Trailer Reaction: STAR WARS - THE FORCE AWAKENS Teaser Is Everything I Wanted!

Okay, so this is a first for me. I've yet to make a post about my reaction to a trailer, let alone an 88-second teaser, but come on guys, it's STAR WARS!!!! Like many, Star Wars was my childhood. I had a yellow wiffle baseball bat that I pretended was my special yellow lightsaber, because I didn't have the toy. I would sit at the table and try to move a pencil towards me using the Force. Sometimes, I would close my eyes and strain my brain so hard that I actually thought that it would work. Star Wars has been a big part of my family, particularly among the boys, and it's been fun to introduce the films to a new generation of nephews and nieces. I look forward to sharing this wonderful universe with my own kids someday.

Movie Review: HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 Still Brings The Laughs.

Horrible Bosses 2

Director: Sean Anders
Cast: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Chris Pine, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, and Christoph Waltz.
Rated R for strong, crude sexual content and language throughout.

The original Horrible Bosses was a fun, clever idea that really succeeded on the comedy of its stars, Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis, while giving actors like Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell, the opportunity to have a lot of fun with their despicable roles. Horrible Bosses 2 is much sillier than its predecessor, but again, the chemistry between its three stars makes it work.

Movie Review: MOCKINGJAY - PART I Is Solid, But Clearly Incomplete.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I

Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic material.

Harry Potter did it, then Twilight, The Hobbit has done it with three movies, and now The Hunger Games series is the latest to make multiple films out of one novel. Is it necessary? For Harry Potter, maybe, but not for Mockingjay. It's even more questionable since the third novel in the series was generally the least liked among fans. But this first installment of the two-part finale will make somewhere around $700 million at the worldwide box office, and it cost $250 million to make Part I & Part II together. That means that when Part II comes out next November it will make close to $1 billion of pure profit. If you were the head of Lionsgate Films, would you not do the same? I would. While Mockingjay - Part I clearly is an incomplete film, it still provides some exciting moments and enough intrigue to make you ready for Part II.

Movie Review: DUMB & DUMBER TO Cashes In On Nostalgia, But Offers Little More.

Dumb and Dumber To

Directors: Bobby & Peter Farrelly
Cast: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden, Rachel Melvin, and Kathleen Turner.
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, partial nudity, language, and some drug references.

Well, whether you wanted it or not, the sequel to the king of 90s comedies has finally come to theaters twenty years later. I think we (and by "we" I mean fans of the original) all can agree that this installment would not live up to its predecessor, but I was at least hoping that it would still be funny without tarnishing its own legacy. And I'm here to report that Dumb and Dumber To falls somewhere in between.

Movie Review: Jake Gyllenhaal Is Mesmerizing And Terrifying In NIGHTCRAWLER.

Nightcrawler

Director: Dan Gilroy
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, and Bill Paxton.
Rated R for violence including graphic images, and for language.

No, this isn't an origin story for the popular X-Men character, Nightcrawler. This is a disturbing and intense thriller that explores the criminal nightlife of Los Angeles with some sharp commentary on the media and capitalism at its worst. The result is nothing short of mesmerizing with Jake Gyllenhaal turning in an Oscar worthy performance.

Movie Review: INTERSTELLAR May Not Be Nolan's Crowning Achievement, But It's Still An Achievement.

Interstellar

Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, and Michael Caine.
Rated PG-13 for some intense perilous action and brief strong language.

One of the year's most highly anticipated films from acclaimed director Christopher Nolan has finally hit the big screen. Expectations for this huge film could not have been higher, and perhaps such expectations were completely unreasonable. I do not believe Interstellar can be fully appreciated or condemned simply based on one viewing, so keep that in mind while reading my review: my thoughts and opinions are predicated on a single viewing. Interstellar may be one of the most ambitious movies you'll ever see, and while it reaches some amazing heights of filmmaking, it does not do so without some stumbles along the way.