Goodnight Mommy - B

Rated R, 99 minutes
In German with English subtitles

The 2014 Austrian horror film "Goodnight Mommy," nominated for the 2014 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, is one of the more chilling, disturbing horror films seen in awhile, relying on a slow-burn tension rather than blood and guts. The twisty ending is a tad anti-climactic in a M. Night Shyamalan sort of way, but it's still a treat for horror enthusiasts. It's the heat of the summer. A lonesome house in the Austrian countryside between woods and corn fields. Nine-year-old twin brothers Elias and Lukas (real twins Elias and Lukas Schwarz) are waiting for their mother (Suzanne Wuest). When she comes home, bandaged after cosmetic surgery, nothing is like before. The children start to doubt that this woman is actually their mother. It emerges an existential struggle for identity and fundamental trust. Co-directed and co-written by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the tense, disquieting Austrian horror film "Goodnight Mommy" is worth a look, held together by its small cast. For some reason, horror films are often more chilling when kids are involved, and the charming Schwarz twins give among the most scary turn since Haley Joel Osment in Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense," just think of Haley Joel Osment times two (or Haley Joel Osment good cop and Haley Joel Osment bad cop). Wuest is also good as the unstable, though later, terrified mother; "Goodnight Mommy" seemingly works an intense three-person play that blurs the line between good and bad, and you're completely unsure until the ending of who's really good and who's bad and who just enjoys hanging around. One thing in particular that will make you squirm is those enormous roaches and bugs that the boys like to collect and place in the most unusual of places, not to mention a dead cat and some well-used super glue. Like many in this genre, the filmmakers have a penchant for that shocking plot twist that you should've seen coming all along, and it's one of "Goodnight Mommy's" few disappointments, but that chilling final shot of mother and sons will stay with you after you leave the theater.

Coming Home - B

Rated PG-13, 111 minutes
In Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles

The 2014 Chinese love story "Coming Home" is a bittersweet, well-acted and handsome tale of losing and rediscovering love. From noted Chinese director Zhang Yimou ("Raise the Red Lantern") and starring his lovely muse, Gong Li, who have collaborated on 8 films total, if you enjoy foreign-made love stories, then this is for you. Lu Yanshi (Chen Daoming) and Feng Wanyu (Li) are a devoted couple forced to separate when Lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner, just as his wife is injured in an accident. Released during the last days of the Cultural Revolution, he finally returns home only to find that his beloved wife has amnesia and remembers little of her past. Unable to recognize Lu, she patiently waits for her husband's return. Directed by Yimou, whose directed numerous films have included "House of Flying Daggers," "Hero" and "Curse of the Golden Flower," and written by Zou Jingzhi ("The Grandmaster"), "Coming Home," not to be confused with the 1978 Oscar-winning war drama of the same name, is a poignant soap opera filled with some sad yet touching moments. The story is more of a personal one for Yimou, who tends to make bigger films about war on a more epic scale, and it's a nice change of pace. The film, which has been a big hit overseas, also features some of Yimou's trademark stellar production values, with costumes, sets and music all adding some nice details which help the story. "Coming Home" is much braver, though much more downbeat, than anything Nicholas Sparks, who should take cues from Yimou when dealing with issues such as amnesia. The lovely and Li and stoic Daoming are great as the couple trying to rekindle what they once had, and they have some great, bittersweet moments together. "Coming Home" is nothing new, but it's still a satisfying look at lost love, and have those tissues handy, you'll need them for a few scenes, especially the touching ending.

A Brilliant Young Mind - B-

Asa Butterfield is "A Brilliant Young Mind"

Unrated, 111 minutes

It doesn't take an episode of the TV show "The Big Bang Theory" to realize how awkward math nerds can be, though they need love and acceptance too. The heart-warming, calculated British dramedy "A Brilliant Young Mind" explores the mind of a young teen who could easily be Sheldon's more serious, British cousin. The movie focuses on an awkward teenage English math prodigy named Nathan ("Hugo's" Asa Butterfield) who has difficulty understanding people, including his mother (Oscar-nominee Sally Hawkins) and his unconventional math teacher (Rafe Spall of "Anonymous") but finds comfort in numbers. When he is chosen to represent Great Britain at the International Mathematical Olympiad, Nathan embarks on a journey in which he faces unexpected challenges, such as understanding the nature of love. Directed by Morgan Matthews and written by British playwright James Graham, the British-made dramedy, originally released as "X+Y" in Great Britain, is a familiar but poignant tale of a math nerd who must realize it doesn't take numbers to love and be loved. From comedies like "Big Bang" to Oscar-winning tales like "A Beautiful Mind" (which this film will easily become confused with, due to "mind" in the title - go figure), this story has been told many times, but with a talented, memorable cast who makes "Brilliant Mind" work, it a satisfying look at how difficult it can be being so smart. The lithe Buttefield of "Hugo" fame captures Nathan's oddness and social awkwardness perfectly (as does his younger 9-year old version, Edward Baker-Close), Spall steals scenes as his crusty teacher, and in a tender, emotional performance that grounds the film so well, Hawkins is so affecting as the mother who seems normal but just wants to relate to her son. There are too many flashback scenes that want to tell an unnecessary backstory, and you have a sense of what will happen when he goes to Taiwan for the big meet and befriends his female counterpart (the lovely Jo Yang), though you better have tissues handy for some scenes, especially anytime Hawkins is onscreen. "A Brilliant Young Mind" is nothing new, but it still adds up to a worthy experience, and one of the better entries in the awkward smart kid genre.

Meet the Patels - B

Rated PG, 87 minutes

If you thought you had it rough as a growing-older single adult, try meeting thirty something Indian-American actor Ravi Patel (seen mostly on TV), who must balance cultures of dating and marriage. Patel co-directs and co-stars in the funny, engaging new documentary "Meet the Patels" along with his older sister Geeta, who is also single as well as the rest of his extended family. The film documents Ravi's experiences of finding the right mate, within the confines of a traditional Indian culture in which marriages are arranged, in spite of living in the U.S. Ravi enters a love triangle between the woman of his dreams...and his parents. Charming, heartfelt and often hilarious, the documentary "Meet the Patels" offers some insight into the Indian culture while also finding the right mate. Patel's humorous take on dating and Indian families and culture is especially fun, detailing how common the Indian name Patel is - it's equivalent to Smith in the U.S. - not to mention how common matchmaking is in Indian culture. Ironically, Ravi's mother is an expert at fixing others up, except for her own children, both of whom were single (at least during the making of the film). Ravi must put together and distribute his own "biodata," which is sort of like a matching resume, with his parents overseeing it. They are allowed to "date" American style then the marriage is ultimately decided upon by the couple's parents. As Ravi begins to date, there's some unexpected and awkwardly hilarious moments, and his well-meaning parents don't realize how intrusive they're being. Patel and his sister, who co-directed the film, use extensive comic-book style animation and illustrations to make their point, and while that is fun, it's often unnecessary, such as "interviewing" an animated version of Ravi rather than just speaking directly to him in human form. By the end of "Meet the Patels," it becomes a bit redundant - we get the point (and some of the "dates" seem a little manufactured) - but it ultimately speaks to the power of family bonds and love. As true in just about in any culture, there's the saying "when you marry a person, you marry their family too" and that's especially true in Indian culture.

Mississippi Grind - B

Rated R, 108 minutes

The gritty, well-acted new drama "Mississippi Grind" is part buddy road trip, part character study, and while it's tone is often a pensive one, you won't want to bet against it. Gerry ("Bloodline's" Ben Mendelsohn) is a talented but troubled poker player, but with his debts mounting, his gambling habit is getting the best of him. One day, he meets a charismatic young traveler named Curtis ("Woman in Gold's" Ryan Reynolds). Deeming Curtis his lucky charm, Gerry convinces him that they should hit the road together, to a high-stakes poker game in New Orleans, and this trip will reveal more about the ambitions and motivations of each man. Directed and written by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, the duo behind such films as "Sugar" and "It's Kind of a Funny Story," the low-budget indie drama "Mississippi Grind" is a downbeat but tough story of two guys who won't give up until they score the big win. Much of it feels familiar (it reminded me thematically of the 2003 dark drama "The Cooler" starring William Macy and Alec Baldwin) but it's also an interesting, nicely acted character study, with a superb turn from Australian, Emmy-nominated actor Mendelsohn as the down-on-his-luck, gambling addicted Gerry, whose tide changes when he meets the charming Curtis, played by Reynolds in a solid, believeable turn for the actor who has been appearing in more independent films like this and the well-received "Woman in Gold." Aside from the engaging gambling sequences, it can be a little slow and depressing, especially in the last act when Gerry is trying to tie up some loose ends. Watch for Analeigh Tipton ("Warm Bodies") and Sienna Miller ("American Sniper") as the ladies in their lives, in the drama that was filmed throughout the South, in Alabama in Louisiana. The affecting, slow-moving character "Mississippi Grind" may not appeal to everyone but it's a satisfying look at those with gambling addictions.

Finders Keepers - B

Rated R, 82 minutes

The fascinating, engaging new documentary "Finders Keepers" will become affectionately known as the "foot in the BBQ doc" and it's one of those stranger-than-fiction/has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed type of stories, but it also a bittersweet story of change and family roots that most can relate to. Recovering addict and amputee North Carolina resident John Wood finds himself in a bizarre battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction in 2007 and believes it to therefore be his rightful property. Co-directed by Bryan Carberry and J. Clay Tweel, the latter of whom co-produced the equally fun 2007 documentary "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," the absorbing, bittersweet story is alternately weird, sad and funny, and perfectly captures what happens when the 15 minutes of fame and fortune come to regular people. This time it just happened to people living in the deep South with accents that may be different than yours and mine, and if you can relinquish some (but not all) of your "white trash" sensibilities - which is actually part of its fun - then you can see that the story can apply to just about everyone, given everyone's imperfections. Whisnant for one, wanted to profit off of it (charging people upwards of $3 to view it not to mention making customized T shirts of it), while Wood clearly had some substance abuse issues, both of which are detailed in the story; the first part of "Finders Keepers" is the crazy, funny hard-to-believe part, while it turns very serious in the second half as it delves into each man's demons. Wood's story, dealing with addiction and family problems - he lost in his leg in a small plane crash of a plane he was piloting that killed his father - is the more compelling. If you know anything about the story, it was actually resolved in an equally crazy way - on the TV show "Judge Mathis" -  but it also helped Wood get the help he needed (too bad Judge Mathis isn't interviewed here, would've been nice to see what he really thought). Especially in its final act, "Finders Keepers" is too melancholy and redundant when it focuses on what could've been, but Tweel and Carberry strive to keep it upbeat, especially in its coda, when finds both men moving on to different lives. All amazing what a leg in a BBQ does to people. This worthwhile documentary is one of the year's best, and deserves to seen.

The Martian - A-

Rated PG-13, 140 minutes

Matt Damon

The new drama "The Martian" is a sensational return to space for "Alien" director Ridley Scott, and there are no hostile creatures to be concerned about, except for an often hostile planet of Mars. Thrilling, funny and visually stunning, "The Martian" doesn't disappoint Scott fans or fans of the novel upon which it's based. A human mission to Mars goes awry, and astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left behind on the planet by his crew. Watney fights to survive in the harsh environment and to signal to others that he is still alive. Upon discovering Watney's signal, NASA, scientists all around Earth, and his crew members collaborate to find a way to rescue him. Directed by Scott and written by Drew Goddard ("The Cabin in the Woods") based on Andy Weir's best-selling book of the same name, "The Martian" is an exciting and often very humorous, intergalactic combination of "Saving Private Ryan" and "Cast Away" with an all-star cast headlined by the always charming Damon, who grounds the film memorably in an excellent turn. The rest of the large cast is great too, including Jeff Daniels, Chitewel Eijofor, Jessica Chastain, Sean Bean, Michael Pena, Kristen Wiig and Mackenzie Davis. The film is engaging, even in the extended moments that Damon's very smart Watney is traversing Mars alone, as the "best botanist on the planet Mars" does his best to survive; these moments best capture the humorous, sarcastic (and often profane) spirit of the book. In addition, there are a couple of main sequences from the book that are in the movie too, which should please fans of the book (it did for this one). Scott deftly mixes the humor along with some of his trademark, first-rate visuals and technical prowess which should easily capture some Oscar nominations for the veteran director, and just in case you're wondering, the Wadi Rum valley in Jordan stands in for Mars quite well. It goes on a tad too long, but the last, crowd-pleasing act is a breathlessly tense one as they have to literally go back out to space to grab Watney and bring him home. "The Martian" is a much more exciting, plausible and fun experience than last year's ridiculous "Interstellar" (which also, interestingly, featured both Damon and Chastain). Put this one on your must-see list, and expect to see it again come awards time.