The Last Witch Hunter

The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today Kaulder is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to Kaulder, the Queen Witch is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

This movie was the exact steaming pile of poo that you expected it to be.  Overdone action with overdone effects.  If you saw the trailer you saw the movie.  There was no real hook into the story or characters and I have no clue why Vin Diesel did this movie.  

Don't bother with this movie.  It's 90 minutes of your life that you can never get back.

The Green Inferno

The Green Inferno, directed, co-written, and produced by Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever),  follows a group of student activists who travel from New York City to the Amazon to save the rainforest. However, once they arrive in this vast green landscape, they soon discover that they are not alone…and that no good deed goes unpunished.

Eli Roth has further cemented his place in my mind as to why I will never travel out of the country.   Hostel definitely started it and pretty much eliminated all of Europe as far as I'm concerned.   This movie did the same thing for any jungle related part of the world.   This movie was downright nasty at times and it definitely made me think several times about what the hell was wrong with me that I was still watching it.  The graphic violence and grossness was off the charts.  There were ample points to turn the movie off because it really was just a one upper on what would they do next but I pushed through to the end somehow.

Was this a good movie?  No!  Should you see it?  God, no!  I will be wondering why this was ever made for a long time and I still think Eli Roth needs to be on some kind of a watchlist.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension

"Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" is the final entry in the franchise.

See how short that synopsis was?   That's about how much this movie really deserved.  At this point in the franchise, you know what you are getting with these movies.  It's pretty much an hour and ten minutes of lame setup for about ten minutes of scares at the end.  While it was cool with a lot of the links to and explanations about the previous entries, it wasn't enough to make you think that this movie franchise has not completely run its course by now.  

I wouldn't really recommend people wasting their time with this.  If you liked the others, this is more of the same but isn't really worth the time or money.

Bridge Of Spies

A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, Bridge of Spies tells the story of James Donovan (Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. Screenwriters Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen have woven this remarkable experience in Donovan’s life into a story inspired by true events that captures the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life.

This movie had me so turned around.  I thought it was all about spies and it really wasn't.  Normally that would be disappointing based on expectations but not this movie.  This movie, which was more about being a lawyer and dealing with difficult negotiation processes, was still a great watch.  Major kudos to Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks for really hooking you into a movie that could have ended up being dull as hell to the point that you have no choice but to be thrilled with the ending.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It was a very enjoyable watch.

The Walk

Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan.

I am speechless at how much I enjoyed this movie.  When I saw the trailer for it my immediate thought was why in the blue hell does that warrant a movie being made.  I saw that Robert Zemeckis was attached to it and thought that I'm sure he will do some great visual things but still - really?  This is a movie that will be worth two hours of my life?  It absolutely was.  I thought that Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a great job and the direction of the movie was done so well that you really get hooked into the story and the plan as it develops and plays out.  I'm actually kind of upset that I watched this movie online and not in theaters.  I can't help but think that this in IMAX or 3D would have been amazing.  Even the bootleg version had me physically tense up at certain shots with how high the tight rope stuff was.  

I would surprisingly recommend that everyone check this movie out.  While it didn't seem like it would be, it is an excellent story and very well directed.  

The Final Girls

When Max (Taissa Farmiga) and her friends reluctantly attend a anniversary screening of Camp Bloodbath, the infamous 80s horror film that starred Maxs late mother (Malin Akerman), they are mysteriously sucked into the silver screen. They soon realize they are trapped inside the cult classic movie and must team up with the fictional and ill-fated camp counselors, including Maxs mom as the scream queen, to battle the films machete-wielding killer. With the body count rising in scene after iconic scene, who will be the final girls left standing and live to escape this film?

This movie was actually pretty enjoyable for what it was.  It's a horror movie that mocks horror movies.  Not in a clever or original way like Scream but much more campy.  It only took itself serious when it had to and the rest of the movie ended up being very funny even though there is a lot of killing because of it.  

I would recommend horror fans check this out.  You get to watch a movie that is your cup of tea and get lots of laughs at the same time.

Pan

Offering a new take on the origin of the classic characters created by J.M. Barrie, the film follows the story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny-to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.

Kind of torn on this one.  Visually the movie was great.  The scene designs really became like a character in the movie and really was the best part.  It had a great look.  I also liked the different take on the familiar story with it being a prequel featuring known characters before they became the way we know them as.  All of that being said, the movie didnt really have much of a story and was just kind of a throwback adventure movie.  There isnt really anything wrong with that but I think that I expected something more.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It was a lot like Hook with Robin Williams from years ago.  Just keep your expectations in check.

Sicario

In Mexico, "Sicario" means hitman. In the lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent (Emily Blunt) is enlisted by an elite government task force official (Josh Brolin) to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past (Benicio Del Toro), the team sets out on a clandestine journey forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive.

This was a very gritty and real feeling movie. Benicio Del Toro was amazingly badass from start to finish. Josh Brolin was also great.  Emily Blunt did a great job playing the moral compass but the director spent way too much time focused on her pensive face.  There was no misunderstanding how she felt about the events taking place and the deep thought zoom ins just seemed too much after a while.  They could have trimmed a bunch of time off the movie and kept it tighter with less of that.  Outside of that - there was really not much to complain about.

I would recommend people checking this out. Its a very well done movie and very intense at parts.

Hotel Transylvania 2

The Drac pack is back for an all-new monster comedy adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 2! Everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania... Dracula’s rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn’t showing signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny – and in for a major cultural shock of her own – “Vampa” Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a “monster-in-training” boot camp. But little do they know that Drac’s grumpy and very old, old, old school dad Vlad is about to pay a family visit to the hotel. And when Vlad finds out that his great-grandson is not a pure blood – and humans are now welcome at Hotel Transylvania – things are going to get batty!

This was pretty disappointing.  The first movie was a surprisingly enjoyable movie.  This one felt a lot more like one of those sequels that is just slapped together to take parents' money.  There were not nearly enough laughs as the first one.  There wasn't enough of the side characters that made the first one more enjoyable.  The story was quick, lame and rushed.  

I wouldn't really recommend that anyone bother with this one.  Although, if you have kids you are going to end up going because there really isn't anything else out there for them.

Everest

Inspired by the incredible events surrounding a treacherous attempt to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain, Everest documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest of elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival.

This movie probably would have been amazing visually in the theater.  The cinematography of the mountain and what not pretty much made it an extra character in the movie.  The character development was awesome for both the mountain and the climbers.  There were a couple of moments where it was insanely intense and they did a great job of hooking you into the battle of the human spirit versus the elements.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  I was only somewhat interested in seeing it and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie.

The Martian

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible, rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, The Martian features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

Matt Damon has officially joined Tom Hanks and Will Smith as actors that can completely carry a movie by themselves.  Literally.  Just them on screen with scenery for the vast majority of the movie.  There was a huge cast in this and there were plenty of scenes where they were back on earth at Nasa with all of them.  But what really carried this movie were the parts where Matt Damon was all alone and trying to stay alive while awaiting his possible rescue.  Damon did an amazing job of portraying the desperation but also keeping it humorously light at times as well.  The ending of the movie got a little bit too fluffy and feel goodish for something that was so smart throughout the movie, but that really is the only knock that I can make against it.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's a great movie both visually and acting/writing wise.  They manage to make a very sci-fi movie a big time mainstream hit.  

The Intern

In The Intern, Robert De Niro plays Ben Whittaker, a 70-year-old widower who has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin (Hathaway).

This movie is pretty much formula in every way.  You have essentially seen the movie by seeing the trailer for it.  That being said, it is still an enjoyable watch because of Anne Hathaway and Robert DeNiro.  They had great on screen chemistry and that is what totally carried the movie.  

I wouldn't necessarily recommend that anyone rush off to see this.  It's a decent watch, especially if you like the two actors, but not a must see by any means.