Arrival

This film reminded very much of "Contact" with Jodie Foster, and that's a compliment. Like "Contact", "Arrival" is not a sci-fi action flick, but rather a serious contemplation of life, time, language, and what it means to be sentient. There is so much going on in the slow moments of this film, things that only come together at the end, which is important in and of itself. The acting is excellent - Adams did an outstanding job in her lead role. I wish the direction had been clearer at points - it's very muddy and difficult to make out details on occasion, which I found frustrating. I really enjoyed this, it's definitely worth a watch or three. 4.5/5

Arrival on Netflix

Southpaw

I'm going to start this by saying that the fact that this film received no Oscar attention is a crying shame and further proof of how out of touch the Academy has gotten. Jake Gyllenhaal gave what was, in my eyes, the best performance of his career - only in "Nightcrawler" was he as completely immersed in a role like this. Forest Whitaker was both powerful and tender and should well have gotten a Best Supporting nod. And Antoine Fuqua remains one of the finest directors in modern times - his visual palette in this film was astounding. Surprisingly, the weakest link in this film was Kurt Sutter's script, which relied on too many tropes and caricatures for my taste. This was a wonderful film, and the fact that I heard nothing about it last year is truly a shame. 4/5

Southpaw on Netflix

Lee Daniels' The Butler

The best parts of this film are the actors they got to play the presidents - a good film, not great. 3/5

Lee Daniels' The Butler on Netflix

Out of the Furnace

All the acting in this, especially that by Bale, was top-notched & the plot kept at a slow boil. Well done! 4/5

Out of the Furnace on Netflix

The Last Stand

This action thriller is really weak with really bad acting & an atrocious script. I hoped for much better. 2/5

The Last Stand on Netflix

Pawn

This great thriller was brilliantly acted, well plotted & superbly executed - so refreshing to see such a smart film! Plus Michael Chiklis' Cockney accent was so good I actually paused the film to see if he might be British. Wow! 4.5/5

Pawn on Netflix