“The Nature Of Existence” Director Roger Nygard, besides working on television comedies like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” has also given us “Trekkies” (about the extreme fans of the “Star Trek” series) and “Six Days In Roswell” (about UFO enthusiasts). So Mr. Nygard appears to have an affinity for showing us people’s heartfelt passions about the invisible, looked upon with an ironic air of comic absurdity. click here to read the full review.
“Charlie St. Cloud” (Zac Efron) is the kind of guy who looks like the world is his oyster: he’s handsome, charming, outgoing, and, in a coastal Massachusetts harbor town, a great sailor. He wins so many local races that he’s actually offered a sailing scholarship (do they even have such things?).
He loves his younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan) so much that Charlie St. Cloud doesn’t even mind when his single-parent Mom (Kim Basinger) works double shifts; the brothers are best buddies, anyway. That’s why something deep snaps within Charlie… click here to read more
“Ramona and Beezus,” based on Beverly Cleary’s popular children’s book series, features a cute little ten-year-old named Ramona (Joey King, who’s perfect for the part). She thinks of herself as always messing up and always getting into trouble, but really, she’s just a good-hearted, playful kid with a great imagination and an independent streak — traits that will serve her well in life, but maybe not so much in elementary school. Click here for full reviews
“Restrepo” is the real-life war movie. It’s so raw and spontaneous that we can’t help but be moved by witnessing what it’s really like to be an American soldier in Afghanistan.
The action takes place between 2007-08, when Second Platoon, Battle Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade, was deployed to the Korangal Valley, high in the mountains of rural Afghanistan. Click here for full reviews
“The Kids Are All Right” It is not too surprising that Hollywood would be on the vanguard of those advocating for societal acceptance of homosexual couples. After all, anything goes in Tinseltown, where hedonism is good publicity, and no marriages last for very long, anyway, no matter which genders are involved. So here are two very well-respected, talented, award-winning veteran heterosexual actresses who play a lesbian couple in a long-term relationship. Click here for full reviews
“Inception” is one of those clever, suspenseful movies that delight the sci-fi-techno crowd, but is truly frustrating to the more linear thinkers, who want their story lines clean, clear, and chronological.
Leonardo DiCaprio play Cobb, a dream weaver of the first order. He, in collusion with his team of anonymous inventor geeks, have figured out how to insert themselves into another person’s dream. Click here for full reviews
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” may borrow from a lot of recent fantasy tales, but it’s kid-friendly, interesting, well-cast, and funny, which is a winsome combination for any movie.
Nicolas Cage plays Balthazar, one of Merlin’s apprentices who doesn’t age, but frequently gets stuck in time, trapped in a certain kind of magic urn. The other two apprentices, Horvath (Alfred Molina) and Veronica (Monica Bellucci), are also alternately trapped and conspiring against each other to find the true owner of Merlin’s own magic ring, which will come to life when “the chosen one” puts it on. Click here for full reviews
“Winter’s Bone” is one of those slice-of-life films that transport the viewer to another place and point of view. It’s set in present-day rural Missouri, but it feels like the back-country Ozarks of another era.
Jennifer Lawrence plays Ree Dolly, the harried 17-year-old who’s trying to manage a household. Her Mom is non compos mentis; we never quite know why, but from Ree’s point of view, it doesn’t matter, anyway. Click here for full reviews
“Cyrus” is a love triangle with a twist, in an ironic atmosphere. John C. Reilly plays John, a man who’s admittedly in a downward spiral. His ex-wife, Jamie (Katherine Keener), has moved on, and is preparing to marry Tim (Matt Walsh), who has little patience for John’s continued emotional dependence on Jamie. John says he’s a freelance editor, but we don’t really see him working much. Click here for full reviews
