Barbershop: The Next Cut / Elvis & Nixon / Everybody Wants Some / Hunstman: Winter's War

Barbershop: The Next Cut:

Full of big belly laughs and a plot with heart, this was another cute one from the Barbershop franchise. Most of the original cast is back and up to their old tricks.

Yes, at times it got a little corny but the entire film had a feel-good vibe you can't help but appreciate.

Elvis & Nixon:

I went in not sure what to expect. Apparently the well known picture of Elvis & Nixon is the most requested photo from the National Archives so the writers decided to create a screenplay based on that meeting.

I don't know how accurate the dialog is but the story of how it all came about is pretty strange. A good strange, but strange nonetheless.

I can't say Michael Shannon's Elvis was believable in the slightest but Kevin Spacey's Nixon was pretty darn good.

It's a fun way to spend a few hours. You'll be amazed at how outrageous both of these famous figures really were and you'll leave smiling.

Check it out.

Everybody Wants Some:

Written by the same guy that gave us Dazed and Confused; this film is suppose to be along those same lines only set in the 80s. It's a nice feel-good summertime flick.

There's no real content of any kind and you watch wondering what the point of the thing is but it's still enjoyable. Not laugh out loud funny, but enjoyable.

The Huntsman: Winter's War:

This was pretty good! I'd like to tell you the fact that Kristen Stewart wasn't in it had nothing to do with it being better then the first.....but I can't. If you read my review on that one, you'll understand where I'm coming from here.

This one was by far superior to its predecessor and the cast (or lack there of) had a lot to do with that. Also, audiences will be happy to know that this one was far more action packed and a lot less hokey then the first. I couldn't stand the scenes with the dwarves in the first film and even though they're back in this one, the characters don't seem as lame.

It's darker then the first and I think that helps it as well. It's a film you can take seriously (as serious as you can get with a fairy tale that is); with an interesting plot, good back story, action, romance, revenge, thirst for power-all of it-it's all there.

I know most of you probably saw the first and heard about this film and thought "Yeah, pass." but I can honestly assure you that the sequel is far superior in every way. Really, go see it.

Eye in the Sky / Midnight Special / Demolition

Eye in the Sky:

One of Alan Rickman's last films and boy is it a doozey!

Not an action-packed war movie like we're used to, but a drama that will leave you on the edge of your seat nonetheless!

This flick is all about the choices we make at war time and their consequences. It's a very realistic look at the conversations and debates behind every decision our soldiers and soldiers from other countries are forced to make when thinking about the greater good.

As a member of the audience, you'll find yourself struggling with what to do as well. What kinds of calls would you make if you were in their shoes? It's chilling and all the more disturbing when you realize this is based on real life situations, situations that are happening all the time that we never hear or think about.

If you have the time, give this one a watch.

Midnight Special:

I wasn't sure what I'd see when sitting down to watch this one. The trailer keeps you guessing and the majority of the film does too.

I kind of like that about it.

You're sitting there the entire time wondering just what exactly is going on? Is this kid an alien? A mutant? Is he dangerous? Where are they going? Will they reach their destination in time?

It's a thriller that doesn't leave you feeling scared or unsettled, but you want to know more.

Some fans believe there will be a sequel based on the ending. I didn't feel that way initially when I left the theater but I can see where they're coming from. But that leaves me with even more questions! If there is a sequel, what will it be about? Will it answer some of the questions you have throughout this film or will it leave you with more?

Give this one a watch too, it's out there, but in a good way.

Demolition:

Jake Gyllenhal can do no wrong!

This was a great drama about a man trying to figure out who he is and where he's going in life. He loses all direction and questions the decisions he's made in the past. He went through life, complacent and after he loses his wife he begins to drift, to explore, only without empathy, without any feelings at all really. He alienates everyone around him until they no longer want anything to do with him.

His character makes an unlikely friend and works to understand why he's struggling to feel anything after this tremendous loss.

The acting is superb all around. You feel for Jake's character but you also connect with the rest of the cast and feel for what they're going through too. It's full of heart and the movie ends on a good note. I'd like to think that Jake will be nominated for this role but due to how early it came out in the year and the fact that there are going to be so many big films between now and then, I can't help but think this performance will be passed by and that's a real shame.

Hardcore Henry / The Boss

Hardcore Henry:


The entire film is shot from the main character's perspective so, as a member of the audience, you're suppose to feel like you are actually in the film. Which is genius, never been done before, groundbreaking, awesome. Unless you're someone like me who has crazy motion sickness and has to close their eyes for movies like Cloverfield and Earth to Echo.


I knew the moment I saw the trailer for this that I wouldn't be able to sit through it completely. But dammit I had to try! Sadly, I failed, horribly.


I watched the first 30 minutes and then I have to leave the theater completely and regroup. I came back for the last 30 minutes so I was at least able to catch the premise of the film and the ending.


It really was amazing and the way it was complied and edited is something to be admired for sure. The film was intense from start to finish and you're left feeling like you ran a damned marathon.


The story itself was pretty smart too. Guy wakes up with no memory and missing a few limbs. He's told by the nurse, who reveals she's his wife, that he was in an accident but that doctors were able to give him artificial intelligence and bionic limbs but that the danger that brought him there in the first place is far from over. They're about to give him the ability to speak but the lab gets attacked by this bad guy with crazy super powers and Henry manages to grab his missus and escape.


For the next hour Henry is running through the city trying to reach the guy with the super powers and along the way gets help from a friend he can't remember. His wife got kidnapped too so he's motivated by his concern for her safety and will stop at nothing to reach the enemy.


I'm telling you, if you like action films and can watch a film like this without puking on your friends, give this one a look. It's very graphic but the filming style is one of a kind.


I only had one issue and my friends left feeling the same way........ the bad guy's super powers are NEVER explained! You don't know why he can do what he does or why no one else shares his abilities. This film was completely funded by fans after a 10 minute YouTube video shot in this style was released but even that "origin" flick doesn't explain it! That's the only real beef I've got-I need to know more about the bad guy! Are there more like him? Were his abilities given to him in a lab too? Is he a mutant? I need to know!


But see it for yourself, and bring some Dramamine.

The Boss:

I was kind of disappointed by this one. Classic case where all of the funny bits were shown in the trailer. Kind of a bummer.

It was cute, but I was expecting bigger laughs and less cheese. Melissa's character was obnoxious, yes but at times, a little too ridiculous. Her nemesis throughout the film, played by Peter Dinklage was really odd too. It was as if Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow collaborated on a film. Some parts were sweet and fun and other parts were really exaggerated and stupid. You'll laugh, but you won't laugh as much as you thought you would after seeing the trailer.



The Brothers Grimsby / The Young Messiah / 10 Cloverfield Lane / The Perfect Match

The Brothers Grimsby:

Another typical Sacha Baron Cohen film.

Super immature and at times gross. Funny in spots but all around completely sophomoric. I like the guy but I cannot understand for the life of me, how he gets these big actors in these ridiculous films.

The Young Messiah:

I'm really liking these films. Regardless of your personal beliefs, these movies are pretty entertaining.

Sean Bean can't seem to find a role in which his character isn't going through some sort of personal conflict. Give the man a break!

Although this is a well known story throughout the world, the writer's have given us a snapshot into a time period not often discussed in Jesus' life. He and his family are essentially running for their lives but this film, at it's core, is full of heart. I can't say the writing was spectacular and the delivery of some lines were a little over the top but all in all, you won't hate it.

10 Cloverfield Lane:

I'm still having a tough time with this one. It was really bizarre.

You spend the entire film wondering if there's really a threat to the characters' lives and finally when the truth is revealed, shit gets cray.

I've never seen John Goodman in such an insane role! Yes, he's played a bad guy before and we all know he got nuts in The Big Lebowski, but this role was definitely some next level shit. He had you worried for the wellbeing of the other characters the entire film.

By the end of the film, you're left wondering if there is going to be a sequel and if so, what JJ and his team could possibly have in store for us. And, spoiler alert, you're going to leave still not knowing whether or not this has anything to do with Cloverfield so if there is a sequel, I hope that gets explained at the very least.

JJ sure does love his aliens....

The Perfect Match:

Pretty lame. The acting was nothing to write home about and the plot itself was super weak.

It featured a number of big-ish stars but sadly, even they couldn't deliver anything good with the lines they were given. Such cheese. Such forced drama. It is simply forgettable.

Allegiant / My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 / Hi, My Name is Doris

Divergent Series: Allegiant (Part 1)

Sadly this one wasn't nearly as stimulating as the first two in the series but it's my understanding that the writer's did the typical "Hollywood thing" and broke up the last book in the trilogy into two films so hopefully the action will pick back up in the last installment.

 

I will say, as a fan who hasn't read the books, I'm looking forward to seeing how this thing ends. Trice is my girl!

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2:

Even funnier then the first film! I was rolling, I was crying, it was a blast!

All of the original cast are back and the story is just as silly and insane as the first!

It's a shame the TV show didn't pan out but these movies continue to be a hit!

Check it out, you'll thank me later!

Hello My Name is Doris:

I went into this film not knowing what to expect. I saw the trailer one time and promptly forgot about it.

Sally Field is amazing! This is a role you've never seen her in before and her performance is so sweet and endearing, you really must check it out!

It's definitely an out-there story about an unusual friendship but it gets deep. The characters are so much more complex then you're first given to believe and you'll watch the film just hoping for the best outcome for everyone.

Please check it out if you can, this is definitely the surprise film of 2016!

The Jungle Book

I can't say enough wonderful things about this film! Everyone really must see it! Jon Favreau knocked it out of the park!


Everything was exceptional-the graphics were on point and the special effects were unbelievable!
I was concerned that the casting director did the typical "Hollywood thing" and hired a Caucasian kid for the role of Mowgli and just covered the poor boy in spray tan, but they didn't! They cast an Indian actor to play the role of an Indian character! I mean, they got literally everything right!


Growing up I wasn't really a fan of the cartoon version we all know. It just didn't provide the feels for me like Bambi or Dumbo. But this film was different. I was crying, I was laughing, I was on the edge of my seat-and I already knew the story!


The actors chosen for each role were pure perfection. I've never been turned on by a tiger before but Idris Elba has that delicious British baritone that seeps into your bones and even though he's a bad guy, you can't help but get caught up in his character.


Jon made some really smart decisions that kept all of the classic elements of the original story while still providing unique twists which enabled it to stand alone. The songs we grew up with were present in this version but we didn't get the full length musical like the original which I'm sure parents appreciated.


The writer's even made a point of adding some side characters who were animals on the endangered species list and the internet was all kinds of pleased because it brought attention to the need for conservation to a huge audience. The film has been in theaters now for two weeks and there's still lines at the box office to see it! This might very well be my favorite movie of 2016!

Go see it!

Bathman vs. Superman

This is so hard for me to write about. I wanted to like this. I started off skeptical like everyone else and then as more trailers were released and more interviews were done with the cast and more fan theories went viral, I was all in. I even started out hating the idea of Ben Affleck playing Batman and all of that stuff turned me around. I was really looking forward to this. I thought, finally, finally DC got it right!

Oh how wrong I was! How foolish I had been to let all of that stuff sway me from my gut instincts!

They just tried too hard! They gave us too much! The film was 2 1/2 hours long and that time could have been better spent. The structure was off, the characters story lines were almost too developed in ways that left non-comic book readers scratching their heads and then they used story lines that were old and "so last year" that audiences sat there and thought, really? We're still going over this shit? I know it was suppose to take up right where the last Superman took off but after the first 10 minutes that was completely lost on the audience and it felt like a totally separate timeline and story.

The characters/actors had no chemistry. I hate to compare this to any of the Marvel films but when you watch those movies, the characters relationships are completely believable. If they hate each other-they really hate each other. If they're friends, you wish you were part of the squad. If they love each other, you were devastated if anything tore them apart.

In this film? I could give two shits about any of that. Personally, I hate this Lois Lane. I'm sick of her involvement and I want Superman to move on. Batman and Wonder Woman were written as if they're suppose to have some kind of sexual tension but they had as much chemistry on screen as Ben and Jen did in Gigli and they were actually together!

A lot of fans really dug Affleck's Batman and I have to give it up to him, he did the best he could with what he was given. Everyone for the most part really enjoyed Jeremy Irons' Alfred too. I wasn't as much of a fan of Alfred in this universe as he was written as a cynical grandpa, tired of his kids' shit and waiting for him to "grow the fuck up already". I much preferred the sweet, model-train-building grandpa-type Alfred we've become accustomed to in the past. Again, I know we're going for something much different here, but that's just what I would've liked.

This was suppose to be more film noir than the campy Batman/Superman films of yesteryear but Jesus, this was so dark! To compensate for this, the writers thought making Lex Luther a combination of the Joker, the Riddler and Scarecrow would be a good idea. Let's talk about Jesse Eisenberg for a moment, shall we? What the shit?? His Lex Luther was positively God-awful and I still can't figure out if he was written and directed that way on purpose or if that character was of his own design and they just went with it because they were too focused on fucking up every other aspect of this thing. Either way, train wreck. I know he'll be a returning character but I really hope they have him shift directions in his delivery because I found myself begging someone to punch him every time he was on screen and that's not a compliment of his performance. Lex Luther isn't some babbling shut-in with ADHD, he's Donald Trump with an education. Why can't DC get any of this right??

And visually?! Can I just take a minute to talk about how much Zack Snyder's directing annoys me? Why does everything look like it's been shot inside a black hole? Even when things exploded, I could only make out the fire-I had no idea what just exploded or why I should care. That's how dark this fucker was. I was sitting in an IMAX theater and squinting because I genuinely could not figure out what the fuck was happening on the mammoth screen before me. That's some sad ass shit right there. As a patron, that's not okay, I paid to actually see something Zack....

I shouldn't be too surprised, all of his films are this way. The only time it worked was when he was filming 300 in black and white (more sepia tones really but let's not dwell on the specifics).

See it though, if you're a fan of the comics, see it. They tried, well, at least, most of them tried. And they do give us a taste of the movies yet to come in the franchise so that's pretty neat. Aquaman looks good but we've been fooled before and Zack is directing that one as well so enjoy squinting for two hours. Zack, we know it's dark in the bowels of the sea but come on dude, you could make out everything in the Abyss and that shit is hella old now. Get it together....