Don't Breathe

A group of friends break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect heist. They’re wrong.

See how simple that synopsis was?   That's easily what made this movie so great.  It had a short running time, didn't waste time with over development, and jumped right into the creepiness and thrills.  The movie was very enjoyable and had you sitting on the edge of your seat plenty of times.  Just when you think the movie is going to get a little played out, it switches gears and gets you hooked for the second part of the story.   

I would definitely recommend this movie to thriller fans.  Its short, well directed and paced in a way that keeps you hooked and makes you jump plenty of times.  

Kubo And The Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato, Hashi and Kamekichi. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey and Beetle, and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen - a magical musical instrument - Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King and the evil twin Sisters to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.

This was an awesome movie.  It's not your normal animated movie for kids because the subject matter will probably go flying over their heads.  But the animation was amazing and kept getting better as the movie went on.  And the story of the boy and his parents and finding out about your ancestors and history was great.  

I loved this movie and would definitely recommend people checking it out but it really is not a mainstream movie in any way.  Kids won't necessarily like it because it is a pretty deep story overall but it was incredibly well done and told.

War Dogs

War Dogs follows two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami Beach during the Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a 300 million dollar deal to arm the Afghan Military—a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government.

This was a great movie due to the awesome chemistry between Miles Teller and Jonah Hill. I actually think this was one of Jonah Hill's better overall performances.  The story was paced perfectly and was given the proper time to develop.  You get really hooked by the friendship and it was a perfect balance between Teller's WTF type of reaction to everything and Jonah Hill's nothing to worry about reaction.  Even though it really was a drama movie due to the subject matter and Jonah Hill's character development, there were a ton of laughs throughout.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a great watch and very surprising to find such a great movie in theaters in late August.

Pete's Dragon

A reimagining of the 1977 Disney classic, Pete’s Dragon will blend live action and CGI to tell the story of the special bond between an orphaned boy, Pete, and his best friend, Elliott, who just happens to be a dragon. 

The original Pete's Dragon was one of my favorite movies growing up.  I used to watch it over and over again at my grandmother's house.  I was a little worried about them messing the movie up by reimagining it.  Thankfully, I was dead wrong.  This movie was an awesome family film.  It was the type of movie that made me fall in love with movies way back in the day.  Sure it was cute and fluffy at times but it was all about imagination and love.  I laughed, I cried, and I connected several aspects of the boy's adventure to moments throughout my life.

I would absolutely recommend people check this movie out.  This is especially true for families looking for a great all around movie going experience.  

Sausage Party

Sausage Party is a raunchy animated movie about one sausage's quest to discover the truth about his existence. After falling out of a shopping cart, our hero sausage and his new friends embark on a perilous journey through the supermarket to get back to their aisles before the 4th of July sale.

The movie had several moments of absolute hilarity that had the whole audience laughing.  The innuendos and references made were so well written and off the charts funny.   But there were definitely times where I would have probably preferred the innuendos as opposed to them actually showing some stuff.  At one point there was like an actual food orgy and it was weird as hell to watch.  The movie was definitely raunchy as hell but like I said so damn funny at times.  The only movie that I can compare this to with its laughs and wtf moments of what you were actually watching was Team America.

I would recommend people checking this out if they are interested in some big laughs and total raunchiness is not a turn off for them.  Otherwise you should absolutely not see this.  And parents of young teenagers be warned - this is absolutely a R rated movie that you don't want your kids to see or for you to foolishly go with them to see it.

Suicide Squad

It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

This was a tough one to review as are pretty much all DC Comic films.  Lets start with the positives.  The characters were great.  Will Smith was the best and was finally back to being the Will Smith of old.  Didn't realize how much I missed him until seeing him in this one.  Margot Robbie was great as Harley Quinn even if she was a little "softer" than the character usually is.  Jared Leto was great as a mibster version of The Joker.  The other characters were greatly too (especially El Diablo) as well as Viola Davis as the government official pulling the strings.  The chemistry between all of them was awesome and the first 45 minutes of this movie really made you think DC finally got something right.  And then came the villain.  And thats where the cons start.  The whole mystical and magical villain thing sucked.  DC always screws the pooch with villains because they insist on having too many of them and going CGI crazy with them.  Just like with Batman Vs Superman.  Yes, Lex Luthor being overacted was one of the more annoying parts of that one but if it was just him versus the superheroes instead of Doomsday and all the chaos that brought it probably would have been a better movie.   It was the same with this using Joker and the villain (without giving too much away).  In all honesty - they pretty much forced Joker into this movie and they eould have been better off going all in with him or not having him at all until the end as a tease or something.  It should have been Suicide Squad against Joker and his goons or them against the movie's main villain.  It messed up the story by working towards the villain story but forcing the Joker in every once and a while regardless of how goid Jared Leto was as him.  

My ranting is done now.  I would still recommend that people check this movie out.  It is definitely one of DC's better movies if not the best one.  The characters were great and the movie was enjoyable.  It just once again could have been better if DC would stop overdoing it every time on the villain front.  

The Infiltrator

Based on a true story, Federal agent Robert "Bob" Mazur (Bryan Cranston) goes deep undercover to infiltrate Pablo Escobar's drug trafficking scene plaguing the nation in 1986 by posing as slick, money-laundering businessman Bob Musella. Teamed with impulsive and streetwise fellow agent Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo) and rookie agent posing as his fiancé Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger), Mazur befriends Escobar's top lieutenant Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt). Navigating a vicious criminal network in which the slightest slip-up could cost him his life, Mazur risks it all building a case that leads to indictments of 85 drug lords and the corrupt bankers who cleaned their dirty money, along with the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, one of the largest money-laundering banks in the world.

This was a really well told and acted movie.  Bryan Cranston continued his excellence in the field and did a great job basically playing two parts between the actual character and who he had to become undercover.  At no point did this slightly more than 2 hour movie drag or feel like the pacing was lame.  I don't know why this got a quiet release in the crowded summer field.  It could have done so much better given a more appropriate release date.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out if they have the chance.  It is a high quality movie across the board and a great vehicle for Bryan Cranston to shine yet again.

Mechanic: Resurrection

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) returns as the Mechanic in the sequel to the 2011 action thriller. When the deceitful actions of a cunning but beautiful woman (Jessica Alba) force him to return to the life he left behind, Bishop's life is once again in danger as he has to complete an impossible list of assassinations of the most dangerous men in the world.

Pretty much your standard Jason Statham entry.  Lots of action.  Good pacing.  No reason to bother with overdevelopment of story or characters.  Some of the stunts and the inventive ways of him taking out the opposition were crazy and really hooked you a little more than just the usual hand to hand combat movies he churns out.

If you are a fan of Statham movies, you will like this one.  Like I said - not much substance just more of the usual stuff from him.  If that's your thing - check it out.  If not - definitely pass.

Ice Age: Collision Course

Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters.

How is this a movie franchise with 5 movies?  How is this the biggest box office animated franchise of all time!?!  I have never really been that into the Ice Age movies and I'm a HUGE fan of animated movies.  It just never really hooked me.  But the bottom line is that kids love them and my two nieces had a great time seeing it so even though they really are not my cup of tea it was more than worth the time to watch their enjoyment.

Again - was never a fan of these movies/characters.  But if you have kids and they like it, take one for the team and take them to see it like my friends and I did.  

Bad Moms

In this new comedy from the grateful husbands and devoted fathers who wrote The Hangover, Amy has a seemingly perfect life - a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beautiful home and a career. However she's over-worked, over-committed and exhausted to the point that she's about to snap.  Fed up, she joins forces with two other over-stressed moms on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities – going on a wild, un-mom-like binge of long overdue freedom, fun and self-indulgence – putting them on a collision course with PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn and her clique of devoted perfect moms.

This movie was hilarious with a heart.  The mom stuff was great and very touching at times but the laughs were off the charts.  The three leads really played their parts to perfection and their chemistry was perfect.  That being said - Kathryn Hahn stole the show.  She was as hilarious of a supporting character in this as Will Ferrell was in Old School and Zach Gallifinakis in The Hangover.  She really was that damn funny.

If you are looking for laughs I absolutely recommend this movie.  It's pretty raunchy at times but really was hilarious.

Jason Bourne

Matt Damon returns to his most iconic role in Jason Bourne. Paul Greengrass, the director of "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum," once again joins Damon for the next chapter of Universal Pictures’ Bourne franchise, which finds the CIA’s most lethal former operative drawn out of the shadows.

This was yet another excellent entry in the Bourne franchise.  If you like the others you will certainly like this one.  More twists and turns and new characters were fluidly introduced.  The fighting and car chases continue to be the most realistic ones I've ever seen.  You can't watch them and not see it as actually happening with no additional special effects.  

I would absolutely recommend people checking this movie out.  It is a very enjoyable and action filled roller coaster ride.

Nerve

Industrious high school senior, Vee Delmonico [Emma Roberts], has had it with living life on the sidelines. When pressured by friends to join the popular online game Nerve, Vee decides to sign up for just one dare in what seems like harmless fun. But as she finds herself caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition partnered with a mysterious stranger [Dave Franco], the game begins to take a sinister turn with increasingly dangerous acts, leading her into a high stakes finale that will determine her entire future.​

This was a decent movie.  It really puts into perspective how screwed up the YouTube generation really is that this could be a legit game/app that would be a HUGE success with everyone's addiction to their five minutes of fame.  The chemistry between the leads was definitely there making the movie watchable for the appreciated short running time.

The movie was a decent watch like I said but I don't know that I would necessarily recommend it.  Watchable doesn't really make it worth time and money.

Lights Out

From producer James Wan (The Conjuring) comes a tale of an unknown terror that lurks in the dark. When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn’t real when the lights went out…and now her little brother, Martin, is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie, has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger…once the lights go out.

The trailers for this movie were terrifying so I was expecting to pretty much crap myself from this movie.  There definitely were plenty of scary moments.but not as much as I expected.  That's not to say the movie was no good.  It definitely was.  I'm just saying it could have been even scarier.  The good thing though was how simple the story was and how short the running time was.  They didn't waste any time and they didn't have a whole convoluted story.  Always a fan of that.

I would absolutely recommend that fans of horror movies check this out.  It was a great watch but was not as scary as I had thought it would be based on the trailers.

Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond, the highly-anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In "Beyond," the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

I was never a huge fan of Star Trek growing up.  Star Wars was pretty much my religion.  I never watched any of the Star Trek shows but did see the movies.  They were not bad but they just always seemed too sci-fi for my tastes.  When JJ Abrams reintroduced Star Trek to movie theaters a few years back with a great, young cast he made me a fan.  I have enjoyed both films that he did and I enjoyed this one alot too.  It had a lot of great actions, great laughs with characters bickering and great visuals throughout - especially the space attack scenes that looked amazing.  It was very well paced and was an enjoyable ride overall.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a very fun movie and I continue to be surprised that I can refer to myself as a Star Trek fan now.

Ghostbusters

Thirty years after the original film took the world by storm, Ghostbusters is back and fully rebooted for a new generation. Director Paul Feig combines all the paranormal fighting elements that made the original franchise so beloved with a cast of new characters, played by the funniest actors working today. Get ready to watch them save the world this summer!

It goes without saying that this movie was probably the most scrutinized in advance movie of all time.  Any time that you are "rebooting" one of the most beloved movies of all time you are going to go through that.  Ghostbusters is probably one of my favorite movies of all time and I was beyond skeptical about them being able to pull this off.  I was fine with the all woman cast and I'm actually a huge Melissa McCarthy fan and love Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones on SNL too.  I've never been a big fan of Kristen Wiig so that was lowering my expectations for this alot too.  Regardless - all of the knocking of the movie in advance ended up being wrong as this movie was actually good.  Not great - but good.  It didn't destroy the movie or whatever that they were all women.  I was fine with that.  My only real complaint was that Melissa McCarthy was kind of wasted by playing the straight character.  She could have delivered much bigger laughs in the Bill Murray-ish part as opposed to the Dan Aakroyd one.  And Kristen Wiig was the exact disappointment that I expected.  It was like they both played the Dan Aakroyd part honestly.  Kate McKinnon was easily the best part of the movie and stole every scene she was in.  Leslie Jones was good.  The cameos were all good.  Again - the movie was good.  Not great - but good.  And the bottom line is that this movie is more for the next generation not ours.  My niece who is 10 years old saw this movie with us and watching her reaction to it all was exactly how I remembered reacting to the original one.  She was crazy scared at the ghost like parts but loved the movie overall and was talking so excitedly about it.  That is what Ghostbusters is all about.

Pretty sure that most people are going to see this regardless of my review.  It was a good watch.  The knocking of it ended up being unwarranted.  The women were funny.   It could have been better but it was still enjoyable and the new generation will undoubtedly love this movie.

Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates

Hard-partying brothers Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) place an online ad to find the perfect dates (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves outsmarted and out-partied by the uncontrollable duo.

This movie had me belly laughing so many times throughout the movie.  I am a big fan of all four of the leads at this point - including Zac Efron who really is following the Justin Timberlake career path of going from teen heartthrob to becoming really damn funny.  The chemistry between the four leads was awesome and the real hidden gem is the sister of Mike & Dave who does a great part of basically being tortured in many different ways throughout the movie.  

I would absolutely recommend people seeing this.  The movie is pretty raunchy at times but is probably the funniest movie of the summer so far regardless.  The chemistry between the actors/actresses was simply that great.

The Secret Life Of Pets

For one bustling Manhattan apartment building, the real day starts after the folks on two legs leave for work and school. That’s when the pets of every stripe, fur and feather begin their own nine-to-five routine: hanging out with each other, trading humiliating stories about their owners, or auditioning adorable looks to get better snacks. The building’s top dog, Max (voiced by Louis C.K.), a quick-witted terrier rescue who’s convinced he sits at the center of his owner’s universe, finds his pampered life rocked when she brings home Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a sloppy, massive mess of a mongrel with zero interpersonal skills. When this reluctant canine duo finds themselves out on the mean streets of New York, they have to set aside their differences and unite against a fluffy-yet-cunning bunny named Snowball (Kevin Hart), who’s building an army of Ex-Pets abandoned by their owners and out to turn the tables on humanity…all before dinnertime.

My friend was spot on when he said that this was pretty much a pets version of Toy Story.  I still enjoyed the movie very much and there was plenty of laughs throughout.  The characters were great and definitely will catch on tremendously with kids that see this movie.  But it really was the same story and everything as Toy Story.  

I would still definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a fun watch and is pretty much a must for anyone with kids.  Although I thought that the movie would be funnier than it was it was still very much enjoyable.  

The Legend Of Tarzan

It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Captain Leon Rom (Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.

This was a slightly different take on the traditional Tarzan story.  The raised by apes stuff was all in flashback form with the movie taking place after the whole going back to civilization thing.  He is going back to his roots after adjusting to the world.  That different take along with Christoph Waltz being such a great villain made this movie much more enjoyable than I expected.  I'm not saying this was a great movie or anything.  It was beyond predictable and pretty formula across the board but it wasn't as bad as a movie as critics made it out to be. 

I would somewhat recommend people checking this movie out.  It's not a must watch and there are definitely better options out there.  But it's a pretty good watch and different take on the Tarzan story and nice to see Skarsgard finally get his shot at leading man status.

The Purge: Election Year

It’s been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night. Now serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), his mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent. But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive until dawn…or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state.

It's really strange to say how smart these movies are.  They take the shock/gore genre and inject it with an actually thought out governmental story line that combined with the psychological mind screw of thinking about the premise and make a legit good movie even with the crazy over the top gore and violence.  To think that this franchise is now three movies deep and that they are actually getting better/smarter is an even more impressive accomplishment.  

I would absolutely recommend anyone who is a fan of the previous entries check this out. It's a good watch just like the other two and manages to take your brain to a place imagining that this world actually exists.  Just remind yourself afterword that it doesn't so you don't kill someone in the parking lot on your way to the car.

The BFG

The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams.  Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows. But Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome.  Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see Queen Victoria (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.

This was a very cute movie.  It had that special kind of a feel to it.  You could tell that this was a Spielberg movie made for kids.  It had that feel.  Visually, the giant scenes were amazing.  Especially the ones where he was roaming the streets and hiding.  It was done so fluidly.  You couldn't help but get hooked by the friendship between the little girl and the giant and wanting to see how the story would play out.  

I would definitely recommend people with children taking their kids to check this out.  It's a very good family watch that will unfortunately probably get buried because of being released between two huge animated movies this summer.

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.  

Alice Through The Looking Glass

Alice Through the Looking Glass reunites the all-star cast from the worldwide blockbuster phenomenon, including: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter along with the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. We are also introduced to several new characters: Zanik Hightopp (Rhys Ifans), the Mad Hatter’s father and Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen), a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.  Alice Kingsleigh (Wasikowska) has spent the past few years following in her father’s footsteps and sailing the high seas. Upon her return to London, she comes across a magical looking glass and returns to the fantastical realm of Underland and her friends the White Rabbit (Sheen), Absolem (Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Fry) and the Mad Hatter (Depp), who is not himself. The Hatter has lost his Muchness, so Mirana (Hathaway) sends Alice on a quest to borrow the Chronosphere, a metallic globe inside the chamber of the Grand Clock which powers all time. Returning to the past, she comes across friends – and enemies – at different points in their lives, and embarks on a perilous race to save the Hatter before time runs out.


This movie was very much like the first one.  All scenery but not a lot of substance.  Visually the movie was just as great as the first one, but there just fails to be a big enough hook for you to care.  It feels very much like an unnecessary and forced sequel.   I thought the first one was decent but this one would be just okay or maybe even worse.  It's funny that Alice In Wonderland is the movie that started Disney turning all their animated classics into live action movies but the two Alice movies are probably the worst ones.

I would not recommend people bothering with this movie.  It's really not worth the time or money.  It's sad to see how far Johnny Depp has fallen.

The Darkness

From the director of the cult classic, Wolf Creek, Greg McLean, comes the supernatural thriller The Darkness.  As a family returns home from vacation at the Grand Canyon, they innocently bring home a supernatural force that preys off their own fears and vulnerabilities, threatening to destroy them from within, while consuming their lives with terrifying consequences.

This movie was a decent watch.  There was a good enough level of creepiness to keep you interested in the movie.  The son with autism was played excellently.  To be honest he pretty much carried the movie.

I would somewhat recommend thriller or scary movie fans checking this out.  It was a decent enough watch and was definitely better than I expected.

X-Men: Apocalypse

Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-Men: Apocalypse. Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.

I will say first that I liked this movie more than I thought I would.  I had pretty low expectations based on the trailers because it looked like they were making the same mistakes with the first X-Men trilogy.  Too many mutants.  Making Magneto a secondary villain.  And marketing wise - showing Jennifer Lawrence in human form much more than the blue Mystique form was annoying the hell out of me.  And all three of those things definitely did bother me about the movie, but compared to Last Stand (aka X-Men 3), this movie at least had a story instead of rambling along and just throwing some mutants on the screen.  In fact, it might have had too much story.  This movie was 2 1/2 hours long plus all the previews.  And you felt it.  The story of Apocalypse had to be developed/explained.  Then they had to get you up to date on where the mutants we are familiar with were.  Then they had to introduce you to the new ones.  At one point - the bad guys were just chilling on a mountain top for a good half hour of the movie so the story could play out . . . . . and then you got the crazy and chaotic conclusion with all the mutants fighting.  

I would still recommend this movie to people even though it sounds like I had mostly negative things to say.  It wasn't nearly as smart or good as First Class or Days Of Future Past, but it was still a good watch and brought some good mutants into the fray for moving forward with the franchise.