Hell or High Water

Release Date: August 12, 2016

Starring: Chris Pine as Toby Howard
Ben Foster as Tanner Howard
Jeff Bridges as Marcus Hamilton
Gil Birmingham as Alberto Parker

Directed by: David Mackenzie

Written by: Taylor Sheridan

Toby Howard is a poor divorced man who has spent the last year or so taking care of his sick mother. While doing so the payments on her ranch started to back up and is now in foreclosure. With his mother gone, and now out of options, Toby teams up with his brother Tanner, and ex-con, to rob the bank that are foreclosing on them to pay back the debts to the ranch.

What I love about this film was the fact that there is a bunch of questions to the film. There is never one point in the film where you fully believe that they are going to get away with robbing these banks. Part of you really wants them to get away with it. That is until you start to know more about Marcus Hamilton, the sheriff that is being forced to retire. You want him to get his last hoorah before he is going to be forced off the team.

Regardless of who you really want to "win" this battle the writing on this film is brilliant. It's truly an original and in a class of his own. When you watch a film and it sticks with you days after you have seen it that is a sign of a great film. I am still marveling at this film and it's been almost a week since I have seen it. Everything about this script was so meticulously thought out to the point where they knew that these character could totally mess up and get caught. It also set it up to where they could have gotten away with it and it would have been the best "revenge" for them to take all of the money from the bank and give it back to them for them watch it in a trust worth more than they took. It's a great way to show just how corrupt the government and the banks can be. They also show how hard it is for people who are working with their hands on farms in these little towns are suffering because of money.

I will have to say I have never see Chris Pine in a better role than this he does an amazing job. Ben Foster is the real star of the show. I don't think I have seen him in another film but he does such an amazing job here that I can't stop thinking about him in this film.

This film is very satisfying to see. It doesn't end quite like you think it will but you satisfied with how it does. It's not a conventional movie at all and that is what makes it such a great film.

Florence Foster Jenkins

Release Date: August 12, 2016

Starring: Meryl Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins
Hugh Grant as St. Clair Bayfield
Simon Helberg as Come McMoon

Directed by: Stephen Frears

Written by: Nicholas Martin

Ms. Jenkins has one great love in life and that is to sing. However, that is one love that does not lover her back. Ms. Jenkins's singing voices is hart to swallow, yet, that does not stop her from singing. When her favorite teacher is free for lessons again and she hires him and starts planning a concert. With the world on a brink of war Ms. Jenkins decides to make a record to make a record to make as many people as she can happy. She even goes as far as to renting out Carnegie Hall to preform for the soldiers. With her pianist Cosme and her husband St. Clair by her side she does one of the bravest things and sing horribly in front of drunk soldier to give them a little bit of happiness.

I think the Florence Foster Jenkins is the one of the most relatable heroes to ever grace the appearance of a movie screen. She is relatable to everyone at least in some point of their lives. Really she is like a child. There are many things that every child thinks they are amazing at. Not just think they are good at it but really cocky about. Ms. Jenkins doesn't hear how bad she sounds. She really thinks that she sounds amazing. Like one of the best singers is what she puts herself up there with. Because she thinks this way she we all can relate to her. I would love to say that I am one of the best movie reviews ever but I know that I am not but it doesn't stop me from doing this.

Meryl Streep is one of the very few actors in Hollywood that is wildly known and no matter what character that she plays you always forget that she is Meryl Streep. That she literally becomes the character that she is playing. That is why she is so memorable in all of her performances because she has that talent that no many actors can posses. This is also one of the best performances that I have ever seen from Hugh Grant. He was funny, witty, sensitive, and authentic in this role. The surprising performance from this movie was Simon Helberg. Everyone knows this man from Big Bang Theory but when you see him in this film he is simply astonishing! He is plays the quiet piano player to Ms Jenkins and proves to be a very good friend to her in the end.

As for the set, costumes, make up, music, and everything else that went into the film it was amazing! There was hardly a complaint when it came to watching the film. It was a thrill to watch and most defiantly a film I will add to my collection.   

Anthropoid

Release Date: August 19, 2016

Starring: Jamie Dornan as Jan Kubis
Cillian Murphy as Josef Gabcick
Toby Jones as Uncle Hajsky
Charlotte Le Bon as Marie Kovarnikova
Anna Geislerova as Lenka Fafkova

Directed by: Sean Ellis

Written by: Sean Ellis and Anthony Frewin

The story of an assignation that change the face of a war. Jan and Josef are burdened with the job of the assignation of the Nazi's third highest in command Reinhard Heydrich, or better known as, The Butcher of Prague. This is the story of the planning, the execution, and the extraordinary aftermath of the assignation.

I found this to be one of the most movie movies of the year. Sean Elllis did the most fantastic job of directing and writing of this film. This film is moving  because of the choices that he made for the film.

One of the things that I have learned from watching all of these films this year is to ask the question "Why did this film had to be made". With this film I thought at first the it was tell a story that isn't told much in public school history book is World War II. Which is partly true because this story was either never told when I was in school or it wasn't as in depth to make it a story worth wild to really learn about. I was totally satisfied with that answer until the end of the movie came. See about the last 30-45 minutes of the film there is an epic battle at the Saint Cyril and Methodius Cathedral. Literally the last sequence is loud and in your face and after everything finally happened it goes eerily quiet. Then the names of the seven men who died come up on the screen. Sean Ellis gave a moment of silence to these mean who may not have otherwise received one.

Then he goes on to tell you that they held that church for six hours.... Six hours seven men held the church against 750 Nazis. This is one of those stories that we needed to be taught in school but never were. It's a turning point in World War II. Reason that Hitler wanted Czechoslovakia was because they would get a majority ruling of their coal, steal, iron, and electricity. Which would give the Nazis an upper hand in fueling their army. After the events in this movie took place Winston Churchill decided that the Allies could not just leave Czechoslovakia under Hitler's rule anymore. It make me wonder how if Churchill didn't do that how the War would have changed and what kind of ruling would Hitler would have had.

For sure this movie gets a solid 8 out of 10!

Pete's Dragon

Release Date: August 12, 2016

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard as Grace
Robert Redford as Meacham
Oakes Fegley as Pete
Oona Laurence as Natalie
Wes Bentley as Jack
Kark Urban as Gavin

One day while on an adventure Pete and his family are traveling through the woods when they get into an accident. While trying to figure out what to do next Pete meets a dragon. Six Years later Grace is on a patrol when she mets Pete an tried to find his home. While showing her where he comes from Pete introduces Grace to his best friend Elliott, the dragon of myth that lives in the woods. Catastrophe hits when Grace's brother-in-law Gavin sees this dragon too and will stop at nothing to hunt him down.

This was by far the best Disney that has come out so far this year. When you are watching this film it takes back to child like wonderment. There is a feeling, that I can't even fully describe, that you only get after seeing a great Disney film and this was the feeling I got watching Pete's Dragon. The closest I can get to saying that is Magic Peace. There haven't been that many kids films that had all of the right elements to create true magic but this one was the first to do it this year.

Magic is truly in the air when it comes to this film. It's a story that you can't spin on and still call it the same movie. To me this film was not a remake, which would mean tearing it apart and recreating something, it's an update. It's an update to a story that was once made. The shined it up a little instead of redoing the whole thing. Disney always does the best job in telling a story. They make mistake like some times over doing the hype a bit and it not living up to what everyone thought it was going to be. However, this film it a simple story about family and love and it's has a little bit of magic thrown in. I felt like I was watching one of their many classics.

I would highly recommend that this be the movie that kids go and see this year.

Captain Fantastic

Release Date: July 8, 2016

Starring: Viggo Mortensen as Ben
George Mackay as Bo
Samantha Isler as Kielyr
Annalisa Basso as Vespyr
Nicholas Hamilton as Rellian
Shree Crooks as Zaja
Charlie Shotwell as Nai

Directed by: Matt Ross

Written by: Matt Ross

Ben, a devoted father of six kids, lives out in the forest of the North West. When his wife gets really sick, she must leave in order to get better. A few months later she dies and him and the rest of the family have to leave to attempt to get the to the funereal. While out in the real world her must come to terms with the fact that her parenting style are very different from his own.

This film is one of the most unique movies I have seen this year. This movie shows all of the different ways, and views, on how to raise kids. They touch on almost every subject on what we believe and why. It's the story of a father who wants the best for his kids. He wants them to think on everything. Not just call in interesting and say that they like something. He wants them to expand their minds, to think no only as to what they thought of the book they are reading but why the author wrote it. What it represents.

This movie really makes you questions many different things. One of which is the education system that we have. These kids are smart, they think about the world and the laws that are passed. This is just a five year old talking about it. When a young man in middle school can't even tell you what the Bill of Rights is it makes you question how we are educating out future. It makes you think of how are we making our kids strong as well. There are a lot of kids out there who think they are touch but when it comes down to hard work they don't know what to do. They are very entitled because everything is handed to them. This is very different from the world that Ben is trying to show. He is trying to make them world hard for what they want. To work for everything, even their food.

Yet, even in this paradise that Ben has created there are problems. They have no friends other than their siblings. They don't know really anything outside the world unless it comes out of a book. As smart as they are they are not street smart. They don't know how manipulative the people of the world can be. Some may think that Ben's way of raising kids is great but when you think about it this is helicopter parenting to the extreme. Yet, they are very independent in other ways. Like when it comes to their education. They choose what they want to learn about and they seems to know who they are and what they like.

Overall, this movie is a need to watch as least once. If not because you are interested in the film then to understand how different styles of parenting are. That raising kids is more than giving them what they wants it about giving them what they need to make something of themselves.

Absolutely Fabulous

Release Date: July 15, 2016

Starring: Jennifer Saunders as Edina
Joanna Lumley as Patsy
Jane Horrocks as Bubble

Directed by: Mandie Fletcher

Written by: Jennifer Saunders

Edina is in a rut. Wither her ex-husband running not being able to support her anymore she is running out of money. Since she is currently in between model representation, she is in a bind. When she hears that the biggest model in Europe has fired her agent Edina springs into action trying to get her to sign with her. However, her enthusiasm gets the better of her and she accidentally pushes her into the river. Now she is one the run not only from the police but from all of Europe.

After I went to see this movie I found out that it was a big TV show in Europe. So it's not the greatest film. It's only as good as you would think that it would be. Really that is all I can say about the film.

Cafe Society

Release Date: July 15, 2016

Starring: Steve Carell as Phil Stern
Jesse Eisenberg as Bobby
Kristen Stewart as Vonnie

Directed by: Woody Allen

Written by: Woody Allen

Bobby, a young man from New York, moved west to Hollywood to work with his uncle. Phil Stern Bobby's uncle and star agent, hires him to run errands for him, While there he falls in love with his uncle's secretary, Vonnie. When he decides to move back home he wants to take her with him. She decides not to go because she is in a relationship. When he goes home he falls in love and runs a new club his brother owns.

This is a movie that is very eye catching but it was overall a very weak movie. The costumes, the make up, and the sets were beautiful. They were well thought out and well placed but that is about where the movie's greatness ends.

The plot was very weak and very bland. It's appeal to draw you in was the beauty and the music but when you go there to see the film it relied heavily on a relationship to happened that wasn't very interesting to begin with. When you watch Jesse Eisenberg, a man who have been brilliant in other film, and try to make a "lover story for the ages" romance with Kristen Stewart, is has done nothing brilliant in her career, it's not going to end well. Kristen Stewart is not a good actress everything she says it's always under enthusiastic and it's like her acting is just a sarcastic joke to her. She has no live in her when she acts. It's very stressful to watch her on the screen because she just doesn't seem like she want to be there.

Because of this I think that all of the actors suffered. Jesse Eisenbug, who I have not seen a performance from him that I didn't like, was lacking in his performance. The same thing with Steve Carell as well. He was not nearly as good as I thought he was going to be. Instead of them inspiring Kristen Stewart into being a better actor they all lowered they skill set to match hers.

In all in all they really could have picked a much better person to play Vonnie and the film would have been much better. However, the only thing that can come from this is how the set designers can make a film more appealing that what it really ends up being.

Nine Lives

Release Date: August 5, 2016

Starring: Kevin Spacey as Tom Brand
Jennifer Garner as Lara Brand
Robbie Amell as David Brand
Malina Weissman as Rebecca Brand
Christopher Walken as Felix Perkins

Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld

Written by: Gwyn Lurie
Matt Allen
Caleb Wilson
Dan Antoniazzi
Ben Shiffrin

Tom Brand is a head strong businessman who is after the next big thing. While he chases his dreams of the largest building in North America, he neglects his family is the process. His daughter's biggest birthday wish is to get a cat. When he misses her party, again, he walked into Felix Perkins shop. Because of his actions toward his family Mr. Perkins turns him into a cat. Now he must find a way to reconnect with his family before his body expires and is stuck that way forever.

Although it was not the worst movies I have seen this year it is the most uneventful. This is one of those plots that was great the first time it was done but now it's been used so many times that it's boring. There is not many other "original" way that you can spin that to make it fresh and appealing.

When you go to the movies you really want to be taken into the world that you are about to see. You want to experience it the best you possibly can. This film you are not in that world. You are just begging for it to be over. It was good for a kids film but it was nothing really worth wild for anything more than to kill two hours.

Suicide Squad

Release Date: August 5, 2016

Starring: Will Smith as Deadshot
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
Jared Leto as The Joker
Common as Monster T
Jai Courtney as Boomerang
Jay Hernandez as Diablo
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc
Cara Delevingne as June Moone/ Enchantress
Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag
Karen Fukuhara as Katana

Directed by: David Ayer

Written by David Ayer based off the comic by John Ostrander

With the world left without Superman there are a log of questions. One of them being whi is going to protect Jump City now that he is gone? Amanda Waller has the answer. She is looking ti create a task force of the worst Super Villains and use them to secretly save the city. When the biggest villain they have seen is the one she created she is looking to the rest of the squad to save her and the city from doom

This movie is one of the biggest movies to come out this summer and for a good reason. Yes, it's one of the comics made into a movie, and yes, it was well advertised and the whole world is now wiped into seeing any super hero film. This movie is great because it really looks at what it means to be good, what it means to be evil, and what power comes with the to. What are the reasons for your actions on the "side" that you choose. Do you really choose a side or does the power overwhelm you?

Power is a strange and mysterious thing, Viola Davis's character really empowers how powerful that need for power is. At the beginning you side with Viola. You understand that if there was a bad superman that we would be screwed. That we don't have any way of  protecting ourselves from an invasion if someone with power was out to destroy us. Her idea to create a team of bad guys to help to keep the city safe in secret. She likes being in charge and she likes having someone to boss around. She is large and in charge. There isn't anything that she can't get done, and won't do to get it done. It's all for her benefit of being seen. For her to be the one who gets noticed and gets the glory of saving the day. Yet, through all of trouble that she goes through to get the team together she creates one of the worst enemies that the city has ever seen. Then she starts to realize that what she was trying to work for, the glory, the prestige, the power was all for something that backfired in a few hours.

The power isn't only with Viola Davis, it lies with almost ever single character in the film. The Joker is the next one who has the big power problem. His power search is one that is more of a controlling nature. He isn't looking for the glory or honor. He is looking to be the only one in charge. He power struggle has taken in one the "evil side" because it was a lot easier to scare everyone into being controlled instead of working to get everyone to look up to you. You have even a different force for power when it comes to Deadshot. He is looking to be the most powerful gun for hire in all of the city so he can give his daughter a better life. His ex-wife is not raising her really at all and he wants to do right by her but he doesn't know another way to do it.

Then you have the big question as to weather or not you are born into being "evil" or "good". This is actually a much loaded question because all of the things that we experience in the film really question the motives behind all of the actions that the character does. We find through just watching the film that all of the character are not all good and they are not all evil. Everyone has a little bit of heart to them and a little bit of evil. Viola's need to be the best makes her moves questionable. Like holding a woman hostage so that she can use the power inside of her. Manipulating a soldiers heart so that he falls in love with the woman so neither one of them can leave her side for her own purpose. Where her intentions seem to be good her motives are bad.

All of the bad guys go through this question of what is good and what is bad through the whole movie. they start out hating the world because of "what it did to them". They think that no one really gave them a chance at proving themselves, or they already but them in a box because of who they are associated with or what they believe. Deadshot is constantly having to prove to the thick headed Flag that he can be more than he is. Flag is under this impression of Deadshot that he is not as good as they say he is. Yes, he can hit targets that stand still but he isn't capable of doing more. When Flag insults Deadshot's worthiness, by saying that Deadshot can't fight he is a cut and run kind of man, Deadshot saves the soldier's life by proving that he is just as good at fighting as he is at hiding in the shadows and shooting. Flag over the course of the movie sees that he didn't give Deadshot, or any of the others, any credit to what they can do and what they fight for given the right circumstances.

The Joker even has a little good in him.... well what I mean by that is he has a heart. I know that this Joker in the movie is not like the one in the comics. I know that his and Harley's relationship is much more complicated in the comics that it is in this movie. So, what I am saying about the Joker here is strictly based off of what I saw in the movie.  The Joker has heart for one person in the world, other than himself. That is Harley Quinn. She if literally the only being that can lead to his undoing here. When he asks her if she would Live for him he wants to know that he can control her. What she says yes she jumps into this giant vat and he walks away. It's the only time in the whole movie that you see him question a move that he makes. He thinks for a moment about leaving her there to die (because she can't swim) and changes his mind and goes in after her. He does this know that he is saves her the world is soon going to know that this is the only person he cares enough about to make him change his course of action. That he would do whatever it takes in order to keep her safe. That is why he keeps her close through that whole movie because when she is not near him he knows that she is his one weakness and he doesn't want anyone to have control over.

As much as the movie is entertaining it does raise give you a lot to think about. Movies, and the wold for the most part, want to tell you that there is a strict line between good and evil. Once you cross that line either way there is no going back. However, that I not what the movie shows at all. This movie shows that there is actually a lot of gray area of what is good and evil. What is worth gaining power on, and what you want power over. It's not a black and white as we wish it could be. It also shows that what is "right" and what is "wrong" mean different things for everyone based of what they believe or have experienced. It shows that given that right circumstances we as an audience cheered for the bad guys. Something that many of use "would never do in real life" we cheer for them. We cheered when The Joker didn't die, we cheered when he found his love and "saved" her. We were happen when the serial killer Deadshot got to be with his daughter again. We were happy when Viola Davis, the "good guys" mind you, got her ass handed to her. This movie goes far beyond what many superhero movies have done and given a reason as to why the bad guys are the way they are.

There is not line between good and evil, it's just  your beliefs are.

Nerve

Release Date: July 27, 2016

Starring: Emma Roberts as Vee
Dave Franco as Ian

High school senior Vee has always played it safe. Her best friend, Sydney, has always been on the wild side. When a new online game called Nerve hits their city Sydney is all about for it. Competing to the the most views while completing dares she calls Vee out for being afraid of everything. Trying to prove her wrong, Vee signs up to play and gets sucked up into a world of danger while trying to survive.

Directed by: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Written by: Jessica Sharzer based off the novel by Jeanne Ryan

This was by far the best movie of the summer. I felt like every time I saw the trailer for the film there was a lot of hype for it. Most of the time films don't live up to the hype that they are given. This was the exception to that rule. Every single bit of hype that was given to this film was well deserved.

The whole point of this film in control. It really shows how our society today is being controlled. Not just everyone one but the different age groups. When we see Vee and Sydney that are on the younger side they are controlled by what people think about them. Whether is be like Sydney and she was to be liked by everyone and the center of attention, or like Vee who doesn't want to be judged by her "friends". They both want to show what they have in front of everyone. They are also controlled by the unknown force that is the internet. Not only do they want to approval for everyone around them they also want it from anyone who can see it happening. The one thing that you see that not many older people are playing the game. They are controlled by money as a means to survive. The don't play the game because they know that the stuff that they are doing is going to get someone hurt. They know better than to rick their neck for something that could get them a lot of money or something that can get them killed. So they don't really know about the game and the kids are playing it in order to earn money because they think that by doing this is will help their parents out.

Regardless of who is controlling who,the film is very original. The script is very imaginative. It seems very realistic in what some of the dares are for people to do and what kinds of things that would happen in order to get them knocked out of the game. A lot of movies that have people being disqualified for stuff is for something that they aren't really afraid of. So, when they do get knocked out for something it doesn't seem genuine. This one shows that when they are knocked out of the game they are truly afraid of what they are about to do. They still go out swinging. They try to conquer their fear but sometimes it can't be done. It's a great reminder that not everyone in the film is totally fearless.

I have to say that I was impressed by that acting as well. I have loved everyone that I have seen Dave Franco do so I was thrilled to learn that he was going to being to be in this film. I am not a huge fan of Emma Roberts. I was a little worried about paring the two of them in this movie but they actually worked really well together. Their chemistry worked a lot better together that I would have ever given them credit for. They were very believable as love interests and they really seemed to enjoy making the film. I would see another action film with both of them in it if it happened again.

The only thing about this film that was not my favorite thing was the fact that they were all in high school. The reason being for that is because most of the fighting was done in that stupid high school drama that most people leave behind when they left high school. However, I understood that the novel was set for them being in high school so I could look past it. Other than that the is a very solid and fun movie that needs to be experience on the big screen.

The Infiltrator

Release Date: July 15, 2016

Starring: Bryan Cranston as Robert Mazur
John Leguizamo as Emir Abreu

Robert Mazur, U.S. Custom's Undercover Agent, is underway on the biggest bust of his life. he is ring to find and take down Pablo Escobar with his Money Laundering scheme.

Bryan Cranston is by far one of the most amazing actors that is currently on the screen and he does not disappoint here. When he is playing this role it's amazing. You really believe that he is Robert Mazur and you are never taken out of that mindset through the whole movie. He has a way of making you feel the role along with him the most actors today just don't possess.

The film as a whole was full force all of the time. Truly never a dull moment. It has all of the action that anyone could want. He's a great look of what some agents do for a living and how they are putting their lives in danger every time they go out into the field. The most interesting part is how they work undercover. How they cope with having a secret life. A secret life no matter how you look at it. You are either hiding you job from you family or your family from your job. You get a look into the mindset of a man who always has to keep a secret. That is brilliant writing in order to convey that to an audience.

Everything in the film felt very authentic as well. Most movies make the film to cheesy when they are doing a piece set in the 70's they did a good job of subtlety here. They had everything that they needed in order to show that they were in the 70's but they didn't have to go over the top doing it. They kept it very authentic and tasteful.

I think that anyone who loves a good action movie this is the movie that you need to see right here. It's not over the top but it's got a lot going on to keep you entertained without always having to be in a car chase.

The Ghostbusters

Release Date: July 15, 2016

Starring: Melissa McCarthy as Abby Yates
Kristen Wiig as Erin Gilbert
Katie McKinnon as Jillian Holtzmann
Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan
Chris Hemsworth as Kevin

Directed by: Paul Feig

Written by: Katie Dippold and Paul Feig based off the 1984 film from Ghostbusters by Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd and Harld Ramis.

With her job up for tenor, Erin Gilbert is trying to no let anything mess it up. When her ex-best friend Abby Yates releases a book on ghosts that Erin co-wrote she soon gets fired an thron into a battle with a crazy man to rule the world of he living with an army of the dead.

I am not sure why everyone is going crazy about the remake of this film. Oh, I know... because the classics should never be touched.

I have never seen the original movie so I don't have much to compare it to. However, it was hilarious! From my understanding of the other movie they seemed to have added a few things that are different form the original. The funniest thing of the movie would have to be Chris Hemsworth as Kevin. Nothing is funnier than him and the end credits. The film had its moments but not the greatest movie in the world.

Sunset Song

Release Date: May 13, 2016

Starring: Agyness Deyn as Chris Guthrie
Kevin Guthrie as Ewan Tavendale

The story of a girl growing up in Scotland on the brink of war. Not a story or a queen, or a wise old woman, but one of a farm girl trying to find her own path in life. While she endures love, loss, and heartbreak she we see how the war effects her life even though her family, and her people, are not the ones that the war is concerned about.

This a simple story that comes to live beautifully. It's a very full circle and foreshadowing movie. Full circle because you don't really know why the title of the movie is Sunset Song until the end of the movie, and when you hear about why we are here to experience the film it gives you such joy and pride. Foreshadowing because the one sentence that is said through the movie is "lovely thing don't always endure and they're lovelier for that". It was a profound sentence even before I saw the movie and it was even more so after the movie was over.

A simple more with a simple moral, no matter what you love when it's gone you will still think of it fondly.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Release Date: July 8,2016

Starring: Zac Efron as Dave Stangle
Adam Devine as Mike Stagle
Anna Kendrick as Alice
Aubrey Plaza as Tatiana

Directed by: Jake Szymanski

Written by: Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O'Brien

The Stangle Brothers are the life of every part they go to. Which is why every party they are at turns into a disaster by the end. When they find out that their family wants them to get dates for their sisters wedding, they are not very excited about the idea. They are told that they need to find nice girls. They put an add on Craigslist and they get every type of girl under the sun. They finally find the right girls to take with them. When they get to Hawaii they find that the nice girls they chose aren't so nice after all.

I thought I was going to hate this movie before I even went into the theater. The trailers made it seem like is was really trashy. Just like you can't just a book by its cover you can't just a movie by its trailer.

This movie actually ended up being really really funny. Yes, there were some raunchy parts but no where near as bad as the trailer made it out to be. The humor is what really held the movie together, the plot alone would not have been enough. To have a story about how you found someone on craiglist to be your date and it all worked out, without the boys needs to be the center of attention, or the drugs, or the outrageous fun, that plot would have been a really really bad romance movie. With all of the craziness this film just ended up being a feel good funny movie.

Genius

Release Date: June 10, 2016

Starring Colin Firth as Max Perkins
Jude Law as Thomas Wolfe
Nicole Kidman as Aline Bernstein
Laura Linney as Louise Perkins

Directed by: Michael Grandage

Written by: John Logan based off the book by A. Scott Berg

Max Perkins is one of the most leading editors in the world. He has helped shape the books written by some of the greats, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway to name a few. When a book lands on his desk one day in 1928 he had no idea how much his world is going to turn upside down. A Pathological Writer, Thomas Wolfe could not fathom cutting down any part of his book to keep it short and get it to print. Feeling as he could never say enough to convince his audience what he was trying to say he had a hard time changing the script. The man behind shaping Geniuses in inspired to help this man's unique story. This is the story of a man't great recognition of geniuses and his endearing kindness, and friendship, to the geniuses that he meets.

By far the best film of the year. Every single little detail was created and help to shape this film into the wondrous film that it has become. There was not one part of this film, or my soul for that matter that was not touched by it's beauty. It's one of the very few films this year that I was so wrapped up in it that I wasn't looking for things to write about. I was literally caught up in the story and writing be damned!

First off lets start with the script. I would think that it would have to be hard making a movie about someone that general knowledge doesn't know about. The writers of this film deserve an Oscar Nomination for the greatness of their script. They made the story interesting, playful, fun, heart wrenching, and meaningful. They are the ones give the words the actors say in order to make you feel what they want you to feel. They have to make the pace of the movie never stray from it. They are the ones that gave this movie it's first breath of life and for that they deserve ever possible nomination.

The Cast was equally as great. When you can walk out of a theater and fell one, that you have actually met the character and have known them, and two, could not imagine any part be played by anyone else, you know you have seen greatness. That is what I felt with each character. Nothing short of perfection played by everyone. Firth was passive but very stubborn in his eagerness to help Wolfe get his books out. Law had me feeling the desperation to get the true meaning of his words on paper and not a "watered down" version of it. Kidman gave the perfect performance of a love hate relationship and not just with Wolfe. You really wanted to root for her and much as you wanted to root against her. You saw the beauty and the harm in the relationship that Bernstein had with Wolfe. You equally wanted them to last as much as you knew you wanted it to end because it was a bad fit as well. Linney you see her side of the situation as well. She wanted to be a great writer in her husbands eyes as much as she wanted to be a good actress. She wanted her husband to see the success that was possible in her as he did in some of his authors. Yet, you could see that she was here holding her family together when things got out of hand.

Then we have all of the designed departments. The people who really make a film come together. If a film doesn't have the right detail then the film won't work as well. They are the geniuses behind this film for they have to make an entire believable world on a few hundred feet of stage. They are the ones that set up the cameramen to make this world seem bigger than what is really it is. The costumes help to add the details into the film. The fastest way to tell what era that someone is in is by looking at their clothes. They set the fist tones of the movie to get into the right mindset of the film. They were beautiful and they matched each character perfectly. They were grandiose when they needed to be and simple in the same.

Basically, what I have to say about this film is that it's a must see, it's brilliant, and I take my hat off to it anytime.

The Secret Life of Pets

Release Date: July 8, 2016

Starring: Louis C.K. as Max
Eric Stonestreet as Duke
Kevin Hard as Snowball
Jenny Slate as Gidget
Ellie Kemper as Katie
Albert Brooks as Tiberius
Lake Bell as Chloe
Dana Carvey as Pops

Max is a lovable little dog that lives in New York. One day his owner, Katie, brings home Duke, a huge stay, that Max ants to get rid of. After one of his plans goes south both him and Duke get caught by the dog catcher. In a desperate escape Max and Duke lie about being house pets to work along with strays to find their way back home.

One of the best kids films to come out in a while. It's not one of the best overall films of the year but it's a great kids film. It's unique look on how pets act like when we are not home. The film has a lot of personality not only with the actors that they chose but with the writing itself. There was a lot of adventure and fun going into the film. It's one that parents and children alike will enjoy.

When is comes to the developments of the characters as the film goes on the show a lot of growth. If its accepting who they are or accepting other pets into their family they grow and learn that not everyone is the same as they are. They learn to work with the differences and to learn to see lives through other person's eyes. Not everyone has the same story and pets are a great way to show kids these differences in people too.

The Legend of Tarzan

Release Date: July 1, 2016

Starring: Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan
Samuel L. Jackson as George Washington Williams
Margot Robbie as Jane Clayton
Christoph Waltz as Leon Rom

Directed by: David Yates

Written by: Adam Cozad, and Craig Brewer based off the book by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Ten years after Tarzan comes to Europe he is called back to the Jungles of Africa for "diplomatic" reasons. The European Government wants Tarzan to go back to Africa to tell the locals there that they are safe and England is not going to over run them in their search for Diamonds. Also, to convince the people of England that the king is not using slaves to find the diamonds either. George Washington Williams does not believe a word of this for a second. The fact that money is being spent for find these jewels, and the country is not going into debt for it doesn't add up. When Tarzan refuses to go Williams shows him that none of what the government is saying adds up and that Tarzan's friends might be in trouble. When she finds that her husband is returning home she insist that she must go with him. Once in Africa they run into their hold friends, human and animals alike, and find that the government in enslaving people to find the treasure they seek. They are so desperate Leon Rom makes a deal with a man who wants Tarzan dead in exchange for the location of the jewels. Rom starts going to great lengths to get Tarzan to do what he wants, even goes as so far to kidnap Jane.

This is one of the movies that I was very excited to go and see this year. It was a different take on the story that we all know. It was really a remake but a continuation of the story. A what happened after the end of what we know, if you will. It was set up to be one of the most breathe taking films of the year.

I was disappointed.

I went in thinking about how amazing this film was going to be and left sad because I was bored most of the time. I mean the beginning was a little slow, but it has to be because we are setting up what has happened in the last ten years. However, when we got down to the parts that was supposed to be thrilling, and adventurous it was very forced and lacking.

It had all of the elements there: a good plot, great actors, marvelous animation, but overall the movie fell flat. It was not one person or thing that made the film fall it was just missing it's charm. The thing that would have made it thee movie I was hoping to see and I think the charm it was missing was the humor.

I know that the whole thing can't be all laughs, this is a more serious Tarzan movie mind you, but it could have been a little more funny. Not lighthearted but funny. If it's not the humor that was missing then I am not sure what it could have been.

The best parts of this film where any scene that had Margot Robbie and Christoph Waltz in them together. They played off each other really well and gave the film the sense of danger that it desperately needed. Samuel L. Jackson was the other best part of the film. He gave the only bits of laughter that the film saw. In fact the best part of the film is when he has to bow down to the gorilla.

If the studio had done some more touches to this film it really would have been the masterpiece I was hoping for.

The BFG

Release Date: July 1, 2016

Starring: Mark Rylance as BFG
Ruby Barnhill as Sophie

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Written by: Melissa Mathison based off the book by Roald Dahl

Sophie, an orphan girl from London, suffers from insomnia. She races along the orphanage late at night keeping herself busy. Till one night during "the witching hour" she catches a glimpse of a giant. Fearing for his own safety the giant takes Sophie to shield the fact that he exists. She learns that the giant is actually very kind and gentle even though she is safe from him she is not safe from the other giants in the land. A plot erupts for the giants to feast on the children of the world. Sophie and BFG must return to London and convenience the Queen of England to get rid of the evil giants once and for all.

One of the most eye pleasing movies of the year. Visually it's everything you want it to be whenn you are thinking about a fantasy. You can really see how much effort the effects department put in to make this world of wonder come alive.

The character are inspiring and fun. You never think that Giant would be the reason why people have dreams at night. That something that we think is big and scary is one of the kindest beings that anyone has ever met. It's really neat to have a giant look at something as small as people are and see how much potential that we have. That even though we are tiny and meek in comparison that he respects people enough to help them on their journey to what they want to be. It's also great to see someone as small, and young as Sophie and have her look at something that is scary, and too big to even comprehend and facing the fear that she has and taking charge to change her situation when she can.

The movie was beautiful, and the plot was good yet I can see why it didn't do so great at the box office. There was a lot of money put into the film and there was a lot of hype for it too. Yet, the film fell just shy of the hype we were told about. It's a great film just not as great as Hollywood was hoping it was going to be.

Finding Dory

Release Date: June 17, 2016

Starring: Ellen DeGeneres as Dory
Albert Brooks as Marlin
Ed O'Neill as Hank
Kaitlin Olson as Destiny
Hayden Rolence as Nemo
Ty Burrell as Bailey

Directed by: Andrew Stanton

Written by: Andrew Stanton, Victoria Strouse, Bob Peterson and Angus MacLane

A year after Nemo's great adventure Dory remember that she has a family of her own. Now desperate to find them she requests Marlins and Nemo's help to reunited her and her family.

As far a sequels go, this movie was decent. When you make a sequel on a movie that just did alright in the box office then the sequel sometimes makes the first movie overall better. However, when you mess with a classic it's never going to live up to the hype. Finding Dory is the latter. When the plot of the sequel is the same plot as the first film but you change up the characters it makes it rather boring to watch. Granted kid everywhere love the film and families love going to see a film that everyone can enjoy but it's a sad attempt at recreating the first film uniqueness.

Don't get me wrong you have a great cast of people who are involved, who are all funny in their own way. They would make a great cast on a movie that was not a sequel. However, I found myself longing for it to be something different, something fresh, but that is not what it ended up being. There were funny moments and the animation was great, but your thinking that this movie was going to be all about Dory and her story. It was. Just it was way to heavily reliant on the first film.

It had the potential, and the fan base, to launch it off as it's own movie. To make it feel more or a continuation of the story instead of making it seem like a repeat of itself. I felt that it needed more of it's own story, and own uniqueness instead of borrowing from the story before it.

Central Intelligence

Release Date: June 17, 2016

Starring: Dwayne Johnson as Bob Stone
Kevin Hard as Calvin Joyner

Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Written by: Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, Rawson Marshall Thurber

Calvin was the most popular kid in high schoo. Voted most likely to succeed he is ready to take on the world and be the man he is meant to be. Bob was the most picked on kid at school. No friends, and humiliated in front of the whole school, he leave to be heard from again. Twenty years later, on the brink of their reunion, Bob reaches out for Calvin's help. In the process reveals that he is a spy that may or not be on America's side.

It's very hard no to go wrong with anything funny when Kevin Hart is involved. This movie did not disappoint. It was every bit as funny as you think it's going to be and then some. As funny as Hart is nothing was as funny in this movie as Dwayne Johnson was. When you think about putting these two in a movie together you think something along the line of Ride Along. You think the Hart is going to play something of a fool and Johnson is going to play the super spy who is tough and no nonsense. That is not how this play out at all. The fact that Johnson gives Hart a run for his money in the humor department for this movie. Johnson is the lovable fool, the child at heart if you will, that really can kick some ass. Johnson by far was the biggest surprise from the movie. It's the first time that I can recall that he didn't play the no nonsense character.

This movie is filled with joy, and a little mystery. The story is about finding out who is really the spy of the enemy and it has you looking in several different places to find the answer but it keeps you laughing all the way to the answer.

The highlight of the movie and that it was hilarious without it having to get nasty to get a laugh. That you can have a fun time, and laugh you socks off, without have to make disgusting and cruel jokes to get a laugh.

Now You See Me 2

Release Date: June 10, 2016

Staring: Jesse Eisenberg andd J. Daniel Atlas
Mark Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes
Wood Harrelson as Merritt McKinney
Dave Franco as Jack Wilder
Lizzy Caplan as Lula
Daniel Radcliffe as Walter Mabry
Morgan Freeman and Thatdeus Bradley

Directed by: Jon M. Chu

Written by: Ed Solomon, Peter Chiarelli, Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt

After their disappearing act The Four Horseman are begging to get back on the stage. Their secrets are starting to run too deep with one leaving, the other faking their death, and their leader in the FBI "searching" for them they have to be very stealthy about going back on stage. With a new money grubbing villain they seek to take down, The Four Horseman plans fail. Now with all their secrets exposed they are kidnapped to China. There they meet Walter Mabry; he too a man who faked his own death, and is quest for secret technology makes the Horseman question their loyalty to the eye.

This is one of the most fun movies of the year. The fact that you can have "magician thieves" and not make the whole thing cheesy is inspiring. There are so many aspects of the movie that could take a sharp turn to cheesy and yet it never does just goes to show how great a team of movie makers can be. Its the perfect balancing act of love, mystery, and action. There is nothing that overshadows one part of the movie to another. It's flows so seamlessly through the story that it makes for a great film.

The movie is really all about highlight the magic. They take this skill that has been classified as "uncool" by previous movies and tv shows and they make it into something that you want to be apart of. You watch them come up with these amazing tricks and you think that you know how it's all going to play out and they still pull a surprise from out of no where. You feel like you should know more as an audience member they are are excellent in showing that "the closer you are the less you actually see".

The great thing about this film is that even though we lost Isla Fisher, and the fact that it's a sequel, the charm is still there. That mysterious charm that we had from the first film, that we didn't think it was going to be a good film and it ended up being a surprise smash, is all still there. The characters that stayed didn't have any major changes that made us love them any less and the new ones brought their own charm that made the overall film another smash.

The cast is what really makes this film, and the previous, so great. they have this chemistry that seems to work. You have almost every type of personality in this film. From the outrageous to the hermits and they all work together to bring out the best in each other. Whether they are playing the villain or the "good" guy they have this wonderful spark that pushes each other to be the best they can be in each scene.

The writing is the next crucial part to making this film so wonderful. Without the meticulous effort on the part of the writers this film would have fallen. They did a fantastic job of keeping everything a mysterious and thrilling at the same time. There was never one part of the movie where I was bored, confused, and longing for more. They kept it loose and funny as well and to the point and serious.

This film is one of the best of year. It may not win any awards at the Oscars but it's well thought out and well written and very much a great movie.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Release Date: June 3, 2016

Starring Megan Fox as April O'Neil
Will Arnett as Vernon Fenwick
Stephen Amell as Casey Jones
Noel Fisher as Michelangelo
Jeremy Howard as Donatello
Pete Ploszek as Leonardo
Alan Ritchson as Raphael

Directed by: Dave Green

Written by: Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec based off the characters by Peter Laird and Keven Eastman

Four turtle brothers, with Ninja Skills live in the shadows of New York. Even though they have under the whole city to live when all you actually see if you family it gets crowded. With Shredder back on the loose with a new alien threat, the Turtles must cope with each other in order to save the world.

I have to say that Turtle are no my thing. I never watched them when I was going up and I didn't even see the first movie before going to see this one. So, seeing this movie I think I was missing a few things but I didn't feel like I was missing out on something great.

The one credit that I will give this film is the relationship between the brothers. The handful of times that I have seen the Turtles they always gave off this "perfect family" type even though all they saw each other. It didn't seem like they would fight or anything. I would always think that I would be sick of only living with my family and was never allowed to do anything else. This film they really gave them a more realistic relationship. They are growing up and didn't want to be stuck down there forever. They were mad when they learned that they could have a different option and that could live a more normal life, but one of them didn't want them to change. It's really showed the pros and cons of living the life of a hero.

All in all it was a decent film that gave the characters more depth but it's not like you are missing out on something epic if you missed it.

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Release Date: April 29, 2016

Starring: Jeremy Irons as G.H. Hardy
Dev Patel as S.. Ramanujan

Directed by: Matt Brown

Written by: Matt Brown based off the Biography by Robert Kanigel

S. Ramanujan is a low income young man from India who has an extraordinary gift. He creates these extraordinary mathematical figures without a basic knowledge of what they are or how he got to the conclusion. He keeps looking for someone to help him understand what they are and how they can be used to help the world. However, no one will take him under their wing. He reaches out to a great mathematician in Great Britain by the name of G.H. Hardy. Hardy looks into his work and decides that he is worth working with. Ramanujan is asked to come and study with him and makes the journey to Great Britain. Hardy learns that he may have bit off more than he can chew with his new pupil. Ramanujan knows, and see, that the complicated equations are correct but he has no idea why they are correct. The reason being is because he can not show the basic proofs to show how he got to the bigger idea. When Hardy finally asks him why he can't show the proofs Ramanujan says it's because the equations are given to him by god.

Hardy, a stock atheist, believes that Ramanujan believes that this is how he gets the equations. He believes in him so much so that when Ramanujan's home life starts to fall apart he does everything in his power to give him credit for the genius that he is. In an effort to get him elected as a Fellow of Trinity College he turns to other professors to trust that Ramanujan's equations, although they all can be proven as of yet, are true. His efforts fail on the first go around.

With the nearing outbreak of World War I and the fact that he has now contracted Tuberculosis, Ramanujan believes that his time in England is done and he needs to return to his family. Hardy, in a last effort to prove to Ramanujan that his work is worth it, Hardy gets him elected as Fellow of Royal Society and makes promise to come back in a years time in order to continue their work. However, that year turns into infinity when Ramanujan's illness takes life before he can see more of his work published.



This is one of those movies that makes you see just how important movies are. Only movies can take a person that not many people even know about and make you see how your life if effected by them. The story about S. Ramanujan is one that effects all of us because the equations that he has created are those of what we use now in some of our technology. They are also being used to study black holes and other aspects of space.

Even though we think that we learned about every important person in our history books this shows otherwise. That we are far from knowing about every person that has made a historical difference in the world. Who we need to thank for working through their difficulties and hardships in order to help other people down the line.

This movie was very inspiring. I man who no one wanted to help kept chancing after his dreams to publish his work, to make a difference in the world. The beautiful thing about this movie is that it was compelling without any action, or over zealous drama. It's a simple story told through his faith, friends, and legacy.

The Meddler

Release Date: May 27, 2016

Starring: Susan Sarandon as Marnie
Rose Byrne as Lori
J.K. Simmons as Zipper

Directed by: Lorene Scafaria

Written by: Lorene Scafaria

Marnie is a nosy woman with a good heart. After her husband dies she decides to follow her only daughter out to Los Angeles. Her husband left her with enough money not only to get by but to give away as she see fit. She could have everything she wants but all she wants is a relationship with her daughter. Lori, Marnie's daughter, thinks that her mother is way to clingy and needs to let loose the reins a little bit. She feels like her mother won't let her breathe, even more so now since she is going through a rough patch since her boyfriend left her. Marnie does everything she can to stay close to her daughter, even if it means interfering with the lives of her daughter friends and in the process opens the door to her own life of freedom since the loss of her husband.

A very unique look at how people deal with loss in their lives. Granted it's not the typical way things play out. Now a days not many people can leave a person with that much money to live out the rest of their life without a worry in the world but if they did it shows what good can be done. Not only to the people that you give the money to but how helping others helps you process your own grief by giving. The act alone can give you a sense of purpose.

That is all Marnie really wants to be needed. She feels that since her husband is gone and her daughter is grown that she won't be needed anymore. That is why she is spreading herself thin in order to make other happy because she is trying to find out where is place in the world is again.

The heart of this film is ultimately love. Whether it be in love, falling out of love, or finding love again the story is that of love. Loving those who need it the most. The ones who other think that they are never going to make anything of themselves, or the ones who keep rejecting you because they think they can do it on their own. Yet, it can be the person who is trying to shower other people in love because they don't realize that they are the ones who need it the most.

Sing Street

Release Date: April 15, 2016

Starring: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Conor
Jack Reynor as Brendan
Lacy Boynton as Raphina

Directed by: John Carney

Written by: John Carney

Cosmo is a teenager living in 1980's during Ireland's depression. To escape some of the struggles of real life he forms a band with his friends to impress a girl that he likes Named Raphina. They do covers of popular artists at the time and eventually write their own music. Trying to win her over Cosmo asks Raphina, an aspiring model, to star in the music video that his is making. While his love life starts to take off his parents love life is coming to an end. With the announcement of their divorce real life slaps him in the face and shatters his dreams. His Brother, Brendan, helps to show him that there is more in the world than just Ireland and helps Cosmo and Raphina find their dream.

This movie was a surprise to me. I though this was going to be a lame, super cheesy film that was going to be forgettable later. However, it's one of my favorites this year. It's fun, it's original, and one of the most hope filled movies I have seen.

John Carney wrote a beautiful story about young different backstories of young adults in a difficult time period. Not only did he show how difficult it is for young adults during a time when parents are at war with each other and with their finances. Shows a unique look at how music, or art in general, can take you to new heights or change how you view your reality. While Cosmo's wold is still falling apart he found a way to cope with it in his music. Carney does excellent work in showing that any body of art can have power to pull them to greater heights than they have ever known. He really got how escapism can hurt and help people going through a difficult time. What I mean by that is when Cosmo finds out that his parents are getting a divorce he is disappointed because he hasn't really been thinking about their situation as much, because it was obvious that something was bound to give sooner or later. He was also disappointed because whenever he thought about his parents seeing him play live he thought of them together and somehow his dream would fix their problems. All of this is shown when his older brother has to be the voice of reason that just because you dream something doesn't mean that it will come true. Even though Cosmo is old enough to know that it's a bitter pill to swallow.

I have to say that everyone in the cast did a fantastic job, even though it's a little weird seeing Aiden Gillen in any role other than Little Finger, I would have to say there is one actor who stood out the most. That would have to be the role or Brendan played by Jack Reynor. It is by far one of the most memorable roles of the year. He shows a lot of discipline balancing between a high teenager with no cares in the world and a boy who had to become a man way too soon. At first you really think that he is just a drop out teenager with no dreams of his own but when the world is falling apart you find that he is the only one really prepared for it. He is the oldest and the one who has been there through most of the problems that his parents has faced and has tried all he could to accept the fact and make the piece that life is not how he really want it to be. He see a lot of hope in Cosmo that he really can do what he sets out to do because he was there to lead the way when his parents didn't.

In fact it his words about Cosmo following in his wake that lead to the powerful ending of the film when Cosmo decides to carve his own path by following in the wake of other travelers before him.

This is a film for dreamers and achievers alike. It's about looking for hope when you think there is none and finding a dream even when your are crushed. That sometimes you have to reach your dream by helping someone else achieve theirs.

Love and Friendship

Release Date: June 3, 2016

Starring: Kate Beckinsale as Lady Susan Vernon
Morfydd Clark as Frederica Vernon
Tom Bennett as Sir James Martin

Directed by: Whit Stillman

Written by: Whit Stillman based off the novel "Lady Susan" by Jane Austen

Lady Susan Vernon is trying to find a mean to live... without working. After her husband dies she seeks to find wealth again by marrying off her daughter, Fredrica, to a fool who loves her. When her daughter turns him down Lady Susan looks to marry herself off to her young, handsome, and very rich brother-in-law. This witty comedy tells the story of a lady... if you can even call her that... that is trying to make ends meet.

This film is as witty as they come. It's a lot of humor that makes you think and makes you laugh out loud. The costume and the set are beautiful, the only rival against them is Miss Beckinsale herself.

The charm for this movie is this uncomplicated plot.. The fun comes from the complicated relationships. The movie wont' keep you on the edge of your seat but it will keeps a smiles on your face.

The Lobster

Release Date: June 3, 2016

Starring: Colin Firth as David
Olivia Coleman as Hotel Manager

Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos

Written by: Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Fililppou

In a not so distant future people are making matches. However, if you don't keep your match you are transported to a hotel for 45 days. You make a match within those days or you get turned into an animal, of your choice, so that you can have a "second chance" at love.

By far the most mind numbing, confusing, strangest, worst movie I have ever seen. It's attempt at dry humor was a disaster at best. It seemed like it was trying to be too artistic. None of it really made any sense at all. They did not tell you why the world has become like this. What changed and why the world thought that people weren't capable of making their own love life happen.

Then to go on and make it that if you don't have someone to love that you aren't even human. That you have to risk the rest of your life to find love, or be eaten, or be killed by another animal. That if you are a loner that is worse than being an animal. That you have to be hunted down by the people in the hotel and forced to become something that you don't want to be in order for you to find happiness. Who can tell you what makes you happy? Not the majority!

The message of the film is to show that if you allow others to control your life then it's not going to make you happy as it's going to make them. However, they did not have to make such a horrible film to make that point.

Me Before You

Release Date: June 3, 2016

Starring: Sam Clafin as Will Traynor
Emilia Clarke as Lou Clark

Directed by: Thea Sharrock

Written by: Jojo Moyes based off the book by Jojo Moyes

When Louisa Clark loses her job she seeks any work she can to help her family. When she hears of a caregiver job for a paralyzed man she is worried but take the job. She soon learns that Will Traynor is a bitter person because of his accident. When he starts to open up to her she lerans that he is going to die with dignity at a specialty clinic in Switzerland in six months time. Lou's new mission is to show him the life that he can have even though it's not like it used to be, to try and change his mind.

This is one of those movies that gets you worried before you even walk through the door. It has the potential to be a great love story, yet there is great potential for it to me way to cheesy, and also offensive with the subject at hand.

It was excellent. There were a couple of naysayers online but there are always some with everything. It wasn't too serious and it was too cheesy either. It was the perfect balance for everything the film wanted you to feel. They made you see both points of view of the story of a man who thinks his life was taken from him way too soon.

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Release Date: May 27, 2016

Starring: Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter
Mia Wasikoska as Alice Kingsleigh
Helen Bonham Cater as Iracabeth
Anne Hathaway as Mirana
Sacha Baron Cohen as Time

Directed by: James Bobin

Written by: Linda Woolverton based off the books by Lewis Carroll

After a whirlwind adventure, Alice returns home to find that her mother is battered down with debts and if forced to sell either their house or her father's ship. She is also being forced to change jobs, to something less adventuress mind you, and is left confused and heartbroken that the world she was hoping to return to is being shattered all around her. That is until a familiar butterfly comes along and tells her that the Mad Hatter is losing his life to sadness. When she learns that he believes that his long lost family is alive, Alice must talk with Time to change their fate in order to save her truest friend. When Time refuses, Alice puts all of Wonderland in Danger when she take time into her own hands.

I was a little skeptical of this movie. I did not like the first one very much, however, this one was much better than I expected. I loved the outfits and the set. What impressed me the most was the story. I read an article about this movie months ago and the writers wrote the movie based off of one line in the book. Referring when the Hatter was talking about how he and time quarreled. It caught the writers eye because the Hatter was talking about Time as a person and not an object, or a moment. All through the movie I was thinking "This whole movies was inspired by one sentence from a book and how many people missed".

Overall it was a wonderful time back in Wonderland.

The Nice Guys

Release Date: May 20, 2016

Starring: Ryan Gosling as Holland March
Russell Crowe as Jackson Healy
Angourie Rice as Holly March

Directed by: Shane Black

Written by: Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi

Jackson Healy is a loner who "sends messages" to people who keeping following, or harassing, his clients. When he is hired to take care of Holland March he is thrown into a case dealing with the mysterious suicide of a porn star.

This is one of the wittiest films of the year. It's funny, there is tons of action, and it's got a lot of heart. This is Ryan Gosling at one of his best roles. He is the perfect combination of Charming and Dimwit in this role, while Russell Crowe is this "no feeling all business" man who develops a sweet friendship not only with Holland but with his 10 year old daughter. Angourie Rice is a new comer to the screen and she is excellent. She seems to have the right amount of sass and comedic timing. Very much a take charge girl in this movie. The three of them together make for one hell of a funny movie.

Angry Birds

Release Date: May 20, 2016

Starring: Jason Sudeikis as Red
Josh Gad as Chuck
Danny McBride as Bomb
Maya Rudolf as Matilda
Bill Hader as Leonard
Peter Dinklage as Mighty Eagle

Directed by: Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly

Written by: John Cohen, Mikael Hed, Mikko Polla, and John Vitti

The island of Happy Birds is a great refuge for birds who can't fly. Red lives among them but is not very like because he has anger issues. When green pigs show up on the island everyone welcomes them without asking questions, except Red. When he looks deeper and finds that the pigs are trying to steal the eggs he jumps into action. With his friends from Anger Management class he rallies the island together to go after the pigs and save their kids.

I have never played the Angry Birds game before so I didn't know what to really expect and I also did have a high expectation for the film either. However, the list of all the people doing the voices in this film is gave me some expectation of the film because they are all great actors and voice actors.

The Verdict?

It was Hilarious! I was ot expecting to laugh as hard as I did or enjoy it as much either! The plot with the pigs is imaginative and very original. Who would thing that Pigs would be after bird eggs? From what I understand of the game the birds were being shot out of slingshots or attack the pigs. Which seems like a funny idea but it doesn't make much sense in reality. The movie gave it a really good backstory into why they had the sling shots.

Overall a great film for everyone to see.

Mother's Day

Release Date: April 29, 2016

Starring: Jennifer Aniston as Sandy
Jason Sudakious as Bradley
Julia Roberts as Miranda
Kate Hudson as Jesse

Directed by: Garry Marshall

Written by: Anya Kochoff, Matthew Walker and Tom Hines

The story of six families dealing with their mothers during the upcoming holiday.

This was a cute movie. Don't get me wrong it's great for a lighthearted comedy but to have it be taken 100% seriously would be a little far fetched.

However, the different relationships people have with their moms are all fairly well represented here. Either you are way to close with your mother, you hide part of your life with her, or she isn't around anymore. It shows that not all of the holidays are easy to deal with when someone you love is either gone, or you don't have a relationship with them. Yet, there are something that you can do to make it easier and change the situation a little bit.

Money Monster

Release Date: May 13, 2016

Starring: George Clooney as Lee Gates
Julia Roberts as Patty Fenn
Jack O'Connell as Kyle Budwell

Directed by: Jodie Foster

Written by: Jamie Lenden, Alan DiFiore and Jim Kouf

Lee Gates is the host of a TV Show that helps people choose where to invest their money. When telling how great one stock is he oversells how safe it is. This causes Kyle to invest every last cent into it. A few weeks later a huge dip in the stock causes Kyle to loos everything. In an effort to get some answers Kyle sneaks onto the set and hold Lee hostage for the entire world to see.

One of the best pictures of the year! It's everything that the trailer wanted you to think it was and more. This thriller leaves you wondering who the bad guy really is and who is the victim. George Clooney and Julia Roberts make their character very dynamic as usual. You see all the sides of each of them. Weather is be confident or insecure they are always very believable in every scene of the film. Jack O'Connell is a newer face of the silver screen, most well known for his role in Unbroken, who is playing is character just as well and Clooney and Roberts.

It really questions what is the meaning of money. That not everyone looks at it the same, For some it's a burden, some it's a safety net, and other it's just a play thing. We all want to change the meaning of money in our lives and sometime we can't get past what we have already labeled it as. It's a big part in how our own morals work and how when you don't have it anymore how you morals can change with it. How you see the world differently when you have more than enough or don't have any at all.

It begs the question...

Who really is the monster the money or the people?