Free State of Jones

I saw Free State of Jones last night. This movie is based on a true story and it's a story that should be told more often. 
The imagery was moving and the performances were commanding but I left the film feeling like something was missing. I think Godfrey Cheshire said it best, "[the film] has not been well-served by Ross’ lumpy, ill-conceived script, which ends up wasting Matthew McConaughey’s terrific lead performance and other strong acting contributions." Even though the script doesn't fully serve the power of the story I'd still say that everyone should see this film because the only way to not repeat history is to learn from it.

X-Men: Apocalypse

I saw X-Men: Apocalypse, the final film of the X-Men prequel trilogy. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. They really helped to carry this franchise. The film was able to keep my attention and had a couple of pretty good action sequences; however it was no First Class or even Days of Future Past. There was a self deprecating joke in the film about how the 3rd in a trilogy is never as good as the originals, which I thought was clever. Overall, it was a bit long and I do agree with one critic that said some of the characters that you want to see the most didn't get as much attention as some of the other less interesting characters. For that reason I'd say if you choose to see this one, catch the matinee.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

saw Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice today. There have been a lot of critics out there who have given this movie some bad ratings. I get it, this movie isn't going to be Oscar nominated, but how often are DC or Marvel movies in those talks? This movie is for the viewers. It was high action, the story keeps you engaged & the best part of all, Ben Affleck redeemed himself from his terrible Daredevil performance. The only thing I will agree with the critics on is that it is a little long & I wish that Wonder Woman had more of a presence in the movie. Other than that I enjoyed it. Next up: Justice League & Suicide Squad

Deadpool

I saw Deadpool yesterday and loved it. Ryan Reynolds really redeemed himself from the disaster that was The Green Lantern. 
Deadpool was the perfect mix of action, comedy & vulgarity. Definitely Ryan's wheelhouse. Think his character in Blade Trinity but 100x better. 
I'm already counting down for the next one. This is Marvel's first R rated release so you might not want to bring your kids to this one.

The Revenant

I saw The Revenant today. Wow, what a visually stunning movie. The cinematography reminds me a lot of The New World but with a better plot, script and acting. This movie really shows you how much a human body can handle. I think that Tom Hardy did an awesome job but Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of Hugh Glass was mesmerizing. In a lot of the scenes he is alone and really carries this movie. He is definitely one of the best actors of all time to have never won an Oscar. I hope this is his year

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens today and I have mixed feeling about it. The action was typical Star Wars goodness, it was fun seeing some of the original actors and characters but overall it felt a lot like a re-used story that was about 30 minutes too long. There wasn't much of an attempt to make this particular episode feel new and fresh. I think that the director was just hoping that as long as he brought back all these old people that fans would come & wouldn't care too much about the plot or the script, which at times was unrealistic and a bit silly. What I will say is that I am really excited about these new comers. They pretty much carried this film and have some potential to bring this series back to life. I'm anxious to see how they do in the future films. For this one I'd say avoid the crowds and wait a couple weeks if you plan on seeing it in theaters.

Creed

I saw Creed today. I came into this one a little concerned that I would miss out on some key points of the movie because I've never seen the original Rocky movies (SN don't get mad - I'm working on it) but I must admit that not seeing those movies didn't take anything away from this movie. There was something about this movie that draws you in right a way. The character development made it so easy to care about and root for the protagonists and the boxing scenes were so seamless and clean. They were done as one continuous shot, unbroken, which made them look more real. Sylvester Stallone was really great in this but in my opinion Michael B Jordan carried this film with an intense passion and grit. This guy is one of my new favorite actors. I'd definitely recommend this movie.