A Million Ways to Die in the West: Movie Review

Funny when it's parodying the west, less funny when the plot drags on.

This time, Seth MacFarlane has decided to adventure out in front of the camera as Albert Starks, a guy who does not belong in the American west in 1882. And, indeed, the funniest jokes in “A Million Ways to Die in the West” stem from the point of view of somebody from modern times who couldn’t understand why anybody would even want to try living in western times, because there probably really is a million ways to die.		2014 Directed by: Seth MacFarlane Screenplay by: Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Giovanni Ribisi and Charlize Theron

Lucky Them: Movie Review

Immature character loses the plot as she finds herself.

Lucky Them stars Toni Collette as Ellie a music journalist in her early 40s acting like she’s in her early 20s. We first meet her as she’s breaking up with some guy and then her boss (Oliver Platt) is desperately pleading with her to write a good story otherwise her job is in jeopardy. She doesn’t get it, but she agrees to locate her long-lost presumed-dead ex-boyfriend former-rock-star to write his story.		2013 Directed by: Megan Griffiths Screenplay by: Emily Wachtel, Huck Botko Starring: Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church, and Ryan Eggold

Molly Maxwell: Movie Review

Takes an inappropriate relationship and turns it into a naturally honest and realistic portrayal of two well-developed characters.

Molly Maxwell is a 16-year-old student at a private school. The simplistic view is that she’s one of those smarter-than-thou, wise-beyond-her-years teenagers who gets herself into an improper relationship with her teacher through maturity and manipulation. "Lolita" movies are rarely good, but “Molly Maxwell” is able to overcome all the negative expectancies because Molly is way more realistic and normal than the type of character she would normally be. Sympathy for Molly and Ben arise out of a natural honesty, and then the film starts toying with our sympathies.		2013 Directed by: Sara St. Onge Screenplay by: Sara St. Onge Starring: Lola Tash, Charlie Carrick