Lion

This was, undoubtedly, one of the best pictures of last year. In my mind, it's nearly tied with "Manchester by the Sea" as possibly the best picture nominated for the top honor at the Oscars (the best picture of last year in my mind, "Swiss Army Man", wasn't nominated). The movie is sheer poetry to watch. The direction is graceful and lush, with an almost musical quality to the movement. Dev Patel has grown into a serious actor, and, for me, he should have won Best Supporting hands down for his tour de force performance here. There really is no flaw to this film. It's so moving and I doubt I will ever forget it. A definitely must-see. 5/5

Lion on Netflix

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Dev Patel is wonderful in this biopic about Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician and genius of the highest order. His death came all too soon, and, after watching this, I wonder what he could have been able to accomplish in his later years had he lived. Jeremy Irons is tremendous in the main supporting role, and I found both the script and direction engaging. A strong film. 4/5

The Man Who Knew Infinity on Netflix

Chappie

I'm not going to lie - I was expecting precious little out of this film. It feels much like "RoboCop" had a illegitimate baby with "Short Circuit", which I thought would be off putting as all hell. But, surprisingly, it wasn't off putting at all, but sweet and thoughtful and scratch-your-head cerebral all at once. I found it ultimately a rewarding and tender film that had an interesting message about the nature of humanity. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really enjoyed this. 4/5

Chappie on Netflix

The Road Within

I don't know when or how, but about twenty minutes into this I realized I'd seen it before and vaguely remembered it. However, it was funny enough that I watched it again. It's more than a little bothersome how the various mental illnesses are portrayed, but it is a pretty laugh-worthy picture nonetheless. 3.5/5

The Road Within on Netflix

About Cherry

This story of a young porn star was oddly redemptive & filled with great acting but was very predictable. 3.5/5

About Cherry on Netflix