Krampus

I'll just say this right now: to enjoy this movie you need to go in with the right mindset. If you're expecting straight-up horror that will make it hard to fall asleep at night, this is not the film for you. However, if you're expecting dark comedy than you will most likely enjoy this film. It's obvious it was influenced by "Gremlins" and "Poltergeist" in some parts. Without giving too much away, I will say that if you were a child of the '80's you will definitely be reminiscing about those movies. That's not to say it's a straight ripoff of them, though. It's definitely got some originality to it. If you're a "Nightmare Before Christmas" fan, you'll probably enjoy "Krampus." There's even a flashback sequence entirely animated in stop-motion and it's beautifully done. Even during the parts that are supposed to be scary, it's so over-the-top and goofy that it's hard to take those parts seriously. That's not a complaint. I enjoyed that. I was smiling and laughing nearly the whole time. Even the score takes classic Christmas music and gives it a dark, warped feeling. You will never be able to hear "Carol of the Bells" the same way again. So, if you're tired of the cliche "we love each other" saccharine sweet Christmas films and you're looking for something different,  this is the film for you. I have a feeling that in about 10-20 years this will be considered a classic like "A Christmas Story," "Elf," Nightmare Before Christmas" and of course "Gremlins."

Grade: A-   9/10  4/5 stars

The Good Dinosaur

The animation in this movie was beautifully done and super detailed. I can only imagine how many man-hours it took to create every little speck of dirt, every drop of rain, and every little pebble. The backgrounds and nature aspect look super realistic. However, the animation is really the only highlight of this movie. As for the plot, it's nothing special. It doesn't really have that Pixar charm. I feel like any other studio could have made this. "Inside Out", "The Incredibles," and "Finding Nemo" all had original stories that no one had thought of before. Those movies were absolute genius. They all had a certain "Wow!" factor that no other animation studio could top. Here, I feel like Pixar got lazy. It's like they combined the "getting back to my family" story of Finding Nemo with the "prehistoric creature helps human get back to their family" story of Ice Age. There's even moments that feel copied from "The Lion King." There were 1 or 2 funny lines, but they weren't enough to save it from lazy writing. It also had the one thing I thought I'd never see in a Pixar movie is here: a drug reference. Yep, you read that right. A drug reference. That seems kind of low for you, Pixar. I'd expect that from Dreamworks, but not you. I would definitely not nominate this for Best Animated Feature. It's a good movie, but nothing special. 

Grade: B+. 8/10. 3.5/5 stars

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Although the ending is a little weak, the build-up is exciting and it's fun getting there. Almost every moment is edge of your seat excitement and despite its dark tone they still managed to throw some humor in every once in a while. Even the fearsome President Snow has a few zingers. Donald Sutherland was the perfect choice for Snow, and it shows here more than any of the other films. Every word sounds a chill down your spine and you hate him like you should hate all good villains. It is slow at times and some scenes serve no purpose other than to drag out the runtime. But for the most part the movie is exciting and that's what matters.  It's an (almost) perfect ending to the Hunger Games franchise. 

Grade: A-  9/10  4/5 stars

Spectre

I need to give compliment to the cinematographer, because the first 3 minutes of this movie are one big long pan shot. That's impressive.  I say even if you've never had interest in a James Bond movie before, but you are a fan of BBC's Sherlock (particularly Andrew Scott who plays Moriarty in that series) then see it for his acting, because he is awesome in this movie. Andrew Scott plays villains very well. That's not to say that Daniel Craig does a terrible job of playing Bond. He did a great job with his character as well. He had some witty lines(in fact, most characters did), and the action sequences were well done. Keep in mind the only other James Bond film I've seen is "Skyfall", so my opinion is based only on having seen that one other movie. The main plot didn't really have much, but there was a good food-for-thought subplot about global government surveillance that I thought was interesting. The car chase scenes were a little over-the-top and ridiculous, (There's no way his car should be driving up that curve.) but they were still fun. It's a little hard to keep track of what's going on, because there's lots of characters and subplots that are confusing. Is this one of the best films of 2015? No, but it is enjoyable.

Grade: B   8/10   3.5/5 stars

The Peanuts Movie

We have a contender for Best Animated Film, everyone! It won't win, because it's not Pixar, but if it was it would definitely win. Unlike some movie adaptations that have come out this year that completely disregarded the source material (Looking at you, Fantastic Four!) this feels very true to the Peanuts and what they're all about. The animation is at times even better than some Pixar films. It's all CGI, but the characters look hand drawn, while at the same time having depth. It's a very unique looking film, and has definitely set a new standard for computer animation. While the film doesn't really have a plot, and tends to quickly jump from one scene to the next, I thought that overall the movie was very cute and is definitely one of the best films of 2015!
Grade: A+  10/10 5/5 stars

Hotel Transylvania 2

Let's be honest. This sequel was unnecessary. The first one ended perfectly. That being said, I enjoyed this movie. Although the plot was thin, and some parts made it seem like a direct to video movie, overall, I found the movie cute and fun. The plot didn't feel like a rehash of the first one, but they didn't exactly put effort into this one. There are a few funny one-liners and zingers, but the plot is not well thought out. There were a few genuinely heartfelt moments, and by the end of the movie I was satisfied, but again, the plot was thin. There are a few moments in the film where I was saying "What?" (and not in a surprised, excited way), simply because they don't make sense. A lot more effort could have been put into this movie, but I don't hate it. I liked it, but it could have been a lot better.

Grade: B+  8/10  3.5/5 stars

The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

The first film in the series was exciting, but the plot felt thin. In this one, however, we get all the excitement of the first one, in addition to a great plot. This movie is essentially a zombie movie. It's like a PG-13 "Walking Dead." It's actually pretty scary. I read the books, but this movie took the excitement of them and cranked (no pun intended) it up to 1000! Seriously! Don't watch this movie alone. And don't take little kids to it. It's PG-13 for a reason, and even then it is a hard PG-13. It's not inappropriate aside from some profanities, it's just really intense. Even though I read the books and knew for the most part what was coming up, I still jumped a few times! I'm really excited for the next one, and disappointed that I have to wait 2 years for it instead of 1.
Grade: A+   10/10   5/5 stars