Hearts in Atlantis (2001)

Based upon parts of Stephen King's 1999 unified collection of the same name, it delves into the life of Bobby Garfield (Anton Yelchin). An adult at the beginning, the timeline drifts back to Bobby's eleventh birthday and the days that followed, specifically to events surrounding the appearance of an aged man named Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) who had a special ability. The old man has a positive affect on the youth, but with every forward step into maturity comes the ache of knowing that once taken it's impossible to go back.
The film's best scenes occur one after another, which makes an impression at the time but result in the remainder of it seeming to move even slower by comparison; the nods to Stand by Me (1986) are similarly double-edged.

2½ inside straights out of 5

The Driftless Area (2015)

In this quirky and understated crime drama, people on the fringe of not only society but reality itself are involved in a relatively simple story. The bare bones plot is slathered in BS filler in the form of reoccurring discussions on the metaphysical nature of the future and predetermined fate. In his feature-length directorial debut, Zachary Sluser achieves an intriguing tone. There is an obvious passion behind the performances but nary a raised voice. Even when shit gets heavy, there's still a calmness to the action. Anton Yelchin and John Hawkes are particularly anemic. There are times when it's difficult to decipher where each character stands; in life or in death, but I believe it adds to the whimsical mystery of the film.

3 lucky rocks out of 5

STAR TREK BEYOND [2016]

Director Justin Lin gives Captain Kirk & Friends a fast & furious makeover for the third installment of the Kelvin timeline, Star Trek Beyond.
This time around we follow the restless Enterprise crew into uncharted space where they meet a Big Bad who's bent on destroying the federation.
It's a pretty straight forward story that feels more like an old episode of TOS, especially by dropping the heavy cynicism of the first two films and diving deeper into the search for hope in humanity.  More a character piece than story driven film, we get plenty of great moments with the cast that all share an easily watchable on-screen chemistry.  There's some unforgivable face-palmy moments but Trek's always had it's fair share of bits that easily out-dates itself best taken with a grain of salt.
It's not going to win over any folks already hissing at the series but for those already invested in this series than it's as pleasurable as Insurrection or The Search for Spock.  A welcome stand alone film treading water in a world of sequels that require knowledge of every film in the franchise.

3 big green hands out of 5

GREEN ROOM [2015]

Director Jeremy Saulnier, once again, forces nerve-shredding audiences to the edge of their seat with the intensely violent thriller Green Room.
Desperate for money, a touring punk band take their chances playing a deepwoods Oregon show to a club of white supremacists leading them into a night of extreme bloodshed.
Like he did with Blue Ruin, Saulnier crafts a style of violence that is so swift, brutal and realistic it never needs to linger on it to leave an unsettling lasting effect.  Each performance is beautifully understated but it's Patrick Stewart's big bad that shines, as he never sacrifices his civility for clichéd boorishness.  Instead he uses his courteous mannerisms to evoke more fear into the already uneasy viewer.  It's just as delightfully nasty and blackly humorous as his previous works but Saulnier doesn't quite keep the tension quite as tightly wound throughout as he did before.  Still, this is a great thriller that leaves a lasting impression with nervous disturbed laughter.

3½ red laces out of 5

TERMINATOR SALVATION [2009]

Director McG does the impossible and finds a way to make a worse film than Rise of the Machines with the fourth instalment of the sci-fi/action franchise, Terminator Salvation.
Separating itself from the previous films, it's set in a dystopian future where the human race is smack in the middle of a losing war with the Skynet intelligence systems.  This is pretty much Christian Bale's vanity project and I'm not sure why because he's embarrassingly terrible as an adult John Connor.  Overweight heroin-addicted Eddie Furlong would have been more preferable.  The film lacks any sort of heart and therefore leaves not a whole lot to be thrilled about come the "danger".  With a slew of robotic creatures that seem like they were pulled out of Bayformers, McG's attempt at the franchise feels more like a big budget YouTube fan-made flick than a proper sequel to James Cameron's far more superior films.

1 callback to G N' R out of 5

RUDDERLESS [2014]

Actor William H. Macy makes his directorial debut with Rudderless, a musical drama that does a mighty fine job at finding a way to your heart to both warm and break it.
Billy Crudup plays a broken man who rediscovers his love for playing music after tragically losing his musician son.  The movie starts off really strong but loses it's way a bit in it's formulaic third act.  Fortunately the acting, music and heart are all strong enough to not let it lose it's steam.  Macy seems to enjoy using a lot trick cuts and bizarre panning which are a bit distracting at times but they always seem to help tell the story so I suppose they can be excused.  With a few minor quips I couldn't help but be completely enamoured by the film and thoroughly enjoyed it's warmth, sadness and humor right up to the very end.

4 open mic nights out of 5

ODD THOMAS [2013]

Stephen Sommers' horror/comedy Odd Thomas had promise as a great late-nite cult film but an uneven tone and jumbled plot hold it back.
Anton Yelchin assumes the role of the title character, a young man who can see dead people, an ability in which he uses to help solve heinous crimes.  Aided by an adorably charismatic performance from Addison Timlin, Yelchin and the rest of the cast toss bizarre yet amusing lines of dialogue between each other that seem like a twisted take on the hard-boiled noir genre.  I was constantly reminded of the eerily similar The Frighteners but this one never quite builds up to the bat-shit craziness of the Peter Jackson film.  As forgettably light entertainment it's easy to digest but as anything more it never quites lives up to expectations.

2½ bowling shirts out of 5

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE [2013]

There are no sparkly bloodsuckers to be seen in director Jim Jarmusch's oddball vampire love story Only Lovers Left Alive.
With it's subtle sense of humor, love for music, wicked fashion sense, vast knowledge of literature, claustrophobic photography and some particularly fantastic performances from Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton, Jarmusch crafts a refreshing take on the vampire genre.  It's gloomy but manages a sly smirk on it's face throughout which makes for a delightful experience that any fan of the actors and director will revel in.

4 sunglasses out of 5

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS [2013]

A little bigger, darker and bolder than director J.J. Abrams & his Fringe team's first film in the franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness continues the "more balls than brains" version of Trek.
It stirs the excitement with adventure and intrigue, while taking us to brand new worlds that seem more in place in the Star Wars universe than Rodenberry's vision.  Nevertheless, with a simply deliciously cold and menacing performance from Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Pine & Karl Urban stealing lens-flared scenes left right and center, the film is nothing more than good summer fun to butt heads with Iron Man 3.

3½ models of Zefram Cochran's ship out of 5

STAR TREK [2009]

When the mastermind behind TV's LOST, Alias & Fringe, J.J. Abrams was announced as the director of the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise it created quite a stir with Trek fans and Abrams fans alike.
Apart from some unforgivable flaws and changes to the universe, Abrams take on the Trek is nothing short of an entertaining ride. Highlighted with a solid story, action, humor and wonderful spot on performances (particularly from Chris Pine, Zackary Quinto and Karl Urban) the new Trek is more balls than brains.
In a time with ridiculously dark comic book movies and brainless comedy after brainless comedy, Abrams optimism and humor in Star Trek is a refreshing breath of fresh air.

4 Wil Wheaton's voice is everywhere out of 5

Fright Night (2011)

A remake of the 1985 horror comedy (which in itself wasn't a great movie), the charm in the original lied in the kid trying to convince everybody that his neighbor is a vampire. This new one plays its hand too soon. In addition, the original featured a washed out old horror show host, whereas this one gives you a Criss Angel-type illusionist. You can see where I'm going with this. Colin Farrell is well cast as the vampire, but you know what? Vampires are fucking boring.

2 "watch the original instead" out of 5

THE BEAVER [2011]

Mel Gibson gives a subtly brilliant performance in this Jodie Foster directed drama, that's sad, funny, quirky and refreshingly original.
Gibson lives his life through a puppet and at first seems to work out fine but quickly spirals out of control.
It's a wonderful view on living with depression and how much harder it is for the people around you to deal with it.
Gibson and Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence and Cherry Jones all turn in wonderful performances.

4 shower curtain rods out of 5