The Shallows

In the taut thriller The Shallows, Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing alone on a secluded beach when she is attacked by a great white shark and stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards from her survival, getting there proves the ultimate contest of wills. It’s "Jaws" for a new generation.

This movie was pretty damn entertaining and creepy.  Sure it's not believable in so many ways, but just turn off your brain and enjoy a great shark movie.  This could easily serve as this generation's Jaws.  There were the same number of creepy shark coming visuals to make you jump and the movie was the perfect length for this kind of source material.

I would definitely recommend that anyone who was interested in seeing this do so.  It was a fun, scary movie that will probably have a negative effect on me swimming in the ocean for a while. 

Free State Of Jones

Directed by Gary Ross, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Free State of Jones is an epic action-drama set during the Civil War, and tells the story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Banding together with other small farmers and local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones. Knight continued his struggle into Reconstruction, distinguishing him as a compelling, if controversial, figure of defiance long beyond the War.

This movie couldn't really decide what it wanted to be.  It had you hooked right off the bat because it put you in the middle of a Civil War battle.   It looked gritty and realistic.  Then Newt decided to walk away from the war and the whole being on the run and forming the rebellion thing was great.  But then out of nowhere the movie went back and forth between some court case years later and the events of the rebellion.  This pretty much ruined the movie for me because I no longer felt like I was watching a Civil War version of Braveheart that I was surprisingly liking but it was half wannabe Braveheart and half wannabe A Few Good Men.  It made the movie very choppy and disconnected the audience from the hook it had created.

I wouldn't really recommend people checking this out.  It started off pretty good but then just kind of spiralled into a boring, when will this end type of movie. 

Independence Day: Resurgence

We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

Wow!  This movie was off the charts awful.  Like I expected garbage but what I got was like hot steaming garbage that was covered in a massive layer or poop.  It was literally that bad.  I loved Independence Day.  I remember seeing that and it feeling like an event.  You couldn't help but get hooked and enjoy the crazy ride.  This sequel to that is downright insulting and should never have been made.  It had nothing in it that made the first movie awesome except for the pointless returning characters.  But even they were awful because they were just there and pushed on you.  If they were trying to hook the next generation of viewers, those viewers have no idea who these characters are or why what they are saying should be considered funny.  The new characters were even more forced.  Will Smith said no to the movie (Side note - probably should have pulled the plug on this right then and there) so you kill his character off in memorial and have his son be a fighter pilot now?  UGH!!!   A huge part of what made Independence Day a successful movie was because it was us (current world society) verses them.  This movie took place 20 years later - which would make it the current time period we are in but the world had made much more sci-fi related advances and we were fighting them with their technology.  This pretty much caused an immediate disconnect with the audience that was the root of the first one's event feel.  And the ending?  All I will say is that the main action scene at the end was a huge mother alien chasing a school bus full of kids.  Yes.  You read that right.  That was the finale chase.  School bus vs alien.  

I would only recommend people seeing this to take in how god awful it was.  It is easily the worst movie of the year so far and will go down as one of the sequels that absolutely should never have been made.   

Central Intelligence

Central Intelligence follows a one-time bullied geek who grew up to be a lethal CIA agent (Johnson), coming home for his high school reunion. Claiming to be on a top-secret case, he enlists the help of the former “big man on campus” (Hart), now an accountant who misses his glory days. But before the staid numbers-cruncher realizes what he’s getting into it’s too late to get out, as his increasingly unpredictable new friend drags him through a world of shoot-outs, double-crosses and espionage that could get them both killed in more ways than he can count.

I had sky high hopes for this movie due to the pairing of The Rock and Kevin Hart.  I'll admit that the movie didn't meet those expectations but there were still a ton of laughs.  The Rock really can't do anything wrong as far as I'm concerned.  He just makes everything better.  The chemistry between him and Kevin Hart was awesome and there was something about his doofiness at times in this movie that seriously cracked me up.  The movie was paced well and had solid supporting characters.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's not wire to wire laughs like I had hoped, but it was still plenty funny enough to be worth the trip to theaters.

Finding Dory

Finding Dory reunites Dory with friends Nemo and Marlin on a search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale?

I was afraid of Pixar giving this the mailing it in treatment of Cars 2 as opposed to the Toy Story sequels and Monsters Inc prequel.  Happily - that was not the case.  While the move was nowhere near the greatness of Finding Nemo, it was still a great ride with lots of laughs, emotions and new characters.  This one definitely felt more forced when compared to the natural progression of Finding Nemo but the story was still good and the pacing was great.  As with all Pixar movies, the film was just as enjoyable for the adults as it was for the kids that take them.

I would absolutely recommend this movie to everyone.  It's a great ride with characters you are used to and flawlessly introduced new ones.

The Conjuring 2

Reprising their roles, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, who, in one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.


I thought that the first movie was a decent watch but nothing to bother seeing again.  This one came across as much better than that one.  There was much higher levels of creepiness to this one.  The story was much more straight forward and it made the movie much more enjoyable.  Can't really say too much more without giving stuff away.   But I definitely jumped more times during this one and was much more hooked by the story that was playing out than the original.

I would definitely recommend this movie to fans of scary movies.  This was a very enjoyable watch and the two leads are perfect for this kind of a movie.

Now You See Me 2

The Four Horsemen [Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan] return for a second mind-bending adventure, elevating the limits of stage illusion to new heights and taking them around the globe. One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public’s adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, the illusionists resurface for a comeback performance in hopes of exposing the unethical practices of a tech magnate. The man behind their vanishing act is none other than Walter Mabry [Daniel Radcliffe], a tech prodigy who threatens the Horsemen into pulling off their most impossible heist yet. Their only hope is to perform one last unprecedented stunt to clear their names and reveal the mastermind behind it all.


I was a big fan of the first movie.  I wasn't sure that it necessitated a sequel but it was a very enjoyable movie if you just shut your brain off and enjoy the ride.  This movie was pretty much more of the same.  They replaced Isla Fisher flawlessly.  The chemistry was all still there and the filmmaking style with the magic tricks itself was still great.  Daniel Radcliffe was a great addition and was pretty enjoyable to watch in the villain role too.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  If you liked the first, you will definitely like this one.  You do have to be able to just enjoy instead of overanalyzing it.  If you do - you probably won't enjoy it as much.

Me Before You

Based on the critically acclaimed, bestselling novel by Jojo Moyes, New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ Me Before You stars Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) and Sam Claflin (“The Hunger Games” series), under the direction of Thea Sharrock, making her feature film directorial debut. 

Wow!  Fewer movies I've ever seen have been more sad than this one.  It was a great story with amazing chemistry between the two leads.  The development of their relationship really hooks you but makes it all that much harder to watch it play out.  No spoilers but be prepared to cry.  The theater I saw it in was sold out and it was basically a group sobfest.  

I'd recommend people checking this out.  It was a great movie.  Just be prepared to cry.  A lot. 

Warcraft

Legendary’s Warcraft is a 3D epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based upon Blizzard Entertainment’s globally-renowned universe. 


I was never really into this stuff or World Of Warcraft or Dungeons & Dragons or whatever.  So I was minimally excited at best to see this.  I was actually thrilled to see it show up online so I didn't have to go to theaters time or schedule wise.  It was a decent watch and had some pretty cool special effects and cinematography.  The action scenes were pretty cool too.  But that is pretty much all I have to say about it.

Again - I'm probably not the best reviewer of this because it's not really my thing.  I thought it was pretty cool battle CGI effects but that was it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the sequel to the 2014 hit film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  The film is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.  

This was an enjoyable sequel.  There was plenty of action.  There were plenty of laughs.  They did a great job of introducing the characters.  The only problem was that it was way too much CGI.  The movie was really at its best when it was not action scenes because then there was just way too much happening on the screen - especially at the end.

I liked the movie and would recommend people checking it out.  Even though it's too much at times it's still a very fun watch - especially if you like TMNT.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Universal Pictures’ Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is headlined by musical digital-shorts superstars Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, collectively known as The Lonely Island. The comedy goes behind the scenes as singer/rapper Conner4Real (Samberg) faces a crisis of popularity after his sophomore album flops, leaving his fans, sycophants and rivals all wondering what to do when he’s no longer the dopest star of all.


I thought this movie was funny as hell.  The mockumentary style was great.  The cameos throughout were great.  The songs were hysterical.  I had to download the soundtrack right after seeing it.  The movie had a perfectly short running time too.  I love The Lonely Island and still found this movie to be very funny with those high expectations.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  Tons of laughs throughout the movie.