Unlike the recently released Transformers: The Last Knight, which was a dull movie in itself, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was at least passably boring and was mercifully only two hours long. But like Transformers, this franchise just needs to come to a close as neither is very creative or, worse yet, entertaining.
Passengers might’ve been slammed by critics, was a quasi bust at the box office given its budget and had a misleading marketing campaign, but I for one really enjoyed the lonely aspect of the story that tends to appeal to me and has an interesting premise.
Moana is a fantastic musical animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios and maybe one of the best by the studio since Beauty and the Beast, though in general Pixar is still king with pulling at the heartstrings.
While not the strongest of the numerous MCU films so far, Doctor Strange at least is still a fun flick helped more by the charisma of both Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton more than a routine, thin plot and another forgettable villain.
Suicide Squad clearly wasn’t the home-run the DCEU needed as demonstrated by both critics and some audiences but although it is very flawed, particularly with the screenplay, I still found it enjoyable if only to see some iconic characters sharing wonderful chemistry.
Although hardly perfect, and doesn’t hold a candle to A New Hope or Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens is still an entertaining sci-fi action/adventure that not only brings back the old crew but does a great job introducing a new cast of characters as portrayed by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver.
Snowtime is a well animated movie with a good message at its core, one that both kids and adults could appreciate it and the humor is often fun. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory offers great video/audio transfers and a so-so selection of bonus features.
The Legend of Tarzan is hardly horrible and yet it’s also nothing special in spite of some nice work by the visual effects crew and some ernest performances by Skarsgard and, to a lesser extents Robbie and Jackson while Waltz proves once again as a serviceable villain.
Captain America: Civil War is a good movie for sure and I did enjoy elements of it and the fight between Cap and Iron Man was well done, however, the film does have its issues but on the whole is entertaining.
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.
The Angry Birds Movie might be fine for younger viewers and the animation looks gorgeous, the voice cast talented and a decent enough core story but the jokes fell flat and I was mostly bored throughout its 90-minute running time.
The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition does plenty things to correct the hacked up theatrical version though if you didn’t like the plot the first go-around, the UE won’t change your mind. For myself, as a fan of Batman in particular, found it entertaining mainly for Ben Affleck’s portrayal as the Dark Knight and a nice glimpse of what’s to come for Gadot’s Wonder Woman.
Point Break just might be the most pointless remake yet (Total Recall is a close second) with uninspiring performances, save maybe for Ray Winstone’s limited role, including Luke Bracey as such a bland main character, even the more reliable Edgar Ramirez did little for me as the charismatic villain.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is another dud of a sequel in a franchise that should’ve stopped at #3 in making for at least a endurable enough trilogy. While this entry is tolerable, it’s still really bad and tedious with little actual scares and once gain relies on jump scares more than anything.
Needless to say, Everest isn’t exactly a lighthearted adventure flick but in spite of that, and some so-so writing, the performances from the ensemble cast, Jason Clarke and Josh Brolin especially, makes it worthwhile, though for myself, I’m not sure if I’d ever revisit it. The Blu-ray released by Universal offers excellent video and audio transfers and a fine selection of bonus material.