"Blackhat" - 2/10

Boring as hell. Just not good. Damn, Michael Mann used to make great films, too.

"Selma" - 9/10

Incredibly well-made. Very tense and moving. The director made another movie which I saw called "Middle of Nowhere" which is very good, too, and also features David Oyelowo. I recommend both.

"Wild" - 9/10 Terrific movie. Probably Witherspoon's finest performance outside of "Walk the Line." "Top Five" - 8/10 Also a great movie. Rock hits a new level of truth on film. "The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies" - 7.5/10 Mostly an action film, but really...

"Foxcatcher" - 8/10 Creepy as hell true story. I was too young to be really aware of it, but it's just out there. The main cast, Carell, Tatum and Ruffalo are excellent. Carell in particular is in serious dramatic territory here unlike anything he's done before and handles his role quite i...

"Interstellar" - 8/10

Really good movie, with a great cast. Nolan gets a lot of flak, but I always find his movies to be very engaging.

"Birdman" - 9/10

Michael Keaton has returned.

"Nightcrawler" - 9/10

Jake Gyllenhaal has arrived.

The Oscar season is in full swing!

"Whiplash" - 9/10 Great movie! Really captivating story about a young jazz drummer vying to be the best. It's like "Top Gun" meets "The Natural" in the world of jazz drumming. Miles Teller had three weeks to pick up these skills and he's crazy on the kit. J.K. Simmons,...

"Whiplash" - 9/10 Great movie! Really captivating story about a young jazz drummer vying to be the best. It's like "Top Gun" meets "The Natural" in the world of jazz drumming. Miles Teller had three weeks to pick up these skills and he's crazy on the kit. J.K. Simmons, ...

"Gone Girl" - 9/10 Great directing, writing, and acting (and Reznor/Ross score). Rosamund Pike might get an Oscar nomination for this and Ben Affleck gives one of his best performances. Fincher is the man. 'nuff said. "A Walk Among the Tombstones" - 8/10 Really engaging. Tight, p...

"The Drop" - 8/10

This is a great, really tight crime drama with Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace and Dennis Lehane in the mix. Lehane is one hell of a writer.

Guardians of the Galaxy 9.5/10 We need more movies like this. A Star Wars/Raiders styled movie that is weird, funny, with great action and an awesome soundtrack. Wasn't a 10 because the villains lacked in development. Highly recommended Did you stay til the very end, after the credits? If so what d...

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" - 9/10

Fantastic.

"Jersey Boys" - 7/10

Good, but not great. The cast is great, and those songs are sung wonderfully. The drama was probably fleshed out a lot from the musical. Eastwood made more of a drama with music than a musical, but it works for the most part.

Another thumb up for "Chef" here. 9/10 for me, too. Favreau has written and directed a terrifically funny and heartfelt movie, one that I agree will be discovered by a lot more people over the years. The whole cast is great, and the dialogue and interactions come across as very naturalisti...

"Palo Alto" - 8/10 Really good movie. Disturbing though and pretty realistic. It's like "Kids" meets "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." It's Gia Coppola's directorial debut, but it actually has a bit of the feel of her aunt Sophia's debut, "The Virgin Suicides."

MurrayFiend wrote:Two Lovers- 7/10. Joaquin Phoenix.

Very enjoyable movie, very emotionally layered and heartbreaking.

"The Railway Man" - 7/10 Solid drama with good acting from its leads, especially Colin Firth. It's amazing to believe this true story actually turned out the way it did. "Locke" - 8.5/10 A terrific movie hat takes place in one car in real time, with a fantastic performance from T...

puzzleface wrote:Robocop (2014). 7/10

Not bad. Does not hold a candle to the original.

Yeah, I agree. It's certainly not as good as the original, but I was somewhat surprised to have enjoyed it and to find the tweaks to the original concept engaging.

It was serious drama night on TMN What Maise knew(2012) Julianne Moore Movie is about a 7 year old caught in a custody battle between 2 awful parents 7/10 Shadow Dancer( 2012) Clive Owen Gillian Anderson. Movie is about an IRA member turning informant for MI5 in the mid 90's. It was just was too sl...

"Neighbors" - 8/10

Really damn funny. Everyone in it just goes all out. I've actually mostly seen positive reviews for it so far, which is surprising for a comedy like this.

Amazing Spider Man 2 6.5/10 Caught this last night. Not horrible but disappointing. There were parts of it that were really good like Peter Parker and Gwen's interactions, action scenes with Spidey. The bad is just really bad...the villains, Parkers parents story, the soundtrack, etc. Im not sure w...

"Captain America: The Winter Solider" - 9/10 This was amazing. Very expansive storyline. It's well made on all levels. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - 9/10 Another Wes Anderson classic. The man has hit his stride over the last few movies. "Draft Day" - 7/10 A very enjoyabl...

"Stealing Home" - 9/10

A little-known gem with Mark Harmon, Jodie Foster and Harold Ramis. Just a really sweet, wistful movie. The only thing that doesn't quite work for me is David Foster's electronic score, but it's not a dealbreaker.

***Why the hell was " Lee Daniels` The Butler " black listed from any nominations?*** I hate to admit it, but this kinda pisses me off. The Butler is a wonderfully done film. It transcends the subject matter to a point where everyone, including well to do whites can enjoy the film, and ye...

"The Lego Movie" - 8.5/10

The first great movie of the year. Incredibly entertaining and inventive. It seems like a kids' movie, but then you realize that it's actually geared a little more towards adults. It's rather clever and fast-paced.

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" - 7/10

Very good movie. Solid. Stiller gets into contemplative mode and goes for drama mixed with comedy in a more heartfelt vein. Reviews seem to be mixed, but I dug it.

"Inside Llewyn Davis" - 6.5/10

Very good, but missing a little something. Beautiful to look at. The events of the final moments however offer up a haunting contrast. I'm still thinking about the ending.

"Short Term 12" - 8/10

A really terrific low-budget indie about the workers and young residents of a foster care facility for at-risk youth. Several really sharp performances in this one.

"The Wolf of Wall Street" - 7.5/10 Very good movie, and I really liked it, but not great. I think Scorsese's simply mined this kind of machismo before and it felt like it was a case of stating the obvious. If you look at it in terms of a batshit crazy tale of excess, there's a loopy, great...

"American Hustle" - 9/10 David O. Russell hits Scorsese territory and succeeds in full. Maybe not the deepest drama, but certainly the most entertaining movie of the awards season so far. We'll see if "The Wolf of Wall Street" can match it. . How would you rate Jennifer Lawrence...