Space Station 76 (2014)

Liv Tyler (Armageddon), Matt Bomer (White Collar), Patrick Wilson (Hard Candy)

Life is like the swinging '70s aboard Space Station 76... a refueling station that is moving (for some unknown reason) through the stars.  The arrival of a new, female XO (Tyler) seems to shake things up, and not in a good way.

Much Ado About Nothing (2013)

Amy Acker (Angel), Alexis Denisof (Grimm), Nathan Fillion (Castle)

Joss Whedon's adaptation of the Shakespeare play.

I love it when an adaptation makes Shakespeare more accessible to the general public, and I think this one does... especially because of the acting by Acker and Denisof.  Even if you don't understand every phrase, their actions and expressions make the story clear and fun.

Joss worked in some physical comedy, too, and that can't hurt.

If you're familiar with Joss Whedon's previous work, you will see a ton of familiar faces from Buffy, Dollhouse, Firefly, and even Agents of SHIELD.  Set in a contemporary setting, but with the traditional language, this is not a good film for crafters, however.  Unless you're an English major, seeing their expressions is a must if you want to understand what's going on. 

Six laugh out loud moments, particularly during the scenes when the family is trying to match-make Benedick and Beatrice.  Otherwise, no counts.  I did not attempt to knit during this, even though it's my second viewing, because I enjoy the performances so much, with a few exceptions that can be easily overlooked.

Though some prefer the Kenneth Branagh version, if you enjoy Shakespeare, definitely give this a shot. 

The Bag Man (2014) R

John Cusack (Identity), Robert DeNiro (Cape Fear), Dominic Purcell (Assault on Wall Street)

A hitman, Jack, (Cusack) is tasked by his boss Dragna (DeNiro) to pick up a bag and deliver it to a motel in the middle of the Louisiana bayou.  His instructions?  Wait in room thirteen, and don't look in the bag.  The problem is the small town local weirdos won't leave him alone...

If you took a sixteen year old off of his Ritalin, got him high on weed, and

Words and Pictures (2013) PG-13

Clive Owen (Children of Men), Juliette Binoche (Chocolat)

Two teachers at a New England prep school get into a battle over words vs. pictures... but is it really about the arts?  Or their hearts?

Drunken poet Jack Marcus (Owen) is a stereotypical writer... published once long ago, but hasn't written a word in years.  Dina DelSanto (Binoche) is a celebrated NYC painter who has lost control of her body to rheumatoid

Dead Snow (2009) NR

Eight medical students on break decide to go to a remote cabin far up in the mountains where they discover a hidden cache of Nazi gold.  When they agree to keep it for themselves, the soldiers rise from their wintry graves and try to take it back.

This is in Norwegian, but it has English subtitles, so as a crafting movie this will suck unless you can knit without looking at your hands.  However, the

Werewolf: The Beast Among Us (2012) NR

 Werewolf: The Beast Among Us (2012) NR

Ed Quinn (Eureka), Stephen Rea (Crying Game)

A troupe of werewolf hunters travel from town to town, village to village, clearing out the beasts.  Their latest prey is different, however, and seems to retain the intelligence of a man in its wolf-form.  Can these hunters save the village from the thing that's terrorizing them?

Oof.  Most of the actors seem to be chosen for their looks or accent, rather than their acting ability.  The one actor from the Vancouver acting pool that I know and like, Quinn, is in it far too little to make up for the wooden performances of the rest.  There's about an hour of tired cliches, followed by some admittedly interesting twists, then more cliches and a rather idiotic ending clearly meant to invite sequels.

Other than the eyeroll count which was off the charts, there is very little to redeem this movie.  One of the hunters chasing after the local doctor's apprentice's girlfriend and attempting to rape her seemed to have no place in the plot except to set up a twist later.  There's a rather large brothel in a teeny, tiny village... I mean, it appeared to be the village's only industry.  Just weird, whacked out script from the first scene.

I gave it a generous two out of five stars.  I didn't *hate* it, but I would never ever watch this again.  I'd recommend it if you're about to take a nap, and the gunshots won't keep you awake, but that's about it.

Good Luck Chuck (2007) NR

Dane Cook (Employee of the Month), Jessica Alba (Paranoid)

Charlie (Cook), cursed at age 10 by a budding wiccan playing spin the bottle, is the lucky charm that helps every woman he sleeps with find her true love...