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Jackie Robinson: Chadwick Boseman takes his bride Rachel: Nicole Beharie to Florida spring training when he’s signed for Toronto by Dodgers’ president/general manager: Branch Rickey: Harrison Ford. Rickey declares “Dollars aren’t black or white, they’re green.” as he sets out to break the color barrier in place against blacks in baseball. Manager Leo Durocher: Christopher Meloni encounters problems due to his romance with actress Laraine Day. Supporting players include Pee Wee Reese: Lucas Black, the first teammate to accept Jackie; the hateful manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Ben Chapman: Alan Tudyk; Dodgers radio commentator Red Barber: John McGinley; plus T.R. Knight and Max Gail. Director/screenwriter Brian Helgeland does a better job of presenting the hero than what makes the man tick. Jackie is hired because he will control his temper and not fight back at the racial slurs. Thematic elements. Drinking. Profanity. Minor sexual content.

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION 3D

General Joe Colton: Bruce Willis, for whom the special unit was named, is now led by Roadblock: Dwayne Johnson. Duke: Channing Tatum dodges explosions and is also firing machine guns at villain Zartan: Arnold Vosloo and his forces. The President: Jonathan Pryce foolishly takes the North Korean delegation to the bunker 90 ft. under the White House, to his regret. This was not the time to disband the special unit framed by COBRA. Look for a grown up Mouse: Joseph Mazzello. Directed by Jon M. Chu and co-written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick with lots of action in 3D. Intense combat violence and martial arts action throughout. Sensuality. Profanity.

JURASSIC PARK 3D

Paleontologists Dr. Alan Grant: Sam Neill and Dr. Ellie Sattler: Laura Dern are lured to a Pacific island off the Costa Rica coast owned by billionaire John Hammond: Richard Attenborough. He will fund their digs for three years if they inspect his “amusement park.” Much to their amazement and ultimately to their horror, they find fully grown dinosaurs, etc. behind an electric fence. Computer expert Wayne Knight has dual purposes when he shuts down the electricity. The excellent supporting cast includes: Dr. Ian Malcolm: Jeff Goldblum, and John’s grandchildren: Tim: Joseph Mazzello and Lex: Ariana Richards. Oscars were won in 1993 for Visual Effects, Sound and Sound Effects Editing so viewers can image the thrills supplied by top-notch addition of 3-D, which brings the second half to life…and death as the critters roam the island amok and are no longer vegetarians! The 3-D work is superior to recent films made in 3-D! Spielberg’s masterpiece becomes more so and a Must See. Michael Crichton wrote the novel and co-wrote the screenplay with David Koepp. After 20 years it’s not dated. Profanity. Intense sci-fi terror.

NO

Chile at the end of its dictatorship adds new meaning to “Just say No!” The upcoming referendum in 1988 to oust Dictator Pinochet is led by advertising executive René Saavedra: Gael Garcia Bernal. Under constant government scrutiny, a plan is conceived to free the country from oppression. His boss, Lucho Guzmán: Alfredo Castro is advisor to Pinochet so René must be especially careful…Pinochet has been known to order murder, violence and intimidation. Director Pablo Larrain keeps the tension taut in Pedro Peirano’s busy screenplay. Spanish with English subtitles. Profanity. War violence. Smoking.

Awards: Won National Board of Review: Top 5 Foreign Language Films, 2012; Cannes Film Festival: C.I.C.A.E. Award; Cinema for Peace Award for Justice; Audience Award: both Sao Paulo and Thessaloniki Film Festivals. Oscar Nominated Best Foreign Language Film.

OBLIVION

Jack Harper: Tom Cruise, 50 but doesn’t look a day over 30, appears comfortable in this part and the futuristic setting is most attractive. Jack and Victoria: Andrea Riseborough, 31, are among the few repair people left on Earth after decades of war with the destructive alien Scavs. Most of the population has moved to Titan, a Jupiter moon. When Jack investigates a crashed ship in his sector, he discovers passenger Julia: Olga Kurylenko, 33, who has been haunting his dreams. He comes to learn what she meant to his past. Sally: Melissa Leo is Vic’s computer screen contact for assignments. Beech: Morgan Freeman and Sykes: Nicholas Coster-Waldau at first seem to be Jack’s enemies. Director and co-writer of the screenplay, Joseph Kosinski brings the viewer a rich new sci-fi environment which is a real treat. Sci-fi action violence. Mild profanity. Sensuality. Nudity.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

Luke: Ryan Gosling, a motorcycle stunt performer, returns to upstate New York and finds the waitress Romina: Eva Mendes he left behind has given birth to their son, Jason. Unemployable, he reverts to robbing banks. Police officer Avery: Bradley Cooper builds his career around Luke. The central character shifts to Avery and his rise within a crooked police department. Fifteen years later, the tale concerns the sons of Avery and Luke. Studied performances by the leads are engrossing. Director/co-writer Derek Cianfrance keeps viewers guessing, there is no way to imagine what is coming next. Teen drug and alcohol use. Violence. Profanity.

SIDE EFFECTS

Emily Taylor: Rooney Mara happily greets husband Martin Taylor: Channing Tatum upon his release from a 2-year prison sentence. Depressed, she goes to see Dr. Jonathan Banks: Jude Law and is given an experimental drug: Ablixa. While “sleepwalking” she kills Martin. With his practice falling off daily, Banks consults Em’s previous psychiatrist, Dr. Victoria Siebert: Catherine Zeta-Jones but is not given the full truth. Steven Soderbergh directs the crime thriller from the creepy screenplay by Scott Z. Burns. Canny acting by the leads. Sexuality. Violence. Nudity. Profanity.

STOKER

Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) scripts this eerie story of Uncle Charlie: Matthew Goode who suddenly appears after the sudden death of his brother Richard Stoker: Dermot Mulroney. Charlie comforts Richard’s wife Evelyn: Nicole Kidman and daughter India: Mia Wasikowska. Both seem on the verge of going nutty. Relationships get complex. Profanity. Violence. Smoking.

TRANCE

Art auctioneer Simon: James MacAvoy has stolen Goya’s Witches in the Air valued at $25-million. But in his getaway, he sustains a head injury causing him to forget where he hid the masterwork. Frank Bright: French actor Vincent Cassel (Black Swan) wants the oil yesterday! Hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb: Rosario Dawson is brought aboard to help Simon remember. Director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) doesn’t pull any punches in this crime drama. Sexuality. Violence. Nudity. Profanity.

21 and OVER

Actually, this gross film is for the under 21 and anyone whose mature thinking is impaired. When Jeff Chang’s: Justin Chon two best friends take him out drinking for his 21st birthday, it soon becomes senseless debauchery and overindulgence. To find Jeff, students Miller: Miles Teller and Casey: Skylar Astin must compete and pass a test on each floor of a den of iniquity to get to the eighth floor. There are hurdles en route and no sentences without profanities. Miller tries to impress blond bombshell Nicole: Sarah Wright (Mad Love). Nicole and Randy: Jonathan Keltz improve the scenery. On The Hangover series, co-directors/screenwriters Jon Lucas/Scott Moore did much better. Save your money. Drugs and drinking. Pervasive profanity throughout! Crude sexual content/graphic nudity.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

High school senior Ethan: Alden Ehrenreich finds it strange that a new arrival in his Southern town, Lena: Alice Englert appears in his Civil War-era nightmares. Her mother, Mrs. Lincoln: Emma Thompson, a caster: one with supernatural abilities, lets loose a tornado within a church meeting! Ethan’s father, Macon: Jeremy Irons is equally powerful. They must have gotten substantial paychecks to have participated in this uninteresting, dull crap. See their Oscar-winning films instead. Amma: Viola Davis is relegated to a small part relating to the secretly recorded history of past casters. Young love is overcast by the senior casters. Directed/co-written by Richard LaGravenese, based on the youth novel by Kami Garcia and Margret Stohl stolen from the Twilight series. Don’t expect a sequel. Scary images. Sexual content. Violence. Profanity.

THE CALL

L.A. 911 switchboard operator, Jordan: Halle Berry, gets a call from a teen female before she is murdered. Jordan’s so upset that she switches to training others to receive calls. Within a few months, a call comes in from kidnapped Casey: Abigail Breslin, held in the trunk of a sedan driven by Michael Foster: Michael Eklund, a loose screwball. Jordan talks Casey through the ways to make her presence known to other drivers. After a few minutes, Jordan realizes Casey’s kidnapper is the murderer from before! The suspense to this point is almost unbearable. Maddy: Roma Maffia and Officer Paul: Morris Chestnut as Jordan’s boss and boyfriend provide her support. Was it really necessary to remove Casey’s blouse? The story by Richard D’Ovidio and his screenplay, with Nicole D’Ovidio and Jon Bokenkamp, falls apart at the seams when Jordan gets personally involved after work by going to the site nearby in Studio City where Richard was last seen. Director Brad Anderson (Boardwalk Empire) could have avoided the clichés. Berry needs a new hairstylist. Violence. Disturbing content. Profanity.

THE CROODS

The animated feature is set in the final years of the prehistoric era. The father, Grug: voice of Nicholas Cage, is not only afraid of the dark, but has instilled many fears in his cave-dwelling family. His wife, Ugga: v.o. Catherine Keener, watches over Gran: v.o. Cloris Leachman and their inquisitive daughter, Eep: v.o. Emma Stone who meets Guy: v.o. Ryan Reynolds on one of her adventurous treks beyond the limits of where she’s allowed to go. Guy’s the bright inventive type of hero needed in their stressful situation with earthquakes and carnivorous beasts and vultures. Many life lessons for the young are subtly included. Threatened by many unusual animals during a dangerous move, they find a spectacularly beautiful utopia. Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders co-direct and co-wrote the screenplay and story. Not to be missed. Some scary action.

THE EMPEROR

Once the war with Japan was won, peace with the emperor must be worked out by two American generals, MacArthur: Tommy Lee Jones, whose descendants won’t be pleased by the cranky, foul-mouthed portrayal; and Gen. Fellers: Matthew Fox, who fell in love before the war with Aya, a Japanese exchange student. He is accused of never bombing near the school where she taught. MacArthur’s sins are far worse: he is camera-ready for his upcoming run for the White House. A leading Japanese expert, Fellers must determine if Emperor Hirohito should be tried and hanged as a war criminal. All the while he searches for Aya, hoping she is still living. Peter Webber directs the mixed bag. Profanity. War violence. Smoking.

THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE

A comedy about Las Vegas illusionist partners of ten years whose stale act is falling apart should have been funnier. As youths, Burt: Steve Carell and Anton: Steve Buscemi grew up entranced by a Holloway magic kit. Jane: Olivia Wilde joins their act, serving as assistant and love interest. Burt is in love with himself and abusive to Anton. They get competition from a street magician, Steve Gray: Jim Carrey who sleeps on hot coals and drills a hole in his skull. Casino mogul James Gandolfini is ready to fire them when they dissolve the partnership and friendship. Burt’s bookings go downhill until he finds himself playing to entertain seniors in a retirement home. It’s there he meets his idol Holloway: Alan Arkin, who adds life back into the film. Producer/writer of 30 Rock, Don Scardino directs as if he hasn’t learned anything from the hit series. Drug-related material. Dangerous stunts. Sexual content. Profanity.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Oz: James Franco doesn’t seem very comfortable in this part and he doesn’t even have to wear red shoes. Powerful Theodora: Rachel Weisz is the sister of spurned Evanora: Mila Kunis, who not only turns wicked, but also green as she loosens her wrath on everyone in sight. Annie/Glinda: Michelle Williams plays the beautiful heroine who falls for Oz. His sidekick Frank/Finley: Zach Braff doesn’t get a lot to do. These two actors have double rolls, also appearing in the non-color early scenes before Oz gets whisked away by the Kansas tornado. Look for Winkie Gait Keeper: Bruce Campbell (Brisco County). The special effects are sometimes spectacular, however the setting is most attractive. Scary action images. Mild profanity.

SNITCH

John Matthews: Dwayne Johnson, a Missouri construction manager, in this modern film noir sets out to rescue his 18 year old son, Jason Collins: Rafi Gavron who was set up in a drug deal gone sour. His remarried mother, Silvie: Melina Kanakaredes and John’s second wife: Nadine Valazquez (the flight attendant in Flight), are concerned when John goes undercover in the DEA in a deal with bearded Agent Cooper: Barry Pepper and Congresswoman Joanne Keeghan: Susan Sarandon to reduce or commute Jason’s 10-year imprisonment. John’s friend Daniel James: Jon Bernthal has been out of the drug business for years, but John drags him back for an introduction to El Topo (The Mole)/Mr. Big: Benjamin Bratt and his violent middleman, Malik: Michael K. Williams. John and Daniel drive a big rig loaded with cocaine in the high action dramatic thriller with lots of vehicle chases and shootouts. Director/co-writer Ric Roman Waugh, who filmed in Shreveport, Louisiana, entertains while raising questions about some of the US drug laws. Drug content. Violence. Profanity.

April 2013

BROKEN CITY

Ex-cop Billy Taggert: a solid Mark Wahlberg is framed by the crooked Mayor Nicholas Hostetler: Russell Crowe, with bad NY accent, worse hairpiece, and a ridiculous sprayed-on tan. Wahlberg could have used ‘Ted’ here! Hostetler hires private-eye Billy to shadow his wife, Cathleen: Catherine Zeta-Jones whom he suspects of an affair. The dirty graft-ridden urban land deal happens to be where Billy’s parents live. Others involved include Police Chief Carl Fairbanks: Jeffrey Wright, the election opposition Jack Valliant: Barry Pepper, and Paul: Kyle Chandler. This easily forgettable crime thriller drama, filmed in NYC and New Orleans, is directed by Allen Hughes and loosely scripted by Brian Tucker. Profanity. Sexual content. Violence.

HANSEL AND GRETEL 3-D

The siblings have grown into ruthless bounty hunters who seek and kill witches around the world. In Ausberg, Germany, Hansel: Jeremy Renner and Gretel: Gemma Arterton encounter a powerful shape-shifting Muriel: Famke Jannsen as the Feast of the Blood Moon approaches and she is at her maximum power level. This feast requires the sacrifice of six males and six females, each with a different birth month. H&G prevent Sheriff Berringer: Peter Stormare from killing the lovely Mina: Pihla Viitala (she’s Finnish). They acquire a protégé, Ben: Thomas Mann, a local boy. For an interesting twist, Hansel is a diabetic who has to have his daily injection of insulin. We all know they had hypodermics several centuries back!? But wait, they have a

Gatling gun, too. Director-writer Tommy Wirkola has thrown elements from different centuries into the mix, clarifying white witches. The 3-D enhances the witchcraft special FX. Fantasy horror violence and gore. Brief sexuality/nudity. Profanity.

MAMA

A father Lucas: Nicolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) is fleeing a murder scene with his two daughters, driving too fast on a twisting rural road in the snow, when he crashes near the family cabin. A mysterious ghost, Mama, saves them before the confused dad, with no light at the end of the tunnel, can continue his murderous spree. Five years later, Uncle Jeffrey: also NC-W discovers the feral wild kids who have existed on berries, etc. His hippie tattooed girlfriend Annabel: Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) seems an unlikely sub-mother. Victoria, 8: Megan Charpentier and Lilly, 6: Isabelle Nélisse attempt to adjust to their new surroundings. Director Andrés Muschietti (protégé of Guillermo Del Toro) and co-writer with Neil Cross have woven this horror tale. With its PG-13 rating, it would have been more satisfying had it gone to an anticipated R. Goofs include four nighttime bedroom scenes with sunlight streaming in the window. Violence. Terror. Some scary material involving children. Thematic elements.

PARKER

When a job is flawed by a senseless killing by his new team, Parker: Jason Statham has no interest in their next heist so they try to kill him, and almost do. A good Samaritan finds him and repairs him. Florida real estate agent Leslie Rodgers: Jennifer Lopez lives at home with her mother Ascension: Patti LuPon. She is fascinated by her new wealthy Texan client Parker. On their tour of available properties, he finds Melander: Michael Chiklis and the rest of his gang. He determines they are going for a $25-million jewelry robbery of the charity auction of a local society matron’s collection. Taylor Hackford’s film details how he stops them with the aid of Leslie. The screenplay by John J. McLaughlin is based on Donald E. Westlake‘s novel. Strong violence, profanity throughout. Brief sexual content/nudity.

QUARTET

When opera diva Jean: Maggie Smith retires to the British home for retired musical talents Cedric: Michael Gambon, director of the annual residents’ gala for Verdi’s birthday has high hopes of reuniting the famous quartet for the occasion. Jean finds stoic tenor Reggie: Tom Courtenay (also her ex-husband), Wilf: Billy Connolly with the hots for the skirts, and alto Cissy: Pauline Collins whose memory is diminishing daily. The proceeds from the gala will keep the musical programs funded for the next year. All four leads create unique characters with tics. Remain seated for the end credits where director Dustin Hoffman embellishes the screenplay/play by Ronald Harwood with Then & Now photos of residents who are real opera/stage retirees prominent during the past bicentennial! Strong sexual content.

Awards: Winner: National Board of Review Award: 2012 Top Ten Independent Films; Hollywood Film Festival: Hollywood Breakthrough Award: Hoffman, Directing; Chicago Int’l. Film Festival: Best Narrative Feature: Hoffman. Nominee: Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy: Maggie Smith.

RUST AND BONE

Alain: Mattias Schoenaertis and his young son, Sam, leave Belgium for Antibes where he becomes fascinated with the local Marineland whale trainer, Stéphanie: Marion Cotillard. When she suffers a horrible accident, she needs him more than ever. What started as a sexual relationship becomes much deeper and complex. Coitilard delivers her most earthy performance since her brilliant Oscar-winning turn as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Director Jacques Audiard achieves a level of magical visceral experience, aided by Andres Desplat’s background music. Strong sexual content. Graphic nudity. Violence. Profanity.

Awards: Winner: Best Film at 2012 London Film Festival. Nominee: Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Drama: Coitilard.

WARM BODIES

The brain of young fighter Perry: Dave Franco (brother of James) is devoured by walking corpse/narrator R (he can’t remember his full first name): Nicholas Hoult in this post-apocalyptic urban zombies vs. the sparse surviving humans tale. R retains the memory of his meal/victim. He dwells in an airplane that he has converted into his own private home where he can play his collection of records with a leaning toward Springsteen. When R meets Perry’s girlfriend, Julie: Teresa Palmer, he has the urge to protect her; he trains her how to walk dead. She is the daughter of Gen. Grigio: John Malkovich, who leads the military force living in a walled-in city. They believe in shooting first. The R/Julie romance is strained but sweet; it helps that his condition may not be permanent. The “message” is pounded home several times. The love story possesses an endearing sense of humor. Written and directed by Jonathan Levine, this date movie is based on the novel by Isaac Marion. Some profanity. Zombie violence.

December 2012

November 2012

CAMPAIGN

For a send-up of how a senatorial race might be competed, leave it to Cam Brady: Will Farrell to bombard the public with poor taste in every sentence and every scene. True, sometimes it is funny, but not often enough. After being in his North Carolina senatorial seat unopposed for several terms, Brady runs roughshod over his opponents. That is until last-minute registrant CEO Marty Huggins: Zach Galifianakis enters the campaign. Wade and Glenn Motch: Dan Ackroyd and John Lithgow are the money-men behind-the-scenes with their own agendas. Marty’s campaign manager Tim Watley: Dylan McDermott lacks loyalty and switches sides. Father Raymond Huggins: Brian Cox smirks his way in this role. Sexual images. Profanity! Crude sexual conduct. Drinking. Drug usage. Brief nudity.

DREED 3-D

A sci-fi action thriller set in the urban future, Mega City One encompasses from Washington, D.C. to Boston where evil forces are controlled by on-the-spot gun-carrying cop-justices. The unsafe city in which criminals rule is divided into districts with a judge assigned to each. Judge Dredd: Karl Urban (Star Trek, Red) is assigned a rookie partner to train and evaluate, Cassandra Anderson: Olivia Thrilby who possesses extraordinary psychic abilities, as he seeks scarred Ma-Ma, a gangsta leader: Lena Headey (300, The Remains of the Day) who is selling the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO. She and her gang dwell in a 200-storey vertical slum where judges are rarely seen. Director Pete Travis holds the reigns on Dreed which seems to have been made for gamers. Intense bloody violence and action. Sexuality. Profanity. Drug use.

END OF WATCH

Rookie cop partners in LA South Central, Brian Taylor: Jake Gyllenhaal and Mike Zavala: Michael Pena, do their best to provide protection for the area residents. Gabby: Natalie Martinez waits and worries at home for Mike. Janet: Anna Kendrick (Twilight, Up in the Air) becomes engaged to Brian and they marry. When the officers, during a typical vehicle stop, seize firearms and a small cache of bills belonging to a feared cartel, they are set up for a wipe-out. Director-writer David Ryan has an action hit here with inspired casting of his leads and the gang members. Strong violence. Some disturbing images. Pervasive profanity with sexual references. Drug use.

LAWLESS

In hilly Franklin County, Virginia during the Depression, the three Bondurant brothers: Jack: Shia LaBouef; Forrest: Tom Hardy; and Howard: Jason Clarke run a profitable bootleg liquor still. Maggie: Jessica Chastain (The Help) goes to work in their bar/restaurant. Jack pursues religious Bertha: Mia Wasikowska as he moves upward from hick to slick. When citified lawman Charlie Rakes: Guy Pearce is installed over the sheriff, he wants a cut of the profits and doesn’t hesitate using violence to get it. Floyd Banner: Gary Oldman is the local mobster opposition. John Hillcoat directs from Nick Cave’s rousing screenplay based on Matt Bondurant’s book. Strong bloody violence. Profanity. Nudity/Sexuality.

THE MASTER

Inspired by the founder of the secretive Church of Scientology (L. Ron Hubbard), director-writer Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood) delves into his believers’ past lives to purge all negative emotions and experiences toward achieving a state of perfection. The action is set in 1950 (when Hubbard published his worldwide best-seller, “Dianetics”), as the calculating, commanding, and even cruel leader of The Cause, Lancaster Dodd: Philip Seymour Hoffman publishes his own “Bible”. From the opening sequence, the strange score by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood (He also scored There Will Be Blood.) with its staccato and percussion emphasizing, when screwed-up ex-Navy alcoholic Freddie Quell: Joaquin Phoenix slips aboard a large yacht in the San Francisco harbor, he finds himself on a wedding cruise that will go through the Panama Canal to NYC. He is “adopted” by kindred spirit Dodd, but mistrusted by Mrs. Dodd: Amy Adams, the real brain behind the movement. The cult indoctrinations are more show than tell, albeit close quarters, often two person power struggles. This truly is one of the outstanding films of the year; expect to see it on most awards lists. The three leads command their complex characters with sparkle. PSH channels Hubbard, down to his Kool cigarettes. Helen Sullivan: Laura Dern provides notable support. Graphic nudity. Sexual content. Profanity.

PREMIUM RUSH

Wilee Coyote: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one bike messenger in NYC of the 1,500 who risk their lives daily in traffic, rides with no brakes. When he is given a delivery for Chinatown, it attracts the interest of a dirty cop, Bobby Monday: Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) that believes it is worth money and pursues Wilee. His girl friend, Vanessa: Dania Ramirez, works for the same bike firm and assists Wilee in his cop battle. The script girl should have been fired: Wilee has a bandage on his arm after exiting an ambulance with no medic. The streets in the evening are covering with rain and puddles, but the real-time photography never showed any drops! Director/co-writer David Koepps (with John Kamps) provides a fast tour of Manhattan with rare scenic landmarks in this hold-your-breath thriller. Violence. Intense action scenes. Profanity.

TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE

Set in the Carolinas, pro-baseball scouts look for talent to bring home to the pros. One aging scout for the Atlanta Braves baseball team with eye problems, crotchety Gus: Clint Eastwood, has lately depended upon his daughter, Mickey: Amy Adams, to see the ball cross home plate. With a full caseload at her law office, she chooses to accompany Dad on a last scouting tour of the high schools in the area. His buddy, Pete Klein: John Goodman joins them. They keep bumping into journalist Johnny: Justin Timberlake, who has his eye on Mickey. After initially discouraging Johnny, Gus decides maybe he would be good for Mickey. Watson: Bob Gunton heads her law office; hot shot Philip Sanderson: Matthew Lilliard and Vince: Robert Patrick round out the supporting cast of this enjoyable film. Billy Clark is played by 26-year old son, Scott Eastwood. Profanity. Sexual references. Drinking. Smoking.

October 2012

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

This is a film where the less you know about it going in, the more it can be appreciated… perhaps. Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, has wrought another spoof of slasher flicks with five young people ( Dana: Kristen Connolly, Kurt: Chris Hemsworth, Jules: Anna Hutchison, Marty: Fran Kranz, and Holden: Jesse Williams) going to a cabin in the woods for a weekend. Little do they know that there are hidden cameras everywhere; that they are part of some government experiment run by Sitterson: J.K. Simmons (Juno) and Hadley: Bradley Whitford (The West Wing); and that some will spend their last night there. Directed with suspense by Drew Goddard from a screenplay co-written with Whedon. Crude sexual content. Profanity. Drug material. Teen drinking. Violence!

CHIMPANZEE

Filmed in the Ivory Coast, this DisneyNature documentary details how a 3-year-old chimp: Oscar, separated from his family, is adopted and raised by fully grown male chimpanzee of another tribe. Tim Allen narrates the rich animal film directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield. Scary for kids under 10.

THE KID WITH A BIKE

His downbeat dad, Guy Catoul: Jeremie Renier, abandons 11-year-old, Cyril Catoul: Thomas Doret, who is placed in a state-run youth farm. He is rescued, on weekends at least, by local world-weary hairdresser, Samantha: Cecile De France, with whom he forms an unlikely friendship. Cyril searches for a new father figure and his missing bicycle. Cyril’s story is presented without cheap sentiment, engrossing with great compassion. Belgian filmmaking brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (The Child, La Promesse) directed, winning the 2011 Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In French with English subtitles. Adult themes.

MIRROR MIRROR

Exiled by the evil Queen: Julia Roberts (chomping scenery with delight), her unloved daughter, Snow White: Lily Collins enlists aid in regaining her kingdom from seven clever rebels who live in the woods. Prince Alcott: Armie Hammer is smitten by Snow, but is under a spell cast by the queen. Some humor is provided by the Queen’s servant, Brighton: Nathan Lane. Directed by Tarsem Singh, the story has some slow moments, but spectacular sets and costumes. Writers Jason Keller and Marc Klein +3 can share some of the blame. Fantasy action. Mild rude humor.

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

When Sheikh Muhammed: Amr Waked desires to bring fly fishing to the desert, his British consultant Harriet: Emily Blunt recruits expert Dr. Alfred Jones: Ewan McGregor to help make his dream become a reality by damming water and releasing it under control for irrigating the desert. The whimsical comedy manages to overcome the many improbabilities. The Prime Minister’s press secretary, Patricia Maxwell: Kristen Scott Thomas, convinces the powers who want it to happen that it’s good publicity. Violence. Sexual content. Brief profanity.

TITANIC – IMAX, 3-D

Director James Cameron’s 1997 Best Picture (+ 10 other Oscars) has been fine-tuned and enhanced for this rerelease. There’s still the basic love story of First Class Rose: Kate Winslet and Third Class passenger, who won his tickets last minute in a card game, Jack Dawson: Leonardo di Caprio. Her rude, overbearing fiancé, Cal: Billy Zane has the financial approval of her mother, Ruth: Frances Fisher. By the time they get to the lifeboats, the most admirable commonsense survivor of all is Molly Brown: Kathy Bates. The present-day Rose is the frail, lovely Gloria Stuart. The large cast includes: Capt. Smith: Bernard Hill; explorer of the sunken Titanic, Brock: Bill Paxton; Cal’s nasty asst., Spicer: David Warner; Thomas: Victor Garber; and Lizzy: Suzy Amis (now Mrs. Cameron in real-life). Profanity. Disaster-related peril and violence. Nudity. Sexual

THIN ICE

A Kenosha, Wisconsin insurance agent, Mickey: Greg Kinnear thinks he’s stealing a Stradivarius violin worth $1.5-million from Gorvy: Alan Arkin. The loony security installer, Randy: Billy Crudup displays his hair-trigger temper at retired farmer Gorvy’s home. Jo Ann: Lea Thompson is Mickey’s money-grabbing wife. Director Jill Sprecher’s co-writer of this screwball dramedy is her sister, Karen Sprecher. Profanity. Intense violence. Sexual content. Disturbing images.

May 2012

21 JUMP STREET

The high school dork, Schmidt: Jonah Hill, and the popular athlete with zilch IQ, Jenko: Channing Tatum, wind up in the same police training academy seven years later. Schmidt helps Jenko get through the class work and they are assigned as partners. When they screw up their first arrest, they are reassigned to the drug unit run by Capt. Dickson: Ice Cube at a Korean Church cover. Address: 21 Jump St. Their assignment is to infiltrate a high school drug ring and bring down the supplier. With only a month of school left, Schmidt gets the part of Peter Pan in the H.S. musical. Jenko, posing as his brother, gets into sports. Molly: pretty Brie Larson falls for Schmidt. The drug dealer, handsome Eric: Dave Franco is the younger brother of James Franco. The star of the original TV series, Johnny Depp, has a 5-minute cameo. Directed with filthy humor and suspense by Phil Lord and Chris Miller from a screenplay/story by Michael Bacall +3. Crude sexual content. Pervasive profanity. Drug material. Teen drinking. Violence.

CASA DE MI PADRE

Mexican brothers, Armando: Will Farrell and Raul: Diego Luna, join forces the help their father, Miguel Ernesto: Pedro Armendariz, Jr., to save his ranch from the brutal drug dealer, Onza: Gael Garcia Bernal. If you can make it past the familiar clichés, there is some humor. Latina spitfire Sonia: Genesis Rodriguez is there to marry Raul but has an eye for Armando. This comedy is directed by Matt Piedmont and written by Andrew Steele. In Spanish with English subtitles. Sex jokes. Bare butts. Extreme violence. Blood and gore.

DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX

From the creators of “Despicable Me” and Dr. Seuss’s 1971 book comes this whimsical 3-D animated tale for kids of all ages. The corporation magnate O’Hare: voice of Rob Riggle, who owns Threadyville, is furious when the hidden cameras reveal that idealistic teen Ted: v.o. Zac Efron has dared to leave the walled-in confines of the village. Ted has been told to seek out the Once-ler: v.o. Ed Helms, who knows why there are no more trees in Threadyville and how to find the Lorax: v.o. Danny DeVito. Ted’s dream girl, Audrey: v.o. Taylor Swift, awaits his return. Ted’s wise Grammy Norma: v.o. Betty White counsels Ted.

THE HUNGER GAMES

In the future after wars, droughts, famine, fires and an unspecified catastrophe have devastated North America, it is replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two teen representatives, one male and one female per district, fight to the death on national TV in The Reaping with all residents required to watch. When the younger sister of supple 16-year old markswoman, Katniss: Jennifer Lawrence, is selected, Katniss choses to sub for her, despite the fact that she faces the baker’s son, Peeta: Josh Hutcherson (see Journey 2), the youth who loves her. She hunts with Gabe: Liam Hemsworth, whose part should be larger in the next films in the trilogy based on the Suzanne Collins’ books. President Snow is played with his usual dignified aplomb by Donald Sutherland. Katniss is ravishing, whether dressed in her backwoods hunter attire or a fancy ballgown. The games are brutal and bloody with bricks used as weapons! Hunger-lites will not be disappointed and are guaranteed to have started yet another franchise. Director Gary Ross and Collins + 2 wrote the compelling screenplay. Intense violence. Disturbing images.

JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME

Unemployed hermit Jeff: Jason Segal leaves his basement room to get glue to repair a wooden blind for his widowed mother Sharon: Susan Sarandon. He encounters his older brother Pat: Ed Helms and together they track Pat’s wife Linda: Judy Greer for the day in this dramedy by filmmaking brothers Jay and Mark Douglas (Cyrus). Pat suspects Linda of infidelity. Sharon is surprised by a secret admirer at work. Carol: Rae Dawn Chong is a co-worker. Everything is resolved in a traffic jam with all the cast present. Profanity. Brief nudity. Sexual references. Drug use.

JOHN CARTER

The title character, played by hunky, usually shirtless Taylor Kitsch, is a Civil War Virginia Confederate officer, transported in the Edgar Rice Burroughs’ film version to a Barsoom (Mars) desert. He soon discovers his single defense is that he can make incredible leaps, due to the gravity. He is attacked by Tharks: ten-foot skinny green creatures with horns and four arms, via CG, including actors Thomas Haden Church, Willem Dafoe and Samantha Morton. More human-like, King Tardos: Ciarán Hinds (who looks uncomfortable) of the crimson-tattooed Heliumites and daughter, Princess Dejah: Lynn Collins, never convincing, (seems more like a Maria Montez handmaiden - who looks uncomfortable - from a 40s B-flick) needs rescuing. John’s challenger for Dejah is untrustworthy Sab Than: Dominic West, leader of the Zodangans. Andrew Stanton from Pixar (director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E) directs/co-writes this $250,000-budgeted flick. This franchise may never leap forward (as of my deadline, it has not made back 1/4th the cost). Mild profanity. Intense war violence. Beheading. Cleavage.

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND

This sci-fi adventure has resources in Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert Lewis Stevenson and Jules Verne‘s novels. Piecing clues together teen Sean: Josh Hutcherson and his adventurous stepdad, Hank: Dwayne Johnson, come up with a map of the Mysterious Island, where Grandad Alexander: Michael Caine is said to have disappeared years before. Mom Liz: Kristen Davis stays behind. They hire helicopter transport from Gabato: Luis Guzman whose daughter Kailani: Vanessa Hudgens comes along, beautifying the tropical scenery. The island has prehistoric critters that threaten them. 3-D. Mild obscenities. Some scary scenes.

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY

This delightful Japanese animated film uses U.S. actors for its voices: teen Arrietty Clock: Bridget Mendler, her mom Homily: Amy Poehler, and her dad Pod: Will Arnett are a family of borrowers 4-inches high, who live in a basement corner and do not associate with people. She and Dad make raids in the night to find necessities. When Arrietty is seen by the teenage son Shawn: David Henrie, they fear they must move. She develops a friendship with him and he helps her “borrow” sugar cubes, tissues and items they need to live in comfort. Shawn is growing stronger out of the city while awaiting heart surgery. The vicious maid Hara: v.o. Carol Burnett tries to harm the Clocks. Directed by H. Yonebayashi from Mary Horton’s award-winning novel, “The Borrowers” with screenplay by H. Miyazaki and K. Niwa.

A SEPARATION

A family is torn apart when the wife, Simin: Leila Hatami, moves out to have a better life. The businessman husband, Nadar: Peyman Hoadi, stays behind to be with his father with Alzheimer’s and keeps their 11-year old daughter, Termeh: Fatima Sarhadi. Simin engages a caretaker, Razieh: Sareh Bayat, to care for the elder. When he soils himself, she is torn by religious beliefs whether she should bathe him. Simin remains determined to leave the country and take her daughter. Director-Screenwriter Asghar Farhadi presents his exquisite drama in Persian with English subtitles. Mature thematic material.

Awards: 2011 Academy Award: Best Foreign Film, nom.: Best Writing, Original Screenplay. Asia Pacific Screen Awards: won Best Film + 3 noms. 5 Berlin Film Festival Awards: won Golden Berlin Bear; Silver Berlin Bear: Best Actor & Actress; Prize of Ecumenical Jury; Reader Prize of “Berliner Morgenpost”. Bodil Award won: Best Non-American Film & Director. British Independent Film Award: won Best Foreign Film. Broadcast Film Critics Assn. Awards: won Best Foreign Lang. Film + won 31 other international awards!

SILENT HOUSE

Unrelentingly and in what is actually one long continuous take, without cliches, filmmaking duo Chris Kentis and Laura (also co-producer and writer) Lau (Open Water: 2003) establish ominous terror in a lake-house for its occupants, twenty-something Sarah: Elizabeth Olsen; her father, John: Adam Trese; and uncle Peter: Eric Sheffer Stevens. She is scared out of her wits and manages to show it in variable ways while still the focus of the camera’s attention. Surprisingly, it is based on a 2010 Uruguayan film. Disturbingly violent. Incestuous rape. Terror. Blood. Profanity. Cleavage.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

This unsettling drama about a disturbed youth, Kevin, played as a toddler, age 8 and almost 16 by three actors, spotlights a brilliant performance by the guilt-wracked mother, Eva: Tilda Swinton, once a successful travel writer. Complacent dad Franklin: John C. Reilly buys Kevin stronger bow-and-arrow sets each birthday. Defiant teen, a psychopathic sociopath, Kevin: Ezra Miller causes much suffering and mayhem, affecting classmates, even his father and younger sister, plus bringing much grief to Eva. When she walks into his bedroom, he continues masturbating. Director/co-writer Lynne Ramsey pulls no punches in her tale of teenage horror, blessedly not shown on screen. Intense violence. Blood. Profanity. Brief nudity. Sexual situations.

April 2012

CONTRABAND

With help from his best friend Sebastian: Ben Foster, Chris Farraday: Mark Wahlberg must protect his brother-in-law Andy: Caleb Landry Jones from evil Tim Briggs: Giovanni Ribisi after his drug deal goes bad. Chris quickly assembles a crew, including Danny: Lukas Haas, and leaves his loving wife Kate: Kate Beckinsale and kids to go to Panama on a freighter. Once there, he has minutes to get a pallet-load of uncut big bills smuggled aboard his ship and return safely back home to New Orleans to pay off Briggs. Capt. Camp: J.K. Simmons doesn’t trust Chris. Of course, some things go awry en route and it’s touch-and-go with suspicious customs. Directed with suspense by Baltasar Kormácur. Profanity. Violence.

HAYWIRE

Always daring director Steven Soderburgh spotlights martial-artist Mallory Kane: Gina Carano as his unlikely covert op heroine who has more lives than a cat. Her rescue mission in Barcelona successful, she is immediately dispatched to Dublin on an assignment that turns sour. Betrayed and angry, she goes for payback when set up for a fall in Lem Dobbs’ screenplay by teammate Kenneth: Ewan MacGregor and employers Rodrigo: Antonio Banderas and Coblenz: Michael Douglas. She and Paul: Michael Fassbinder have the shortest “marriage” on record. Mallory returns to the US, seeking to protect family and get revenge. Aaron: Channing Tatum shows up along the way. John Kane, her father: Bill Paxton finds his New Mexico home invaded by men seeking his daughter on the run. Profanity. Extreme violence.

MAN ON A LEDGE

Nick: Sam Worthington is the title character, whose presence on an NYC hotel ledge 11 floors up proves a distraction for his team (including Joey: Jaime Bell and Angie: Genesis Rodriguez) at work in the building next door which is the HQ for his nemesis, a corrupt wealthy businessman, Englander: Ed Harris, current possessor of a fist-sized diamond he stole from Nick. As the police psychologist trys to talk Nick inside, Lydia: Elizabeth Banks has backup from her partner Jack: Edward Burns; and her former partner, Mike: Anthony Mackie. In the crowd gathered on the street below, there’s TV news reporter Suzie: Kyra Sedgwick (taking time off from Closer, her popular TV series). Asger Leth directed the breathtaking thriller from a screenplay by Pablo F. Fenjves. Profanity. Violence.

ONE FOR THE MONEY

Stephanie Plum: Katherine Heigl, recently divorced and unemployed, takes on a bail bondsman job to seek out wrongdoers and get paid for it. The first task is to find ex-cop Joe Morelli: Jason O’Mara, a past romance, who has a warrant out. Scenes with the leads wearing handcuffs and a smile will keep you awake. As her ditzy Grandma: Debbie Reynolds almost steals this comedy romance film. The cast also includes Jimmy: John Leguizamo and a hilarious streetwalker, Lulu: Sherri Shepherd. It was directed by Julie Anne Robinson with a flair for comedy from a screenplay by Stacy Sherman + 3. Profanity. Brief nudity.

WE BOUGHT A ZOO

Cameron Crowe’s latest directorial effort stars Benjamin: Matt Damon as the title character, with his cute daughter, Rosie: Maggie Elizabeth Jones and disinterested son, Dylan: Colin Ford. Kelly: Scarlett Johanssen has been running the zoo and stays on to help Benjamin. Could romance be in the air? His brother, Duncan: Thomas Haden Church also lends a hand. This charming family story will bring laughs and a few tears as they have a tight deadline to meet before the season starts to open to the public. Crowe co-wrote the screenplay with Aline Brosh McKenna from Benjamin Mee’s book. Mild profanity.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Given a last chance by his London solicitor employer, circa 1910, lawyer Arthur Krips: Daniel Radcliffe is sent to a Yorkshire village to settle a large estate. In a flashback, three teen girls jump from high windows to their death below; their souls still haunt the mansion as Krips arrives for his assignment. From the outset, villagers are unwelcoming to him. He is befriended by the local nobleman Mr. Daily: Ciarán Hinds, who has a sickly wife, Janet McTeer. The creepy, morbid eeriness forebodes an entertaining, unsettling horror film that gives Radcliffe his first post-Harry Potter role with facial hair and period costumes. It takes a while for him to learn the secret of the title character who preys on the young and how to make things right. Director James Watkins provides tension from Jane Goldman’s screenplay adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel. Profanity. Scary scenes.

WANDERLUST

George: Paul Rudd and Linda: Jennifer Aniston live in NYC; he has a corporate job which he hates and Linda peddles her documentary about penguins with testicular cancer! When he loses that work, they drive (hilariously) to Atlanta to his obnoxious brother’s, Rick: Ken Marino. They join a hippie commune with a bunch of characters: the flower child Almond: Lauren Ambrose, the angry ex-porn actress Karen: Kathryn Hahn, the nudist Wayne: Joe Lo Truglio, and an elder almost senile burnout Carvin: Alan Alda. George soon finds himself competing for Linda’s affections with goofy Seth: Justin Theroux. A highlight is George’s mirror chat! He finds solace with sexy Eva: Malin Akerman. Director David Wain also co-wrote [Role Models] this delightful romp with Marino. Graphic nudity. Sexual content. Drug use. Profanity.

March 2012

THE ARTIST

Major silent film star George Valentine: Jean Dujardin accidentally meets dancer Peppy Miller: Bernice Bejo, puts her in a small part in his film and the press creates a romance that causes his jealous wife, Doris: Penelope Ann Miller, to divorce him. The characters are as winning as the movie terrier Uggie, who looks like he bounced out of a Thin Man movie. There is an element of the Star Is Born story. You even forget that it’s a silent film; this is a remarkable tribute to classic Hollywood. Dujardin charms with laughs and tears and tap dances like Fred Astaire with Bejo as his Ginger. James Cromwell portrays Clifton, the chauffeur: John Goodman is Al, the explosive studio head. Directed/co-written by Frenchman Michel Hazanavicius, this is his first American film. Received the highest score from U.S. film critics: 97% loved it.

Awards: 10 Oscar nominations: Picture, Actor: Dujardin , Supporting Actress: Bejo, Director & Orig. Scrn.: Hazanavicius, Orig. Score, Art Dir., Cinematography, Costume Design. Golden Globes: won Best Comedy-Musical, Actor, Orig.Score, Nom.: Sup. Actress: Bejo; Dir.,

Cannes Film Festival: Best Film, Actor.

EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE

When Oskar Schell: Thomas Horn hears his dad, Thomas Schell: Tom Hanks, calling from the Twin Towers on the morning of 9-11, he freezes up and can’t answer the phone. The cast is rounded out by his mom Linda: Sandra Bullock, Grandmother: Zoe Caldwell, Stan the Doorman: John Goodman, and The Renter: Max von Sydow. When Oskar finds a key in his dad’s effects, his search through the NYC boroughs leads him to Abby Black: Viola Davis and, eventually to her husband, Wm. Black: Jeffrey Wright. Director Stephen Daldry with the writers: Eric Roth (scrn.) and J.S. Foer (book) supply a three-handkerchief movie that is well worth seeing.

Films about Sept. 11 are still hard to stomach, even this many years after the tragedy.

Awards: Academy Awards: Nom. Best Picture, Sup. Actor: Max von Sydow.

HUGO

There is a surprise in Ben Kingsley’s history that I won’t spoil here. This film has more charm than any I can recall any other movie having had for many years. The color of the 1930’s Paris sets are spectacular, constantly amazing while the story is totally unique and pays tribute to the beginnings of the film industry with a magical touch called Scorcese. Both youths, Hugo: Asa Butterfield and Isabelle: Chloë Grace Moritz, add character to the film. Ray Winstone plays Hugo’s Uncle Claude who tends the clocks in a Paris train station where they live. Other cast members include: the humorous wooden-leg Station Inspector: Sasha Baron Cohen, Lisette: Emily Mortimer, and Mr. Labisse: Christopher Lee. Director Martin Scorcese picks up his seventh Oscar nomination, winning in 2007 for The Departed. John Logan wrote his exceptional screenplay from Brian Selznick’s book.

Awards: 11 Oscar nominations: Picture, Dir.: Scorcese, Screenplay, Costume Design, Visual Effects , Art Dir. Golden Globes: won Best Dir. Nom.: Best Score, and Cine.

THE IRON LADY

The chronicles of Margaret Taylor, a young Conservative political candidate who marries Denis Thatcher, provide an insight into British politics. Meryl Streep may be hard to beat in the Best Actress Oscar race as she ages from the powerful first female Cabinet Minister (1979-90) to her 80s with dementia, still chatting with her dead husband—all with the voice, posture and helmet hairdo of Thatcher. The Academy would love to give her another Award to prove her equal to Katharine Hepburn who won four Oscars. My personal disappointments were with the constant shifting of timeframes between her memories, and that husband Thatcher: Jim Broadbent didn’t receive a supporting nod for his devoted portrayal that brought tears. Phyllidia Lloyd directs the shallow screenplay by Abi Morgan. Mild profanity.

Awards: Oscar noms.: Best Actress: Streep, Makeup. Golden Globes: won Best Actress-Drama: Streep.

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

During the Cold War between Britain and Russia, espionage veteran George Smiley: Gary Oldman returns from semi-retirement to take charge of finding the mole who provides secrets to the Communist MI6. He has George’s simplicity down pat. The suspects are numerous: Control: John Hurt, Bill: Colin Firth, Jim: Mark Strong, Percy: Toby Jones, Roy: Ciarán Hinds and Ricki: Tom Hardy. The bodies pile up as the search continues. This thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat. Fans of the le Carré mysteries who have been waiting for this espionage caper to hit the big screen will not be disappointed. Directed by Tomas Alfredson with mostly nighttime photography, the screenplay is by Bridgit O’Connor and Peter Straughan and based on John le Carré’s best seller. Profanity. Violence.

Awards: Oscar nom.: Best Actor: Gary Oldman.

THE WAR HORSE

Spielberg starts the film in a National Velvet vein, always following the horse, Joey, as the central character. The people he meets are almost peripheral. None are with him throughout the story of his upbringing and going into WWI with a young British officer, Capt. Nicholls: Tom Hiddleston, who swears to the lad, Albert: Jeremy Irvine, who raised him that he will take care of him. He even sketches a picture of Joey and plans to send it before being called into battle. Albert’s parents, Rose: Emily Watson and Ted: Peter Mullan, hate to sell him to the cavalry. Later, there’s the Dutchman: Niels Arstrup and his granddaughter, Emilie, Celine Buckens, who also love the horse. Warning: Joey gets tangled up in barbed wire on the battlefield which brings a moment of peace between the British and the Germans. Lee Hall and Richard Curtis based their screenplay on Michael Morpurgo’s novel. Composer John Williams now has 47 Oscar nominations, with three of his five wins for Spielberg films.

Awards: 6 Oscar nominations: Pic., Art Dir., Cine., Score, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing. Golden Globes: Nom. Best Drama, Score. Profanity. War violence.

February 2012