Rio 2:

Colourful animation makes this animated feature a visual riot as Blu, the rare macaw from the first film (voice of Jessie Eisenberg) and his now wife Jewel (voice of Anne Hathaway) are off to the homeland once again, to Rio, and then up the Amazon to face the most frightening adversary yet – not poachers this time, but something worse – Blu’s never-before-seen father-in-law.  Sprightly music, a reasonable storyline, and great voice acting make this one a favorite for the kids.  Rated PG.

Under the Skin:   

An unusual sci-fi thriller ten years in the making, staring Scarlett Johansson was shot in the UK and has an unusual premise ... Johansson is an alien who comes to earth to replace another alien who has fallen into difficulty.  Her job is to “process” humans – men are easiest – for assimilating them into the alien culture and ultimately have them assist in the process of taking over the earth.  The film gets it’s “R” rating because of the processing ... the alien cruises the streets in a van, luring men inside where she “has her way” with them.  None of the men so lured are actors.  They are regular people taken off the streets, and told later that they are in a movie.  Rated 18A.   

The Face of Love:   

Interesting casting in this romantic drama in which Annette Bening turns in a splendid performance as a widow who meets a man that reminds her of her late husband.  Ed Harris plays the man who is the spitting image of the departed, and Amy Brenneman and robin Williams round out the cast.  It’s not a ghost story, although it could be, and it’s not a psychological mystery, although it could be that too.  Instead, it’s a sensitive, caring, romance with the most unlikely storyline.  Rated 14 A.

Won't Back Down (2012): 

Who says you can't fight the system?  Not Jaime Fitzpatrick and Nona Walters (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis respectively), a pair of moms in a Pittsburgh school district who feels that their kids aren't getting the education they need and deserve.  Jaime and Nona take on all comers to get the situation rectified - the existing school board, the existing teachers, and even the existing parents, all of whom seem to agree that there's a problem, but none of whom seem to have the will to fix it.  If you have opinions on teacher's unions, both pro and con, you'll find this somewhat polarizing, and a good movie!  Rated PG.

Oldboy (2013): 

Josh Brolin is the star of this very gritty, very dark film in which a man awakens from what he believes is a drunken bender, in a strange room.  At first blush it looks like a cheap motel room, but on further examination, it's actually a cell with a steel door under the cheap-motel-facade.  Three times a day food appears, along with enough booze to keep him well-pickled, and time passes.  He moves through denial, anger, and despair as time goes by, and he has only a television to give him any perspective on the world outside.  Why is he here?  Who are his captors?  When will he get out if ever?  20 years later, the door opens, and he is free to go.  That's when it becomes clear that the real question is, why is he now free?  Or is he?  No question that this is an unusual film, but it's very bleak with no heroes, and an ending that is just not worth the long trip.  Rate 18A.