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Paddington
Paddington (2014)
10/10
Something for Everyone
17 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Excellent production values, irreverent yet meaningful storyline, solid comedic performances by Bonneville, Walters, and Kidman, and fanciful settings.

Warm but not sappy, and surprisingly mature undertone mixes its way into the youthful, slapstick antics.

In addition to artistic nods to "Babe" and any Wes Anderson directed movie, Nicole Kidman does a hilarious homage to Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible.

The cgi effects are so seamless here, that Paddington bear almost immediately becomes a flesh and blood character in the mind's eye.

Just a satisfying experience all around.
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Before I Go to Sleep
Before I Go to Sleep (2014)
9/10
A twisty-bendy little romp
2 November 2014
A satisfying, keeps-you-guessing thriller. While amnesia is certainly not the most original of plot devices, there's something unique here in terms of truly portraying the emotional, daily hell an amnesiac and loved ones must suffer. This is aided, by no small means, by strong performances by Colin Firth and especially Nicole Kidman.

The plot definitely has suspense and there are sufficient twists and turns to ensure that you truly can not predict the outcome. There's also a nice combination of languid pacing intermixed with truly jarring and lurid scenes. In some ways this had a dream-like (or, take your pick, nightmarish) quality in tone.

A few plot holes make themselves known by the movie's end, but when a thriller ushers you out the theater door while still meditating on memory, marriage, and trust...I'd say that's a job well done.
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The Leftovers
The Leftovers (2014–2017)
10/10
Who doesn't like Leftovers?
21 August 2014
Wow, and I mean wow.

This show has it all: an extremely original storyline and premise, eerie/baffling characters, strong ensemble cast headed by Justin Theroux, non-formulaic/unique structure within each episode, an amazing and sometimes operatic musical score, multiple subplots each as intriguing as the main plot to keep you interested, and simultaneously deeply realistic and fantastical setting.

What's not to love?

This is definitely not a series to view in random fashion...you need to watch from the first episode onward to get a full grasp on the complicated and evolving plot.

If the concept- of how it would go down 3 years later in small-town, USA after 2% of the world's population just up and disappeared- seems thought provoking...rest assured it is.
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Calvary
Calvary (2014)
6/10
Bleak and Bleaker
17 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I know it's fashionable to bash religion these days. And at least this movie does so in a way that's interesting, sometimes witty, and with a lush, melancholy landscape as a backdrop.

But the message, common now in cinema, that "religion is bad" is getting old and but fast.

While "Calvary" certainly has its saving moments, which include the lead actor's particularly strong performance, the beautiful scenery, and a witty "High Noon" plot device; the weakness begin to stack up, however, with weaker supporting role performances, caricature-drawn characters, and an agenda-driven tone.

It's ultimately a dreary, unsatisfying, and hackneyed commentary on the state of religion in our times.
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