Pitch Perfect 2

The Barden Bellas are back in Pitch Perfect 2, the follow-up to summer 2012’s smash hit. The comedy will be helmed by Elizabeth Banks, co-star and producer of "Pitch Perfect," and produced by Paul Brooks, Max Handelman and Banks. Writer Kay Cannon returns to the team to pen the next chapter.

Pitch Perfect is probably one of my favorite movies ever.  To say that my expectations for this were sky high would be an understatement.  And while there was no way this could have been better than the original, this movie was a great sequel to it.  They took what made the first movie funny and gave you more of it.  They continued to mock themselves.  The random one liners were still hilarious.  And how can you ever go wrong with more Fat Amy?  

I would absolutely recommend people checking this out.  It's a great sequel with tons of laughs.  I think I liked the music better in the first but they still delivered greatly in this one.

Furious 7

Continuing the global exploits in the unstoppable franchise built on speed, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of Furious 7. James Wan directs this chapter of the hugely successful series that also welcomes back favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black. They are joined by international action stars new to the franchise including Jason Statham, Djimon Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey and Kurt Russell. 

I will be the first person to admit that I LOVE these kinds of movies.  If you are looking for a well done piece of film - this is not the movie for you.  If you enjoy crazy roller coaster rides and pretty much shutting your brain off and enjoying it - these movies are the best.  Sure the 2nd and 3rd entries were eeehhhh at best but the rest have been the dictionary definition of popcorn movies.  Crazy over the top action.  Cheesy acting and dialogue.  A story that is really not all that important.   Lots of laughs sprinkled in. And a love of the characters that have grown throughout all the movies on the audience.  This entry is right on par with the others.  Probably not as good as Fast Five (my personal favorite one) but its definitely up there.  This entry did take it to a whole other level though.  Along with the action, comedy between the characters and what they always do - they did the most amazing job of heartstring pulling at the end of the movie regarding Paul Walker's death.  I won't spoil how they did it.  I will say that they do NOT kill his character off but say goodbye to him in one of the classiest things I've ever seen in a movie and pretty much left the whole theater sniffling or sobbing like they were watching a Nicholas Sparks movie.  

I would absolutely recommend people checking this movie out.  It is another phenomenal entry in what is probably one of my favorite movie franchises and one that I would be okay with them continuing to go on with.  That's pretty impressive seven movies in. 

Cinderella

The story of Cinderella follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new Stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home. But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Soon, she is forced to become their servant, disrespected, covered in ashes and spitefully renamed Cinderella. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her, and she continues to remain positive, determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.”  When Ella meets a dashing stranger in the woods, unaware that he is really the Prince (Richard Madden) and not merely Kit, an apprentice at the palace, she believes she has finally found a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the King (Derek Jacobi) summons all maidens in the kingdom to attend a royal ball at the palace, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit. Alas, her Stepmother forbids her to attend and callously destroys her dress.  Meanwhile, the calculating Grand Duke (Stellan Skarsgård) devises a plan to thwart the Prince’s hopes of reuniting with Ella and enlists the support of the devious Stepmother. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand. Soon, a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham Carter) steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin, a few mice and a magic wand, changes Cinderella’s life forever.

Sorry for the unnecessarily long synopsis.  Are you not already aware of the story of Cinderella?  Anywho, this was a decent live action telling of the classic animated story.  There were definitely times where the pacing could have definitely been better to avoid so many dragging parts, but it was still watchable/enjoyable.  I will say that I missed the talking mice since they were my favorite part of the movie.  Who wouldn't mis Gus-Gus?

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see by any means but it was a decent watch.

Age Of Adaline

After miraculously remaining 29 years old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.

This was a beautifully told story.  I realize how wussy that sounds but it really does apply to this movie.  I loved the way that the first ten minutes had a narrator going over what was happening.  It felt perfect.  Then the narrator would return a couple of times throughout the movie and again it just felt so right from a storytelling format.  The love story definitely hooked you and Blake Lively did a great job of showing the several different emotions involved with her not aging.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It was a great story with an excellent way of it being told.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa. They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.

Wow!  Just plain wow!  This movie was nuts.  Like straight up adrenaline on the screen.  I think there was maybe a total of ten minutes out of the two hours where the movie wasn't amped up and going 100mph.  The action was insane.  The casting was perfect.  I love Tom Hardy more and more every movie he does.  This movie was done so well that you feel like you are there in that world.  I had that same feeling from when I used to play GTA III after watching this where leaving the theater I was ready to drive like they were.  

I absolutely loved this movie and recommend everyone check it out.  It is super violent but is one hell of an awesome ride and excellent filmmaking for the kind of movie it was.

Aloha

A celebrated military contractor (Bradley Cooper) returns to the site of his greatest career triumphs – the US Space program in Honolulu, Hawaii – and reconnects with a long-ago love (Rachel McAdams) while unexpectedly falling for the hard-charging Air Force watchdog (Emma Stone) assigned to him. In play is a complex satellite system being launched by an enigmatic billionaire with suspicious intentions (Bill Murray).

I have always been a huge fan of Cameron Crowe.  He does such a great job with relationships in all of his movies.  He is able to develop characters so quick and well and create attachments to them for the audience.  This movie was no different and had an amazing cast.  Emma a Stone is awesome as always and there is a scene between Bradley Cooper and John Krasinski that was priceless.  The only thing that took away from this movie was that there was too much of the Hawaiian politics going on.  I get that it was an important part of the story but it was so far secondary to the relationships in the movie that it took away from the good stuff of the movie.

I still enjoyed the movie very much.  I would definitely recommend any fans of Cameron Crowe's previous efforts checking this out.  The cast really is worth the price of admission alone.

Hot Pursuit

Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) is a second generation police officer who is known as a bit of a screw-up, but when a federal witness and his wife Daniella (Sofia Vergara) need to be moved into witness protection, she’s called upon to guard Daniella as they go on the run from a crime boss and corrupt cops.

This movie was pretty disappointing.  The trailer looked really funny and I thought that this would be a good pairing for a comedy.  Unfortunately, it just kind of missed its mark.  There were a couple of laughs here and there but without the hook to get you fully into the movie there were not nearly as many as I had hoped for.  

I would very lukewarmly recommend this movie to people.  It's not the worst thing I've seen but it's not nearly as good as I expected it to be.  It ends up being a somewhat decent watch with some scattered laughs.

Unfriended

Ushering in a new era of horror, Unfriended unfolds over a teenager's computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video that led a vicious bully to kill herself a year earlier.

It was a decent idea and shown well using social media and an absurd amount of computer attachment and usage of the current generation.  Honestly - it made me feel really old because of the massive a.d.d. that it seems the whole generation has.  Anywho - the problem with the movie was that there really wasn't much of a fear element.  You just kind of watched it play out in a completely formula way.  It was a very short movie so it ended up being okay.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this movie out.  It might be more entertaining/scary for this generation since they can probably identify with it all more. Otherwise, it was a decent premise but not too scary.

Insurgent

Insurgent raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.

This movie might have actually been better than Divergent simply because you can tell how much more money was put into the production value of it.  The movie just looks better.  The scenery is better.  The effects are better.  Everything just pretty much looks cleaner overall.  The movie continues the story from the first one so if you liked it or the books - you will surely like this movie.  The biggest thing that they were able to pull off was how much of this movie took part in the world of the simulations.  I had big doubts about this when reading the book but they pulled it off incredibly well.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's a great young cast and an enjoyable story to watch play out.

Home

When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, (Rihanna, who also contributes a song) manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh (Jim Parsons). The two fugitives realize there's a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime. Based upon the novel "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex.

I wanted to like this movie.  I wanted it to be the kind of animated movie that is just as enjoyable for the adults as it is for the kids.  Unfortunately, it wasn't.  I found myself bored at numerous points and the laughs that I expected from the trailer just were not there.  Jim Parsons did a good job voicing the character and basically just being Sheldon.  I could have done without Rihanna voicing the girl lead and every song being sung by her.  It's like she got a whole album release from this movie.  

Its not that the movie was bad.  It was decent.  And the kids that it was made for will probably still love it.  It's just not as enjoyable for the adults as I had hoped it would be.

The Water Diviner

Starring Russell Crowe, The Water Diviner is an epic adventure set four years after the devastating battle of Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. Australian farmer Connor (Crowe) travels to Istanbul to discover the fate of his sons, reported missing in the action, where he forges a relationship with the beautiful Turkish woman (Kurylenko) who owns the hotel in which he stays. Holding on to hope, and with the help of a Turkish Officer, Connor embarks on a journey across the country to find the truth about the fate of his sons.

Not going to sugarcoat it at all.  This movie was a straight up snooze fest.  I made it about 45 minutes into it and I couldn't have been less interested if I tried.  There really was no hook whatsoever.  The plugged was pulled.

I obviously wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time with this.  It's 45 minutes I wish I had back and I couldn't imagine wasting a full two hours on it.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

After six years of keeping our malls safe, Paul Blart has earned a well-deserved vacation. He heads to Vegas with his teenage daughter before she heads off to college. But safety never takes a holiday and when duty calls, Blart answers.

If I'm being realistic, this is definitely on the list of sequels that will surely be questioned for being made forever.  Is it stupid?  Yes.  Is it formula?  Of course.  That being said, if you find Kevin James funny and you liked the first one despite its same level of stupidity and formula - I'm sure you will like this one too.

Again, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first one.  Same kind of laughs and same kind of corniness.  If that one wasn't for you, then you shouldn't touch this one either.

It Follows

For 19-year-old Jay (Monroe), the fall should be about school, boys and weekends at the lake. Yet, after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter she suddenly finds herself plagued by nightmarish visions; she can't shake the sensation that someone, or something, is following her. As the threat closes in, Jay and her friends must somehow escape the horrors that are only a few steps behind.

This was easily one of the most original horror movies I've seen in a very long time.  Its so simple and so different.  And they didn't rely on any usual horror movie cheesiness for scares.  It was all done with amazing camera work and a really creepy tension inducing score.  I would go so far as to say that this was an artsy horror movie with how legitamitely well made of a movie it was.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  I'm a pretty big fan of scary movies and this one was one hell of a great mind screw.  You will leave this movie asking people if they see creepy people around just to make sure you are not losing it.

Ex Machina

Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer at an internet-search giant, wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain estate of the company's brilliant and reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). Upon his arrival, Caleb learns that Nathan has chosen him to be the human component in a Turing Test—charging him with evaluating the capabilities, and ultimately the consciousness, of Nathan’s latest experiment in artificial intelligence. That experiment is Ava (Alicia Vikander), a breathtaking A.I. whose emotional intelligence proves more sophisticated––and more deceptive––than the two men could have imagined.

This movie was very well done from an artistic filmmaking perspective.  There was a great build towards the climax and Oscar Issac continues to shine as an actor.  This was exactly what psychological sci-fi should be.  The only knock is that it definitely dragged at points and hurt the overall momentum.

I would recommend people check this out.  It's absolutely not a mainstream movie, but it is a good watch for those able to appreciate these kinds of movies.

Get Hard

When millionaire hedge fund manager James (Will Ferrell) is nailed for fraud and bound for a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him 30 days to get his affairs in order.  Desperate, he turns to Darnell (Kevin Hart) to prep him for a life behind bars.  But despite James’ one-percenter assumptions, Darnell is a hard-working small business owner who has never received a parking ticket, let alone been to prison.   Together, the two men do whatever it takes for James to “get hard” and, in the process, discover how wrong they were about a lot of things – including each other.

You have to go into a movie like this with pretty simple expectations.  It's a bunch of simple jokes and will probably run a little bit longer than it should since it's more of a SNL skit than a full length movie.  And that's exactly what you get.  There were a couple of really good laughs but not nearly enough to warrant the whole story.  Plus they did the obligatory storyline putting some heart into it that usually tones down the laughs.  

I would still somewhat recommend people checking this out.  The two leads are funny and play very well off of each other.  Just don't expect the funniest movie of all time and you should be happy with the end product.