Lawless

Lawless (R) 2012

Directed by John Hillcoat

Starring:  Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman,Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Jason Clarke and Dane DeHaan

Here We Go:  Think old Western flick mixed with a '20s gangster film.  The Bondurant brothers are running a bootlegging business during Prohibition and have to deal with a new local lawman trying to stick his hand into their earnings.  This movie really has an outstanding all around cast that takes a decent, but not great, script and makes a good movie.  Shia LeBeouf is just right as the weakling little brother but it is really Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke that make this movie.  Both were very well cast and you truly believe they could be good ole' boys cooking up some moonshine in your backyard.  

Bottom Line:   Watch it!

The Conjuring

The Conjuring (R) 2013

Directed by James Wan

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Joey King, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Mackenzie Foy, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, John Brotherton and Steve Coulter

Here We Go:  Demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren, come to the rescue of a family that has been invaded by a deadly demon.  Maybe it's because this movie is based on a true story, but this movie is legit!  It's absolutely scary, the story moves along at a good pace, and I can testify to the fact that this movie had grown men bring out their inner child - their inner screams-like-a-little-girl child.  The cast is perfect and truly believable, (and we all know how easily horror movies can quickly lose points on believability).  I just keep thinking of the first time the demon makes an appearance...and on that note, I'm off to check under my bed and turn on a few more lights.

Bottom Line:  Watch it, ya big baby!

Hyde Park on Hudson

Hyde Park on Hudson (R) 2012

Directed by Roger Michell

Starring:   Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Colman, Samuel West, Elizabeth Marvel, Elizabeth Wilson, Eleanor Bron and Olivia Williams

Here We Go:  The behind the scene angle of Hyde Park on Hudson shows Franklin D. Roosevelt (Murray) and his relationship with his cousin, friend, confidant, and possible love interest, Daisy (Linney), introduces a side of FDR that not many have seen.  It's a little hard to process the idea of Murray as FDR, but then the story begins and Murray just falls right into character.  You literally stop seeing the comedian and start seeing the former President of the United States.  Now, before you start thinking of the relationship between FDR and Daisy as something horrifying, I'll just clarify that they were actually 6th cousins, which is enough of a distance to keep that gag reflex from creeping up on you.  Anyway, the movie has some funny moments (most involving the scenes with visiting Royals), and some scandalous revelations that give you a new perspective of this historical figure.  In any case, it was a good movie and it helped to humanize FDR while making him likable, regardless of his questionable lifestyle. 

Bottom Line:  Watch it!

Flight

Flight (R) 2012

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Starring:  Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, Brian Geraghty, Bruce Greenwood, Kelly Reilly, Tamara Tunie, Garcelle Beauvais, James Badge Dale, Rhoda Griffis, Kwesi Boakye, Michael Beasley and Adam Tomei

Bottom Line:  Watch it, but maybe not right before having to board a plane.

Here We Go:  A pilot (Washington) with a substance abuse problem is caught in the middle of an investigation after having to crash land a severely malfunctioning plane while intoxicated and on drugs.  The story is gripping and completely terrifying as the intense time of the crash landing crawls by in such real detail.  Washington is always personable and likable, and that applies even here as he struggles as an addict.  This movie has good acting (and much needed comic relief from Goodman), action, drama and a solid ending.  

Kinky Boots

Kinky Boots (PG-13) 2005

Directed by Julian Jarrold

Starring:  Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts, Nick Frost, Linda Bassett, Jemima Rooper, Robert Pugh, Ewan Hooper, Stephen Marcus and Mona Hammond

Here We Go:  A men's shoe factory in the UK isn't making enough to stay afloat, which leads the owner to make a daring decision: scrap traditional men's shoes and start making footwear for drag queens.  It was a cute movie and it was fun to watch some very straight laced characters, and those who aren't all too accepting of the new direction of the factory, slowly change their views.  The movie was less about drag and more about the people involved in the process of change in their lives, their work and their mindsets.  Overall, it was an entertaining movie that had a little bit of everything (including a few stage shows).

Bottom Line:  Watch it!

Phil Spector

Phil Spector (TV) 2013

Directed by David Mamet

Starring:  Al Pacino, Helen Mirren and Jeffrey Tambor

Here We Go:  I went into this movie knowing generally who Phil Spector was but I had no idea  what the movie was actually about.  I figured it starred Academy Award winners Al Pacino and Helen Mirren so it couldn't be awful.  It turns out the movie is really a legal drama about Spector's trial for murder.  Only the movie does not actually show the trial - it focuses on the behind the scenes interaction between the eccentric Spector and his main defense attorney, Linda Kenney Baden (Mirren).  As the two prepare for trial, Baden begins to actually believe Spector while at the same time realizing he may be more than eccentric.  With two great lead actors, the acting itself was excellent and the story is, actually, very interesting.  However, the way the film was done, without showing the actual crime or the trial, leaves it a bit dry for anyone who doesn't want to watch the trial preparation process (I happen to enjoy that - but that's me).  Topped off with the fact that the actual verdict is only shown in a credit at the end of the movie and the viewers may be left wondering what they just watched.  

Bottom Line:  If you like the music or legal industry, watch it.  Others may want to pass.  

My Week with Marilyn

My Week with Marilyn (2011) R

Directed by Simon Curtis

Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, Judi Dench, Zoë Wanamaker, Toby Jones, Derek Jacobi and Dougray Scott

Here We Go:  There were times during this movie where you can just see Michelle Williams get it.  She literally embodies Marilyn and you feel swept away by the realness of an untouchable Hollywood icon.  My Week with Marilyn is effortless.  This movie makes an hour and a half seem like you're standing there along with the people involved each day in these private moments.  So, whether you're a fan or not, you will walk away from this movie satisfied and feeling as if you know more about the person than the actress.

Bottom Line:  Watch it!

Compliance

Compliance (2012) R

Directed by: Craig Zobel

Starring:  Sophia Lin, Craig Zobel, Theo Sena, Lisa Muskat, and Tyler Davidson

Here We Go:  What in the hell?!  I get that this movie is based on real life events, but the sheer fact that these people were this dumb in real life makes watching this movie painful.  I had to watch it just to see.  My torturous curiosity nagged at me until I couldn't take it anymore and I watched.  I watched with my jaw on the floor and threw in the occasional scoff, which I took as my body's way of checking that I hadn't actually slipped into some sort of stupidity induced coma.  The acting was decent, specifically, Sophia Lin's.  However, it's impossible to get past that these people are acting out things that actually happened.  The people that inspired this movie should be entered into a program for adults with special needs.

Bottom Line:  Watch it to settle your curiosity, OR to remind yourself that you're smarter than an entire restaurant staff.