November 12, 2014

The Judge*
After the death of his mother, a successful big city lawyer has to return to his small home town to attend the funeral. The lawyer’s father is the local judge in this town, and they don’t get along. Father and son have many grudges to resolve, but, when the judge is accused of murder, his son must come to his defense. Basically, this movie is just an intriguing courtroom drama. Still, it is nice to see Robert Downey Jr. acting for a change, and not just delivering sarcastic one-liner quips. Robert Duvall gives excellent support as the judge.

A Good Marriage
Recent screen adaptations of Stephen King novels have concentrated more on his ‘human interest’ stories, rather than the paranormal. These movies have revealed King’s deep understanding of the darker side of the human psyche. In this latest Stephen King movie, a serial-killer is frightening the women of a peaceful American country city. When her husband goes away on business, the wife accidently finds evidence which appears to incriminate him. The question is: What is she going to do about it? Distinguished actress Joan Allen gives an impressive performance, along with Anthony LaPaglia.

Big Driver
This is another excellent adaptation of a Stephen King story. An author has been doing a book signing in a remote town, and, to save time, she is told to take a not-so-well-known road back to her home. Of course, her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and, a good Samaritan comes to her aid. The good Samaritan turns out to be not so good! The violated author chooses not to report the incident, and, instead, goes for revenge. Maria Bello presents a riveting performance, in this shocking study about the after-effects of rape.

Wolves
After the savage murder of his parents, a teenager suspects that he is turning into a werewolf, and, that he unknowingly committed the crime himself. He flees the crime scene, and, hits the road. As fate would have it, he finishes up in a hillbilly town, where everybody is a werewolf. Here, he learns the truth about his heritage. Ok, this movie is absolutely silly, but, it does have some really terrific moments of werewolf mayhem and very nasty gruesomeness.

Two Men in Town
A man is released from prison, and, he must serve out his parole in the town where he committed his crime. The local sheriff is not so willing to forgive and forget the past, and, he starts harassing the man as soon as he arrives. Eventually, the sheriff and a parole-officer are to clash over the man’s treatment. This slow moving but involving movie is from French director Rachid Bouchareb. It is an interesting look at the American legal system, from an ‘outsiders’ point-of-view. Forest Whitaker and Harvey Keitel star.

Walking on Sunshine.
An English woman goes to Italy to attend her sister’s wedding. Once there, she is to discover that the hunky Italian husband-to-be is an old flame she met three years earlier on a vacation. Many complications develop. Forget the plot! What this musical is all about are the great production numbers, snappy dance routines, and the fabulous Hits of the 1980s remixed for today.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
At the conclusion of ‘The Planet of the Apes’, the chemically enhanced apes had retreated to a forest outside San Francisco. They are still living there, and, there are many more of them. Meanwhile, what is left of San Francisco is in ruins. Power is rapidly running out, and, a group of volunteers must cross the apes’ territory to get to a hydroelectric plant to turn it back on. Lots of money has been spent on this sequel, but, it just fails to maintain interest.

Annabelle
In this prequel to ‘The Conjuring’ series, an antique doll is determined to gain possession of the soul of a baby. In the process, the doll drives the mother crazy. The movie takes hours to get anywhere, and, lacks suspense.

The November Man
I have no idea what this movie is all about. The plot was so complicated that I just gave up trying to follow it. The film is some sort of espionage thriller, starring Pierce Brosnan, and, a whole troupe of unknown European actors.

22 Jump Street
This time, those stupid undercover cops, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, must go to college to catch a drug dealer. Not only are the cops very stupid, but, so is this sequel. It is hard to believe that movies like this one get made.

Left Behind
I also find it hard to believe that Nicolas Cage could star in this bad religious cult movie. Passengers on a jet airliner experience ‘The Rapture’ mid-flight.

You’re Not You
Even though she would like to, Hilary Swank is not about to win her third Oscar with this portrayal of a woman suffering from a degenerative disease.

Sex Tape
A married couple make a fun sex tape, and, somehow, it finishes up on the computer tablets they give out as presents. They have to get the tablets back.

Two Night Stand
What was supposed to be a one night stand turns into two, when a blizzard traps a couple in an apartment. Lots of time to get to know each other better.

Nymph
On an island in modern-day Greece, a Siren is still luring and killing tourists.

* Also available on Blu Ray.
# Also available in 3D.

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