spends months researching the man's personal and professional life, boning up on whatever interests he has until she can discuss them like her own.  She makes each death look like accident or illness, and vanishes soon as she collects her inheritance - seemingly unstoppable until ambitious Justice Dept. investigator Alex Barnes (Debra Winger) stumbles upon a clue pointing to one of the deaths as murder - and becomes obsessed with Catherine when she just misses preventing her latest kill.  Taking a leave from her job, Alex trails Catherine to Hawaii, ingratiating herself into Catherine's world even while trying to find a way to stop her.  One of the best "guilty pleasures" ever; one you'll watch over and over again, thanks to the blistering chemistry between Winger and Russell.  Surprising, just how good this is. (rated R)  ****

BLACK WIDOW trailer

HAUNTERS (2010)

Cho-In is an angry young man with a dark gift: he can completely control the mind of anyone within his line of sight, making them do his will.  He's had this ability since childhood, and now - bored and insolent - uses his "talent" to rob pawn shops.  Kyu-Nam, a kindhearted young man who lost his job at a scrapyard after a horrifying accident, lands a job with the Utopia pawn shop ... which not only crosses his path with Cho-In's, but puts them in direct combat when Cho-In - during the robbery - discovers Kyu-Nam is the first and only person, EVER, whose mind he can't control.  From here the film becomes a battle of good vs. evil (with occasional touches of humor to lighten the mood), Kyu-Nam determined to stop the crazed Cho-In, who's gone on a killing spree to destroy him.  Wonderfully tense, the film's only let down is in never revealing how Cho-In got his power - or why Kyu-Nam is impervious to it.  But for sheer suspense, a few great set pieces, and the intense performances of the two leads, Haunters is an engrossing watch. (not rated) ***1/2

HAUNTERS trailer

BELLS ARE RINGING (1960)

Judy Holliday was a vivacious talent whose premature death robbed the film industry of her comic genius.  The Oscar winner lit up any project she appeared in, and never was that more evident than in this musical comedy, where she even makes lackluster co-star Dean Martin shine.  Here she plays Ella Peterson, a Brooklyn answering service operator who somehow can't seem to stay out of the personal lives of her clients (using information gleaned from one, say, to benefit another).  No one knows her as Ella, as she sort of "plays" different characters on the phone, depending on the client's needs - but when she's forced to come to the aid of a struggling writer (Martin) who knows her only as "Mom" on the phone, Ella finds herself falling in love - and her life becoming a lot more complicated.  A subplot involving gangsters is fun, if a bit silly, but with a stellar supporting cast, a wonderful score, and plenty of laughs, Bells Are Ringing remains at the top of my favorites list over thirty years after I first saw it. (not rated) ****1/2

BELLS ARE RINGING trailer

ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)

Winner of six Oscars, including Best Picture, and #90 on IMDB's list of 250 best films of all time, All About Eve is the story of what happens when a shy, timid ingenue in New York City, Eve (Anne Baxter) manages to get a backstage introduction to her idol, revered (though aging) stage legend Margo Channing (Bette Davis, in many ways playing herself, particularly in this stage of her life and career at the time) ... and the complications that arise when Margo and her friends take the innocent girl under their collective wings, only to realize she may not be as innocent as she seems.  The writing bristles, razor-sharp, from beginning to end, the performances (even a fresh-face Marilyn Monroe, in a small role, livens up the proceedings) all Oscar-worthy, in what has been termed (rightly) by many as not only THE quintessential film about the New York theater scene ... but "the perfect film" as a whole.  (not rated)  *****

ALL ABOUT EVE trailer

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1967)

Guilty Pleasure: "Something that you shouldn't like, but like anyway."  Movie lovers have at least a few, this one often at the top of the list.  Chronicling the story of three young women - Anne (Barbara Parkins), Neely (Patty Duke) and Jennifer (Sharon Tate) - who each enter show business and pay the price for it (often with "dolls" - pills - as a backdrop), Valley of the Dolls was based on the scandalous (for its time) Jacqueline Susann novel ... and in itself became scandalous by just how badly made, badly-acted, and badly-written a film it was.  Yet, on a daytime drama level, there is something mystically watchable about it; something that sucks you in through the lunacy, the overacting, and will soon have you watching it for the tenth or twentieth time, quoting lines and lyrics back to it like The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  A train wreck of a film, yet one you can never tire of, or quite turn away from when it comes on cable.  As addicting as "dolls" themselves. (rated PG-13)  **1/2(film) ****(watchability/awesomeness)

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS trailer

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972)

The Queen Mother of all "disaster" films - which hit their stride in the 1970's - remains the best, as well as the first movie my parents let me go to see in a theater alone, as a kid.  It remains on my all-time favorites list, to this day, and still holds up as a thrilling, tense story of what happens when a once-luxurious ocean liner, on her last voyage before being consigned to the scrap heat, is hit by a 90-foot tidal wave and turned upside down in the middle of the ocean.  Gene Hackman leads an all-star cast as Reverend Scott, who no matter what will fight to the end to lead a small group of like-minded survivors, after the ship capsizes, through the upside-down boat to the top (formerly the bottom) in search of rescue ... even as the ship is sinking further and deeper into the ocean as they do so.  The film, nominated for eight Oscars (and winning one, plus a non-competitive Oscar for visual effects) is a riveting dramatic thriller deserving a place on anyone's "must-see" list - then, now, and always. (rated PG)  *****

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE trailer

VAMPIRE ACADEMY (2014)

If you can keep the characters and their roles straight - the Moroi are the royalty (mortal vampires who don't kill, but feed only off willing donors), the Dhampir (half human-half vampire) are their guardians, and the Strigoi are those who've actually killed a human and turned insane/evil, intent on turning or killing off the Moroi - and Vampire Academy is a good, light, action comedy-drama that has no problem sucking you in (pun intended) about Dhampir Rose (Zoey Deutsch) and Moroi princess Lissa (Lucy Fry) who are dragged back to St. Vladimir's School, after spending a year on the run, to face an even bigger threat when it looks like someone is stalking Lissa.  Based on a series of YA novels, the film knows when - and, more importantly, when NOT - to take itself seriously, which definitely makes the film more enjoyable (even with a few undeveloped characters in the mix).  Nice job, enough so I'd even watch the sequel the end of this films so wickedly sets you up for ... (rated PG-13)  ***1/2

VAMPIRE ACADEMY trailer

THE FLU (2013)

On a broader scale, The Flu is a well-made thriller about what happens when the only survivor of a shipment of illegal aliens smuggled into the Seoul suburb of Bundang, Korea, goes on the run in fear of his life ... carrying a super-contagious virus without a known cure.  Between him and the two smugglers who find the shipment of dead bodies, soon many of the city's residents are ill and dying, the military sent in to seal off the city and contain the disease.  On a more human scale, the story revolves around city rescue worker Ji-goo, and doctor In-hye, who search the city for the surviving illegal, whose blood may contain the only hope for a cure.  Add In-hye's young daughter, who accidentally stumbles across the sick man, and The Flu becomes a stylish, suspense-filled race against time that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end, while never losing the human touch of caring about what happens to the lead characters and one spunky little girl. (not rated) ****1/2

THE FLU trailer

POMPEII (2014)

Those who grew up watching disaster films produced and/or directed by Irwin Allen (The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno) should enjoy Pompeii.  For anyone else, it depends on your mindset going in.  Set in 79 A.D., Kit Harington ("Game of Thrones") stars as Milo, lone survivor of the Roman attack that slaughtered his entire Celtic tribe when he was still a child.  Now an adult and doomed to the life of a slave, Milo has learned to defend himself and fight - skills that bring him up to gladiator status, fighting in the arenas of Pompeii.  There, he meets and befriends Cassia (Emily Browning), daughter of the city's highest official and the girl he sets out to rescue when Mt Vesuvius blows, sealing Pompeii's fate forever.  If you can be okay with toss out story and characterization in favor of a colorful, action-packed film with kick-ass special effects once the volcano blows - and for what other reason would you really go into watching this film? - then it's a good ride and even better "guilty pleasure." (rated PG-13)  ***1/2

POMPEII trailer

I DO (2012)

Jack (David W. Ross), a handsome gay Brit living in New York City, acts as a second father to the wife and daughter of his brother Peter, who died seven years earlier when hit by a car.  Living in NYC for years, Jack's time here becomes threatened when he latest Visa extension is denied, and in a desperate attempt to stay in the country with his only family, he convinces his lesbian best friend Ali (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) to marry him - an act that puts a strain on both them and their friendship, especially when - soon after - Jack meets and falls in love for the first time with a soulful architect (Maurice Compte) who wins his heart.  I Do is a rarity - an indie film with performances of real emotional depth from the entire cast, without a false note; you will want to reach through the screen and shake Jack into making the right choice.  It's also a film that straight people need to see, showing not just the issues LGBT people face in situations like this, but also that we love just as deep, and just as hard ... making it just as right. (not rated)  ****1/2

I DO trailer

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