The 5th wave

Director: J Blakeson
Writers: Susan Grant, Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner
Stars: Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Gabriela Lopez, Maika Monroe

Synopsis:
An alien race shows up and starts wreaking havoc on the world in 5 different waves of attacks.

Review:
The 5^th wave is a Sci-fi film that depending on your sci-fi knowledge, or fandom of the genre, might be considered a boring re-tread or a fun adventure. I personally thought it was a fun adventure that brought me back to the days of the old alien sci-fi films. Now this movie wasn't perfect and honestly my favorite part was any scene involving the character Ringer (played by 'It follows' Maika Monroe). And I haven't read the book so I don't necessarily know what all they did and didn't do with the source material.
With it being a YA adaptation though, there is a small love triangle thing that honestly feels force and I think they should have just kept it out of the film in general. Maybe they should have developed it more or something, again I haven't read the book so I don't know exactly how much they kept or changed from it. But besides that though this movie has been done before, not necessarily within the YA adaptation genre but more in the Sci-fi genre.
This movie overall was a good time and honestly wasn't that bad of an experience.

Rating: 4 Stars


Recommendation: I'd say if you want something fresh in the Sci-fi genre then stay away, but if you want to be able to enjoy a movie full of Sci-fi tropes then you should check this out. Also, if you're wanting to stay away from this because it's a YA adaptation then please give this a look because honestly the only thing that this takes from those similar movies and books is the love triangle aspect and there's enough stuff going on around it that it doesn't stand out too much except for the couple scenes that it is involved in.

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I'm writing this to let everyone know that I have a Facebook fan page also that I post little extra stuff at like what my schedules are and what I'm watching trying to get some conversation going on movies and everything.

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Dirty Grandpa

Directed By: Dan Mazer

Written By: John Phillips

Stars: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza

Synopsis: A grandpa wants to take a trip to Florida with his grandson he hasn’t really connected with in years after his wife died because it’s what she would have wanted, but that’s not exactly the actual plan.

Review:  Dirty Grandpa starts out modest enough. Jokes that are raunchy but you’ve probably have seen worse or about the same before. The actors are enjoyable and no one really does anything wrong with their roles. The movie looks nice and there are a few laughs to be had that do run generic. Dirty Grandpa’s main problem though is that it’s generic.

Really the problem I had is that some jokes run too long, and especially the last scene. I was glad I was able to watch this in an empty theater because I let out the biggest groan during the last scene because it was just so awkward and dragged on so long I was just out loud like, can we just end this forgettable movie already?

There’s a romance subplot too that feels a little force and really only has a few scenes devoted to it, and overall, like I just stated, this movie is mainly forgettable. It doesn’t have a specific joke or scene that is memorable enough to be remembered years from now.

Rating: 3 stars

Recommendation: If the trailers made you laugh then catch this at a matinee or rent it. Besides that though you might as well stay away.

The Boy

Director: William Brent Bell
Writers: Stacey Menear
Stars: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, James Russel

Synopsis:
A nanny is hired to look after a family's son that actually turns out to be a life-sized doll.

Review:
This movie falls into the category of false marketing, much like House at the End of the Street did, although not as bad. I say that because the first half of the film is much like what the trailers show us the film to be, but then by the time the second half of the film hits, its a thriller, and I think that's where people get upset with this film, much like how they were with House at the End of the Street. I personally loved both that and The Boy, and I think it's because of that reason, they're not really what they look to be, and actually surprise me.
Like I said the first half is all about the doll being possessed but through some twist and turns, the plot takes us to thriller territory and the scares fade, which I actually quite enjoyed. Of course I can see why the majority of people would be upset due to the fact that a lot of people come to these to get scared then feel ripped off when it turns out not to be scary.
Now, this movie isn't perfect and I wouldn't even say it's worth full price at this point, and the twist does offer up a bunch of questions that don't get answered, ultimately they might make a prequel explaining it like most horror movies recently. But while that's a problem, Lauren Cohan's character really is the best thing about this movie and makes the movie worth watching. The story can be considered bland, depending on your thoughts on the paranormal and possession genre as of late.

Rating: 4 Stars

Recommendation: If you are looking for a darker movie to watch in theaters right now then this would be your best bet. I'd recommend a matinee to save some money though in case you find yourself disappointed in it. 

Room

Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writers: Emma Donoghue
Stars: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers

Synopsis:
A mom and her five year old son try to escape a room, one she's known, and only known, for seven years.

Review:
This movie is really engaging and such an emotional ride. One I haven't felt in awhile based on just how good the movie is, I mean I did have an emotional ride through Star Wars, but that was purely on nostalgia. I didn't know much about this going in, except that Brie Larson won the Golden Globe for it, and I hope she wins the Oscar for it after seeing it, and I honestly think that's the best way to see it, but I found out that this is based on a book, written by Emma Donoghue, and apparently this follows it very well with that book.
The acting is perfect, it's believable and at most points I forgot that I was watching a fictional movie and not a documentary. The story, the way it unfolds, really delivers the emotional punches at the right time and in the right way. Since I didn't know what the movie was truly about I was trying to figure out what it was about the room they were in, when this movie took place, and etc. But when Ma tells Jack what exactly was going on, I wasn't honestly prepared for it and it explained what I was questioning.
This truly was a respectable movie made about its subject matter which I applaud especially with how grounded and real this movie's subject matter is.

Rating: 5 Stars

Recommendation: If your theater is showing it,which most are now because of the oscars, go see it. And try not to look too much into the synopsis, unless you've read the book this is based on. Because I thought that was the best way to enjoy this film with an open mind and not knowing much about what this was about. Highly Recommend.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Chuck Hogan (Screenplay), Mitchell Zuckoff (Book)
Stars: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale

Synopsis:
A U.S. Compound in Benghazi is attacked as a security team tries to defend it along with an American Ambassador in 2012.

Review:
I'm going to start out with saying this, this is Michael Bay's best film. But it certainly isn't the cinema masterpiece that the trailers are saying now. Michael bay even goes as far as keeping his camera crew from drinking a whole pack of monsters before every shot they take. They only take them on their off days apparently. There's even scenes and sequences that I'm like, is this really a Michael Bay film? Because some shots are just so well made and sequences are actually tense some times.
Now, like I said this isn't a masterpiece, there are some jokes that don't hit, and there is still quite a bit of shaky close up camera shots that make it difficult to tell what is going on sometimes, but honestly you should at this point know that you're going to be seeing that stuff in a Michael Bay film, but it honestly isn't done in a way that's over the top or obnoxious. It all just comes and goes and there's enough room for you to breath between each time.


Rating: 4 Stars


Recommendation: If you have seen everything else out there, and looking at what to watch that came out this weekend this is going to be your safest bet.

Ride Along 2

Director: Tim Story
Writers: Phil Hay, Matt Hanfredi
Stars: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Olivia Munn, Ken Jeong

Synopsis:
James and Ben head down to Miami to stop a drug dealer supplying Atlanta dealers.

Review:
Oh boy. This movie is basically what 22 Jump Street could have been. This movie takes everything that made the first one fun and exciting, and just retreads it in a lazy fashion. Honestly if Ice Cube and Kevin Hart wasn't in this, then I don't think this would even be put in theaters. It only goes through the motions that we've seen not only in the first movie, but any buddy cop movie made... ever.
I did find some laughs though, and again, Ice Cube and Kevin Hart I feel like have great chemistry together, that's why I'm even saying it's worth a watch. I just hope that when the sequel comes out, if one does, that they actually try and bring something new to the table and make it a blast to watch much like the first movie was.


Rating: 3 stars


Recommendation: Rent it, or wait till DVD or something if you really liked the first one, because you're just getting more of the same from that one, but not nearly as good.