Peculiar Reviewer

The renaissance of modern horror remains tenacious after films like Jordan Peele’s  Get Out and Robert Egger’s  The Witch shaked things up. Adding another serious cinematic effort to the genre is  A Quiet Place . Director, star, and co-writer  John Krasinski 's near-silent horror thriller  is an extraordinary film  achievement with its use of  silence to demand the audience’s attention. Producing  a quiet but powerful tension that’s continuously nerve-racking, Krasinski doesn’t rely on traditional horror genre tropes like the jump scare or cheap thrills.  A Quiet Place is set only two years in the future when something has happened to Earth and the streets are desolate, grocery stores empty, and not a soul is in sight. Well, except for the Abbotts ( Emily Blunt and real-life husband John Krasinski ), who are living their lives in silence, while being responsible for keeping their two young sons, deaf daughter, and newborn-on-the-way saf...

Forget Jurassic World .   People should be lining up to see director/producer  Judd Apatow and Screenwriter Amy Schumer 's  Trainwreck , as I'm sure millions  will be once word spreads that it is a near-perfect film.  New York native Amy Schumer writes her first starring role about a lovably candid New York floozy/magazine writer named Amy, who along with her sister Brie Larson , was taught by her outspoken alcoholic father ( Colin Quinn ) at a young age that monogamy is unrealistic. In opposition to her sister's married-with-children approach, Amy follows her father's thought-to-be wise words and hooks up with a slew of guys (each a brief encounter and then she bounces), including a surprisingly funny John Cena , who dated Amy because seeing her from behind he thought she was a guy. It's not until Amy is unexpectedly assigned by her emotionally devoid boss Tilda Swinton to interview the genuinely likable sports doctor Aaron Conners ( Bill Hader ), that ...

The Skeleton Twins is a small movie with a big heart. Estranged twins Maggie ( Kristen Wiig ) and Milo ( Bill Hader ) both attempt suicide on the same day, unaware that the other has done so, but to no avail. Maggie and Milo are a pair of broken skeletons who had parted ways 10 years ago because of a dark past that the twins haven't seemed to shake. A cheated death brings them together again.  Hader and Wiig play their dark, conflicted characters as if they'd never been a comedy duo before - as if Saturday Night Live , Adventureland (2009), and Paul (2011) had never happened. It is really something to watch these actors at the top of their game, moving in unison. Bill Hader's Milo is a struggling actor, and Maggie's gay brother from Hollywood who is now staying with her and her husband ( Luke Wilson ) at their home in New Hampshire. Milo is completely comfortable with his sexuality and in his own skin, unlike the people he encounters away from home. Milo uses c...

Opening night felt like a momentous event. Stoner nerds and Comic-Con leftovers lined up for the anticipated eccentric Marvel sci-fi experience that is Guardians of the Galaxy . Everyone is here to blast off for Marvel Studios' 10th addition to the Marvel Universe. Chris Pratt ( Parks and Recreation , Moneyball ) in space with aliens is a geek magnet, myself included.  It often begins with someone beaming up. This time, it's Earth 1988. Lone star Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is but a wee lad, and suffers from a major loss in the family. 26 years later we are greeted with a grownup Peter, who is now the pilot of Milano (a spaceship named after Alyssa Milano, director/co-writer James Gunn's childhood crush). Quill is now known in the galaxy as Star-Lord. To give you a sense of the tone of Guardians - this Marvel superhero prances across the room with his "pelvic sorcery" to 70s love grooves, and never leaves without his "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" on tape. Qu...

Tale as old as time...No, wait... that's Beauty and the Beast . Disney's ideals have changed since its classic Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959. Then, female animated characters were driven by "true love," or rather, the idea of romantic perfection: a dashing hero who will save them from dreaded despair. If her Prince found her , then all was well in Dislandia. The fairy tales provided escapism for viewers, but also exceedingly high expectations, thereby disappointment. But, fear not! The Beauty re-imagined Maleficent validates that things are different now; in fact, one may not even have to do anything to attain the message in this Fairytale 2.0.  Maleficent begins with a classic Disney opening, along with narration from a friendly voice...a young fairy named Maleficent. A compassionate healer, she cures trees and such in her fairy kingdom The Moors. Maleficent's pre-black-rubber days consisted of protecting her land and the creatures who inhabited it...

Julia Roberts has had a recent turn in her 25+ year career as America's Sweetheart - to a fearless performer. She was a force to be reckoned with in last year's Oscar nominated August: Osage County , even opposite Meryl Streep, Roberts was the leading lady who carried the film. For this, it was no shock to me that she gripped me once again as Dr. Emma Brookner in Ryan Murphy 's TV movie The Normal Heart , which premiered this week on HBO. Roberts plays a brave doctor (based on Dr. Linda Laubenstein) who suffers from polio, who, although glued to her wheelchair, spends her days as one of the only doctors researching and attempting to save gay men's lives in the early 1980s during the HIV-AIDS crisis. Based on Larry Kramer's 1985 Off-Broadway production, Kramer serves as screenwriter on this film version of The Normal Heart, which took director Ryan Murphy years to obtain the rights to.   Mark Ruffalo plays the lead as Ned Weeks, the openly gay New York writ...

Jonathan Glazer 's ( Birth , Sexy Beast ) first film in 10 years, Under the Skin , follows an alien seductress ( Scarlett Johansson ) who preys upon male hitchhikers along the roads of Scotland. Glazer's completely silent, chilling opening, and classic sci-fi moment in space sets the tone for this imaginative and mysterious film. Under the Skin can be classified as a sci-fi art film. It deals with the pleasurable unknown, devoid of reason, yet artfully capable of attaining it. Glazer uses an eerie score and intrusive noises to dance behind his mesmerizing science fiction thriller. Under the Skin has a genuine Kubrick aura; there are even hand-picked shots in direct homage to the late great. Glazer uses rapid images of city life, possibly critiquing consumerism through an alien's eyes. Skin has a lack of dialogue and character names, focusing on Johansson's mostly silent luring of men while she lives under the skin of a woman who's skin she's taken across a ...

Now available on DVD is Woody Allen's dramatic masterpiece, and Academy Award nominated Blue Jasmine . Woody Allen is why we go to the movies, and he's returned to drama - telling tales of betrayal, relationships, addiction, and affliction. Giving her best Blanche DuBois (she, in truth, outdid DuBois), Cate Blanchett has us eating out the palm of her pampered hand, waiting on her next utterance. Jasmine is a pill-popping wreck after the end of her status as New York socialite, along with her scheming businessman husband Hal ( Alec Baldwin ). Jasmine has apparently left New York, imposing herself on her estranged sister Ginger ( Sally Hawkins ) at her humble San Francisco apartment .  Jasmine exudes elegance, first and foremost, but is a walking mess. She is unable to let go of the troubled past that brought her wealth, image, and imaginary purpose. Jasmine constantly critiques her sister, and boyfriend Chili ( Bobby Cannavale ), on how they live their lives, and who she deem...

There's this hot new drug called The Wolf of Wall Street , and Leonardo DiCaprio is going to take you there; give you what you need. Trust in him, and success it will proceed.  It's 1987, and Jordan Belfort has just landed a job as a stockbroker at a successful Wall Street firm. Belfort earns his broker's license, eager to begin his new career after being guided by his boss Matthew McConaughey , a tribal-humming money man whose 2 keys to success are: masturbating and cocaine on the daily. Then Black Monday hits, and the firm that promised a lucrative future for Belfort goes under. The wolf then becomes partners with his ambitious, equal-minded neighbor Donnie Azoff ( Jonah Hill ), to form their own boiler room of selling terrible stocks to those desiring easy money. Determined to take the successful duo down is FBI Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler), as his investigation into the company reveals stock market manipulation. Jordan Belfort talks to the camera because ...

"All is lost here except for soul and body," explains sailor Robert Redford in the message-in-a-bottle he drops into the vast Indian Ocean. Set adrift on memory bliss, "our man" Redford is lost alone at sea after he finds his ship, the Virginia Jean, has collided with a shipping container and is filling up with water. Against all odds and perfect storms, our MacGyver sailor fights coming to terms with his maritime mortal future, going into survival mode during the endless summer gone wrong in All Is Lost .  Director J.C. Chandor ( Margin Call ) wastes no time and drops the viewer in the ocean from the beginning scene of All Is Lost . Redford's character doesn't need a character intro, flashback, or a Hollywood sob story to connect the audience with the sailor. We instantly root for him to survive because Redford plays it cool like Clint Eastwood - and calm like Marlon Brando. Redford is sharp and on-point, carrying the entire movie without a supporting...

From the trailers one can tell that Jon of Don Jon is not a fan of happy ending rom-coms. So you know not to expect one in the directorial debut from Joseph Gordon-Levitt . Don Jon tells the story of Jon Martello, a cocky boy from Jersey who is a bonafide porn addict that favors putting up a facade rather than dealing with the now. The character of Jon seems like he would be friends with the cast of Jersey Shore , but instead of GTL, for Jon it's GPC: gym, porn, church. Jon goes through life like a daily checklist as if he is programmed, which is shown through Gordon-Levitt's quick cut editing; even Jon's voice over narration is in control. Anytime something real (an actual woman in his bed, a comment from someone that he is not expecting, etc) is happening to Jon, that thought is juxtaposed with images of porn scenes which are going through Jon's mind. This doesn't change when Jon thinks he has met his match in Barbara Sugarman ( Scarlett Johansson ), a "1...

The USS Enterprise NC-1701, built in 2245, is sent to planet Nibiru in order to examine a primitive civilization. The crew is called back home when they discover that a destructive force within has turned, threatening the Starfleet and everyone's future. In the sequel, and next installment of J.J. Abrams ' Star Trek (2009) reboot, Star Trek Into Darkness serves as a character driven exploration of relationships among the crew, while keeping it an adventurous sci-fi ride. I myself am not a Trekkie, but a Phile, versed in discovering similarities to The X-Files  among the science fiction genre. This is why when Captain James T. Kirk ( Chris Pine ) gets stripped of his position as captain after exposing the Enterprise to Nibiru's civilization is not unlike Special Agent Dana Scully getting taken off The X-Files and transferred, both having their job performances evaluated. Kirk's mission to rescue First Officer Spock ( Zachary Quinto ) endangers his positio...

In 1939, many say to be the greatest year in film, MGM's The Wizard of Oz  had no chance up against Gone with the Wind at the Academy Awards, yet had it been released one year prior, or later, the beloved fantasy adventure that launched Judy Garland's career would have swept away the awards. At 16 years of age, Judy Garland was already Strasberg-ing it before Strasberg. Well, Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful has no Dorothy, basing itself on L. Frank Baum's Oz novels set 20 years before Dorothy shows up. Jack the Giant Slayer seems to have been slayed by the Land of Oz at the box office this weekend, taking in $79.1 million and leaving the competition in Kansas, which is precisely what the conman circus magician Oscar Diggs ( James Franco ) does. Transported away in a hot air balloon from Kansas to the Land of Oz in an amazing Terry Gilliamesque tornado scene, Oscar meets three witches who believe the young magician to be the G...

His first comedy in many, many moons,  Pedro Almodóvar 's new film is out in the US Nov. 22, 2013. Or if you want to fly with Los Amantes Pasajeros , see it in Spain March 8! But...wait...take me with you!   Take a look at the latest teaser for I'm So Excited featuring Penélope Cruz , Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega . Are you???