The Riot Club

An interesting story with solid acting but told rather poorly & spottily. More character depth was needed. 3/5

The Riot Club on Netflix

Happy Christmas

I love Mumblecore, but even I couldn't get past how bad this was on every level. Not good at all. 2/5

Happy Christmas on Netflix

Time Out of Mind

I am so profoundly moved by this movie that I barely have words. I've been crying on and off for the better part of a half hour now, and I'm still shaken to the core by this film. Before I say anything else, let me say this - Richard Gere deserved an Oscar nomination for this. This was the performance of a lifetime, done with incredibly subtlety and with precious few words. The range of emotions he was able to profess with virtually no dialogue was simply astounding - there are no words for it. The director captured the bleak landscape of the homeless in a darkly poetic fashion. We saw Gere's character as the world would - through a dirty pane of glass, from across a crowded street, over a sea of shoulders. It was tragic and dark and yet gorgeously beautiful. At ninety minutes in, Gere shows why he was one of very few people that could have played this role, by displaying a talent rarer still than his tremendous acting was. I won't say more for fear of spoiling the moment, as I hope anyone reading this review will rent this movie with haste. Please do - it is magical. 5/5

Time Out of Mind on Netflix

The Stanford Prison Experiment

I have a lot to say about this film, but I will endeavor to be brief. As a student of psychology, I know a great deal about this all-too-real experiment. I have been waiting for a lot of years for some one to step up and make an accurate film about this terrifying experiment, and that film has finally arrived. This film is scarily accurate in it's detail and attention to the actual events that took place over those six days. I don't think there's one inaccurate detail in the film, due in part to Dr. Zimbardo's ongoing participation in the making of it. Billy Crudup's Zimbardo was scary good, and Ezra Miller as #8612 and Michael Angarano as "John Wayne" were just astounding standouts. The music set the perfect ambiance, the direction was appropriately claustrophobic, and the script was note-perfect. I couldn't be more pleased that Kyle Patrick Alvarez nailed this. A must-see - everyone needs to see this and remember what we learned in these important six days. 5/5

The Stanford Prison Experiment on Netflix

Manglehorn

About halfway through this film, the titular character of A.J. Manglehorn utters the sentence "She was like a great ball of fire, and I was so very small in comparison". It's a beautiful line that evokes a specific and poignant image of this man. The problem comes in that this character is played by Al Pacino, who, even when he is desperately trying to be very small, as he is for most of this film, is, in fact, a great ball of fire himself. And because he burns so very brightly no matter how small he tries to be, his inability to sink into this lush and well-written role takes a wrecking ball to the central themes of this film. I spent most of the movie wondering how Dustin Hoffman would have played this character. I also thought a lot about how another actor, Nicolas Cage, who is also known for being very large, managed to pull off a role of extreme subtlety very recently in a little film called "Joe", which, as it turns out, was directed by the same man as "Manglehorn", David Gordon Green.  I never thought I would see the day when Cage could play small better than Pacino, but that day is here it seems. A beautiful script, but I could never sink into it. 3/5

Manglehorn on Netflix

Do I Sound Gay?

A fascinating documentary about the phenomenon of sounding gay & how it might occur. Enlightening & well done. 4/5

Do I Sound Gay? on Netflix

Aloft

Outside of one outstanding scene with Cillian Murphy at the end of this film, no attempt is made to forge any emotional connections between characters or between the film and the audience. Shame. 2.5/5

Aloft on Netflix

Avengers: Age of Ultron

So, I seem to have radically different opinions than other Marvel fans. Most of the world thought the first Avengers film was amazing, equal to "The Dark Knight" even. I thought it was fairly average and kind of a waste of talent. This movie has gotten mostly average to bad reviews on Netflix. And I thought it was f'n AMAZING. THIS is the Avengers movie I was waiting for. I loved every moment of it and can see how it will lead perfectly into Civil War. Bravo Marvel for getting this one right. 5/5

Avengers: Age of Ultron on Netflix

Pan

Yes, it's beautiful to look at. Yes, Jackman is great. Yes, it's an interesting way to tell the story. But I felt alienated from this from the start. From the bizarre musical numbers to the lack of emotional impact to the largely uninspired acting, there was little about this that kept my interest, let alone made me want to believe. 2.5/5

Pan on Netflix

Jenny's Wedding

I'm conflicted about this film. Ont he one hand, I haven't seen that many films about how it must be for a traditional and somewhat religious family to come to terms with their child's homosexuality. It was refreshing to see this examined in that way. But, on the other, this exploration was really surface at best and lacked the serious emotional depth it needed to really come face-to-face with these issues. I strongly disliked how pat the ending was - I really wanted to see more of a fallout there. I guess I'm most stunned as I know this was by the writer of "Beaches", which was stunning in it's emotional depth. Nothing was wrong with this film per se, but I really wanted more from the script. The performances, however, were excellent, which saved this film's three star review. 3/5

Jenny's Wedding on Netflix

The Apartment

Cassel, Bellucci & Bohringer are excellent but the plot a bit thin & convoluted in this French drama. 3/5

The Apartment on Netflix

Sicario

A solid thriller with top-notch acting and a very suspenseful plot that keeps the action moving. Very well done. 4/5

Sicario on Netflix

Irrational Man

I keep trying to watch Woody Allen movies but I rarely like them - the dialogue in this was so bad. Not good. 2.5/5

Irrational Man on Netflix

A Murder in the Park

WOW. A totally eye-opening and timely documentary, a shocking contrast to many similar films. Wonderful. 5/5

A Murder in the Park on Netflix

The Visit

Seriously, what happened to Shyamalan? This was just awful & the "twist" was ridiculous. Painfully bad. 1.5/5

The Visit on Netflix

Lambert & Stamp

This documentary about the men behind The Who was wonderfully enlightening for me and very thorough in scope. 4/5

Lambert & Stamp on Netflix

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Well, bravo "Maze Runner". I had NO clue this was where you were going with this plot. Way to bring the excitement & intrigue all at once. And thank you for continuing to treat your audience as intelligent adults who don't need everything spelled out for them. And extra kudos for the single most racially, ethnically, and gender diverse cast of any movie franchise I can think of. 4/5

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials on Netflix

Comet

It's the rare film that strives to do something unique and different. After all, most of the time it seems all the films that could ever be made have already been done, so what's the point of attempting originality? So when I see a film that makes every effort in the world to be unique, to stand out from the rest, I give that film a tremendous amount of credit. However, this film doesn't just strives to be different. It *is* different. I've honestly never seen anything quite like it. It's daring a bold and visually stunning and impactful and honest and beautiful and romantic and tragic, all at once. It's a true triumph of film making and I'm so glad I saw a trailer for it and rented it. This is a true gem in film. Rent this. Now. 5/5

Comet on Netflix

Ant-Man

This installment in the Marvel franchise is witty & pithy but terribly thin on plot and continuity. Good, not great. 3/5

Ant-Man on Netflix

Seymour: An Introduction

Ethan Hawke is clearly having some kind of existential crisis these days, but if it leads him to create loving & wonderful artist portraits like this I won't complain. This documentary about classical pianist Seymour Bernstein is punctuated by some of the most beautiful piano playing I've ever heard, which is saying a lot. A lovely, special film about a lovely, special man. 4/5

Seymour: An Introduction on Netflix

Fill the Void

This tender drama explores love & marriage within the Orthodox Jewish community - very touching & well acted. 4/5

Fill the Void on Netflix

Hungry Hearts

This movie deeply affected me. I don't think I'm going to forget this movie for a very long time. And because I feel so profoundly touched by this film I was utterly shocked to see some of the mixed and negative reviews on Netflix. I'm struggling even to understand some of the complaints. The direction was odd, unsettling, and edited in a way to cause the viewer to feel disturbed and offput - many reviewers didn't seem to understand this. Many more rushed to diagnose the female lead with one disorder or another, and thus seemed to miss the overall message and tension between the leads. What, thankfully, everyone seems to agree on was the the acting is outstanding. Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher gave tour de force performances and made this film truly a gem. I hope more people avoid the negative reviews and watch this film - it is a true gem and will affect you in a deep and profound way. 5/5

Hungry Hearts on Netflix

Infinitely Polar Bear

This tender dramedy takes a serious subject and makes it relatable & endearing - Ruffalo was lovely. 3.5/5

Infinitely Polar Bear on Netflix

The Horseman

This thriller is deliciously brutal, almost poetically so, with solid acting & perfect pacing. A gem of a film. 4/5

The Horseman on Netflix

Die

This psych thriller is similar in plot to many other films but this had more meat than most, interesting story. 3.5/5

Die on Netflix