I’m giving this a 2.5/5 not because Aliens is a bad movie, far from it, but that it’s a blatant cash grab by Fox. Now, one could argue this is for the casual movie watcher but for fans, all you’re getting is new packaging and “collectable art cards” and a booklet.
Marauders isn’t a half-bad crime-thriller though it has plenty of problems from a villain portrayed by Bruce Willis who once again phones-in his performance to some atrocious dialogue and a needlessly complicated plot. However, I did enjoy Christopher Meloni in the lead role and the director at least attempted to bring atmosphere.
Money Monster, in spite of the talent involved, never delivers. George Clooney and Julia Roberts give good performances but I had a really hard time feeling sorry for Jack O’Connell’s Kyle character even as the filmmakers try to pull at the dramatic strings in the third act.
Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season manages to keep up the energy in spite of going on over a decade on the air. The performances are pretty much standard for Padalecki and Ackles but they’re still in top form and the storyline for the season at least feels fresh and is entertaining.
Hard Target 2 isn’t a half-bad DTV flick though it is pretty standard fare and probably went on a good 10-minutes too long. Still, Scott Adkins makes for a serviceable action hero with the right amount of charisma to pull off the role while seeing Robert Knepper playing a villain is always a welcome.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows might’ve been an ever-so-slight improvement over its predecessor but that’s not saying a whole lot. It’s still too Bayish for my taste and the inordinate amount of visual effects makes it tiring, though the fan service at least makes it a tolerable enough experience.
Road House is another classic of the 1980s, a fun romp with a cheesy story and yet Patrick Swayze has more than enough charm to pull it off and make it all the more memorable.
James Wan’s The Conjuring 2 is the rare horror-sequel that at least matches the quality of the original with some genuine scares and well written character development for the Warrens in conjunction with fine performances by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.
I so wanted to love and embrace the insanity of Urge, and yet with a few absolutely unlikeable characters and a story that devolves into zombie apocalypse territory, I can’t recommend it. However, it might be worth a rental.
Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season Two is a strong entry into the series with some decent animation to go along with well written storylines and nice character development.
Ratchet & Clank is a perfectly safe movie for younger viewers and passable enough for parents to watch with them, however between the animation and story, this probably better off as a direct-to-video release than something a studio spent millions to release to theaters.
Now You See Me 2 is not the type of movie that will tax your mind but instead is a perfectly serviceable caper-comedy, one that succeeds more on the chemistry with the ensemble, with newcomer Lizzy Caplan being the highlight, rather than anything to do with the thin plot, though I did appreciate some of the magic even if it’s CGI-generated.
Me Before You is a film adaptation that attempted to capitalize on the massive success of The Fault in Our Stars not to mention it’s the latest rom-drama in the vein of a Nicolas Sparks adaption sans an overabundance of sappiness, though the heavy-handedness doesn’t quite mesh with some of the more levity of light-hearted scenes that came before.
La Moglie Piu Bella is a haunting and disturbing movie featuring a strong, as well as incredible performance by Ornella Muti who was so young during the filming. Although I doubt I’ll ever revisit this movie, by all means it’s worth checking out especially if you’re a fan of Italian cinema.
Honey 3 isn’t a particularly ‘good’ movie but it’s perfectly harmless and should be satisfactory to fans of these types of dance dramas like Step Up and Center Stage. The acting is, at best, so-so but at least lead actress Cassie Ventura wasn’t bad and some of the music was decent.