The Girl on the Train

This psych thriller is excellent in the same way that "Gone Girl" was. The plot is intricate and cleverly spooled out to keep the viewer guessing until the end. Blunt was superb in the lead role, and I'm quite surprised she wasn't nominated for Best Actress for this. The music was also excellent and I was surprised that Elfman scored this - his work these days is far more subtle and intriguing than his early work I think. An excellent film, highly recommended. 4.5/5

The Girl on the Train on Netflix

Days and Nights

I think had I not seen a spectacular version of "The Seagull" just last summer I might have felt a bit lost in this. I knew the story and I thought the adaptation was brilliantly handled. The acting was stellar throughout and I thought the carefully slow pacing was just right. My only problem was with the ending, as the filmmaker did not make clear to whom the final scenes occur. Since I know the story I have a good guess, but without more clarity there I feel the film lost a star. 4/5

Days and Nights on Netflix

Tammy

I'm not a big Melissa McCarthy fan but she was wonderful in this funny, dark & witty comedy - better than expected. 4/5

Tammy on Netflix

Bad Words

I'm shocked at how good this incredibly black comedy was. Fantastic pacing, great plot, wonderful acting. Wow. 4/5

Bad Words on Netflix

Struck by Lightning

Chris Colfer's adaptation of this book left much to be desired for me - it felt flat & dull throughout. 3/5

Struck by Lightning on Netflix

Touchy Feely

This had the bones of a great film but lack of depth & explanation left it only passably good. I hoped for more. 3/5

Touchy Feely on Netflix

The Oranges

Possibly the most egregious examples of people behaving badly for no reason that I've seen in a while. Blech.

The Oranges on Netflix