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When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, (Rihanna, who also contributes a song) manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh (Jim Parsons). The two fugitives realize there's a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime. Based upon the novel "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex.

I wanted to like this movie.  I wanted it to be the kind of animated movie that is just as enjoyable for the adults as it is for the kids.  Unfortunately, it wasn't.  I found myself bored at numerous points and the laughs that I expected from the trailer just were not there.  Jim Parsons did a good job voicing the character and basically just being Sheldon.  I could have done without Rihanna voicing the girl lead and every song being sung by her.  It's like she got a whole album release from this movie.  

Its not that the movie was bad.  It was decent.  And the kids that it was made for will probably still love it.  It's just not as enjoyable for the adults as I had hoped it would be.

Get Hard

When millionaire hedge fund manager James (Will Ferrell) is nailed for fraud and bound for a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him 30 days to get his affairs in order.  Desperate, he turns to Darnell (Kevin Hart) to prep him for a life behind bars.  But despite James’ one-percenter assumptions, Darnell is a hard-working small business owner who has never received a parking ticket, let alone been to prison.   Together, the two men do whatever it takes for James to “get hard” and, in the process, discover how wrong they were about a lot of things – including each other.

You have to go into a movie like this with pretty simple expectations.  It's a bunch of simple jokes and will probably run a little bit longer than it should since it's more of a SNL skit than a full length movie.  And that's exactly what you get.  There were a couple of really good laughs but not nearly enough to warrant the whole story.  Plus they did the obligatory storyline putting some heart into it that usually tones down the laughs.  

I would still somewhat recommend people checking this out.  The two leads are funny and play very well off of each other.  Just don't expect the funniest movie of all time and you should be happy with the end product.

Insurgent

Insurgent raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.

This movie might have actually been better than Divergent simply because you can tell how much more money was put into the production value of it.  The movie just looks better.  The scenery is better.  The effects are better.  Everything just pretty much looks cleaner overall.  The movie continues the story from the first one so if you liked it or the books - you will surely like this movie.  The biggest thing that they were able to pull off was how much of this movie took part in the world of the simulations.  I had big doubts about this when reading the book but they pulled it off incredibly well.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's a great young cast and an enjoyable story to watch play out.

Run All Night

Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire (Harris), Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective who's been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Lately, it seems Jimmy's only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass. But when Jimmy's estranged son, Mike (Kinnaman), becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. With Mike on the run, Jimmy's only penance for his past mistakes may be to keep his son from the same fate Jimmy is certain he'll face himself…at the wrong end of a gun. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy just has one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.

Let's call it like it is.  This movie is basically Taken 4.  Instead of a badass Ex-CIA or whatever he was in Taken, Liam Nesson is a drunken ex-hitman for the mob who will stop at nothing to protect his son.  That being said, I liked this movie more than either of the Taken sequels.  The cast was great all around, especially Ed Harris.  The movie was a little longer than it had to be but it was still an enjoyable enough ride with good badass acting to keep you entertained.

I would recommend people checking this out.  It was a good watch - especially if you like these kinds of movies.

Focus

Will Smith stars as Nicky, a seasoned master of misdirection who becomes romantically involved with novice con artist Jess (Margot Robbie). As he's teaching her the tricks of the trade, she gets too close for comfort and he abruptly breaks it off. Three years later, the former flame--now an accomplished femme fatale--shows up in Buenos Aires in the middle of the high stakes racecar circuit. In the midst of Nicky's latest, very dangerous scheme, she throws his plans for a loop... and the consummate con man off his game.

This was a pretty good movie.  I absolutely loved the first half.  It was very well paced.  The intensity of the risks taken and the gambling was so well developed.  They did a great job of developing the two lead characters and the supporting ones.  Gears shifted a little bit about halfway through the movie and that slowed the pacing down a lot but the chemistry between the two leads kept you interested and the movie ultimately did play out well.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It's a very enjoyable ride even with the gear shift halfway through.  Will Smith has still got it.

The DUFF

Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as ‘The DUFF’ (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends (Skyler Samuels & Bianca Santos). Now, despite the words of caution from her favorite teacher (Ken Jeong), she puts aside the potential distraction of her crush, Toby (Nick Eversman), and enlists Wesley (Robbie Amell), a slick but charming jock, to help reinvent herself. To save her senior year from turning into a total disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow the school’s ruthless label maker Madison (Bella Thorne) and remind everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s DUFF.

This was a pretty cute movie.  You know the story and it's been done so many times already but it was still enjoyable based on the lead and mostly her delivery of sarcasm and wit.  You know very well how things are going to play out but you still can't help but root for the lead because she really is such a likable character. 

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see movie by any means but it is an enjoyable watch.

Cinderella

The story of Cinderella follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new Stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home. But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Soon, she is forced to become their servant, disrespected, covered in ashes and spitefully renamed Cinderella. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her, and she continues to remain positive, determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.”  When Ella meets a dashing stranger in the woods, unaware that he is really the Prince (Richard Madden) and not merely Kit, an apprentice at the palace, she believes she has finally found a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the King (Derek Jacobi) summons all maidens in the kingdom to attend a royal ball at the palace, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit. Alas, her Stepmother forbids her to attend and callously destroys her dress.  Meanwhile, the calculating Grand Duke (Stellan Skarsgård) devises a plan to thwart the Prince’s hopes of reuniting with Ella and enlists the support of the devious Stepmother. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand. Soon, a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham Carter) steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin, a few mice and a magic wand, changes Cinderella’s life forever.

Sorry for the unnecessarily long synopsis.  Are you not already aware of the story of Cinderella?  Anywho, this was a decent live action telling of the classic animated story.  There were definitely times where the pacing could have definitely been better to avoid so many dragging parts, but it was still watchable/enjoyable.  I will say that I missed the talking mice since they were my favorite part of the movie.  Who wouldn't mis Gus-Gus?

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see by any means but it was a decent watch.

Chappie

In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. But now, the people are fighting back. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. As powerful, destructive forces start to see Chappie as a danger to mankind and order, they will stop at nothing to maintain the status quo and ensure that Chappie is the last of his kind.

Neil Bloomkamp is becoming one of my more favorite directors.  District 9 was awesome.  Elysium was great.  I had high expectations for this movie and tried to not get too excited out of fear of it ruining the movie for me.  But it still delivered.  The story was great and managed put a lot of heart into an action/sci-fi movie and there were a ton of laughs.  One could break it down and say this was an updated version of Short Circuit and that is somewhat accurate, but this is nowhere near as kid friendly.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's a fun ride and a well developed story.  Only complaint is the level of weirdness with everyone's hair.  What is that all about?