Dolores Claiborne (1995)

Dolores is practical and strong. A World War wouldn't prevent her doing her laundry. She finds herself at loggerheads with an old adversary after a tragic event puts her in the right place at the wrong time. Her past and present collide, affecting everyone around her in a small coastal town.
Kathy Bates is masterful at communicating the unsaid. She gives an even better, more nuanced performance here than she did in Misery (1990). I can’t think of anyone more suited to the role.
The film is lit in such a way that the coldness of the environment seems to permeate the film negative for the longest time, until it’s necessary for it to be removed. When the chill lifts there’s some unforgettable imagery that plays up to the era in which it’s set. It's magnificent.

4½ confessions out of 5

PARKER [2013]

Taylor Hackford steps a bit out of his comfort zone by directing his first "gritty" crime thriller, the Jason Statham vehicle, Parker.
The film starts off like it could be intriguing but quickly slides off that notion and gets painfully predictable and boring as it begins feeling slapped together and uninspired.  Surprisingly, Jennifer Lopez is the shining light here, as she serves as comic relief in tight skirts while The Stath is beginning to get just a little too comfy by never pushing himself to do anything but collect a paycheck these days.  In the end, the film is nothing short of boring and dull, with the exception of feeling embarrassed for The Stath as he tries to pull off a Texan accent.  Feck.

2 Fish camps out of 5

Devil's Advocate (1997)

Keanu steps out of his comfort zone and plays a smart guy for a change. He does it well, which is doubly impressive as he shares screen time with Al Pacino and still manages to impress. Pacino gets to overact as usual, but the role calls for that kind of hoo-hah, so it’s most welcome. The film has some great dialogue and if not for the facepalm ending (which admittedly would've worked well on paper, but sucks ass on screen) I'd have scored it higher. Hit stop five minutes before the end and make it a better film.

3½ money turns people into assholes out of 5