The Gift

When Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall), a young married couple, move back to Simon’s hometown, they’re soon approached by Gordo (Joel Edgerton), who claims to have known Simon from high school. Gordo begins to leave gifts for Simon and Robyn, working his way into their lives. There’s something unsettling about him, however, and questions are soon raised about Gordo’s seeming generosity and where his true origins and intentions lie.

Wow!  Not sure if it was having no expectations or what but this movie was awesome.  This was what psychological thrillers should be like.  It was totally Single White Female like as you would think from the trailer but then there were twists and turns on the good characters that made you totally unsure who to root for anymore.  It was paced perfectly and any time that it started to feel too formula they curved it a bit and got you rehooked.  There were 3-4 points in the movie where the whole theater jumped out of their seats.  And the movie avoided the pretty little bow ending that most movies like this do.  As if I didn't enjoy this movie enough, I had no idea that it was written and directed by Joel Edgerton, the actor playing the weird old friend.  That just makes this movie that much more impressive.  

I would definitely recommend poeple checking this movie out.  Not that you really can since it was opened so limited, but that is a shame because this is one of the better all around movies to come out this year. 

Southpaw

Southpaw tells the riveting story of Billy "The Great" Hope, reigning Junior Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World (Jake Gyllenhaal). Billy Hope seemingly has it all with an impressive career, a beautiful and loving wife (Rachel McAdams), an adorable daughter (Oona Laurence) and a lavish lifestyle. When tragedy strikes and his lifelong manager and friend (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) leaves him behind, Hope hits rock bottom and turns to an unlikely savior at a run-down local gym: Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), a retired fighter and trainer to the city's toughest amateur boxers. With his future riding on Tick's guidance and tenacity, Billy enters the hardest battle of his life as he struggles with redemption and to win back the trust of those he loves.

This movie was well acted and you can see how much Gyllenhaal put in to this role with how jacked he got.  It definitely hooks you that you care about the characters and their paths.  But it all honesty the movie is incredibly formula in every way and basically a big mashup of all other boxer movies that came before it.  

I would somewhat recommend people checking this movie out.  It is a good watch but is pretty formula and repetitive.

Pixels

When aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. President Will Cooper (Kevin James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage) to defeat the aliens and save the planet.

This movie was literally an extension of the trailer.  They gave away the whole story and most of the small laughs that were there.  And since the trailer looked ridiculously stupid with very little laughs . . . . . Need I say more?  The only slightly good thing about this movie was Josh Gad.  The rest was pretty much doodykins.

I would definitely not recommend people wasting their time on this.  It was not a good movie and there were way too few laughs.

Max

A precision-trained military dog, Max serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott. But when things go terribly wrong on maneuvers, Kyle is mortally wounded and Max, traumatized by the loss of his best friend, is unable to remain in service.  Shipped stateside, the only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin, so Max is adopted by Kyle’s family, essentially saving his life. But Justin has issues of his own, such as living up to his father’s expectations for him; he isn’t interested in taking responsibility for his brother’s troubled dog. However, Max may be Justin’s only chance to discover what really happened to his brother that day on the front, and with the help of a tough-talking young teen, Carmen, who has a way with dogs, Justin begins to appreciate his canine companion. Justin’s growing trust in Max helps the four-legged veteran revert back to his heroic self, and as the pair race against time to unravel the mystery, they find more excitement—and danger—than they bargained for. But they each might also find an unlikely new best friend…in each other.

I was terrified to see this movie because I thought for sure it would be traumatizing on a Marley & Me level.   I'm going to go ahead and spoil this - it's not!   Thank the lord!!!  This was just a really great family film.  And to say that this would be any pet lover's ideal movie is an understatement.

I would definitely recommend people with kids see this.  Not the little, little ones but the ones old enough to learn from the morals and family dynamics shown in it.

Jurassic World

This is a new sci-fi terror adventure set 22 years after the horrific events of the original Jurassic Park.

Do you really need any more of a synopsis than that?   This was easily the best sequel of them all to the original.  It had that same epic/event feel to it.  It had the same types of characters.  It had those same holy sh$t dinosaur moments.  Where the first sequel was a failed attempt at a continuation and the second one was a short but enjoyable adrenaline dinosaur chasing romp, this was a recreation of the original with the park officially being opened 20 years later and things going bad with the dinosaurs.  There were plenty of shout outs and references to the original that made the connection even better.

I would definitely recommend everyone checking this out.  It's what popcorn movies are all about.

San Andreas

After the infamous San Andreas Fault finally gives, triggering a magnitude 9 earthquake in California, a search and rescue helicopter pilot (Johnson) and his estranged wife make their way together from Los Angeles to San Francisco to save their only daughter. But their treacherous journey north is only the beginning, and when they think the worst may be over…it’s just getting started.

This movie is exactly what you would expect it to be.   Lots of crazy effects.  Lots of unnecessary was-was family drama to fill out the breaks in the devastation.  But it's of course much easier to deal with because they put The Rock in there.  There really isn't much else to say about it.

If you like disaster flicks like this, this movie will not disappoint.  There is plenty of chaos from all different angles and is enjoyable on that level.  You should check it out.  If this isn't your cup of tea - you should obviously pass.

Tomorrowland

From Disney comes two-time Oscar winner Brad Bird's riveting, mystery adventure Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as Tomorrowland. What they must do there changes the world--and them--forever.

The reason I fell in love with going to the movies was because I loved getting caught up in what was going on onscreen and being transported to a different world or going for an amazing ride.  Sure there are plenty of movies that you can go to an incredibly enjoy nowadays but they are all adaptions of well known material, sequels or rehashings.  It's so rare that anything that feels original comes along anymore.  It's even rarer that a studio will commit to a movie so much that they don't give you the whole movie in the trailer.  I went into this movie not really knowing what it was about.  I was afraid that they didn't show you a lot because the movie wouldn't be that good, but I was beyond pleasantly surprised.  This movie was awesome.  The storytelling, the score, the action, the chemistry between the actors, all of it. 

I give this movie the stamp of must see.  I am shocked at how much I loved this movie and really wish that Hollywood would have the creativity to make more old school movies like this.

Dope

in Dope, Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself.

This movie was entertaining in so many ways.  First - it was funny as hell watching the kid in truly awkward situations and working his way through them.  Second - the soundtrack was AWESOME!!!  Seriously.  I felt like I was back in high school/college the whole time watching this movie.  Third (and probably most important), was that it showed how someone can really rise above a situation with smarts regardless of the cards that they are dealt or where they are in society more or less.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It really was a surprisingly enjoyable movie on many levels.

The Gallows

Twenty years after an accident caused the death of the lead actor during a high school play, students at the same small town school resurrect the failed stage production in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy—but ultimately find out that some things are better left alone.

These hand held camera movies are pretty much a dime a dozen since Paranormal Activity started the whole craze years back.  For the most part they are pretty crappy and never have a good payoff.  This one was one of the rare exceptions.  I'm not saying that it was great or anything, but there was plenty of tension built and lots of jump type scares.  There was definitely too much looking at the floor while people were running but the story build, the tension and the ending payoff were definitely better than average.

I would sort of recommend people checking this out.  Again - it wasn't great,  But it wasn't bad like most of them are either.

Insidious Chapter 3

The newest chapter in the terrifying horror series is written and directed by franchise co-creator Leigh Whannell. This chilling prequel, set before the haunting of the Lambert family, reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl (Stefanie Scott) who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

This movie makes a lot more sense to me now that I just read above that it was a prequel.  I watched the whole thing thinking that it was  a sequel and thought it was pretty lame that the only connection was the psychic lady.  And while it definitely makes more sense knowing this - was this franchise in need of a prequel?  Feel like they should have just continued the franchise instead?  That being said - the movie was okay.  They did a great job with the sight scares.  Definitely better than the last one.  But again - there was really no need for a prequel story and I wasn't really invested in the characters and there struggle.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out - as long as they are aware it's a prequel.  It's got good scares and they show the other world well even if the story was lacking.

Magic Mike XXL

Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, Magic Mike XXL finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.

The movie showed up online so I gave it a shot.  In all honesty, the first movie was not that bad and was pretty damn funny for the first half before becoming overly serious and stupid in the second half.  Thought this would be more of the same.  Made it 30 minutes in without laughing at all.  Seemed very forced and wasn't going to waste any more time on it.

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering to see this.  If you are a girl and couldn't wait to see this, you probably already did.  The movie seemed like it was only going to get worse when I pulled the plug.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron is the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure. 

I went into this movie worried that this would be like the Transformers sequels with a ton of crap thrown on the screen with little to no substance.  Thankfully I was wrong.  The movie was very entertaining.  Good but not too much action.  Great banter between the characters.  Good character development of the ones that don't have their stand alone franchises.  And lots and lots of fun.  I would only make two knocks against this one.  First, a lot of the story was super rushed.  As great as Ultron was, it was like you blinked and there he was hating the world.  Second, there was some major lacking of continuity from Iron Man 3 to this movie.  Tony Stark went from being done with being Iron Man and destroying all his robots to being with the Avengers and having newly developed robots.

Regardless of those two knocks, I would absolutely recommend people checking this out.  It is a great  summer popcorn movie.  I would have it somewhere in the 4-6 range if ranking all the Marvel movies since Iron Man.