"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World".

It's miss-categorized as a sci-fi. Sure, the premise of the movie is the earth has been warned that a giant asteroid will destroy it in three weeks. But as my daughter pointed out, every story is either the "Illiad" or the "Odyssey".  So this story is about a woman who would like to re-unite with her family in England (the movie takes place in the U.S.) and a guy who would like to reunite with a childhood sweetheart. They go on a road trip during end-times. It stars Steve Carell and Kiera Knightley who have a wonderful chemistry together. Even though it's a road trip, you know how it's going to end. One of the finer movies I've seen in the last year.

5 stars out of 5

The Skeleton Twins

Great movie. It's about a set of twins who decide to commit suicide on the same day.  It's about a totally dysfunctional family. And it's so much fun to watch.  It features Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Luke Wilson.  Not a happy movie, but really well done. This movie is zany at times but what a fun ride it is. Wonderful cinematography. Well worth checking out.
4.5 out of 5 stars

"Get Low"

Skip this one if you're into action flicks. It's a slow moving drama centered around Robert Duvall who plays a bitter old codger who has lived by himself out in the woods for 40 years. He decides to have a wake for himself before he dies. The movie slowly reveals his secret past, and I found it riveting. Sissy Spacek was her usual amazing self as was the rest of the cast including Bill Murray in one of his dramatic roles. What a great little gem of a movie.
4.5 out of 5 stars

The Battered Bastards of Baseball

When I first started watching this film, I thought it was a mocumentary, like Spinal Tap and the passel of movies by Christopher Guest. But as the film progressed, I wasn't quite so sure. As it turns out, this is the true tale of a rogue individual who decided to invest in an independent baseball team in Portland, Oregon after the AAA Beavers left town. He's Kurt Russell's father which lead me to believe it was a put-on. He invited anyone to try out for the team and created a quirky/fun team that the city fell in love with and set minor league records for attendance. And the rest is history. I don't watch many documentaries, but this one is a lot of fun.
5 stars out of 5

"Bandslam"

Although this is a fairly predictable movie, it's very well done. The acting is excellent and the dialogue is consistently good. What can you say about a movie that has a line like, "This is like a Nuremberg rally sponsored by MTV." It's a story about a misfit who starts at a new high school and ends up putting a band together to enter a state-wide music competition. There were a couple of subtle plot twists that kept things interesting. If you're into intelligent teen movies that are aren't full of foul language and kids getting high, you 'll enjoy this one.
4 out of 5 stars

"Why Stop Now?"

The story is about a gifted young pianist (Jessie Eisenberg) who has an important audition at a prestigious East Coast music school. But before he can leave for the audition he has to get his mom (Melissa Leo) into rehab. However, she tests clean and the only way she can get in is if she's high. To this crazy plot, add a couple of dope dealers, a young sister with a hate-spewing hand puppet, and a group of Revolutionary War reenactors and you get a sense of what this off-the-wall film is all about.
4 out of 5 stars

"Hector and the search for happiness"

What a wonderful film. I haven't seen a movie that captivated me like this in a long while. The story is about a psychiatrist  who becomes disillusioned with his job. He decides to travel the world and discover what makes people happy. It's at times corny, melodramatic, and funny, but has some amazing cinematography. I really love this film. The two principles Simon Pegg and Rosamund Pike were both amazing. Well worth watching! What a fun movie. Almost 5 stars!

4.5 out of 5 starts