Collateral Beauty:

Will Smith is Howard, a successful New York advertising agency partner who suffers a terrible life tragedy, one that is almost incomprehensible to a parent.  He retreats from life, disappears into himself, and finds a way to deal with his loss by writing letters that appear to be the ravings of a madman … he writes to Time, Love, and Death, not expecting anything more than a sense, for a few moments, that he has sent some of the hurt in another direction.  But soon, a surprising occurrence – these three entities respond to him.  How could he guess that it is really an action by his business partners who want to take over the firm and have Howard sell his share?  What begins as a cruel way of dealing with a difficult business situation ends in a surprising way … but the tragedy is still the tragedy, and despite the fact that his partners are convinced they are just trying to help, it has the look and the feel of a cruel joke.  Also stars Edward Norton and Kate Winslet. Rated 14A.

Solace:

For fans of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who was Alicia’s private investigator and one-time-love on The Good Wife, and who is now Negan on The Walking Dead, you will like him a lot as an FBI agent stumped as he tries to solve a serial killing case.  He turns to a psychic doctor (Anthony Hopkins) who wants nothing to do with the case, but soon changes his mind when he has a vision of the perpetrator’s next victim, someone very close to both doctor and Agent.  That puts him on the trail of the killer, but when it comes to psychic powers, the murderer is many steps ahead.  Diabolically played by Colin Farrell, this is both a fine murder mystery and and excellent twist into the realm of the supernatural.  Abbie Cornish also stars. Rated 14A.

Elle:

Golden Globe winner for Best Actress, and Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert, shows off the acting chops that got her all that notice.  Here she is Michele, a highly successful businesswoman running a videogame company with her partner Anna (Anna Consigny).  As aggressive as she is in business, Michele is equally aggressive with the men she pursues as part of her love life, but when she is raped and beaten by a stranger, she feels like a victim, but only for moments before she goes on the offence.  The man was wearing a ski mask and Michele sets a trap for him.  When he is unmasked, the real mystery begins.  Rated 14A.

The King's Speech (2010):

This multi-Oscar winner features a remarkable performance by Colin Firth as King George VI of England, forced into the role by the abdication of his brother who sought to marry an American divorcee.  Known as "Bertie," the King was challenged by a terrible stutter and had no ability to control it.  Worse, it was wartime, and he was Britain's figurehead as Nazi Germany was marching on Europe.  An amazing story of his speech therapist and his desire to overcome his speech impediment make for and exceptional story.  Firth won the Oscar for Best Actor, the movie got Best Picture, Jeffrey Rush was Best Supporting Actor, and Helena Bonham Carter won for Best Supporting Actor.  Rated 14A. 

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011):

Based on the character created by author Michael Connolly, we see Mick Haller (Matthew MacConaughey), practising law out of the back seat of a Lincoln Continental, driven by one of his clients, providing this service to work off his legal fees.  When Haller is approached by a successful real estate developer who has been accused of assaulting a prostitute, the case suddenly morphs into much more than that.  Oscar winner Marisa Tomei and non-Oscar-winner Ryan Philippe co-star.  Rated 14A.