BALLET 422 (2014)

Ballet 422 is a documentary about one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world, the New York City Ballet - and in particular the efforts of Justin Peck, dancing with the company as one of fifty members of  the corps de ballet for seven years, to choreograph and stage the company's 422nd original ballet ... in just two months.  From day one of rehearsal to opening night, the film is very much an interesting progression of watching the performance come together, and the is never boring - but at only 75 minutes and with no insights into Peck's mind, thought processes or insecurities via voice-over narration or interviews (ditto for the company members), the film lacks a strong emotional or dramatic core that would have given it more depth than a simple narration of events.  A good behind-the-scenes view of putting a ballet together, for lovers of ballet or not; just could have been better, resonating more with viewers emotionally, if we could have seen into the hearts of Justin and/or the dancers. (rated PG)  B-

PROJECT ALMANAC (2014)

Have loved time travel films since watching Rod Taylor in The Time Machine as a kid.  Even as the credits started rolling for Project Almanac and I saw "MTV Films", I still had high hopes.  David Raskin (Jonny Weston) is a science geek in suburban Atlanta whose biggest dream is to get into MIT.  He's over the moon when he makes it but then learns $40K of the tuition isn't covered by scholarship, and in his efforts to find a way to raise more money comes across a videotape of his seventh birthday party (the day his father died) ... where he spots a glimpse of his adult self in a mirror.  He and his friends discover his father had started working on a time machine, which they complete, and though at first things are great eventually bad choices lead to disaster (big surprise).  The shaky-cam "found footage" stuff here is bad enough, some viewers will likely be made sick watching, and while a good effort the ending is flat and co-producer Michael Bay certainly leaves his mark with cool special effects and set pieces over developing characters we care about. (rated PG-13)  C+

THE WAY HE LOOKS (2014)

Sometimes a film comes along that reminds you how simply an effective, beautiful story can be told on-screen; such is the case with The Way He Looks, about Brazilian high school teenager Leonardo (played to perfection by Ghilherme Lobo), blind from birth, who mostly spends his days hanging out with his bestie Giovana and trying to prove to his overprotective parents that he's old enough to start being more independent.  Then a new student - Gabriel - arrives at school, changing the dynamics of Leo's and Gia's friendship as the duo becomes a trio ... and Leo's feelings for Gabriel grow beyond those of friendship.  The film's beauty lies in the way it honestly, poignantly depicts the pangs of first love, your first crush, and how those feelings of both melancholy and innocent bliss are universal to us all, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.  A great with and cast, with particular kudos to Ghilherme Lobo, who brings such depth and heart to Leo; so much so, I couldn't believe it when I learned he was a sighted actor in real life. (not rated)  A

KILLER TOON (2013)

Couldn't turn down this premise: Ji-yun, a young artist in South Korea, has gained fame and fortune turning out graphic novels of horror and violence.  She's passed her deadline when finally emailing her latest manuscript to her publisher, who has stayed in the office late waiting for it - and the next morning the lady publisher is found dead, face cut up and her own eye gouged out ... in exactly the same manner as an identical character in the opening scene of Ji-yun's new story!  Even the crime scene photos are duplicates of images Ji-yun has already drawn, leading the police to suspect her - but the killing and suspense and tie-ins to Ji-yun don't stop there.  Neither does the suspense, the scares are nicely stretched out and creepy for the first hour or so before the film slows down a bit but picks up again toward the end, with a finale that might be confusing for those who haven't been paying attention all along.  Atmospheric and worth watching, even with a slightly weak ending. (not rated)  B+

200 POUNDS BEAUTY (2006)

Hanna is an overweight young singer with a great voice who works two anonymous jobs - as a phone sex operator, and as the real singing voice of a rising Korean pop star.  Her self-esteem is so low, she can't confess her love to Sang-jun, the music producer who hired her as a ghost-singer; even her father, living in a nursing home, thinks she's her mother, often asking his "wife" why she's gaining weight.  But a failed suicide attempt leads to Hanna's dropping out of sight for a year, during which she gets head-to-toe plastic surgery that turns her life around when she finally re-emerges, unrecognizable, as the thin, beautiful Jenny.  Working again with a clueless Sang-jun, "Jenny" becomes the star Hanna always wanted to be - but the greatness of 200 Pounds Beauty is in its straight-up message of just how much beauty on the outside may corrupt beauty on the inside, if you let it.  It's an homage to the "fat and ugly," people who spend their lives in the shadows - yet who, like flowers, need to bask in the sun to have any hope of growing at all. (not rated)  B+

THE ROAD WITHIN (2014)

Robert Sheehan and Dev Patel never cease to amaze me.  Here Sheehan plays Vincent, a young man with Tourette's Syndrome living in Nevada with his divorced mother, who's just passed away.  Vincent's father, who long ago abandoned his son, has aspirations of a political career so decides to tuck Vincent away in a treatment center.  There, Vincent meets his roommate Alex (Dev Patel) - a germaphobe with severe OCD - and the streetwise, anorexic Marie (Zoe Kravitz), and when the chance comes to steal the car of the woman running the center, Dr. Rose (Kyra Sedgwick), the trio suddenly find themselves on a road trip to the ocean, where Vincent can scatter the ashes of his mother - Dr. Rose, with Vincent's dad, in pursuit.  Funny and sad, heartbreaking and uplifting, a fine cast (especially the three leads, of which Dev Patel turns in the best performance of his career so far), make The Road Within a touching dramedy of friendship and fitting in - even if fitting in only with those who love you most. (rated R)  A-

RIDE (2014)

At first glance, Ride would seem to be one big cliche.  Helen Hunt (who also wrote and directed) plays single mom Jackie, an intellectual, anal-retentive book editor in New York whose son Angelo (Brenton Thwaites - who, somehow, gets better looking and more skilled as an actor with each role), an aspiring literary writer, is about to visit his dad in Los Angeles for the summer, before starting college in NYC in the fall.  The mother-son bond between them is strong - almost a death-grip, when it comes to Jackie - and when, early on in the summer, Angelo decides to forego college and stay in California, enjoying sun, sand and surf, Jackie reacts by flying out to L.A. without warning to bring him home.  But what sounds like a cliched plot actually becomes much more under Hunt's strong lead performance and intelligent script.  Her chemistry with Thwaites also rings very true, and with David Zayas and Luke Wilson adding comic support, Ride contains more depth and originality than one might first think, when watching it.  And, thanks largely to Hunt, it's well worth your time. (rated R)  B

4TH PERIOD MURDER MYSTERY (2009)

Some films demand you just check logic at the door and enjoy the ride ... which is why I loved 4th Period Murder Mystery, a fast-paced thriller set in a high school in South Korea, about the smartest, most popular guy in class, Jeong-hun, who is framed for the murder of his biggest rival.  He finds the body along with a dowdy, true crime-obsessed classmate everyone calls Curtain (because she never pulls her long hair back from her face), who instead of reporting the death works with Jeong-hun to try and find the real killer in just forty minutes (the length of time for 4th period), before their fellow students come back to class.  From there the film sucks you in as clues are followed, chases happen around the school, and tension builds tight as a piano wire (sprinkled with perfect touches of comedy).  The murder itself is handled a bit lightly and a few burps in logic occur, but all is easily forgiven in favor of one funny, suspenseful, and outright fun rollercoaster ride of a film. (not rated)  A-

BABY AND I (2008)

Joon-su is a spoiled, arrogant high school student with wealthy parents; an only child who specializes in starting fights, mouthing off to teachers, and getting suspended from school.  More rebel than criminal, his aberrant behavior still comes home to roost one night in a grocery store, when he turns long enough to select a bottle of wine off a shelf - and turns back to find a baby has been left in his shopping cart, along with a note saying he's the father and the boy is his responsibility now.  Worse yet, Joon-su returns home to find his parents have run away (!) thanks to his rotten behavior, cutting off his credit card and all communication.  With the help of his buddies, and a new girl to school who is smitten with him, Joon-su first tries to find the mother ... then a way to ditch the baby ... before ultimately becoming determined to be the best dad he can be.  Sweet and funny, Baby and I (aka Baby and Me) is a wonderful film nowhere near as predictable as you'd think.  And I dare you not to fall in love with that kid. (not rated)  A-

BABY AND ME trailer

MARATHON (2005)

I have never, in my life, had an experience that moved me as much as watching Marathon.  Writing this, even just looking at the poster causes my heart to overflow all over again, thudding in my chest.  Based on a true story, Cho Seung-woo - in an Oscar-worthy performance you have to see to believe - stars as Cho-won, a young man born with autism who only seems to find his center of calm in running.  His mother, a force to be reckoned with who has always been there for Cho-won (even at the expense, at times, of her husband and Cho-won's younger brother), signs him up for a big marathon, and to prepare him for it harasses an ex-marathon winner, doing community service for a DUI, into being his coach.  Simple yet profound, heartbreaking and indescribably life-affirming, again I have never experienced anything as magical and one-of-a-kind as Marathon - in film, or in real life.  It's a movie that reaches into your heart and wraps it up like a gift from God. (not rated)  A++

MARATHON (full movie!)

SAD MOVIE (2005)

Don't let the title fool you; while it fits the film and may not make many rush to see it initially, for the first three-quarters of the film Sad Movie is funny, engaging, romantic, and introduces viewers to: the kindhearted slacker whose girlfriend of three years wants to break up ... the fireman who saves a young woman from a burning building only to fall in love with her older sister, who wants him to propose ... the rescued sister, whose job is to entertain kids dressed as Raggedy Ann (complete with over-sized headpiece), whose face is scarred so she won't even remove the head for the handsome street artist she's falling for ... and a mother, long-neglectful of her trouble-making young son, who finally receives a harsh wake up call.  A well-written collection of intertwining tales that will have you immediately caught up in these characters and their fates ... before, yes, the tears (many of them) start to flow.  A lovely, touching, must-see of a film that stresses the importance of loving and living to your fullest, always, while you still can. (not rated)  A

SAD MOVIE (full movie!)

FLY HIGH (2009)

Blown away by Kim Bum since the K-drama "Boys Over Flowers", I was anxious to see Fly High (aka Flight in South Korea).  Here he plays an aspiring actor who works at a gas station, in general leading a lonely life until one night in a club he finds a kindred spirit in a beautiful girl with whom he immediately falls in love.  When tragedy befalls her and she ends up in a care facility, mentally traumatized, all he wants to do is care for her ... and, sadly, must take work as a male host (read: gigolo) in a teahouse to support both himself and her care, telling her in his visits that his acting career is blossoming.  Kim is great here, but the film is somewhat a downer, with his character getting the snot beat out of him on more than a couple occasions ... and an ending that, literally within the last few minutes of the film, is nothing short of anger-inducing.  Nice performances, but with an ending that just blew it for me; watch Kim in The Gifted Hands (reviewed on this blog) instead. (not rated)  C-

FLY HIGH trailer (Korean only; could not find one w/English subs, sorry!)

SONG OF THE SEA (2014)

From the director of The Secret of Kells, this beautiful animated Oscar nominee is the story of a six-year-old girl named Saoirse and her slightly older brother Ben, who has never quite forgiven his sister since their mother died the night Saoirse was born.  They still live in the same lighthouse with their still-grieving father, but on the night both children are finally spirited away by a grandmother who's convinced her son his lighthouse is no life for children, the kids learn that Saoirse is the last of the selkies - the only creature alive who can free the magical creatures still trapped in this world, sending them home at last.  But time is against them, and making their way back to the sea to save both Saoirse (who grows weaker with every moment) and those like her, the kids find opposition in a crone named Macha who steals feelings from creatures' souls ... and has different plans for the tiny selkie.  Beautiful to look at, Song of the Sea is also a wonderful, mythical tale of heart, hope and the importance of family - no matter who you call "family." (rated PG)  A-

SONG OF THE SEA trailer

DACHIMAWA LEE (2008)

A crazy, frantic Airplane!-style spoof of Korean spy movies from the 1980's, Dachimawa Lee is a short, round-faced Korean James Bond who fights villains with his martial arts and various spy weapons, while at the same time also wooing the various women who fall under his spell, all of whom seem smitten by him.  Here he's out to get the Golden Buddha, a small, cheap statue sprayed gold whose real value lies in the list of Korean secret agents hidden inside; a list the Japanese are determined their hands on.  The film is funny, even laugh-out-loud in spots (the part with the airplane propeller is worthy of an "OMG" moment, alone), but even at 99 minutes it feels a bit long, thanks to a segment in the middle - when Lee gets amnesia - that drags things down a bit.  Nowhere near the frenetic lunacy of Airplane!, but still an enjoyable spoof that fans of the action-spy genre especially should enjoy. (not rated)  B-

DACHIMAWA LEE trailer

HIGHWAY STAR (2007)

Korea's version of country music, "trot" is more in style/appearance in the vein of lounge singers like Wayne Newton.  Hugely popular by those who embrace it, it's fairly scorned by those into more "serious" music ... and this wonderful, funny comedy-romance opens when a singer from the sticks, rock-and-roller Bong Dal-ho, is thrilled to finally be discovered by two music producers who come into the club where he's performing.  Elated, he heads to Seoul - only to learn, once there, that his new mentors only help shape and train trot singers!  Signed to an iron-clad contract, Dal-ho's forced to cut both his hair and on-stage style severely - though when he finally gets his TV debut, shame forces him at the last minute to don a mask and sing incognito!  The gimmick works, to Dal-ho's horror, making him an overnight sensation stuck performing the very music he loathes - now seemingly with no way out.  The comedy here is wonderful, the romance touching but light, and Cha Tae-hyun is lovable as Dal-ho.  A very funny "feel-good" film. (not rated)  A-

HIGHWAY STAR trailer

MADHOUSE (1974)

Vincent Price and Peter Cushing have been scaring me since childhood - especially Cushing in Hammer horror films, some of which also featured Christopher Lee keeping me up many a long and freaked-out night as Dracula.  In Madhouse, Price plays actor Paul Toombs, most famous for his creation of "Dr. Death" in a series of low-budget horror films, who years after going mad due to the murder of his young fiancee (it was assumed by many that he'd killed her), is now free and trying to resurrect his career with the help of his friend, writer Herbert Flay (Cushing), when a series of murders emulating killings in his old Dr. Death films begin to occur all over again.  A great premise, but sadly the film topples under the weight of a bad script, worse special effects, and irritating plot holes.  The ending is kind of cool, and it was great to watch Price be Price (Cushing's role is minor by comparison, and the film suffers from that, too), this one can be skipped except by the most ardent of Price/Cushing fans. (rated PG)  D+

MADHOUSE trailer

LOST RIVER (2014)

Ryan Gosling has always been a little ... left of center, let's say, though I have a feeling many who see Lost River (his writing/directorial debut) will feel the man's trolley has completely slipped its tracks.  The film was heavily derided (even laughed at) at Cannes, and to say it isn't easy to categorize is an understatement.  Gosling, quite obviously influenced by Nicolas Winding Refn (his Drive/Only God Forgives director) filmed this bizarre, surreal "dark fairy tale" in what looks like a war-ravaged Detroit, the city here playing Lost River - a town nearly all residents have long ago abandoned, since it was created via the opening of a dam whose reservoirs flooded out a bunch of smaller valley cities to form this one, and its lake.  Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men") stars as Billy, a single mom of two boys who's three months late on her mortgage, and to keep her home has to take a job at the creepiest club ever, where acts of carnage are committed onstage for those who get off on watching (indeed, the most disturbing scene in the film is when Billy seemingly - and painstakingly - slices off her own face).  Meanwhile, her son Bones (Iain De Caestecker of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."), along with a girl named Rat (Saoirse Ronan) who lives in the next house over, works to release the curse they feel Lost River is under, after Bones finds the underwater cities beneath their man-made lake ... all while Bones continues trying to elude the insane Bully (Matt Smith), who is after Bones for stealing "his" copper from the town, and who has the tendency to use scissors to cut off the lips of those who cross him (swear to God).

This is the first (hopefully only) time you'll read a review on this blog that breaks my commandment-like constraint of length (normally I want anyone coming here to be able to zip through reviews in under a minute) - not just because this film is so hard to classify, but also because I wanted to make it clear how much I feel Lost River is worth seeing.  It's strange, violent, very surreal, even had me squirming in my seat a few times, and early on I had decided I didn't like it; all true.  But I stuck with it, and by the end had grown to appreciate Gosling's effort at trying to make an unconventional film that has power.  One that isn't mainstream or straightforward or even pleasant; often, while watching it, I found myself feeling bad - tainted - as grubby and violated as the town of Lost River looks here.  I cared about Bones and his mom and brother, about Rat and her grandmother, and Bully ... well, Bully just freaked me the hell out, period.  The bottom line is, the fact that a 95-minute film had this kind of hold, this kind of power - caused these kinds of sensations in me, repulsive as some of them were - says an incredible amount about the film itself.  About the power film can possess, in general.  And while no masterpiece, maybe not even a particularly great film, I can appreciate and even respect Gosling for what he set out to do.  Even more so because I found myself so caught up in all the weirdness, all the way. (rated R)  B-

LOST RIVER trailer

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME (2013)

The first supernatural thriller to be made in Venezuela, The House at the End of Time is about a wife and mother of two sons, Dulce (Ruddy Rodriguez), who was arrested thirty years ago for the murders of her husband and 12-year-old son Leopoldo (though the boy's body was never found).  Too old and frail to remain in prison, Dulce has been released - guards included - back to the dilapidated, abandoned home where it all took place, to live her final years.  But the house has been waiting for her; not just the ghosts of the past, but also apparitions she begins seeing around her home - one of which carries a butcher knife.  The film is incredible, twisting and turning on itself until toward the end, when blatant confusion turns into a finale that will have you recommending this film to anyone who will listen.  For fans of The Others, The Orphanage, Pan's Labyrinth, or the Korean Hansel & Gretel - you have a wondrous experience waiting for you here. (not rated)  A-

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME trailer

INTERSTELLAR (2014)

Clocking in at eleven minutes short of three hours, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar - co-written with his brother Jonathan - is a sci-fi epic set in the near future, on an earth clouded in dust and ravaged dry by drought, about an ex-pilot-turned-farmer named Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) who is given one last chance to fly when he becomes part of a team sent to explore a wormhole that's mysteriously appeared in space, which (what's left of) NASA believes might contain the answer to mankind's survival.  The film's cast is a who's who of fine actors (both to the film's credit and disservice), and while much of the plot may cause nerdgasms in sci-fi nuts, the brothers Nolan also bring it down nicely to a human level, via the relationship between Coop and his devoted, very similarly-minded daughter, Murph.  That said, while an amazing achievement and visually stunning, I found the film overlong and the ride more informational than engaging.  Beautifully made, but more for fans of the genre (most of whom, deservedly, seem to worship the film) than anyone. (rated PG-13)  B

INTERSTELLAR trailer  

REINCARNATION (2005)

Directed and co-written by Takashi Shimizu, the man behind the Ju-on/Grudge films, Reincarnation is a moody creepfest about a young, up-and-coming actress, Nagisa Sugiura, who lands her first big role in a horror film chronicling the real-life events of a local professor who suddenly went on a murderous rampage at an isolated hotel twenty years before, killing eleven people including his own kids.  The film opens with quick shots of various people we don't know seeing ghosts, and when the crew of her film takes to the real hotel for "atmosphere," the visions Nagisa has also been having escalate,  as do the deaths - the film part horror, part psychological suspense (except for maybe the creepiest doll in cinema history; let's not forget her!) as it builds toward a genuinely satisfying "reveal" at the end that may confuse you if you aren't paying attention.  Not Shimizu's best, but still better than most of the horror coming out of the States today, and an eerily fun time. (rated R)  B-

REINCARNATION trailer

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)