"Only"

This is a pandemic themed movie which makes it pretty timely, considering the weird times we're living through. Not sure why it's listed as a sci-fi film. It stars Freida Pinto and Leslie Odom Jr. who have been self quarantined because of a disease that has wiped out most of the female population. It starts with them hitting the road and then explains what has happened through a series of flashbacks. The two of them are on screen for a majority of the film, which is slow- moving yet quietly beautiful.
3.5 out of 5 stars

"The Night Clerk"

This is the epitome of an indie film. Slow moving. Excellent writing. And great cinematography. Tye Sheridan plays Bart, a twenty something young man who has Asberger Syndrom. He has a job as a receptionist at a motel. He's intelligent but has a hard time communicating normally. Bart has one of the rooms in the motel rigged with surveillance equipment, ostensibly to help him learn how to converse with people. When he witnesses a murder, he rushes to the room where he is caught. Of course, he becomes the key suspect and he's reluctant to let on what he knows. Helen Hunt plays his supportive mother, who tries to make his life as normal as possible. The acting is great and the movie will keep you guessing right till the end.
3.5 out of 5 stars

"The Long Dumb Road"

I love road movies, especially offbeat ones like this. A young, straight-laced kid, played by Tony Revolori, is on his way to L.A. to art school when his car breaks down. A middle-aged drug and alcohol fueled hippie/mechanic (Jason Mantzoukas) comes to the rescue, and joins him on his journey. The two of them encounter all sorts of adventures on their way, and I found it refreshing that nothing that happened was over the top. So many of these movies take things to absurd and unbelievable extremes. In the end, this is just a warm-hearted, comedic romp that I didn't want to end.
4 out of 5 stars

"Middle Men"

Luke Wilson stars in this movie based on a true story. I had to remind myself that several times while watching this one. Wilson plays a family man who has a knack for negotiating for parties at loggerheads. Then, one day he falls into a deal that's too good to be true. He meets a couple of total knuckleheads who, believe it or not, basically invent internet porn. But that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Until then, no-one had thought of a way to use credit cards on the internet! Before you know it, they'e all rolling in dough. However, as luck would have it, the two knuckleheads he represents get involved with the Russian mafia. As you can imagine, things get pretty dicey. Again, it was hard to believe this is based on a true story. You just can't make up stuff this god!
4 out of 5 stars

"The Disaster Artist"

I was a little reluctant to watch this movie. It appeared to be a campy film, which, more often than not, are usually unwatchable. However, I was pleasantly surprised. This is the true story about the making of what many critics consider the worst movie ever made. The "Citizen Kane" of crappy films. It stars Dave Franco, a young aspiring actor who meets up with the mysterious Tommy, brilliantly played by James France. Tommy is a crazy film buff from some Eastern European country (perhaps) who seems to have an endless source of cash, crazy ideas, and the desire to make a movie. The cast also features Seth Rogan, Alison Brie, and Zac Efron. At the end of the film, we re treated to clips from the original film and the ones made for this movie.
4 out of 5 stars

"Lockout"

A wrongly convicted man is promised his freedom if he can rescue the president's daughter from a maximum security prison in space, which has been taken over in an insurrection. Not a highbrow movie by any means, but just a heavy dose of shoot-em-up action. It stars Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace and kept me rooting for the hero the whole way through. The villains were pretty, well, pretty darn villainous and the special effects were decent. If you're looking for an hour and a half of pure escapism, you'll enjoy this.
3.5 out of 5 stars

"Before I Fall"

If I had to describe this movie in one sentence, I'd call it "Groundhog Day for teens". But that would be oversimplifying it, and it's hardly a comedy. It's about one day in a young high school senior girl's life. She's part of a gang of cool girls who all go to a party where they have a fight with the weird, artsy girl. The kids end up in a car wreck and the narrator, played by Zoey Deutch ends up dying. As expected, she wakes up the next morning, obviously startled, and has to live the day over again. The film is a little on the sappy side, but I enjoyed it for the fine acting, especially Ms Deutch, and the moral of the story. It's a tad predictable, but not too preachy, and I thought it was worth watching.
3.5 suit of 5 stars