Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

BRYCE ***
It's crazy that we now live in a world where a movie like this exists.  In the past, this sort of story (a supplemental prequel to the original "Star Wars" film) would have been reserved for a novel or video game.  While I'm still skeptical of the idea of having a new "Star Wars" movie every year for the foreseeable future, this first spin-off is a success.  The new places in George Lucas' universe we get to experience are really compelling.  The characters aren't quite as fleshed out as in last year's "The Force Awakens," but the actors are likable and the story they're a part of is interesting.  The special effects are incredible.  There are a couple of ambitious motion capture characters that the technology doesn't quite pull off, but everything else in the film is totally photo-realistic.  There may come a time when the novelty of seeing a new "Star Wars" movie no longer holds any intruige, but for now, I'm still on board.  "Rouge One" is a lot better than it had any right to be and it's worth a look.

CHASE ***
LANDON ***
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

La La Land

CHASE ****
I had high expectations going into this since I loved Damien Chazelle's previous work, "Whiplash."  In my opinion, "La La Land" is even better.  Set in Los Angeles, it is about a struggling actress and a jazz musician (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling) and their relationship as they try to reach their dreams.  The first thing that blew me away is the musical element.  The songs are full of energy, they're catchy, they're memorable and the dance choreography is great.  It has a really good story about reaching for your dreams and some of the sacrifices you make to achieve them.  It reminds me of the musicals back in the glory days such as "Singin' in the Rain" and it does an excellent job capturing that spirit.  Also, the two main actors are fantastic and have great chemistry with each other.  I absolutely loved "La La Land" and I believe that everyone should see this.  It is spectacular!

BRYCE ****
LANDON ***1/2
LOGAN ****

BANGERANG SCORE: ****

Moana

BRYCE **1/2
Disney returns with yet another headstrong princess on a musical adventure in "Moana."  It seems like I say this about a film almost every year, but "Moana" is probably the most beautifully animated movie I have ever seen.  From the lush tropical islands to the incredible water effects, the "Moana" animators have certainly raised the bar for their craft.  Much like the last two Disney musicals, "Tangled" and "Frozen," this latest movie has one great featured song ("How Far I'll Go" by "Hamilton" writer Lin-Manuel Miranda) and a half a dozen forgettable songs that do their job, but don't really stand out.  Also like the last two Disney musicals, in an attempt to be "hip," many of the characters speak like contemporary teenagers and provide more than a few eye-rolling lines.  While it bothered me in very few moments in those other movies, it seems especially egregious in this one.  The film's biggest offender is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's character Maui.  He's supposed to be an ancient demigod but comes off like a 16-year-old high school jock. Outside of those complaints, "Moana" is pretty successful.  I was engaged throughout the film, I just wish they would've tweaked a few things to maximize its potential.

CHASE ***
LANDON ***
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Arrival

LANDON ***
Denis Villeneuve sure has an eye for filmmaking.  "Arrival" is undoubtedly one of the most well-made and expertly crafted films of the year.  Aliens have visited earth and it's up to a team of decipherers lead by Amy Adams (in a terrific performance) to interpret their language and figure out why they're here.  This is all being told with jaw-dropping cinematography, fantastic visual effects and an eerie yet memorable score.  I was completely engrossed the entire time.  The only real pullback I have with this film is that the climax is a little jarring, and even a little more complicated than it really needed to be.  Still, this is one of the best films of the year and will be sure leave you breathless with its technical prowess.

CHASE ***1/2
LOGAN ***1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: ***1/2

Doctor Strange

CHASE ***
As the newest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Dr. Strange" was an enjoyable film within its own right.  The filmmakers did a lot of things right and while it may not be perfect, I still really enjoyed it.  Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, "Dr. Strange" is about a doctor who learns to access spiritual powers and how he becomes a hero within that world.  What I liked most about the movie is how unique it is.  The visuals are a sight to behold and the characters are really enjoyable, especially Benedict Cumberbatch as our main protagonist.  The story does feel a little bit like the original "Iron Man" and follows through some similar beats.  But I feel that they made enough changes that make it it's own thing. I like that it focuses on the spiritual aspect of the comics and I'm surprised how well it fits in the Marvel Universe.  It does have its flaws, though, as some of humor can be a little hit-and-miss and the climax feels a little underwhelming especially when compared to earlier action sequences.  Overall, I really enjoyed "Dr. Strange" and those who are looking for a change-up in the superhero genre can find it here.

LANDON ***
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Kubo and the Two Strings

CHASE ***1/2
Being impressed by the past Laika films, I was expecting something great from "Kubo and the Two Strings," and I was not disappointed.  While it may not be as good as "Paranorman," I thought it was a standout film.  The story is about a young boy named Kubo who's on an adventure with a monkey and a beetle while being chased by an evil force.  The animation is the movie is gorgeous to look at.  The aesthetic of the visuals and music is pleasing and feels like such a breath of fresh air compared to most movies that we have today.  On top of that, they did a really good job with the characters and the action sequences, making them really stand out.  It has a good sense of humor and a lot of heart to it.  The only things that are holding it back are the climax of the movie which could've a been a little bit stronger and that the jokes could have had a little more punch to them.  But outside of that, I loved this movie and those who want to see it will not be disappointed.

LANDON ***
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

The Magnificent Seven

LANDON ***1/2
It is so rare to see an action movie that hits all the right notes.  So imagine my shock to discover that "The Magnificent Seven" nails just about all of them.  A remake of the 1960s classic of the same name, Antoine Fuqua has managed to make this iteration feel so totally fresh.  First and foremost, it's a lot of fun.  It's the most fun I've had at the movies all year.  It's filled with action sequences that are all insanely exhilarating and intense.  The cast of actors chosen to play our seven heroes is spot on, especially the always spectacular Denzel Washington.  Each character is unique, funny, edgy and most importantly, loveable.  And it contains a high standard of technicality we should expect from action films, such as expert camerawork, a great score and plot progression that doesn't miss a beat.  "The Magnificent Seven" does indeed live up to its title.  It is magnificent.

BRYCE **1/2
I hate to be the Russian judge here, but I didn't enjoy "The Magnificent Seven" nearly as much as these fellas.  The cast is indeed fantastic and the action sequences are undeniably impressive, but I thought the overall tone was uneven.  It was an odd blend of light-hearted action movie shenanigans and ultra-violent (though not gory) dramatic grit.  There's an unbelievably high body count in this film and it really started to grind on me after awhile.  Throw in a collection of characters too shallow to be fully invested in and you have an admirable attempt at an old-fashion Hollywood western that ultimately misses the mark.

CHASE ***
LOGAN ***1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Deepwater Horizon

LOGAN ***
The new movie by Peter Berg is a natural disaster story about the biggest oil spill in american history. My biggest problem with the movie is that the first half not only takes a while to get to the disaster, but what we're seeing isn't really that interesting. But once we get to the actual event, the film boosts its interest level pretty high with some amazing visuals, good tension and solid performances. Although it does suffer from a dramatic stand-point (I didn't feel a whole lot of heart in the story) it was still an enjoyable ride.

CHASE ***
LANDON **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Suicide Squad

CHASE **
Considering that I've never seen the other DCU movies before "Suicide Squad," I have to say that what I saw doesn't really impress me that much.  I'm not saying that it's awful, but I do feel that for every pro, there is a con.  The story is about how a bunch of villains are grouped together by a government organization to defeat a villain that's terrorizing a city.  Right of the bat, I was not the biggest fan of its premise.  I feel like it tries to be like "Guardians of the Galaxy" but comes off as an imitator.  The story feels too fast-paced and even sporadic at times.  While I do think the story is lacking, I thought that most of the characters were surprisingly solid.  I feel that most of the actors, especially Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, could be compelling villains if they were in a better story.  But because they are stuck in this messy movie, it felt like wasted potential.  There are some fun moments with humor and exciting action scenes, but there's also some sloppy and uneven dumb moments.  This is an average movie.

LOGAN **

BANGERANG SCORE: **

The BFG

LOGAN ***
Steven Spielberg's new movie is an adaptation of the beloved children's book "The BFG."  This movie reminds me a lot of Spielberg's classic, "E.T."  Aside from the fact that it was written by the late Melissa Mathison (who also wrote "E.T.") it's a family movie about a child that meets a mysterious creature.  If I had to choose one word to describe this film, it would be "charming."  It's a fun movie that had me laughing quite a bit throughout.  The actors did a terrific job, mainly the two leads.  Ruby Barnhill does a fantastic job, like any other child actor in a Spielberg film, and Mark Rylance kills it as the BFG himself.  Their relationship is touching and believable.  The cinematography, visuals and music by John Williams are fantastic and compliment the movie very well.  My only gripes with "The BFG" are that some parts can drag on a little bit, and I thought some scenes could have been handled better.  That aside, this is a charming movie that is enjoyable throughout.

LANDON ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Independence Day: Resurgence

LANDON *
The last time I sat through a movie like this was Michael Bay's 2009 sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."  My experiences with both movies were exactly the same.  About halfway through the movie, I started fidgeting in my seat.  I wanted to get up and leave, or at the very least lie down on the floor and avoid positioning my eyes towards the screen at all cost.  I did however eventually start making small talk with my buddy who I attended the film with.  It didn't matter.  Anything was better than this.  "Independence Day: Resurgence" is one of the worst movies I've seen in years, and quite possibly the worst film I've seen all decade.  The original "Independence Day" is a bit of a guilty pleasure, known for its cheesy yet fun entertainment.  I wish I could say that this sequel has at least a hint of that.  But instead we're presented with a film that is insanely boring, compounded with awful acting and dialogue so bad it'll make you nauseous.  Each and every shot carries zero conviction and is filled to the brim with characters that are laughably stupid and scenarios that are completely uninteresting.  It's unbearably long, making the boredom even more unforgiving and torturous.  I walked out of the theater with a headache.  In fact, just thinking about this movie gives me a headache.  There's no beating around the bush: "Independence Day: Resurgence" is a terrible movie and is clearly the worst so far this year.  For your own sake, avoid at all cost.

Finding Dory

CHASE ***
A while back, I said that Pixar shouldn't make anymore sequels because I love their original movies.  But after watching "Finding Dory," I kind of realized that sequels aren't necessarily a bad thing, as long as they take the characters in a direction that makes the most sense.  That's what this movie did with the story being about Dory trying to find her family.  This is a really funny and solid movie that I really enjoyed.  The humor of the movie is spot on with lots of moments that had me in stitches.  The idea of having a side-character as the lead character doesn't sound good on paper, but because of how interesting Dory's arc is, it's actually a really nice call.  It also helps that it is a very heartfelt movie that got me in the feels at the right times.  However, I was a little bit bothered by the barrage of call backs that they made to "Finding Nemo," despite the main-story line being fundamentally different.  Plus, there are some moments, especially in its climax, where they try to go too big for their own good.  Overall, "Finding Dory" is a solid Pixar movie and a welcome addition to their ever-impressive library.

LANDON **1/2
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: *** 

Warcraft

CHASE **

It's here, one of the most popular gaming franchises has finally gotten their own movie with "Warcraft," but is it any good?  The answer is kind of muddled.  It's a war been humans and orcs and we get to see the perspective of each side.  The strongest point of this movie, by far, is that the orcs are really interesting characters.  Especially the main orc we semi-follow, Duratan (Toby Kebble).  I connected with him and I liked following his story.  Some of the action sequences were fun and some of the visual effects look amazing, particularly in regards to the orcs.  They completely real and totally believable.  However, that's where the praise ends as the film does have a lot of problems.  The biggest one, by far, is that the story goes by so quickly that you hardly have any time to take in the atmosphere of a pretty cool world.  Most of the characters, particularly the humans, don't felt as fleshed out as they should.  Because these scenes go by so quickly, the movie does feel a little dull at times.  It also doesn't help that for every great visual, there are jarringly bad ones by comparison.  My feeling, in general, is that there is a good movie inside of this movie.  There are just a lot of problems that get in its way.

LANDON **

LOGAN **

BANGERANG SCORE **

X-Men: Apocalypse

LANDON **1/2
Bryan Singer returns to direct his fourth "X-Men" film in the ever-growing franchise.  His past three films are what I consider the easy top picks for the best films in the series.  Does this latest installment reach those lofty standards?  The unfortunate answer is: not quite.  Which is a shame to admit, because there's a lot about this movie I really liked.  McAvoy and Fassbender are still as terrific as ever as Xavier and Lehnsherr.  Magneto continues to prove why he's one of the best super villains ever, with this movie adding to his emotional complexity and giving him more reason to be bad.  You'll really feel for this guy here.  The story and concept here is actually quite good and contains some unarguably great scenes of character growth and intensity.  Unfortunately, they aren't as frequent as they should be.  The film is so concerned with making sure each new character has a proper introduction and sendoff that it moves at a really slow pace.  It drags.  There's not a whole lot of ground covered here in an otherwise long movie.  If you love the "X-Men" films, there's no doubt that you'll enjoy this movie plenty.  But this installment, without question, isn't as exciting or engaging as Singer's other films.  All the same, this is a fine film nonetheless.

LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

The Angry Birds Movie

LOGAN *
"The Angry Birds Movie" is exactly what you'd expect it to be: an animated movie aimed toward kids with some innuendos intended for adults.  To me, this was painful to watch.  Although the animation is nice and there's a little bit of entertainment (mainly in the climax), it's a very dull movie that plays it safe.  It tries desperately to be funny and has too many adult jokes to count that ultimately come off as annoying and, dare I say, cringeworthy.  The story is nothing special either; very cliched and by-the-numbers.  You can predict everything that's going to happen.  I know it's mainly targeting younger audiences, but it just didn't do it for me.

CHASE *1/2
This is a situation where I went in with low expectations and while I don't think it's awful by any means, it's not exactly good either.  Like Logan said, it's very apparent that they put a lot of effort into the visuals and it's something I kind of admired about it.  It just doesn't help that this is based on a smart-phone game and there's very little that the writers had to work with.  There are a few moments that made me chuckle but most of the jokes fall pretty flat.  I've seen worse movies than "The Angry Birds Movie," but I've definitely seen much better.

LANDON *1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: *1/2

Money Monster

LOGAN ***
After seeing this movie and looking it up online, I was very surprised to see that not very many critics liked "Money Monster," because it is a very stellar thriller movie.  It is directed by Jodie Foster and stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Jack O' Connell.  They did a great job in the movie.  They had good chemistry, good emotion and they kept the audience on the edge of their seats.  That's what this movie does really well.  It keeps you questioning how the outcome is going to play out on the hostage situation that you want to see it through until the end.  However, there some parts in the movie, particularly outside the studio where the hostage situation is taking place, that didn't feel as compelling.  Those parts at times came off as random and unimportant.  But even if this isn't a ground-breaking thriller, Jodie Foster did a very good job of keeping the tension at a high level, and therefore, makes it at least a good one.

LANDON **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

Captain America: Civil War

CHASE ***1/2
Just when I thought I was done with superhero movies, in came "Captain America: Civil War" to remind me that they can still be amazing when done right.  As the title suggests, this is a civil war within the Avengers as we see two opposing forces, Captain America and Iron Man, struggle with the question of whether or not their super team needs to be kept in check by governmental powers.  This is an exhilarating ride and, in my opinion, Marvel's best movie they've made up to this point.  The action sequences are very exciting and I love the story behind it.  It felt like each of the many characters were fleshed out in such a way that we as an audience are emotionally invested in all of them, and understand their perspective and motivations.  While it does have it's fair share of fun elements, what really blew me away was the emotional component of the film, which is the strongest I've seen in a superhero film in quite some time.  While the story is engaging, it does feel like there might just be a little too much going on at times but overall, this is the best comic-book film since "The Dark Knight."  A must see.

BRYCE ***1/2

LANDON ***1/2
LOGAN ***1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: ***1/2

The Jungle Book

LANDON **1/2
Disney's latest live action adaptation is perhaps the most visually impressive film ever made.  The production and wild-life visuals had me absolutely floored.  There's some really good voice work here and some thrilling action sequences.  I just wish the film's plot wasn't so sporadic, with the gaps being filled with unnecessarily forced homages to the original animated film.  Plus, it's hard to connect emotionally with a film when it has no idea what it wants you to connect with.  Still, this is in its own right an entertaining film, and I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy it.

CHASE ***
This is a movie that really impressed me, not just because of the visuals, but because of how they were able to take the classic source material and reimagine it in a new and exciting way.  I felt that they were able to make enough changes that make it feel unique.  The only forced homages that I could think of were the two songs that they include randomly.  They felt a little bit out-of-place when compared to the rest of the movie.  I really liked the characters and thought the actors were able to bring them life in such a way that made them more enjoyable.  I really enjoyed this film and I think it's worth seeing.

BRYCE ***
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Midnight Special

LANDON **1/2
I'm a big Jeff Nichols fan. I've only seen two of his previous three movies, but I loved both "Mud" and "Take Shelter."  I'm a little disappointed that "Midnight Special" doesn't quite join those ranks.  I was absolutely loving the first half of the film, with stellar performances from Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kiersten Dunst and Adam Driver.  As good as the second half still is, it gets pretty bizarre and loses some of the mysterious luster found in the first half.  Still a good film in it's own right. Just not as good as the fantastic "Mud" and "Take Shelter."

CHASE ***
One of the things that I applauded Jeff Nichols for is keeping me engaged throughout the majority of the movie.  There is a surprising number of sequences where it got really intense for me.  I feel like all the characters are very well rounded and Jaeden Lieberher, who played the gifted child, was just as good as any of the adult actors.  It's beautiful to look at and I like that this is something different than we're used to seeing Nichols do.  As for the second half of the movie, I think there are lot of good parts in it, the only thing that keeps me from loving it even more is the climax, which does feel a bit bizarre and it unfortunately reminded me too much of another movie.  Outside of that, it's really hard for me to fault the whole story and I still enjoyed it overall.

BRYCE **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

10 Cloverfield Lane

CHASE ***1/2
"10 Cloverfield Lane" is one of the most intense movies I've seen in recent memory.  It's about Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Wistead) who finds herself in a bomb shelter with two men who claim the outside world is dangerous and refuse to let her leave.  John Goodman is excellent as the owner of the bomb shelter as I could never get a grasp on whether or not he's trying to help or if he's planning something sinister.  The other two actors were good as well with Winstead as our main character and John Gallagher Jr. as the comedic relief.  This is a very intense movie that made me continually second guess myself as to what was actually going on.  I always had that feeling that something bad is going to happen to our main character and I'm always on the edge of my seat.  The only thing that kind of let me down is how it ended.  There are one or two moments in particular that went a little bit over the top.  Outside of that, I had a blast with this movie.

LANDON ***
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

LANDON **

I had an epiphany halfway through this movie.  What they should've done instead of this movie is made two separate movies, a "Man of Steel" sequel and a solo Batman movie.  I was fairly invested when these stories were told from separate standpoints, especially in the case of Batman.  Ben Affleck is surprisingly great as the caped crusader, offering a new and interesting style of Batman.  Jeremy Irons is equally, and typically, great as Alfred.  Plus, the music is awesome.  Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL do it again!  Unfortunately, we don't have two separate movies.  Instead, we have one big mess of a film.  Because it's told from so many standpoints, it makes it incredibly difficult to become fully engrossed in our characters.  They're trying so hard to hurry up and get to the "Justice League" film that they're losing the much desired emotional resonance.  On top of that, it's excruciatingly long, our main villain is way too over the top, and Wonder Woman is so forcefully shoe-horned in to the story it's embarrassing.  Marvel may be on the decline at this point (in my opinion), but at least they've had inclines.  This franchise has only had two movies, and it's already failing to live up to those supposed lofty standards.  Do not waste your money here.

BRYCE **
LOGAN **

BANGERANG SCORE: **

Zootopia

BRYCE **1/2
"Zootopia" is the latest film from Disney Animation Studios and it's a thinly veiled commentary on the prejudice and fierce tribalism within our society.  Thinly veiled may be an understatement.  The filmmakers beat you over the head with the story's message ad nauseam.  I'm fine with a family film tackling such heavy subject matter, but I felt the filmmakers stepped over the line in few places here.  For example: do we really need a reference to the interracial use of the "n" word in this type of movie?  Despite that rather major annoyance, there is much to admire in "Zootopia."  The animation is incredible, the main characters are likable and the script turns out quite a few laugh-out-loud moments.  I just wish they would've pulled back on the politics.

CHASE ***
LANDON ***
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Race

LANDON **
"Race" is based on a great true story.  It's about Jesse Owens, an African American athlete in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.  It's an inspirational narrative that deserves a big screen showing, but it deserves better than this.  Stephen James as our hero is a superstar.  He brings a lot of talent to the screen and deserves to be in more films in the coming years.  There are some scenes in this film that are absolutely fascinating.  The conflict between Germany and America at this time regarding this topic is engrossing and will keep you compelled just from that angle alone.  Unfortunately, the movie takes some missteps, especially from a screenplay standpoint.  There's a lot of heavy-handed anti-Nazi material here.  It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't try to shove it down your throat at every chance they had.  And there's quite a few scenes that are well-acted, but serve zero purpose to our plot.  It drags forever too, so you could have very easily narrowed it down and made it a half an hour shorter.  This film manages to tell a really good story and nothing more.

LOGAN **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **

Hail, Caesar!

LANDON **
I wouldn't consider myself a Coen brothers fan, but I sure enjoyed "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" quite a bit.  It was odd, but I laughed a lot watching it.  Judging from the trailers, I was really hoping "Hail, Caesar!" would be the same kind of movie.  Man, was I disappointed.  While it still contains the typically peculiar comedy style of the Coen brothers, it's only very occasionally funny.  There are three or four scenes that'll have you laughing, but that's about it.  The obvious strong point of the movie is the performances.  Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, and George Clooney steal the show here, and are often the most funny and unique characters.  It's technically well made too.  There are some great set pieces and some especially great cinematography here.  But it's really hard to admire all that when the plot is completely incoherent.  This thing is filled to the brim with scenes that have zero business being there, filled with equally pointless characters.  I sat in my seat for the majority of the movie wondering what in the world was going on and what the Coen brothers were thinking.  It's baffling really.  I was vastly disappointed with this movie.  Not worth your time or money.

CHASE **
My best guess about the direction of this movie is that they're trying to make it a love-letter to post World War II Hollywood.  While I think they got the look of the film right, it doesn't really excuse the really weak screenplay.  The number one thing that it lacks is focus and because of that (along with most of the humor being non-present), it felt like a drag half of the time.  Some may like the movie just for the aesthetics on display (which were impressive), some like me need a little bit more substance than what we got.

LOGAN **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **

The Finest Hours

LANDON ***
Finally, a good movie this year!  This is an incredible story about the rescue of the crew of the SS Pendleton during a horrific storm.  The atmosphere is immersive.  It does a great job of making you feel like you're a part of this rescue, thanks to great visual effects, sound and a pounding score.  Everyone does a fine job of acting too, especially Chris Pine and Casey Affleck.  The screenplay unfortunately gets a little detached from it's characters at times and it's a little too crowded with different perspectives, but it is undoubtedly a well-crafted, atmospheric movie that could be very well worth your time.

LOGAN **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

Kung Fu Panda 3

LANDON **
I liked the first and second movies quite a bit, so you can imagine my disappointment to discover this third installment to be underwhelming.  There's still good stuff in here.  The animation looks great, Han Zimmer's score still impresses, and there's a solid story idea here too.  The execution is a different story.  It's filled to the brim with unfunny references to the first film, and the moral is essentially the same as the other two movies.  It doesn't resonate in the slightest.  It's not necessarily a bad film, but it is clearly the worst of the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise.

CHASE ***
I really think you're being too harsh on this movie.  I thought the majority of the jokes were really funny and there are some story elements that were done well.  And let's not forget that the action sequences are still well choreographed.  It may not be as good as the first two, but I still enjoyed it just about the same.

LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

The 5th Wave

LANDON *1/2
Yet another dystopian YA sci-fi film that's as generic as it sounds.  You could save a movie like this with a well-written screenplay, but unfortunately that's not the case here.  "The 5th Wave" is nonsensically driven with teenage characters and a straight-up stupid love story.  There are hints of a good movie in here.  The production design is pretty good and the story had noticeable potential, but the good stuff is overwhelmed with crappy dialogue and characters lacking depth.  Skip this one.
CHASE **
I pretty much agree with what you said.  One thing I have to add is that there are some scenes, especially at the beginning, that felt like they were trying to rush the story.  It didn't give us enough time to care about the characters.  At this point, it'll be really hard to find a young adult film that is as good as the "Hunger Games" franchise.
LOGAN **

BANGERANG SCORE: **

Room

CHASE ****
"Room" has been getting a lot of Oscar buzz and it is all richly deserved.  I absolutely loved this film!  However, it is definitely not a story for the faint of heart.  The movie follows the relationship between a 5 year old boy named Jack and his mom, referred to only as Ma, who are trapped in a confined space for all of Jack's life.  It is one of the most emotionally resonant movies I've seen in recent memory with a relationship between these two characters that feels real and authentic.  Brie Larson is amazing as the mother and Jacob Tremblay gives one of the best child performances in a long time as the son.  I love how it was able balance dark, emotional moments with hopeful, uplifting moments as well.  This is definitely one of the best films of the year.  For those who can handle some extremely emotional material, I highly recommend it as it is a rich and rewarding experience.

LANDON ****
This is the best film of the year.  It's not even close.  "Room" is one of the most rewarding experiences I've had the privilege to view this decade.  What makes Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay's performances so amazing is how believable it is.  They weren't actors.  They felt like real people in a real situation that truly love each other with all their hearts.  It's heart wrenching and life-affirming all at once.  This is not just the best film of the year, it's one of the best films of the decade.

BRYCE ****
LOGAN ***1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: ****

The Revenant

LOGAN ***1/2
Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu returns to the big screen to direct this movie about revenge.  The majority of the movie is basically about the main character, Hugh Glass, surviving in the wilderness, but I have to give Alejandro big praise for how he directed this movie.  Everything that happens in "The Revenant" has a big impact on you and really lets you feel everything the protagonist is going through.  Speaking of which, Leonardo Dicaprio gives the performance of a lifetime in this role, going through some method acting that just makes the role feel so real.  The other actors, like Tom Hardy, do a good job too.  Much of the heart of the movie comes with the size and scale of where it takes place.  The camerawork and the settings of the scenes make the movie cold and big, as if you were actually there.  My only gripe is the movie feels slow at times, as it takes a very deliberate pace.  However, "The Revenant" is an incredibly intense survival movie that will engage you throughout its running time.  One of the best movies of the year.