Moana:

Another of Disney’s “girl-power” animated features, this one lit up the box office like a Hawaiian volcano.  It’s the story of the daughter of a chieftain in ancient Polynesia who has an intense desire to see what’s “out there” beyond the lagoon and beyond the reef.  Her people live in paradise, but they have not left their island for generations.  The belief is that strange gods and unpredictable monsters populate the areas beyond.  Voiced by 15 year-old Hawaiian Auli’i Cravalho,  Moana is a skilled surfer, she loves the sea, and she has an adventurer’s wanderlust, which she has to trade on when something bad begins happening to her island and to her people.  The fish are no longer abundant, and mangos, bananas, and crops are all drying up.  Moana believes that an old confrontation with the demi-god Maui may be responsible, and under cover of night she slips away, crosses the reef, and is soon in unknown territory.  Maui is voiced by Dwayne Johnson, and soon the two are in an uncomfortable alliance, neither trusting the other.  The sea itself is one of the characters in a story that will be enjoyed by children and adults, marvelous tale. Rated PG.

Jackie:

Natalie Portman is full value for her Oscar nomination for portraying First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the days following the assassination of her President husband JFK.  Not a biopic on Mrs. Kennedy, but rather a time capsule of a character study that shows what she was up against in the hours and days following the tragic event.  Asked to leave the White House, because the new President, Lyndon Johnson was moving in, she was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions and conflicting desires as to how the funeral should be handled, and as to whom would play which roles.  Portman’s casting is superb, with the rest of the players simply wallpaper as she numbly walks through her shattered life.  Not an uplifting story, and not a feel-good movie by any stretch, it’s worth  watching to see the splendid acting job done by Portman. Rated 14A.  

Man Down:

Shia Labeouf and Kate Mara star in this unusual story of a US Marine who returns from Afghanistan to learn that his wife and child have gone missing.  It's not a regular US of A to which he returns .... it's a post-apocalyptic world in which the homeland is in no better shape than the Middle Eastern country he left behind.  Three separate timelines play out simultaneously here, so audiences will have to have their wits about them.  Jai Courtney also stars.  Rated 14A.

The Constant Gardener (2005):

Some movies become dated quickly, and others, because of the richness of their source material, do not.  Based on the spy novel by John LeCarre, we follow Justin and Tessa Quayle (Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz) as Justin is posted in a diplomatic position, and he takes his impetuous, outgoing wife with him.  In a strange series of events, Tessa is murdered, and it appears to be a crime of passion.  Justin is inconsolable, but decides that he will get to the bottom of what happened, regardless of the potential consequences.  He uses his diplomatic connections to travel throughout Africa following up lead after lead, and stumbles upon a conspiracy so big that it dwarfs the murder that he is investigating.  Watch for Archie Panjabi in a supporting role.  She would go on to become Kalinda Sharma on The Good Wife.  Rated 14A.

Drive (2011):

I did not care much for this Ryan Gosling movie from six years ago, because the title suggested that it was going to be about driving.  Gosling is referred to in the film only as "Driver."  He is a Hollywood stuntman, he is a gifted auto mechanic, and he is a getaway driver, hired to get crooks from the point to the crime, to a place far away.  His dialogue is minimal - Driver doesn't say much, doesn't do much, and spends far too much time building a relationship with Irene (Carrie Mulligan), a single mom who could use a guy with his talents around the house.  I'm in the minority with this one - many reviewers found Gosling perfect in this role, and raved about his virtues as an actor.  I'm fine with that - he is terrific - but the movie left me cold.  Plus, I didn't much like "Driver" ... not a nice man!  Rated 14A.