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