The Lovely Bones (2009)

I've no knowledge of the book that TLB is based on, but the resultant film is not good. Told from the perspective of a murdered fourteen-year-old girl (Saoirse Ronan), with a v/o from the same, it follows the lives of the people left behind, observed by the dead girl from a place beyond the living world.
Colourful and detailed, but tonally a complete mess, Dir. Peter Jackson used some of his $65 million budget on FX shots that add little of anything other than spectacle to the work. The feeling of acute boredom that settled upon me lifted only when Stanley Tucci was onscreen, and at one other time (for the intruder in his house near the end). And why Mark Wahlberg is ever considered for a role that requires emotion is something I don't understand.

2 skeevies out of 5

Romance & Cigarettes (2005)

Written and directed by John Turturro, it's the story of husband and wife Nick and Kitty (James Gandolfini and Susan Sarandon), a couple having what polite society calls 'marital problems', but what makes the film more than the sum of its parts is the wonderfully written characters and dialogue. With just one exception, i.e. an oddly subdued Eddie Izzard, even those with a small amount of screen time (e.g. Steve Buscemi) are decidedly memorable.
It's classed as a musical, but songs are less frequent than the label usually implies. I'd describe it more as a left field comedy drama with moments of song that successfully convey feelings of love in many of its guises.

3½ butts in the snow out of 5

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Giant mouths on giant screens creep me out, but the rest of TRHPS tickles my happy place. It's an insane flick inspired by a love of B-Horror movies and cheapo sci-fi, everything from Hammer to Plan 9, with a glaze of camp that gives it a love it or hate it sheen. It has Richard O'Brien on top form, a delectable Susan Sarandon, chilled Meat loaf, and Tim Curry in fishnets.
Now, if I could remove the words "It's just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right, with your hand on your hips, you bring your knees in tight..." from my brain at 2 a.m. then I could maybe get back to not sleeping for other reasons.

4 unconventional conventionists out of 5

The Calling (2014)

Susan Sarandon, in a rather uninspired role of narcotics abuser and listless rural cop, is on the trail of a series of ritualistic murders. With the help of the rookie transfer (Topher Grace) and her fellow detective (Gil Bellows), they narrowly stumble onto each lead. Despite being pegged as a thriller in the trailer, the pace is extremely slow and many of the performances lackluster. It's blatantly obvious this is director Jason Stone's first feature. I did however find some creep factor in the cinematography portraying the bleak Ontario winter and the performances from Donald Sutherland and Christopher Heyerdahl.

2 attention-getting tennis balls out of 5

Tammy (2014)

The husband & wife duo of Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy bring us the story of one Tammy, a deeply immature and uncultured woman. At the crossroads of her life, she makes a hard left turn into debauchery and degradation. Much like McCarthy's previous comedies, the humor is at times crass and the acting forced. Many scenes deserve trimming for the lingering improvisation. The characters are well fleshed out and quite specific. McCarthy is reminiscent of Chris Farley at his best in her role of the overzealous yet lovable Tammy. A surprisingly strong supporting cast (Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Gary Cole, Allison Janney) slightly elevate the simple plot, but only enough for a handful of truly comedic moments.

2½ viking burials out of 5

JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME [2011]

Stepping away from their mumblecore roots, Mark & Jay Duplass dip their feet into the mainstream with the light drama Jeff, Who Lives At Home.
With a few hints of comedy, Jeff is mainly a character piece that depends largely on the goofy charisma of it's leads, Jason Segel and Ed Helms.  The Duplass Brothers have always been ones to focus on the smaller moments in life to build a story and with this style of film-making it almost works if not for the feeling like it's been over-polished.  It's still sweet, realistic and genuinely funny but something isn't quite right here.  While it passes the time by quite nicely, it's just as forgettable as well.

2½ signs from M. Night out of 5

SNITCH [2013]

Ric Roman Waugh, director of Felon, lets Dwayne Johnson carry the tense crime drama Snitch on his shoulders and he does so in a very convincing performance.
I honestly went into this film expecting brainless, excessively violent fun but instead got a pleasant surprise with something dark, broody and emotionally high-strung with very minimal violence.  Not only is Johnson great but he's joined by a strong supporting cast that knows their place and plays it well.  The only real drawback is the generic purpose of the film seems to get lost around the halfway mark and we're suddenly reminded at the very end why all this went down in the first place.

3 special deliveries out of 5

ROBOT & FRANK [2012]

Robot & Frank is a thoughtful and quirky indie-drama which serves as the directorial debut from Jake Schreier.

Frank Langella delivers a surprisingly heartfelt performance as an elderly ex-thief who, much to his detest, is forced to live with a robot servant to help with his everyday life.  At first it deceives you as being overly simple but as you peel away the layers you find it explores multiple themes and character studies.  We're treated to a bittersweet tale about the frailty of age, the disappearance of human interaction in the technological age, the importance of memory and the struggle of loneliness.  It's not always a smooth ride but packs in enough laughs, touching moments and thoughtfulness to leave a smile on the face.

4 little astronaut bastards out of 5

CLOUD ATLAS [2012]

Tom Tykwer and Lana & Andy Wachowski adapt David Mitchell's sprawling sci-fi novel Cloud Atlas into a visually stunning 3 hour epic.

It takes the near impossible task of simultaneously juggling six separate stories all at once, while retaining a smooth flow in the narrative. The film is a huge challenge to anyone not willing to invest their complete attention and brain into piecing together the confusing non-linear or picking up on it's many themes but the brave ambition poured into the film can't go unnoticed.  The prosthetics are a little distracting at times and hard to believe, as is the lack of character development and spotty acting.  However by the end, I felt it to be a satisfying experience that begs 2 or 3 more viewings to fully grasp onto it. 

4 problems with "pussy" out of 5

Who Am I This Time? (1982)

Harry Nash works at a hardware store; he's a shy, awkward recluse, but when he hits the stage in the local drama group he becomes someone new entirely. It helps that he's Christopher Walken, who shows us why he's a legend in acting. I've never been a fan of Susan Sarandon but here she won me over. Don't turn off in the first ten minutes; I assure you it gets much better.

4 picnics in the wings out of 5