Top 10 movies of 2016

This was probably the toughest list I've had to make. There were so many great films this year, but in the end there can only be 10. Which are the best of the best?

10. Jungle Book: A lot of you are probably surprised it's on this list. I put it on here because the CGI was super realistic, the voice acting was stellar, there wasn't really anything bad about the movie. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, and was pleasantly surprised by how great it was.

9. The Little Prince: The animation alone is enough to warrant a spot on this list. You could put the movie on mute and still enjoy it just by the visuals. That plus a stellar plot and a great message that's reminiscent of Pixar's early days, it definitely deserves a spot.

8: Secret Life of Pets: Having pets myself, I enjoyed this movie a lot. I related to it, because I saw my own pets. Kevin Hart as the bunny had me laughing. It was a charming movie.

7: Suicide Squad: This movie was absolutely fun. The acting was great, as was the plot. I could tell DC listened to our complaints about Batman v. Superman,

6: Kubo and the Two Strings: This is one of the only movies on this list not based on previous source material. The stop-motion is extremely impressive, the comic relief characters are witty, and the plot was complex and intriguing. 

5: Doctor Strange: Benedict Cumberbatch's performance was fantastic. The humor was great, and I enjoyed seeing something different from the MCU. Marvel took a risk by making a movie out of a more obscure characters and it worked.

4. Moana: The adventure plot was exciting, the songs were catchy, the jokes were sharp. It needs an Oscar nomination

3: Captain America: Civil War: I wish I could take my 12-year-old self to this movie. He'd lose his mind! We finally got Spider-Man, and the battle sequences were some of the best, if not THE best in any Marvel movie. This will be hard to top, but I have faith Marvel can do it.

2. Rogue One: This was a VERY close number 1. I actually had to flip a coin between this and the movie in the number one spot, and it just barely missed it. My review is literally one post down, so I don't really feel the need to explain why it's on this list.

 

And the number one movie of 2016 is:

Zootopia:

The plot was clever, the metaphors for minorities and racism were well done and done in a way the target audience could understand, and the jokes were great. It's one of Disney's best, and it well deserved the number one spot. 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Holy Kenobi, this was awesome!!!!! I do acknowledge that "Force Awakens" was a remake of "A New Hope." No worries here. This is a story we haven't heard before. The characters are awesome (and without giving anything away, let's just say it pays off if you watched the Clone Wars tv series), the action sequences are amazing, and it feels like classic Star Wars while at the same time providing something new. The comic relief character is extremely well written with how a bit too honest he is. This has some new genres being explored in the Star Wars universe, which was something I liked about the Clone Wars tv show. My only complaint is that at times the CGI used to make some of the cameos of characters from the Original Trilogy look young looks a bit fake, like you could tell it was CGI. It's not as bad as young Jeff Bridges in "Tron: Legacy", but it looks a bit too shiny and at times like it's from a video game cutscene.

Grade: A-  9/10 4/5 stars

Well, it's been fun, but it's time to take a leave from this blog. I'm going to post my top 10 movies from 2016, and then I'm not going to post again for about 2.5 years. Why am I not reviewing "Assassin's Creed" and "Passengers?" I read yesterday that "Passengers" has a few scenes I would need to filter with VidAngel, and "Assassin's Creed" is from Fox which is one of the companies suing them, and I'm going to boycott the studios suing until to show Hollywood they're not as powerful as they think they are. (No Disney, Warner Bros. or Fox)

Moana

I liked this much better than "Frozen." Much much better. "Frozen" felt like a typical nothing special movie that had already been done before in several Disney movies. This was very different. They even made fun of the typical Disney princess cliches. This was essentially the antithesis to the Disney Princess movies. The songs in "Frozen" were a bit too Broadway for my taste, but the songs here were fun island tropical songs that were fun to dance to. And some of the lyrics are very clever. (Thanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda). There were also some likes of dialogue where I was laughing so hard I was crying. That hasn't happened in a long time. This was more of an adventure epic instead of a princess movie. "Frozen" was clearly aimed at little girls, but everyone can enjoy "Moana." There is a short before the film that while it was clever, all I could think during it was "Disney copied their own thing. This is Inside Out with internal organs instead of the mind." One of the villains in the movie who was voiced by Jemaine Clement was fun, but I wish he had tried to change his voice a bit, because all I could think was "This is the bird from "Rio"". It was kind of distracting. This was a fun adventure movie that I give my highest regards. 

Grade: A+    10/10.  5/5 stars

Regarding future reviews

This post is for those of you who do not follow me on Facebook. So, there's a service called VidAngel and it allows you to filter out objectionable content. However, Hollywood sued them and they will more than likely  be shut down. Because of this I have decided that after Rogue One, I will not support any movies made by the studios suing them (Disney , Fox, and Warner Bros.) until they end up on VidAngel after the DVD release date. So this means pretty much every movie. I will not be seeing them in theaters. However, this is also a blessing in disguise. I'm addicted to movies, and knew it would be very hard for me to go 2 years without them when I leave for my mission in a few months. I have stated this from the very beginning that I am a Mormon. (Heck, it's even in the URL). I will be leaving sometime this summer and during that time I will not be allowed to see movies. So not seeing any in theaters starting in 2017 is my way of weening myself off of them so it won't be as hard. (Sorry, Lego Batman. As much as I love you, I love my religion more. God comes first.) So if I go for a few months without any activity, this is why. I'm not dead, I haven't quit, I'm just simply shifting my priorities over to other things for a while. So let's bring on the big one before my 2 and a half year hiatus: Rogue One! Hopefully it's a great one!

Spectral

This had so much potential, but just fell flat. It started out really strong, but then fell apart, and then redeemed itself, but then fell apart again by the end. Overall: meh. I thought this would be a lot better than it was. It looked really cool, and I will admit that the military armor in the final battle looks really cool, and some of the tech is really cool too, but overall I wasn't really invested in this movie. I was constantly checking the run time to see how much was left. It just wasn't that interesting to me. It was a really cool premise, but was poorly executed. And the twist at the end was out of nowhere, dumb, and made no sense. This didn't entertain me that much, and was honestly just a big waste of time. 

Grade: D.  6/10. 2.5/5 stars

The Angry Birds Movie

Considering this is a video game movie, I expected a lot worse. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it's not a recommendation. Considering we've had some phenomenal animated films this year like "Kubo," "Zootopia", and "The Little Prince", this should be ashamed to be released the same year as those. That being said the plot was surprisingly good. I wasn't sure how they'd be able to make a plot out of the "Angry Birds" games, but they pulled it off surprisingly well. There were also a lot of great visual puns that gave me a chuckle. And other than Josh Gad, all the voice actors did a good job, too. But that's really all the good things I have to say about this film. Here's the bad:
First of all....Josh Gad. I find him annoying in everything. The man cannot speak without yelling everything. If you have to yell to be funny, you're not funny. You're just desperate for attention. This film also had something I hate in animated films: Pop culture references that will be outdated in 2 years. Sometimes pop culture reference can work (There's actually a really good spoof on "The Shining" that made me laugh), but most of them are just there to pander to the millennials. ("Squad goals! Insta-ham). Boy, did typing those out make me cringe! There's also a lot of really lowbrow bodily function humor that even Dreamworks would think is too far. And, I'm sorry to say, but the filmmakers felt the need to slip in some "adult humor". There were some really inappropriate joke and references that had me saying "This is a KIDS' movie?!" There's actually some borderline PG-13 humor. How was this only released with PG? If you really want to show this to your kids (I beg of you, please don't. Don't insult their intelligence) at least have the decency to filter it on VidAngel ,because, boy does this really need it. Otherwise you may get some really uncomfortable questions from your kids. My final complaint: "Time slows down/stops while a character runs fast" cliche. We've seen it before. It's not funny or clever anymore. Please let this gag die. Overall, not bad for a video game movie, but that's not a phrase that should be taken as positive.
Grade: C+  6.5/10  3/5 stars

The Secret Life of Pets

One critic's review I read said "It's a beat-for-beat "Toy Story"". I don't know what movie that critic watched, because I didn't think that at all. It has some similarities in the beginning, but by the 45-minute mark it becomes different enough, and it was clever. There was one scene in a sausage factory that I found particularly hilarious. The film does a great job of capturing the funny, quirky things our pets do. I laugged several times at the hijinks the animals got into, because I've had some of those expereinces myself with my pets. The villain,voiced by Kevin Hart, was one of the best parts. His craziness and over-the-top voice acting made him one of my favorite characters. The animals' love and devotion for their owners was adorable. Overall, I'd say this has been a great year for animation. I rank this up there with "Kubo" and "Zootopia." Will it be nominated for an Oscar? Probably not, but that doesn't mean it's not good. This is definetely worth checking out. My only complaint: It felt too short. I wanted more.
Grade: A-    9/10  4/5 stars

True Memoirs of an International Assassin

This movie wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be, but it was still really enjoyable. It manages to be a parody of spy movies, while at the same time never being too cheesy or corny. Netflix is known for producing quality content, and this shows why. The story was really clever, (though at times it does feel like it's been done before.), the action sequences are impressive, and there are some funny lines of dialogue. I wouldn't say there are any moments in the movie that are hilarious, but there are definitely some times where I laughed. There are a few twists and moments of misdirection I didn't see coming. The acting isn't too bad. There wasn't really anyone in this movie I hated, and I liked the little bits of satire on spy movies. This isn't one of the best movies of 2016, but it's definitely worth checking out.

Grade: B   8/10  3.5/5 stars

Arrival

This isn't a typical alien movie. The plot is very cerebral. It can be hard to follow at times, because there isn't much segue between scenes. They'll explain something complicated very fast and it doesn't give you much time to process what just happened before they move on to the next thing. It's like that matg teacher who after explaining a complicated concept asks "Does everyone understand?" and moves on even if only 1 kid said "Yes." The plot has a lot of subtle forshadowing, some of which came from supposedly throwaway lines that ended up being important later on. The twist at the end was very well concealed, although I would have liked them to explain the reasons for why this twist can happen. It was brilliant, but came out of nowhere. 

Grade: B.  8/10  4/5 stars

Doctor Strange

This was amazing!!!! I went into this movie knowing nothing about the character. I kept myself completely in the dark. No comics, no animated movies, staying off IMDB Thursday night. Glad I did. There were tons of moments that wowed and surprised me, that I don't think would have had as big of an impact if I had read the source material beforehand. It was like putting Jedi in the movie "The Matrix." The visuals are so mind-bending that this is one of the very few times I would say go see it in 3D. (Unless you get headaches easily or suffer from motion sickness. Then stick with the standard version). The 3D is more than worth the extra price. The opening seen alone already feels like it was worth every penny. The movie is also very deep and thought provoking. "Civil War" was thought-provoking in a political way, and this is thought provoking in a science/psychological way. Benedict Cumberbaych does amazingly as always, but I do feel like he was typecast. He seems to be playing the "I'm smarter than you and I'm going to let you know I'm smarter than you every chance I get" character over and over. I'm worried he'll become like Johnny Depp and end up eventually becoming a parody of himself. I don't want to spoil anything, because like I said before, it's better to go in knowing nothing. I will say that I hope Marvel takes more risks with more obscure characters and that Fox finally stops being selfish and just gives them the rights to "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" already! I want to see Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner, Hank Pym, and Reed Richards have a science debate. Just make one big banter-fest movie of these characters. Just witty back and forth dialogue between them. That would be awesome! I'm excited to see how this movie ties in to "Infinity War." Definitely looking forward to seeing Doctor Strange appear in future movies. 

Grade: A-   9/10. 4/5 stars

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

If you like Harry Potter and/or X-Men, you will love this as well, because it's a combination of the two. Tim Burton was the perfect choice to direct this movie, because the creepy tone and style match the book perfectly. Some elements of the plot don't make very much sense, but that's ok, because despite it being somewhat convoluted at times, it's still very enjoyable. The only people in the cast that I think could have done better are Asa Butterfield and Samuel L. Jackson. I liked Asa Butterfield in "Ender's Game," but here, he delivers almost every line in a flat and wooden way. He couldn't sound more uninterested if he tried. (If he was even trying at all, that is.) As for Samuel L. Jackson, his role is a little too over the top. I like when actors have fun, but they can overact, and Jackson's performance in this movie is an example of that. I enjoyed the story, and especially the cinematography. Every shot is so perfectly, that it's hard not to get immerresed in this movie's world. I know that's an odd thing to praise, but it's just so well done. The plot twists are unexpected and well concealed, and overall, this movie was just fantastic.
Grade: A-   9/10.  4/5 stars

Ghostbusters (2016)

This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it wasn't amazing. I could tell they were at least trying to make something good. Having the film open with the classic "Ghostbusters" theme music was a strong choice that worked in the film's favor. It took me a while to warm up to Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy's characters, because for the first half, they were just loudmouthed and annoying. But after a while, that stopped and I actually enjoyed their performances. That is one of the weaknesses of the film is the first half isn't very strong. There was a funny joke, and then they would immediately follow it up with an unfunny joke. Also the CGI in the movie made this year somehow looks worse than the effects of the 1984 version. How?! One thing I will say about the film was it at least had a sense of irony and meta. There's a part in the movie after they catch their first ghost and upload the video of it where they read comments and one says "Ain't no women going to hunt no ghosts.", an obvious jab at the mysogonistic backlash some people gave this film after the first trailer was released. At least Sony was cool about it. There's a running joke throughout the film where McCarthy's character orders Chinese food but there's always something wrong with it. This was unfunny and slowed the film down, and overall just wasted time. It's not painfully unfunny, it just falls flat. I said the first half was filled with unfunny jokes, but when Chris Hemsworth enters the picture, his performance makes up for it. He's one of the best parts of the film. He totally hams it up and I could tell he was having fun with it.  Some of the original cast members make cameos and while they are funny, they just distract. I was worried how this movie would be, because of how horrible the advertisements were, but surprisingly, it's very respectful of the original. Even the new versions of the theme music, both in score form, and the one by Fall Out Boy still feel like the orginal. Even though this won't be an iconic film like the original, they were at least trying. Overall, the film is like food from Jack-in-the-Box. Not horrible, but still pretty good.

Grade: B    8/10   3.5/5 stars

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

This film is great! Great cast ensemble, great story, phenomenal action sequences (although the finale is extremely hard to follow because it's too fast-paced. It was hard to tell who to root for because I couldn't tell the good guys from the bad guys because the cuts were too quick, and it didn't give my brain enough time to register what was happening.) and just an all-around great Western. Although the villain was kind of weak. He didn't give me chills, and I honestly didn't see him as much of a threat. That's more the fault of the writing, not the acting. The acting was fine. Chris Pratt is awesome as always, as are Denzel Washington, and the rest of the cast. The action sequences were great! If an action sequence (or the lead up to it) gets me excited, it's successful by my standards. This more than delivered on that. I was definitely restraining myself from cheering in the theater. (If I were alone, I definetly would have, though.) 

Grade: A-   9/10.  4/5 stars 

Storks

While the film is cute, clever, original and I did enjoy it, I need to put a warning here: The film's ending montage features a family of 2 men and a family of 2 women getting their babies delivered by the storks. Regardless of your stance on this, I know some families would choose not to see this film if they had that knowledge. I personally would not have seen it if I knew, but of course this got no media attention and I feel I was deceived. It's a shame this couldn't just be a fun family film. They had to sneak in an agenda at the very last second. For that reason, I cannot recommend this film. Up to that point, I thought the film was great! The plot was original, the writing was clever, the voice acting was great. The only character in the film I found annoying was the pigeon. He's supposed to be a comic relief villain but he just comes off as extremely irritating. The message of the film was that families are important, and you shouldn't get too busy with other things and spend time with your kids. I loved that! Again, it's a shame they had to throw in an agenda at the very last second. It wouldn't have affected the film at all to leave it out. Kids films do not need an agenda. Let me say that again Hollywood. Kids. Films. Do. NOT. Need. An. Agenda. Other than that, I thought the jokes in the movie were very funny. I can't remember the last time I laughed at a kids film instead of groaning. The wolves were my favorite characters just because of how energetic they were. They were hilarious! And the running joke of the baby putting everyone in a trance with it's cuteness was relatable for me. I've definetly "aww"d over my share of babies.  This would have been a great film if there were no agenda, but I guess I should expect nothing less from PC Hollywood at this point. I'll definitely be doing my research more carefully next time. 

Grade: B+.  7.5/10  3.5/5 stars

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

While I did enjoy the first one, I think this is the one we should have gotten the first time. This actually feels (mostly) true to the original source material. Keep in mind, I never watched the cartoons growing up, but knowing some people who did, I'm taking their word for it. Stephen Amell is fantastic as Casey Jones, the new characters Bebop and Rocksteady were fun, the villain Krang was a nice addition, and there were actually some pretty funny jokes. Especially the jabs to some Ninja Turtles merch back in the day, such as a certain Anti-drug PSA. (Although there are some really outdated pop culture references from Mikey. "Say hello to my little friend" just isn't funny anymore. It's become tired and cliche. Let it die.) Some issues I had with the film were the character of Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry). His performance is cringeworthy and unfunny. Although he is an important character, I wanted his scenes to be over as quickly as possible. They could have cast anyone else and they chose Tyler Perry of all people?! What were they thinking?!   I wish Will Arnett's character was in the film more, because he was the best part of the first one, and I was looking forward to witty banter between Arnett and Amell, but sadly, we didn't get any. There was so much untapped potential for comedy with these two and they wasted it (on Tyler Perry. Again, why?!) The story felt very classic Ninja Turtles and this movie is definitely a hidden gem, despite what Rotten Tomatoes would have you believe.

Grade: A-  9/10  4/5 stars 

The Little Prince

I don't normally review non-theatrically released movies, but this was so good I felt that I had to review it. 

This movie is amazing! The animation is some of the best I've seen. It is on par with Pixar! Even the story and message feel like something Pixar would have done. I definitely almost cried more than once. And for such a small release its got some big stars. Jeff Bridges, Paul Rudd, Ricky Gervais, and many others lend their voices to the production and they do s great job! I could tell there was a lot of love put into this. The stop-motion sequences are beautifully hand crafted. There's loads of detail put into them. And like I stated earlier the CG portions of the film are aesthetically pleasing as well. Everything is so fluid and crisp. And this isn't just "some kids movie", either. I think adults could get a lot out of the message too. This is a beautifully made production with a great story, great message, and stellar voice acting. It's definitely worth streaming on Netflix. 

Grade: A+. 10/10 5/5 stars

Kubo and the Two Strings

This movie managed to do something very rare: Be engaging throughout. There was never a point where I was bored. I tend to appreciate stop-motion films more because of how much more time and effort they require. This film is visually astounding! There's a sequence with a giant (and I mean GIANT!) skeleton that's particularly impressive, especially since it wasn't CGI, but was in fact hand-crafted and operated through puppetry by someone on a ladder. And it really was that big in reality. Now that's dedication! The characters of the monkey and the beetle samurai were hilarious sidekicks and at times reminded me of Disney characters. I also have to applaud how original the plot was. I didn't feel like I'd seen it before. It had some twists and surprises I didn't see coming. This film is reminiscent of the best films of the Disney Renassaince era. The villains in this movie were also really great. I was disappointed they were seldom seen, because they were part of the reason the film was so interesting. I do wish they had explained the villains' motivations a little better, because I was just confused. And this film brings something that's very rare in animated films nowadays: it has complex and sometimes dark themes and doesn't talk down to kids, or try to do nothing more than distract them with pretty colors instead of trying to write a good story. This is one of the best films (animated or otherwise) of 2016!

Grade: A+  10/10   5/5 stars

Suicide Squad

DC is finally learning comic book movies can (and should) be fun! Through trial-and-error they are listening to the fans' complaints and addressing them and improving with each movie. "Man of Steel had too much action? We'll tone down the action a bit in Dawn of Justice. Dawn of Justice wasn't fun enough? We'll do reshoots on Suicide Squad to make it more lighthearted." It will still be a while before they catch up to Marvel, but for now I'm pleased with how they're trying. Although the characters look very different from the versions we are used to they still feel like the characters. There was never a point where I felt Jared Leto and Margot Robbie's portrayals of Joker and Harley were not those characters. (Unlike Jessie Eisenburg as Lex Luthor in "Dawn of Justice.") Even the characters I'm not as familiar with like Deadshot and Killer Croc were still fun to watch. Will Smith and Joel Kinnamen (Col. Rick Flag) were super fun to watch. Next to Robbie and Leto they were the most fun performances to watch. Even if you're not a comic fan, it's still fun just as a movie. The exposition/origins of the various characters don't take up too much time and gets those who may not be familiar with these characters up to speed. It's not even really a comic book movie, it's a human repentance story. Other than Joker and Harley the rest of the Squad aren't necessarily bad people. They've just made some bad decisions, but they're willing to repent. Deadshot doesn't want to kill for money anymore, Diablo feels he should not have his prison sentence shortened because he feels it would be the safest place for him since he doesn't know how to control his powers and doesn't want to accidentally kill people anymore. I felt sympathy for these characters and loved how they were willing to change and redeem themselves.  The one complaint I have was the villain in the third act was a bit weak and could have been improved with better writing. But considering WB/DC forced the writers to crank out the script in 6 weeks this was still better than it should have been. This has all the fun of a Marvel movie, (it's reminded me most of "Guardians of the Galaxy", especially the various songs played throughout the movie. It's the most fun soundtrack of the year.) and I'm excited to see what DC does with their future movies. 

Grade: A-   9/10.  4/5 stars

Star Trek Beyond

I could definetly tell that JJ Abrams did not direct this one. The style and tone are different than the previous 2, and that wasn't a bad thing, just different than what I was used to. I feel this would have worked better as a TV special instead of a full movie, because the plot doesn't really have much to offer. It's easily the weakest in the trilogy. I still liked it, but there was far too much untapped potential, and I think part of that came from the director choice. Some parts didn't really feel like Star Trek, they felt like a run-of-the-mill action flick, and I think that's because Justin Lin had been making the same type of movie for so long he's gotten himself into a rut. There were some great moments of humor throughout the film, particularly between Spock and Bones (of course), and there was some well-placed fanservice/tributes that made me almost tear up. Sometimes the action scenes dragged on for a bit too long but they were still fun. Idris Elba is great as the villian. Not as good as Benedict Cumberbatch in "Into Darkness", though. I still say the first one from 2009 is the best. I feel if maybe they had tweaked the script a bit, or waited for JJ Abrams to become available to direct, instead of merely producing, this could have been better. 

Grade: B.  8/10.  3.5/5 stars

Lights Out

This movie is crazy! From the first minute there are scares and action that doesn't slow down until the end credits roll. The great thing about this movie is everyone can relate to it. We've all had (or still have) a fear of the dark. It takes the psychological element of that and plays with it terrifically. Not only are the characters toyed with but so are we. You can tell the director had tons of fun with this. Being a "Doctor Who" fan, the ghost in the movie to me felt like a combination of Weeping Angels, Vashta Nerada, and the Silence. The movie is more psychological horror than just straight horror. I could never tell what was coming next. And there isn't a single character in the movie I hated. I cared what happened to every character and wasn't rooting for specific ones to be picked off. This movie is an intense thrill ride from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it. I'm definitely watching it again on Bluray this Halloween season. 

Grade: A+  10/10   5/5 stars 

Happy 3-year Anniversary

Happy 3-year anniversary to this blog!!! In 3 years I've had over 5,000 views!!! Wow!!!! Thank you to everyone that continues to visit this blog, even if I sometimes go weeks without posting. Thank you to everyone who continues to interact on the Movie Madness Facebook page. This means a lot to me. I didn't think I'd get this far. Honestly, I starte this as just sort of a thing for me and if it got big, that's cool, but I didn't expect it to. You all proved me wrong. I never expected over 5,000 hits. Nowhere close. I thought by this point it would be 600 at most. Crazy! Thank you all for your support!

Finding Dory

My expectations for this were it would be ok at best. From the trailers it looked like a straight rehash of the first movie. Main character gets kidnapped and put in aquarium and other main character(s) go to look for them. It's not like that at all. It's actually pretty original. Baby Dory is a-Dory-ble. The cutest Pixar baby since Baby Mike Wazowski in "Monsters University." The way they showed Dory's backstory leading up to "Finding Nemo" was done very well. Sometimes too many  flashbacks can kill a movie, but these didn't feel forced or excessive. One problem I do have is the writers/director seemed to have forgotten that Marlin learned not to be overprotective at the end of "Nemo." He still has some overprotective tendencies. I still say the original is better, but Pixar has made worse. "Good Dinosaur" wasn't near the big spectacle it promised to be. "Dory" however, has enough familiarity for those of us who grew up with the original while at the same time bringing something new to the table. The film is also preceded by a short about a sandpiper that is absolutely charming and adorable. 

Grade: B.  8/10. 3.5/5 stars

The Jungle Book (2016)

I was really skeptical when this was announced because I didn't want to support unnecessary live-action remakes of Disney movies. (We're getting TONS of them. Really? Think of original stuff. Movies like "Zootopia" and "Wreck-it Ralph" prove you can if you just try hard enough.) However, it was the cast list that sold me on the movie. Everyone is perfectly cast. Bill Murray sounds just like Baloo when he speaks. (But not so much when he sings. When he sang it sounded too much like Louis Armstrong. It was way too throaty, and felt forced and out of place.) Idris Elba as Shere Khan was an absolutely perfect choice! Every time he spoke it was terrifying and sent shivers down my spine. The CGI blends with the live-action perfectly! Not once did it look fake. I forgot it was CGI. It's the most realistic CGI I've ever seen! I'm glad this wasn't just a retelling of the animated version. It's actually original. The only times I was reminded it was a remake of the Disney version was during the songs, and even then, the remakes of the songs were fantastic! It is a bit darker than the Disney version, so I would advise not to take a little kid to this. It really earns the PG rating. My one complaint plot-wise was the idea that "man is bad." I'm so sick of Hollywood pushing this agenda with films like "Avatar," "The Lorax", and "Rio 2." It's absolutely stupid and was certainly not needed here. I agree with the message that it's important to respect nature, but stop beating us over the head with it. 

Grade: A-   9/10  4/5 stars

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I wasn't expecting much from this movie. When you read the title "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," you think "how silly." I was expecting this to be "meh" at best and downright awful at worst. I was wrong. Having been forced to read the "Pride and Prejudice" book in high school, I'm glad they finally made a version where I could understand what was going on and didn't bore me to death. It's the same classic story, but with zombie attacks thrown in. And as bizarre as that sounds and as different as these genres are, they synergize really well. The zombie elements affect the original plot and vice versa. I do have one complaint and that is Matt Smith's performance. As much as I love Matt Smith on "Doctor Who", that's just the problem. Whenever he's on screen I feel like I'm watching "Doctor Who." He is the comedic relief and he is really good at it but it feels like watching an exact copy of the 11th Doctor, right down to the personality. The zombie elements work really well. The action is over-the-top, without being too over-the-top, and while some parts of the movie look fake at times (blood), it actually works in the movie's favor because it emphasizes that it's supposed to be silly. It's just a parody of "Pride and Prejudice" and is in no way supposed to be taken seriously. 

Grade: A-   9/10. 4/5 stars

Alice Through the Looking Glass

I'm glad to see Tim Burton learned from his mistakes of the first one. While the first one felt like "Lord of the Rings," and had way too much fantasy, this one actually feels like the source material. It's an original story, but still feels like the world of Wonderland. It didn't really feel like a Tim Burton movie. For one, there's color. Also, the visual imagery in this movie looked like something Robert Rodreguiz would make.  That's a good thing, though because it's fantastic. The story was intriguing, the villian was comedic while still being somewhat threatening, the action was exciting, it was just an all around fun film. However, there is one thing that bugs me. Making Alice an action heroine. There's nothing wrong with strong female characters in movies, as long as it fits that world, like with Marvel or Star Wars. But when it's in a movie like this, it feels forced. Also, the White Queen apparently can't talk without fluttering her hands. It's very distracting and looks ridiculous. Compared to the first film, this one is actually pretty good. I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked this. It was enthralling! It's what the first movie should have been. 

Grade: A-  9/10. 4/5

X-Men: Apocalypse

This review is dedicated to movie critic Jeff Vice, who, sadly passed away of heart failure on May 27th, 2014. How fitting that his last review was X-Men: Days of Future Past, and now on the 2-year-anniversary of his death the latest film in the franchise opens. Without Jeff Vice I would not be a movie critic. 

X2: X-Men United is still my favorite in the franchise. The plot for this one wasn't exactly the best compared to, say, "First Class," or "Days of Future Past." It's easily the weakest in this prequel trilogy, but there were still some fun moments. The '80's pop culture references were clever and the action was fun. Quicksilver is still the fun comic relief character that he was in "Days of Future Past." Although, they did reuse the "he runs so fast that time stops so he messes with stuff while he does his job" gag from "Days of Future Past," and it just felt unnecessary and redundant. It was only funny the first time, guys. Sorry. Apocalypse certainly isn't the best villain this franchise has had, but he was still enjoyable. The cinematography in this was spot-on. I was excited to be introduced to some new mutants that are now on my favorites list. (Not saying who though. Spoilers). It's a good movie, but the plot could have been better thought out. 

Grade: B.  8/10.  3.5/5 stars

Captain America: Civil War

This is the best Marvel movie yet! Even if you're not a superhero fan, I still highly recommend this, because it doesn't feel like a superhero movie. Much like "Winter Soldier" it's more of a political thriller. It makes you think, and debate about accountability and other important issues, which is very unusual for a superhero film. It's not just mindless action. The action sequences, by the way, are some of the best I've seen in any superhero movie, Marvel or otherwise.  They're choreographed so well. There's a lot that goes on, yet you never feel lost or overwhelmed during them. Up until this point, Andrew Garfield was my favorite actor to portray Spider-Man. Move over, Andrew Garfield. Newcomer Tom Holland has taken your spot. I was a bit skeptical when he showed up in the trailers because I thought he sounded way too young. But when he started throwing around one-liners in true Spider-Man fashion, all that doubt instantly went away. Fun fact: Tom Holland starred alongside Chris Hemsworth in "In The Heart of the Sea," and it's because of Hemsworth's recommendation of Holland for the role of Spider-Man to Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios that Holland was cast in the role. Great choice, Chris Hemsworth! I'm excited to see what this young man has in store for the future. This was everything I wanted, and more. Every time I think "Marvel can't possibly top this," they prove me wrong. But that's my worry. I'm worried that every Marvel film will try to outdo the predecessors by being bigger and better every time, until the MCU is eventually crushed by its own unattainable expectations. But until that day, I'll enjoy what the MCU has to offer. I expect great things from the next one: Doctor Strange. Great things, indeed.

Grade: A+. 10/10. 5/5 stars

In the Heart of the Sea

And the award for most inaccurate movie advertising goes to...this movie. From the trailers, I thought this would be a big epic with lots of adventure. What I got instead was one of the most boring movies of 2015. (I know it's 2016 at the time of writing this review, but this film was released in 2015.) I thought Chris Hemsworth would at least be able to save this film, but nope. While his acting isn't terrible, he does have inconsistency in his accents. 1/3 of a sentence will be Austrailain, the next 1/3 will be British, and the last 1/3 will be American. (And not even necessarily in that order.) It's very distracting. I can see why the story of "Moby Dick" had to be changed and exaggerated, because no one would stay invested if this was the story that was published. This movie is a huge snoozer. 

Grade: D.  6/10.  2/5 stars

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

While it is better than "Man of Steel" (but only slightly), this movie is not without problems of its own. The plot doesn't flow very well, and the film is a bit hard to follow as a consequence of that. I wasn't quite sure what the film was trying to be. And some of the characters' portrayals in this movie feel odd. Lex Luthor feels more like The Joker. However, the action sequences in this movie were impressive. Also, it knew just when to give us mindless action. and when to pause to give us plot. Another thing that made this stand out was they still tell Batman's origin story for those who may not be familiar with it, but it's done in 2 minutes over the opening credits. (Take notes, upcoming Marvel Spider-Man reboot. This is how you should tell the origin.) They also knew when to tease us just enough to get us hyped for the rest of the DC Cinematic Universe films. How, you may ask? No, spoilers. You'll have to see for yourself, but believe me, it's fanservice at its best. Overall, the film doesn't deliver much in terms of plot, but more than delivers on what fans really want to see: Mindless action scenes, and Batman and Superman fighting each other (with some teases for the fans to get them excited for the upcoming films)

Grade: B  8/10  3.5/5 stars

The Divergent Series: Allegiant

This is definitely the best in the series! The score, especially, is awesome! It's the kind of music you want to put on a playlist and listen to when you're at the gym because it gets you pumped. The plot is also the most exciting of all the films as well. There is one problem I have with the film, though, and that is Miles Teller's acting. He was terrible in the other movies in the series, he was terrible in "Fantastic Four," and he's terrible here. He tries to be the comic relief, but it just comes off as bland and trying too hard. It's like watching Hayden Christianson in the "Star Wars" prequels. The villains in the movie are also kind of weak. They could have been written a lot better. But, it's a fun action movie with a great score, and I'm excited to see the conclusion of the series next year.

Grade: A-  9/10  4/5 stars 

10 Cloverfield Lane

In case you're wondering: No. You do not need to see the original "Cloverfield" to understnad this movie. In fact, they're completely different. You can watch one or the other on its own and still enjoy them. It's going to be really hard to write this review without giving too much away (and trust me, you want to go in knowing nothing about this film.) but I'm going to try. This isn't really a "horror" movie, per se. It's more of a post-apocalyptic thriller.  The story is intriguing, but I was expecting a little bit more out of this.  It's still a very intense movie, though. John Goodman did a terrific job. I'm glad to see him finally branching out of his typical "nice guy" schtick. He's anything but nice here. In fact, he's absolutely terrifying. Watching the movie, I felt very intimidated by him. While I do say that the first "Cloverfield" was better, this is still pretty good. Just watch them as 2 different movies where the only thing they have in common is the word "Cloverfield" in the title. It works as its own standalone movie, which very few directors can do. Well done, JJ Abrams! You've done it again!

Grade: A-  9/10  4/5 stars

Zootopia

It's incredibly rare when a movie gets a 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. (Ok, so it's 99%, but upon further investigation I found the rotten review wasn't even a review. Rotten Tomatoes needs better scorers.) It's even rarer when I agree with Rotten Tomatoes. This is one of those times in both cases. This movie is phenomenal! The animation is stellar! The plot is very unique. It's essentially a social  commentary that only looks like an animated talking animal/buddy cop movie. And it's pulled off amazingly! The jokes in this movie are hilarious and very original! There were even a few unexpectedly dark scenes where I jumped. This is one of the best animated Disney movies ever made! It's right up there with Big Hero 6 and Wreck-it Ralph. (Sorry, Frozen. You were just ok.) It's incredibly charming, and I feel like Pixar could have made this. This is definitely going to be a day 1 purchase when it hits Bluray. 

Grade: A+   10/10   5/5 stars

Eddie the Eagle

This is the most inspiring film this year! It was also perfectly casted! (Seriously, look up the real Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards and compare to the movie. The resemblance is uncanny. It's like looking in a mirror.) Ok, well it's almost perfectly casted. As much as I like Hugh Jackman (Seriously, I'll watch Hugh Jackman in anything. If you want me to watch a movie just tell me Hugh Jackman's in it and I'm sold.) I feel like I've seen his character before. (The jerk with a heart of gold.) I've seen it in Real Steel, and it felt like watching his character in Real Steel. That being said, the movie is very uplifting! I'm not a huge fan of sports movies, and I'll admit I was skeptical about this movie, but surprisingly, I really enjoyed it! It doesn't have any of the typical sports movie cliches like the slow clap. (Which I HATE. I HATE the slow clap. It's so silly and overdone.) It does have the training montage cliche, but at least here it's humorous. That brings up another point. This movie had a lot more comedy than I thought it would. I didn't leave the theater thinking "This film was a comedy," but it had enough comedic bits to keep me interested. Not knowing anything about Eddie or the Olympics or any of the subject matter of the film, I'm surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. I'm not a big fan of sports movies, and I'm certainly not going to add a bunch of sports movies to my Netflix queue just because I enjoyed this movie, but for what it was, I highly recommend it.

Grade: A-  9/10   4/5 stars

Bridge of Spies

I'm disappointed in the Academy. This movie only won 1 Oscar. (Best Supporting Actor). While I do agree with that verdict, I feel it also should have won for Best Score. (Yes, I feel this should have beaten Star Wars: The Force Awakens, although that film didn't win either.) The score for this movie is absolutely phenomenal! It just swells! I could listen to it all day.  Tom Hanks is great in the leading role, (Let's be honest. When isn't Tom Hanks great?) the script has stellar writing (although it is slow in several parts, and if you don't study law you may lose interest during them as I did), and the overall film is just great! The opening scene alone is superb! Spielberg has done it again! Steven Spielberg directing a movie starring Tom Hanks. Thank you, Hollywood executive who greenlit this. If I had seen this prior to the end of 2015, it would have been on my top 10 list for sure!
Grade: B   8/10   4/5 stars

The Martian

I was a bit skeptical with this movie going in, because of how everyone was raving about it. "You gotta see The Martian. You gotta see The Martian." Usually when people tell me over and over how great a film is, my expectations get a bit too high and I end up thinking the film is just OK. (This happened with "Avatar" and "Gravity.") I'm happy to say that this was one of the few times where I actually agree. This movie was amazing. The problem with "Gravity" and "Avatar" for me was they weren't really that engaging. This film was. I was excited to see what what happened next. There was even a point where I paused for a lunch break, and tried to make it as quick as possible so I could see what happened next. Matt Damon is great in this. He makes you feel such levels of emotion. This definitely deserves every Oscar it gets. I'm rooting for this to bring home the gold this coming Sunday. Everything from the acting, to the cinematography, to the script is brilliant. There were one or two scenes that made me a bit squeamish, so if those scenes weren't in there this would be an A+, but they were, so as you can see, I gave this an A-.  But considering how much everyone raved about this, I'm glad I didn't end up thinking this was overrated.

Grade: A-, 9/10  4/5 stars

Kung Fu Panda 3

It's official. "Madagascar" is the only perfect Dreamworks trilogy. How this got an 80% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes is beyond me. It's not completely horrible, but it's not amazing either. It's just ok. It just exists. It's "meh." The plot is pretty much "Madagascar 2" all over again. In fact, it's pretty much every Dreamworks sequel with a "2" in the title all over again. Main character meets long lost parents. Whoop de doo. Dreamworks has only done this in "Shrek 2," "Madagascar 2", and "How to Train Your Dragon 2." Think of a better plot for sequels, Dreamworks. There's not much originality here. There's even a scene after Po first meets his dad where they fanboy over all the ancient Kung fu artifacts (you know, like how Po did in the first one.) Even some of the dialogue is rehashed word for word in this scene. Also, some scenes from earlier in the film are later reused again, literally exactly the same. Lazy!!! The ending also feels ripped from the last Harry Potter. The villain steals the souls of the other Kung fu masters in order to become immortal . (Horcruxes.) There's more similarities but spoilers so...but trust me, if you've seen Harry Potter 7, you've seen this. There are some positives with the animation though. It's incredibly detailed. Close ups of the pandas' arms deserve to be freeze-framed so you can appreciate every individual arm hair. But plot wise, and even humor wise, this plot had nothing new to offer. Stay home and watch the first movie, and every Dreamworks sequel with a "2" in it. You'll pretty much be getting this anyway.

Grade: C+. 6/10.  2.5/5 stars

The 5th Wave

For most of the movie, I thought it was average, nothing special, typical. But then when the twist happened my whole perspective on this movie changed. I really enjoyed this movie. It had an intriguing plot, interesting characters, and a whole lot of action. There's some misdirection in this movie, which keeps the plot exciting, and kept my attention the whole film. Sadly, I don't think this film will do well enough to get a sequel, but even if it doesn't you can still watch it on its own and be satisfied. Some people will not give this film a chance because they think its too much like "The Hunger Games." It's completely different. "Hunger Games" was not about aliens. Ok, well "Ender's Game" was about teenagers fighting aliens. It's nothing like "Ender's Game", either. It's completely original. Most of the film did feel kind of "meh," but when the twist came, I forgave that, and was interested to know what would happen next. Considering this movie opened in January which is usually death month for movies that studios think are bad, I really enjoyed it. I thought it would be "meh" at best but it was a lot better than I expected. If there's no sequel, I won't care, but if there is, I'll definitely see it.
Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

Goosebumps

This is a very special post. My 100th!!!!!

Going in to this movie, I didn't really know what to expect. All I knew was that it had all the monsters and villains from the "Goosebumps" books, and frankly, I was worried that too many characters would give it a case of "Spider-Man 3" syndrome. Luckily, I was wrong. The plot is easy to follow, and most of the monsters are just background characters. Slappy is the main villain and the rest are just his minions. Jack Black did a great job as R. L. Stine and Slappy, and you can tell he's having a lot of fun with the roles. There was a character named Champ (Ryan Lee) and he should have been written out of the script. He's supposed to be the comic relief sidekick, but every line he says is just cringeworthy and painfully unfunny. He's just annoying! The movie would have been improved by a lot without him. Everyone else, however, was good. Not great, but good. The plot isn't that original. It's basically "Jumanji" with "Goosebumps" characters, but it's still a lot of fun. If you grew up reading the books or watching the t.v. show, then this is the film for you. If you're not familiar with the "Goosebumps" stories, you will be confused.
Grade: B   8/10    3.5/5 stars

The Visit

This very much hearkens back to late '90's/early 2000's M. Night Shayamalan back when he still cared about his career.  

Does it make up for atrocities like "The Last Airbender" and "After Earth"? No, but let's be honest, we'll probably never be able to forgive him for those. But it feels in the style of his earlier films like "Sixth Sense" and "The Village." The plot is a bit slow in parts, but that's to build up to a great twist ending I didn't see coming, and made the last half hour of the movie absolutely terrifying. This film has it all: Mystery, suspense, even a little bit of comedy. I'm glad M. Night is trying to make great films again. How long will it last? Only time will tell. But for now, I think it's safe to say that M. Night is back on track. Even if you're not a found-footage fan, give this film a shot. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how well done this film is. The kid actors feel genuine. They talk how real kids talk, they act how real kids act. That's a rarity these days. Usually child actors overact, or don't feel genuine. I'm glad to see that's not the case here. Overall,  "The Visit" is a pleasant return to form for M. Night Shamalayan. 

Grade: B   8/10. 3.5/5 stars

Pan

I thought this movie was going to be pretty decent. I couldn't understand why all the critics "Pan"ned this movie. (Sorry). Now I know why. It's lazy. It takes place during World War II, yet during the first scene in Neverland the pirates are singing 1970's hits like "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Not only that, but it took any magic the original had and gave an explanation for it. In this one, pixie dust is mined. That's basically the equivalent of "Phantom Menace" using midichlorians to explain the Force. The CGI on the various creatures in Neverland looks like it came from the early '90's and is overall just lazy. Also, Peter is half-human/half-fairy, which was just stupid and again, takes away the magic of the original. They also made Hook (who is not the villain in this by the way. It's Blackbeard, played brilliantly by Hugh Jackman, but I'll get to that later) into a wannabe Han Solo. And the overall plot is a blatant ripoff of Harry Potter: Chosen One who is an orphan is whisked away to another world where he learns his parents were killed by the villain. The villain's main goal is immortality. They even put in the "You have your mother's eyes" line from Harry Potter. If J.K. Rowling doesn't sue, I'll be very surprised. The only good part of this movie was Hugh Jackman as the villain Blackbeard. He pulls it off terrifically! He's terrifying. They should just make a Blackbeard movie with Hugh Jackman as the star. If you want to watch a Peter Pan movie, please stick with the Disney version. There's nothing magical about this one.

Grade: D+ 3/10 1/5 stars.