Pawn Sacrifice

LOGAN ***
Director Edward Zwick, who directed of one of my favorite movies "Glory," has brought us a story about the man considered the best chess player of all time, Bobby Fischer.  The story shows his amazing skill in chess, as well as his extremely paranoid attitude towards pretty much everything.  Toby Maguire portrays Bobby Fischer, and he did a great job in the role, capturing the eccentric genius that Bobby Fischer was.  The rest of the acting is well done also.  The tension of some of the chess games can be pretty thrilling, and it's just overall an interesting story.  However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bored a little bit in some parts.  I was checking the time during a few stretches wondering when the plot will get moving.  But the biggest flaw with the movie is that there isn't much of a connection we can make with Bobby Fischer on an emotional level and the one of the biggest reasons for this is his paranoia.  I still don't fully understand why he's so paranoid, and the movie doesn't really focus on that nearly enough in the beginning.  Nevertheless, this is a compelling story that I recommend watching.

CHASE ***
LANDON ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Everest

LOGAN ***
"Everest" does not push any new boundaries when it comes to these types of survival thrillers.  The story starts out pretty slow and the pacing is not very balanced.  One moment the characters are in a village in Nepal talking about how they're going to climb the mountain, then literally the very next scene, they'll be halfway to the top.  Suffice it to say, nothing really happens in the movie until they actually reach the top.  Before that, the emotional moments are very quick and feel unimportant to the story.  However, when disaster does strike on the mountain the movie really picks up and becomes pretty exciting.  With intense and memorable music, impressive visual effects and high tension in the second half, I would recommend watching this movie.  Bear with the first half, it pays off in the end.  Overall, it's a good movie.

Shaun the Sheep Movie

CHASE ***
"Shaun the Sheep Movie" is one of the simplest movies you'll ever see, but that simplicity really works to its advantage.  Created by the same guys who made "Wallace and Gromit," "Shaun the Sheep Movie" is a new claymation movie based on the hit TV show in Britain by the same name.  The story is about the farm sheep and the dog Bitzer, led by Shaun the Sheep, who are trying to find their owner who is lost in the big city.  One important thing to know going in to the movie is that none of the characters have any dialogue whatsoever, including the human characters, who can only communicate through mumbling.  But because of the way that they are able to express their emotions, this really works well and ends up contributing to the film's charm.  As you might expect from Aardman Animations, this is a really funny movie with some really clever gags and physical humor throughout.  With that said, this is not a film that's going to break any new ground, as it's supposed to be a really simple movie.  It's not great by any means, but it didn't need to be as it has a lot of charm that carries the whole movie.  This is a movie that a lot of people can really enjoy.  "Shaun the Sheep Movie" is a lot of fun.

BRYCE **1/2
LANDON *** 
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Terminator Genisys

CHASE **
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as the veteran Terminator as we have our fifth installment in the franchise: Terminator Genysis.  The first two movies were really good as they were influential to action and sci-fi movies.  This movie, however, is nowhere near as good as the first two.  The story in this movie is extremely confusing to the point where I wonder if the screenwriters have any idea what's going on.  Not only is the plot super convoluted as the story goes on, but it's not really that interesting.  The characters doesn't really do a whole lot for me, even though I know that the actors are trying their best.  The best parts of the movie is that Arnold Schwarzenegger is entertaining as the aged Terminator and some of the action scenes are actually well handled and nice to look at.  But it's own script and story doesn't really help it a whole lot and it comes off as just uninspiring.  While not the worst movie, it could've been a whole lot more.  This is definitely a skip.

Inside Out

BRYCE ***1/2
It's been a few years since Pixar delivered an original film worthy of their reputation which has prompted many to question whether the once unequaled studio still has it in them.  With "Inside Out" they have unequivocally declared that they still have the magic. Director Pete Docter (who also made "Up," the last great original Pixar film) brilliantly tells an innovative coming-of-age story that achieves that uncommon balance of being equally engaging for both kids and adults.  A strong voice cast brings to life the unforgettable characters that are sure to be classics and Michael Giacchino cranks out yet another beautiful score, sure to net him another Oscar nomination.  This is a beautifully animated, refreshingly creative, emotionally resonate and laugh-out-loud hilarious film that is among the very best Pixar has ever produced.

CHASE ****
Honestly, since we've been doing this blog, I haven't seen a movie that enthralled me quite like "Inside Out."  I absolutely loved the story and the world of Riley's mind which feels so fresh and exciting.  I love all the characters that are involved in the story.  Each one feels relatable and fun to spend time with.  But the thing that I loved most about the movie is its story concerning the balancing of emotions, as it had a great balance of the happy and sad moments.  The happy moments come not only from the funny scenes, but from the beautiful visuals, creative ideas and the love each emotion has for Riley.  But it balances out the sad moments as it deals with growing up, letting go of your childhood and the importance of family.  In a very clever and beautiful way, they were able to connect both Joy and Sadness and make the movie all the more powerful and the experience all the more satisfying.  "Inside Out" is not only my favorite Pixar, Disney and animated movie, it is one of my favorite movies I've ever seen.

LANDON ****
LOGAN ****

BANGERANG SCORE: ****

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

CHASE ***1/2
Last night, I watched "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" with my brother in IMAX and I have to say, I am super impressed with this movie.  It's about Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) trying to find an organization that's like the IMF called the Syndicate that has gone rogue and he and his team are trying to stop them from terrorizing many countries.  The action scenes are absolutely great to watch and they add a level of intensity that had me at the edge of my seat (even if some of the scenes went a little over the top). The characters, both old and new, had something interesting about them, whether they pull off some good stunts or just have a good sense of humor.  And the way the story progressed is really engaging and rarely left me bored.  I think out of the "Mission: Impossible" movies that have been released since the first one, this is the strongest one (even though I really like the last two)  Those who like the franchise or even action movies should watch "Rogue Nation."

LANDON ***
LOGAN ***

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

Ant-Man

LANDON **
We've officially hit a snag.  That pretty much sums up my thoughts on Marvel's latest comic book outing.  "Ant-Man" is as worthless as you can possibly get.  Not to say that there isn't at least some redeeming qualities to it.  The visuals are actually pretty good, it'll make you laugh every once in a while (Michael Pena is the funniest character in the movie) and there are admittedly a few cool sequences.  But the ultimate question I had to ask myself after the movie was over was, "Why?"  Is there a point to this movie?  The unavoidable answer is "no."  All we have here is another lame excuse to put another superhero in the "Avengers" universe.  What's worse is its poor attempt to get you emotionally connected to our hero through his daughter.  It feels so force and has zero purpose to the overall story.  This is, in my opinion, Marvel's worst addition to the Avengers universe.

BRYCE **1/2
LOGAN **

BANGERANG SCORE: **