Number of discs: 1
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: February 3, 2015
Run Time: 120 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

The Disney Junior favorite, “Doc McStuffins”, is back with it’s latest DVD. “Cuddle Me” focuses around everyone favorite cuddler, Lambie. It is also released perfect timing for Valentine’s Day. All you dad’s can take that cue and deliver this wonderful release to your daughters for that special day. There is something so sweet about this character. These episodes are really fun and after receiving it, my daughter demanded we immediately watch it at least twice.

Official Premise: No one gives better cuddles than Doc’s warm and fuzzy best friend! She’s a princess and a ballerina, and she’s always there for toys that need an extra helping of tender loving care. Just say three little words: “CUDDLE ME LAMBIE.” Join Doc and the whole gang as they laugh, play and have a ball fixing boo-boos and discovering great ways to stay happy and healthy. Celebrate the power of true friendship as new, sparkly heart toy Val shows Lambie there’s plenty of love to go around. Meet Donny and Alma’s monster creation Charlie – who turns out to be very sweet and not so scary after all. Then, see how Lambie gets out of a super-sticky jam! Bursting with five song-filled episodes and cuddles galore, this “hug-stravaganza” is magical fun your little one will adore!

The episodes includes on this DVD are: “My Huggy Valentine/Dusty Bear,” “Awesome Guy’s Awesome Arm/Lamb In A Jam,” “Kirby And The King/Bubble Monkey, Blow Your Nose!”, “A Day Without Cuddles/Collide-o-scope,” “Mirror, Mirror On My Penguin/Hide and Eek!”. Plus along with the episodes, there is also free exclusive Lambie Hair Clips, which are very cute as well.

It would be fair to say that the Smith family has a great admiration for the Keach family.  As a child, I enjoyed the many roles that Stacy Keach, Sr. played in most of the classic television westerns.  Then, in 1980, Mr. Keach’s children, James and Stacy, co-wrote and co-starred in the movie The Long Riders.  What makes that film so popular in our house is that James Keach played Jesse James.  My son, Phillip, is related to Jesse James on his mother’s side of the family, though thankfully he has never robbed a bank.

James Keach is probably best known on-screen as the motorcycle cop who pulls Chevy Chase over after the family dog is unwittingly tied to the back of the car in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”  He has also appeared in such films as “The Razor’s Edge,” “Wildcats” and “The Experts,” a film that deserved a much better marketing effort (shame on you Paramount).  He also played the role of the Warden in the Johnny Cash bio-pic “Walk the Line,” which he also helped produce.  Cash was the godfather of Mr. Keach’s son, John.

Turning his attention behind the camera, Mr. Keach is the director of the recent documentary “Glen Campbell:  I’ll Be Me,” which recently earned an Academy Award nomination for Original Song.  Mr. Keach and I spoke about the film and its impact before the nominations were announced.

Mike Smith:  How did you get involved in the project?
James Keach:  Julian Raymond, who had produced Glen’s last two projects, “Meet Glen Campbell” and “Ghost on the Canvas,” was producing my 18 year old son Johnny’s band.  He would come over to our editing room, which is also a rehearsal area, and would ask if I wanted to work on a project on Glen because he knew I had worked on “Walk the Line” several years ago.  We were very reluctant at first but we gave in to him.  He wanted us to make a documentary rather than a narrative film.  When we found out that Glen had Alzheimer’s it made me and Trevor (co-producer Trevor Albert) even more reluctant.  We thought, “oh my gosh, how can we make a movie that’s uplifting about THIS?”  And then we met Glen.  Once we met Glen and his family we realized that this man really wanted to make a difference in the world.

MS:  Is it difficult as a filmmaker, especially considering Glen Campbell’s situation, to not let your emotions dictate your approach to the material?
JK:  The big thing was…everything we had ever seen about Alzheimer’s, both in the documentary format and the narrative format, was very, very dark.  So the emotional resistance occurred prior to making the film.  Once we got to know Glen and we got to see his willingness to reveal the truth about what he was going through, it was like we were on the journey with him.  We were suffering it with him.  Emotionally we felt more for the family then we did for Glen because, when you’re going through it, you don’t realize what it’s doing to your family all the time.  Glen was very cognizant of what was happening and you see in the film that there is some remorse.  He knew things were getting weird and messed up but he really didn’t understand it, especially towards the end.  The real emotional impact came from watching his kids and his wife…the people that had known him for thirty or forty years…watch him going through the downward spiral.  And as an objective filmmaker you kind of had to stand back and observe everything and not become…you really just had to stand back.  And to reflect Glen’s personality, which has a lot of humor in it, and love, we could have easily gone on one track in the film and just shown one side of it.  But that wouldn’t have been Glen.  We also thought it was going to be a short journey.  We thought we’d be with him for five and a half weeks and we ended up spending two and a half years.  We kind of went down the rabbit hole with him.  Slowly but surely.  And even now, looking back at the film, it’s so courageous what he did and it’s a legacy for me as a filmmaker that I feel so proud that I was able to be a part of it.  To be at the helm, with my partner, Trevor, and to share this story.

MS:  Have you kept in touch with Glen?  How is he doing?
JK:  Yeah.  I saw Glen six weeks ago and the family sends pictures of him.  And I talk to Kim (Campbell’s wife).  He’s in good physical health.  He’s in good spiritual health.  He’s happy where he is.  He still has Alzheimer’s…it’s not going away.  But he’s not suffering.  He’s being well taken care of.  And I think that’s the most you can ask.  He has a lot of love around him.  He’s still full of love and full of laughter and full of faith.  Every once in a while he’ll lift his hands up and say “thank you, Lord.”  It’s kind of amazing.  I heard the other day…Kim said he played a little bit.

MS:  You’ve spent most of the past two decades behind the camera instead of in front of it.  Is that something you want to concentrate on?  Are you still open to acting jobs?
JK:  Have you got a job?  (laughs)
MS:  While I was curious if maybe they’ve talked to you about doing a cameo in the “Vacation” reboot.  Maybe you could be the cop that pulls Rusty over.
JK:  (laughing) That would be really funny.  Man, I had such a good time doing that.  That’s where my partner Trevor and I met.  He was Harold Ramis’ producer.

MS:  What do you have coming up next?
JK:  We have a lot of different films that are in various stages of development.  What we’re really trying to do is to make sure this film finishes correctly.  To make sure it gets in the right place in the digital realm because I think that is where most people are going to see it.  We’re chugging along and getting a lot of requests for screenings.  The most important thing is to school as many people as possible to see the film.  I think it will help change the conversation about Alzheimer’s.  It will certainly help leave a great legacy for Glen.  I think Glen’s intentions were to try and make a difference in the world…to create an awareness of how dire the situation is.  We did a screening for about 4,000 people in Nashville.  I went up on the stage…the Band Perry was there and we had a concert and a screening.  And during the concert, while they were setting up for their next song, I asked how many people in the audience had been affected by Alzheimer’s.  About 3,800 people stood up.  I think that there is a connection there with everybody.  People have to become more aware of this and do something about it before it really takes its toll on our country and each one of our families.

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.

With James Brown gone, Tanner Beard may easily be the new “hardest working man” in Hollywood. A recent acting job turned into a gig where he not only continued to star in the film but also co-write, co-direct, help produce, supervise the music AND do his own stunts! He is also executive producing the next two films by creative (and reclusive) filmmaker Terrence Malick. While preparing to head to Germany for the upcoming Berlin Film Festival where one of the Malick films, “Knight of Cups,” is representing the United States in competition, Mr. Beard took time out to talk to me about sixties-style movie making, who Martin Weiss is to him and whether or not there really IS a Terrence Malick.

Mike Smith: Hello fellow Virgo!
Tanner Beard: Virgo is the best you can be! Do we share the exact same birthday?
MS: Not the year, but the date.
TB: (laughing) My man!

MS: Give us a little introduction to “6 Bullets to Hell.”
TB: “6 Bullets to Hell” is a throwback to the classic Sergio Leone’ films back in the day. Kind of like Clint Eastwood – “A Fistful of Dollars” – or the original “Django” kind of style.

MS: You wear at least four different hats on the project. Was that something that was important to you to ensure a certain vision?
TB: You know, I haven’t told a lot of people this but I actually went out there as an actor and a little less than halfway through shooting they called a big meeting and we were told that the funds were about to run out. But because what we had shot so far looked so good my production company decided to come in and finish it. So we spent every night re-writing the script and making it the best we could with the time allotted that we had to shoot. It’s really an interesting story of how it got made that we haven’t shared with anyone yet.

MS: (slyly) Do you want to share it now?
TB: (laughing) Yeah. We kept sending the dailies back to the states and I kept saying it’s so great because we’re doing it like they did in the sixties. There was no sound. We decided to ADR everything after we were finished like they did in the sixties. We were shooting on the same set that literally made Clint Eastwood famous. Half of our crew was from all over the world. There were six or seven different languages spoken on set daily. We were literally making a “spaghetti” Western just like they did back in the sixties. And I said to my production company “what do you think about us coming in and taking it over?” To make it more for an American audience, as opposed to its original European market. And we ended up making a classic, late night, drive-in movie style film. It was so much fun. I learned how to ride a horse on that movie that’s for sure.

MS: What, if anything, can you share on “Knight of Cups?”
TB: “Knight of Cups” is a film with an unbelievable cast and an unbelievable director. I still pinch myself when I see my name near any of those people. People who I grew up studying and learning. I used to study Terrence Malick in film school. So now, later on, to even have my name anywhere next to his is unbelievable. It’s still settling in. Christian Bale is one of my favorite actors so to be up there with him is pretty surreal. I actually haven’t seen the full film yet…just bits and pieces. So I’m probably more excited about seeing it in Berlin then others since I haven’t seen the completed film yet.

MS: This questions is tongue in cheek but, I mean, the man is so reclusive. Have you ever actually SEEN Terrence Malick?
TB: (laughs loudly) I have! Though I’ve never seen him in America. My offices are very close to his so you would have thought I’d have run into him sometime…maybe seen him at the grocery store. But he is so dedicated to his work…he’s not out and about too often. There have been a couple times that we were supposed to go to dinner but some schedule conflictions came up. When I was in Cannes last year I got to meet him very briefly. It was a very cool moment for me because some people don’t even know what he looks like because he is SO dedicated to his craft. He’s not out on the red carpets. I am looking forward to spending more time with him in Berlin, which makes the trip so much more exciting and important to me.

MS: I had to ask. I saw a note on another untitled Malick project you are working on that stated on September 16, of last year, it was reported that a photo of Malick was taken on the set.
TB: Was that in Austin? The Ryan Gossling film?
MS: Yes.
TB: I’m surprised more pictures weren’t taken, since that’s a great day to take them on! (laughs)

MS: I couldn’t help noticing a big coincidence in your acting credits – who is Martin Weiss and why do you play him so often?
TB: (laughs) Oh my God! That’s a funny story. Probably six or seven years ago…maybe longer…I was beginning to find my way as an actor out here. Back when you used to answer actor ads on Craigslist. A really kind gentleman named Roger Lim actually was making a film and I thought it was just….that I was just making a baseball movie. But it turned out to be four movies. So it keeps showing up. He shot enough footage to make four films so my character keeps going. I actually haven’t seen them but I guess I shot more than a trilogy in two weeks!

MS: After fourteen years you’re releasing “The Beaver Trilogy, Part IV.” Is this a continuation? Is Bill Hader taking over from Crispin Glover?
TB: No, Bill Hader is actually narrating the documentary piece. “The Beaver Trilogy” has been a very interesting cult film for a long time. Jack Black was very aware and interested in it. The director has just done so much with it. It’s based on a real encounter that was videotaped and then it was re-created with various actors. Crispin Glover did a version of it very, very early on. Sean Penn did a version of it way before “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” So there were three different versions of it. It was the filmmaker’s thesis project. He created this really weird chance encounter. And now part IV is the documentary that ties all three of them together and lets the story in on where these interesting pieces came from. It’s a very cool and quirky documentary. I think people are going to like it. And it drew the attention of Sundance early on. So it’s very odd that a chance encounter from 1979 is still being talked about today.

MS: What else do you have in the pipeline?
TB: There is an animated feature that we’re working on now. We’re very early in the pre-production stages. It’s called “Fridgeport.” And we’re working on a Christmas movie called “Just Claus,” which we just started casting to being shooting in February that hopefully will be out by Christmas.

Jan. 21 – Call it a pre-Oscar victory lap. Tuesday night in New York Julianne Moore was honored by the Museum of the Moving Image at their annual gala. This salute comes right as Moore is tipped to win Best Actress this year for her portrayal of a linguistics professor facing a devastating Alzheimers’ diagnosis in Still Alice. On her way into the presentation, she described taking on the role as “a privilege. It was a privilege to learn about [Alzheimers’]. And the people, because I had no personal experience with it, I spent about four months doing research and the people that I spoke to were so incredibly generous with their time and their experience and their information. So I learned a tremendous amount and it was a great experience.”

Moore was supported by her children, Cal and Liv, husband Bart Freundlich and friends at the tribute who enjoyed a presentation about the museum in Queens before taking a thorough look at her cinematic career. On hand to introduce highlights of Moore’s work were former co-stars including Chloe Grace Moretz (Carrie), Sarah Paulson (Game Change), Ethan Hawke (upcoming Maggie’s Plan) and in a pre-recorded message, Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right) who said acting alongside Moore and Annett Bening at the same time was like “sharing the court with Michael Jordan.”

Some of the most joyful crowd reaction came from Steve Buscemi introducing a clip from “Stoner Citizen Kane”, The Big Lebowski which featured both Moore and Buscemi though never on screen at the same time. On the red carpet prior to the event, Buscemi said he “certainly had no idea” that Lebowski would go on to be the cult classic it’s seen as today. He also had nothing but kind words for her when asked what people take away from her work: “She always puts her heart into anything she does. It’s amazing all the different characters that she played and yet there’s something of herself. She really gives I think to every character and that’s what I think everybody responds to.”

 Also on the carpet, actor Billy Crudup described working with Moore and her director husband, on their two films, World Traveler and Trust the Man as “Superb. It was so easy, I was dying for either of our movies to be hugely successful so we could do it again and again and again because the joy of getting to work with your friends in your home city is, for people who travel all the time and have to form new families every time they go somewhere else, you know it was one of a kind.” Asked his favorite role of Julianne’s Crudup replied “I was just thinking of a couple of them but A Single Man…I thought that was an exciting, excellent performance.”

Moore graciously accepted the award from MMI director Carl Goodman and MMI Co-Chairman Herbert Schlosser before creditting her own family story “with Bart and Cal and Liv that has given [her] life so much meaning.”

Julianne Moore will next be seen in Maggie’s Plan.

For more information about the Museum of the Moving Image, visit their website.

Actors: Hugo Weaving, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, John Noble
Directors: Angus Sampson, Tony Mahony
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Xlrator
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Run Time: 102 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

Are you a fan of the “Insidious” franchise? If so they you might recognize that “The Mule” was co-scripted by two of its stars, Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell. Whannell is also directing the upcoming third “Insidious” feature and Sampson also co-directed this film as well. I love these guys, they are funny and they continue bringing the funny here.

“The Mule” co-stars John Noble from”Fringe” and Hugo Weaving from “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Matrix” franchises. Clever, funny but personally, I felt a little long or in this case had a bit of constipation. Still brilliant cast and based on a true story, which makes it a bit more interested.

Official Premise: A naïve man transporting lethal narcotics in his stomach is detained by the police. Alone and afraid, the mule makes a desperate choice — to defy his bodily functions and withhold the evidence…literally. By doing so becomes a human time-bomb, dragging cops, criminals. lawyers and his mother into his impossible escapade. Inspired by true events, THE MULE is a comic nightmare of stomach-churning suspense and belly laughs.

The Blu-ray itself didn’t blow me away with any technical merits. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track benefits from a fun score with an 80’s feel to it, thanks to composers Cornel Wilzcek and Mikey Young. The 1080p transfer is crisp and solid, so no major compliant there either.

In terms of special features, starting off we get seven deleted scenes running about 10 minutes, which are decent. There are four very brief featurettes with clips of interviews with Sampson, Whannell, Weaving and more. “Who. What. Where. When.” has interview clips talking about the plot and its characters. “Ego” features cast talking about characters motivation.

“Ticking Time Bomb” is a short featurette outlining the film’s focus. “1983 America’s Cup” features the cast discussing the importance of the America’s Cup in the film, which I did not catch at all. Lastly there are trailers for the film and other trailers as well included.

Actors: Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo, Brenda Strong
Producers: Cynthia Cidre, Michael M. Robin, Robert Rovner
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: January 13, 2015
Run Time: 660 minutes

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

I never watched “Dallas” during its original run but I was certainly aware of its presence growing up. When “Dallas” came back in 2012, I tuned in from episode 1 and loved every minute of it. When Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing) passed after at the end of 2012, I thought it would be the end of the show. The show continued on and completed out the series with this final third season. I thought this was a solid season even without J.R. I am sad to see this show end but at least it had a nice comeback and delivered three entertaining and exciting seasons.

Official Premise: In season three, Ewing patriarch Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), now the senior member of the family after the death of his older brother, J.R., butts heads with John Ross (Josh Henderson), who is out to prove he can be just as powerful an ally or enemy as his infamous father. Meanwhile, Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) is newly single and determined to make a name in the world of natural gas. Elena (Jordana Brewster) is blinded by thoughts of justice for previous wrongs, and Pamela Rebecca Barnes (Julie Gonzalo), the daughter of longtime Ewing rival Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), is now married to John Ross and determined to have a happy ending.

The third and final season of Dallas stars Josh Henderson (90210), Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives), Jordana Brewster (The Fast and Furious films), Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars), Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives), Mitch Pileggi (Grey’s Anatomy), Emma Bell (The Walking Dead), Juan Pablo di Pace (Mamma Mia!), Patrick Duffy (Dallas [original series]) and Linda Gray (Dallas [original series]). Recurring guest stars this season include AnnaLynne McCord (90210, Nip/Tuck) and Judith Light (Ugly Betty, Who’s the Boss?).

“Dallas: The Complete Third and Final Season” includes all 15 episodes: 1. The Return; 2. Trust Me; 3. Playing Chicken; 4. Lifting the Veil; 5. D.T.R.; 6. Like Father, Like Son; 7. Like a Bad Penny; 8. Where There’s Smoke; 9. Denial, Anger, Acceptance; 10. Dead Reckoning; 11. Hurt; 12. Victims of Love; 13. Boxed In; 14. Endgame; 15. Brave New World. The only special features included are some deleted scenes. Not a major send off in that department for this legendary series.

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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Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis and Wei Tang
Directed By: Michael Mann
Rated: R
Running Time: 133 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

May I state the obvious? I shall. It seems like every week, and sometimes every day, there’s a breaking update on how someone’s social media account was hacked or how hacktivists have leaked thousands of valuable government or company documents (U.S. military and Sony, I’m looking at you). Cyber terrorism might end up being the most highly used news term for 2015 with how the landscapes of battles are changing. It’s a fascinating new realm in which to play with story ideas and birth high concepts. So why does “Blackhat” feel like such an outdated product?

Scrawny, pencil thin nerds are what we’ve come to expect in techno thrillers. We imagine them sitting behind a computer, clicking and clacking away at the keyboard, pushing their glasses up the brim of their nose, but instead we have the muscular, wavy golden haired Chris Hemsworth. He plays Nicholas Hathaway, one of the world’s greatest hackers, who’s incarcerated and still able to hack from prison by the way. He does push-ups in solitary, talks with piercing confidence, and seems un-phased by life in prison.

His skills will be needed after a criminal begins hacking his way into the financial systems of China and causes a nuclear power plant to go haywire. He’s recruited by Chen (Leehom Wang), a high ranking military expert for the Chinese government who, by the strangest coincidences of the movie, was Nick’s college roommate. They may have just as well have lived across the hall from our criminal by that logic.

After some unnecessary negotiations with Chinese and U.S. governments to get Nick free, the two meet, and along for the ride, is Chen’s sister, Lien (Tang). Oh by the way, she’s also a master hacker, computer expert, and anything else the script requires. The exact moment Nick and Lien lay eyes on each other, you know they’re going to hook up. It’s usually an obligatory character relationship that’s created to add tension or complicate matters for our group. It doesn’t.

The more I think about “Blackhat”, the more I wonder when this was written and who wrote it. Nick’s on the trail of a supposed genius that neither the U.S. or Chinese government can catch, but his knack for picking up on clues or finding evidence is ludicrously easy or frustratingly unrealistic. It makes you wonder why neither government wouldn’t already have the manpower or staff to catch someone who, as the movie says, is incredibly dangerous. Although it’s example as to why he’s so dangerous is because he’s not doing these attacks for political or financial gain. By the way, one of those ends up being true anyway.

It’s really hard to flat out hate something that tries so admirably. It’s almost like listening to a kindergarten class sing a beloved song. They’re butchering it, but they definitely got some room to grow. Director Michael Mann’s previous movies include “Last of the Mohicans” and “Heat”, but loses so much dramatic flair amidst techno babble. The cast is spick and span despite a baffling script. There are some neat visuals and gorgeous establishing shots. But this movie is just frustrating because it just can’t bring everything together.

Someone might want to consider programming some better hardware into this movie before releasing it. There’s a lot to enjoy, but it’s suppressed by mundane talk sets. It’s even more vexing for me because I keep trying to put my finger on it. What happened? It has a style that screams exciting, but constantly had me stretching my legs and covering my mouth as I yawned.

Starring: Alfre Woodard, Annabelle Wallis, Eric Ladin, Tony Amendola (I), Michelle Romano, Ward Horton
Director: John R. Leonetti
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Run Time: 98 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Raise your hand, who loved the character Annabelle from James Wan’s “The Conjuring”? She creeped the hell out of us all. This spin-off was based over from Wan to John R. Leonetti, who served as cinematographer on “The Conjuring”. If you loved “The Conjuring” though, it doesn’t mean that you will love “Annabelle”. The back story was decent but the major scares from “The Conjuring” are almost all but missing. There are two or three good scans courtesy of my buddy Joseph Bishara (aka the demon), other than that, this feels more like a TV version spin-off of a great horror film.  The cast of “Annabelle” includes Annabelle Wallis (“X-Men: First Class”), Ward Horton (“The Wolf of Wall Street”), Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard (“Cross Creek,” “12 Years a Slave”), Kerry O’Malley (TV’s “Those Who Kill”), Brian Howe (“Devil’s Knot”), Tony Amendola (TV’s “Once Upon A Time”) and Eric Ladin (TV’s “Boardwalk Empire”).

Official Premise: She terrified you in “The Conjuring,” but this is where it all began for Annabelle. Capable of unspeakable evil, the actual doll exists locked up in an occult museum in Connecticut—visited only by a priest who blesses her twice a month. New Line Cinema’s supernatural thriller “Annabelle” begins before the evil was unleashed. John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia—a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn’t last long. On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now…Annabelle.

“Annabelle” released by Warner Bros as a combo pack with a Blu-ray disc, a DVD, and a digital version of the movie in Digital HD with UltraViolet. The 1080p transfer is good. There isn’t really music dazzle in this low-budget horror film to make it stand out. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 does shine though with Joseph Bishara’s score (yes, the guy who also played the demon), which is definitely a highlight for the film. The special features are decent but a little short and lacking a commentary track. There are four featurettes including “The Curse of Annabelle”, “Bloody Tears of Possession”, “Dolls of the Demon” and “A Demonic Process”. If you enjoyed the films, the special features are certainly worth checking out. Lastly there are a few deleted scenes included.

Own “Annabelle” on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and Digital HD on January 20th

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Starring: Sean Ryan Fox, Madison Pettis, Jadon Sand, David Arquette, Corey Burton
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: January 6, 2015
Run Time: 141 minutes

Episodes: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Disney Junior’s “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” continues to impress time after time. The show is great and then a few years ago, they introduced Peter Pan into the mix, which made it cooler. Now they have mixed in classic characters like Wendy, Michael and John to complete circle in the all-new special “Battle for the Book!”. This is literally the best episode of the series since it has aired. It is funny, sharp and very entertaining. I am not sure how they are going to top this next time but I can’t wait to see what they have planned next for this show…oh and BTW my two year old loved it also 😉

Official Premise: When Wendy’s special Storybook is stolen by Captain Hook, Jake and his mates go to London to help Peter Pan’s friend (from the classic movie Peter Pan). The longer the book is out of Wendy’s hands, the more she and her brothers (John and Michael) forget about their past adventures on Never Land. The battle for the book continues in Never Land, where Hook plans to destroy the book and its stories in the legendary Ring of Blue Fire. It’s up to our young heroes to save Wendy’s Storybook and the Story of Peter Pan!

“Jake and the Never Land Pirates” includes the following voice cast: Sean Ryan Fox (“Life Tracker”, “East of Kensington”) as Jake, Madison Pettis (“Cory in the House”, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 and 3”, “The Game Plan”) as Izzy, Jadon Sand (“Frozen”, “Wreck it Ralph”) as Cubby, David Arquette (“Scream” movies) as Skully, Jeff Bennett (“Tinker Bell” film series) as Mr. Smee, Bonesand Corey Burton (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”) as Captain Hook.

If the hour-long season three finale of “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” is not enough for you there is still much more packed into this DVD. In terms of special features we get ten “Jake’s Never Land Pirate School” shorts. The shorts are “Flying”, “Tick Tock Croc”, “B-B-Big Bugs!”, “Go Bucky!”, “Saving Captain Hook!”, “Mama knows Best!”, “Dancing with the Pirates”, “I’ve Got My Sword!”, “Hop-Hop-Hop!”, and “Look Out!”. These are great watchings for the for kiddies to enjoy. Also includes inside every DVD is an exclusive checker board bandanna with gold coins, which is not available anywhere else but this DVD release. So if you love “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”, this is a must own!

Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad and Ken Howard
Directed by: James Garelick
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 41 mins
SONY Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Imagine you’ve managed to ask a beautiful woman to marry you and now you need to fill out your side of the wedding party. You call around but none of your friends, or people you thought were friends, want to commit. Who you gonna call?

A surprisingly touching and funny film, “The Wedding Ringer” is the story of Doug (Gad), who is set to marry the lovely Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting). When he can’t find anyone to stand up with him the wedding planner (Ignacio Serricchio) points him in the direction of Jimmy Callahan (Hart) who, for a fee, will provide anything you need, from a best man (the package is called the gold bow tie) to a “Gold Tux,” which includes Best Man, multiple groomsmen and a bachelor party. Doug needs a Gold Tux. Jimmy agrees to supply it and recruits several of his friends with various skills (Jimmy feels that every “ringer” should have a distracting trick, be it the ability to talk backwards or having washboard abs to show off when necessary). But he stresses to Doug not to get too attached. Once the wedding is over he and the others are gone.

I must say I went into this movie expecting to hate it. I have not been a big supporter of Kevin Hart and expected another 90 mins of his screaming Chris Tucker impression. However, in “The Wedding Ringer,” he is quite funny and handles the role very well. This is due, in part, to the equally fun performance turned in by Josh Gad. Gad gives Doug a quiet sweetness to his character, one that slowly dissolves as he gains more courage from his new buddies. The script, co-written by director Garelick and Jay Lavender (the duo also collaborated on the 2006 Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Anniston comedy “The Break-Up”) is very witty and the supporting cast, which includes a former football player – the pride of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania – and veteran actor (and “White Shadow” star) Ken Howard. After a month or so of prestigious films looking for some Oscar love this film is a welcome Cineplex treat.

“Birdman,” the film that triumphantly put Michael Keaton back on the map and “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Wes Anderson’s fanciful comedy, led all films this morning when the nominations for the 87^th Annual Academy Awards were announced, with each film garnering (9) nominations, including Best Picture.  Other films with multiple nominations include “The Imitation Game” (8), “American Sniper” and “Boyhood” (6) each, and “Interstellar,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash” with (5).  All of these films, with the exception of “Interstellar,” earned Best Picture nods.  The last film in the Best Picture race is “Selma,” which surprised many by only earning (2) nods.  Due to the revised voting system, only (8) films qualified for Best Picture nominations – a maximum of (10) are allowed.

In the race for Best Director, the nominees are Alejandro G. Inarritu (“Birdman”), Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”), Bennet Miller (“Foxcatcher”), Wes Anderson (“The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Morten Tyldum (“The Imitation Game”).

Bradley Cooper earned his third consecutive Oscar nomination, this one for Best Actor, for his role as real life soldier Chris Kyle in “American Sniper.”  Other nominees for Best Actor include Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher”), Bennedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”), Michael Keaton (“Birdman”) and Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”).  Best Actress nominees are Marion Cotillard (“Two Days, One Night”), Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”), Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”), Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) and Reese Witherspoon (“Wild”)

In the Supporting Actor category, the nominees are Robert Duvall (“The Judge”) Ethan Hawke (“Boyhood”), Edward Norton (“Birdman”), Mark Ruffalo (“Foxcatcher”) and J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”).  Supporting Actress nods went to Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”), Laura Dern (“Wild”), Keira Knightley (“The Imitation Game”), Emma Stone (“Birdman”) and Meryl Streep (“Into the Woods”).  This is Meryl Streep’s NINETEENTH acting nomination, an incredible achievement.

Nods for Best Animated Film went to “Big Hero 6,” “The Boxtrolls,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Song of the Sea” and “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.”

The winners will be announced on February 22, 2015.  Mark you ballots now!

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Actors: Andre Benjamin, Imogen Poots
Director: John Ridley
Rated: R
Studio: XLrator Media
DVD Release Date: January 13, 2015
Run Time: 118 mins

Film: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: .5 out of 5 stars

It had to be tough to make a film about the late, great Jimi Hendrix without the support of his family. Most importantly, this means there will be no “Jimi Hendrix” music in the film. No “Foxy Lady,” “The Wind Cries Mary,” “Purple Haze.” But I could except that fact, as long as the story entertained. Sadly, “Jimi: All Is By My Side” doesn’t.

The film takes place in a one year period between 1966 and 1967. Hendrix (a well cast Benjamin, who is really the ONLY reason to see this film) is playing in New York City at a small club in front of a crowd of dozens. He’s playing rhythm guitar in a terrible band. In fact, the guitar he’s playing isn’t even his. He borrows it each night. One evening he is seen by Linda Keith (Poots), who at the time is best known as being the girlfriend of Rolling Stone Keith Richards. She see’s the talent behind the shy face and convinces Hendrix to express himself through HIS music. She also gives him one of Richard’s guitars, which I assume she had strung for a left handed guitarist. The relationship is clearly business but others get the wrong idea. Linda introduces Jimi to Chas Chandler (Andrew Buckley), currently the bass player for the Animals and a young man looking to get into management. He convinces Jimi that London is the place to be and offers to bankroll his visit. And here is where the film stops. Dead.

Writer/director Ridley won an Oscar last year for his script of “12 Years a Slave.” Here’s hoping he researched that project better. Twice in the film a television personality claims that the up and coming bands on the British scene are Queen and the Who. Unfortunately, Queen did not form until 1970 so this chick may have been Nostradamus’ daughter. On his first night in England, Jimi meets Kathy Etchingham (Hayley Atwell) and the two become a couple. The rest of the film consists of the following scenes, repeated often: Jimi plays horribly, Linda tells him he’s blowing it, Kathy encourages him. Again and again and again. There are also a lot of shots of Jimi trying to tune his guitar (like Robert Johnson before him, Hendrix would often tune his guitars down to get a certain sound) Every now and then the story throws in a quick cameo (look, it’s Eric Clapton…hey, it’s Paul McCartney). Also, Ridley seems to have just looked at a scrapbook of Hendrix photos and then written scenes around them, so that each scene ends up looking like the original photo. Later scenes, including one of Hendrix viciously beating Kathy with a phone, leaving her scarred and bleeding, never happened. Much is made about Jimi having to play an upcoming concert great so that he can legitimize his recent invite to play at the upcoming Monterey Pop Festival. When that concert happens, with a couple of the Beatles in the audience, Jimi wows the crowd with a cover of “Sgt. Pepper” and the rest is history.

If there is a positive to this film it is the performances, particularly by Benjamin, Poots and Atwell. I was 10 years old when Hendrix died on October 15, 1970, but I’ve heard enough of his music and seen enough clips of him on television to know that Benjamin has nailed the persona and the man behind the music. It’s a performance that, in a better film, should have earned him some award consideration. And the fact that there is NO Hendrix penned music in the film but surely they could have had Benjamin do a version of “Hey Joe” (written in 1962 by Billy Roberts) or “All Along the Watchtower” (written by Bob Dylan and out in 1967) to remind viewers of what a musician Hendrix was, rather than just have him fumbling on a guitar and throwing in the occasional lick. Thankfully, late last year. the Hendrix estate announced they are looking to approve a film that treats Jimi right. And don’t just take my word for it. Upon seeing “Jimi: All Is By My Side,” Kathy Etchingham, who was Hendrix’ inspiration for “Foxy Lady,” “The Wind Cries Mary” and others, called it “absolute nonsense.” And to quote David Huddleston in “Blazing Saddles” — “Who can argue with that?”

The only EXTRA is a short piece on how the music for the film was created.

Starring: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, and Carmen Ejogo
Directed By: Ava Duvernay
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 127 minutes
Paramount Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

A curious thought popped into my head while I watched “Selma”, has there ever been a movie about the late, great, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? None came to mind and after doing a simple Internet search after the movie, it appears that no mainstream motion picture has attempted to tackle such an arduous task. And even though his life was only 39 years long, there’s so much storied history to attempt to adapt, it seems like an almost impossible feat to cherry pick the nuggets that are worth portraying. “Selma” does an admirable job finding the right event that parallels the present day struggles.

“Selma” places it’s microscope over 1965, dropping us in Selma, Alabama. The main flare up for controversy is voter registration. Anytime an African-American would attempt to register to vote, they were met insanely hard tests, economic/financial pressure, and of course, the looming threat of violence from residents and the Ku Klux Klan. While there is a civil rights movement, it’s very weak, quiet, and disorganized. Enter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Oyelowo).

King’s presence gives a clearer focus to the angry groups of black people, which seemingly make up a decent percent of the town. The temptation of giving up or simply raising an angry fist to their oppressors is quelled by the soothing words of King. The scenes that work best is when King’s comforting a family mourning the loss of a loved one or withholding aggressive words in diplomatic discussions with President Lyndon Johnson.

Oyelowo gracefully handles King as best one could. Those famous words we all know from King (the “I Have a Dream” speech) are lacking from this movie, but in it’s place are some powerful, stirring calls for action and Oyelowo combines strength and determination while balancing humility. It’s a difficult task to come off so true to King’s persona, but Oyelowo does it. It helps that he has a fine cast surrounding him, including Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, and others who I am sure will have a future in Hollywood.

“Selma” would not have worked as a straight biopic, but works magnificently as a focus on grassroots activism. It does get a bit muddled when adding the subplot of King’s relationship with his wife. It also doesn’t help when it keeps cutting to gratuitous shots of Oprah Winfrey’s incredibly minor character. Of course when you’re one of the film’s producers, you can be on screen as much as you want. “Selma” is just a progressive step short of taking the stage with other grand movies, but I’m sure it’ll still gladly take a heaping plate of nominations.

As for it’s message, you’ll either get it or you won’t. And if you do get it, you’ll love it or you won’t. That’s perfectly fine though because whether you want to admit it or not, there’s still a big problem when it comes to equality and oppression. I’m not here to make a political statement or stand up on any soap box, but there’s something to be said about the powerful imagery featuring peaceful protesters being bashed with batons and chased down police in riot gear.

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