Reviews

What a rush! The Wave gives the audience everything they hope for when encountering a natural disaster! Thrill, suspense, fear, terror! Norwegian director Roar Uthaug did an excellent job setting the tone of the film, somewhat of a 'calm before the storm' feel which is exactly what this type of film needs! The film follows a Norwegian geologist, played by Kristoffer Joner, and his family as they fight for survival as their hometown encounters a massive landslide that causes a 250-foot tidal wave. Roar Uthuag did an incredible job creating emotions in the characters, the fear, the pain. The audience goes on a journey with the characters and feel as if they are in a dire situation also. The cinematography and the sound make you feel as if you are actually there, with the world crumbling around you. This film was incredibly done with the writing, directing and special effects. If you love films that take you along for the ride, this is the film to see!

London Has Fallen is an action-packed adventure! This sequel, to the $161 million Olympus Has Fallen is about a Secret Service agent, played by Gerard Butler, who discovers a scheme to assassinate the world leaders attending the Prime Minister's funeral. From the start, the film gives the viewers a feeling of suspense and intrigue. Then it takes a turn and is straight action-packed, filled with blasts of gunfire and fistfights. There was never a dull moment! Director Babak Najafi kept the pace going throughout the entire film which kept the audience engaged through its entirety. Filled with an amazing cast including Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett, this film was blessed from the start; with a box office hit from the first film and an amazing cast, what could go wrong!

What a thrill! If you love films that keep you on the edge of your seat, 10 Cloverfield Lane will not disappoint! This is not a sequel to the 2008 alien attack movie Cloverfield, but like that film, it leaves you terrified! This films tells the story of Michelle, played by Elizabeth Winstead, who is a young woman that runs out on her fiancé and while driving is run off the road. She awakens in a room with the man who saved her, played by John Goodman. Goodman tells the girl that he is keeping her safe underground from a nuclear desert. She doesn't know whether to believe him or not. Is he her savior or captor?

Director Dan Trachtenberg did an outstanding job creating this thrilling sensation and frantic fear! His previous work consists of only commercials and short films, but he seems to do quite well with full length films! He keeps the film clear to understand while including suspense throughout. New coming writers Josh Campbell and Matthew Stuecken deserve as much credit as Trachtenberg; they did a phenomenal job on the screen writing and setting of each scene. John Goodman also did an incredible job as the 'weirdo' and never lets the audience down with his superb acting skills! With great suspense, sound, and visuals, this film is a definite must see!

Deadpool delivers action, comedy and a fun, entertaining twist on everything an anti-hero movie should be! Based on the famous comic book published by Marvel Comics, this film tells the story of Wade Wilson, played by Ryan Reynolds, as a former Special Forces operative turned mercenary. Wilson becomes involved in an experiment that left him with healing powers which creates his alter ego, Deadpool. His mission is to take down the man who nearly destroyed his life. Action packed with a dark twisted sense of humor, this film surprised me tremendously and was ridiculously hilarious! Directed by award winning Tim Miller, this film brings everything imaginable to an action film. Reynolds did an amazing job and was as funny as I've ever seen him. He has played a wide array of characters in his previous films and continued to do so in Deadpool! With such an amazing director, cast and the magic of Marvel, this film did not disappoint!

Paul Rudd never disappoints! In his film Ant Man, he plays a man armed with a super suit and becomes a super hero! With the amazing special effects and costumes, this film is a Marvel success! Paul Rudd surprised me by playing a different type of character than he usually does in films, but I'm liking this new genre he is pursuing. With an amazing cast including Michael Douglas, Bobby Cannavle and Anthony Mackie, this film pulls off all the bells and whistles of what a superhero film should be. Action, super powers and suspense…what more can you ask for? This wasn't just an ordinary superhero film, this pushed the boundaries and really stood out from the other films currently out. I am thrilled to learn that there will be a sequel, Ant Man and the Wasp which is set to come out in 2018. It's no surprise with its amazing cast and storyline so I'm sure the sequel will be just as amazing or even better!

"Hail, Caesar!" lived up to the excitement in it's punctuation. It was such a fun and funny film to watch! The acting by the cast was very well-done and it was cool to see such different performances from big name actors such as George Clooney, Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson. It was also very interesting and enjoyable to look back on the 50s era of film-making and see how the big houses controlled everything when it came to their A- List actors! I love seeing that time period and it's great to reflect on how far the film industry has come since then. The Coen brothers didn't disappoint, as usual. And with such an all- star cast, it would be hard to! Casting Director, Ellen Chenoweth certainly did an amazing job casting this film and it shows.

With the election right around the corner, this documentary about the debates between liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley was informative and entertaining. The filmmakers did a great job showing each side of the debates and set the stage as to where the country was in the 1960s. It is compelling to see where TV journalism was at that time period and how far we as a country have grown in that amount of time. Seeing this movie in this day and age, Vidal and Buckley's debates seem somewhat normal since we are accustomed to such arrogance and intellect in the media. However, in the 1960s this created quite the spectacle and controversy to viewers as ratings on ABC doubled which truly helped transform TV journalism! I highly recommend seeing this film during the election season to get a better understanding of the journey of TV journalism and political debates.

Such a moving film worthy of its Golden Globe win for Best Foreign Language Film. "Son of Saul" was incredibly captivating even with the language barrier. Usually I don't love films with subtitles because it can distract from the performances, but the cast was so incredible, the subtitles didn't take away any aspect of the film. Géza Röhrig did an wonderful job as the lead character Saul. Set in a concentration camp, "Son of Saul" brought to light important events that happened in our world's history. Director László Nemes took such a terrible, sad subject and made the film intriguing to its audience. I'm excited to see if this film will take yet another award at the Academy Awards.

Maggie Smith never disappoints. She is such an amazing actress and continues to be in "The Lady in the Van." Such an interesting true story of a very odd woman, this film is very endearing. The chemistry between Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings is very enjoyable to watch. Their relationship had a sort of codependency between them that was really fueled by a real caring for each other for different reasons. Director Nicholas Hytner did a great job of portraying the comedy found in this story. And that is due to the great acting of Maggie Smith, whom I cannot say enough about. Her recent Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture- Comedy was well deserved and although she didn't take home the trophy, her performance is still one to be heavily applauded.

It's hard to believe this is a true story! With such heroism and an underlying story of love, "The Finest Hour" was really enjoyable to watch. Actor Chris Pine did a wonderful job as the lead, Bernie Webber, capturing the action and emotion behind his courageous voyage. It is really thrilling and scary to see people like those in the Coast Guard that put their lives on the line to save others. It's so commendable and director, Craig Gillespie did a fantastic job of capturing that. The cast overall did a wonderful job portraying their real life characters. The cinematography was incredible as well. Filming such a large at-sea feature is not an easy task and it was done very well.

"The 5th Wave" really was a great film! Definitely different than I'm used to with the Sci-Fi theme, it was still very thrilling to watch. Chloe Grace Moretz did a wonderful job as the lead character, Cassie Sullivan. For such a young actress and character, she was able to accomplish such mature emotions and struggles. The special effects were also fantastic! It's really so impressive the things the special and visual effects departments are able to accomplish. The director, J Blakeson, did a great job turning the book into a big screen hit. He was able to capture so many different aspects of a huge production and convey it very well for the audience. The story was well told with characters you could really connect with despite their extraterrestrial situation. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and cheering for the success of the main characters.

Talk about action packed! "13 Hours" had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! This film tells the story based on true unimaginable, events that occurred in Benghazi in 2012. John Krasinski and James Badge Dale did an amazing job transforming into their roles as Jack Da Silva and Rone Woods. It really is incredibly the courage military men show during times of chaos and struggle. It is so commendable and it is great that stories like this are shown on the big screen so the general public can appreciate the true sacrifice these men and women give to protect our country. Michael Bay, per usual, did not disappoint with his awesome special effects and extreme stunts. A wonderful film that can be enjoyed by all!

A story of love and change, "Carol" was incredibly moving. The taboo subject of sexuality during the 1950s is explored in this film and the relationship between Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) is deep and endearing. Blanchett and Mara both gave amazing performances in this film. Such an important subject and story to tell, they did it with grace and compassion. Todd Haynes did a wonderful capturing the varying emotions throughout this film as well. Nominated for multiple Oscars, I can understand the Academy's approval of this film. It was extremely well done and it's great to see films like this that can open people minds and hearts to the definition of love.

Such mixed emotions when I saw this film. With incredible performances, the storyline of the movie was incredibly sad. The discussion of sexual misconduct in the Catholic church has really become mainstream the past couple years and this movie really portrayed that. It was really incredible to learn the lengths that the church went to to protect their reputation. It was shocking to me! Stunning performances by Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo, well deserving of their Oscar nominations, really did this challenging story justice. This film was wonderfully well done and eye opening to an important topic.I encourage everyone to see it.

"Wow!" That is the first word that comes to mind when I try to even begin reviewing this movie! It was spectacular from start to finish. One of the best movies I've seen. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of the best performances ever and I'm very happy he is being recognized this award season. His Golden Globe win for Best Actor, Drama was completely deserved and I'm really crossing my fingers that we will finally see him on the Oscars stage with a statue in hand. From the music to the cinematography to the acting, there is not one bad thing I can say about this movie. The bear attack had me on the edge of my seat, nearly jumping over my husband I was so scared! It is completely incredible that this film is a true story and Alejandro G. Iñárritu did a tremendous job of capturing it. Three Golden Globe wins including Best Picture, Drama is just the beginning of the amazing recognition this film will get!

Such an intelligent, innovative man with an incredible story. "Steve Jobs" was an amazing film! I loved so many aspects of it from the acting to the wardrobe. Kate Winslet gave a performance well-deserving of her recent Golden Globe win. She really transformed into Joanna Hoffman so well. With help from the writing and wardrobe, I really found myself lost in the time period, completely forgetting we're in 2016! A man I knew little about besides that he was the brains behind Apple, this film created such a great insight into his personal life. I completely connected with his struggle with having to sacrifice people and relationships in his life in order to reach success. Michael Fassbender played this role so well and I was equally as pleased with the writing and directing of course, from the incredibly talented Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin. Definitely a must-see film!

With the masterful Steven Spielberg behind the lens, this movie was destined to be amazing. Tom Hanks gave an incredible performance as the non-fictional character, James B. Donovan. I really enjoyed this film because of that aspect; that it really happened. It was such an eye opening film to a true story I never really knew about it. Hanks was an extremely powerful and convincing lawyer and it was very interesting to see how his mind worked when it came to dealing with the character Rudolf Abel, played by Mark Rylance. Rylance also delivered a wonderful performance. Overall, this film was an interesting insight to events during the Cold War and a story that definitely needed to be told.

Double-Oh-Seven gets a Double thumbs up! "Spectre" was filled with action, sexiness and thrills. Another installment of the amazing James Bond films, Director Sam Mendes did the series justice. Daniel Craig returns as Mr. Bond and continues to stun with his acting and action chops. These movies are so fun to watch as it is a glimpse into the excited world of a spy. The amazing Christoph Waltz is added to this film as well as the mastermind behind Spectre. He does a fantastic job of portraying his mysterious and intelligent character. And per usual, the music of this film was spectacular and added to the suspense and thrill of it all.

A captivating film with a glimpse into a world I'm unfamiliar with, "Concussion" was a fantastic film. Will Smith does an amazing job transforming himself into Dr. Bennet Omalu, an incredibly smart African doctor who's dream was to come to America. An extremely controversial topic, this film tells the story of Dr. Omalu who courageously stood up to the NFL once he discovered the true damage football does to the human brain. It was amazing to see how far the sports industry would go to protect themselves and their money, rather than care about their players' health. This movie was filled with outstanding performances by the cast and was a truly eye opening film about a topic that should be more heavily discussed.

With such an all-star cast, I had high expectations for this film, and it lived up to them! Fast paced and smart, these financial tycoons were easy to love and hate! Adam McKay did a wonderful job capturing all the different performances in this film as well as explaining what happened in 2008 with the housing bubble. It was done in a fun way without it getting confusing and boring! Michael Lewis must be proud that his novel has turned into such a Hollywood hit! And with Brad Pitt behind AND in front of the camera, the odds that this movie wasn't going to be amazing were slim. Loved every aspect of this film and looking forward to seeing its cast and crew on the red carpet for a much deserved awards season.

Adding to the already incredible franchise, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" did not disappoint! The over-the-top Sci-Fi characters and story line were captivating with great moments of humor. I didn't grow up with these films and wasn't sure it'd be my cup of tea. But I was pleasantly wrong and really loved it. Newcomers John Boyega and Daisy Ridley were wonderful. Ridley especially engaged me as a viewer and inspired me as an actress. I'd love to play a strong female character like Rey! From the music to the special effects, this movie hit every nerve and emotion. Crossing my fingers that there are more episodes to come!

"Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is such an insightful movie about a woman that was far before her time. A truly inspiring story, Lisa Immordino Vreeland did a fantastic job capturing such an innovative woman and telling her story beautifully. Peggy Guggenheim was such a liberated woman and it was wonderful to see her passion through the film. Such an incredible Indie film! I'm so happy I can support films like these because it is key as fellow artists that we support one another's talents and storytelling. "Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict" is a mesmerizing documentary of a passionate,

artistic woman.