Crimson Peak / **½ (R)

Edith Cushing: Mia Wasikowska

Thomas Sharpe: Tom Hiddleston

Lucille Sharpe: Jessica Chastain

Dr. Alan McMichael: Charlie Hunnam

Carter Cushing: Jim Beaver

Universal Pictures presents a film directed by Guillermo del Toro. Written by del Toro & Matthew Robbins. Running time: 119 min. Rated R (for bloody violence, some sexual content and brief strong language).

After “Pacific Rim”, which played as a minor improvement over a “Transformers” movie, I couldn’t wait for director/writer Guillermo del Toro to return to his horror fantasy roots with “Crimson Peak”, a gothic horror romance that has del Toro reminiscing about horror traditions of the past. Del Toro has a grand palette, especially in horror environments, making “Crimson Peak” a film that plays to his strengths as a director. The beautiful images are there, in a script that feels a little stilted, making this one a disappointment on some levels, but exactly what it should be on others.

Television Thoughts—Cougar Town (2009-2015)

TV-14, 6 seasons, 102 22-min. episodes

Creators: Kevin Biegel, Bill Lawrence

Directors: John Putch, Michael McDonald, Courtney Cox, Bill Lawrence, Gail Mancuso, Bruce Leddy, Chris Koch, Michael Spiller, Josh Hopkins, Jamie Babbit, Lee Shallat Chemel, Phil Traill, Ken Wittingham, Millicent Shelton, Randall Winston, Sam Jones, Brian Van Holt, Busy Philipps, Courtney Rowe

Writers: Kevin Biegel, Bill Lawrence, Melody Derloshon, Blake McCormick, Peter Saji, Mary Fitzgerald, Jessica Goldstein, Chrissy Pietrosh, Sean Lavery, Ryan Koh, Sam Laybourne, Sanjay Shah, Kate Purdy, Brad Morris, Emily R. Wilson, Michael McDonald, Gregg Mettler, Linda Videtti Figueiredo, Mara Brock Akil, Rachel Specter, Audrey Wauchope, Michael Lisbe, Nate Reger, Aaron Ho, Austen Faggen, Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, Jen D’Angelo, Eric Ernst

Starring: Courtney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Josh Hopkins, Ian Gomez, Brian Van Holt, Bob Clendenin

Guest starring: Carolyn Hennesy, Ken Jenkins, Lamarcus Tinker, Sawyer Ever, Ryan Devlin, Spencer Locke, Brad Morris, Barry Bostwick, Collette Wolfe, Briga Heelan, Edwin Hodge, Nicole Sullivan, Shawn Parihk, Nick Zano, Scott Foley, Sarah Chalke, Sheryl Crow, Maria Thayer, Ryan Biegel, Lou Diamond Phillips, Yasmin Deliz, Michael McDonald, Shirley Jones, David Arquette, Jennifer Aniston, Cindy Crawford, Rachel Harris, Beverly D’Angelo, Susan Blakely, Matthew Perry, Paula Newsome, Alan Ruck, Lisa Kudrow, Nia Vardalos, Ahmed Best, Michelle Williams

Last Tuesday I had to hold back tears. One of my most beloved television shows came to an end. I wasn’t brought to the edge of tears because of the emotionally jarring conclusions for the characters’ to their story, however. No, their story’s end was just as ridiculous as just about any episode’s worth. No, I was nearly brought to tears because there just isn’t any other television series like it out there. The closest to it might be “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, but that one probably has higher aspirations.

Chappie / **½ (R)

Chappie: Sharlto Copley

Deon Wilson: Dev Patel

Ninja: Ninja

Yolandi: Yo-Landi Visser

Yankie America: Jose Pablo Cantillo

Vincent Moore: Hugh Jackman

Michelle Bradley: Sigourney Weaver

Hippo: Brandon Auret

Columbia Pictures presents a film directed by Neill Blomkamp. Written by Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell. Running time: 120 min. Rated R (for violence, language and brief nudity).

I’ve always been of the belief that expectation is an enemy of art. It closes off the mind to possibilities the artist may have envisioned that the viewer may not if they’re anticipating something else. As such, I’ve become pretty good at turning off the grand expectations movie studios are so insistent on instilling in their audiences through trailers and the buzz movie media outlets provide before a movie’s release. It’s not that I don’t pay attention to these things, because I am a fan first and a critic second; but once I’m there in the dark awaiting the start of a movie I let it all go and simply take in the movie.

That being said, I’d like to talk about the expectations behind the new science fiction movie “Chappie” a little before I delve into my expectationless opinion of it. This is the third movie by South African sci-fi wunderkind Neill Blomkamp. His debut film “District 9” was a summer sleeper hit and a rare science fiction Best Picture Oscar nominee. His follow-up “Elysium” was not as special—although I felt it was enjoyable—and recently Blomkamp has revealed some disappointments he had with that project.

Penny Thoughts ‘15—Constantine, season 1 (2014-2015) ***

TV-14, 13 45-min. episodes

Developer: Daniel Cerone, David S. Goyer

Directors: Romeo Tirone, Neil Marshall, John Badham, Nick Gomez, T.J. Scott, Steve Shill, John F. Showalter, David Boyd, Mary Harron, Sam Hill, Thomas J. Wright

Writers: Daniel Cerone, David S. Goyer, Sneha Koorse, Brian Anthony, Christine Boylan, Jerry Siegel, Mark Verheiden, Cameron Walsh, Rockne S. O’Bannon, Carly Wray, Davita Scarlett, Jamie Delano (characters/graphic novel “Hellblazer”), Garth Ennis (characters/graphic novel “Hellblazer”), Alan Moore (characters/graphic novel “Swamp Thing”)

Starring: Matt Ryan, Harold Perrineau, Angélica Celaya, Charles Halford

Guest starring: Michael James Shaw, Mann Alfonso, Jonjo O’Neill, Jeremy Davies, Claire van der Boom, Emmett J. Scanlon, David A. Gregory, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Lucy Griffiths, Mark Margolis, James Le Gross, William Mapother

NBC very quietly entered the growing market of television series based on comic books this year with one of DC’s more obscure characters, the dark arts magician John Constantine. Although Constantine may not be as well known as many of DC’s tight-wearing superheroes, he’s long been popular with the more mature readers of the company’s Vertigo line of adult-targeted comic books. When DC revamped their entire lineup a few years ago Constantine jumped to the company’s regular line of superheroes, captaining the supernatural-based supergroup “Justice League Dark” and headlining his own title “Constantine”.

Holiday Thoughts ‘14—National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) ****

PG-13, 97 min.

Director: Jeremiah Chechik

Writer: John Hughes

Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Randy Quaid, John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Miriam Flynn, Cody Burger, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Sam MacMurray, Nicholas Guest, Julia Louise-Dreyfus, Nicolette Scorsese, Keith MacKechnie, Brian Doyle-Murray, Natalia Nogulich

So, when you’ve been watching a movie once a year for almost thirty years, it’s easy to forget what originally spoke to you about it. With a movie like “Christmas Vacation”, which plays upon the universal truths of what gets under our skins about the holidays, it evolves with the ages. What makes me laugh today probably didn’t when I was 18, and the things that had me holding my gut then, may only stir a chuckle today.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Chef (2014) ****

R, 114 min.

Director/Writer: Jon Favreau

Starring: Jon Favreau, Emjay Anthony, John Leguizamo, Sophia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jr., Amy Sedaris, Russell Peters, Jose C. Hernandez ‘Perico’

I’m not the only person I know that will pick this movie as one of my favorites of the year, although it seems to have been largely forgotten by critics, who were all about it when it was released theatrically. This is often the case with movies released earlier in the year. It’s interesting that the awards season doesn’t seem to have forgotten “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, but this one seems to have disappeared from everyone’s memory. That could be because it doesn’t distinguish itself with flashy cinematography, quirky characterization and dialogue, or “important” issues. However, it is the lack of most of those aspects that makes this movie so special.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Chelsea Peretti: One of the Greats (2014) ***

NR, 74 min.

Director: Lance Bangs

Writer/Performer: Chelsea Peretti

I had never heard of Chelsea Peretti before seeing “Brooklyn Nine Nine”, the Andy Samberg police comedy show in which she plays the precinct secretary. Of a cast of oddballs, her character is by far the strangest of the bunch. She’s a too cool for school playa who probably sat by herself talking mostly to herself during lunch period.

Horror Thoughts ‘14—Cropsey (2009) ***½

NR, 84 min.

Directors: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zeman

Writer: Joshua Zeman

Featuring: Joshua Zeman, Barbara Brancaccio, Dr. Bill Ellis, Dorothy D’Elletto, Karen Schweiger, Donna Cutugno, Ralph Aquino, Bobby Jenson, Andre Rand, Jim Callahan, Theresa Doyle

So we open Horrorfest this year with a documentary about a real life horror tale of an urban legend that turned out to be true, however the truth of it all is impossible to determine. Growing up on Staten Island, the filmmakers remember stories of Cropsey, an insane killer that would snatch kids if they were out too late in places they didn’t belong. Only once they were adults did they learn that these were not merely stories designed to make sure kids were home and safe when their parents wanted them home.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Cane Toads: The Conquest (2011) ****

PG, 82 min.

Director/Writer: Mark Lewis

Featuring: Henry Richards, Neil Young (not that one)

“Nature finds a way.”

                                                —Dr. Ian Malcolm, “Jurassic Park”.

It’s amazing the amount of wisdom you can find about nature in the movie “Jurassic Park”. I would like to suggest to the residents of Northern Australia that they should heed Ian Malcolm’s words in their quest to squelch their problem of the advancement of the population of cane toads in the region. My guess is that the people featured in the movie “Cane Toads: The Conquest” are probably extreme cases and the reason their government hasn’t heeded their cries for control is because the problem isn’t quite as devastating as they’re making it out to be. I would also guess that the gifted documentarian Mark Lewis is aware of this fact, however he just can’t help but indulge them. It’s so much fun.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Crossbones, season 1 (2014) ***½

TV-14, 9 45-min. episodes

Creators: Neil Cross, James V. Hart, Amanda Welles, Colin Woodard (book “The Republic of Pirates”)

Directors: David Slade, Ciaran Donnelly, Stephen Shill, Dan Attias, Terry McDonough, Deran Sarafian

Writers: Neil Cross, James V. Hart, Amanda Welles, Colin Woodard, Blake Masters, Michael Oates Palmer, Elizabeth Sarnoff, Josh Friedman

Starring: John Malkovich, Richard Coyle, Claire Foy, Yasmine Al Massri, David Hoflin, Chris Perfetti, Tracy Ifeachor, Peter Stebbings, Julian Sands, Ezra Buzzington, Aimee Mullins, Lauren Shaw, Natalie Hoflin, Kevin Ryan, Michael Desante, Henry Hereford, Reema Sampat

“Crossbones” was a surprisingly good summer television experiment by NBC. It’s too bad no one watched it.

OK. So check this. You cast John Malkovich as the infamous Edward Teach, a,k,a, Blackbeard. You set the story in 1715 near Jamaica. Teach has “settled” down in an island colony he built that is designed to be a true democracy. Most of the island’s inhabitants are thieves and pirates, but not all. Many are survivors from the pirate raids on their ships who have chosen to stay on the island as part of this supposedly free society.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Cheap Thrills (2014) ***

NR, 88 min.

Director: E.L. Katz

Writers: David Chirchirillo, Trent Haaga

Starring: Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, Sara Paxton, David Koechner

E.L. Katz’s “Cheap Thrills” is a very dark movie indeed. It involves a man played by Pat Healy, whom horror enthusiasts might remember from Ti West’s “The Innkeepers”. He finds himself in a desperate financial situation. He has a new child and has just received an eviction notice on his apartment door. He loses his job and finds himself in a bar where he runs into an old friend. They share a few drinks and are asked to share a few more by an eccentric couple who seem to have money to spare.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) ***

PG, 95 min.

Directors: Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn

Writers: Erica Rivinoja, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Judi Barrett (characters), Ron Berrett (characters)

Voices: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Will Forte, Andy Samberg, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, Terry Crews, Kristen Schaal

There are some movies that are good, but just don’t cry out to be analyzed. Sometimes I enjoy a movie, but have very little to say about it. I enjoyed “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2”. It wasn’t as good as the original, which I love and can’t say enough about. This one tries to recapture some of the magic from the original. It does to some degree. Every once and a while I dips a little too often into the same well of jokes. It works better when it’s creating new jokes, instead of just repeating what worked in the original. And… um, well. That’s about it.

Ebert Thoughts ‘14—Capote (2005) ****

R, 114 min.

Director: Bennett Miller

Writer: Dan Futterman, Gerald Clarke (book)

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., Chris Cooper, Bruce Greenwood, Mark Pellegrino, Amy Ryan, Bob Balaban, Marshall Bell, Allie Mickelson

I imagine “Capote” was chosen for this year’s festival to honor the work of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who passed away earlier this year from a drug overdose. Director/producer Bennett Miller is the panel guest for the movie, but much of the talk this afternoon will surely revolve around Hoffman and his body of work.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—The Clash: The Last Gang in Town (2013) ***½

NR, 7 min.

Director/Writer: Fred Armisen

Starring: Fred Armisen, Paul Simonon, Mick Jones

Last week I reviewed a new short mockumentary featuring Fred Armisen reprising his fake punk rocker Ian Rubbish from Saturday Night Live. The film, titled “The Sexiest Elbows in Rock”, featured the frontman from the band Split as the owner of the titular body parts. It’s a fun send up of the rockumentary format with many real rockers participating for authenticity. “The Clash: The Last Gang in Town” is another fake rock documentary by Armisen in which his Ian Rubbish interviews two of the members of the iconic punk band The Clash. It’s been nominated for a Webby Award.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier / *** (PG-13)

Steve Rogers/Captain America: Chris Evans

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: Scarlett Johansson

Sam Wilson/Falcon: Anthony Mackie

The Winter Soldier: Sebastian Stan

Brock Rumlow: Frank Grillo

Kate/Agent 13: Emily VanCamp

Jasper Sitwell: Maximiliano Hernández

Maria Hill: Cobie Smulders

Alexander Pierce: Robert Redford

Nick Fury: Samuel L. Jackson

Marvel Studios presents a film directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. Based on a concept and story by Ed Brubaker and characters created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Running time: 136 min. Rated PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence, gun play and action throughout).

The best comic book storylines, and movie storylines for that matter, are those that don’t hold to what is “sacred” in any particular mythology. “Batman: Year One”, “The Dark Knight Returns”, “The Death of Superman”, “The Death of Captain America”, “The Saga of the Swamp Thing”, even the recent “Superior Spider-Man” developments and numerous other great comic book storylines have rewritten all that had come before them. This is what made “The Winter Soldier” storyline in the Captain America comic books so substantial. Now, for the first Captain America movie sequel, the filmmakers have adapted parts of that storyline to send a considerable shake up through the Marvel cinematic universe. They do it by pulling the carpet out from under everything they spent so much time developing over the course of the first phase of the Marvel movies that culminated in “The Avengers”.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) ***½

PG-13, 124 min.

Director: Joe Johnston

Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Joe Simon (comic book), Jack Kirby (comic book)

Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Richard Armitage, Bruno Ricci, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Kenneth Choi, JJ Field, Samuel L. Jackson

This marks the third time I’ve watched “Captain America: The First Avenger”, and it doesn’t lose its effectiveness. In the promotion for the new “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” the writers have made a point to express how they wished to reflect different cinematic action subgenres in their construction of the two screenplays. The new Cap is supposed to be a modern espionage type of picture inspired by such classics as “3 Days of the Condor” and other 70s politically critical spy flicks. The first was more inspired by adventure serials of the 40s and 50s depicting the American heroism of World War II, although my guess is it was most influenced by Steven Spielberg’s 1981 movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Cutie and the Boxer (2013) ****

R, 82 min.

Director/Writer: Zachary Heinzerling

Featuring: Noriko Shinohara, Ushio Shinohara, Alex Shinohara

One of the 2014 Oscar nominees for Feature Documentary, “Cutie and the Boxer” is a surprising grand romance. It tells the story of the 40-year relationship between Ushio Shinohara, the well known if under appreciated “boxing” artist, and his wife Noriko. Ushio became famous in Japan for his unique radical style of painting, which involved donning boxing gloves with sponges tied to the fists and punching his paint onto the canvas. Ushio immigrated to the United States to try his wares in New York City. Adding cardboard-based sculpturing to his repertoire, the reputation of his unique style was well known in the art world, but he never had much luck with sales.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—The Croods (2013) ***

PG, 98 min.

Directors: Kirk DeMiccio, Chris Sanders

Writers: Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMiccio, John Cleese

Voices: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke, Chris Sanders, Randy Thom

“The Croods” is one of the many animated films this year that has given me pause about the future of the format. I liked the movie, but like so many of this year’s animated releases, it lacks much of the creativity and broad appeal that has driven the format over the past two decades.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Chariots of the Gods (1970) **

G, 92 min.

Director: Dr. Harald Reinl

Writers: Harald Reinl, Wilhelm Roggerdorf, Erich von Däniken (books “Erinnerungen an die Zunkunft” and “Zurück zu den Sternen”)

Narrator: Jean Fontaine

“Chariots of the Gods” is the holy bible for fans and followers of the History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens”, a “reality” series that examines the possibilities that human civilization was cultivated by alien races. Structures like the Egyptian pyramids, the stone heads of Easter Island, and the Mayan temples of South America, seem to defy the technology available at the times of their building. Some people think this is because these cultures had extra terrestrial help.

Penny Thoughts ‘14—Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) ***

G, 144 min.

Director: Ken Hughes

Writers: Roald Dahl, Ken Hughes, The Sherman Brothers (songs), Ian Fleming (novel)

Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Frobe, Anna Quayle, Benny Hill, James Robertson Justice, Robert Helpmann, Heather Ripley, Adrian Hall

I grow more and more proud of my children every day. I have many reasons to be proud of my children, as many parents do. However, one thing that makes me proud of them is probably something that many parents don’t value in their children. They are extremely open minded about movies. I can show them a movie from any era, and they’ll watch it. This is not the case with many children. It’s not the case with many adults.