Halloween

Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. Greer would play Karen Strode, the daughter of Curtis’ character.

I wish that all reboots or way after the fact sequels or whatever you want to call them were this good.  This is easily the best Halloween movie after the original two . . . . . . although it technically doesn't even acknowledge Halloween II.  LOL!!!   That was the weirdest part of the whole thing is that it literally is erasing the last 40 years and 10 movies from the franchise.  But honestly - you get over that real quick as you watching because this is the EXACT movie that you want.  No over the top stuff - just crazy psycho killer back and on the warpath.  Lots of creepiness.  Lots of those uncomfortable laughs.  EXACTLY what made these kinds of movies great in the first place.  

I would absolutely recommend that horror fans check this out.  It was great addition to the franchise . . . . . again - even if it technically wiped out the whole franchise in the process.  

Johnny English Strikes Again

Johnny English Strikes Again is the third installment of the Johnny English comedy series, with Rowan Atkinson returning as the much loved accidental secret agent. The new adventure begins when a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all active undercover agents in Britain, leaving Johnny English as the Secret Service’s last hope. Called out of retirement, English dives head first into action with the mission to find the mastermind hacker. As a man with few skills and analogue methods, Johnny English must overcome the challenges of modern technology to make this mission a success.

All I can really say is how is this a franchise?  I literally watched this and immediately forgot about it five minutes later.  Legit.  Don't remember a damn thing from it besides saying over and over again "how is this a three movie franchise?"

I wouldn't recommend anyone bother with this.  It really is a waste of time.  

A Simple Favor

A Simple Favor, directed by Paul Feig, centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town. Stephanie is joined by Emily's husband Sean (Henry Golding) in this stylish thriller filled with twists and betrayals, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge.

This was a really enjoyable watch but confusing at the same time.  Was it a comedy?  Was it a suspense movie?  Was it a drama?  It really hit a couple of different chords and hit all of them really well.   There was a certain lingering level of interest and intensity throughout that really hooked the viewer and kept you wanting more.

I would definitely recommend that people check this one out.  It was a very surprisingly enjoyable watch.

First Man

Based on the authorized biography "First Man: A Life Of Neil A. Armstrong" by James Hansen. NASA historian James R. Hansen got rare direct access to Armstrong, a test pilot-turned-astronaut who was so driven to reach the moon and play the role of American hero that he became known as "the Ice Commander." Armstrong had a family tragedy before Apollo that turned him into this driven astronaut, and he became such a perfect hero that while Buzz Aldrin was announced to be the first man on the moon, NASA reversed its decision because Neil was regarded as more heroic. Armstrong returned from the moon as one of the most famous men on Earth but didn't capitalize on it with a political career or endorsements. He reconnected with his family, shut out the world and became an intensely private man.

This was an incredibly well done movie.  The direction was great.   Everything felt off the charts real and genuine.  Such an amazing amount of detail clearly went into all of this.  The acting was also top notch and the story was clearly interesting.  The movie was definitely on the too long side though and could have been scaled back a bit.  And in all honesty - there were definitely long stretches of the movie where I could see people feeling like it was a bit of a snoozefest but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It is a very great movie and will surely be nominated for a ton of awards later this year.

A Star Is Born

Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a country music star who is on the brink of decline when he discovers a talented unknown named Ally (Germanotta). As the two begin a passionate love affair, Jack coaxes Ally into the spotlight, catapulting her to stardom. But as Ally’s career quickly eclipses his own, Jack finds it increasingly hard to handle his fading glory.

Words do no justice to how much I loved this movie.  This is easily the best movie of this year for me and I don't see anything topping it.  The chemistry between these two is the greatest on screen chemistry I've ever seen in a love movie.  The talent that both of them showed on every level - acting, singing, directing, song writing - was on a whole other level.  And the music?  I've never seen music used so amazingly in a movie that was not a full blown musical.  I will be listening to this soundtrack forever thinking back on how much I enjoyed the movie.  And getting back to the directing done by Bradley Cooper.  Wow!!!  Just wow!!!  He did such an incredible job with camera angle usage and foreshadowing in what was such an amazing love story.

I couldn't possibly recommend people checking this movie out more.  It is legit from every possible way and an absolute must see.  

Venom

Tom Hardy, who is said to be a "Venom" fan, will play Eddie Brock, the character who first became Venom. First appearing in the comic book series as an alien costume worn by Spider-Man in Marvel‘s “The Amazing Spider-Man” #252 in 1984, it was several years before the creature left Peter Parker and merged with photographer Eddie Brock, forming the antihero known as Venom.

Wow!  This was awful.  Like truly awful.  I have not been the annoyed by a comic book movie in a long time.  Like worse than DC Comic movies.  This was so horribly done across the board and a total waste of incredibly legit actors.  I was so annoyed at how bad this was that I was basically heckling the screen by the end of it.

I would not recommend anyone bother with this movie.  It really is a total piece of garbage.

Smallfoot

An animated adventure for all ages, with original music and an all-star cast, “Smallfoot” turns the Bigfoot legend upside down when a bright young Yeti finds something he thought didn’t exist—a human. News of this “smallfoot” brings him fame and a chance with the girl of his dreams. It also throws the simple Yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village, in a rollicking story about friendship, courage and the joy of discovery.

I had no expectations whatsoever of this movie being this much fun.  It was very cute the way that they covered the communication issues between the two worlds and the music throughout made this feel a hell of a lot like a Disney movie.  The voices were great and the story moved along with great pacing.

I would absolutely recommend people checking this movie out.  It is a perfect family movie at a very quiet time in theaters.

Night School

Star Kevin Hart and producer Will Packer, who partnered for the hit "Ride Along" and "Think Like a Man" series, bring their signature style to Night School. Based on a story by Hart, the comedy from director Malcolm D. Lee ("Girls Trip") follows a group of misfits who are forced to attend adult classes in the longshot chance they'll pass the GED exam.

I was worried that this would be one of those movies where the trailer showed all the funny parts.  I was happily wrong.  There were tons of laughs throughout this movie and while the two leads delivered plenty of them, it was the supporting cast that really delivered some of the best stuff.  They kept everything fresh enough that the movie never dragged or fell flat like I kind of expected it to.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It has plenty of laughs throughout and is well worth the time and money.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls

Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious ticktock noise. When Lewis accidentally awakens the dead, the town's sleepy facade magically springs to life with a secret world of witches and warlocks.

This movie could call itself whatever it wants to.  The bottom line is that it was a Goosebumps movie.  From every possible way - it looked like a Goosebumps movie.  The weird thing was that it was rated PG and definitely seemed like it should have at least been PG-13 based on the creepiness level at several times.

I would recommend people with young teenage kids check this out.  It's not for younger kids and if they are later teenagers they will not really care.  But that 10-14 year old range should definitely like this.  

Life Itself

As a young New York couple goes from college romance to marriage and the birth of their first child, the unexpected twists of their journey create reverberations that echo over continents and through lifetimes.

This is one of those movies that totally does an incredible job of connecting everything in the end and leaves you feeling much better about the movie as a whole at that point.  However, it really did take waaaaaaaaaaay too long to get there.  And there was some stuff in there that was major WTF level in terms of pulling heart strings and what not.  

I would not fully recommend that people check this out.  You can tell its from the creators of This Is Us but I think that their stuff translates better to the small screen than the big screen.

White Boy Rick

Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, WHITE BOY RICK is based on the moving true story of a blue-collar father and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr., who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison.

This was a very well done and incredibly real feeling movie.  The no-name actors did an excellent job.   Watching all of Rick's stuff spiral out of control was crazy and again all felt very genuine.  Matthew McConaughey did awesome job as his father and was convincing in every way imaginable.  

I would definitely recommend people check this movie out.  Great acting and story telling throughout.  

The Predator

From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. The universe's most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.

This was by far the campiest of all the Predator entries in the franchise so far.  That's not to say that it's bad.  Its just that the team that was fighting against the predator was not your usual top notch team that you are used to.  The effects were still cool.  The action was still cool.  There was a TON of humor added to it.  But it was definitely over the top campy at points which was a weird decision overall.  

I would still recommend people checking this out.  It's a good continuation of the franchise but not what you would expect soldier wise at all.  

Kin

KIN, a pulse-pounding crime thriller with a sci-fi twist, is the story of an unexpected hero destined for greatness.

What a joke of a synopsis for this movie.  They make it seem like some legit movie.  It is very much not one.  This should be a made for tv movie on the sci fi channel basically.  It's completely pointless in every way and was released quietly at the end of August for a reason.

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering with this movie at all.  It's a very pointless waste of time.

Peppermint

Peppermint is a revenge story centering on a young mother who finds herself with nothing to lose, and is now going to take from her enemies the very life they stole from her.

This was exactly what you thought it would be from the trailer.  It was entertaining and pretty bad ass at times as long as your could totally suspend reality.   The movie was a little bit long overall but the action was good and Jennifer Garner was more believable than I thought she would be.  

I would recommend people checking this out.  Its basically female Taken and an enjoyable watch.  No rush but it's pretty good.

The Nun

When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in “The Conjuring 2,” as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned. 

This movie was not as overall scary/creepy story wise like The Conjuring movies were.  This was much more about the jump scares than those though.  Creepy sounds.  Creepy visuals.  Lots of watching from behind your hands in this one.   I definitely enjoyed it but not as much as the others in the franchise.

I would still recommend people checking this out.  Just don't expect such a well done story.  This is just straight up about the scares.

Alpha

An epic adventure set in the last Ice Age, ALPHA tells a fascinating, visually stunning story that shines a light on the origins of man’s best friend. While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and must learn to survive alone in the wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before winter arrives.

This movie was total garbage.  I made it like halfway through.  No emotional hook.  No character that you were enjoying watching the development of.  It was just a lame excuse to show some decent cinematography.  Literally nothing more.

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this.  Like ever.  Total hot garbage.

A.X.L.

A.X.L. is a top-secret, robotic dog with advanced artificial intelligence created by the military. After an experiment gone wrong, A.X.L. is discovered hiding in the desert by a kind-hearted outsider, (Alex Neustaedter), who finds a way to connect with him after activating his owner-pairing technology. The two develop a special friendship based on trust, loyalty, and compassion. A.X.L. will go to any length to protect his new companion, including facing off against the scientists who created him and who will do anything to get him back. To protect his new best friend from being captured, Miles teams up with a smart, resourceful ally named Sara (Becky G) on a timeless, epic adventure for the whole family.

This movie was just as silly and pointless as the trailer made it out to be.  There was nothing outside of the trailer that you hadn't already seen or could figure out in like five seconds.  The amount of money that gets put into pointless movies like this will never cease to baffle me.  

This movie was a pointless turd and is pretty much out of theaters already after a week.  Rightfully so.  Nobody should really ever bother watching this.  

Searching

After David Kim (John Cho)'s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter's digital footprints before she disappears forever.

I never in a million years thought that this movie would be as good and as enjoyable as it was.  I expected it to be another one of those desktop computer movies where they are using technology and social media to tell a story instead of actually filming it.  It was in fact one of those kinds of movie but this was by far and away the best one that has ever been made.  The movie did such a good job of continuing to build the desperation and the mystery with very well timed twists and turns.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  Never in a million years expected to be saying that going in but this was a really well done movie.

Operation Finale

Fifteen years after the end of World War II, Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad and security agency Shin Bet – led by the tireless and heroic agent Peter Malkin (Isaac) - launched a daring top-secret raid to capture the notorious Eichmann (Kingsley), who had been reported dead in the chaos following Nazi Germany’s collapse but was, in fact, living and working in a suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina under an assumed identity along with his wife and two sons. Monitoring his daily routine, Malkin and his operatives plot and execute the abduction under the cover of darkness just a few feet from Eichmann’s home. Determined to sneak him out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel, Malkin and Eichmann engage in an intense and gripping game of cat-and-mouse.

This was a surprisingly well done under the radar movie.  They did a great job with "taking you there" and making you feel like you were in that time.  They did a great job with the escalating tension of if they would complete the mission or not.  They did a great job with the team struggling with its emotions while performing said mission.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  Pretty solid cast and well told story from beginning to end.

Blackkklansman

From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of an American hero. It’s the early 1970s, and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The young detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.

This was an excellent movie across the board.  The acting was great.  The directing was great.  The build up of both sides along with the cops working on both of them was great.  The only flaw that I could give this movie isn't really a knock on the movie, but more of a leaving the theater hating the world kind of thing.  This movie strikes a lot of nerves and does an incredible job at it.  It's portrayal of the levels of hatred that very unfortunately exist in this world was so well done but so upsetting at the same point.

I would absolutely recommend that people check this out.  This movie is an awesome piece of work and should be seen by all and hopefully open lots of eyes to the very big need for change in this world.

The Happytime Murders

No Sesame. All Street. The Happytime Murders is a filthy comedy set in the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human (Melissa McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.

Honestly, this was a very stupid movie.  That being said - there were enough aight gags and laughs that I was more than able to enjoy it even though it was so stupid.  Melissa McCarthy mixed in with the completely vulgar muppet stuff killed me at times.  I definitely expected it to be worse than it was so that might have helped it but the laughs were worth it and the movie was kept to a short running time.

Would I recommend this based on it being a great movie?  Absolutely not.  Were there enough laughs in 90 minutes though to watch it?  Absolutely yes.

Crazy Rich Asians

Rachel Chu is happy to accompany her longtime boyfriend, Nick, to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. She's also surprised to learn that Nick's family is extremely wealthy and he's considered one of the country's most eligible bachelors. Thrust into the spotlight, Rachel must now contend with jealous socialites, quirky relatives and something far, far worse -- Nick's disapproving mother.

This was best described by my friend as it being like seven Hallmark movies rolled into one.  That is completely accurate.  There a couple different stories in the family that all played out the exact way you knew they would but there were enough laughs and enough heart strings pulled that you end up enjoying the movie even though it is so predictable.  

I would recommend people checking this out.  Its not a must see by any means but it is definitely an enjoyable watch for all.  

Mile 22

In a visceral modern thriller from the director of Lone Survivor, Mark Wahlberg stars as James Silva, an operative of the CIA's most highly-prized and least-understood unit. Aided by a top-secret tactical command team, Silva must retrieve and transport an asset who holds life-threatening information to Mile 22 for extraction before the enemy closes in.

This was a very enjoyable and well paced action movie.  They wasted no time getting to the point with lots of tactical command ops action.  The character were quickly established and then they just stepped on the gas and didn't lead up for a perfect 90 minute running time.  At no point did the movie drag or was there lulls in the action.  This could easily become a pretty enjoyable franchise.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this one out.  This is the perfect end of summer movie to just go and enjoy the ride.  

Slender Man

In a small town in Massachusetts, a group of friends, fascinated by the internet lore of the Slender Man, attempt to prove that he doesn't actually exist - until one of them mysteriously goes missing.

Wow.  This was garbage.  Like really garbage.  Not even like cheap thrills or creepy images.  Overall so massively boring in every way.  I'm trying to think of one positive thing to say about it but I've got nothing.  Nothing at all.

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this.  It is a total waste of time and money and not even worth it for small scares because there were none of them.  

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies

It seems that all the major superheroes out there are starring in their own movies -- all but the Teen Titans. Robin is bound and determined to remedy that situation by becoming a star instead of a sidekick. With a few madcap ideas and a song in their hearts, the Teen Titans head to Hollywood to fulfill their dreams. Things soon go awry, however, when a supervillain plans to take over the planet -- putting the very fate of the young heroes on the line.

I can't believe how beyond funny this movie was.  Like REALLY funny and made fun of so much pop culture and comic book stuff.  I was in no rush to see this in theaters and was hoping it would show up online.  I even let it pass and didn't make it a nieces day like most animated movies.  And I shockingly now wish that I would have because this was a really enjoyable movie that we all would have laughed at so much.  

I would absolutely recommend people checking this out.  This is legitimately one of the better things that DC has churned out movie wise out of all of their stuff.  

The Meg

A deep-sea submersible—part of an international undersea observation program—has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific…with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew—and the ocean itself—from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon. What no one could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below.

This movie was EXACTLY what I had been hoping for.  Totally formula and super cheesy at times but lots of moments that made you jump and get tense even though you pretty much knew what was going to happen.  This was the perfect movie to just go, turn your brain off and enjoy the break from the real world for a while.

I would absolutely recommend this movie to people.  It is a very enjoyable guilty pleasure type of film that works in terms of knowing exactly what to expect and avoiding disappointment and what not.

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Audrey and Morgan are best friends who unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of the women discovers the boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy.

This is one of those "why" movies.  It was an okay watch and had some pretty good laughs.  I'm a fan of both of the leads.  But why was this made?  Was the world needing this movie?  What did this movie really have to offer except for the few laughs?  The story was dead in the water like 10 minutes in.  The action was very run of the mill.  The laughs - like I said - were good but even most of those were forced.   I just expected something better, funnier and most importantly something that mattered more.  I will remember none of this movie within a week.

I wouldn't really recommend that anyone bother with this movie.  It's pretty much a big waste of time and money and you can just wait to catch the few laughs when it shows up on tv or something.

Christopher Robin

Christopher Robin -- now a family man living in London -- receives a surprise visit from his old childhood pal, Winnie-the-Pooh. With Christopher's help, Pooh embarks on a journey to find his friends -- Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo. Once reunited, the lovable bear and the gang travel to the big city to help Christopher rediscover the joy of life.

This was an extremely cute and very enjoyable telling of Christopher Robin as an adult and doing what he thinks is right for his family but forgetting about his inner child in order to do so.  This movie had lots of excellent family related layers throughout it and the Winnie The Pooh characters were great but only involved when they had to be to move the story along.  I did not have very high hopes for this movie and was very pleasantly surprised.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out but the one really weird thing is that this movie really isn't for younger children.  Even though it has the Winnie The Pooh characters they are not in the movie nearly enough to keep young ones entertained and the adults end up enjoying this movie more than them.  

The Darkest Minds

Imprisoned by an adult world that now fears everyone under 18, a group of teens form a resistance group to fight back and reclaim control of their future.

This movie started out pretty good.  I liked the premise and everything but about halfway through it massively lost its way and you could tell that this movie was literally just for those that had read the young adult novels it was based on.  The movie very much started feeling like a set up for a movie franchise instead of a stand alone movie and I pretty much lost interest knowing full well that this movie would probably end up the way of The Golden Compass or Divergent and that it would never do well enough to warrant the sequels or completion of the book series that again - I was not familiar with.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone who has not read the books bothering with this.  They were not very well done in terms of being stand alone movies for the regular movie goer not familiar with the book material.  

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

The best intentions often come back to haunt you. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.

Wow!  This movie was awesome.  As if the usual twists and turns were not entertaining enough - the action in this one went to a whole other level.  This might honestly have been the most enjoyable of the six movie franchise to date and that says A LOT!  Cruise was great.  The returning cast was great.  The new additions were great - especially Henry Cavill who was such an awesome badass opposite of Cruise.  

I would absolutely recommend people checking this out.  This is easily one of the best movies of the summer and possibly one of the best movies of the year honestly.  

Unfriended: Dark Web

Tells the story about a teen who comes into possession of a new laptop and finds that it may have been stolen. He discovers the previous owner may be watching every move he makes and will do anything to get it back.

This was basically a horror/thriller movie for millennials who basically live for their laptops and what not.  There were some decent thrills and good buildup but it just doesn't have the same effect if you are not someone as familiar with scouring their laptops and having all those things going on the screen at once.  The whole screen of the movie was basically the desktop of a computer with facetime, skype, texting, etc all worked in.   And it all took a very strange and dark downward sp

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this.  Honestly - you probably won't have a chance to in theaters because its already on its way out after one week pretty much.  You can watch this in passing at some later date without having to pay or schedule time for it.

Mamma Mia! - Here We Go Again

Discover Donna's (Meryl Streep, Lily James) young life, experiencing the fun she had with the three possible dads of Sophie (Amanda Seyfriend). Sophie is now pregnant. Like Donna, she'll be a young mother, and she realizes that she'll need to take risks like her mother did. 

I tried.  I really did.  Just like the first one, I gave it a shot.  I am a big fan of musicals and usually find them entertaining as hell, but for some reason I just 100% cannot get into these movies.  I find them to be so beyond silly and a waste of time.  The singing just feels so massively forced and absurd that I automatically tune out and start thinking of all the things I could do with the time that would be wasted watching this and I pull the plug.

My recommendation on this is not valid because I know many people who have loved the first one and I just couldn't finish it/enjoy it.  If you liked the first - I believe you will like this.  If you didn't like me - I would assume that you wouldn't like this one either.