Interstellar

Christopher Nolan has become the most consistent and engaging filmmaker in the business and "Interstellar" is the perfect reflection of that.  In today's world of sequels and reboots, Nolan has been able to coerce studio execs into funding big budget, innovative, and intellectually challenging epics.  This is the latest such film and it's a good one.  Matthew McConaughey stars as an astronaut who must save his family and the human race by trying to find a suitable planet to migrate to in another solar system.  He is great in the film as are the supporting performers including Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Michael Caine. The film tackles some heady concepts like interstellar space travel and relativity in a way that is accessible and interesting.  The only misstep is the film's climax which is a bit of a stretch in both concept and execution.  Nevertheless, this is a beautiful and challenging ride that is worthy of your time and money.

Bryce ***
Chase ***
Landon ***1/2
Logan ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Big Hero 6

Due to Disney buying out Marvel some time ago, we figured it's about time for them to release a film based on a Marvel superhero team, right?  With "Big Hero 6," you get just about everything you'd expect from both a Disney film and a Marvel film, and that's a good thing.  This is a beautifully animated and very entertaining watch.  The best aspect of this film is clearly the two leads, especially Baymax.  He's both lovable and absolutely hilarious.  Where it unfortunately falters a little bit is it's narrative.  It's not quite as interesting and resonating as it makes itself out to be, and the rest of the Big Hero 6 team not only takes a backseat, but are rather dull and even annoying at times.  Nonetheless, this is a fine Disney flick that is sure to at least entertain most audiences.  It may not be on the same level as "Tangled" or "Frozen," but it holds it's own just fine.

Bryce **1/2
Chase ***
Landon **1/2
Logan ***

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

Draft Day

Kevin Costner returns to the world of sports movies in "Draft Day."  Like 2011's "Moneyball," this film follows the general manager of a professional sports franchise as he wheels and deals his way to a more competitive roster.  While not as good as that film, "Draft Day" does a solid job of giving us a peek behind the curtain of an NFL front office.  The strategy and tactics Costner's character uses to draft the players and trade the picks he wants are really fascinating.  The personal drama of his character is not nearly as interesting.  Jennifer Garner is shoe-horned into the film as a love interest and a subplot involving his mother and dead father is, at times, bizarre.  Even with those underwhelming distractions, this is a worth-while behind-the-scenes look into NFL draft day madness.

Bryce **1/2
Chase ***
Landon ***
Logan **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Much of what made "The Amazing Spider-Man" a little underwhelming (retelling Spidey's origin story) is now out of the way with this sequel from director Marc Webb.  Andrew Garfield is the best Spider-Man we've seen, nailing all of the web-slinger's mannerisms along with his signature sarcasm.  His chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey is even more endearing and believable this time around which makes it easy to invest in their characters and relationship.  Unfortunately, the script is over-stuffed with characters and subplots which bog down the narrative flow of the film and distract from the really compelling elements.  Regardless, this is a funny, exciting, and at times heart-breaking take on the Spider-Man mythos and is worth a look.

Bryce ***
Chase ***
Landon **1/2
Logan **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

In 2011, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" rose from among the endless sea of reboots and retreads to deliver a fresh take on the source material and became one of our favorite films of that year.  Does this sequel live up to the lofty standard set by its predecessor?  Yes!  So much yes!  "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" gives us yet another fascinating look into the story of Caesar and his role as the leader of a highly intelligent group of apes, this time after disease has obliterated the majority of the world's human population.  Andy Serkis is incredible again in the lead role, turning in another spell-binding motion-capture performance and should yet again receive Oscar buzz for his ground-breaking work.  The story takes some refreshingly unexpected turns and asks some pretty profound questions about tolerance and leadership, all with some of the most impressive CGI ever created.  This is one of the finest films of the year.

Bryce ***1/2
Chase ***1/2
Landon ***1/2
Logan ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***1/2

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Hiccup and Toothless are back in this sequel to the spectacular "How to Train Your Dragon."  While not quite as good or fresh, it retains almost every element that made the original so good.  The protagonists are still as great as ever, the animation is jaw-dropping and there are some legitimately emotional moments.  However, this follow-up suffers from some of the same problems that the other Dreamworks sequels have had in the past.  The filmmakers tend to work harder for laughs by overworking the same jokes that aren't very funny in the first place.  If you get past that, you'll find a worthy sequel that's highly entertaining and fairly engrossing.

Bryce **1/2
Chase ***1/2
Landon ***
Logan ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

The Lego Movie

"The Lego Movie" is one of those experiences that is tailor-made for a certain demographic.  In this case, pre-teen boys with very short attention spans.  The pace and dialogue in this movie are so erratic it'll make your head spin.  That's not entirely a bad thing however.  The jokes may be rapid-fire, but more than a few of them stick.  The animation is phenomenal, convincingly selling the illusion that all of the effects were done with actual legos.  This is a sometimes really funny, sometimes really annoying and always visually impressive animated film that may be worth a look if you can handle it's zany style.

Bryce **1/2
Chase **1/2
Landon **1/2
Logan **1/2

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2