George Oxford Miller, Reel News, May 2014

Her (2013) ★★★★

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance.

Directed by Spike Jonze

Rated R for language, sexual content, brief graphic nudity.

In this future-is-now metaphor, online relationships have morphed into OS1, a new operating system that combines Facebook, dating sites, psychic advice, personal assistant, and omnipresent Google. Instead of “Harry Meets Sally,” it’s Theodore meets Samantha, the ultimate low-maintenance virtual friend and confidant. Theo (Phoenix) writes love letters for a living but is inept at intimate relationships. Then along comes Samantha (the sexy voice of Scarlett Johansson). With rapid-learning artificial-intelligence, Samantha becomes Theodore’s life coach and constant shirt pocket companion. She always understands just what he needs and is totally nonjudgmental. You’d think emotional attachment to the perfect virtual lover would be risk-free, pain-free, yet Theo discovers that cyberspace creates its own versions of the doubt, betrayal, and failed expectations that plague human relationships. This clever, relevant analogy hits all the tags that blur the human-virtual boundaries that confuse our plugged-in society.

Still Mine (2013) ★★★★

Cast: James Cromwell, Genevieve Bujold

Based on a true story.

Director: Michael McGowan.

Rated PG-13

After a lifetime of living on and working his 2,000 acres of forest and farmland on the Bay of Fundy, Craig Morton (Cromwell) feels a deep attachment to the land. And even more so to Irene (Bujold), his wife of 60 years. When she begins to show signs of dementia, he determines to build a new, smaller house overlooking the bay for them to live out her last years. He has the plans in his head, and as a lumberman with shipbuilding skills, he has the material and ability to build their dream house. But in this modern age, everything from house plans to building materials and construction must meet housing codes and be performed by bonded and licensed contractors. Morton finds himself ensnared in a bureaucratic battle with officials determined to bulldoze his house if he doesn’t comply. The story of will and determination, of love of land and personal freedom, is deepened by the tender relationship that drives Morton to battle anything that stands between him and his ailing wife’s dream.

Grand Piano (2013) ★★★

Cast: Elijah Wood, Kerry Bishé, John Cusack.

Gene: Thriller.

Rated R for some strong language.

Five years previously the career of world-renowned pianist Tom Selznick (Wood) came to a screeching halt when he froze up during a concert. Now Selznick is flying to his comeback performance—and desperately wishing the plane would crash. When he finally calms his nerves enough to enter the performance hall, bow to the audience, and sit at the piano, he finds a note: “Play one wrong note and you die.” Centered in the crosshairs of a sniper (Cusack), he suddenly has more on the line than his career. Through an earpiece, he tries to negotiate while playing perfectly. Then the sniper cranks up the tension by threatening to shoot Selznick’s wife (Bishé) watching from a box seat. The plot races along depending on utter suspension of belief, but so does every fantasy and action flick in theaters today. So pop some corn, sit back, enjoy.

7 Boxes (2013) ★★★

Cast: Celso Franco, Lali Gonzalez.

Genre: Thriller.

Unrated, with English subtitles.

Victor (Franco), an ambitious teen in Peru, races through the streets of a crowded open-air market delivering goods in a pushcart. His impossible dream of movie stardom propels him as much as his tireless legs. His consuming desire is to buy a cell phone with a video camera, as unrealistic on his earnings as his silver-screen dreams. Then a butcher in a bind offers him $100 to hide seven mysterious boxes until the heat passes. And under no circumstances can Victor look in the boxes. Of course, gangsters, cops, even a rival delivery boy, want the boxes and will kill to get them. The chase rollicks through the congested market with surprises and obstacles at every turn. With as many plot twists as the serpentine streets, 7 Boxes takes a simple concept and develops a complex storyline filled with tension, intrigue, and black humor.

George Miller is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and believes that travel is a product of the heart, not the itinerary. See his webmagazine at www.travelsdujour.com.

P.O. Box 120 • New Hope, PA 18938 • Voice 800.354.8776 • Fax 215.862.9845 • www.icondv.com • www.facebook.com/icondv