Walking with Dinosaurs

Remember in 2000 when Disney released that fun movie "Dinosaur." Well if Netflix had been around during that time this movie would have been streaming as the knock-off version of it. If you've seen "Dinosaur," you've seen this. Replace whatever dinosaur Aladar was with a Triceratops and this is what you get. The whole movie was an excuse for a bunch of "in-your-face" 3D gimmicks, which are pointless if, like me, you did not watch it in 3D. The plot is thin and the film does not stay true to the TV show. If you're looking for facts about dinosaurs, look somewhere else. This is a watered-down film that insults everyone's intelligence. No idea why this was made. 

Grade: D   4/10  1/5 stars. 

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

 

I'm surprised I liked this as much as I did, considering  it's Dreamworks. While Mr Peabody's puns get old after a while, there's other non-pun jokes and visual gags to make up for it. It's also surprisingly educational for the most part.   It's like an animated "Doctor Who." Or rather "Dog"tor Who. Mr. Peabody even has a bowtie. They had an opportunity to make some Doctor Who joes and missed it. The animation is fluid, and impressive. This is probably  the best Dreamworks movie I've seen since "Turbo." 

Grade: A  9/10 4.5/5 stars

Rio 2

I'm just going to cut to the chase: It's "Lorax" with birds. The pro-environmentalist, liberal message isn't even subtle. However, the film does have its redeeming qualities. The songs are fun, unlike "Frozen" where the songs were too Broadway. Although the plot is "been there, seen that," it picks up by about the 3rd act. The original was, well, original, but this is "Shrek 2" mixed with "Madagascar 2." Why does Hollywood think that humans are evil? News flash guys, not all humans are greedy, power hungry, animal haters. Stop depicting us that way. Also, there were way too many pop culture references. Please stop trying to be "trendy." It's just cringe-worthy for us to watch. The jokes are predictable and don't work. However, the film as a whole is fun. 

Grade: B+ 8/10 3/5 stars

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This is the best of the Phase 2 Marvel movies. It's what "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" should have been. While its definitely the most serious of the movies, it still manages to have little moments of subtle humor that we've all loved since "Iron Man." There's a slight cliffhanger that may or may not lead into "Avengers 2."  Nick Fury plays his biggest part yet in this movie, and Black Widow is an important factor in the plot as well. Even though this is a superhero movie, it's not just turn off your brain and enjoy. It has a complex plot that you have to pay attention to. As always stay halfway through the credits, and until the end. Both scenes are extremely important to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Grade: A-  9/10 4.5/5 stars

Gravity

Whoever made this movie obviously did not do their research. Right after the main character Ryan says "There's no oxygen in the ship." what do they show? Fire in the ship. What do you need for fire? Oxygen. There's also a pen randomly floating around, completely intact. Based on the pressure in the space shuttle there should be ink everywhere. This movie is just painful to watch. How this got nominated for any Academy Awards is beyond me. I know it's a movie, but if you're going to make a sci-fi movie, at least have some realism. Even Star Trek has realism for crying out loud. While it's not as bad as After Earth, it's just incredibly cheesy and 90% of it should have ended up on the cutting room floor. 

Grade: D+   4/10  2/5 stars