Charismatic actors/actresses and solid acting do not a great movie make and Aloha is one of the best examples this year. The cast is extraordinary here lead by Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, and Emma Stone with bit parts by Bill Murray (It’s hard to tell but I think Bill Murray may be drunk for everyone of his scenes in Aloha), Alec Baldwin, and John Krasinski and yet, they are all in search of a compelling story.

For most of Aloha, it feels like we are just meandering around, unclear on what our main character’s true goals or obstacles are. It’s like the script was a few drafts away from cracking an idea worth filming. Everyone’s clearly in this because it’s a Cameron Crowe film. Unfortunately Crowe didn’t come through (like he usually does). I just wish he’d cut about 20 minutes, fixed the story issues, and had a little more fun. It’s not terrible and there are a couple of REALLY great scenes but it all amounts to an unfortunately forgettable film. Still, Crowe gets a near-lifetime pass. So what if this is a bit of a misstep. I’ll still be excited to see what he does next.

Kristen Stewart is getting Oscar buzz over this film and since I haven’t particularly enjoyed her in most anything else she’s done, I was interested to check this out. Honestly, about 90% of average movie-goers who see this will probably hate this. And I have to admit I think her performance is a bit overrated here but she is much better than usual and proves she has some acting chops.

But truthfully, Juliette Binoche was the real standout here, captivating in every scene. She’s an amazing actress and I wish she were the one getting Oscar buzz. Regardless, this film is an interesting character study with a complex and totally “meta” script that begins to fold in on itself until you aren’t sure when the characters are acting or practicing a scene for the play that’s at the center of the film. It’s all kind of ingenious. Most of the movie-going world would probably categorize this film as “boring” and not make it through the first 15 minutes but if you like great dialogue and acting with symbolism all over the place, this is worth checking out.

Great action flick, one of the better ones this year. I know a lot of people dislike Tom Cruise but honestly, I’m always up for a Cruise movie because the guy absolutely gives 110% to everything he does. You know he is doing everything possible to try and entertain and most of the time, he comes through. Rogue Nation is another triumph for Cruise’s entertainment chops.

The ensemble cast is having a blast and you can tell all the way through. The set pieces are exciting, the plot is pleasingly convoluted (as Mission Impossible films should be), and Rebecca Ferguson steals nearly ever scene she’s in. I would like to see a Mission Impossible film next time where the team is actually working for the government on a mission instead of always being on the run from their own bosses. But this is another solid entry in the series and I’d be happy if there were another.

I’m so happy Peanuts were treated with love and respect. Schulz would be proud of this little CG version of his characters. The film combines elements of the classic TV Peanuts broadcasts while putting together its own unique story. There are clever nods to some of the absurdities of the comic strip (like the fact that Charlie Brown always wears the same clothes) and then there are nice updates to the series like the introduction of the new girl in school (I love that all the characters call “the new girl in class” instead of by her name).

Most of the music is the classic jazz numbers we all know and love although there were a couple of modern pop songs but they were used in a way that didn’t feel too forced. I also loved the message of the film. Honesty, kindness, integrity. Rare attributes for modern kids-films. No fart jokes or movie references to be found here. Just good old-fashioned classic storytelling and morales. Highly recommended.

I wonder if this film came out about this time of year, closer to Oscar season, that we would see a nomination for Helen Mirren. She’s so good in this but because this film came out earlier this year, it will inevitably be forgotten. In addition to Mirren’s awesome work, Ryan Reynolds comes out of nowhere (sure he’s in everything these days but I mean that he is so surprising) to do some of the best work I’ve ever seen him do. Long gone are the wisecracks and awkward pauses and in it’s a place, an honest to goodness unique character.

The story is engaging enough on its own but the overtones to Nazi occupation of Austria, ramifications of World War II, and the gripping flashbacks to 1941 really take this film up a notch. I feel like this fell off most people’s radars and it’s worth seeking out. It’s good.

Fair warning, this film is not for everybody but I loved it. So thought-provoking. Experimenter tells the true story of the Stanley Milgram’s psychology experiments regarding by obedience & authority. It’s terrifying to see average people inflict pain on their victims just because they are being told to do it.

The film asks tough questions and makes you really want to look deep inside to try and decide how you would react (given that over 65% of participants followed orders no matter what). The film is unconventional with some weird 4th wall-breaking monologues but the ideas of concepts are so compelling that I was into it all the way through. Peter Sarsgaard is excellent (as always) as the lead but the best thing this film can do is hopefully make every person who watches it more skeptical, more questioning/curious and ultimately, maybe make them think twice before blindly following authority.

If Love Actually (2003) didn’t exist (what a tragedy that would be), Christmas Eve might have felt a little less awkward but alas, Love Actually does exist, and though Christmas Eve wants SO bad to be Love Actually, it’s not. Instead, we get an amateurishly shot, weakly edited, melodrama that aspires to hit emotional highs while in reality, barely sticking a shaky landing.

The cast is awesome with A-listers like Patrick Stewart and crowd-pleasers like Jon Heder (of Napoleon Dynamite fame). Here’s what’s crazy though: Jon Heder is better than Stewart in this. In fact, Stewart’s part is one of the worst of the film, stuck monologuing with a forced character arc that feels totally unearned. James Roday (of Psych fame) fares much better. In fact, I would have been happy if Roday’s scenes were the entire movie. He has so much charisma. It’s not terrible but it’s just… amateurish and with a dialogue-heavy lower budget, the script isn’t strong enough to save a lot of the scenes.

I like Chris Evans as an actor. When he was in those early 2000’s Fantastic Four movies, I wasn’t much of a fan although he did show a lot of screen presence and charisma. But I remember being blown away by his scene-stealing performance in the highly underrated sci-fi film Sunshine a few years later. And of course, he’s a great Captain America.

So it’s fun to see Chris both in front of the camera and also stepping behind for his directorial debut here. Although everything is competently shot, it’s still not quite there (some angles felt a little amateur). But probably because of Evans being an actor himself, the performances are excellent across-the-board here. In the end, this is a heart-warming, unconventional romance with endearing performances, and fun little story, and a great to start to what I hope will be many more films Evans directs.

Loved this. “Huh?” you may say. “Wasn’t this some unknown movie that came out to little fanfare and bombed at the box office?” Well, yeah, that is true but Ricki and the Flash totally didn’t deserve to be forgotten. While many lesser films like Pixels and the remake / reboot of Vacation played to wide audiences (although neither as big as expected). Ricki and the Flash was completely ignored and that’s a shame.

I love a well-made family drama with interesting characters and awesome acting – Ricki and the Flash has it all. The cast is extraordinary with the always amazing Meryl Streep leading the way, completely believable (as usual again) as the aging rocker mother who abandoned her family to chase a dream that never materialized. Kevin Kline is wonderful as well as the ex-husband trying to get the family back on track after several crisis have caused them to come together again. Special notice has to also be given to Meryl Streep’s real daughter who also does an incredible job of playing this broken, grumpy, socially awkward daughter in the film and it was so cool to see Rick Springfield acting again (and playing guitar). He’s a true highlight as well. The film was written by Diablo Cody who is best known for Juno but I think this may be her finest work to date. The ending is an emotional one-two punch that really pulls everything together. This is a little gem you probably missed but highly recommended.

The Lazarus Effect starts out interesting, with a solid Frankenstein-like premise and then things progressively get worse and more stupid. Despite some really fake-sounding “technical” dialogue in the beginning, the opening 30 minutes is well-paced and sets up an intriguing concept. Although it copies most of the ideas from Schumaker’s (more superior) film Flatliners, I was hoping The Lazarus Effect would have its own thing going.

Unfortunately, those early glimpses of intriguing ideas all devolve into a yawning horror fest of derivative scares and cliched characters. And the whole power outage gimmick in the second-half is so forced, so ridiculous, that is kills what little tension was left. Acting isn’t terrible but you can tell these actors are trapped in a film with a script that should have been much better. I didn’t hate it, was just mostly bored and ultimately, The Lazarus Effect is completely forgettable.