Tequila Sunrise (1988)

Dale McKussic, aka "Mac" is a former drug dealer who's trying to get away from that life and go straight. Nick Frescia, who in spite of being Mac's close friend is a detective lieutenant and he'll probably have to bring him to justice if he is in the drug dealing business again. DEA Agent Hal Maguire hears around that Mac is going to personally move kilos of coke with drug kingpin Carlos, who is supposedly coming to town soon. So Hal wants Nick to use his relationship with Mac so he can get close to Carlos. Mac becomes attracted to restaurant owner Jo Ann Vallenari, while Nick gets chummy with her to find out if she's involved with Mac. Russell is tough, Gibson and Pfeiffer are sizzling together but it's Raul Julia's character that really steals the show. Starring Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, Michelle Pfeiffer, Raul Julia, J.T. Walsh, Ayre Gross 7/10

Moon (2009)

Sam Bell works for a Japanese company called Lunar Industries and has been on the Moon for three lonely years in a Sarang lunar base. He has an robotic assistant named Gerty 3000 for company, but wants to go back home so he can see his wife and baby daughter. A few weeks before he is supposed to return home, he is distracted by a young girl who isn't really there and burns his hand. Then not long after he sees a figure when he goes outside for a routine rover drive, and accidentally crashes his rover vehicle and loses consciousness. He awakes but can't remember what happened. Gerty tells him he is not allowed outside the base and that a rescue team is coming to repair a damaged harvester. Against his orders, Sam heads out there anyway and discovers someone inside the rover he crashed: himself. In the style of 2001: A Space Odyssey, an intricate and fascinating story that is driven mostly by Sam Rockwell's remarkable performance. Starring Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott, Robin Chalk, Benedict Wong 7/10

Conviction (2010)

Betty Anne Waters is a single mother working her way through law school so she can become a lawyer and help get her brother Kenny out of prison. Kenny has been in prison for twelve years, convicted of a murder he didn't commit. So with the help of The Innocence Project, a non profit organization that's dedicated to overthrowing wrongfully convicted cases, she tries to prove her brother's innocence, but only if she can find DNA evidence that can exonerate him. Based on a true story that began in 1980 in Ayer, Massachusetts, Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell both give powerfully emotional performances in this truly inspiring story. Starring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver, Juliette Lewis, Peter Gallagher, Clea DuVall 8/10

Choke (2008)

Victor Mancini is a sex addict. He works with his best friend Denny (whose is a reformed sex addict) being tour guides, or historical interpreter of life as Victor calls it in life in Colonial America. He meets a young doctor named Paige Marshall when Victor visits his mother Ida; who is in the hospital suffering from dementia. Victor pays for his mother's hospital bills by pretending to choke at restaurants so he can con people into giving him money. Paige thinks she might've found a way to save Ida; by trying an illegal experimental operation but she tells Victor she needs his help; she needs a compatible donor. Only problem is his attempts to help her are unsuccessful, despite the fact that he hasn't had any previous trouble doing it with practically the entire female hospital staff. Sam Rockwell is just great in this hilarious dark comedy based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. Starring Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brad William Henke, Gillian Jacobs, Joel Grey 7/10

Mrs. Soffel (1984)

The place is Pittsburgh, the time is 1901. Peter Soffel is the warden of the Allegheny County Prison. Edward Biddle is one of the prisoners in the prison that is scheduled to be hanged, along with his younger brother Jack for robbery and murder. Mrs. Kate Soffel, Peter's wife visits the brothers twice a week to read to them from the Bible, and while doing so finds herself attracted to Ed. Unbeknown to anyone, she secretly helps to set them free, ends up falling in love with Ed and abandons her husband and children to leave with him. But being an accessory to a crime has its consequences. Based on a true story, this is a heartbreaking tale of love and two people who are desperate for their freedom. Starring Mel Gibson, Diane Keaton, Matthew Modine, Edward Herrmann 8/10