Blood Father (2016)

Why do producers think we want to see old guys in action movies? Moreover why would they think we want to see Mel Gibson in anything? William H. Macy provides some comic relief, and the film opens with a joke about the ease with which you can buy bullets in the US (but cigarettes are more difficult). It is a typical action movie that doesn't really give us anything new. The film is otherwise kind of boring and conventional. It's basically Taken, but without the intensity of Liam Neeson. And as much as I don't like Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty is the worst. She has no redeemable qualities. She's bland and unengaging, like the movie.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest winner to come out of Sundance.  It will undoubtedly draw comparisons to "The Fault in Our Stars," as a coming-of-age story featuring a young girl diagnosed with cancer. What this movie does so well is it is humorous (more so than you'd expect from a movie revolving around cancer), charming, quirky, emotional and beautifully written.  You become emotionally invested in the characters, feeling all the pressures that the high schoolers face.  It is at times deadpan funny, reminiscent of Wes Anderson's style.  There's an air of Anderson in the cinematography and design too, especially with all the miniature models.

The best part of the movie is the love letter to the movies.  The protagonist and his partner make amateur parodies of classic films, and the audience gets to see titles and clips that are downright brilliant and hilarious.  Some of them are cheesy and hokey and ridiculous, but you can't help but smile.  

Welcome to Me (2014)

This movie was very strange. Just listen to the premise: a woman with borderline personality disorder wins the lottery and uses her winnings to buy a talk show.  She basically aspires to be Oprah. How do you make a personality disorder funny? Leave that to Kristen Wiig.  This movie has the same feel as The Skeleton Twins--it is sort of slow, has its moments, but drags in the middle. Wiig lives in a casino for some reason, has some weird obsession with swans, and she silently, uncomfortably stares into the camera a lot.  Basically, her character is pretty crazy and Wiig just runs with it. It's so ridiculous that it just barely works. This only works because of her, and Joan Cusack is pretty funny too.