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In the mid 90’s Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon), a young woman from Minnesota hit rock bottom following the loss of her mother (Laura Dern) coupled with a mix of substance abuse and a sexually destructive lifestyle. Setting her compass straight would be no easy task and it would come in the form of a self imposed wilderness trek along the Pacific Crest Trail. Facing her demons and confronting her weaknesses along the trail would take her to the breaking point on multiple accounts, the big question being, would she have enough inner strength to continue and prevail on her own journey? Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club) this nearly one woman show serves as a fine carrier to demonstrate a depth and range for Witherspoon, ironically similar to the same acting trajectory Matthew McConaughey has been on more recently, leaving phoned in simpler roles for dramatic powerhouse roles. And, in some respects serving as a modern day and female version of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Vallée and Strayed’s examination of the human soul and drive makes for fertile drama farming– even in the barren Mojave desert. Worth your time and inspiring material for a hike here in the Cascades, Wild is rated R.

Following the book of Exodus from the Old Testament, Moses (Christian Bale), defiant leader and “son” of the pharaoh Seti (John Tuturro) is cast out of the land to die when it’s discovered he is not the pharaoh’s son but in fact a Hebrew prophesied to destroy the Egyptian empire. Years later, and with provocation from God, Moses would return to his former land to negotiate with the new Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton) and lead 600,000 slaves to salvation out of Egypt escaping torture, plagues, and suffering. Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator) this biblical spectacular does indeed live up to the grandeur in its mythic and large scale wonder without melting into a giant CGI mess on the silver screen. And, despite the usual quibbles of historical films featuring inappropriate British accents and odd casting choices, Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro, and Ben Mendelsohn come to mind; once we get past these oddities, the overall film holds up surprisingly well in the acting department. After all, there’s nothing quite like the parting of the Red Sea and a Nile river running red to bring a little holiday cheer into the Hanukah and Christmas season, if only there had been a nod to Edward G Robinson? In the mood for a two and a half hour re-telling, you could do a lot worse, worth a few pieces of silver, Exodus: Gods and Kings is rated PG-13.

Having quit their horrible jobs, Dale, Kurt, and Nick (Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, and Jason Bateman) have since teamed up and invested their all in a business venture together. Garnering a positive response from a major distributor, Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz), the three get in over their head in debt, the only option appears to be kidnaping (sic), the target, Bert’s son Rex Hanson (Chris Pine). But, nothing ever seems to go easily for the boys; in an increasingly bad series of decisions chaos and comedy ensues, will they be able to save their business let alone their own necks? Giving way to improv and letting the pure chemistry between Day, Sudeikis, and Bateman shine Director Sean Anders has created a situational comedy that stands out as one of the best this year and doesn’t rely on a watered down, re-hashed, or half-baked plot based on the original Horrible Bosses of 2011– thank god. And, supporting nuttiness from Chris Pine adds to the fun; meanwhile, unexpected off colour dialogue from returning characters portrayed by Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, and Kevin Spacey makes the win even sweeter. Looking for a quick, low down and dirty comedy to escape your family this weekend, winner winner turkey dinner! Horrible Bosses 2 is rated R.