DOPE (2015)

Three best friends - Malcolm (Shameik Moore), Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), and Jib (Tony Revolori) - are high school geeks in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California.  They have a punk band together, are working to get into college, and spend every day just trying to survive living in The Bottoms ... when a chance invite Malcolm gets to a birthday party sends the trio of friends into an adventure involving the cops, college admission interviews, Bitcoins, guns, public urination, cheesy chili fries, a stoner who looks like Carrot Top, a backpack full of drugs, and more.  The trio heading the cast are absolutely terrific, especially an award-worthy Shameik Moore as Malcolm, and Tony Revolori following up The Grand Budapest Hotel proving he is so not a one-hit wonder.  Fresh, foul-mouthed, and laugh-out-loud funny, Dope is an insane indie comedy that's also one of my favorite films seen so far this year; the kind of film a more "urban" John Hughes would have made, were he coming up today. (rated R)  A

SICARIO (2015)

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is a dedicated, idealistic FBI agent who loses a couple of her fellow officers in a Chandler, Arizona raid on a home that uncovers dozens of bodies buried within its walls.  Tough and good at her job, when offered the chance to be part of a special squad out to capture those responsible for what happened, Kate volunteers to help ... only to find she's part of a group comprised of those on both sides of the law who are determined to take down one of the biggest drug lords operating in any way they can.  Sicario is violent and full of scenes so tense you'll watch them without blinking or breathing, as it sickeningly portrays the dangers, destruction, and devastation of Mexico's border towns run by drug dealers (vastly helped in their heinous crimes by the corrupt state police).  While I found Kate a bit too idealistic - naive, even, in some ways - you can almost feel the events she witnesses stripping her of her innocence and naivety before your eyes ... as you may feel, yourself, via this powerful, moving film. (rated R)  A-

TWENTY (2015)

Leave it to the Koreans: even when they do a "raunchy" (raunchy by Korean standards, that is) buddy comedy, they still manage to instill the film with a touch of heart - and your eyes with a tear or two.  Womanizer Chi Ho, comic book artist Dong Woo, and kindhearted Kyung Je are all just twenty years old, suddenly realizing while the world is at their disposal, the time may be coming when they need to start looking at what they really want to do with their lives.  First on the agenda seems to be love - or, for handsome Chi Ho, getting laid; that is, until his rich parents try cracking down on him to get serious by cutting off his money.  Meanwhile, Dong Woo tries to pursue his dream by attending school to be an animation artist, and Kyung Je finds his career track in college changed when he meets a beauty who is also the smartest gal in school.  The film is low on plot, basically the story of three best friends trying to find their way and find love - at times silly and laugh-out-loud funny, but also with moments of heart and soul. (not rated)  B+

CAROL (2015)

Though I've never read Patricia Highsmith, I've become a fan of her themes of secrets, duality, and complexity through filmed versions of her work like The Talented Mr. Ripley and (a personal favorite) Strangers on a Train.  There is this feel, a mood, to the Oscar-nominated Carol as well - the story of a friendship struck up between a New York City department store clerk, Therese (Rooney Mara), and the beautiful, sophisticated Carol (Cate Blanchett) when she sells the older woman a toy train set for her daughter.  Said friendship, from start, is rife with sexual tension (the mutual attraction crackles on-screen), a potentially sticky situation as this is the 1950's and Carol - going through a separation/divorce - is a fiercely devoted mother expecting to retain custody of her beloved daughter.  Carol is a slow burn; a character study of a relationship that may more too slow for some, but for me was fairly fascinating thanks to the lead performances.  An intriguing and lyrical film. (rated R)  A-

SPOTLIGHT (2015)

Opening in 1976 with a short scene filled with dread (a portent of things to come), Spotlight then fast-forwards to 2001, when the tiny "Spotlight" division of the offices of The Boston Globe (a team that does long-term investigative journalism) is given the task of checking into allegations of sexual abuse committed by a priest.  What starts off as a rumble quickly turns to a roar, as the team uncovers more and more victims, survivors of abuse from priests all over the city - the state - even beyond.  Featuring a terrific ensemble cast led by Michael Keaton (including Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo), Spotlight details the investigation that would come to expose a major cover up by the Catholic Church, as well as open the doors to similar, criminal investigations around the world.  Pretty intense stuff, and more than once in the film I had to cry for what the victims had gone through, not just in the abuse but also in the taking away of their innocence and faith.  Based on the real-life Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, and deserving of every accolade (and prize) it gets. (rated R)  A

CREED (2015)

Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) grew up fighting.  The illegitimate son of boxing legend Apollo Creed, who died before he was even born, Adonis also lost his mother at a young age, and learned to fight coming up via a series of foster homes and juvenile detention centers, until taken in by Apollo's widow and ultimately living a life of privilege in Los Angeles.  He grows up a good man yet still a fighter at heart; so much so, Adonis travels cross-country to Philadelphia to seek out former champion Rocky Balboa (an incredibly moving Sylvester Stallone), his father's friend and most stalwart opponent, to help him channel his anger into making him a first-class boxer in his own right.  Feeling a bit like an update of the original Rocky, Creed takes the similar, essential story, and gives it a fresh spin through the eyes of a complex young man battling demons both in an out of the ring.  An emotional, rousing film whose last ten minutes will have you on the edge of your seat, and make your spirits soar. (rated PG-13)  A

TRUMBO (2015)

I sat down to watch this film with a prejudiced mind; I have loved classic Hollywood movies since childhood, and the witch hunt that was the Hollywood blacklist, the "Red Scare" of the late 1940's through the 1950's, where some of the biggest names in the industry were singled out as potentially threatening members of the Communist party, was the beginning of the end for the careers of some of my all-time favorite actors (John Garfield comes to mind), who never fully recovered from having their reputations soiled.  Trumbo tells the story of famed, eccentric screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), who, along with a number of colleagues eventually labeled The Hollywood Ten, would refuse to name names, and ended up doing jail time for it.  Trumbo, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, would go on to create a cottage industry, writing scripts under various names (and recruiting fellow writers to do the same) - including the screenplays for Spartacus and Exodus - right under the very noses of Joseph McCarthy and his Republican cronies determined to make the U.S. live in fear.  Cranston is great, but the rest of the cast deserves equal mention, particularly Helen Mirren as the salacious and insatiable Hedda Hopper, and an extraordinary David James Elliott playing John Wayne, a major proponent of the Red Scare.  As someone calling himself a writer, and someone who reveres the days when Hollywood actually had "stars," for me this film was at various times rejuvenating, aggravating, eye-opening, horrific, touching, even amusing ... but always riveting.  While Cranston deserves his nomination, I think the film's strength rests just as much on its incredible cast, in a film everyone should see - particularly with the political climate in America today.  Frightening, the likenesses; more frightening is the realization, watching this, of how close we may be, as a nation, to repeating past mistakes ... if we don't remember the heinous roads they took us down before. (rated R)  A

BROOKLYN (2015)

Saoirse Ronan is beautiful as Ellis Lacey in this Oscar nominee, about a young Irish girl who emigrates to America in the 1950's in search of a better life.  Leaving her mother and older sister Rose behind, after a tough journey by sea Ellis lands in Brooklyn where, thanks to a local priest (Jim Broadbent) she's already set up with a department store job and a room in a strictly-run, all-female boarding house.  Though loneliness and homesickness nearly drive her back home, thanks to Father Flood Ellis she toughs it out, until things change when she meets a handsome Italian boy, Tony (Emory Cohen).  The two become close, Ellis finding happiness in the States at last, when urgent news from home calls her back to Ireland ... and away from the boy she's grown to love.  Ronan leads a fine cast in this wonderful romantic drama; no explosions, dire circumstances or melodrama here, this is simply Ellis's story; the tale of a young woman finding her way, her life, and first love in a whole new world. (rated PG-13)  A-

DUMBO (1941)

Still trying to catch up on the classic Disney animated films I haven't yet seen, I hope it won't sound sacrilegious to say I wasn't 100% into Dumbo.  Nothing to do with the look of the film (still love hand-drawn animation best, to this day), the characters, story, music, etc.; I just couldn't get past that weird pink elephants musical number, and frankly the story felt thin as broth.  Mrs. Jumbo, finally receiving her bundle from the stork, finds she's the mother of an adorable, blue-eyed baby elephant son ... who happens to have humongous ears.  Named Jumbo, the boy is soon re-christened "Dumbo" based on those ears, and when the taunting and teasing prove enough for Mrs. Jumbo, she takes matters into her own ... hooves? ... and is summarily locked up as a rogue elephant.  The film is about accepting yourself for who you are - finding the special gifts you have that only you can give to the world - and in that, the film scores big.  Just having that pink elephant number dropped into the middle of everything like a bad acid trip was ... unsettling, at best. (not rated)  B-

THE HEAVENLY BODY (1944)

Classic romantic comedy starring the venerable William Powell (one of my all-time favorites) as Bill Whitley, a world-renowned astronomer who's seemingly putting his work ahead of his beautiful wife of two years, Vicky (the breathtaking Hedy Lamarr).  The two keep opposite schedules, and Vicky's feeling the loneliness; so much so, when her neighbor suggests a trip to see an astrologer, Madame Sibyll, Vicky takes things a bit too much to heart when the woman's predictions start coming true ... and, in the long-term, Sibyll predicts Vicky will meet a hunk of a worldly man she's going to leave Bill for!  When said hunk, Lloyd (James Craig), shows up for real, it becomes astronomy versus astrology as Vicky sinks deeper into her beliefs and the frazzled Bill sets out to prove astrology is the bunk - but his love for his wife is not.  The chemistry between Powell and Lamarr is sweet, Lamarr's character sometimes frustrating in her unshakable beliefs but the comedy just warm and fuzzy and funny enough to enjoy like a fizzy champagne. (not rated)  B

THE HEAVENLY BODY (full movie)

DAAWAT-E-ISHQ (2014)

Gulla (Parineeti Chopra), beautiful and headstrong, knows what she wants and won't settle for less - particularly in terms of a husband or career.  When her heart is broken one time too many, she concocts a scheme in which she and her father will go to another part of the country, pretend to be wealthy, and use a matrimonial site to set Gulla up with a potential husband from a well-off family ... only later to take advantage of a law in India which forbids a family from demanding any form of a dowry, along with a bride, for their son to marry (though it's a law commonly broken).  Enter Taru (Aditya Roy Kapoor), a middle-class chef, running his family's restaurant, whom Gulla and her father decide to ensnare ... if the handsome, kind-hearted, lovable Taru doesn't ensnare Gulla first.  Even if you know where this romantic comedy-drama is going, the joy is in getting there via the very likable cast, energetic music, and an ending that still manages a surprise or two; even this cynic loved it! (not rated)  A-

SPECTRE (2015)

James Bond (Daniel Craig) goes rogue in this, the 24th outing of the unending franchise, when a message from the past sends him on a mission that will lead Bond to a final run-in with an organization powerful enough to - literally - control the world.  The pre-credits chase scene, shot in Mexico City, is a breathtaking thrill ride hearkening back to the older, better Bond films - as are other aspects of Spectre, one of the best being a Jaws-like villain in the form of the larger-than-life Dave Bautista.  As M and the 007 arm of British intelligence are shut down for good to make way for modern technology, Bond must work alone to connect the dots of his past in time to stop SPECTRE, the criminal organization of unlimited power that holds some deeply personal stakes for 007 himself.  Not quite Skyfall (though topping that film would be tough), but an action-packed, thrilling, and quite dark installment of the series that more than satisfies. (rated PG-13)  A

THE DANISH GIRL (2015)

Based on a true story, The Danish Girl is the tale of married couple Einar (Eddie Redmayne) and Gerta (Alicia Vikander) Wegener, both painters enjoying Einar's moderate success and local celebrity in 1926 Copenhagen.  The couple are deeply-in-love young moderns with few boundaries, supporting each other fully; so much so, when Gerta wants the publicity-shy Einar to accompany her to a huge artist's ball, the pair concoct the idea of Einar going in drag, as his own cousin Lili, so they can attend together - which opens a floodgate of emotion when Gerta learns her husband has spent a lifetime suppressing the feeling he's actually a woman inside.  The film, as much about this love story of a marriage as it is about Lili Elba becoming a pioneer of transgender rights, hits all the right notes - but as nuanced/ideal a performance as Redmayne gives, I somehow never felt I really knew Einar/Lili ... in contrast to Vikander, whose Gerta is heartbreaking as the woman who will do anything for love.  Masterfully done, if a bit impersonal in the end. (rated R)  B+

ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM (2015)

Many reading this review might think I was on acid when I wrote it; those used to Asian manga, anime and cinema will understand.  In Assassination Classroom Japan has been invaded by an alien creature resembling a yellow octopus with a smiley face, who has already destroyed most of the moon and threatens the same with earth ... but agrees to take over a class of losers and misfits at the Kunugigaoka Junior High School - the "E-Class" - and teach them not only their lessons but also assassination skills, promising the only way the earth can be saved is if any of the kids can kill him by graduation in March.  The government steps in to help the students, but with each attempt the alien proves harder to destroy, always one step ahead and ALWAYS smiling.  Based on a Japanese manga, this film is nuts but also great fun, with a very likable cast and killer special effects; odd, funny, even hitting a couple of the emotional notes it goes for in the end - and with the way it ends, there'd best be a sequel! (not rated)  B

ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID (2004)

Fear of snakes aside, had heard about this film for years plus it stars a few actors I really like and any "monster" movie so bad it can't take itself seriously is often a fun watch.  The problem with this film is, it takes itself way too seriously.  That, combined with some bad acting and special effects nearly as lame as what you find on SyFy Channel make for a disappointing film.  Each character is also a stereotype in this story of a team searching through the Indonesian jungle to find the elusive blood orchid, which contains properties that may or may not help create a fountain of youth-like drug to prolong life; the corporate lackey out of her element, the hot babe assistant, the borderline fanatic science dude determined to persevere, the grumpy but hunky boat captain who develops a conscience, the sharp-tongued tech guy - all and more battling some big-ass, fake-looking snakes when their boat gets destroyed.  And yet the first half of the film, at least, even comes off boring somehow; the rest is just kind of silly.  Gotta love Kong the monkey, though. (rated PG-13)  C-

THE INTERN (2015)

On the surface there's nothing new about The Intern; Anne Hathaway plays a beleaguered young woman, Jules, whose new internet start-up is growing almost too big for her, when her busy life's made busier as she's forced to take on an intern, Ben (Robert De Niro), as part of a program to help senior citizens.  A typical workplace comedy, with a slight twist.  But De Niro is such a marvel - being the oldest out of 220 twenty-something employees, Ben sort of becomes the "uncle" of the office, so affable and sweet and always wanting to help, you can't not fall in love with him ... and, by extension, the film.  Hathaway, in the "straight" guy role, is perfect as well - the film so wonderfully written and funny, with genuine warmth and humor and not a false note in the cast, I couldn't help but enjoy myself immensely watching it (even if I did have to keep reminding myself this was the same dude from Taxi Driver and Raging Bull).  De Niro's never been better, the entire film a sweet surprise. (rated PG-13)  A-

IF THERE BE THORNS (2015)

Wow, didn't realize Lifetime was cranking these out this fast.  The third in the weird, creepy, yet endlessly fascinating saga of the Dollanganger children, If There Be Thorns is where the book series starts to unravel a bit.  Flowers in the Attic was fascinating reading, even if you felt a bit like a perv enjoying it; Petals on the Wind, well, we all wanted to find out what happened to the kids afterward.  After that, the series became lurid and lackluster at the same time; here the story of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger (now Sheffield), living their lives as a married couple even though they're biologically brother and sister (yes, you read that right) and raising their two sons (by Cathy, via two different men, neither of them Chris; things don't go quite that nuts) in an idyllic life ... until a mysterious woman moves in next door who will prove to bring all past sins home.  Meh acting and writing, plus a melodramatic religious zealot storyline, don't help - and yet, as the film goes on, Mason Cook in particular (playing youngest son Bart) helps to make it all sickly fascinating, somehow.  (rated TV-14)  C-

STEVE JOBS (2015)

Not everyone will like Steve Jobs.  A complicated and controversial man, if you're looking for a complete, documentary-style portrait of his life or thought processes, this isn't it.  That said, Steve Jobs is one of my favorite films of the year.  Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet are both Oscar-worthy as Jobs and his long-suffering assistant Joanna Hoffman (although, in a terrific surprise, Seth Rogen also shines as Steve Wozniak), and while some may find the film "talky" and with little action, I was glued to the screen from start to finish.  Starting with Jobs' introduction of the Macintosh computer in 1984, the film chronicles his rise and fall until the introduction of the iMac in 1998; a time in which Jobs changed the world and became both savior and villain of Apple.  It's an intense, amazing character study, Fassbender getting completely lost in Jobs' persona (truly, you forget he's Michael Fassbender) and heading a brilliant cast, in a film that gives you a glimpse into the genius - and deep flaws - of a man who would change the world. (rated R)  A

LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)

For the four weeks leading up to Christmas, Love Actually tells the loosely-related stories of eight different couples, whether it be finding or losing or regaining love.  Beautifully written, funny and poignant in all the right places, and often bordering on over-sentimentality (what else would you expect, from a Christmas-themed film?) but never falling over that edge, the film benefits as well from a stupendous cast; Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, Rodrigo Santoro, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liam Neeson, Martin Freeman, and Kris Marshall are only the tip of this iceberg of talent.  What sets this film apart, though, is the way it tracks so many characters, yet manages to make you feel for all of them; as if you know them, or would love to, by the end of the film.  Funny, sweet, enchanting, and everything a Christmas (or any good film) should be.  Just can't believe it took me this long to see it. (rated R)  A

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL (2015)

Even with a title that doesn't scream "happy ending," I was drawn in by all the praise heaped on this film ... and the fact it co-stars Olivia Cooke, one of the best young actors working today.  Greg (a terrific Thomas Mann) is a high school senior who's managed to coast through life without making a single enemy - or a single friend, with the exception of his "co-worker" (Greg hates the term "friend") Earl (RJ Cyler, also terrific).  That is, until Greg's mom forces him to hang out for a day with Rachel (Cooke), the daughter of a friend (and classmate of Greg's) who's just been diagnosed with leukemia.  From here the film goes in both expected and surprising directions, but what's wonderful is it all feels authentic - so genuine to the story, the characters, and the flawed real world we live in.  Laughter and tears both in store, but one thing I didn't expect was for the film to be this touching - this real (thanks in large part to the three leads) - and this affecting, making me reflect on my own life and world.  Lovely stuff. (rated PG-13)  A

THE PEANUTS MOVIE (2015)

No doubt, Blue Sky was the studio to make this; the film is pitch-perfect in appearance, lovingly made and full of nostalgia, like the comics and cartoon specials made over in a three dimension.  They even got the voices right, as well as nearly every sight gag and recognizable line any Peanuts fan could think of; in fact, the first ten minutes of the movie are virtually crammed with them, as if the filmmakers are trying to reassure us: "Hey, we got this; we're not going to let you fans down."  The plot, such as it is, involves Charlie Brown's attempts to impress the little red-haired girl who's new to town (and whom he's crushing on, bad), intertwined a bit with Snoopy's World War I Flying Ace and his ongoing battle with the Red Baron, this time to save the beautiful Fifi.  A wonderful, beautiful walk down memory lane ... that, somehow, doesn't warm the heart as much as you'd expect, even coming off a bit cold/sterile - as if they got the mechanics right, but came up a wee bit short on the emotions. (rated G)  B+

PAN (2015)

Wow, so much hate for this film!  I get it - it was ballsy, maybe stupid, of the filmmakers to make up a back-story for the boy-who-never-grew-up for this prequel.  But to make Peter and Hook start off friends, AND bring in Blackbeard the pirate as the bad guy, THEN cast paler-than-white Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily?  I get it.  But other than a fairy land that resembles a cheap backdrop from a 1970's "Doctor Who" episode for the finale, and a "wtf" all-over-the-place performance by Garrett Hedlund as Hook, the film is actually fun - mostly due to newcomer Levi Miller, who's brilliant as Peter.  The story's paper-thin: Peter's a headstrong boy living in an orphanage, sure his mother will someday come for him when he (along with a bunch of others) is kidnapped by pirates and taken, by ship, to the island of Neverland, where boys are forced to mine for pixie dust for Blackbeard the pirate (Hugh Jackman), who has his own agenda.  Adventure, swordfights, and much CGI follows - but no, it doesn't suck. (rated PG)  C+

DRAMATIC SCHOOL (1938)

Was itching to see a classic and had Paulette Goddard on the brain, so came across this full film by accident on YouTube - and loved it.  Luise Rainer stars as Louise Mauban, a drama student at a prestigious acting school in Paris who works at night in a factory because she's very poor.  She daydreams through life, plays running through her head that she concocts in the hopes her life will follow suit and make her a successful actress - but when she fabricates a relationship with a wealthy playboy to avoid letting her fellow students know what she does at night, one of those students, Nana (Paulette Goddard), meets the man by chance and finds out it's all a lie ... so she sets a trap to catch Louise in her lie, in front of the entire class, though things don't go quite as planned.  Co-starring Lana Turner, Virginia Grey, Ann Rutherford, Gale Sondergaard and more, the stellar cast pulls off one very enjoyable romantic drama that, even with bits of melodrama, makes for an intriguing watch (note: the file below is the ENTIRE FILM, not just the trailer). (not rated)  B

TED 2 (2015)

Foul-mouthed and lowbrow and crude as it was, I really liked Ted.  Saw the unrated version - as I did with this sequel - and setting aside my brain for awhile thought it was funny as heck; even sweet, in the end.  Ted 2, not so much.  It started off promising - teddy bear-come-to-life Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is marrying his human girlfriend Tami-Lynn (a wonderful Jessica Barth), and indeed the opening wedding scenes and Busby Berkeley-style opening credits let us know once again to be prepared for anything.  But things go downhill when Ted and Tami-Lynn try to adopt a kid, and get the attention of the U.S. government, which refuses to acknowledge Ted as a person.  The rest of the film is Ted and his Thunder Buddy John (Mark Wahlberg) hiring a young female attorney, Samantha (Amanda Seyfried), pro bono to fight Ted's cause in the courts, which want to declare him a possession.  There's a very cool finale at NYC's ComicCon, but in-between the film is flat, dull and not very funny.  Foul-mouthed and lowbrow and crude as it is. (unrated)  C

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE (2015)

Ben (Tye Sheridan, fast becoming one of my favorite actors), Carter (Logan Miller), and Augie (Joey Morgan) are best friends in high school who've been both friends and scouts since meeting as little boys.  Ben and Carter are ready to leave the scouts behind them - feel they're too old to be putting up with the teasing, and lack of play from girls that being a scout doesn't get them - but Augie lives for the scouts so they attend one final campout in his honor, trying to figure out how to tell him they're bailing.  Unfortunately, the guys are interrupted by a viral outbreak, via a local chemical company, that heralds the zombie apocalypse - and it will take all their training and skills as scouts to save the world ... as well as a secret party the seniors are throwing that sets them up as a zombie buffet.  This - film - is - HILARIOUS, the best zombie comedy I've seen since Dance of the Dead, with great zombies, terrific characters, a lot of heart, and even more laughs.  Absolutely wonderful. (rated R)  A+

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE trailer (Red Band: contains adult language/nudity/violence)

CRIMSON PEAK (2015)

Edith Cushing saw her first ghost as a girl, when the spirit of her deceased mother warned her to stay away from a place called "Crimson Peak".  As an adult, Edith (Mia Wasikowska) - an aspiring horror writer - finds her life again shattered when her father dies, seeking solace in the arms of her suitor, the baronet Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), whom she marries.  Whisking her away to his remote manor in the English countryside, where Thomas lives with his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain), Edith finds herself stuck in a creppy mansion literally falling down around her, with a brother and sister whose hearts are as dark as the ghosts she starts again to see.  Don't go into this Guillermo del Toro-directed feast-for-the-eyes thinking horror; instead del Toro has crafted pure gothic romance, with touches of the supernatural, violence and gore.  Chastain is brilliantly evil, Hiddleston the man in the middle as Wasikowska's Edith finds herself increasingly snowbound in a world of ghosts and madness. (rated R)  B

CRIMSON PEAK trailer

CHRISTMAS EVE (2015)

An accident in Manhattan, resulting in a delivery van hitting a transformer and knocking out the power in all the neighboring buildings, strands five different groups of strangers and one Scrooge-like businessman (Patrick Stewart) in six different elevators on Christmas Eve.  From a group of classical musicians, to a photographer and a beautiful girl, to a pair of doctors and their interns and a patient straight out of recovery, to a germaphobe stuck with a pair of ditzy girls and a brainiac and a muscle-bound jock, to a guy just fired from his job forced to share an elevator with the guy who fired him, the film interchanges between the groups as time passes and tensions (and fears) mount ... in, to me, what felt like possibly the least-Christmassy Christmas movie I've ever seen.  The cast tries hard, and several moments are sweet, but overall the film - billed as a drama-comedy - isn't very funny, and there are too many characters for the film to develop any of them enough for you to care.  Predictable and formulaic.  Even Patrick Stewart is annoying. (rated PG)  C-

CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (2014)

I sought this film out because of all the accolades Kristen Stewart has received from it.  Finding her little more than a block of wood in anything I've seen her in, imagine my shock to find she's the most riveting thing about this film; you simply can't turn away from the screen when she's on it.  Binoche stars as internationally-renowned stage actress Maria Enders, who arrives in a remote village in the Alps with her personal assistant Valentine (Stewart) to rehearse for the revival of a play she did over twenty years before - back then playing the young ingenue, now in the role of the older woman.  The play brings out dormant emotions in Maria, the characters' relationship even overlapping into her relationship with Valentine, in a wordy film that features some beautifully-written dialogue ... but also an open ending where, I believe, the viewer's supposed to determine what happened.  If that's not your thing you may not like this, but for Stewart's work alone (though all the cast is great) it's for-sure worth seeing. (rated R)  B-

GOOSEBUMPS (2015)

Based on R.L. Stine's hit series of creepy children's books, Goosebumps is an effects-laden but hugely enjoyable adventure-comedy about teenager Zach (Dylan Minnette), just moved to town with his mom, who meets a beautiful girl named Hannah (Odeya Rush) living next door with her whack-job of an overprotective father (Jack Black).  Turns out dad is bestselling author R.L. Stine himself, and Zach - along with new friend Champ (Ryan Lee) - finds this out around the same time they accidentally open a book that sets the Abominable Snowman free.  Turns out Stine's so good because all his monsters are real, once he writes about them - and when Slappy the evil ventriloquist dummy is freed, then decides to set his evil brethren free as well, all hell breaks loose and the gang must find a way to put all the demons back in the books.  Black, even playing Stine as a dramatic diva, still manages his signature mugging for the camera, but the effects, action, humor and monsters themselves are pretty awesome. (rated PG)  B+

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 (2015)

Always nice, when a sequel matches or betters its predecessor - and HT2 is a whole lot of fun.  Set a number of years down the road from the first one, this film finds Vampa ("Grandpa" mashed up with "Vampire") Dracula having made a number of changes to his popular Transylvanian hotel - not the least of which is opening its doors to human clientele - thanks to his toddler grandchild Dennis, who is half-human and half-vampire.  Problems begin when Drac's daughter Mavis, Dennis's mom, wonders if maybe living in a hotel full of monsters might be too much for her very human son (almost five, legend has it that if Dennis doesn't sprout fangs by his birthday, he'll be human forever), and, under the influence of her in-laws, talks of moving to California ... making Dracula sneak behind her back, with the help of his monster friends, to make sure Dennis becomes the vampire child Drac is sure he's meant to be, before the kid turns five.  The film is really funny, with a terrific story and great animation; loved it! (rated PG)  A-

ANT-MAN (2015)

Nothing awful about this entry in the Marvel franchise featuring a hero who, via an incredible super-suit, can shrink to the size of a bug to fight crime, his strength, stamina and speed increasing proportionately when he shrinks.  The film moves well, has some nice special effects, comedy and action sequences, and benefits from a dramatic Michael Douglas as the man who invented the technology, who gets ex-con Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) to wear the suit so he can steal his own tech back from the very company that ousted him, before a new hot-shot can adapt it for evil.  The problem is, the film is just sort of ... bland.  You don't dislike Lang, but he's not that likable, either.  The story and effects are really nothing we haven't seen versions of before.  And well-done as it is, the film only truly glows whenever the hilarious Michael Pena is on-screen; he steals every scene he's in.  Otherwise, again, not a bad film; just ... another notch on Marvel's belt that simply feels too rote.  Or maybe I'm getting burnt out on superhero films. (rated PG-13)  B-

L.A. SLASHER (2015)

After seeing the repulsive Kevin Smith film Tusk (the worst film I've ever seen, in all these decades of watching movies) last year, I was thinking I might escape 2015 without seeing something so bad, it made me nearly angry watching it.  Then along came L.A. Slasher.  Marketed as a dark comedy-horror-crime film, the movie is about a mysteriously-masked killer in a white suit and shaggy dark hair, who snaps and starts kidnapping and/or offing reality-TV "celebrities" - to the delight of his social media fans, who spur him on to do more/worse.  The film seems tongue-in-cheek at first, but right away degrades into weird torture horror, made all the more ridiculous by its over-the-top lack of - no pun intended - reality (seriously, no one dislikes reality-TV more than me, but the public's reaction to the killer's actions are just nuts).  Struggling to get through the last twenty minutes, it's no Tusk ... but definitely my least favorite piece-of-crap film for 2015. (rated R)  F

L.A. SLASHER trailer

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)

Just one of many - many -revered animated films I'd not previously seen, The Nightmare Before Christmas is about what happens when the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, seeks to alleviate the boredom of doing the same thing every year - and stumbles into Christmas Town, where the bright colors, happy children, and "Sandy Claws" show him a whole new way of life.  Back home, he's determined to find out the secrets behind Christmas, and turns Halloween Town into a mash-up of the two holidays - a plan that involves kidnapping Sandy Claws and taking his place to deliver presents around the world.  Love the music, the stop-motion animation is brilliant to look at, a budding romance doesn't intrude on the story, the film is very funny, and I have to admit I got hooked on a certain trio of really rotten siblings, alone.  Great film, very sorry it took so long to see it; one of my favorites seen in 2015. (rated PG)  A

UNNATURAL (2015)

When I was about 14 I caught the film Grizzly in a theater, and have been sort of hooked on killer wildlife movies since.  Unnatural (aka Maneater) offers nothing new via story: snotty photographer and his put-upon assistant and two models arrive at an isolated Alaskan lodge for a three-day photo shoot - just in time for a nearby research center, owned by an Evil Corporation that claims to be eco-friendly, to be torn apart by a very big, very genetically-altered polar bear that's very thirsty for blood.  Even with the stock plot I really enjoyed this film; it's a fun "monster flick" that builds up good suspense and action with limited gore, at the same time giving viewers one really awesome-looking, bad-ass polar bear that doesn't look all CGI or like some dude in a suit!  For that reason alone, this was just plain fun (if these are your type of movies), with an ending that at least tries to step away from the cliche a bit. (rated R)  B

UNNATURAL trailer

SECRETLY, GREATLY (2013)

Dong-gu (Kim Soo-hyun, in a stellar performance) is sort of the village idiot in his shantytown neighborhood in Seoul.  He wears the same green track suit every day, falls down a lot, gets picked on by neighborhood kids, and is always grinning like a doofus, laughing at nothing in particular.  He lives above a small store run by an elderly lady who's sort of taken him in - but what she (in fact no one) knows is that Dong-gu is actually Captain Won Ryu-hwan, a highly-trained, very deadly North Korean spy who has been undercover for two years now, in the simpleton character his government set up for him, awaiting orders.  When two other young guys, secret agents from the north, show up in town as well, Won is sure their missions are about to be realized ... but when the notice comes, it not what any of them expects.  The first half of this film plays like a comedy - and it is both funny and touching - but then the film flips and you're watching a full-fledged spy thriller; one that, in the end, left me crying so hard. the tears were still flowing when I went to bed later that night.  One amazing movie, with a dynamite cast.  Just have tissues.  Lots of them. (not rated)  A

SECRETLY, GREATLY trailer