August: Osage County

When their father disappears, three strong-willed women return to their childhood home and to their equally strong-willed mother. As they search for their patriarch, the dysfunctional family members wind up facing difficult truths about themselves.  This movie will make you appreciate your family because no family can be this dysfunctional.  Meryl Streep gives an exceptional performance as the mother.  The entire cast gives an 8 performance.  Stars Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor.

Labor Day

What begins as a short ride turns into a life-changing event for a divorced single mother, Adele Wheeler and her 13 year old son, Henry, when they give a lift to a bloodied man on a fateful Labor Day Weekend.  Of course, the man is an escaped convict with many talents.  The prisoner and Adele soon find themselves falling in love.  Sounds corny but is very well done and believable.  You will be rooting for the prisoner.  I give it a 7.  Stars Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin and Tobey Maguire.

Wolf of Wall Street

This is a high-rolling drama based on the memoirs of stockbroker Jordon Belfort, whose giddy career--involving audacious scams and  confrontations with the FBI and other agencies--ended in Federal Prison.  Very rough and raw film with guys that dress nice but do some dirty things literally.  The nudity hedges on porno and everyone earns an award for potty mouth.  If you can get over all this, the three hours of the movie fly by.  DiCaprio does an outstanding job of being an immoral ass.  I give it an 8.  Stars Martin Scoresse, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey.

Inside Llewyn Davis

This is a chronicle of struggling musician Llewyn Davis, set during the height of the folk era in the early 1960's.  The drama follows Davis through a week of creative highs and lows amid a bleak New York winter.  First of all, this is a fictional character with no music career.  Odd movie with odd folk songs.  I was a child of that era and would recognize the music.  A real downer movie so I give it a 6.  Although Justin Timberlake's song is good and I remember it.  Stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, Justine Timberlake.

Her

In this sci-fi romantic comedy starring Joaquin Phoenix, love comes to a lonely young writer in the sleekest of packages when he finds himself falling for the advanced operating system he purchased to run his life.  I will never be able to  look at people walking around with an ear bud and conversing to air in a normal light.  The concept can be creepy that one prefers an inanimate object over a human--CREEPY.  But, on the other hand, maybe this is the future.  I give it a creepy 8.  Stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara.