A Very Murray Christmas

Murray plays himself in this variety show within a variety show, which nobody attends due to a blizzard. With his worries come true, Murray wallows through New York City's Carlyle Hotel with the holiday blues, but fellow guests will get him by with some Christmas spirit. Great song selection and performances, but each number is performed in its entirety, dragging things on a lot longer than necessary. The ensemble cast includes cast and crew that have become part of Murray's modern clique, making A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS seem (appropriately) like a group of friends getting together for the Holidays but at the end of it all, this Christmas special just doesn't end up being all that funny.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

A group of teens are haunted by Freddy Kruger (Englund), a burn victim with knives for fingers who murders his prey in their dreams. Not only scary for its violence and Englund's performance, but director Craven does a terrific job toying with the audience's perception between imagination and reality. However, the film is plagued by terrible dialogue, and Oscar-nominee Blakley's delivery is horrendous. Depp is surprisingly forgetful in his debut. Despite its overwhelming flaws, it's still worth a replay every five or so years. Seems kind of like a cheap-shot to villain-ize a burn victim, but Kruger's attire and his boiler room lair are just so perfect for the horror genre.

American Beauty

Tragedy meets melodrama meets the fearless hip '90s, following the Burnham family as they deal with their first-world problems. Lester and Carolyn (Spacey and Bening) are getting older, and both are trying in their own way to hang on to the last moments of what each thinks is the prime of their lives; while their teenage daughter Jane (Birch) is having issues of her own, dealing with finding her identity and not feeling pretty enough next to her "friend" Angela (Suvari). Neighboring Fitts family (consisting of Bentley, Cooper and Janney) work their way into the mix because the son is stalking Jane. A film that speaks to those who have seen a midlife crisis, and is still entertaining to those who have it to look forward to. Oscar-winner is entertaining right from the get-go, and is an experience as flawless as a rose upon first viewing. However, after you've seen it a few times, the rose begins to wilt, unmasking contradictory characters and inexplicable events that unfold just to appease its themes of confinement, conformity, redemption and sexuality—why does Lester lecture Carolyn about materialism right after HE's the one that bought a Pontiac Firebird? Why didn't writer Ball or director Mendes at least try to make Bening's character slightly redeemable? All the many other questions to raise require spoilers, but the list goes on... Hard to completely hate because it's easy to understand why so many people like it.

First Blood

Frustrated veteran reaches his breaking point after being harassed by a sheriff (Dennehy) and his deputies in the small town of Hope. Neat to see forests of the Pacific Northwest turned into a jungle of combat, but characters suddenly disappear from the story without explanation (Caruso and Mulkey, for example); and the ending is abrupt that the narrative arc almost seems absent, it feels like they just ran out of ideas and decided to stop. Stallone is great as Rambo, but his delivery is so bad that even a heartfelt monologue has to be deciphered through closed-captions and replays.

A Haunted House

Wayans notices unusual occurrences after he welcomes girlfriend Atkins to move in, with their experiences being documented through security video and a hand-held camera. Includes a fair share of jokes that both land and miss. Surprisingly insensitive at times, but this one's not for those who can't take a joke anyway. It's frustrating that Wayans feels the need to succumb to loud, childish reactions when he's proved himself quite capable of delivering clever comedy. Unlike many parodies, which usually have several targets, this outing focuses mainly on PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, which ends up limiting the range of mocking the "found footage" genre. Presented to the MPAA in two versions, but both ended up with an R-rating.

Daylight

A so-very-'90s disaster film that's excellent at everything except the acting. After trucks carrying toxic waste explode in a tunnel under the Hudson River, former Emergency Medical Services chief Stallone has the instinct to put himself in danger and go down to rescue any potential survivors. The explosion alone is worth watching, and there are plenty of other SFX that hold up to this day. Unfortunately, there are just way too many obstacles to keep the intensity fresh on top of the pedestrian acting—it's hard to tell if it's the cast or the script that's to blame. The nostalgia of it all will give it some brownie-points for replay value.

Zoolander

With his career failing, dimwitted male fashion model Stiller is brainwashed and used as a pawn to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia (Asai) by a group of corrupt executives. Pretty decent if you give it a shot, with Taylor's backstory demonstrating some real thought being put into some of these characters. Long list of cameos are real fun, but it's Stiller and Wilson together on screen that takes the cake. The film contains elements from a pair of short films for VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997. Surprised there is not more fashion model cameos. The soundtrack is terrible, despite possibly being intentional.

We Are What We Are

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Childers plays the eldest child in the Parker family and after her mother's accidental drowning, she must take the lead in a very horrific family tradition. Meanwhile, Parks plays a doctor who refuses to give up the search for his daughter that went missing years ago, and his autopsy exam of Ma Parker (DePaiva) lands him a connection to a family that might know a thing or two about his quest. Slow, but Mickle sets a great tone, and we are ultimately led to a very memorable finale that will especially satisfy those hungry for a cannibal-horror flick. Parks and Sage are the same as always, but they're good at what they do.

Interstellar

Earth has become inhabitable in this work of Nolan-ized science fiction, so a crew of four explorers travel through a wormhole in hopes of finding a new place for humans to live. Over-budgeted and overlong, but still enjoyable; unfortunately, Nolan no longer takes a complex idea and cinematically fleshes it out, he instead takes cheap thrills and attempts flip them into something better—here we have the idiocy of Armageddon trying to be flipped into the brilliance of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Definitely has its moments, but nobody will be begging for it not to end.

Exam

A sought after job opening brings eight applicants into a single room for an exam. Invigilator Salmon gives very brief but strict instructions on the rules, and whoever doesn't follow will fail the test. An 80 minute clock begins to count down, and the applicants are left with nothing except a pen, blank piece of paper and each other. From there, they must try to solve the riddle of the exam, working with and against each other until only one of them is left. Simple but entertaining little thriller, with just enough clever turns to keep you interested before it gets too desperate and cliché.

Jurassic World

Back on the island of Isla Nublar, the dinosaur theme park is now fully functioning and still showcasing cloned dinosaurs. While the park's operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is off on the other side of the island preparing for the genetically-modified Indominus rex to be a future attraction, it ends up escaping and has no where else to run except in the direction of the tourists, including Claire's nephews (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins). One of the few films that are worth seeing in 3-D, but like most action flicks, it forgets that roller-coasters go both up and down. Chris Pratt makes for a very interesting and likable leading man, but Bryce Dallas Howard is just way too sexualized. Lots of throwbacks and is good enough for a fifth film to be welcomed, but please don't call it "Jurassic 5", let the hip hop group keep that one.

The 'Burbs

Hanks takes a stay-cation to relax and catch up on things around the house, but that idea is quickly put to bed when a couple goofy paranoid neighbor buddies (Dern and Ducommun) suspect that the disappearance of a fellow resident might be the doings of an eccentric family who moved into the creep old house next door. Nostalgic to say the least, be even for 1989, THE 'BURBS was certainly pushing the suspension-of-disbelief boundaries. Highly likely that Feldman was cast as Donatello in TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES thanks to his role in this outing. The poodle also appears in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Exposé of sorts on Scientology and the deconstruction of its claims, as well as Tom Cruise and John Travolta's interaction with the Church, plus some very gripping stories from ex-members that include some pretty cruel acts. While the subject fascinates the masses of non-members, this two-hour HBO documentary based on Lawrence Wright's 2013 book GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY, Hollywood AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF doesn't really offer an overwhelming amount of new insight that the media hasn't already covered or that its critics haven't already satirized. Its most interesting segment is the rise of found L. Ron Hubbard.

Dumb and Dumber To

The stupid duo are back on the road, this time to track down Daniels' daughter in hopes that she'll donate him a kidney, with plenty of hilarious conflicts to sidetrack them along the way. Lots of fun callbacks to the original film. Layered with endless jokes just like its predecessor, but one can't help but think that this movie's qualities would've stuck more had its release come along much earlier. Still worth seeing if you loved the first and/or are looking for some harmless giggles. Stay tuned after the credits for a brief clip of a couple of familiar faces! Second sequel welcome if they don't wait another 20 years.

The Assault

Lifetime Movie inspired by the 2012 Steubenville High School rape case. Cheerleader Vega attempts suicide by self-immolation, setting into motion events that could make the community's beloved football team accountable for a very serious crime. Very dramatic for the better. Still, way too cookie-cutter in terms of structure, and the story unravels more like a mystery/thriller than a drama with something important to say. There's also the need to explain too much, indicating an underestimation of the viewer. Khandi Alexander is memorable as Detective Jodi Miller. Buckner's first role in seven years. Good if you have nothing better to do.

Pitch Perfect

The Barden Bellas, a female a-cappella group, add University freshman Kendrick to the club, but she brings with her a creative freedom demand that is much needed but might tear them all apart; however, they'll have to agree on something if they hope to stand a chance against their male rivals in a campus competition. The ensemble cast delivers excellently in both acting and singing, and the musical choices are quite sound (pun?). Worthy date-night movie, but all the laughs are targeted to the female viewer. The hypocrisy of Kendrick ranting about how predictable movies are is quite a turn off, considering how textbook the unfolding of this story is. Loosely adapted from the non-fiction PITCH PERFECT: THE QUEST FOR COLLEGIATE A CAPPELLA GLORY by Mickey Rapkin.

The Good Mistress

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

While coping with the events following a car accident caused by her, recovering alcoholic Heise moves to Shelter Hills to rekindle with longtime friend Anderson, who has offered her a position at a firm. Things appears to be patching up nicely, especially when she meets dreamboat Cupo at the grocery store parking lot. Not only does he turn out to be a candidate in the county elections, he is also turns her friend's husband… oh, yeah, and a suspect in a murder investigation. Does a pretty decent job with the twists and turns, and the acting is better than most Lifetime Movies. Like of lot of these types, there is an overload on characters for the mere purpose of having lots suspects, a crutch to distract us from piecing things together too easily. Definitely worth the watch if you are completely bored or have a taste for cheap TV-movies.

Her

In near-future L.A., Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) starts a relationship with Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), who is smart, funny, adventurous… and a computer. Has its moments, but is an overall pretentious outing despite some of its good points on love and emotions in a world that has an ever-growing connection to technology. The overall downfall is Phoenix as a very awkward man in a very unusual relationship—this may have been the intention in order to establish the believability of someone who would fall in love with an operating system, but it ultimately distances the audience even further from the reality that it attempts to build. Worthy soundtrack though.

The Lady Vanishes

Older Hitchcock film about tourist Lockwood discovering that an elderly traveling companion (Whitty) has mysteriously disappeared off the train they're riding in, with the majority of the other passengers denying that the old lady even existed, only to unravel a sinister scheme. Cricket enthusiasts Charter and Caldicott (Wayne and Radford) are the peak of the movie, and proved to be so popular at the time that they were featured in three other films. But for its era, THE LADY VANISHES is a somewhat underwhelming thriller in terms of a satisfactory conclusion. There are a couple of instances of odd fade-ins and fade-outs, plus some seemingly overelaborate development in the first act at the "Gasthof Petrus" inn in the fictitious country of Bandrika. Based on the 1936 novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White.

The Other Woman

Angry lover Diaz and betrayed wife Mann recruit current mistress Upton to help them exact revenge on shameless player Coaster-Waldau. The significant others who are dragged to this outing will be pleasantly surprised at the genuine laughs that are offered. Try as she might, Diaz continues to be greatly limited in her cutesy-comedy performance, not unlike THE HOLIDAY; and although nobody else in particular is "bad" per se, it is definitely Coaster-Waldau who carries this picture the extra mile. Crude at times, and while there's not usually anything wrong with crudeness, one can't help but wonder if this movie's use of it is just to compensate for its many other imperfections.