Wicked: For Good

Now demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba lives in exile in the Ozian forest, while Glinda resides at the palace in Emerald City, reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, she'll need to reunite with Glinda to transform herself, and all of Oz, for good.

I was very worried about how they would do the second movie because with the musical the first act is a million times better than the second one.   There was a very tough job transitioning from the light and whimsical to the dark and consequential - including all the songs/music.   But they did a great job of focusing on the characters (even the supporting ones) and how they all tied into the Wizard Of Oz story that you already knew.   Ariana Grande was possibly even better in this one than the first and Cynthia Erivo continued her excellence.  The connection between those two somehow got stronger and stronger that by the time they were singing For Good it was very difficult to hold back the emotions.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  Kudos to John Chu for doing an incredible job with these two movies.   Very impressive.

One Battle After Another

Bob is a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts.

This movie was very well made.   For an over 2 1/2 hour movie to be paced so non-stop with all the characters spiraling through the whole thing and not have you looking at your watch or realize how long it is tends to be a sign of greatness.   The acting by everyone was awesome.  The constant score in the background added a level of tension that was awesome.   I am very surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie and how relevant it really was in today's world.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.   It is one of the better movies to come out this year.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

On the cusp of global superstardom, New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past as he records the album "Nebraska" in the early 1980s.

I don't mean to be insensitive towards Springsteen's struggle with depression and his childhood but this movie was quite honestly like watching paint dry.   It was isolated to the creation of one album in Springsteen's career and harped heavily on a lot of technical stuff with creating the music and dragged massively.   

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this.  Jeremy Allen White's performance was great as expected but the pacing and entertainment level of it all left so much to be desired.

Roofman

After escaping from prison, former soldier and professional thief Jeffrey Manchester finds a hideout inside a Toys "R" Us, surviving undetected for months while planning his next move. However, when Jeffrey falls for a divorced mom, his double life starts to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.

I am shocked at how much I enjoyed this movie.   I feel like I have been watching this trailer forever at theaters and just had it as a movie that needs to come out already so I won't see it any more.   Casually watched the movie and absolutely loved it.  It felt so down to earth, relatable and human in terms of desperation when you are at the end of your rope.   Channing Tatum was great in it and the hook really kept you hanging on to the movie as it played out.   Very pleasantly surprised.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.   It was a very enjoyable movie on many levels and absolutely one of the biggest surprises of the year.  

Tron: Ares

Mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated programme, Ares, leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world.

I'm really not sure who was asking for this sequel.   I have always said that even though I'm a big fan of sci-fi that there is good sci-fi and then there is too much sci-fi.  The Tron franchise definitely falls into the latter.  I don't remember much about them.  I didn't really care much about this movie.   The visuals and effects were cool but it really didn't have much else past that.   It was just more red in this one when I remember the others being more blue.

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this movie.  It is really just there besides the cool effects.   And they are not enough to carry the movie.

The Smashing Machine

MMA fighter Mark Kerr reaches the peak of his career but faces personal hardships along the way.

I don't know if it was all the advance hype about how great this movie was that raised expectations or just me watching it wondering what the hell was the story that warranted this biographical movie being made but this movie was beyond disappointing.   All the hype for The Rock's acting . . . . . . . . I mean he acted well using lots of makeup to not look like himself.  Is that what they were talking about?   Because honestly this movie was about too very overdependent people being miserable with each other.   How does that warrant praise for acting or movie making?

I would not recommend people watching this.  It was a massive disappointment and is honestly just there.  Any sort of awards buzz for this movie makes zero sense to me.

Shelby Oaks

A woman's search for her long-lost sister becomes an obsession when she realizes a demon from their childhood may have been real, not imaginary.

Yet another instantly forgettable spirit chasing horror movie.   Why do so many of these get made?   This one tried to be part Paranormal Activity and part The Conjuring.  It ended up just being total poop.

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this.  Even though its super short it is still a massive waste of time.

The Senior

At age 59, Mike Flynt may be too old to be on a college football field, but not too old to feel the weight of unfinished business. After nearly four decades, he returns to his alma mater to take the hit that changed everything. Bruised, doubted, and nearly broken, he pushes for one more game, not for glory, but for the teammates he lost, the family he fractured, and the ending he still believes is possible.

This movie was about as formula as you can get.   There is no way that you don't know everything that is going to happen just from the trailer.  But if you like formula sports movies then this will work for you and if you don't then it won't.  There is very little else to say about this movie.

I would somewhat recommend it.  It's not a great movie.  It's not a bad movie.   You could just watch the trailer and say you saw it but it was still a decent watch.

Black Phone 2

Bad dreams haunt 15-year-old Gwen as she receives calls from the black phone and sees disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp. Accompanied by her brother, Finn, they head to the camp to solve the mystery, only to confront the Grabber -- a killer who's grown even more powerful in death.

I loved the first movie.  It was one of the better slasher movies to come out in a long time.   However . . . . .  the killer died at the end of the movie so when I heard they were doing a sequel I was a little confused how that was possible.   They tried to change the horror genre from slasher to like a spiritual horror kind of movie.   Like the guy became Freddy Krueger-esque.   The spiritual horror movies are pretty much my least favorite sub-genre.   Doing that made this movie lame as hell.   Like the polar opposite of the original.

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this movie.   Its a shame because the first one was so good.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

Through a surprising twist of fate, single strangers Sarah and David get to relive important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present.

The premise of this movie was great.   The trailer made it somewhat intriguing.  But they very much didn't stick the landing.   Like it started out good but then like halfway through it was just kind of going through the motions as if there was not an actual ending they were working towards.

I would somewhat recommend this movie only because the chemistry was believable and they did a good job of showing the whole getting to know somebody thing well.   It just didn't have a complete ending that would have probably made this much better. 

Bugonia

Two conspiracy-obsessed men kidnap the CEO of a major company when they become convinced that she's an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

This was a weird weird movie.   It was basically carried by the over the top acting of the two leads.  I hate that the two of them seem to only do absurd movies at this point since they are honestly two of my favorite actors.   Please come back to mainstream movies, guys!

I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out unless I specifically knew if it would be your type of movie or not.   It is absolutely not a mainstream kind of movie.   Like at all.

Good Fortune

A well-meaning but inept angel named Gabriel meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker and a wealthy venture capitalist.

The premise of the movie was really really good and very much hit home.   The movie wasn't that long but for some reason the pacing was kind of slow and made it feel longer and held the movie back from really taking off.   Still a good watch but could have been better with the pacing issues.

I would sort of recommend people checking this out.   Anyone who has struggled with professional life struggles and seeing others with the grass being much greener should definitely identify with it but again the pacing was just kind of off.  

The Strangers - Chapter 2

After learning that one of their victims, Maya, is still alive, three masked maniacs return to finish the job. With nowhere to run and no one to trust, Maya soon finds herself in a brutal fight for survival against psychopaths who are more than willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.

Same question after "chapter 1" . . . . . .  why in the blue hell is this a trilogy?   The original movie was a great horror movie that should have been left alone.  It did not need an origin story much less a trilogy horror story.  This is beyond pointless because you know that they are all still there for the original movie so it's like watching a suspense movie knowing that nothing will happen.  It's like The Walking Dead wrapping up AFTER they announced 6 characters getting spinoffs.  

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering with this and I hate that I know there will be a chapter 3.

The Conjuring: Last Rites

In 1986 paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to Pennsylvania to vanquish a demon from a family's home.

Quite honestly, I have never been a fan of these movies.   Like they just don't do anything for me.  The creepiness is eh.  The sight gags are just okay.  And I pretty much forget about them 5 minute after seeing them.  This one was very much no different than the previous entries.   

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering with this movie but again they never have been my thing.  If you liked the others I guess go see this and I would assume you would like it?

The Long Walk

Teens participate in a grueling high-stakes contest where they must continuously walk or be shot by a member of their military escort.

I'm very surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie.   It looked good from the trailer but I wasn't sure how hooked they would be able to keep you.   Turns out very much hooked.   They addressed most of the questions that came to mind when originally hearing about the premise very well.   And it didn't drag at all which was very important to the overall idea.   The only thing I would knock on it was literally the very last minute or two of the movie making no sense to me whatsoever.   

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It's pretty graphic at times and psychologically draining/traumatizing but it was a very well done movie.