Swing Vote (2008) PG-13

Kevin Costner (The Postman), Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Dennis Hopper (My Science Experiment), Nathan Lane (Birdcage)

A voting machine error and a close presidential race brings it down to one drunken single father's vote to decide it all.  The candidates have ten days to sway his decision.

I don't recall seeing anything about this the election year when it came out,

After (2012) PG-13

Steven Strait (Sky High) as Freddy, Karolina Wydra (Europa Report) as Ana.

After a bus crash, two strangers discover they're the only living souls in their home town.  As a menacing dark cloud closes in on them, they struggle to survive and find a way out.

Available only on Netflix so far, this suspense tale is based on a breakout hit novel from the indie author's platform Wattpad.  I have to admit that during

Late Phases (2014) NR

Nick Damici (Stake Land), Ethan Embry (Pizza), and Tom Noonan (Last Action Hero) star in this tale of aging parents, fathers and sons, and werewolves.

Blind Vietnam war veteran Ambrose McKinley (Damici) moves into the retirement community of Crescent Bay.  When he's attacked his first night there, and realizes he's dealing with the supernatural, he knows he has a month to get ready.

Queen (2014) NR

Dumped by her fiancee two days before her wedding, traditional Indian daughter Rani decides to go on her honeymoon alone, and discovers happiness again.

Mostly in English subtitled Hindi with some Italian, French, German, and

End Day (2005) NR

As a scientist travels from London to New York, we are shown four possible ways the Earth could end.

Mostly comprised of sensationalist drivel, End Day uses a "Groundhog Day" approach to illustrate

Apartment 143 (2011) R

A recently widowed father invites ghost experts into his apartment to explain the strange occurrences in his home.

Another movie about the paranormal told exclusively through the lenses of

Legally Blonde (2001) PG-13

Reese Witherspoon (This Means War) is sorority girl Elle trying to win back her former boyfriend.  He wants serious?  She's going to law school.  Harvard law school.

At first glance you might dismiss this movie as a typical fish-out-of-water romantic comedy with a ridiculous premise.  However goofy it appears on the surface though, Legally Blonde has a lot more depth and meaning to it

Tower Heist (2011) PG-13

A handful of employees from a ritzy Manhattan residential high-rise take back what's theirs by robbing one of the most unscrupulous residents.

You will see a lot of familiar faces in Tower Heist.  I merely rented it from Netflix because it's one of my favorite genres, but as I watched the names go

Brick Mansions (2014) PG-13

Paul Walker, RZA, David Belle - An undercover vice cop enters Detroit's Brick Mansions district to avenge his father and take down a dangerous drug kingpin.

I swear, I did not go looking for another RZA film, nor did I realize this was

A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012)

Simon Pegg stars as J.B. "Jack" Knife, children's author, who becomes frightfully paranoid after trying to write a book about serial killers.  It seems with good reason...

This movie is not for everyone.  In parts it's a deeply atmospheric thriller/mystery, yet it inexplicably changes in parts to a comedy of tragic

The Man With The Iron Fists (2012) R

A transplanted blacksmith in a tiny Chinese village is caught between clans in this "wire-fu" movie.

Presented by Quentin Tarantino and directed by rapper RZA, this is a gore-fest of a movie.  I was led to believe ahead of time that this would be horribly violent, but in reality the blood and mayhem was so unrealistic to a comical

Stellina Blue (2009)

A young woman shot in a convenience store robbery survives after a month-long coma and multiple near-deaths.  When she recovers she passes on her miracle to others.

If I had to sum up my experience watching Stellina Blue in one sentence, I'd say it's as if a romantic drama and a high school educational film had a baby.

One Small Hitch (2013)

Josh and Molly create a fake engagement to make a dying man happy... but what happens when the feelings become real?

One Small Hitch is an uncommon thing these days... a rom-com that doesn't ruin the romance with gross-out humor, vulgar behavior for the sake of humor, or random oddball plot points so that it can be called quirky. It's just

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005) PG-13

Julianne Moore (Evolution) stars as the under-appreciated housewife who fully embraces the 1960's "contesting" craze and manages to keep her family of ten kids afloat through hard times.

The thought that I was struck by the most while watching this film is that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  While it's true that women can work outside the home these days, and it's

Flypaper (2011)

Two gangs try to rob the same bank on the same night, and an FBI agent ends up dead... but is there more to the story?

On the surface, Flypaper looks like a typical heist movie.  There is a full cast of people you'll recognize from Star Trek, Red Band Society, Constantine, and Grey's Anatomy.  Underneath, however, this is more of a murder-mystery, with an OCD Sherlock Holmes in the form of Tripp (Patrick Dempsey,