Elementary

Jonny Lee Miller (Hackers) and Lucy Liu (Charles Angels) are modern day Sherlock Holmes and Watson. He has moved into one of his wealthy father's homes in NY recovering from a bout of drug abuse. She has been hired as a companion to keep an eye on him - make sure he doesn't slip up. He helps the police solve murders - one policeman in particular is recognizable - Aidan Quinn (rumored to be acting in the movie based on the game - Call of Duty). The pilot was really good - I'm excited about the rest of the season & to see if they introduce Moriarty. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Battleship

An Independence Day - Transformers - type of movie. Directed by Berg, so it's a big budget with tons of special effects kind of movie. The scenes when some of the ships and crew are destroyed are hard to watch. Asano (Thor) was my favorite. He played a Japanese Captain. All in all, I say: WATCH IT on tv some time when you are bored.

Hysteria

Based on the true story of how Mortimer Granville invented the vibrator. It was very well done - the costumes, the scenary, and especially the acting. All in all, I say: RENT IT

Detachment

It's kind of part poetry part movie. A school in transition - test scores must come up after NCLB. The principal (Marcia Gay Harden from Miller's Crossing) is referred to as a relic by the school board because her school's scores have not come up. Brody (The Pianist) plays a writer who makes money by being a long term sub in schools where no one else wants to work. The movie focuses on one month at a particular school in New York. Some of the other teachers you will recognize - James Caan (Godfather), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill), Blythe Danner (The Lucky One), Tim Blake Nelson (Holes), William Peterson (CSI). There is so much more going on behind the scenes of a school day - personal stuff for teachers and students. There is much I recognize - All in all, I say: RENT IT

Warrior

A much to big in my opinion Tom Hardy (Dark Knight Rises) and the very handsome Joel Edgerton (The Curious Life of Timothy Green) are brothers who are both trained in mixed martial arts fighting. Hardy's character is ex-military, angry, and did I mention angry. Edgerton has a family, suspended from teaching for his after school activities, and at peace about the past. Their father Nolte (48 Hours) was a drunk - younger brother hates older for getting out - you know the story. They end up fighting each other. Who will win? Who cares - I didn't get it - I sat through like 2 hours just for them to get closure by beating the crap out of each other. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Quill

This is the story of a golden retriever puppy in Japan. We see Quill from birth to death. The scenes where he is being trained as a puppy and the scenes when he interacts with his owner are precious. The scenes when he has to leave his puppy trainers, leave his family, and leave this world made me cry - even now I just started tearing up just thinking about it. One line in the movie made me angry - a subtitle that said after spending seven years at the training facility - I was like what!!! He was left in a cage at a training facility for seven years with no owner and THEN you let him go back to a loving family - totally pissed - I tell you! Sorry, I had to wipe my eyes. All in all, I say: grab some tissues & STREAM IT

Resident Evil: Retribution

I think this is 5. There are some cool graphics - the opening scene for example shows a battle sequence in reverse - very cool. The fight scenes are amazing. Disappointing part: very few zombies - oh well. She spends the whole movie trying to get from one end of an Umbrella facility to another and then to the surface. There is an Aliens type feel to this film too - she comes across a clone of a little girl that thinks she is its mother. She is in great shape. Another cool aspect to the film - the oldies but goodies are back due to cloning yeah. One of Rodrigues' fight scenes is AMAZING. Jovovich's fight scenes steller as always. All in all, I say: SEE IT.

What to Expect When Your Expecting

Different women at different points in their lives all dealing with having a baby. One is young and became pregnant by accident, one is adopting, one is married and planned it, one is not married and didn't plan it; you get the picture. One has a great pregnancy, two have problems, and one loses her baby. There are some funny scenes with the dad's group - from the previews. There are sad scenes. Even if you don't have kids and/or have never been pregnant I think it was decent enough to rent from Netflix. All in all, I say: RENT IT

Albert Nobbs

Close (Fatal Attraction) plays a waiter who is really a woman - a sad story behind why. He/she is saving to buy a tobacco shop. Having met a painter who is really a man living happily with a woman and thriving in business gets Close's character thinking of marriage to a young maid played by Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland). There are some strong supporting actors that play guests in the hotel where they both work. It is a sad ending & you know how I feel about that. All in all, I say: SKIP IT.

Engrenages - Spiral

Kind of like a Law and Order - this show takes place in France. The show surrounds one prosecutor in particular and the group of cops that work with him. What I like is the grit and reality of the show. There is little character drama and what little there is - isn't annoying or too much like a soap opera. There is one big case per season and each show there is a smaller case. There are four seasons, but only 3 are available on Netflix streaming right now. The prosecutor, Clement, is played by a very handsome Gregory Fitoussi. The lead inspector (cop) is a stage actress who wears no makeup for the part. It is very popular in France and England and I see why. All in all, I say: STREAM IT

Copper

IMDb writes, "Set in the Five Points neighborhood of New York City in the 1860s, focusing on a rugged young Irish cop who is forced to navigate his unruly and dangerous immigrant neighborhood while interacting with the uptown Manhattan crowd and the black community." Tom Weston-Jones (MI-5) is the cop and Franka Potente (Run Lola Run) is his favorite madam. His wife has disappeared and his daughter was murdered - which is how he got into police work. He likes to use modern methods and is trying to stay clear of the cops who are on the take. All in all, I say: WATCH IT on BBC America.

Think Like A Man

This was so well written and they found the perfect actors to deliver the lines - it was fluid. Very, very well done. The director Tim Story also did Fantastic Four and Barbershop. My favorite in this was Jerry Ferrara from Entourage and his girlfriend played by Gabrielle Union. They were the couple that had been together forever and clicked, but he was a little slow and hadn't proposed yet. The couples were good too. All of this was based on a book by Steve Harvey. All in all, I say: RENT IT - you will laugh & it's my kind of humor.

Foreign Letters

Based on the true story of a young Israeli girl and how she befriends a young Vietnamese girl in America. It does an excellent job of showing from the ELLs point of view how learning English in schools is really like. All in all, I say: STREAM IT.