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In the 1960’s the musical genius behind the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson (Paul Dano, John Cusack), would stop touring with the band to instead focus on writing new material for the band. As it was, Wilson was slipping into psychosis, but for the love of music and his drive to create sounds the world had never imagined, the impossible became reality. Some twenty years later, abandoned by family and badgered by Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti) it would take the love and intrigue of a random car saleswoman, Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks), to help free Brian and allow him to continue on his creative path, this is his story. Directed by Bill Pohlad this decade skipping insight to the mind of a wildly creative individual shines on as a great exposure to the world of Brian Wilson. With an ensemble that shines nicely, all parts play in tune. Most notably though is the film’s score produced by Atticus Ross (The Social Network), a haunting streaming of conscious created and fabricated from Wilson’s actual master reels punctuating the high level mathematic musical theory flowing through Brian’s mind. This love story and musical trip is one to pay close attention to. Love & Mercy is rated PG-13.

Setting up as an origins story of the insidious evils that psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) will battle later in her life, this is the tale of Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), a young girl mourning the loss of her mother, trying to reach out to the other side for contact with her mother’s spirit. Alas, as we’ve learned, calling out to the dead opens doors to the spirits that can have horribly unintended results. For Quinn and family (Dermot Mulroney and Angus Sampson) it’s the soul sucking Man Who Can’t Breathe (Micheal Reid MacKay) who’ll need to be destroyed. Can Elise gain the strength and knowledge she’ll need to help the Brenner family? Written and Directed by Leigh Whannell, it’s the power of the good ol’ jump scare that works to the strengths of this simple and mostly effective prequel. Of course knowing that some characters have to live on takes away some suspense; but, for the love of fog machines, and simple staging, what might be lurking in the air vents or under the bed manages to keep audiences jumping and uneasy throughout. Sadly, much like its other chapters, Chapter 3 unfortunately runs on fumes in the third act leaving little unpredicted suspense and less to keep you awake late at night. Still, if you’ve made it this far, yeah, this fits nice on the shelf with its mates. Date movie for the horror buffs, why not? Insidious: Chapter 3 is rated PG-13.

Desk bound For her entire career as a CIA analyst, Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is thrust into the action when her number one partner in the field, Bradley Fine (Jude Law), is killed. Now in the center of excitement Susan will have to use her unusual style and average looks to get close and thwart evil doer Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne). Meanwhile, meathead agent Rick Ford (Jason Statham) has his own plans on how to stop Rayna. Co-ordinating their efforts will take special effort, but will their efforts be enough? Written and Directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat), and fueled by decades of spy cinema fodder, Spy makes for an interesting mix of humor dashed with action; interesting in that for its comedic nature there’s actually a fair amount of graphic violence spattered throughout, meanwhile, the actual laugh count remains at a relative low for Feig. As for the cast, McCarthy serves as a worthy foil for the part, Byrne’s knack and ability to play kitschy evil shines with just the right edge, and there is essentially no stretch for Statham, British tough guy it is. Perhaps that’s part of the difficulty of Spy, with none of the actors being challenged, there’s also a lack of surprise in their comedy; with a runtime of two hours, that unfortunately translates into a slightly overstayed welcome. A dash of less polished special FX also holds the power to pull the viewer out of the experience, but some graces can be granted, this is after all to be taken lightly. Maybe a matinee, more of a rental, Spy is rated R.