Starring: Missy Peregrym, Jeff Roop, Eric Balfour
Directed By: Adam MacDonald
Running Time: 91 mins
IFC Midnight

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

In Backcountry, lawyer Jenn (Missy Peregrym) is lead by boyfriend, Alex (Jeff Roop) on her very first camping trip. Their route is the ominously titled Blackfoot Trail that Alex is supposedly familiar with from youthful visits. In Jenn’s case, never has a failed “Rate Your Boyfriend!” magazine quiz ever been more foreboding.

Not only does Alex fail that fun roadtrip timekiller, he then proceeds to reject common sense essentials like cell phones and maps to take on this ideal hike. His foolishness only further asserts itself when on the first night a charismatic Irish trail guide (Eric Balfour) splits an awkward campfire fish dinner with the couple and insinuates Alex knows less about the woods than he’s letting on. Instead of admitting his directional knowledge is limited, Alex doggedly resumes their wandering with a view to reach a beautiful lakeside that he assures Jenn will be worth the trouble. As you may have guessed, it’s really not.

It’s difficult to judge this film’s plausibility given that it’s touted as being based on a true story, but Alex’s stubborn trudge against all logical precautions—not to mention the blatant disregard for the safety of his girlfriend while he’s at it—can be an astoundingly frustrating watch for seasoned horror film viewers. He flouted the advice of the weathered old townie at the outpost five minutes in for pete’s sake! It also takes far too long to really understand just why Alex is so aggressively set on their destination, long enough to question Jenn’s intelligence too I found. When they finally do have a confrontation, the actors do so admirably and it felt a great relief to finally have Alex’s ignorance called out, but it seemed just too little too late. Alex is right up there with the Quiji-board buying boyfriend from Paranormal Activity in the bad choices department.

The edge is taken off of that frustration a bit by the impressive cinematography that can go from encompassing the vastness of the Canadian wilderness—beautiful in any other context, really— to zeroing in extremely on the couple’s very visceral woodland injuries. Furthermore, MacDonald subtly escalates the threat of bears in the woods to a suitably gorey crescendo after some early chilling encounters along the way that had our audience squirming in their seats. If MacDonald is aiming to do for the woods what Open Water did for the ocean, he pretty much succeeds, with the added cringe-factor that a bear’s leftovers don’t get washed away in the tide…

Starring: Lou Taylor Pucci, Nadia Hilker
Directed by: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 50 mins
XYZ Films

Our rating: 2 out of 5 stars

“Spring” is a movie that is barely – just barely – saved by its beautiful scenery. In fact, if it weren’t for the film’s location, there wouldn’t be much here to watch.

After the death of his mother, Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci) finds himself lost, and needing more from life. A drunken altercation in a bar leads him to be wanted by the local police, so he flees to Italy. He finds a job as a farm-hand, and meets a mysterious young woman, Louise (Nadia Hilker). With a complete lack of chemistry between the two main characters, and a unappealing performance by Pucci – which leaves Evan unlikeable, or just mediocre – this story falls into a series of humdrum scenes with nothing but conversations full of platitudes.

Slowly the “horror” elements begin to build, but even here too much is shown far too soon. There is almost no anticipation, and no mystery at all. There are questions, but no suspense. Too much is given away too early, and the film is never able to fully explain or payoff what it tried to set up. It’s not scary, and it’s not enigmatic. It’s just dull.

The film is part horror, part comedy, and part love story. But none of those elements are built upon enough to really call this film any of those. It’s not a horror movie; it’s not a comedy; and it’s not a romance. It falls flat from beginning to end. The cinematography helps the film a great deal; but even most of that work was done by having a great setting. No matter where they put the camera the location was beautiful.

It’s easy to see what the filmmakers were intending to do, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. The performance by Hilker was the best of anyone in the film; it seemed that she could have gone much further with her character, if she had a stronger male lead to act opposite of.

At times the scenes intended to be suspenseful or eerie, were funny. And the attempts at humor didn’t land as well as they should. And again, the romance was lacking due to poor chemistry.
A fresh attempt at an horror cliche here just leaves the audience confused as to how they are supposed to feel.

Overall, this film just felt uneven. Within the same scene the characters’ emotions change wildly, with out any real motivation as to why. I can’t suggest seeing this film in theatre, but wouldn’t be a waste of time if caught on VOD.

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Starring: Lily James, Richard Madden, and Cate Blanchett
Directed By: Kenneth Branagh
Rated: PG
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Our Score 4 out of 5 stars

From European folk tale to Disney classic to one of the most reincarnated, reimagined and adapted movies in my life. Just a quick Internet search turned up at least a dozen adaptations within my lifetime of the fairy tale. I’m certain that further research could uncover at least one redesign of the beloved movie for every year I’ve been alive. I merely point this out because a lot could have gone wrong with this live-action update, but I’m happy to say it greatly exceeded my bare minimum expectations.

We all know the story of “Cinderella” right? I mean, unless you’re eight-years-old or younger or you’re Amish, there’s a high probability that you know the story. There are some cruel stepsisters, an even more fiendish stepmother that berates the unfortunately orphaned Cinderella. Cinderella beats out the odds and misfortunes of life with the help of a fairy godmother. With magical help, she attends a lavish ball, enchants the prince and leaves a memento for him to chase her down with, a glass slipper. This is a story that’s been told hundreds of times, so I hope you know what I’m talking about. Now, I’m not here to argue the necessity of another or new “Cinderella” movie, but I’m going to tell you that it’s not a rushed cash grab. It probably is a cash grab for the young ones who don’t know “Cinderella”, but at least they’re getting something of quality and substance.

While Lily James, who plays Cinderella, is obviously the focal point, Blanchett really steals the scenes as her venomous stepmother. She starts as a haughty socialite, but Blanchett transforms slowly over the movie into a bitter hag who puppeteers the weakest people around her. Helena Bonham Carter enters as the fairy godmother and is also quite delightful in her small, but significant role. As for Richard Madden as the prince who inevitably falls for Cinderella, he just stands there and looks pretty; Which isn’t a bad thing.

The real high marks for me in this movie are the set and costume designs. While the wide shots of the sprawling castle are obviously CGI, the exquisite ball and all its guests are real and in real costumes. The vast, but snug cottage that Cinderella is in has a Victorian appeal. The movie feels grand while remaining intimate in it’s settings. Everything could have easily been green screened, but it’s great to see a filmmaker and crew that understands tradition and puts in a time-honored effort of good old fashioned design. It’s a well-made, guilty pleasure for Disneyphiles and a refreshing blast from Disney’s treasured past for everyone else.

Starring: Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman and Ed Harris
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 54 mins
Warner Brothers

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

When we first meet Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) he’s flat on his back with a bullet in the side, trying to explain how he got that way. Though the story is a little long, it’s well worth learning.

Jimmy and Shawn Maguire (Harris, in another outstanding character role) have been friends for almost five decades. Doing what they needed to do to earn a living, they both found themselves on the wrong side of the road. However, while Shawn has become a very successful “businessman,” Jimmy likes to drink and play cat and mouse with a police detective (Vincent D’Onofrio), who is trying to pin no less than 17 murders on Jimmy. Both men have sons – Shawn’s boy, Danny (Boyd Holbrook) is a chip off the old block while Michael Conlon (Kinnaman) has distanced himself from his father, earning money as a limo driver while teaching inner-city youths how to box. When a deal Danny organizes, against his father’s wishes, goes bad, Michael inadvertently finds himself on the wrong side of things, causing him to reluctantly have to rely on his pop.

Gorgeously filmed (director Collet-Serra and cinematographer Martin Rhue give New York City its own starring role in the film) and strongly acted, “Run All Night” is another in a long line of “bad ass with a heart of gold” roles for Liam Neeson. Here he plays a tough Irishman who drinks, which I’m pretty sure wasn’t much of a stretch. And while he’s very good here, as he is in pretty much everything he does, I miss the romantic Neeson…the “Love, Actually” Neeson. Here he gets to mete out some fatherly advice while constantly making sure that Michael never fires a shot, afraid he will follow him down hell’s path. The best part of the films are when Neeson and Harris meet up and talk about their lives and their plans. Both men are mesmerizing on screen and they’re fun to watch. They know that their sons are suffering because of them and when they’re in the same room together, the tension grows so fast you may need to take a breath on occasion. The film does manage to run a little long, and an almost “forced” reminder of the New York Rangers hockey team take a little glow off of the film, but all in all, it’s a well recommended film!

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, and Dave Franco
Directed By: Ken Scott
Rated: R
Running Time: 91 Minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 1 out of 5 stars

I would have really liked to enjoy “Unfinished Business”. I really would have. I like Vince Vaughn and believe that his mere presence can perk up the lamest of scripts and that his demeanor can bring life into the dullest of ideas. He’s managed to polish up some of Hollywood’s comedic turds into something that’s passable, but maybe he’s finally hit that wall where he can’t save a script. Or that charm has finally run out for me. Either way, “Unfinished Business” is the low point of Vince Vaughn’s career.

Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) has started his own small sales business and his only employees are Timothy McWinters (Wilkinson) and Mike Pancake (Franco), and that last name is not a typo. His last name is Pancake. If that didn’t make you laugh, then I hate to tell you that that’s a reoccurring that joke that wears thin after the first time, much like most of the humor in this movie.

Dan is the only character with any form of depth or range. He’s a family man who’s struggling to keep his tiny firm above water and worries about whether his children can continue going to private school. There’s also the struggle of being a role model for those kids and the two incompetent employees he’s ended up with. As for Tim, he’s just a dirty old man. Mike is the opposite. He’s a naive boy who apparently hasn’t lost his virginity until all three men need to make a business trip overseas to Europe. Tim and Mike play as one note jokes with Tim constantly talking about how much he wants to wheelbarrow (look it up) a girl and Mike who constantly gives a goofy grin and schoolboy chuckle, followed by an ingenuous question. I honestly can’t think of any other jokes that this movie attempted.

There is this plot about Dan having to land a deal with a company and facing off against his former boss/colleague, but it’s never played out and adds to the general incomplete feeling this movie finds itself in. It pitches itself as a debauchery filled trip for the little guy in corporate America, but there’s only about two to five minutes dedicated to the actually vulgarity of partying and half of that is montages. As for the little guy sticking it to the big bad businesses they find themselves competing with, that’s a missed opportunity heaped upon other missed other opportunities. Most of “Unfinished Business” finds itself stumbling into lazy gags and foreign scenery.

When I heard that Vince Vaughn would be on the second season of HBO’s “True Detective”, I was excited because Vaughn has so much thespianism to offer, but consistently finds himself biting on low hanging fruit. After watching “Unfinished Business”, I’m not as excited and worried that he may be relegated to a secondary character that’s still unbecoming of his acting gift.

Starring: Dev Patel, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith
Directed by: John Madden
Rated: PG
Running time: 2 hours 2 mins
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The irony about being a film critic is that, sometimes, I’m the one that gets criticized for what I’ve written. I know what to expect when I recommend an Adam Sandler film. Sue me, I’m a 13 year old boy in an old man’s body. But this afternoon, as I was preparing this review, I saw a criticism I never would have expected. While going back to see what I had rated the original “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” I noticed a comment had been left. Basically it read:

There is NO WAY English senior’s immune, digestive system can handle Indian foods, whatsoever. Yet again this is nothing but another nonsensical story set in a place which Western senior-transplants haven’t ANY possibility of surviving. (sic)

Wow! Someone sure had a lot of time on his hands. As well as a much better understanding of the British digestive system then I do. Anyway, I thought I’d share that. And now, on with the show.

When we last left our over enthusiastic innkeeper Sonny Kapoor (Patel), he had just convinced a group of elderly British citizens to call his burgeoning hotel “home.” Today we find him visiting the United States, speeding down the historic Route 66 with the barb-tongued Mrs. Donnelly (Smith) by his side. They meet with the owner of a large international hotel chain (David Strathairn) in the hopes of having him finance Sonny’s dream of another hotel and the beginnings of an empire. Sonny is soon due to marry the lovely Sunaina (Tina Desai) and he wants a new hotel to be a wedding gift to his bride. Sonny and Mrs. Donnelly return to India assured that an inspector from the hotel chain would visit to see how Sonny runs his operation. But when more than one new guest shows up to register for a stay, it is obvious that the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel can use some expansion help.

Cleverly written and expertly acted, “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is a welcome, sunny treat during these final weeks of winter. Bolstered by Patel’s exuberance and a first rate cast of British acting veterans, the film sometimes returns to the same situations that occupied the first film but with enough charm that it survives on its own merits. Joining the returning cast is Richard Gere, a recently divorced man looking for a quiet place to write a novel. He is smitten with Sonny’s mother (Lillete Dubey), who is unsure how to accept this Western man’s advances. As for the returning residents, we find Evelyn (Dench) now gainfully employed while Douglas (Nighy), continues to silently pine for her. And of course, Mrs Donnelly is as feisty as ever, delivering such lines as “just because I’m looking at you when you’re speaking doesn’t mean I’m paying attention to you,” with the timing of Groucho Marx. These stories, and others, once again intertwine as the wedding day gets closer. Gere is especially good here, doing what he does best, romance. Even at age 65, Gere is, as Sonny points out, “so handsome that even I question my own sexuality.”

Director John Madden, who also helmed the first film as well as “Shakespeare in Love,” has reteamed with writer Ol Parker to bring old friends back together and introduce us to new ones. Not sure if there’s a third story on this hotel, but it’s certainly one I’d be more than happy to visit.

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Starring: Ziggy Gruber, Larry King, Jerry Stiller
Directed By: Eric Greenberg Anjou
Running Time: 91 mins
Cohen Media Group

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Viewers would be advised to eat and eat well before attending a screening of Erik Greenberg Anjou’s charming, if a bit long, documentary Deli Man. With copious shots of deli menu staples, if they take nothing else from the film, it will likely be a craving or two. Fortunately there is more to like in the doc than just the matzo ball soup.

Deli Man follows the cultural and economic origins of this Jewish food institution at time when they’re fading out in America. More importantly it follows the quirky characters behind and in front of the counter who are around to make sure it doesn’t despite all obstacles. Anjou’s assembled a broad range of deli aficionados of authors and celebrities including Jerry Stiller and Larry King (the newsman hilariously credited instead as a “Deli Maven”) who gleefully extol the virtues of the perfect corn beef sandwich while peppering in plenty of Yiddish—don’t worry if you’re not of the Jewish persuasion Anjou helpfully has plenty of lower third definitions to keep you up to speed.

More specifically the doc follows one Ziggy Gruber, the affable owner of Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen in Houston Texas. Gruber, himself a Cordon Bleu trained chef, opted to forego high class restaurants in order to uphold the traditional foods of his grandparents. He’s a fun character to be around and his passion for the food and his heritage is contagious. In a touching sequence he returns to the church where his grandparents were married. Gruber is also surrounded by plenty of loving enablers who, while not in the deli business themselves, respect its importance to Ziggy.

The history side of Deli Man is extensive and interesting (those crazy 1900s kids craved more spices than their elders!) though sharing the screen with Gruber leads to the film to feel divided in focus, making the runtime seem longer than it is. Still, the film is extremely likeable and like the delis themselves, sustained by the impassioned characters in front of the counter.

Deli Man begins its limited run on February 27th and expands further on March 6th, for a complete list of cities visit the film’s website.

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Starring: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke
Directed By: Steve Pink
Rated: R
Running Time: 93 minutes
Paramount Pictures

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Let’s go back to very late 2009. I was still in college and people were using Facebook since there was no Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or other form of social media to fill up our limitless down time. This was when we truly shared every little thing on Facebook because we didn’t yet know or understand the consequences of our oversharing. I remember specifically when the trailer for the first “Hot Tub Time Machine” was released. Every status update ripped into it and I remember thinking, “There’s no way in hell this could be remotely good.” Despite my gut reaction, I still saw and was pleasantly surprised. So rewind to not too long ago to 2014 and seeing a trailer for the sequel and thinking the exact same thing. I am once again wrong, but not by much.

This sequel brings back nearly everyone from the first, except John Cusack, who is jokingly mentioned when his character’s absence is brought up. Craig Robinson is still loveable as Nick, Rob Corddry once again brings back his Danny McBride-like contemptible Lou, and then there’s Clark Duke who plays Jacob. Sorry. He’s still just a character who’s kind of a fourth wheel (technically third wheel now) to the group. Since the first movie, the trio of used their knowledge of the future to augment their life. Nick steals ideas from songs that have not yet been crafted, Lou simply blurts out technological advances before their time and Jacob just follows along the coattails of Lou. Like I said, fourth wheel.

Of course Lou is still a miserable troll who irks everyone who crosses his path. So when someone shoots him at one of his lavish parties, they must use the hot tub time machine to go into the past to find who shot him and why. Of course in this movie, they go into the future, but create an alternate time line so technically it’s still the past…I’ll just avoid the confusion and say that they’re in the future which will result in them finding out what happened in the past. They at least make light of this troublesome plot.

What makes this sequel admirable is it’s ability to find every way to jump the shark while drawing out a filthy laugh from you. “22 Jump Street” set the mark for making a comedy sequel, but “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” manages to point a few things that are worth noting. They manage to point out the stolen sci-fi formulas they’re playing with and the absurdity of them. Also by the movies end, they manage to point out some of the predictable set-ups that today’s comedies have fallen into. When a unnecessary comedy sequel points that out, it might be time for the rest of Hollywood’s comedy writers to take note and change up their comedic ingredients.

I should probably quit heaping praise on this movie because it’s not without it’s flaws. This is still a movie that has to introduce another character to demote Jacob to fourth wheel. The introduction of Adam Scott as the son of John Cusack’s character is welcome, but doesn’t quite fill the hole that Cusack left behind. Cusack provided a reliable straight man while Scott is simply the virgin who gets to pop his party cherry. It’s fun, but not the right component for the group that needs a voice of sanity.

Ultimately the movie is choppy, but clever enough at trying to stay new. It’s unwarranted, but funny enough for a one time viewing for fans of the original. I wish it would have maken light of the fact that it’s a redundant sequel to a bizarre comedy. Maybe when “Hot Tub Time Machine 3” (let’s hope not) rolls around, it’ll realize how much of a cash grab for Paramount Pictures it has become and create the ultimate meta, middle finger.

Starring: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello and Ramiro Rodriguez
Directed by: Niki Caro
Rated: PG
Running time: 2 hours 8 mins
Walt Disney Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

I don’t know why, but I picture a little office hidden deep in the bowels of the Walt Disney Company where a little man with glasses sits every day and reads 150 small town newspapers every day, looking for just the right story that will make a great movie. Whether it’s the story of bartender turned pro-football player Vince Papale in “Invincible” or high school coach Jimmy Morris striking out batters in the major leagues in “The Rookie,” the people at Disney know what people like. Winners. And “McFarland, USA” crosses the finish line in first place.

Jim White (Costner) is a high school football coach with a temper. After a poor performance in the first half of a game, White scolds his team in the locker room. When his quarterback doesn’t seem to be getting the message, White throws a shoe at him. The shoe bounces off a locker and hits the young man in the face. Say it with me: “You’re fired!” Needing a new gig, White moves his family to the small, migrant heavy town of McFarland, California. He again runs into trouble when, as an assistant football coach, he refuses to put a player back in the game after a big hit. He’s doing the right thing but his actions rile the head coach, who has him dismissed. In his PE class white notices many of the young boys he sends to run laps return quickly and not out of breath. He learns that these boys have a stamina born from working many hours in the fields, both before and after school. White gets an idea. In order to keep his teaching gig, and earn the extra money that coaching provides, White decides to put together a cross-country running team. But getting the boys to buy in to the experiment is another thing all together.

A “Hispanic ‘Hoosiers’”, and I mean that with all due respect, “McFarland, USA” is an uplifting film that hits the right notes. This could have easily been a stereotypical “white coach shows up and changes the minority athlete’s lives” story but it is, in fact, much more. The first sign of prejudice we see is from White and his family. From their reluctance to eat dinner at a Mexican restaurant to White’s overprotective actions when a group of tricked-out cars drive by, it becomes clear that the only problem here is White’s attitude. He learns to temper these thoughts by getting to know the boys, and their families. While the parents are impressed that this could be a way for the boys to escape the fields and possibly attend college, they must also come to grips with the knowledge that every hour the boys are at practice is an hour not spent in the field. And this situation affects the whole family. Only after White volunteers to go to work with the boys one morning do we really see the work ethic required to do the job needed. It is a teaching moment unlike any other for the coach.

On the performance front, this is Costner’s second strong performance this year. Like Gene Hackman’s Coach Dale in “Hoosiers,” Jim White is a flawed man with a passion. And that passion comes through quietly in Costner’s performance. Whether he’s eating a plate full of enchiladas at a runner’s house or pacing the boys while they run, sitting on the seat of his daughter’s high-handled “Barbie” bike, his willingness to teach, and learn, is visible. Among the young runners, Rodriguez’ Danny Diaz is the most complete character. The plot almost takes a turn into maudlin territory (Coach White’s daughter begins seeing one of the team members, a gang altercation takes place) but director Caro manages to keep her eye on the prize and steers the film back to where it needs to go. If you’re looking for a story that will inspire long after the final credits, then go see “McFarland, USA.” And keep an eye out for the local newspaper!

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Virginia Madsen and Danny DeVito
Directed by: Michael Johnson
Rated: This film is unrated
Running time: 1 hour 25 mins
Screen Media Films

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

James Charm (Smit-McPhee) would easily be labeled the “weird” kid if you didn’t know him. Since his father’s death, James spends the majority of his time in his room, listening to Chopin and reading Melville and Sandburg. He also seems to have picked up a pre-occupation with death, from the family hamster to a schoolmate, who punches James in the face after the boy predicts the day and time he will meet his maker. James is seeing a sympathetic psychiatrist (DeVito) at the request of his mother (Madsen) but he doesn’t seem to be making any progress. However, a chance meeting and a night time bus ride will soon bring James back into the world he’s trying to escape.

I’m giving a little leeway here because “All the Wilderness” is a first time feature by screenwriter/director Johnson. There is a lot going for it, but also some things going against it. On the plus side, the film is rich with strong performances, especially the younger cast members. James wears his weariness like a badge and Smit-McPhee perfectly embodies a young man growing up lost without a father to guide him. His fellow youthful co-stars are equally strong. Isabelle Fuhrman is Val, the chance meeting that manages to bring a little sunshine into James’ life. As Harmon, James newfound friend and influence, Evan Ross also manages to help put a smile on James’ face. Of course, life isn’t all rainbows, but when the storms come the three manage to explore them without falling into a stereotypical fracas. On the negative, only the younger characters seem to have been completely drawn. Madsen is wasted as a mother whose only scenes seem to be of her drinking wine and scolding James. You can sense the love underneath the performance but she’s not given enough to push it to the forefront. DeVito has a few good moments but his character comes across as the standard Judd Hirsch/Robin Williams shrink everyone expects anymore. Another detriment is the running time. You have to make sacrifices as a first time feature filmmaker and I wonder if there was more to be added.

As a filmmaker, Johnson has an experimental way with a camera that shows promise for the future. He also manages to make the nightlife of Portland, Oregon (thank you, Food Network, for your many journeys to VooDoo Donuts, which I recognized on screen) look exciting! I will certainly be keeping an eye out for his next project.

Starring: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin
Directed by: Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hour 41 mins
Sony Pictures Classic

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

“Still Alice” – based on the novel of the same name by Lisa Genova – is a finely performed, well-paced film, and while it may strike some emotional chords with a female demographic, I found it to be extremely hard to relate to. However, that’s primarily the only flaw I had with this film.

Alice Howland (Moore) is a renowned linguist whom after a few strange episodes of forgetting words, and not remembering where she is, discovers that she has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The film rests solely on Moore’s performance, which works well. She is in every single scene of the film, and all the other actors seem to be there just to back her up. Alec Baldwin gives a fine performance as Alice’s husband. And although she was only in a few scenes, Kate Bosworth was able to bring some emotion to this story. On the other hand, Kristen Stewart blinks and stammers her way through scenes as she is accustomed to doing. I don’t dislike Kristen Stewart, but in my opinion it’s unwise to have her acting opposite Julianne Moore in a scene. Most of the emotional scenes take place between Moore and Stewart, and Stewart does not deliver at all.

Moore’s performance is so subtle, while also being erratic at times, that you can’t fully see the change she makes with her character, until toward the end of the film. Alice Howland, after discovering her disease, leaves a video message for herself on her computer; and when she watches it months and months later, you’d believe it was two different women. That moment alone is deserving of Moore’s recent Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

As stated before, I found this film hard to relate to, and that stems from the writing. The story falls into too many of the generic character ruts that we’ve seen all too often. The talented, independent woman, with the brainy, and handsome husband. Three adult kids: a son who is a doctor like his father, a daughter that is married and perfect, yet struggling to have children; and the youngest daughter with her dreams of acting while not contemplating college. As this disease sets in, Alice is able to quit her job and move out to their family’s house on an island as her husband contemplates taking a year off from his job in academia and being with her. I’m sure people like this exist, but to a Midwestern man, I can not relate to it. Although I can quite easily relate to the heartbreaking reality of family members living with Alzheimer’s.

As a whole I liked the film, and it did get to me on an emotional level once or twice. Julianne Moore once again reminds us of the talent she has, and the story itself points the finger at a disease that not enough people are talking about.

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Starring: Colin Firth, Teron Egerton and Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 9 mins
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

1997. Several members of an elite British spy organization are interrogating a terrorist suspect. Refusing to answer the bad guy produces a previously hidden grenade. In a split second, one of the Brits jumps on the grenade, taking the brunt of the blast and saving his comrades. Back in Britain the young hero’s wife and small son are presented with a medal for valor, with a number engraved on it. Should they ever need anything, they only have to call.

2014. Following the kidnapping of a climate professor (Mark Hamill) and the brutal murder of another spy, the agency known as Kingsman begins a hunt for a new member. At the same time we meet Gary “Eggsy” Unwin. Gary was the young boy who lost his father seventeen years ago and has run afoul of the law. Asking to make a phone call, he pulls a chain from around his neck on which hangs his father’s medal.

A curious mix of comedy and drama, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” starts out well when it introduces Harry Hart (Firth), code name Galahad, a suave, sophisticated spy with all of the coolness of James Bond and the badness of Jack Bauer. Harry reports to Arthur (Michael Caine) and informs him he’d like to submit Eggsy (Egerton) to fill the position that is open. When the candidates assemble, it’s obvious that Eggsy will have his work cut out for him. The other young men in attendance have proper names like Rufus and Digby. There are also two young ladies in the class. They are met by the course leader (Mark Strong) and informed that their first task is to write their names and next of kin on a provided body bag. Failure to succeed is pretty severe.

While the kids are playing spy, the organization is dealing with stopping a crazy billionaire who is offering the world free cell phone service and internet through an item he is giving away. Named Valentine (Jackson), he’s the stereotypical movie bad guy, though Jackson makes him interesting by playing him as a lisping Mars Blackmon. When Harry discovers that Valentine’s product will cause people to literally kill each other he decides to intervene. And here is where the film goes off the tracks. Harry attends services at a white-supremacist church and soon finds himself in a battle for his life. In an amazingly filmed, but so over the top that you don’t care, scene, Harry literally kills EVERYONE in the church, but every means available. Gunshots to the head and a flag pole in the chest are two of the many interesting and gory ways the parishioners die. While a great display of some nice visual effects, this scene, which seems to go on for 30 mins, just takes you out of the film totally. Any sense of believability runs out the exit door. Which isn’t good when there’s still a lot of movie left to go. Firth does a good job as the proper English spy and looks like he’s having a good time. Sadly I couldn’t say the same.

Starring: Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer
Directed by: Mike Binder
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 1 min
Relativity Media

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Elliot Anderson (Costner) is a very successful lawyer living the good life. But when we meet him it is one of the worse days of his life. His wife has been killed in an auto accident and he must now break the news to his granddaughter, Eloise (Jillian Estell), who they have raised since the death of their daughter. Things get complicated when Eloise’s paternal grandmother, Rowena (Spencer) petitions for custody. Did I mention that Elliot is white and Rowena is black?

A fine attempt at conveying the message that a child is best molded when love is the main ingredient, “Black or White” relies mostly on coincidence and disbelief to succeed. When Rowena and her extended family visit Elliot’s home after the funeral, Rowena scolds him for never inviting her family over to swim in his pool. Rowena, et all live in Compton. But in a very nice part of Compton. Rowena talks a good game but really, the only difference I can see between her neighborhood and Elliot’s is that Elliot’s has more pools per square inch. We also learn that Rowena is a successful businesswoman with multiple achievements. Why hasn’t she moved from Compton? Things get even worse for Elliot when Eloise’s father shows up and joins the custody case.

Kevin Costner has grown into a fine character actor. Here he plays Elliot as a man who loves his granddaughter but also loves his liquor. Rowena accuses him of being an alcoholic but actually he’s just sad. He’s already lost two women in his life and faces losing a third. Spencer gives Rowena a coolness that makes her endearing…not the caricaturistic “black granny” (see: Tyler Perry’s Medea). But credit is also due to the youngest members of the cast. Estell is cute but smart as Eloise and Mpho Koaho almost steals the film as the young math tutor that works with both Eloise and Elliot. Anthony Mackie and Andre’ Holland also do well as Rowena’s brother/attorney and Eloise’s father, respectively. The script, written by director Binder, tries to say too much, and in doing so, loses some of its charm.

Starring:  Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain and Albert Brooks
Directed by:  J.C. Chandor
Rated: R
Running time:  2 hrs 5 mins
A24

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

So many things happened in New York City in 1981.  Julia Stiles and Paris Hilton were born there that year.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, over 1,800 people were murdered.  And, on a personal note, I saw my first Broadway musical, “42nd Street,” when I was visiting the city on my way to Germany. It’s also the setting and time period for the new film written and directed by J.C. Chandor, “A Most Violent Year.”

Abel Morales (Isaac) and his wife, Anna (Chastain) have built a good life for themselves.  With much hard work they have grown a small heating oil business into a mini-empire.  Which makes many of the other would be oil magnates angry.  Soon the Morales’ trucks are being hijacked, their drivers beaten. Compared to what is about to come down the pike, losing their inventory could be the best thing to happen to them.

More intense then violent, “A Most Violent Year” is a tightly written story carried along on the shoulders of its actors. Isaac plays Abel as an honorable man.  I’m sure it’s no coincidence that Abel was the brother killed by Cain and that you can’t spell Morales without “moral.”  Having just committed all of his savings as a deposit to the purchase of a new facility (if the deal does not go through he loses his money), Abel learns that the local D.A. is about to file charges against him for fraud – apparently the heating oil business is very shady. Couple that with the fact that one of his drivers, while being hijacked, pulled out an unregistered gun and traded shots with the bad guys.  Not too many banks like to take risks like that and Abel finds himself slowly drawn into a world he doesn’t want to be a part of.  Isaac’s performance brings to mind Al Pacino (both in choices and in appearance) in “The Godfather.”  On the opposite side you have Chastain’s Anna.  The daughter of a former wise guy, Anna is the tough one in the relationship, always staying one step ahead of the next search warrant.  It is as the couple slowly reverse roles that make the film entertaining.

Technically the film also delivers.  The period cars and clothing are spot on as are the shots of a much grittier and dirtier Big Apple.  Named the Best Picture of the Year by the National Board of Review, “A Most Violent Year” somehow avoided being nominated for anything Oscar-wise (I would gladly put Chastain in Laura Dern’s spot in the Supporting Actress race this year).  I don’t know if it’s the best film of the year but it’s certainly one of them.

Starring: Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 12 mins
Warner Brothers

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

As he looks through the scope of his high-powered rifle, Chris Kyle (Cooper) describes the scene. A young boy and his mother are standing on the street while a group of American soldiers approaches. The woman hands the boy something and he starts walking towards the soldiers. Kyle thinks the woman handed the boy a grenade and asks for confirmation. No one else saw the handoff so now it’s up to Kyle to make a decision. Shoot an innocent boy and cause a world-wide uproar, or defend the troops he’s there to protect. He releases the safety, exhales quietly and….

Featuring an amazing performance by Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper” is Clint Eastwood’s return as an important filmmaker. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Eastwood’s take on “Jersey Boys” last summer but musicals are not his bread and butter. After years of “one for you” (a “Dirty Harry” flick) and “one for me” (“Honky Tonk Man,” “White Hunter, Black Heart”) with Warner Brothers, Eastwood created “Unforgiven,” winning his first directing Oscar along the way. He followed that film up with “Mystic River” (another Oscar nod) and “Million Dollar Baby” (another Oscar) as well as two very different films that looked at war through different eyes, “Flags of My Father” and “Letters From Iwo Jima.” A musical was probably a nice break but Eastwood is best when he’s looking at life and the moral questions it asks.

Based on the exploits Kyle himself highlighted in his book of the same name, “American Sniper” is a film that will have you on the edge of your seat constantly. Eastwood puts the viewer INTO the war. It’s you looking through the scope, fingering the trigger and praying you’re not wrong.

Carrying an extra 40 pounds of muscle, Cooper transforms himself in to Kyle. Gone is the smart-alecky Phil from “The Hangover.” Instead we gaze upon one of America’s finest. Cooper loses himself in the performance giving a believability that is often lost in films like this. He is matched emotion for emotion by Miller, who portrays his frightened wife, Taya. Her fear, home alone, is just as real as the fear Kyle faces in the field. But that fear doesn’t stop him from doing his job, emerging from his tours of duty as the most deadly sniper in U.S. military history. Kyle is so feared by the enemy that “Wanted” posters featuring just images of just his tattoos begin springing up. His story is uplifting as well as it is tragic, and should be remembered for a long time to come.

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