Brooklyn - Review

   As awards season draws closer, more and more films with Oscar hopes start crawling out from the woodwork. There is bound to a period piece somewhere along the line, but not usually in the same vein as Brooklyn. While many period pieces are more dramatic or biographical, this steps into the romantic side with one toe in the dramatic hardships of immigrants coming to America. It balanced wonderfully and it all centers around one young woman and her growth along the way.

The Good Dinosaur - Review

   How lucky is the world to be given not one Pixar film in 2015, but two? Granted they skipped a year in 2014 but still. The earlier release this year of Inside Out was met with stellar reviews (and still ranks in my top 5) and is considered among the studios best. While it’s not fair to compare that and Pixar’s new film The Good Dinosaur, its bound to happen. And while The Good Dinosaur isn’t the masterpiece that it’s predecessor was/is, the fun tale set in prehistoric times is still another great entry into the Pixar filmography.

Room - Review

   I have a rule when it comes to books turned movies: try my hardest to read them before the film comes out. I read The Martian earlier in the year just as I recently finished Room mere days before seeing the film. For the first time in a while I wish I had broken that rule. Yes it’s nice to read the source to compare, but Room is truly a film that benefits tremendously from the mystery that surrounds the events about to unfold before you.

The Night Before - Review

   There may not be anyone else in Hollywood that has been producing solid comedies more than the team of Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. The two team-up again for the Stoner comedy The Night Before and deliver a raunchy, albeit juvenile, holiday treat. It certainly can’t stand up there with true holiday classics, but it’s one that will get you into the holiday spirit in it’s own strange way.

Spotlight - Review

   The film industry has never shied away from telling gripping real stories about some touchy subjects. Transgressions of the Catholic Church in Boston is about as touchy as they come and yet Spotlight manages to handle everything with an emotional weight that doesn’t focus on the acts themselves but rather on the work that these journalists put in to hopefully do some good in the world and bring theses actions, and cover-ups, into the light.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 - Review

   The recent splitting of the final film in a franchise into two parts is slowing become a trend for the epic conclusions. I can’t say it’s a trend I can get on board with as it seems some films certainly suffer when being resticted as such. But somehow The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 breaks that mold and delivers an action packed war film with just a hint of real world elements to bring the saga to an epic and worthy close.

The Peanuts Movie - Review

    There probably isn’t a more classic cartoon since it’s inception in 1950 than the Peanuts.  Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, and the rest of the gang have been continuing to entertain through comic strips and many holiday specials. But transferring the beloved characters to modern times certainly present some challenges.

Spectre - Review

   In 2015, or the year of the spy, it’s only fitting that the final spy film of the year is the number one guy himself, 007. When it comes to Hollywood, there may be no bigger icon than the role of James Bond. And with so many actors getting the coveted spot as the man with a license to kill over the years, many people will have different preferences. But one thing is for sure; Daniel Craig is certainly making his case better and better.