Unbroken:

Director Angelina Jolie might have been snubbed by her peers at various awards ceremonies, but that in no way diminishes the exceptional job that she did with this true story of Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), a gold medalist at the 1938 Games in Berlin, who went on to become a B-24 bomber pilot in WWII, ditched in the Pacific, and after 39 days in a life raft, was “rescued” by the Japanese Navy and placed in a prison camp. The challenges experienced by Zamperini and his peers were beyond the capacity of most humans to endure. This is a story of overcoming the most difficult of odds. Great performance by Takamasa Ishihara as the prison camp commander. Rated 14A.

The Hobbit 3: Battle of the Five Armies:

For me, definitely the best of the three Hobbit movies, the other two burdened by too much exposition and not enough action. Here, whether it’s the dragon Smaug, or all manner of warring creatures, the action is non-stop, the special effects are spectacular, and the characters are well-drawn. Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) steps up to become brave and heroic, doing what needs to be done to fight the various factions bent on sending the world into darkness. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, Orlando Bloom is back as Legalos, and Evangeline Lilly is Tauriel, a character not in the book, created for the movie. Rated 14A.

Into the Woods:

Although it got a lot of good press and a fair dose of Oscar nominations, I was unable to warm up to this musical that ties together a number of Grimm’s Fairy Tales into an interconnected story of hope and of loss. Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel are all in this together as a wicked witch (Meryl Streep), who is secretly the mother of Rapunzel and has relegated her to an isolated castle tower, fights to keep her preferred place in the world. Magic abounds, Anna Kendrick is fine as Cinderella, but the all-musical aspect with no recognizable songs left me cold. Rated PG.

Broken Arrow (1996):  

In western movies, "broken arrow" means an end to war.  In the parlance of today's military, it refers to a nuclear missile that has gone missing.  John Travolta takes a turn at being the bad guy here as Major Vic Deakins, a US military pilot turned rogue who takes off with a pair of nukes and heads for the home of the enemy. Action-adventure director John Woo takes us on a pretty good ride as Captain Riley Hail (Christian Slater) gives chase, along with a park ranger (don't ask) played by Samantha Mathis (Under the Dome). Rated 14A.

The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie (1979):  

Warner Brothers cartoons were at their peak when this movie was released, and since that time, the ravages of time, of television, and of changes in the way we go to the movies have changed all that.  Bugs Bunny (voice of Mel Blanc) is our host and narrator as he ties together several unrelated WB cartoons for our viewing enjoyment, including starring turns by Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and of course Wile E. Coyote. There are also some inside goings-on when Bugs reads off a list of those who were responsible for these Warner cartoons, including refusing to acknowledge Robert Clampett who spent a decade saying that he alone, and not Chuck Jones, created Bugs.  Despite the politics, for those of a certain age, it's still great fun!!  Rated PG.