"Honest Thief"

2020 * PG-13 * 1h 39m  When it comes to action flicks, Liam Neeson is pure royalty. I don't think he's made a bad one. Add this one to his collection of heart-pounding, exciting movies where you're just along for the ride. And what a ride this one is!

Tom Dolan (Neeson) is a notorious bank robber. He's amassed a whopping $9 million in a series of robberies. But one day, that all changes when he meets and falls in love with Annie (Kate Walsh). He decides he's going to come clean and turn the money over the the authorities in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. But there's a snag. When he turns over part of the money to a couple of FBI agents, the tempting deal gets the best of them.  They're both corrupt and decide they can take the money and kill Tom and no one will be the wiser. 

However there's a little problem--they've decided to mess with the wrong guy. Neeson, as usual is the total badass. There's no way they're going to get away with it. What ensues is a solid hour of chase scenes and close calls. Hang on to your hats folks, you're in for a wild ride! If you're looking for some mindless entertainment, don't miss this one!

4 out of 5 stars. 

Streaming on Netflix, Prime, Pluto, Plex and the Roku channel. And to rent on Apple TV, YouTube, Fandango, and other services.

"Oh, Hi!

 2025 * R * 1h 35m  I thought this was a fresh and offbeat take on the traditional rom-com. The writing was good., and the acting was great as well. If you're in the mood for something out of the ordinary check this one out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) have been dating for four months. They decide to get away for the weekend and rent a cabin in the woods. You can tell the young couple is truly in love. Or are they? Their relationship is tested the first night they're away. They discover some bondage equipment locked in a closet. So they decide to have some fun with it. Iris ends up handcuffing Isaac to the bed. And he makes a huge mistake. He tells her she's not the one and he's not ready to make a commitment to their relationship. In fact, he's actually been cheating on her.

So Iris refuses to unchain him. No matter how hard he pleads, she keeps him shackled to the bed. Iris then  starts to panic and gives her best friend Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) a call and invites her to the cottage to help her figure out what to do. Max brings her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds) along. Things were already weird before her friends arrived, but it gets even crazier once they get there. At this point it could get real dark, or it could have a happy ending. You'll just have to see it to find out which way it went.

31/2 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming on Netflix. And to rent on Apple TV, YouTube, Fandango, Amazon, and other services. 

"Train Dreams"

 2025 * PG-13 * 1h 42m  This is simply one of the most beautiful films I've had the pleasure to see this year. If it doesn't win several Oscars this year, I'll be very disappointed. But come awards season, I usually am. It's a beautiful film based on the best-selling novella of the same title by Denis Johnson. The young award-winning Director Clint Bentley ("Sing Sing" "Jockey") has crafted an absolutely gorgeous movie.

There isn't a lot of action in this carefully paced movie. It focuses on the life of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker in the early years of the last century. Most of the film takes place in the Pacific Northwest. We see Robert, a quiet, introspective man as he observes his fellow workers as they open up the Northwest Territory. He's a bit reluctant to interact with them and listens to their stories. He eventually meets and then marries his sweetheart Gladys (Felicity Jones). They live in a log cabin that Robert built and soon have a little girl. In short their life is nothing short of idyllic. 

Then tragedy hits. While he's at work, a ferocious forest fire destroys their house in the woods. There's absolutely no trace of his wife and daughter. His tireless searching proves futile and he eventually is forced to move on. The story is told through a third-person narrator (Will Patton), and it unfolds like a beautiful love poem. His voice adds a nice folksy touch to the movie. The cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. Adolpho Veloso does a brilliant job capturing the spectacular beauty of the region. And the score by Bryce Dessner adds to the haunting charm of the film. 

If you're looking for a quiet retreat from the craziness of today's world, spending a couple hours watching this wonderful movie should do the trick. 

Five out of five stars

Currently streaming on Netflix.

"The Good House"

 2021 * R * 1h 44m I'll freely admit that yours truly once had a drinking problem. And like most heavy drinkers, I was in denial. Fortunately, those days are long behind me. As a result, whenever I notice a film about people with drinking problems, I usually avoid them. But, when the movie stars Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, I figure I'll at least give it a chance. That is, I'll watch a half hour of it, and if it doesn't grab me, I'll bail. Well, "The Good House" hooked me right from the start and never let me go. 

The movie is about Hildy Good (Weaver), a fairly successful realtor in an affluent New England seaside town. She's recently come out of rehab, but still drinks. She thinks she has it under control and only drinks in the evenings. But she's totally in denial, and after getting hammered, often goes out and embarrasses herself in public. So much so, that the small town starts to gossip about her. And of course, this has a negative affect on her business. 

She also reunites with an old flame Frank Getchell (Kline). He's a local handyman and jack of all trades. The two have some good times together, but he's more than aware of Hildy's drinking problem and her living her life in denial. It's painful to watch at times, and is a bit like driving by the scene of a horrible car crash. Ultimately, the film pays off with a happy ending. If you're looking for some amazing acting and an enthralling story (the film is based on the book of the same title by Ann Leary), give this one a shot. I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

4 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming on Prime and to rent on Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango, YouTube, and other streaming services. 

"I Think We're Alone Now"

2018 * R * 1h 39m  I've been a huge science fiction fan since I was a kid. I used to read sci-fi novels and when I saw the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" I was hooked for life. A related type of movie is the post apocalyptic genre. I enjoy all of them except I'm not big on zombie films. This one was a quiet, slow-paced movie with a big surprise about 2/3rds of the way through. It also features two of my favorite actors: Peter Dinklage and Elle Fanning. 

After some sort of catastrophic event Del (Dinklage) is all alone in a small, upstate New York town. He spends his days systematically cleaning out the deserted homes, and when he finds a dead body, takes it to a makeshifts graveyard, and buries it. He seems perfectly comfortable with his routine until one day, he comes across a crashed car with a young woman in it. It's non other than Grace (Fanning). He reluctantly lets her help him out with his daily tasks and the two begrudgingly become sort of friends. 

I won't tell you any more about the film--I don't want to spoil it for you. Let's just say I didn't see it coming. Anyway, if you like this one, you might also enjoy one of my favorite movies in the same genre called "The Quiet Earth" from several years ago. 

Note to parents, not sure why it's rated "R". I'd probably rate it PG-13. 

4 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming for free on Hoopla (with your library card, and Tubi. Also on Prime, Apple TV, Fandango, and other services. 

"The Family Fang"

 2015 * R * 1h 45m If you're in the mood for something a bit different, give this movie a shot. I'd never heard of it, but the unusual title piqued my attention. And when I saw the stellar cast, I was all in. It's another one of those films that I just don't understand why it isn't better known Maybe because it's so quirky!

Baxter (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Nichole Kidman) are siblings in the notorious Fang family Their parents Camille (Maryann Plunkett) and Caleb (Christopher Walken) have been performance artists since the kids were little. What they do is more public gags than actual art. The opening scene which involves a fake bank robbery is so funny, I had to stop myself from doing my workout to catch my breath. The film jumps back and forth in time via movie videos of the family in action. 

Then, one day, the parents take off on a trip and say farewell to Baxter and Annie. Little do they now that that might be the last they ever see of each other. The parent's abandoned car is found at a rest stop and due to the bloody interior, it appears that they may have been abducted. While to police are taking it seriously and suspect an abduction took place, the kids are convinced it's just another one of their pranks.

The film goes back and forth between their funny skits to the grim reality of the present situation. Bateman directed the film and he did a great job. I always love seeing Christopher Walken and he really shined in this one. 

4 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming for free on Kanopy (with your library card) and Tubi. Also on Prime and Roku and to rent on YouTube, Amazon, Apple TV and other services. 

"Train to Busan"

2016 * Not Rated * 1h 58m This is not your typical zombie movie. This Korean flick goes up to 11! It’s one intense experience from the opening scene, until the very end. We first see a truck cruising down the street when it hits a deer. The driver gets out and discovers the animal is dead. However, after he drives away, the animal gets up and runs off. You know right from the get-go, something mysterious is in the air. Sure enough, there’s apparently some type of virus that’s been unleashed that instantly turns people into zombies.

The rest of the action is about a dad Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) trying to get his daughter Soo-an (Kim Su-an) from Seoul to Busan by train. It isn’t long after they leave the station before a huge band of zombies boards the train and makes their lives holy hell. It’s one bloody scene after another as the human passengers try to outwit the zombies. I thought the special effects were amazing and totally believable. As you’d expect, it’s a wild, nail-biting ride from start to finish!

Currently streaming for free on Kanopy and Hoopla (with your library card), Netflix, and Plex. And to rent on Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube, Fandango, and other services.

***1/2 out of 5 stars