Pete's Dragon

A reimagining of the 1977 Disney classic, Pete’s Dragon will blend live action and CGI to tell the story of the special bond between an orphaned boy, Pete, and his best friend, Elliott, who just happens to be a dragon. 

The original Pete's Dragon was one of my favorite movies growing up.  I used to watch it over and over again at my grandmother's house.  I was a little worried about them messing the movie up by reimagining it.  Thankfully, I was dead wrong.  This movie was an awesome family film.  It was the type of movie that made me fall in love with movies way back in the day.  Sure it was cute and fluffy at times but it was all about imagination and love.  I laughed, I cried, and I connected several aspects of the boy's adventure to moments throughout my life.

I would absolutely recommend people check this movie out.  This is especially true for families looking for a great all around movie going experience.  

Don't Breathe

A group of friends break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect heist. They’re wrong.

See how simple that synopsis was?   That's easily what made this movie so great.  It had a short running time, didn't waste time with over development, and jumped right into the creepiness and thrills.  The movie was very enjoyable and had you sitting on the edge of your seat plenty of times.  Just when you think the movie is going to get a little played out, it switches gears and gets you hooked for the second part of the story.   

I would definitely recommend this movie to thriller fans.  Its short, well directed and paced in a way that keeps you hooked and makes you jump plenty of times.  

The Wild Life

From the over-exuberant parrot Tuesday to the snack-obsessed tapir Rosie, from the persnickety echidna Epi to the acrobatic pangolin Pango, from the ditzy goat Scrubby to the commonsensical kingfisher Kiki and the always-cool chameleon Carmello, things are larger-than-life on a tropical isle that is pure wild animal paradise. Then Robinson Crusoe, a marooned human, arrives in the midst of a furious storm, and their lives are forever changed by this bewildering new “creature.” No matter their differences, castaway human and quirky animals embark on an hilarious new adventure, building the island’s first tree-house and surviving together. But when two conniving members of the animal kingdom — the savage cats Mal & May – pounce into a battle for control of the island, Crusoe and his animal posse must uncover the true power of friendship against all odds (even savage cats).

This movie was eh.  It was kind of watchable but there really was not the necessary hook that comes with most animated movies today.  The characters had moments but there were none that really carried the movie.   It almost felt like the animators kind of mailed it in on this one.  

I wouldn't really recommend people checking this out.  It's just kind of there and is one of those blatant money grabs by it being released when there really are not any other options out there for kids or families.

War Dogs

War Dogs follows two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami Beach during the Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a 300 million dollar deal to arm the Afghan Military—a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government.

This was a great movie due to the awesome chemistry between Miles Teller and Jonah Hill. I actually think this was one of Jonah Hill's better overall performances.  The story was paced perfectly and was given the proper time to develop.  You get really hooked by the friendship and it was a perfect balance between Teller's WTF type of reaction to everything and Jonah Hill's nothing to worry about reaction.  Even though it really was a drama movie due to the subject matter and Jonah Hill's character development, there were a ton of laughs throughout.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a great watch and very surprising to find such a great movie in theaters in late August.

Kubo And The Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato, Hashi and Kamekichi. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey and Beetle, and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen - a magical musical instrument - Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King and the evil twin Sisters to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.

This was an awesome movie.  It's not your normal animated movie for kids because the subject matter will probably go flying over their heads.  But the animation was amazing and kept getting better as the movie went on.  And the story of the boy and his parents and finding out about your ancestors and history was great.  

I loved this movie and would definitely recommend people checking it out but it really is not a mainstream movie in any way.  Kids won't necessarily like it because it is a pretty deep story overall but it was incredibly well done and told.

Mechanic: Resurrection

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) returns as the Mechanic in the sequel to the 2011 action thriller. When the deceitful actions of a cunning but beautiful woman (Jessica Alba) force him to return to the life he left behind, Bishop's life is once again in danger as he has to complete an impossible list of assassinations of the most dangerous men in the world.

Pretty much your standard Jason Statham entry.  Lots of action.  Good pacing.  No reason to bother with overdevelopment of story or characters.  Some of the stunts and the inventive ways of him taking out the opposition were crazy and really hooked you a little more than just the usual hand to hand combat movies he churns out.

If you are a fan of Statham movies, you will like this one.  Like I said - not much substance just more of the usual stuff from him.  If that's your thing - check it out.  If not - definitely pass.

Finding Dory

Finding Dory reunites Dory with friends Nemo and Marlin on a search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale?

I was afraid of Pixar giving this the mailing it in treatment of Cars 2 as opposed to the Toy Story sequels and Monsters Inc prequel.  Happily - that was not the case.  While the move was nowhere near the greatness of Finding Nemo, it was still a great ride with lots of laughs, emotions and new characters.  This one definitely felt more forced when compared to the natural progression of Finding Nemo but the story was still good and the pacing was great.  As with all Pixar movies, the film was just as enjoyable for the adults as it was for the kids that take them.

I would absolutely recommend this movie to everyone.  It's a great ride with characters you are used to and flawlessly introduced new ones.

Sausage Party

Sausage Party is a raunchy animated movie about one sausage's quest to discover the truth about his existence. After falling out of a shopping cart, our hero sausage and his new friends embark on a perilous journey through the supermarket to get back to their aisles before the 4th of July sale.

The movie had several moments of absolute hilarity that had the whole audience laughing.  The innuendos and references made were so well written and off the charts funny.   But there were definitely times where I would have probably preferred the innuendos as opposed to them actually showing some stuff.  At one point there was like an actual food orgy and it was weird as hell to watch.  The movie was definitely raunchy as hell but like I said so damn funny at times.  The only movie that I can compare this to with its laughs and wtf moments of what you were actually watching was Team America.

I would recommend people checking this out if they are interested in some big laughs and total raunchiness is not a turn off for them.  Otherwise you should absolutely not see this.  And parents of young teenagers be warned - this is absolutely a R rated movie that you don't want your kids to see or for you to foolishly go with them to see it.

Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond, the highly-anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In "Beyond," the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

I was never a huge fan of Star Trek growing up.  Star Wars was pretty much my religion.  I never watched any of the Star Trek shows but did see the movies.  They were not bad but they just always seemed too sci-fi for my tastes.  When JJ Abrams reintroduced Star Trek to movie theaters a few years back with a great, young cast he made me a fan.  I have enjoyed both films that he did and I enjoyed this one alot too.  It had a lot of great actions, great laughs with characters bickering and great visuals throughout - especially the space attack scenes that looked amazing.  It was very well paced and was an enjoyable ride overall.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a very fun movie and I continue to be surprised that I can refer to myself as a Star Trek fan now.

Bad Moms

In this new comedy from the grateful husbands and devoted fathers who wrote The Hangover, Amy has a seemingly perfect life - a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beautiful home and a career. However she's over-worked, over-committed and exhausted to the point that she's about to snap.  Fed up, she joins forces with two other over-stressed moms on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities – going on a wild, un-mom-like binge of long overdue freedom, fun and self-indulgence – putting them on a collision course with PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn and her clique of devoted perfect moms.

This movie was hilarious with a heart.  The mom stuff was great and very touching at times but the laughs were off the charts.  The three leads really played their parts to perfection and their chemistry was perfect.  That being said - Kathryn Hahn stole the show.  She was as hilarious of a supporting character in this as Will Ferrell was in Old School and Zach Gallifinakis in The Hangover.  She really was that damn funny.

If you are looking for laughs I absolutely recommend this movie.  It's pretty raunchy at times but really was hilarious.