Actors: Renée Zellweger, Keanu Reeves, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kenneth Choi, Sean Bridgers
Directors: Courtney Hunt
Rated: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: January 17, 2017
Run Time: 93 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

I have and always will be a Keanu Reeves fan. I know he is hit and miss with films (and this is a miss) but I still always check out when he has something new. On the other hand, I am not a fan of Renée Zellweger at all. In fact I can’t stand her, so that gave me immediately mixed feelings about this film. I call it a one time watcher. Interested but at the same time bland and definitely something I would not revisit.

Official Premise: Defense attorney Richard Ramsey (Keanu Reeves) takes on a personal case when he swears to his widowed friend, Loretta Lassiter (Renée Zellweger), that he will keep her son Mike (Gabriel Basso) out of prison. Charged with murdering his father, Mike initially confesses to the crime. But as the trial proceeds, chilling evidence about the kind of man that Boone Lassiter (Jim Belushi) really was comes to light. While Ramsay uses the evidence to get his client acquitted, his new colleague Janelle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) tries to dig deeper – and begins to realize that the whole truth is something she alone can uncover.

“The Whole Truth” comes as a Blu-ray combo pack with a digital HD copy included. The Blu-ray A/V merits are nothing special but at the same time nothing to complain about. Just bland and basic like the film itself. There is only one special feature also included, which is an audio commentary by director Courtney Hunt. Skipped around on it but really didn’t interest me enough to watch again.

Directors: Henry Yu
Actors: WWE Superstars John Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, Paige and Mr. McMahon
Rated: PG
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

I don’t know when this became a thing but WWE is taking over animation as well. They have mixed there brand with Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons (coming soon) and now they made their way into a sequel to the 2007 film “Surf’s Up”. This films features the voices of WWE Superstars John Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, Paige and Mr. McMahon. The movie itself is nothing special honestly unless you are a hardcore “Surf’s Up” or WWE fan. Cute and fun but not really necessary or memorable.

Official Premise: Cody Maverick, hungry for a new challenge, convinces an infamous big wave riding crew known as The Hang 5, voiced by WWE Superstars John Cena®, Undertaker®, Triple H®, Paige™ and Mr. McMahon® to let him join them on their journey to a mysterious surf spot known as The Trenches, where legend has it, they’ll find the biggest waves in the world. Cody soon discovers that the life he left behind might be more heroic than what any death-defying wave has to offer.

Sony only released this film on DVD but at least they included a Digital HD copy with the release. The special features are decent as well. There is “Behind the Mic: Hanging with the Dream Team”, which looks into the voice cast. “Chicken Joe’s Extreme Slaughter Island Tour” is a fun animated featurette with the character. “How to Draw Your Favorite Characters with Director Henry Yu” shows the processing of drawing the characters. “Inside the Music” is featurette with the Composer Toby Chu. Lastly there are bloopers included. So not to bad for a direct-to-DVD sequel.

I can’t remember a time in my life when Mary Tyler Moore wasn’t a part of it.

The Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony award winning actress and producer died January 25, 2017, of complications from pneumonia. She was 80, having celebrated her birthday less than a month ago.

Born in New York and raised in California, Mary Tyler Moore decided as a teenager that she wanted to be a dancer. Her first professional job was as “Happy Hotpoint,” a tiny elf who danced on Hotpoint appliances during commercial breaks on the popular 1950s television series “Ozzie and Harriet.” Her first regular TV role was as the sexy, unseen secretary of “Richard Diamond: Private Eye.” On the show, the audience could hear Moore’s voice, but all they saw were her legs.

In 1961, after a series of small film and television roles, show creator Carl Reiner cast her as Laura, the wife of comedy writer Robert Petrie, on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Her work on the show earned her two Emmy awards and a Golden Globe.

When the show ended in 1966, she returned to films, co-starring with Julie Andrews in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and Elvis Presley in “Change of Habit,” in which she played a nun sent undercover to live in the ghetto. The film is a personal favorite in the Smith household and was Elvis Presley’s last scripted film.

In 1970, she returned to television in the groundbreaking, self-titled “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” As Mary Richards, a single woman starting life over at age 30, she gets a job as a producer of the local news and for the next seven years became a Saturday night staple. The show earned an amazing 67 Emmy nominations, winning 29, including four more for Moore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldf12KsqT7M

After the show ended in 1977, Moore tried a couple of variety shows, with little fanfare. In 1980, she stunned fans and Hollywood with her performance as the cold mother Beth Jarrett in Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People.” Long time fans were stunned, having never seen an unlikable Moore on screen. For her performance she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

It was actually 30 years ago this month that I had the great opportunity to see Ms. Moore and Lynn Redgrave on Broadway in the play “Sweet Sue.” After the show I joined many other fans waiting patiently at the stage door for the actresses to come out. Both were very giving of their time, posing for photos and signing autographs. I had her sign my “Ordinary People” poster and when she handed it back I told her, “I’ve hated you ever since I saw this movie.” Thankfully she knew that I meant her character as she smiled and said, “why thank you.”

Mary Tyler Moore continues to be a part of my life. Whenever we have a free Friday or Saturday night, my wife Juanita and I put together a “70s Night,” watching DVD’s of television series from that decade. You can rest assured that at least one episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore” is on the agenda every night.

“La La Land,” writer/director Damien Chazelle’s love letter to the classic Hollywood musical, tied “All About Eve” and “Titanic” in receiving an amazing 14 nominations for the 89th Annual Academy Awards.

The film has a chance to join “It Happened One Night,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Silence of the Lambs,” which took home the prizes for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay. “La La Land’ earned nominations in all of those categories and added nods for Original Score, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. The film also earned two nominations in the Best Original Song Category.

Joining “La La Land” in the Best Picture category are: “Arrival,” “Fences,” “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Hell or High Water,” “Hidden Figures,” “Lion,” “Manchester by the Sea” and “Moonlight.”

Best Actor nominees include Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic) and Denzel Washington (Fences)

For Best Actress, the nominees are Isabelle Huppert (Elle), Ruth Negga (Loving), Natalie Portman (Jackie), Emma Stone (La La Land) and, in her 20th acting nomination, Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

The Academy Awards will be awarded on Sunday night, February 26th.

Here is a complete list of the nominees:

Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”

Actress in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

Animated Feature Film
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Moana”
“My Life as a Zucchini”
“The Red Turtle”
“Zootopia”

Cinematography
“Arrival”
“La La Land”
“Lion”
“Moonlight”
“Silence”

Costumed Design
“Allied”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Florence Foster Jenkins”
“Jackie”
“La La Land”

Directing
“Arrival”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“La La Land”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”

Feature Documentary
“Fire at Sea”
“I Am Not Your Negro”
“Life, Animated”
“O.J.: Made in America”
“13th”

Short Subject Documentary
“Extremis”
“4.1 Miles”
“Joe’s Violin”
“Watani: My Homeland”
“The White Helmets”

Film Editing
“Arrival”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Hell or High Water”
“La La Land”
“Moonlight”

Foreign Language Film
“Land of Mine”
“A Man Called Ove”
“The Salesman”
“Tanna”
“Toni Erdmann”

Make Up and Hairstyling
“A Man Called Ove”
“Star Trek Beyond”
“Suicide Squad”

Original Score
“Jackie”
“La La Land”
“Lion”
“Moonlight”
“Passengers”

Original Song
Audition (The Fools Who Dream), “La La Land”
Can’t Stop The Feeling, “Trolls”
City Of Stars, “La La Land”
The Empty Chair, “Jim: The James Foley Story”
How Far I’ll Go, “Moana”

Production Design
“Arrival”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Hail, Caesar!”
“La La Land”
“Passengers”

Animated Short Film
“Blind Vaysha”
“Borrowed Time”
“Pear Cider and Cigarettes”
“Pearl”
“Piper”

Live Action Short Film
“Ennemis Intérieurs”
“La Femme et le TGV”
“Silent Nights”
“Sing”
“Timecode”

Sound Editing
“Arrival”
“Deepwater Horizon”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“La La Land”
“Sully”

Sound Mixing
“Arrival”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“La La Land”
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”

Visual Effects
“Deepwater Horizon”
“Doctor Strange”
“The Jungle Book”
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

Adapted Screenplay
“Arrival”
“Fences”
“Hidden Figures”
“Lion”
“Moonlight”

Original Screenplay
“Hell or High Water”
“La La Land”
“The Lobster”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“20th Century Women”

The next chapter in the “Star Wars” saga finally has a title. Say hello to “Star Wars – Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.”

What does the title mean? Is Rey the last Jedi? Or is it Luke Skywalker? Or someone else we haven’t met yet. Come December 15th we will find out.

THE LAST JEDI is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is scheduled for release December 15, 2017.

Actors: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Édgar Ramírez
Directors: Tate Taylor
Format: 4K
Rated: R
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: January 17, 2017
Run Time: 112 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
4K Ultra HD: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

“The Girl on the Train” is the perfect film for Emily Blunt. She literally rocks this film! I could have sworn I would swear she would win awards for the role but it never really caught traction. She is truly amazing. Also Haley Bennett has a solid 2016 return with this film and “The Magnificent Seven”. The film has me staring without blinking for about 3/4 of the movie until the end reveal when it lost it almost completely. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending but overall I did enjoy the movie if not just for the performances.

Official Premise: The Girl on the Train is based on Paula Hawkins’ bestselling thriller that shocked the world. Rachel (Emily Blunt), devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day. Everything changes when she sees something shocking happen there, and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.

“The Girl on the Train” was released in a 4K Ultra HD combo pack with Blu-ray and Digital HD copy included. The 2160p 4K looks good but really doesn’t blow me away at all. If you compare the Blu-ray disc, I almost thought it looked better. There wasn’t anything in the 4K transfer that really stepped up the game. Not bad by ANY means just was hoping for more” The included DTS:X soundtrack (which ends up working as a 7.1 mix) sounds great and work well with the suspenseful score.

The special features are decent and worth checking out for sure if you enjoyed the film. The audio commentary features director Tate Taylor giving a lot of in-depth information on the film. There are nearly 20 minutes of Deleted and Extended Scenes included. Lastly there are two featurettes. The first is “The Women Behind The Girl” features author Paula Hawkins talking about the film. The other is “On Board The Train” looks deeper into characters and more behind-the-scenes.

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Actors: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson
Directors: Derek Cianfrance
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment
Release Date: January 24, 2017
Run Time: 133 minutes

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

It’s hard to imagine that a film with the talent of “The Light Between Oceans” can be a failure but this film is hard to finish. Michael Fassbender (“X-Men” franchise), Alicia Vikander (“Ex Machina”) are two of the hottest actors in the business. The film just runs so long and the story goes here, there and everywhere. I was lost a few times and nearly sleeping the next. So despite the talent included, skip this!

Official Premise: Lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) and radiant, spirited Isabel (Alicia Vikander) live together in married bliss on a remote, rugged island off the coast of Australia. But their windswept world is turned upside down when Isabel learns that she’s unable to bear a child. One day, a drifting lifeboat washes ashore with a crying baby in it. The dilemma the couple now face will echo far beyond the island, engulfing and irrevocably impacting their world — and that of a stranger (Rachel Weisz) — in a passionate story about love, hope, and a fateful choice. Get swept away by this stunning film, with an exclusive bonus Audio Commentary that will pull you deeper in.

The special features included are decent and worth checking out. “Bringing The Light to Life” features cast and crew talking about the film. There is a super in-depth audio commentary with director Derek Cianfrance and his film studies professor Phil Solomon. The last one is “Lighthouse Keeper” looks into the history of the lighthouse with the filmmakers, cast and Cape Campbell Lighthouse inspector/maintainer Rob Sword.

Actors: Aaron Paul, Annabelle Wallis, Garret Dillahunt
Directors: Zack Whedon
Rated: R
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: January 17, 2017
Run Time: 112 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Aaron Paul shines out of the shadow of “Breaking Bad” and delivers a great performance on a film that no one will see. Zack Whedon, brother of Joss, is making his directorial debut on this film and delivers a solid drama with an cast that including Whedonverse regular, Enver Gjokaj (“Dollhouse”). I loved Annabelle Wallis in “Annabelle” and she was also great in this! Worth checking out if your a big fan of Paul’s work or curious to see brother Whedon take a shot (and score) with directing.

Official Premise: David and Claire’s idyllic relationship comes to an abrupt and mysterious end after Claire disappears without a trace. Devastated but incapable of letting go, David follows her trail down a frantic and increasingly dangerous path. Shocked at discovering that Claire was living a double life, he’s forced to risk everything if he ever wants to see her again.

“Come and Find Me” comes as a combo pack with Blu-ray and Digital HD copy. the 1080p transfer looks great with the way that Whedon shot the film. The special features are not a whole lot but what is included is great. There is a behind-the-scenes featurette called “Unravelling the Mysteries of Come and Find Me”. There is a great audio commentary with Writer/Director Zack Whedon and Producer Chris Ferguson. Definitely worth checking out for some cool insight.

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Starring: Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson, Sean Harris, Lyndsey Marshall, Rory Kinnear
Directed By: Adam Smith
Rated: R
Running Time: 99 minutes
Film4

Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

For a man seeking a quiet life, Chad Cutler drums up an awful lot of trouble in Adam Smith’s rural family drama, Trespass Against Us. Set deep in the English countryside, the feature debut from Smith can be tonally uneven but boasts enough solid performances and pops of quality car chases to recommend it.

Michael Fassbender stars as Chad Cutler, the heir apparent to a family of thieves in a caravan park. His father is the blustery Colby Cutler (Brendan Gleeson) who preaches only what his father taught him. In between sending his son and their gang out on robberies, Colby interferes with Chad’s young son Tyson (Georgie Smith) getting an actual school education. It’s a life Chad wishes to escape as he sets his eyes on moving into an actual house with Tyson and his wife Kelly (Lyndsey Marshal). Unfortunately Colby’s infamy looms large over the local population, often stifling Chad’s ambitions. Also impeding his progress? Chad himself. Chad is a caring father, but his whole world has been crime and he’s great at it. Despite his illiteracy, he’s the most intelligent of his crew as well as the best driver–crucial for their hit and run robbery jobs in the neighboring towns. The entire trailer crew becomes endangered when Colby sends them unknowingly to invade a local judge’s mansion.

Fassbender isn’t often cast as the family man (Steve Jobs was hardly the best example) and here it works well. Him and Smith share some touching scenes and I also got a kick out of Chad’s chastising of Tyson at a chip stand. More importantly Fassbender skillfully conveys the simmering conflicts within Cutler. His shark-like grin when dealing with his cohorts is equal parts charming and threatening, belying his frustration with his continued position in this dim gang. Conversely Chad clearly enjoys the thrill of the car chases when he is persuaded to work. Most of the persuasion here carried out by Gleeson’s formidable Colby who growls his way through some good scenes.

The English countryside makes for an unconventional crime story background and Smith does quite a lot with it. The car chases through the village then out into the woods are well shot and thrilling despite their relatively small scale. I’d never seen cows incorporated into a manhunt quite like they are here! At times, the local population can skew too quirky (Sean Harris as a perpetually filthy yokel is a bit much) but the familial drama central to the story keeps things grounded thanks to the strong performances of Fassbender, Gleeson, Marshal and newcomer Smith.

Trespass Against Us is now out in theaters as well as on DirecTV

Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern and Linda Cardellini
Directed By: John Lee Hancock
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 115 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

A hyper charismatic Michael Keaton drags a pair of wholesome Americans into a deal that they soon regret. No, it’s not Beetlejuice, but rather John Lee Hancock’s The Founder, the true story of the man responsible for making McDonalds the global franchise it is today. Director Hancock is no stranger to selling shrewd businessman stories having previously helmed the Disney-pursues-Mary Poppins pic Saving Mr. Banks. Like Mr Banks, The Founder relies on how charmingly its entrepreneur can overtake a profitable concept from its hesitant creators. In this respect, The Founder zips along on the boundless energy that Keaton infuses into Ray Kroc.

It’s hard to imagine America without the golden arches of McDonald’s. It’s a vision that not even the franchise’s namesake brothers had foreseen when the wily  Mr.Kroc rolled up to their booming San Bernadino burger stand in 1955 to sell his milk shake mixers. Here the brothers, Dick and Mac (played by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) devised the fast food kitchen as we know it, breaking away from the slower drive-ins of the day. Traveling salesman Kroc has had more than his fair share of drive in frustrations–slow carhops, wrong orders, cumbersome trays–and knows an opportunity when he sees one. “Franchises!” he enthuses to stoney faces of Offerman and Lynch. They prefer quality over quantity. What the McDonalds don’t know about Kroc is he falls asleep to the recorded mantra “nothing is as powerful as persistence.” Which he has in spades.

Despite Kroc’s triumph Hancock does not give Ray a pass on his swindling ways. Played by Michael Keaton (accompanied by his thematically appropriate arched eyebrows), Kroc is a magnetic presence to be sure and like many cinematic villains, fun as hell to watch work. However, the perfectly cast Offerman and Lynch are infinitely more sympathetic. Aesthetically they’re the stoic hound dogs to the fox in the henhouse that is Keaton. John Carroll Lynch specifically tugs on the heart strings multiple times as he watches his family’s vision slip out from under them. A trauma great enough to hospitalize him at one point. And if that weren’t enough, a sulking supporting turn by Laura Dern as Kroc’s first wife, Ethel, goes a long way to showing what an exhaustive personality her husband has always been without the film needing to delve much into his backstory.

Viewing this film from 2016 makes Kroc’s success in his endeavors a foregone conclusion but to Hancock’s credit, he keeps the burger flipping and legal gymnastics interesting. He manages to condense the McDonalds’s “overnight success thirty years in the making” in one balletic montage that really showcases the ingenuity of the brothers in designing their “speedee service model”. In a world where the fast food assembly line is omnipresent, it is somewhat heartening to see the genuine human element and efforts that went into its inception. That the fruits of said efforts were ultimately swiped by a ‘founder’ who hadn’t founded anything luckily let me get right back to regretting the dubious influence the fast food trend had on the dietary habits of millions…but hey, did I mention how much fun it is to watch Michael Keaton?

Starring: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Betty Buckley
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 117 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is more commonly known as split personality disorder (SPD) or multiple personality disorder (MPD). The 90’s was full of daytime talk shows, like Oprah, talking to people who allegedly suffered from the disorder. The TV appearances didn’t add much credence to the ongoing debate over the diagnosis and legitimacy of the mental illness in the scientific and psychological communities. Instead it provided housewives with fodder and a free-pass for Hollywood to rejuvenate one of their favorite horror/thriller tropes. Now in 2017, the disease is back in “Split,” but not without a ferociously unique bite.

It’d be unfair to say that Kevin (McAvoy) kidnapped three women from a suburban Philadelphia mall. There are nearly two dozen other distinct personalities in his brain that could have done it or plotted to do it. However, just like his victims, we’ll soon find out that Dennis did it, but not without a little help. The trio of girls will also meet Patricia, Hedwig, Barry, and a handful of Kevin’s other internal personalities. The one victim that “Split” will tend to focus on is Casey (Taylor-Joy). Unlike her fellow captives, she isn’t crying or screaming for help. Casey seems to not only have a grasp on the situation, but an understanding of Kevin.

Another person with a deep understanding of Kevin is Dr. Karen Fletcher (Buckley). She’s talked with Kevin and nearly all of his personalities, but she’s unaware of his latest emotional developments and actions. She doesn’t view Kevin as a freak of nature, but as someone/something more. She believes Kevin’s DID makes him superhuman in nature, with personalities that not only control his mind, but his body, enhancing or crippling some of his physical attributes. That’s why it worries her that there are rumblings of a 24th personality, nicknamed ‘The Beast’. But is it just rumors between Kevin’s personalities or is there truly another personality, which can climb walls and feast on human flesh, lurking inside Kevin’s brain?

There’s more psychological and emotionally scarring at work in “Split” other than the harmful effects of DID. The mental traumas that Kevin and Casey endured previously before the current abduction predicament are revealed and make them more human. The level of empathy for the inherent villain of the movie, Kevin, is nurtured through light-hearted humor, the innocence of some of his personalities, and the one honest moment where the audience finally meets the real Kevin. McAvoy and Taylor-Joy find wordless ways to make their characters sympathetic, simply by letting tears well up in their eyes or flashing various facial tics at the right moment.

“Split” isn’t quite a return to form for Shyamalan, but more of an evolutionary step in his directing and writing. For years he’s been the twist guy that throws in some jump scares for good measure, but he’s dropped a lot of that in “Split,” relying more on atmosphere and the ability of his actors and actresses. But there’s a light joy to his movie, almost understanding that a movie about a man with DID should surely have a few jokes. Although anyone suffering from the disease and anyone without a funny bone in their body from the medical community would say otherwise. That’s not to say “Split” isn’t without its faults.

It runs a little bit too long and sometimes pushes the envelope without any purpose other than to visually or emotionally upset the audience. That may be Shyamalan tinkering with the formula since he is in new territory. “Split” is a restricted thriller, relying more on drawn out suspense and claustrophobic anxiety. “Split” is a slow boiler with enough tension to make you jump at the slightest movement. It also has Shyamalan working with a tragic villain for the first time since “Unbreakable.” If “Split” is Shyamalan’s apology for everything in between “Signs” and “The Visit,” then apology accepted.

Starring: Annette Bening, Elle Fanning and Greta Gerwig
Directed by: Mike Mills
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 59 mins
A24

Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

In 2010, writer/director Mike Mills penned a film loosely based on his father called “Beginners,” with Christopher Plummer taking home an Oscar for his work. This week Mills has turned his pen towards his mother, with Annette Bening shining through in a performance that could end up the same way as Plummer’s did with Oscar gold.

Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) is a 15-year old boy being raised by a less then orthodox mother. We learn from Jamie that his mom Dorothea (Bening) wanted to be a pilot but instead now holds a high position with a major company. Dorothea is 55 and divorced. She doesn’t date much and, when she does, it doesn’t last long. Her world is Jamie. Or so she thinks. Her world also consists of Abbie (Gerwig), a boarder dealing with the possibility of having cervix cancer, William (Billy Crudup), a former hippie with a knack for fixing cars and pottery bowls, and Julie (Fanning), a neighborhood girl that Jamie is helplessly in love with. As their stories intertwine, it’s hard to see who the mature member of the “family” is and who the child is.

Set in 1979, the film makes great use with its pop culture references. Musical acts like the Raincoats and Black Flag dot the soundtrack while references to President Ford falling down the stairs of Air Force One or President Carter addressing the nation and it’s “crisis of confidence” – now referred to as “the Malaise Speech” – help set the tone of the on-screen action. As someone who remembers these events, and the “groovy” clothes from the period, it triggered some fond memories of my youth.

The film does have some problems with its pacing, but the energy jumps up when any of the three female leads are on screen. Fanning and Gerwig are both solid, especially since neither one of them were born in the time the film takes place. But it is Bening, one of our most overlooked talents, who shines here. She mines her emotional depths as she tries to find ways to connect with her son while still trying to maintain a lifestyle she has reluctantly become accustomed to. It is one of her finest performances and one I sincerely hope the Academy recognizes this year.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Rated: R
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: January 10, 2017
Run Time: 128 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Ben Affleck has been a busy guy in 2016. With his cameo in “Suicide Squad” and filming “Justice League” and also recently releasing the less reclaimed “Live By Night”. “The Accountant” is one of great successes. Outside of playing Batman, Affleck has delivered some epic films like “Argo” and “The Town”. I really enjoyed “The Accountant” and it is jam packed with Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor along side Affleck. Probably not a film I can re-watch over and over but surely enjoyed this as a one timer.

Official Premise: Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a math savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Behind the cover of a small-town CPA office, he works as a freelance accountant for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. With the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, run by Ray King (J.K. Simmons), starting to close in, Christian takes on a legitimate client: a state-of-the-art robotics company where an accounting clerk (Anna Kendrick) has discovered a discrepancy involving millions of dollars. But as Christian uncooks the books and gets closer to the truth, it is the body count that starts to rise.

Warner Brothers is releasing “The Accountant” as a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD UltraViolet combo pack. The 1080p transfer is gorgeous. I would love to see how it transferred into 4K resolution. You have two choices for audio with both 5.1 and 7.1 soundtracks, both are encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA. This film is more dialogue led but both sounds great. The special features are honestly, disappointing. There are three rather quick/short featurettes. The first is “Inside the Man” with cast/crew discussing the character of Christian Wolff. The second is “Behavioral Science” with which brings in technical aspects and lastly “The Accountant in Action” looks at the films stunts.

Actors: Zoe Kazan, Ella Ballentine, Scott Speedman, Aaron Douglas
Directors: Bryan Bertino
Rated: R
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: January 24, 2017
Run Time: 91 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

I was excited for the film, “The Monster” due to the use of practical monster effects, which is always exciting for me. “The Monster” is much more than just a creature feature. It is a store of suffering and healing. I honestly missed that the first time seeing this film making it hard to enjoy. But this film redeemed itself for me during second more open minded viewing. The acting is superb from Zoe Kazan and Ella Ballentine. The creature effects did not let down at all providing an original rather terrifying design. Worth taking a look.

Official Premise: Acclaimed horror filmmaker Bryan Bertino (The Strangers) wrote and directed this suspenseful and scary film, in which a divorced mother (Zoe Kazan) and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late-night road trip to see the girl’s father. As they drive through deserted country roads on a stormy night, they suddenly have a startling collision that leaves them shaken but not seriously hurt. Their car, however, is dead, and as they try in vain to get help, they come to realize they are not alone on these desolate backroads — a terrifying evil is lurking in the surrounding woods, intent on never letting them leave.

This Blu-ray/Digital HD combo pack fails not in its technical merits but in it’s special features. There is only one featurettes called “Eyes in the Darkness”. I would have hoped so much more in the creatures design and the atmosphere, score and director’s commentary on this film. I feel like I could have enjoy aspects of the film more if I got a in-depth discussion of the film and its focused story.

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Matt Lanter, Thomas Jane, Tom Sizemore
Directors: Mario Van Peebles
Rated: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: January 24, 2017
Run Time: 131 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1 out of 5 stars

Whenever I think about the story of the USS Indianapolis, I go straight to Quint’s legendary speech from the 1975 film “Jaws”. It is a scary and grim story of courage and strength. Unfortunately, in short, this film neither captures that courage of strength at all and quite bores you with this adaption. There is definitely a cast of character who show up in this film including Nicolas Cage, Matt Lanter, James Remar, Tom Sizemore and Thomas Jane. But no talent can spare us from the slow motion scenes to the cheap CGI.

Official Premise: Based on a true story of survival and bravery, USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage stars Cage as the captain of the USS Indianapolis, a boat tasked with a top-secret mission at the end of World War II. With remarkable production value, the film tells the harrowing tale of real life American heroes shipwrecked in shark infested waters in the waning days of World War II.

The Blu-ray/Digital HD combo pack for “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage” has no major issue with it’s technical merits. The 1080p does what it can with the film’s cheap production value and use of digital effects. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track works with the action but didn’t overly wow me either. The only special feature included is a featurette focusing around “The Making of USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage”.

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