AMY [2015]

Asif Kapadia, the director of Senna, gives us a glimpse into the heart-breaking world of troubled neo-soul singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse, who sadly joined the 27 Club in 2011.
Amy collects a series of intimate interviews with the late songstress to tell her story in her own words, with scattered observations from the people who surrounded her, some of whom need a good punch square in the face.
When she was happy, Winehouse was a beautiful, funny, shy talent that glowed with tenderness, love and wonder.  However when her demons got the best of her, she was crass, unsightly and void of a care in the world.  The film portrays her as a victim to a world around that wanted nothing but to expose her talents for greed, self-service and made no apology at taking cruel potshots at her personal struggles.  As depressing as it all is, the film also shines a well-deserved spotlight on her inspiring talents, person and the passion she brought to the world.
I wasn't all that familiar with her work before this film but I've since become a fan.

4 shitty men in one's life out of 5

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

A soulless, ruinous version of The Hitchhiker's Guide that’s had all the deadpan wit filtered out of it in an effort to make it shorter and, I presume, appeal to a wider audience who don’t understand British humour. Ironically, the abridgement was for the best because the casting is so abominable that the sooner it ended the better. Many of the actors don’t seem to understand their roles at all. Even Stephen Fry, who’s given the impossible task of replacing the voice of Peter Jones, can’t save it from itself.

1½ generally bad moves out of 5

LIFE OF CRIME [2013]

One knows what to expect when it comes to an Elmore Leonard film adaptation: am ensemble cast, petty criminals galore, snappy dialogue and a single crime that spirals wildly out of control.
So if you're a fan, then director Daniel Schechter's Life Of Crime should supply some decent Sunday afternoon entertainment.
A prequel of sorts to Leonard's Rum Punch, the film features many of the same characters just getting started in their lives of crime with a kidnapping plan gone terribly awry.  While it doesn't quite stand up to the precise quality of Jackie Brown or Out Of Sight, it certainly is light years better than overly slick Get Shorty.  Here it's the cast that sells the film right off the bat.  While John Hawkes and Mos Def are wonderfully entertaining, it's surprisingly Jennifer Aniston and Will Forte who steal the show with well-defined and subtle performances that let the funny slip in at all the right moments.

3 holes in the wall out of 5