Power Rangers


Saban's Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.

Whether you like this movie or not might depend on how much of a fan boy or fan girl you are of the franchise.  I was a lukewarm fan of the Power Rangers when I was younger so I thought the movie was a pretty good watch.  They did a decent enough job of developing the characters and the story.  The action was better and didn't cross over into Transformers land of special effects vomit to the point of not being able to tell what was actually happening.  

I don't know if this one will satisfy the die hard fans or not but I was able to enjoy it.  I'd recommend people checking it out.  It was a pretty good reboot.

Chips


Jon Baker (Dax Shepard) and Frank “Ponch” Poncherello (Michael Peña) have just joined the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Los Angeles but for very different reasons. Baker is a beaten up pro motorbiker trying to put his life and marriage back together. Poncherello is a cocky undercover Federal agent investigating a multi-million dollar heist that may be an inside job—inside the CHP. The inexperienced rookie and hardened pro are teamed together, but clash more than click, so kickstarting a partnership is easier said than done. But with Baker’s bike skills combined with Ponch’s street savvy it might just work…if they don’t drive each other crazy along the way.

This movie was pretty much garbage.  I expected nothing from the movie and got even less.  Don't remember laughing at all.  I have no clue what the point of this movie was or why in the blue hell they thought that the world was missing a Chips reboot.  It wasn't.  

I would recommend that absolutely nobody waste their time with this.  I still don't know how I made it to the end without pulling the plug early.

The Belko Experiment


In a twisted social experiment, a group of 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogata, Colombia and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.

This was basically a slightly tweaked version of The Purge.  Same basic violent concept with a different setup of how to get there.  The movie was enjoyable for what it was.  If you like movies like The Purge, then this one won't disappoint you.  Lots of crazy violence.  Lots of people cracking under pressure.  Lots of uncomfortable laughs from the panicked participants.  

Again - I would recommend this movie to anyone that enjoyed The Purge or any of the sequels.  If you can turn your brain off and enjoy movies like that, this is an enjoyable watch.  If not - you shouldn't go near this with a ten foot pole.

T2: Trainspotting


Striking with preemptive speed, TriStar Pictures has acquired the worldwide rights to Danny Boyle’s much-anticipated sequel to Trainspotting.  T2 Trainspotting, based on characters created by Irvine Welsh, reunites director Danny Boyle with screenwriter John Hodge and all of the principal cast of the 1996 film—Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle will reprise the iconic roles of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie.

I don't want to say that this movie was disappointing.  I will go with it just being much different than what I expected.  The best part of the original Trainspotting was the manic way that it was filmed where you kind of felt like you were on the same drugs as the characters and you went along for the crazy ride and perceptions of the world through their eyes.  This movie didn't touch any of that with a ten foot pole.  The closest that they came to it was random side vignettes.  This movie was more about how none of the characters had changed in the last 20 years and it kind of made the movie more depressing than manic and hopeful like the first one.  It was still a watchable movie and pretty decent for what it was.  It was just very different and more mellow than I had expected.

I would still recommend any fans of the original and these characters check it out because the familiarity with them is what still makes the movie good even with its way different tone and what not.  Just go into it with very different expectations.

Life


Life is a terrifying sci-fi thriller about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station whose mission of discovery turns to one of primal fear when they find a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars, and now threatens the crew and all life on Earth.

This movie is exactly what you would think from the trailer for it.  It's a wannabe Alien.  That doesn't mean it's bad or anything.  It's definitely a decent watch.  But there is pretty much nothing original or not predictable about the story or any of its characters.  

I'd somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It's a decent watch but really just a retread of a story told several times already.

The LEGO Batman Movie




In the irreverent spirit of fun that made The LEGO Movie a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble – LEGO Batman – stars in his own big-screen adventure: The LEGO Batman Movie. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker’s hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.

This movie was very enjoyable.  Not as funny as The Lego Movie but pretty close.  The constant making fun of Batman history was awesome and Will Arnett's egotistical voicing of Batman was also great.  The incorporating of villains outside of the D.C. Universe was an excellent surprise.  The Lego franchise definitely has a very bright future as long as they keep up the humor for the adults too.

I would absolutely recommend people checking this out.  It's a great watch for both the kids and adults.

John Wick: Chapter 2


In this next chapter following the 2014 hit, legendary hitman John Wick [Keanu Reeves] is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers.

Wow!  This was really like massive amounts of testosterone and adrenaline in film form.  The fight scenes were crazy.  The shootouts were crazy.  Any time that there was driving included it was crazy.  This movie was a very enjoyable watch if you like these kind of action movies just like the first one.  They don't waste too much time with senseless stories or too much build up.  It's just badass across the board on the screen from beginning to end.  The only knock that I could make against this is just that maybe it didn't need to be as long of a movie.

I would absolutely recommend anyone who likes action movies checking this movie out.  Keanu Reeves career has really been brought back from the dead by this franchise that can easily continue as long as they keep the action as top notch. 

Table 19


Ex-maid of honor Eloise (Anna Kendrick) - having been relieved of her duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text - decides to hold her head up high and attend her oldest friend's wedding anyway. She finds herself seated at the 'random' table in the back of the ballroom with a disparate group of strangers, most of whom should have known to just send regrets (but not before sending something nice off the registry). As everyone's secrets are revealed, Eloise learns a thing or two from the denizens of Table 19. Friendships - and even a little romance - can happen under the most unlikely circumstances.

This was a very cute independent comedy.  It was a textbook artsy limited release.  Quirky characters that totally hook you.  More of a story than the trailer showed you to get you interested.  But the story really doesn't matter because its the characters that you care about.  Each one of the misfits at Table 19 delivered the needed laughs to make the movie worth watching and the short running time was also very important.  Stephen Merchant delivered yet another great supporting role and was probably my favorite of all of them.

I would sort of recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see by any means and is absolutely not a main stream  comedy.  It is a decent watch though if you were interested by the trailer even with the added drama they thought was necessary to add to the movie.

Beauty And The Beast


The beloved tale will be retold for the big screen with a modern live-action lens and the help of transformative CG magic. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will star as Belle and the Beast/Prince respectively, and Luke Evans will play the role of Gaston. Emma Thompson has joined the cast as Mrs. Potts and Kevin Kline as Belle's father, Maurice.

This was easily one of Disney's better live action remakes of their classic animated movies.  I still think that overall Jungle Book is still the best but that was pretty much entirely CGI with the animals.  With the actors included - this one becomes the best one that they have done so far.  All the classic songs were there and they did a really good job of capturing the characters quirks that made you love the animated versions from back in the day.  Emma Watson was perfectly cast along with Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad  as his sidekick that literally stole every scene that he was in.  There are some scenes in this live action version that will terrify the younger kids but it was a very enjoyable watch and will probably end up being the biggest movie of this year that doesn't have Star Wars in the title.  

I absolutely recommend everyone checking this out.  It's rare that remakes are enjoyable as this one was.

A Cure For Wellness


An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests here longing for the cure. 

This movie had a massive aura of creepiness and tension right from the start and it properly elevated as the movie went on.  It was written and directed in a way where the viewer slowly got bits of information but it didn't drag so your interests were kept throughout.  Can't really talk to much about the ending without giving anything away but it did go a little off the rails.  I was worried that it would be one of those movies with amazing buildup to an ending that doesn't payoff so a little off the rails was not a problem at all.  This movie reminded me a lot of Shutter Island from a few years back but with more tension, creepiness and an overall look to everything. 

I would definitely recommend this movie to fans of creepy thriller movies.  It was a very enjoyable watch.

A United Kingdom


A United Kingdom is based on extraordinary true events. In 1947, Seretse Khama, the King of Botswana, met Ruth Williams, a London office worker. The attraction was immediate: she was captivated by his vision for a better world, he was struck by her willingness to embrace it.  Both felt liberated by the social upheaval that followed the war - Seretse sensed the opportunity for change as the Empire weakened, Ruth saw the possibility for a "bigger life" as women pushed for independence and equality.  They were a perfect match, yet their proposed marriage was challenged not only by their families but by the British and South African governments. The latter had recently introduced the policy of apartheid and found the notion of a biracial couple ruling a neighboring country intolerable. South Africa threatened the British: either thwart the couple or be denied access to South African uranium (vital for the British nuclear program) and gold (vital to replenish reserves following the war) and face the risk of South Africa invading Botswana.  Despite the terrible pressures they faced, Seretse and Ruth never wavered - they fought for their love every step of the way, and in so doing changed their nation and inspired the world.

This was a very well told and acted story.  The necessary against all odds chemistry between the two leads was there from the beginning.  You are definitely hooked and rooting for them on this crazy journey they go on with unimaginable hurdles they have to face.  I went into this movie expecting boredom and a nap and was very pleasantly surprised. 

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a very enjoyable as well as an educational watch.