Miss Bala

A beauty contest winner is forced to work for a crime boss after she witnesses a murder. The movie is a remake of the 2011 film, Miss Bala.

This movie was literally one of those where if you watched the trailer - you saw the movie.  No surprises.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Just a longer version of the two minute trailer that you essentially forget all about 10 minutes after its over.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this.   Wait for cable or something when you accidentally find it on because there is really no need to go out of your way to watch this.

Serenity

From the creative mind of Steven Knight comes a daringly original, sexy, stylized thriller. Baker Dill (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey) is a fishing boat captain leading tours off a tranquil, tropical enclave called Plymouth Island. His quiet life is shattered, however, when his ex-wife Karen (Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway) tracks him down with a desperate plea for help. She begs Dill to save her – and their young son – from her new, violent husband (Jason Clarke) by taking him out to sea on a fishing excursion, only to throw him to the sharks and leave him for dead. Karen’s appearance thrusts Dill back into a life he’d tried to forget, and as he struggles between right and wrong, his world is plunged into a new reality that may not be all that it seems.

Wow!  This was like legendarily bad.  How in the blue hell were there this many legit actors in this movie?  What was the thought process here?   This movie was outright garbage.  The acting was terrible.  The story was terrible.  The editing and camerawork were terrible.  Just straight yuck.  I'm usually a fan of Anne Hathaway but this was easily her most annoying performance I've ever seen.

I would not recommend anyone watching this.  Like ever.  It was really a giant piece of garbage.

Escape Room

An elevated psychological thriller about six strangers who find themselves in circumstances beyond their control and must use their wits to survive.

This is one of those movies that you pretty much know exactly how its going to go from the trailer.  There was no curveballs whatsoever and it was a decent shut your brain off and watch movie.  It also wasn't overly gory in the Saw franchise way which I appreciated because there really is no need for that massive over the top stuff.  I only watched this to keep my mind busy and it did its job . . . . . . surprisingly better than I thought it would.

I would actually kind of recommend people checking this out.  It was a pretty decent watch based on what it was.

Glass

Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb's superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men. - Sarah Paulson joins the film as a psychiatrist who describes herself as someone that specializes in “individuals who believe they are superheroes.” Present among her patients at a Philadelphia asylum are David Dunn, Elijah Price, aka Mr. Glass, and Kevin Wendell Crumb, aka The Horde.

This was literally a movie split in two halves.  The first half was awesome.  The story was coming together awesome and all the characters were being done justice by equally.  The pacing was great and James McAvoy was killing it just like he did in Split.  But then once the three main characters were together - the movie suddenly stopped moving forward and slowed down to a snail's pace.  It was literally like night and day and extremely disappointing after such a solid start.

I would still recommend people check this out if you are invested in the two movies coming together but just be sure to keep your expectations low because it definitely plays out pretty flat after a very promising start.

The Kid Who Would Be King

The Kid Who Would be King tells the story of Alex, a twelve-year-old British schoolboy whose everyday problems are dwarfed by his discovery of the mythical sword Excalibur. Now, with the most powerful sword in history in the hands of the most powerless schoolboy in Britain, an epic adventure begins as Alex and his friends must thwart a medieval villain named Morgana, who is hell-bent on destroying the world.

This was your textbook January released family film.  It has no business really being in theaters or getting a wide release but at this point families are so desperate to take their kids to something not called Mary Poppins that Hollywood throws something like this out there to take the parents' money.  And that is pretty much exactly what this is.  A borderline at best family movie to watch that takes a known story, puts a twist on it and preaches a bunch of morals and what not to the kids and families that are watching.

I wouldn't really recommend families drop the money it would cost to go see this on this movie.  I know it's like a few more weeks but there will be much better family movie options soon with Lego Movie 2 and How To Train Your Dragon 3.  Just wait for those.

A Dog's Way Home

Adaptation of the best-seller by W. Bruce Cameron. A Dog’s Way Home chronicles the heartwarming adventure of Bella, a dog who embarks on an epic 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her beloved human, Lucas, an aspiring med student and VA hospital volunteer. Bella touches the lives of many during her unwavering quest; from an orphaned mountain lion cub to a homeless veteran down on his luck, Bella brings joy and comfort to everyone she meets with her unique spirit and faith.

Wow!   This was pretty much one of the most blatant heart string pulling movies of all time but it was done in a way that I honestly didn't care and was able to enjoy it regardless.  It was pretty much the definition of cute and an absolute must see for any animal lover.  There is no way that you can watch this movie and not go home to your pet and love them that much more.  

I would definitely recommend anyone interested checking this out.  It is a very cute and fun watch that will make you laugh and cry.  Plus - it is a perfect family film.  

Welcome To Marwen

Robert Zemeckis directs Steve Carell, based on Jeff Malmberg's 2010 doc "Marwencol," which followed a man who builds a miniature WWII-era village with action figures and dolls as a way to recover from a violent assault. The studio is describing the project as “one broken man’s fight as he discovers how artistic imagination can restore the human spirit.”

This one is a tough movie to review.  On one hand - the movie was massively flawed in several ways.  They should have developed the side characters more so the audience could get to know them better outside of the doll versions.  They should have been more selective with how often they went into the doll world or not had the same kind of battles when they went there over and over.  They shouldn't have tried so blatantly to pull heartstrings and let it be more organic.   All of that being said - I still really enjoyed this movie.  I think that the story is amazing and really told itself.  Anyone who has studied psychology or anything related to that field won't be able to help but be intrigued by watching the character struggle with his therapy in such a specific and unique way.  That part I really enjoyed and it hit home.

I would recommend people check this out.  It is an enjoyable watch.  It definitely could have been better but it was still enjoyable for me regardless.

Holmes & Watson

"Holmes & Watson" will feature Will Ferrell as the 21B Baker Street sleuth, with John C. Reilly playing Dr. Watson.

This movie was just as silly and pointless as the trailer made it out to be.  Luckily it was super short so you are able to enjoy the great chemistry between these two guys a little bit.  But totally not enough to warrant spending money on this.  It was pretty much just a money grab of cashing in on these guys history together.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bother with this movie.  It's nowhere near the level of their previous offerings like Step Brothers or Talladega Nights.  

On The Basis Of Sex

The film tells an inspiring and spirited true story that follows young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the Supreme Court and overturn a century of gender discrimination. The feature will premiere in 2018 in line with Justice Ginsburg’s 25th anniversary on the Supreme Court.

I honestly saw this movie because it was free and a time killer and did not expect to get as hooked by it as I did.  The acting was really top notch and the story was told in a way that kept my attention much more than I thought it would.  I'm actually surprised that this movie didn't get more award season love than it did.

I would recommend people checking this out.   It's another movie that is not must see material but if you have the time it is a very enjoyable biographical watch.  

Bumblebee

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.

I swore off on seeing any more Transformers movies in theaters after walking out of the last one.  Well this one showed up online so I decided to check it out.  It was not great, but it was definitely better than all of the Transformers sequels by far.  It wasn't as annoyingly over the top with effects like them and gave you a backstory.  The problem was that a lot of the backstory you already knew as the viewer.  Like Bumblebee communicating via the radio.  Like when that was a revelation it was like um . . . . yeah.

I would sort of recommend this movie but honestly just because it wasn't as bad as the other Transformers sequels.  Transformers is still one of my favorite movies ever but its just been so bad every movie since then.   This was a welcome much less painful option.  But again not great.  Just watchable.

The Mule

In The Mule, Clint Eastwood stars as Earl Stone, a man in his 80s who is broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough but, unbeknownst to Earl, he’s just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. He does well—so well, in fact, that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl is assigned a handler. But he isn’t the only one keeping tabs on Earl; the mysterious new drug mule has also hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates. And even as his money problems become a thing of the past, Earl’s past mistakes start to weigh heavily on him, and it’s uncertain if he’ll have time to right those wrongs before law enforcement, or the cartel’s enforcers, catch up to him.

Clint Eastwood continued his streak of his movies being so much better when he is in them and directing them at the same time.  This was a great story that was well paced and you totally connect with the character and his reasoning.  And you totally get caught up in the building tension and not wanting Earl to get caught.

This was an excellent movie across the board.  Not sure why I didn't hear more awards buzz about this movie because I'm pretty sure that this will end up on my top ten list at the end of the year.

Vice

The project reunites award-winning director and co-writer Adam McKay with Christian Bale and Steve Carell, as well as Amy Adams. Bale will be headlining as former Vice President Dick Cheney, with Adams as his wife Lynne Cheney, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush, Carell as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Tyler Perry as Colin Powell, and Bill Pullman as former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. Cheney is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential U.S. Vice Presidents in history, having served under (and, as many regard, OVER) George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. The former Halliburton chairman/CEO — who also served in the Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush administrations — was a hawkish proponent of the War on Terror and the Iraq War, and eventually left office with a 13% approval rating.

I am at a total loss of how to review this movie.  I'm not really a political or history kind of guy so was not interested from that standpoint.  The filming style was weird as hell and I found it pretty annoying throughout.  I also could not remotely tell if this was supposed to be a drama or a comedy throughout the movie and that annoyed the hell out of me too.  I just really was not a fan in any way of this movie.

I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this out but this is one of those things where I'm probably not the best reference because of me not caring at all about politics or history.  So you should probably check out some other reviews.