Lila Says

This drama didn't take enough risks for me, I wanted to see much more develop plot-wise and with the characters. 3/5

Lila Says on Netflix

Night at the Museum

This family comedy was quite a bit funnier than I expected with some really good performances. Well done. 3/5

Night at the Museum on Netflix

Soul Men

Jackson & Bernie Mac were excellent in this witty comedy that made my laugh out loud a few times. Well worth a watch. 4/5

Soul Men on Netflix

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

I've frankly never seen anything quite like this film. I have no idea how to even classify it or what genre it is. It is beautiful and moving and absolutely stunningly directed, in ways that no other film is. It is drama and thriller and romance and horror, all at once. It is the film "Only Lovers Left Alive" wishes it was. Highly recommended. 4.5/5

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night on Netflix

The Immigrant

Simply put, they don't write roles for women like this very often. But when they do write something this complex and mesmerizing, I'm so glad they got the always astonishing Marion Cotillard for it. She was absolute perfection in this, not a note out of place for the whole of the film, and she was in nearly every scene of it. Joaquin Phoenix is every bit as amazing, bringing incredible depth to his complicated role. I know Cotillard was nominated for another film this year, which is good, else I'd be on a rampage about how she could possibly be left out of contention with this fine of a part. The film itself is rich in plot, well paced in editing, and beautifully shot. Oscar bait? Perhaps, but far more interesting and well-told a story than the other fare I've seen this year. Highly recommended.  4/5

The Immigrant on Netflix

The Devil's Double

This chilling portrait of the man forced to be Uday Hussein's double is brilliantly acted by Dominic Cooper. 4/5

The Devil's Double on Netflix

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Not my favorite Almodóvar but very quick, witty, deadpan & well acted. I enjoyed it. 3/5

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown on Netflix

Before I Go to Sleep

As I continue my sojourn through the films of 2014, I am becoming more and more upset at the choices the Academy made this last year. This film is no exception. First off, Nicole Kidman well deserved an Oscar nomination for this masterful performance. I haven't seen her this good in many years, and perhaps never this nuanced and mature in a role. Second off, the script of this psych thriller was stronger and more fulfilling than most of the clear Oscar bait that got nominated. Like "Gone Girl", this thriller starts from a terrifying ending and builds backward until the truth is revealed, layer by layer. It's a strong story expertly told by the three leads and beautifully lensed by the director. So why wasn't this film given the nods it deserved? Because it wasn't "safe"? Because it was done open the Hollywood system? Because we've stopped caring about excellent performances outside the mainstream? Whatever the reason, "Before I Go to Sleep" is an excellent thriller that deserved far more. Watch it. Trust me. 4.5/5

Before I Go to Sleep on Netflix

5 Broken Cameras

One of the most powerful documentaries I've ever seen, unflinching & deeply emotional. A must see film. 5/5

5 Broken Cameras on Netflix

Dom Hemingway

THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE. This is what I've been talking about regarding Oscar nominations for actors.. "Dom Hemingway" is not a fantastic movie. It's full of plot holes and narrative drift. However, Jude Law gave the performance of his life in this. He achieved something I never thought he could, took his abilities to heights I had no idea he could reach. His portrayal of Dom was jaw-dropping in its intensity, verbosity, & wickedly black humor. This performance, and ones like it, are what should be getting Oscar nominations. This amazing, rich, darkly wonderful acting job should have given Jude Law a place at the Oscar table, and it's a crying shame that it didn't. 3.5/5

Dom Hemingway on Netflix

Jobs

If we're giving Oscar nods to exceptional performances in safe films, where was Kutcher's last year? He's AMAZING in this. 4/5

Jobs on Netflix

I'm So Excited

This Almodovar comedy is quite raunchy & funny, a real farcical delight of a film. I'm becoming a fan. 3.5/5

I'm So Excited on Netflix

Wadjda

Wow, what a wonderful & uplifting movie this is, full of joy & really great acting to boot. A real gem, really great. 4.5/5

Wadjda on Netflix

The Bitter Buddha

I had never heard of Eddie Pepitone before this but I found him really funny, a great documentary. 4/5

The Bitter Buddha on Netflix

Belle

This is a lovely period drama with exceptional acting from Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the lead, very poignant & a true story. 4/5

Belle on Netflix

The Imitation Game

While this will be longer than a simple tweet, it won't be an essay like some of my last Oscar reactions. It won't be because I've already written what I need to say in my review of "The Theory of Everything", wherein I discuss how Redmayne's performance was wonderful, but yet so safe and predictably Oscar-bait that I could not, in good conscience, reward it. The same is true here. Cumberbatch is lovely and all, but let's have some real talk here. He is playing a high-functioning Autistic Savant with a flat affect, and frankly there isn't much meat to a role like that. It doesn't require the complexity of skill that so many others showed, and the movie itself was, like "Theory", predictable and safe. I won't bother listing the three nominees I still think should have had these spots - I think I've drummed for them enough. Suffice it to say this was a good but terribly safe movie. 4/5

The Imitation Game on Netflix

Sinister

For a cheesy horror flick this was quite good with SO many good cat-scares. Good acting too, I'm a fan of this one. 4/5

Sinister on Netflix

A Mother's Courage: Talking Back to Autism

My mind is just blown after watching this, I never knew this type of learning was possible with autism. 5/5

A Mother's Courage: Talking Back to Autism on Netflix