"People Like Us"

A fast talking salesman has a real bad day. Then he comes home to find out his father, a hot shot producer and musician, has died. He flies out to L.A. where his parents live, only to discover he has a sister from another mom he never knew about. From there, things get a lot more complicated. The movie stars, Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Mark Duplass. Excellent writing and performances all around.
4 out of 5 stars.

"Blood Stripe"

Very powerful movie. A female Marine returns home to her husband and family after several tours of duty in Iraq. She suffers from PTSD, however there's a 129-day waiting list to get treatment. She takes a job that she doesn't like and ends up driving to the summer camp she went to as a kid. She is totally driven and she works long hours helping get the camp ready for a retreat. The film looks like it was shot in Northern Minnesota, and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. In a way, it's a subtle anti-war movie, but it's also a movie about a woman struggling with her past.
4 stars out of 5.

"Bullet Head"

This film starts out with  a botched robbery. The three robbers end up in an abandoned warehouse where dog fights are held. Apparently, the promoters always leave a vicious dog behind to keep strangers away. The robbers have to deal with this rogue dog and the action gets pretty intense. The movie is slow moving at times, but it certainly holds your attention. Rory Culkin, Adrien Brody, Antonio Banderas, and John Malkovich star.
4 stars out of 5

'Inconceivable'

Another wild ride of a movie. A woman arrives in town with her young daughter and starts to hang out with her new found friends. She's invited to stay on as a house guest with a couple of doctors as a care-giver. Then things get weird. The story has a bunch of plot twists, and it's pretty unpredictable. I have to say, Nicholas Cage gives one of his best performances ever in this film.
4 stars out of 5

"The Bachelors"

Wonderful film. Any movie that stars J.K Simmons is guaranteed to be great. This film is about a father and son dealing with the death of their mother They move to a new neighborhood and  the son has to deal with s new school. He meets a troubled girl and, of course, they strike up a relationship. The dad is a math teacher at his school, who starts a relationship with the son's French teacher. Just a great movie, overall.

4 stars out of 5

"Tangerine"

Right off the bat, I have to tell you, if you're not  into transgendered, off-beat and super, foul-mouthed movies, don't go here. That said, I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this movie. It started pretty weird until I got 20 minutes into it, but I stuck with it. What a fun movie. Here's the basic plot: A couple of black, transgendered men/women are involved in a dispute about their boyfriend. Then they drag another hooker into their story. As my daughter once said, "Every story is either the Illiad or the Odyssey." This is another Odyssey.
4.5 to of 5 stars

"Face2Face"

Interesting concept and movie. 99% of the movie is based around a young couple who were friends as young children and reconnect years later. Most of the film focuses on their interaction on Facebook. It sounds pretty boring but this one held my interest right until the end. And the ending will catch you off guard.

3.5 out of 5 stars