A Dilettante TV & Film Review

Available on Netflix. An otherwise healthy twentysomething has a comically early midlife crisis when he gets slapped with a cancer diagnosis -- and a 50-50 chance of survival. Grade: C-

Available on Netflix. As he's about to commit suicide, downcast Richie is interrupted by his estranged sister asking him to babysit her daughter. When events force Richie to spend more time with his niece than expected, she prompts him to reassess his dark views of life. Grade: A-

Available in Theatres. A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix. Simpleminded Karl has just been released from a psychiatric hospital, where he'd been confined since age 12 for murdering his mother and her lover. He lands a job at a garage fixing motors and befriends a young boy -- but can Karl outrun his past? Grade: A

Now available in select theatres. Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac. Grade: A

Available on Netflix. Preparing for the 1988 Olympics, two sibling wrestlers cross paths with a paranoid schizophrenic millionaire in this drama based on a true story. The competitive Schultz brothers soon learn their new acquaintance is a dangerous distraction. Grade: A

Available on Netflix. Director Steven Spielberg takes on the towering legacy of Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his stewardship of the Union during the Civil War years. The biographical saga also reveals the conflicts within Lincoln's cabinet regarding the war and abolition. Grade: D

Available on Netflix. Based on his memoir of the same name, this military biopic centers on legendary sniper Chris Kyle, who amassed a record number of kills on the battlefield during his 10-year career as a Navy SEAL. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix. In Red Flag, a filmmaker takes hi independent film on tour hoping to escape the pain of his recent breakup. Grade: A

Available on Netflix. Soon after returning to his native Oklahoma with a beautiful woman he met in Paris, Neil finds himself drifting toward an old friend. Meanwhile, the woman he brought back with him has unfinished business with her first husband. Grade: A

Available on Netflix. Eager for any work that will make ends meet, Lou Bloom joins the flock of camera crews prowling the nighttime streets of Los Angeles in search of scandal and crime. But before long, Lou finds himself caught in the tabloid limelight. Grade: A

Available on Netflix. In this surreal independent thriller from writer-director David Lynch, an innocent man gets mixed up in a small-town murder mystery involving a kinky nightclub chanteuse and a kidnapper with a penchant for snorting helium. Grade: B

Available on Netflix. In this semi-spoof of romantic comedies, candy company exec Joel falls for Molly, who owns a corner candy store he's tasked with closing. Their road to romance is filled with oddball obstacles, not the least of which is Molly's utter hatred for Joel. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix. After FedEx systems engineer Chuck Noland's (Tom Hanks) plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean, he finds himself fighting to survive on a deserted island with nothing but a painted volleyball -- a silent partner he names Wilson -- for company. An acting tour de force for Hanks (who received a Golden Globe Award for his performance), this drama from director Robert Zemeckis is a fascinating abstract about the indomitability of the human spirit. Grade: B-

Available on Netflix. A self-diagnosed nymphomaniac reveals a lifetime of sexual experiences to a man who saves her from being beaten in an alley. As the aging but charming bachelor tends to the woman, she shares erotic details of encounters from her youth to her present. Grade: A

Available on HBO. Togetherness follows two couples living under the same roof who struggle to keep their relationships alive while pursuing their individual dreams. Grade: B

Available on Netflix. Francis Ford Coppola follows The Godfather with this intimate film about an audio surveillance expert who faces a moral quandary when he suspects that a couple whose conversation he's been hired to record will be murdered. Grade: B+

Available on Netflix. An aspiring musician joins a band of eccentrics led by an enigmatic singer -- who wears a fake head -- and his unstable girlfriend. Creative tension mounts as the group retreats to the woods to cut an album. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix. A tour guide and part-time con artist finds himself caught in a dangerous arrangement when he meets a wealthy couple sightseeing in Greece.

Available on Netflix. A washed-up, ambulance-chasing attorney gets a chance at redemption when his friend tosses him an open-and-shut medical malpractice case. But instead of accepting an easy cash settlement, he takes the powerful defendant to court. Grade: A

Available on Netflix. Award-winning animator Don Hertzfeldt unites three short films about a hapless guy named Bill with new material to create this feature-length tale. Grade: A+

Available on Netflix. Philandering his way across Europe to find the grandfather he's never met, William unexpectedly befriends a 14-year-old who changes how he sees women. Grade: B

Available on Netflix. When two strangers yearning to escape their discontented lives eventually cross paths in a Paris airport hotel, neither of them is prepared for the series of surprises that follow their chance meeting. Grade: B

Available on Netflix. An unapologetically sexy and vulgar romantic comedy based on the best-selling novel by Charlotte Roche. When an embarrassing shaving accident lands rebellious teen Helen (Carla Juri) in the hospital, she develops an unlikely bond with her male nurse (Christoph Letkowski) who she seduces with stories of her sexual adventures while using her illness to reunite her divorced parents. Grade: B-

Available on Netflix. On the day piano prodigy Eli is to audition for a famous conservatory, he gets sidetracked by an attempt to stash his cocaine-addled mother, Penny, in rehab. When Penny is denied admittance, Eli enters into a bizarre partnership with her dealers. Grade: B+

Available on Netflix. Nothing seems to go right for Niko Fischer: His girlfriend dumps him, he loses his driver's license, and his father cuts him off financially. With nothing else to do, he wanders around Berlin, crossing paths with a slew of eccentric characters. Grade: A

Available on Netflix. When his only friend dies, a man with dwarfism relocates to an abandoned train station in rural New Jersey, intent on living the life of a hermit. But his solitude is interrupted by his colorful neighbors. Grade: B+

Available on Netflix streaming. Oscar winners Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek team up to tell the true story of irascible Felix Bush, a backwoods Tennessee loner who planned his funeral in 1938 while he was still around to attend -- and enjoy -- the proceedings. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix streaming. The Earth's remaining inhabitants are confined to a single train circling the globe as revolution brews among the class-divided cars. Based on a French graphic novel and set in a new ice age, this futuristic thriller stars a top-notch ensemble cast. Grade: C

Available on Netflix streaming. Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) appears to have the election for student council president sewn up until one of her teachers, Mr. McAllister (Matthew Broderick), rounds up a worthy opponent: a popular and naïve varsity football player (Chris Klein) whose knee injury has him sidelined for the season. Tracy is desperate to win the race at any cost. But Mr. McAllister is just as determined to see Tracy -- a textbook overachiever -- soundly defeated. Grade: A+

After arriving in New York, Polish immigrant Ewa must provide for her ill sister -- and soon falls under the thumb of charming thug Bruno, who forces her into a life of prostitution. But when she falls for a magician, her fortunes may turn. Grade: B+

Available on Netflix Streaming. Bad news from the past unhinges vagabond Dwight Evans, sending him on a mission of bloody retribution that takes him to his boyhood hometown. After killing his quarry, Dwight holes up in a relative's house to await payback from his victim's family. Grade: A

Available on Netflix streaming. Confronted with the potential end of their marriage, Ethan and Sophie take off for a weekend together, hoping to negotiate their future. When they reach their idyllic destination, however, the couple strolls into a bizarre new brand of trouble. Grade: A-

Paul Newman scores as pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson, who tours the country hustling games -- even challenging reigning champion Minnesota Fats -- in this brooding drama that explores the synergies between good and evil, love and desperation. Grade: B+

Available on Netflix Streaming. In an alternate reality where "frequencies" determine one's level of success in life, low-end Zak falls for Marie, who's much farther up the scale. Complicating things further, their difference means Zak can only see Marie one minute a year. Grade: B+

Available on Netflix Streaming. After a long search, a Parisian writer-director has found the perfect woman to play the lead in a provocative play about masochistic relationships. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix Streaming. This atmospheric dramedy centers on hard-living actor Johnny, whose life is thrown for a loop when his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo, pays him a surprise visit. As the two become better acquainted, Johnny realizes he needs to make changes. Grade: A

Available on Netflix streaming. After their child dies, a therapist and his wife flee to their cabin in the woods, where they hope to mend their emotional wounds. But the grief-stricken couple watches their troubles multiply when very strange things begin to happen. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix Streaming. Oliver, a graphic artist, is coming to grips with the imminent death of his father, who, at 75, has one last secret: He's gay. Inspired and confused by his father's determination to find true love at last, Oliver tentatively pursues his own romance. Grade: F

Available on Netflix Streaming. Ronald and Sara Lisbon are raising five alluring, adolescent daughters on a short leash in 1970s suburbia. When the youngest, Cecilia, kills herself, Sara attempts to shelter the rest of them from intrigued neighborhood boys. Grade: A

Available on Netflix streaming.This romantic dark comedy stars film legend Peter O'Toole (who earned an Oscar nod for his performance) as veteran actor Maurice, a man whose quiet golden years turn topsy-turvy when he falls for a young and brash nude model. Grade: A+

Available on Netflix streaming. When faded TV personality Martin Sharp decides to end his life on New Year's Eve by jumping off a London skyscraper, he meets three strangers who had the exact same plan. But instead of taking the leap, the four lost souls vow to stick together. Grade: C+

Available in Theatres. A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in an attempt to find a potentially habitable planet that will sustain humanity. Grade: A+

Available on Netflix Streaming. Believing he's dying, former comedian Mark hires a young cameraman to capture important life lessons for his unborn son on video. Grade: C+

Available on Netflix Streaming. When a couple low-level crooks make a dumb move by robbing a Mob-protected poker game and unwittingly bringing a recession to the area's criminal economy, a slick enforcer is hired to track down the offenders and take care of business. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix streaming. Workmates at a small Chicago brewery, Luke and Kate are romantically involved with others but also the best of friends -- on and off the clock. Things get complicated, however, when the couples spend a weekend together at a lakeside retreat. Grade: A

Available on Netflix streaming. In the wake of a zombie apocalypse that desolates the world as we know it, a group of survivors led by police officer Rick Grimes holds on to the hope of humanity by banding together to wage a never-ending fight for their own survival. Grade: A

Available on Netflix streaming. Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II. Grade: A-

Available on Netflix Streaming. When his manic radio show proves a huge morale-booster, Armed Forces Radio disc jockey Adrian Cronauer gets sent to Vietnam, where his monkeyshines -- lampooning any and all sacred cows -- tickle the troops but land him in trouble with his superiors. Grade: B+

Available on Netflix streaming. Grace, a compassionate young supervisor at a foster care facility, works with her boyfriend and colleague, Mason, to help at-risk teens. But when a new charge dredges up memories of her own troubled past, Grace's tough exterior begins eroding. Grade: B