Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle
Directed by: Shane Black
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hours 10 mins
Paramount

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Bern, Switzerland. December 31, 1999. As the clock prepares to chime midnight to welcome in the new century Tony Stark is trying his best to occupy the time of a fellow scientist. A beautiful fellow scientist. As they make their way towards an elevator they are met by a quiet, disheveled man who introduces himself as Aldrich Killian. He extends his business card but the one-track minded Stark tells him to meet him on the roof in five minutes. Needless to say, he watches the Y2K fireworks alone.

Present day. While Stark spends his days in his workshop building new versions of his “Iron Man” suit (he’s currently on number 42), his former assistant/now love interest Pepper Potts is running things at Stark Industries. She is assisted by an overzealous Happy (Jon Favreau), Starks one-time bodyguard since promoted to head of security. Happy has an eye on a suspicious character loitering in the lobby (James Badge Dale). The gentleman is accompanying the tall, handsome stranger now talking with Pepper. Aldrich Killian.

Has it only been five years since “Iron Man” took flight and launched one of the most popular, both financially and critically, series of films ever made? In this version we find a Tony Stark who isn’t as cool and confidant as he was in the past. Due to the events featured in last summer’s “The Avengers” Stark is having the occasional nightmare. And panic attacks. And at a most inopportune time. It seems our government has drawn the raft of a terrorist who calls himself the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley in what should be an Oscar nominated performance). With Iron Man on hiatus, it’s up to Colonel James Rhodes to put on his War Machine suit in order to protect the President (William Sadler), though in a new patriotic spirit War Machine is now known as the Iron Patriot. When a series of executions and bombings begin to threaten the country Stark decides he needs to get back in the battle.

Packed with virtually non-stop action from start to finish, “Iron Man 3” is the best film in the “Iron Man” series and among the best Marvel-inspired films ever, thanks to a top-notch cast, an almost flawless script and one of the most surprising directing jobs I’ve ever seen. With the exception of a previous working relationship with Downey, who he directed in his debut film “Kiss Bang,” I could not understand how Shane Black was hired to direct this film. Black, creator of the “Lethal Weapon” series as well as such testosterone-fueled films as “The Last Boyscout” and “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” takes the reins from previous director (and now co-star) Favreau and gallops away with a film that excites and still packs a punch emotionally.

Downey, who pretty much invented the present day loveable smart ass, gives the film it’s emotional weight. As the Mandarin’s attacks get closer and closer to he and those he loves, Stark must react as only he can. As Pepper, Paltrow is much more than a minor character here and she runs with the new importance her character is afforded. Pearce is also strong in a role 180 degrees from anything he’s ever done before. Even though it’s been 30 years since Kingsley won an Oscar (for “Gandhi”) he continues to turn in outstanding work at a time in his career when others in his position are playing kindly grandfathers. As he approaches 70 Kingsley shows he’s got a few more surprises up his sleeve. The supporting cast (Sadler, Cheadle) really don’t have enough to do (the majority of Cheadle’s screen time is with his face obscured in the Iron Patriot suit) but that’s not the fault of either actor. The action sequences are entertaining as hell, with Black pulling off one of the greatest action sequences ever put on film, one that had the audience cheering when it was over. With the Boston Marathon bombing only a few weeks behind us, there is a chilling feel to the film, especially after one unaccompanied bomb kills everyone within a few yards of it. And, like the majority of the Marvel universe films, sit back and wait until the film ends to catch a little extra goodie or two after the credits.

Director: David M. Rosenthal
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Jeffrey Wright, Kelly Reilly, Jason Isaacs, Joe Anderson
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 116 minutes

Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

 A Single Shot begins with West Virginian hunter John Moon (Sam Rockwell) accidentally shooting a woman dead while hunting deer. As if this weren’t enough cause for alarm, John discovers both a hand gun and a suspicious stash of cash in her makeshift camp. Moon hides the body and takes the money. Never the best plan. What follows is a tense backwoods cat and mouse game held together by a strong lead in a terrifying setting.

Moon, it turns out, has already been in trouble with the law as a poacher and sees the money as a means to get back his estranged wife (Kelly Reilly) and son. It doesn’t forgive Moon for his actions but reveals him as a desperate fool for thinking his plan has any chance of succeeding. He’s not unfamiliar with breaking the law, but not on the scale of the men whose threats start with phone calls and escalate. Rockwell does an amazing job at taking John through all the levels of fear. Whether he’s trying to remain calm as his phone rings in the presence of an old friend (Jeffrey Wright) or outright challenging unseen attackers in the woods, you can really feel the panic of a man realizing he’s in way over his head. The forrest surroundings John was so familiar with at the start of the film suddenly turn on him and it seems as though violence can, and in fact does, break out anywhere around him. Often shockingly so. The woods are beautifully shot in all their ominous foggy glory by Eduard Grau, and manage to seem expansive and claustrophobic at the same time.

The strong ensemble cast is perhaps too large to be sustained by a film whose focus must remain solidly on Moon’s dilemma. For example, as Waylon, the thug behind the money, Jason Isaacs isn’t given as much screen time as you would like considering he’s supposed to be the big bad of the movie. Consequently he is out-menaced early on by lackey Obadiah (a magnetic, psycho Joe Anderson) and Moon’s divorce lawyer played by William H. Macy (wearing a crime against toupees). Similarly, Moon and his wife’s relationship could have been strengthened to get at the heart of Moon more than the flirtations we wind up seeing with his neighbor’s daughter. Ultimately though this is Rockwell’s movie and there’s no doubt he’s an expert at isolation. His Moon is reason enough to wander into these woods.

Directed by: Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Evans, Jason Eisener
Distributed by: Magnolia Pictures
Rated: R
Running Time: 95 mins

Score: 4 out of 5 stars

V/H/S 2 is, as was its predecessor, an anthology film comprised of horror shorts by different directors strung loosely together by a framing story. The excuse for getting the tapes together this time are investigators stumbling upon the collection on a search for a missing person. Sure. So how are the tapes?

The first one, “Clinical Trials” I thought was cause for concern. A man’s new artificial eye is doubling as a recording device for its creators’ research. Of course this being a horror film, the eye brings with it the startling additional ability to see the dead. Eventually the patient links up with an eccentric female patient who can hear the dead and panic and chaos ensue. Well made and a bit slicker for having the eye-camera being so super high-tech, “Clinical Trials” just seemed a bit predictable compared to what V/H/S delivered.

If “Clinical Trials” had me worried, the second short “A Ride in the Park” brought me right back on board. A biker mounts a camera to his helmet in order to record his ride through the park when he is unfortunately attacked by zombies. But the mounted camera records regardless. From then on, we get a hilarious look at the POV of a zombie– from the uninterrupted conversion from human to undead, to his bumbling recruitment of his small zombie posse. A bloody climax at a kids’ park birthday party had me cracking up.

“Safe Haven” continued the upward climb of these stories for the sheer number of WTF moments per minute. A film crew looks to investigate a cult leader and his flock in their compound. The Indonesian guru, ominously known as “father”, is surrounded by tons of female acolytes who eventually over power the crew in a deliriously over-the-top and hellish finale. The punchline of this short was my favorite in V/H/S 2.

It’s difficult to follow the madness of “Safe Haven” but “Slumber Party Alien Abduction” does so admirably. Eventually the most serious of the bunch, it relies on a dog-mounted video recorder (he’s the tool in a prank war), to capture a terrifying batch of aliens assaulting a kids’ party. It’s a blur of panicked teens, woods, and that poor dog having to face aliens. The sounds of the alien invasion are what really sell the terror here, but having the dog camera-man makes this one the hardest to watch both for the visual shakiness and his helplessness.

Notable in this installment is often its reliance on broad sunlight over shadows which help tip the scale towards more humor than horror on occasion, while helping to showcase the gore in all its glory. Like the previous film, the setup to our watching this collection is mostly irrelevant but the payoff contains to my mind the most gruesome shot of the film. After what we’ve been through, it’s an impressive feat and a great closer to our trip through this horror funhouse.

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton and Susan Sarandon
Directed by: Justin Zackham
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 30 mins
Lionsgate

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

You really can’t go wrong when your cast boasts (4) actors with a combined (20) Academy Award nominations (and (5) Oscars) between them. And after a few minutes “The Big Wedding” doesn’t disappoint.

It’s a big weekend for all involved. Alejandro (Ben Barnes) and Missy (Amanda Seyfried) are going to be married. Alejandro was a third world child adopted by Don (DeNiro) and Ellie (Keaton). Years ago the marriage broke up when Don cheated with Ellie’s best friend, Bebe (Sarandon). Don and Bebe are still together but not married. Don and Ellie also had two other children: daughter Lyla (Katherine Heigl), an attorney and son Jared (the always fun to watch Topher Grace), a doctor with a secret. Well, after a night out with friends from work not that much of a secret. It seems Jared is a virgin. At age 15 he decided to wait for true love. Sadly, fifteen years later, he hasn’t found it yet. The big news though is that Alejandro’s birth mother, Madonna (Patricia Rae), who has kept in touch with the boy over the years, will be attending the wedding. Knowing his mother is very devout he never told her that Don and Ellie split up. Now he has a favor to ask of everyone. Can Don and Ellie pretend to still be married for three days to keep the religious faith? Well, they can certainly try.

Flawlessly acted by a cast I would pay to see read the Yellow Pages, “The Big Wedding” is a fine ensemble piece that plays like a mix of “The Birdcage” and “Meet the Parents.” And not a coincidence since the cast includes both DeNiro and, as the priest enlisted to perform the service, Robin Williams. Everyone on screen, from the award winning veterans to the younger cast members, share a great chemistry together. Whether it’s a more serious situation (Heigl’s inability to get pregnant is destroying her marriage) or a comical one (accompanying Madonna is her stunningly beautiful daughter (Ana Ayora) who has a request for Jared: to please make love to her! It truly is a comedy of errors as one little deception begins to grow into a comedic brouhaha.

Director Zackman adapted his script from the French film “Mon frère se Marie.” He has a nice flow with the story telling, letting each small vignette lead into another in a seamless way. The emotional trip runs the gamut from tears to laughter and everything in between. But it is a trip I recommend you take.

Director: Stephen Fung
Starring: Jayden Yuan, Angelababy, Eddie Peng, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Peter Stormare, Daniel Wu
Distributed by: Well-Go Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 100 minutes

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

When I read about a kung-fu movie that infused both martial arts with steampunk, I was very interested.  Then I saw the film “Tai Chi Zero” and was not really blown away but not disappointed either.  “Tai Chi Hero” is the second film in a trilogy from the creators of “Ip Man” and “Detective Dee”, which are two of my favorites. This film is a real disappointment and an all around waste of time. I honestly do not think that I have ever been this bored watching a martial arts film. It was shot back-to-back with the film film and I think that they really gave all the attention to the first child in the series and forgot about the second one.  There is little to no action in the film and the story is not interesting at all.  The first one wasn’t amazing but this film makes it shine.

Official Premise: Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan) is still trying to find his place in Chen Village, the legendary town where everyone is a martial arts master…and Chen-style Tai Chi is forbidden to outsiders. But since he helped save the town from a frightening steam-powered machine, Yuniang (Angelababy), beautiful daughter of Grandmaster Chen (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), agrees to marry Lu Chan and bring him into the family. It’s only a formality, though – she is the teacher, and he is the student – and that suits Lu Chan just fine, as the mutant horn on his head gives him incredible kung-fu power, but leaves him dumber each time, and closer to death. Chen Village still stands in the shadow of danger. A prodigal brother returns, Lu Chan’s presence invokes a curse on the town, and Yuniang’s scorned fiancée has an appetite for revenge, as well as some new partners in crime.

The best thing about this film is that it features its martial arts are directed by Sammo Hung.  He is such a legend when it comes to martial arts.  But with this film, the charm just isn’t there. His work is matched with beauty and a certain zen feel but neither is present here. The first film had some amazing martial arts and visual effects with this film they just seemed like they blew their whole budget on the first film and struggled to piece this one together.  Also it has a strange appearance from American actor Peter Stormare (“Fargo”). Lastly the film like “Tai Chi Zero” was shot in 3D, but is not being released in 3D here in the U.S.  There is not much in this film anyway, besides added depth, that would have benefited from this but the plane scenes cool have been cool. So unless you absolutely love the first film and need to see this sequel, then I would suggest passing for sure.

Starring: Neil Hopkins, Brea Grant
Director: William Dickerson
Distributed by: Level 1 Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time : 87 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Detour” is a little indie film which could have easily slipped through my radar. But thanks to the power of the internet, over the last month, I have seen this film pop up all over. I am glad that paid attention to the hype since this film is freaking fantastic. 95% of the film takes place inside a car when our lead Jackson (Neil Hopkins) is trapped by a mudslide in the hills of California. I can’t help but relate this film to others like “127 Hours” or “Buried”, since it deals with the same issues of being isolation in a confined space and the struggle to survive. Those were good films but I have to say I was absolutely blown away with “Detour”. I will be spreading the word like a wildfire since this is a film that people need to see.

Let’s get to the cast, actually in fact the cast is one person since “Detour” is the Neil Hopkins show. He runs the whole show and boy, does he nail this out of the park. He is best known for his role of Liam on “Lost”. This performance better get him some mega recognition because he really deserves it. It is very hard to carry a film for almost 90 minutes on your own but he makes it look easy. His character, Jackson, is a commercial actor who must struggle for survival and find a way to make it out of alive. Luckily, he is a also a very resourceful guy with a car full of everyday items that he uses to assist with this fight. This films keep you on your toes and will studying how to be as crafty as he is in the film.

Director William Dickerson co-wrote this film with his partner Dwight Moody and even though it is not the most original idea for a film it still works for me.  In fact, I read that they have had the idea in the works since 2007. “Detour” deals with issues of claustrophobia and asphyxiation to say the least and as an audience you feel like you are battling those right also alongside our brave actor. I have to find out how this film was shot because it really had me convinced that this guy was stuck in a real mudslide. This film is currently released in select theaters and also available on various video-on-demand formats like Amazon, iTunes and major cable providers.  I would highly suggest paying the few bucks to check this out. You will thank me later!

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Starring: Jack Reynor, Roisin Murphy, Sam Keeley and Lars Mikkelson
Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
Rated: Not Rated
Running time: 1 hr 27 mins

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Eighteen-year-old Richard is the leader of his local rugby club in Dublin who’s enjoying an idyllic summer of beach house parties with his teammates and their friends. Charming and well-liked by most everyone around him, Richard easily catches the eye of Lara (Roisin Murphy), the would-be girlfriend teammate Connor (Sam Keeley). One drunken night out, tensions run especially high between the two boys causing Richard to lash out with tragic consequences. What follows is an impressive, slow-burning morality tale that I find myself continuing to think about days afterwards.

Typically being the “alpha-male” in a teen film is cause enough for an audience to condemn someone like Richard, nevermind the act upon which the title hinges, and yet Reynor manages to win us over. The interactions amongst his crew early in the film are by turns humorous, immature, and occasionally insulting (as teen boys can get) but above all things, they feel genuine. These are basically likable teens for whom things are going well. We meet Richard’s parents (Lorraine Pilkington and a brilliant Lars Mikkelsen) who are also likable and proud of their son but for the most part are hands off. This too is to the films benefit. When Richard’s underlying rashness gets the better of him, it is to his mates and girlfriend that he turns to first in dealing with the guilt. Abrahamson relies on nothing but ambient sound and hushed conversation to increase the pressure felt by all.

Watching Reynor go through all the stages of his guilt, including a stunning loss of control in Richard’s family’s beach house, is fascinating. That he manages to do it while maintaining a degree of the audience’s sympathy in an objectively awful situation is the real triumph of What Richard Did. It’s a tricky film without any easy answers.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko and Morgan Freeman
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 6 mins
Universal

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

2077. Its been 60 years since the last Super Bowl was held. Earth is now a radioactive nightmare following an alien attack. After destroying the moon, and turning Earth into a topsy-turvy world of earthquakes and tsunamis, the aliens came down to the surface. Thanks to nuclear weapons we won the battle. But we lost the war, as the planet was no longer habitable. The remains of the human race now reside on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, while what remains of Earth is patrolled by mechanical drones. They are there to hunt and destroy the few remaining aliens who remain. Of course where there are mechanical objects there must be a mechanic to fix them. Mechanic #49 is named Jack Harper (Cruise). He goes about his job daily, fixing drones and blasting the occasional alien. The daytime goes pretty well for Jack. But at night he’s haunted by a recurring dream featuring himself and a beautiful young woman (Kurylenko). It is a dream, isn’t it?

An ambitious film with a story that begins to slip into camp, “Oblivion” could have been a great addition to the science fiction genre’. Unfortunately, after a strong first half, we’re dealt with some plot points that defy credibility. Jack is living the sweet life with Victoria (Andrea Riseborough), who serves many functions. Technically she is Jack’s air traffic controller. It’s her job to assign his work and then direct him where he needs to go. She’s also his eyes when he’s on the planet’s surface, always on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. The two are also a romantic couple, spending their off hours swimming in their rooftop pool and counting the days until they are relieved of their post and allowed to join the rest of the world on Titan. Each morning Victoria gets her orders from Sally (Melissa Leo), who ends each daily exchange with the same question: “Are You An Effective Team?”

Despite a strong performance by Cruise, as well as a fine supporting turn by Morgan Freeman, “Oblivion” begins to lose steam when Jack tracks a returning spaceship to the planet, discovering several occupied life pods. Trained to kill any humans not cleared in their systems, the drones kill all but one of the ship’s crew. Before they can kill the last one Jack intervenes and the drone stands down. When he opens the pod he is stunned to see the same woman who has been filling his dreams. He takes her to Victoria, but she is not pleased to see her. She begins to feel that she and Jack are no longer an Effective Team! But her love for Jack keeps her from notifying Sally that there may be a problem with the mission, though she’s not sure what.

As I noted above, “Oblivion” could have been great. However, once the mystery woman appears the film begins to slip away. One major error kept screaming to me during the remainder of the film. Even though the mystery woman is in her underwear when found, and her ship is destroyed, she keeps showing up in various outfits that include her name. Where did they come from? Why do they fit so well? And why does the music get extra loud when I ask myself these questions?

On the positive side, the film features an amazing array of special effects, including such incredible set pieces like a deserted New York library or a former ocean, now a barren patch of land with moored battleships littered upon it. If only as much time was spent on the too-predictable story as was spent on the special effects.

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Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Andre Holland and Harrison Ford
Directed by: Brian Helgeland
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 8 mins
Warner Brothers

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

If you ask most people who Jackie Robinson was they can tell you he was a baseball player. Some may even know that he was the first African-American to play in the major leagues. But few really know the struggles he went through, both personally and professionally, to achieve his goals. On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson came to bat for the Brooklyn Dodgers for the first time. Six decades later his story is being told on the big screen in the uplifting film “42.”

1946. Branch Rickey (Ford) runs the Brooklyn Dodgers. He’s a man with two passions: fairness and business. He has toyed in the past with the idea of signing a black ball player but has always been discouraged by his fellow executives. With World War II over and more people than ever back home working Rickey also realizes that black baseball fans have a color in common with white ones: green. After considering several possible players he zeroes in on Jackie Robinson, currently playing shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. The two meet and things go well. But Rickey has one condition that Jackie must accept. No matter what people say or do in regards to his being on the field he must not retaliate. “You mean you want a player who doesn’t have the guts to fight back,” he asks Rickey. “No,” Rickey replies, “I want a player who has the guts NOT to fight back.” After thinking it over Jackie tells him, “you give me a uniform…a number on my back. I’ll give you the guts!”

Smartly written and directed by Oscar winner Brian Helgeland (“L.A. Confidential”), “42” is a story of quiet dignity and pride standing up in the face of adversity. The story is told through the eyes of black sportswriter Wendell Smith (Holland), who Rickey has assigned to cover Robinson as well as look out for him. As he sits along the third base line with his typewriter on his lap (blacks were not allowed in the press box at that time), Smith documents every accomplishment and setback Robinson undergoes. And it’s not an easy journey. Minor league baseball fans in Canada are just as vile as those in the deep American south (a caution to parents – the “N” word is thrown out on several occasions). But Robinson plays well and earns a spot on the major league roster the next year. This causes a rift among the Dodgers, many of whom send a petition to Rickey declaring they won’t play with Jackie. Only when Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black), a good old boy from Kentucky, embraces Jackie (both figuratively and literally) do the players begin to come around. It all boils down to one thing…Jackie can play ball and that’s all that matters.

The performances down the line are outstanding. Boseman hits just the right notes as Robinson. He’s not a saint. He’s a man, with many of the same flaws all men have. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and he’s not afraid to show them. Holland is just as good, acting almost as a Greek chorus, carrying the story along with his words. As Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s wife, Nicole Beharie is strong and supportive while still independent enough to speak her mind. Christopher Meloni makes manager Leo Durocher bigger than life in a spirited performance. And on a personal note it’s a treat to see “Barney Miller” star Max Gail back on the big screen. As the manager hired to replace a suspended Durocher he brings a quiet and old fashioned charm to the role. But the acting standout here is Ford. So well known for his big budget adventure films, younger fans may not know that the man has shown some serious acting chops in the past (“Witness,” “Mosquito Coast”). Here he works his magic, making Rickey one part kindly grandfather and one part shrewd businessman in a performance that will hopefully be remembered come Oscar time.

The period settings are well done as are the baseball scenes. But baseball is really the secondary story here. The first is the story of a man who accepted the challenge given him and, because he did, changed the world.

Click here for our coverage of red carpet for new movie “42” with interviews from KC Royals Hall of Famer George Brett,  Linda Paige, daughter of Satchel Paige, David Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s son and Actor Andre Holland

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Starring: Ryan Gossling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 20 mins
Focus Features

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

There’s nothing like a good old fashioned carnival to use as the backdrop for a film. In “The Place Beyond the Pines” we are introduced to a trio of daredevil motorcycle riders, led by the very blonde Handsome Luke (Gossling). After his last death-defying feat of the evening he spots a woman watching him. “Do you remember me,” she asks.

Incredibly overlong with a plot twist you can spot from the back of the theatre, “The Place Beyond the Pines” wastes strong performances in a sea of cliché’s and coincidences. It seems Luke does remember the young lady (Mendes) from a brief tryst the last time he was in town. It seems, to paraphrase the Cher song Gypsy’s, Tramps and Thieves, “three months later she’s a gal in trouble and she hasn’t seen him for awhile!” Even though his baby mama is now living with another man in a serious relationship Luke wants to be a part of his newly found son’s life. He quits the carnival and goes to work for a local mechanic. Looking for a way to make some extra money he asks his boss. His reply? “Bank Robbery.” It seems many years ago the boss needed some money quick and robbed a few banks before hanging up his gun and mask. The boss figures out that, with his motorcycle skills, Luke would make a great robber. And he does. For a while. Enter rookie police office Avery Cross (Cooper), another man with a baby boy at home. When their paths meet things don’t go well for either man.

Basically a two act play, “The Place Beyond the Pines” attempts to be a clever puzzle but by the time the pieces are put into place you just want to sweep the whole thing off the table. In Act One we learn that after Cross takes down Handsome Luke his star begins to rise. The son of a state chief justice, Cross has a law degree but feels he can make a bigger difference on the street. He’s a politician at heart, using his new found popularity to advance his career. Act two takes place fifteen years later, with Luke and Avery’s sons meeting in high school. They have two things in common – a love for weed and the fact that both boys look to be about 30 years old. If you can guess where the film is heading (like I did 90 minutes in) congratulations. If not, you’ve only got another hour to go!

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Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 7 mins
Universal

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

1993 was a great year to be Steven Spielberg. Or a fan of his films. In June of that year he took the world of visual effects deep into the future with his adaptation of Michael Crichton’s bestselling novel, “Jurassic Park.”

As the film begins we are introduced to Doctors Alan Grant (Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Dern). They are their team are working feverishly on a newly discovered dinosaur burial ground. Their work is interrupted by a visit from John Hammond (Richard Attenborough). He has been funding their research and now wishes for them to accompany him on a journey he assures them they won’t regret. A quick helicopter ride later they have arrived. “Welcome,” Hammond tells them, “to Jurassic Park.”

As exciting and frightening as it was two decades ago, “Jurassic Park” now has an extra scary feature – 3D. Though to be honest the process doesn’t really add a lot to the film. Of course that could be because only a few scenes in the film really lends itself to the gimmick (among them a tour car moving down the side of a tree and a P.O.V. shot of a leaping velociraptor). The depth of field is there but some of the shots come across poorly. The scene where the group first gets on the island and stand in front of a waterfall looks like it was shot with a back screen in the 1940s! Not a bad film…but sadly sometimes a bad process. Since the 3-D is really a non-entity (in my opinion – it doesn’t improve the film nor does it diminish it), the five star rating that I would give the original version still applies here.

The cast is great, of course, led by Neill and Dern, as well as Attenborough in kindly grandfather mode. Supporting characters like Wayne Knight, B.D. Wong and Samuel L. Jackson also show up to lend their talents. And I have to admit that I’d almost forgotten how totally cool Jeff Goldblum was in the 90s! As mathematician (and chaos theorist) Dr. Ian Malcolm he’s funny and sharp in every scene he’s in! All in all, the film is a classic and the chance to see it on the big screen again (or for the first time) should not be missed.

“Jurassic Park” was director Spielberg’s first film to be released that year. The second was “Schlinder’s List,” which would go on to win 7 Academy Awards (“Jurassic Park took home 3 of it’s own) including Best Picture and, finally for Spielberg, Best Director. Like I said, it was a great year to be Steven Spielberg!

Starring: Chris O’Dowd, Deborah Mailman and Jessica Mauboy
Directed by: Wayne Blair
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 103 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

In the late 1960s America was caught in the middle of a civil rights battle. But the injustice here wasn’t the only one taking place in the world. In Australia the native Aboriginal people were experiencing the same problems. In fact, until 1967 the Australian government classified Aboriginies as “Flora and Fauna.”

1958. At a village gathering the people are being entertained by a quartet of young girls – their voices beautifully blened together as they sing a native tune. The girls smile at the true joy the music brings them.

1968. As the Civil Rights movement in America spills into the living rooms via television – clips of Martin Luther King and policeman with fire hoses – sisters Gail (Mailman) and Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) are preparing to head to town to participate in a local talent contest. Youngest sister Julie (Mauboy) wants to go but is told no. Promoting the contest is Dave (O’Dowd), an Irishman with a taste for drink. As the contest begins Dave serves as the piano accompaninist. He plays along listly, rolling his eyes as one terrible act after another takes the stage. Enter Gail and Cynthia, who have opted to perform a Merle Haggard ditty. In mid-song Julie walks in, takes her place on stage and they bring the house down. Or at least they should have. Because of the racial prejudice prevelant the crowd remains silent and the girls lose. Dave is outraged. However he recognizes talent when he sees it and offers to manage the girls on the condition they do one kind of music. “90% of all recorded music is shite,” he tells them. “The other 10% is soul!”

Inspired by a true story, “The Sapphires” is that rare film that is not only entertaining but conveys a message: that of the need for equality. Things begin to go well for the girls, who are joined by their cousin Kay (Sharri Sebbens). They embark on a military sponsored tour of Vietnam, where their shows are met with racous applause. But as the group’s popularity grows tensions grow between the girls. Because she was light skinned Kay was taken away from her family as a very young girl, where she was sent to school to learn how to be “white.” The sisters resent her for this, even though it wasn’t of her doing. When Kay begins seeing a black soldier she is berated for assuming that dating someone that is black would once again make her “black.” It’s not intended to, as all Kay wants is to be back with her family. The more popular the group, called The Sapphires, gets the more turmoil it faces.

Beautifully acted with a true star-making performance by O’Dowd (probably best known as the policeman that dated Kristin Wiig in “Bridesmaids”), “The Sapphires” is one of those small films that a critic loves to discover. All four leading ladies shine, with Mauboy hitting all the right notes (both acting wise and musically) as the “leader” of the group. As the wise and level headed Gail, Mailman must act not for what’s best for her but for the group. Tapsell and Sebbens also acquit themselves well. The screenplay, which was co-written by the Julie-character’s real life son, Tony Briggs, is a mixture of drama and humor, interrupted occasionally by the musical numbers. Director Blair crafts the story well, never letting the film get too serious or silly.

Towards the end of the film the villagers are shocked when they see Robert Kennedy address a crowd, informing them that Martin Luther King had been shot. Sadly, two months later, RFK would suffer the same fate. I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that a film dealing with Civil Rights is being released almost 45 years to the day that Dr. King was shot. Hopefully his message, and the ones in this film, will never be ignored.

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons and William Hurt
Directed by: Andrew Niccol
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 5 mins
Open Road Films

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

“What have you done to him? What have you done to his eyes, you maniacs!” Rosemary Woodhouse – “Rosemary’s Baby”

In the future, after wars have decimated the planets, ours is visited by an alien race that begins to take over our bodies, making everyone happy and polite. However, not everyone has been turned. As we meet Melanie (Ronan) she is being chased by several of the nice-guy aliens, only to hurtle herself out of a window. Surprisingly, despite the fact that “almost every bone has been broken and every organ damaged” (her teeth are still remarkably straight and even) Melanie has survived the fall. The “Healer” that examines her cuts a small hole in her neck and inserts a “soul”…the organism that has made the human race so docile. When she recovers Melanie renames herself “Wanderer” and begins living a docile life. However, deep inside Melanie’s personality and thoughts remain. But which one will emerge and which will be destroyed?

Horribly written with so many plot holes you could drive a truck through them, “The Host” is the latest work of “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer. As the film progresses we get a glimpse of Melanie’s past…looking after her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury)…meeting and falling in love with Jared (Irons)…longing for those good old days on the Louisiana bayou. The majority of the film deals with Melanie and “Wanderer” (in the new world everyone is addressed with their new assignment on Earth – the “Healer” is known as Healer Fords, the aliens that are on “Wanderer’s” tail are known as Seekers. Diane Kruger is THE Seeker, a being who will stop at nothing to get to Melanie hidden deep inside. As the film progresses Melanie reunites with her Uncle Jeb (Hurt), though as she is visibly an alien there is an obvious lack of trust. Wait a minute…did you say she was VISIBLY an alien? Yes indeed. Apparently one of the side effects of having a soul take over your body is the appearance of beautiful blue eyes, shining brighter than a star. Which means unless you’re Yancy Butler or Jeff Fahey you have to hide your eyes lest you be discovered. Or wear sunglasses!

I feel so bad for the cast of this film because they are trying so hard. Ronan is constantly arguing herself, which gets funnier as she goes along because, as Melanie was from Louisiana, on occasion her “inside” voice has a little bit of a twang. But only occasionally. The eye thing gets really boring after a while, especially when director Niccol insists on tight close ups of Melanie’s face where, after a dramatic pause, she opens her eyes and stares blue darts into the camera. As the Wanderer (or “Wanda” as she’s now called by the earthlings) gets closer to Jared she and Melanie argue more. When Jared kisses her she slaps him…it’s like an internal battle…Melanie can’t stand the idea of another woman kissing her man…even when she IS the other woman. As the story goes on and the Seekers – led by THE Seeker – gets closer, you can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a Discovery Eye Center anywhere on the planet that stocks contact lenses? Hell, I could walk into Spencer Gifts tomorrow and get a set of beautiful blue contacts. Or a pair of sunglasses. But then I wouldn’t learn a valuable lesson about life, love and realizing I’m never getting back the two hours I invested in this film.

I really feel sorry for writer/director Niccol. Even though it’s noted that the film is based on a novel, the movie poster proudly proclaims the film was written and directed by Niccol, who actually DID write the brilliant “Truman Show.” If I was him I’d buy every poster I could find and destroy them!

On the positive side, the cast is game, the special effects not too cheesy and the scenery is lovely to look at. With any color eyes!

Starring: Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan, Jay Weidner
Director: Rodney Ascher
Running Time: 1 hr 38 min
Studio: Highland Park Classics / IFC

Our rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

If a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, then a motion picture is worth at least a million interpretations. Rodney Ascher’s documentary “Room 237: Being an Inquiry into ‘The Shining’ in 9 Parts” puts Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece of modern horror under the microscope to present us with a wide range of interpretations through the hearts and minds of five of the film’s most avid watchers.

Within the documentary’s opening minutes, it’s clear that the film is not aiming in any way to be a standard “making of” documentary but, rather, a detailed scholarly deconstruction of a piece of art. Luckily, “The Shining” is a rich enough movie to warrant such an in-depth analysis and “Room 237” succeeds in being thought-provoking and intriguing throughout its 98-minute running time.

The hypotheses and theories put forth in “Room 237” range from plausible to wildly overreaching. Sure, it’s quite possible that the theme of the genocide of the American Indians is part of “The Shining”, especially given that the film’s grandest character – the Overlook Hotel itself – is built atop an ancient Indian burial ground. It’s a plot point that Kubrick elected to carry over from Stephen King’s novel and it sets the stage for something wicked that will its way come. And while you probably noticed the Navajo-themed décor that is prevalent throughout the Overlook , you may not have registered the cans of Calumet baking powder that are strategically placed in certain kitchen-based scenes. Or Wendy telling Danny that the loser of the race to get through the hedge maze has to “keep Amerca clean.” Hmmm…

The other interpretations presented are equally compelling: that “The Shining” has allegorical roots in the Holocaust, that the hotel is a sexual predator that feeds off of the people that inhabit it, and that the film is Kubrick’s secret confession to his wife that he was involved with faking the footage of the NASA moon landing.

Wait… Kubrick helped fake the moon landing?

Ascher’s documentary takes its craziest turn when he allows Jay Weidner to present the idea that interlaced in “The Shining” are various clues that the visionary that was able to create “2001: A Space Odyssey” in 1968 was the prime mover in staging and filming the televised footage of the Apollo 11 moon walk in 1969. While it would be easy to dismiss his theory as being that of a conspiracy-theorist nut job, he nonetheless presents a wide array of fairly convincing “evidence” to support his claim.

“Room 237” is at its strongest and most engrossing when it illustrates – via film clips, diagrams, and even computer-animated 3D models of the Overlook Hotel’s floor plan – the theories that all of its commentators are presenting. It often borrows fairly heavily from the Errol Morris school of documentary film-making in that often employs reenactments and simple single inanimate objects taking up the entire screen.

The documentary repeatedly takes wrong turns when it uses clips of existing films – including some of Kubrick’s – and manipulates them to be relevant to “The Shining”. The very first shot in “Room 237” is actually a scene from “Eyes Wide Shut”, but instead of Tom Cruise looking at a jazz club poster advertising the Nick Nightingale quartet, he’s looking at the European poster for “The Shining”. While this digital fakery is mildly amusing, it sets the wrong tone for “Room 237”. It also seriously begs the question of what the late Kubrick would have thought about his work being altered in this way.

The film’s weakest link is its horrendous original music. In many instances, it’s so out of sync with the material that “Room 237” presents, it makes one wonder if the wrong score accidentally got mixed in to the film’s soundtrack. Even the involvement of Walking Dead composer, Bear McCreary, can’t save “Room 237”’s music from cheapening the documentary as a whole.

Fortunately, the subject at “Room 237”s core – “The Shining” itself – is impervious to the goofs that a documentary about it may have. As is stated in the film, “There’s a lot of stuff [in “The Shining”] that people haven’t seen yet, so they should keep watching it.” Indeed, after watching “Room 237”, a repeat viewing of Kubrick’s 1980 horror masterpiece is pretty much a necessity – although you’ll never look at the magazine that Jack Torrance is reading in the Overlook’s lobby the same way ever again.

Starring: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd and Lily Tomlin
Directed by: Paul Weitz
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hr 57 mins
Focus Features

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

I can hear the pitch: take two of the funniest people in Hollywood, put them in the same movie and put a few punch lines in the trailer. What’s the catch? Oh, it’s not a comedy.

In my imagination this is how the new film “Admission” came about. While it does have its humorous moments it’s really a film about love and life and what we must give up to seem happy to others. I think.

Portia Nathan (Fey) is an admittance officer at prestigious Princeton University. While preparing to screen applicants for the class of 2016 she receives a phone call from a former college mate of hers named John Pressman (Rudd). John has started his own “new age” school and asks Portia to stop by to address his students interested in secondary education. Portia has no intention of doing so but a mis-guiding GPS sends her down the dirt road to the school. There she is introduced to Jeremiah (Nat Wolff). He’s quite intelligent, Paul tells Portia. And he might also be your son! (Cue the loud music: BUM! BUM! BUM!

If there is one word to sum up the film…it’s FLAT. There are occasional emotional moments but all in all you really don’t end up caring for these characters. Which is a shame because I know the actors are trying. Both Fey and Rudd are strong actors who generally make things better when they show up on screen. But here they only manage to make things tolerable. Rudd’s John is all over the map…sad, funny, romantic but never deciding which guy he wants to be. He’s well meaning (heck, he’s the father of a 12 year old Ugandan boy he adopted while working in the country). Fey is similar. She purports to be a strong minded administrator but she’s really an emotional wreck. Thankfully Lily Tomlin shows up occasionally to give the film whatever life it has. The script was adapted from a novel but I can’t imagine the book (or the characters in it) being this un-interesting.