Ghost In The Shell

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, Ghost in the Shell follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology. The film is based on the famous Kodansha Comics manga series of the same name, written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.

This movie was excellent visually.  They did an incredible job of taking you into this world and making you feel that you are really there.  The action was great and the chemistry between Johansson and her partner was also very well done.  Unfortunately, the pacing of the story was slow as hell and there were several points throughout where the movie dragged tremendously.  It ended up being one of those hour and 45 minute movies that felt more like 2 1/2 hours.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this movie out.  It was great visually but kind of rough story wise.

Chips

Jon Baker (Dax Shepard) and Frank “Ponch” Poncherello (Michael Peña) have just joined the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Los Angeles but for very different reasons. Baker is a beaten up pro motorbiker trying to put his life and marriage back together. Poncherello is a cocky undercover Federal agent investigating a multi-million dollar heist that may be an inside job—inside the CHP. The inexperienced rookie and hardened pro are teamed together, but clash more than click, so kickstarting a partnership is easier said than done. But with Baker’s bike skills combined with Ponch’s street savvy it might just work…if they don’t drive each other crazy along the way.

This movie was pretty much garbage.  I expected nothing from the movie and got even less.  Don't remember laughing at all.  I have no clue what the point of this movie was or why in the blue hell they thought that the world was missing a Chips reboot.  It wasn't.  

I would recommend that absolutely nobody waste their time with this.  I still don't know how I made it to the end without pulling the plug early.

Power Rangers

Saban's Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.

Whether you like this movie or not might depend on how much of a fan boy or fan girl you are of the franchise.  I was a lukewarm fan of the Power Rangers when I was younger so I thought the movie was a pretty good watch.  They did a decent enough job of developing the characters and the story.  The action was better and didn't cross over into Transformers land of special effects vomit to the point of not being able to tell what was actually happening.  

I don't know if this one will satisfy the die hard fans or not but I was able to enjoy it.  I'd recommend people checking it out.  It was a pretty good reboot.

Life

Life is a terrifying sci-fi thriller about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station whose mission of discovery turns to one of primal fear when they find a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars, and now threatens the crew and all life on Earth.

This movie is exactly what you would think from the trailer for it.  It's a wannabe Alien.  That doesn't mean it's bad or anything.  It's definitely a decent watch.  But there is pretty much nothing original or not predictable about the story or any of its characters.  

I'd somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It's a decent watch but really just a retread of a story told several times already.

The Belko Experiment

In a twisted social experiment, a group of 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogata, Colombia and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.

This was basically a slightly tweaked version of The Purge.  Same basic violent concept with a different setup of how to get there.  The movie was enjoyable for what it was.  If you like movies like The Purge, then this one won't disappoint you.  Lots of crazy violence.  Lots of people cracking under pressure.  Lots of uncomfortable laughs from the panicked participants.  

Again - I would recommend this movie to anyone that enjoyed The Purge or any of the sequels.  If you can turn your brain off and enjoy movies like that, this is an enjoyable watch.  If not - you shouldn't go near this with a ten foot pole.

T2: Trainspotting

Striking with preemptive speed, TriStar Pictures has acquired the worldwide rights to Danny Boyle’s much-anticipated sequel to Trainspotting.  T2 Trainspotting, based on characters created by Irvine Welsh, reunites director Danny Boyle with screenwriter John Hodge and all of the principal cast of the 1996 film—Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle will reprise the iconic roles of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie.

I don't want to say that this movie was disappointing.  I will go with it just being much different than what I expected.  The best part of the original Trainspotting was the manic way that it was filmed where you kind of felt like you were on the same drugs as the characters and you went along for the crazy ride and perceptions of the world through their eyes.  This movie didn't touch any of that with a ten foot pole.  The closest that they came to it was random side vignettes.  This movie was more about how none of the characters had changed in the last 20 years and it kind of made the movie more depressing than manic and hopeful like the first one.  It was still a watchable movie and pretty decent for what it was.  It was just very different and more mellow than I had expected.

I would still recommend any fans of the original and these characters check it out because the familiarity with them is what still makes the movie good even with its way different tone and what not.  Just go into it with very different expectations.

Rock Dog

For the Tibetan Mastiffs living on Snow Mountain, a dog’s life has a simple riff: Guard a peaceful village of wool-making sheep from the thuggish wolf Linnux (Lewis Black) and his rabid pack. To avoid distractions, Mastiff leader Khampa (J.K. Simmons) forbids all music from the mountain. But when Khampa’s son Bodi (Luke Wilson) discovers a radio dropped by a passing airplane, it takes just a few guitar licks for his fate to be sealed: Bodi wants to be a rock ‘n’ roll star. Yet that means defying his father’s wishes, heading to the city, and locating the legendary – and reclusive – musician Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard), who needs to write a new song and fast.  If Bodi can put a band together, help Angus with his song, and defeat the wolves’ plot to take Snow Mountain, his life will be in tune. Bodi will become what he’s always dreamed of being: More than a dog … more than a Rock God… he’ll be a ROCK DOG!

Wow!  This is easily one of the most boring animated movies I've seen in a long time.  And I'm pretty much a huge fan of them.  This movie had no hook.  No characters that stick with you.  And you can't even say that it was no good for adults because it's technically a kids movie anyway because the story is kind of too over the head of kids too.  It wanted to be a Pixar or Dreamworks animation type of movie with parents liking it as much as the kids but pretty much massively missed on both fronts.

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering with this movie.  I honestly only watched it because it showed up online and I was bored out of my mind watching it.

Beauty And The Beast

The beloved tale will be retold for the big screen with a modern live-action lens and the help of transformative CG magic. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will star as Belle and the Beast/Prince respectively, and Luke Evans will play the role of Gaston. Emma Thompson has joined the cast as Mrs. Potts and Kevin Kline as Belle's father, Maurice.

This was easily one of Disney's better live action remakes of their classic animated movies.  I still think that overall Jungle Book is still the best but that was pretty much entirely CGI with the animals.  With the actors included - this one becomes the best one that they have done so far.  All the classic songs were there and they did a really good job of capturing the characters quirks that made you love the animated versions from back in the day.  Emma Watson was perfectly cast along with Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad  as his sidekick that literally stole every scene that he was in.  There are some scenes in this live action version that will terrify the younger kids but it was a very enjoyable watch and will probably end up being the biggest movie of this year that doesn't have Star Wars in the title. 

I absolutely recommend everyone checking this out.  It's rare that remakes are enjoyable as this one was.

The Shack

Based on the New York Times best-selling novel, The Shack takes us on a father’s uplifting spiritual journey. After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) spirals into a deep depression causing him to question his innermost beliefs. Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a woman named Papa (Octavia Spencer). Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever.

To say that I am not really a spiritual or religious person is a massive understatement.  Movies like this tend to make me roll my eyes and pretty much lose my attention very easily.  This was all prior to the last year and a half.  After all of that my faith is even more shattered and I find it very difficult to believe in things spiritually.  All of that being said - this movie was like a roundhouse kick to the side of the head.  This movie connected with me more than I could have possibly imagined.  The Mack character was saying things and asking questions about God and faith that I have been.  There were so many points throughout this movie that were gut shots and really made me think about things.  

I would actually recommend people checking this out.  It was so much better than I thought I would and really tries to help people see things in a different light.

Kong: Skull Island

The producers of Godzilla reimagine the origins of one the most powerful monster myths of all in “Kong: Skull Island.” This compelling, original adventure tells the story of a diverse team of scientists, soldiers and adventurers uniting to explore a mythical, uncharted island in the Pacific, as dangerous as it is beautiful. Cut off from everything they know, the team ventures into the domain of the mighty Kong, igniting the ultimate battle between man and nature. As their mission of discovery becomes one of survival, they must fight to escape a primal Eden in which humanity does not belong.

If you are a fan of monster movies - this was a very enjoyable watch.  Plenty of excellent action and it was quality.  No gimmicky half showing of things or shaky camera work to compensate for the effects.  The effects were legit and not just quick shots and moving on.  These were pretty extended fights that you can't help but be in awe of.  The characters were not necessarily over developed which also helped make the movie enjoyable because you are really just there for the crazy monster stuff.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this bad boy out.  It was a very fun watch and it looks like the Monsterverse is going to be in full effect moving forward.  This was a great follow up to Godzilla from a few years back.

Before I Fall

What if you had only one day to change absolutely everything? Samantha Kingston has everything: the perfect friends, the perfect guy, and a seemingly perfect future. Then, everything changes. After one fateful night, Sam wakes up with no future at all. Trapped reliving the same day over and over, she begins to question just how perfect her life really was. As she begins to untangle the mystery of a life suddenly derailed, she must also unwind the secrets of the people closest to her, and discover the power of a single day to make a difference, not just in her own life, but in the lives of those around her--before she runs out of time for good.

This movie was based on a young adult novel and you could totally tell.  That being said - it was pretty well told of the girl reliving the same day before she dies over and over again in order to see the wrongs that she needs to right to be at peace.  The characters were done just good enough to make you not lose interest.  

I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to see this but I will admit it was a better watch than I had expected going in.

Logan

In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.

This was a great, great movie.  It was an excellent ode to Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine for 17 years.  However - it was absolutely NOT an X-Men movie.  I can totally understand people going into this with those kinds of expectations being massively disappointed with this movie.  There were virtually no sci-fi special effects.  The action was very straight forward and they loved having the R rating and not having to hold back.  There was no futuristic cinematography.  Everything was very barren backgrounds and what not.  This movie was basically a legit movie about getting older and coming to terms with it but starring Wolverine.  There really is no other way to describe it.  In terms of acting and actual screenwriting - this is the best  of the X-Men movies. 

If you are able to see it for that, you will be able to really appreciate this movie.  If you are looking for a heavy special effects popcorn movie that X-Men has become known for - you will be heavily disappointed.

Table 19

Ex-maid of honor Eloise (Anna Kendrick) - having been relieved of her duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text - decides to hold her head up high and attend her oldest friend's wedding anyway. She finds herself seated at the 'random' table in the back of the ballroom with a disparate group of strangers, most of whom should have known to just send regrets (but not before sending something nice off the registry). As everyone's secrets are revealed, Eloise learns a thing or two from the denizens of Table 19. Friendships - and even a little romance - can happen under the most unlikely circumstances.

This was a very cute independent comedy.  It was a textbook artsy limited release.  Quirky characters that totally hook you.  More of a story than the trailer showed you to get you interested.  But the story really doesn't matter because its the characters that you care about.  Each one of the misfits at Table 19 delivered the needed laughs to make the movie worth watching and the short running time was also very important.  Stephen Merchant delivered yet another great supporting role and was probably my favorite of all of them.

I would sort of recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see by any means and is absolutely not a main stream  comedy.  It is a decent watch though if you were interested by the trailer even with the added drama they thought was necessary to add to the movie.