The Good Dinosaur

The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

This was a very enjoyable movie.  Lots of laughs.  Lots of heartwarming moments.  And you can't help but fall in love with the main characters.  It was a textbook Disney movie.  That's the only slightly negative thing I can say about it actually.  It felt like an excellent Disney movie - not a Pixar movie.  Again - the movie is not bad by any means.  It's probably one of the better movies I've seen this year.  It's just that Pixar movies for the most part always make you feel something more.  Like you are not just watching a great animated movie - you are watching an amazing movie.  I didn't have that feeling with this one.  Still loved it but just not on the usual Pixar level.

I would absolutely recommend that people check this movie out.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's a great family watch.

Spotlight

Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Brian d’Arcy James and Stanley Tucci, Spotlight tells the riveting true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world’s oldest and most trusted institutions. When the newspaper’s tenacious “Spotlight” team of reporters delves into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston's religious, legal, and government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world. Directed by Tom McCarthy, Spotlight is a tense investigative dramatic-thriller, tracing the steps to one of the biggest cover-ups in modern times.

This was an excellent movie about reporters.  The build throughout the movie as they investigated the story was awesome.  The subject matter and findings of their investigations were mind blowing and brought you even more in to the movie and the workings of the reporter team.  They did a great job of showing a lot of different mentalities and approaches to it all.  

I would absolutely recommend that people check this movie out.  It was really great watch.

Secret In Their Eyes

A tight-knit team of rising investigators – Ray and Jess, along with their supervisor Claire – is suddenly torn apart when they discover that Jess’s teenage daughter has been brutally and inexplicably murdered. Now, thirteen years later, after obsessively searching every day for the elusive killer, Ray finally uncovers a new lead that he’s certain can permanently resolve the case, nail the vicious murderer, and bring long-desired closure to his team. No one is prepared, however, for the shocking, unspeakable secret that will reveal the enduring, destructive effects of personal vengeance on the human soul. Interweaving past and present, this deeply layered mystery explores the murky boundaries between justice and revenge, and asks the question: how far would you go to right an unfathomable wrong?

This was a pretty good watch.  The acting was powerful and the back and forth storytelling between past and present kept it fresh.  Even doing that couldn't prevent this from feeling like a long television episode of a procedural.  This was basically a CSI or Criminal Minds extended story arc with big name actors.  It touched on all the emotions that one would feel if in a similar situation very well and the pacing was very good too.

I liked this movie but I also like those types of procedural tv shows.  If you are not into those, you probably shouldn't bother checking this one out.

Black Mass

In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the true story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement, consolidate power, and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history.

FINALLY!!!  Johnny Depp is back to showing us how good of a character actor he is.  After a really bad downward spiral in recent years, he's gone and completely come back playing Whitey Bulger.  He was great in this movie and it was very difficult to not be drawn into his performance.  Also in the movie and climbing my list of favorite actors is Joel Edgerton.  He was equally as great as the ego driven FBI agent who had to constantly rationalize his actions.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  Great performances throughout and it was a very well made movie.

The 33

In 2010, the eyes of the world turned to Chile, where 33 miners had been buried alive by the catastrophic explosion and collapse of a 100-year-old gold and copper mine. Over the next 69 days, an international team worked night and day in a desperate attempt to rescue the trapped men as their families and friends, as well as millions of people globally, waited and watched anxiously for any sign of hope. But 200 stories beneath the surface, in the suffocating heat and with tensions rising, provisions—and time—were quickly running out. A story of resilience, personal transformation and triumph of the human spirit, the film takes us to the Earth’s darkest depths, revealing the psyches of the men trapped in the mine, and depicting the courage of both the miners and their families who refused to give up. Based on the gripping true story of survival—and filmed with the cooperation of the miners, their families and their rescuers—“The 33” reveals the never-before-seen actual events that unfolded, above and below ground, which became nothing less than a worldwide phenomenon.

This was a really well made movie.  I was very surprised at how well made it was.  I expected a made for TV movie but it was much better quality than that.  The character development was great.  You really get attached to the trapped miners and their eternally hopeful families.  The only knock I'll make against the movie - and this sounds horrible because it was about the trapped miners - but it was a little too long.  It could have easily been 20-30 minutes shorter and the movie as a whole would have been great.

I would recommend this movie.  It is a pretty decent watch and much better done than I expected.  A little too long but definitely still a decent watch.

Trumbo

The successful career of 1940s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) comes to a crushing end when he and other Hollywood figures are blacklisted for their political beliefs. Trumbo (directed by Jay Roach) tells the story of his fight against the U.S. government and studio bosses in a war over words and freedom, which entangled everyone in Hollywood from Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) and John Wayne to Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger.

This was a great autobiographical movie.  It did a great job of taking you back to that time period and establishing what the mentalities were like back then.  Bryan Cranston continued doing an amazing job at anything he decides to do.  The man is golden.  His performance in this is guaranteed to get him several year end nominations.  

I would recommend people checking this out.  It was a very good watch with great acting across the board.

Spectre

A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE. Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.  As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.

This was another very entertaining James Bond movie with Daniel Craig playing the iconic character.  With his four movie resume he really has managed to outshine most of his predecessors in m opinion.  The movie started right up with a crazy action sequence and kept the pace going throughout.  All the action was great and Waltz is perfect as a Bond villain.  

I would definitely recommend people check this one out.  It's a very entertaining ride.

Crimson Peak

Crimson Peak, a co-production with Universal Pictures, is a haunting gothic horror story directed by the master of dark fairy tales, Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth," "Hellboy" series, "Pacific Rim"), written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins and starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Charlie Hunnam. In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.

This was a pretty good watch.  Kind of wished I would have seen it in theaters instead of the overly dark bootleg version.  Regardless - there were numerous parts that made me jump and the continuous tension building was great - especially with the score of the movie.  The old English appearance of everything definitely gave it an overall even creepier feel throughout the movie.

I would recommend people checking this out.  It was an enjoyable creepy/scary watch.

Bridge Of Spies

A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, Bridge of Spies tells the story of James Donovan (Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. Screenwriters Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen have woven this remarkable experience in Donovan’s life into a story inspired by true events that captures the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life.

This movie had me so turned around.  I thought it was all about spies and it really wasn't.  Normally that would be disappointing based on expectations but not this movie.  This movie, which was more about being a lawyer and dealing with difficult negotiation processes, was still a great watch.  Major kudos to Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks for really hooking you into a movie that could have ended up being dull as hell to the point that you have no choice but to be thrilled with the ending.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It was a very enjoyable watch.

The Last Witch Hunter

The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today Kaulder is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to Kaulder, the Queen Witch is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

This movie was the exact steaming pile of poo that you expected it to be.  Overdone action with overdone effects.  If you saw the trailer you saw the movie.  There was no real hook into the story or characters and I have no clue why Vin Diesel did this movie.  

Don't bother with this movie.  It's 90 minutes of your life that you can never get back.