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.

Spotlight

LANDON ***1/2
Tom McCarthy is a force to be reckoned with.  Directing a movie like "Spotlight" was probably extremely difficult.  It seems hard to direct a narrative concerning a subject as sensitive as the child sex abuse scandal involving the Catholic church in Boston without stepping on a lot of toes.  McCarthy pulled it off with flying colors.  "Spotlight" is one of the most fascinating and engaging movies I've seen in years.  A lot of it is due to McCarthy's sensitive directing, but a lot of credit is also due to the actors as well.  Everyone is completely focused and into their roles, especially Keaton, Ruffalo, and McAdams, who are all fantastic.  You couple all of that with a smart screenplay and some chilling music from Howard Shore, and you have what is undeniably one of the best movies of the year.  "Spotlight" is a force to be reckoned with.

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

BANGERANG SCORE: ***1/2

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

CHASE ***1/2
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has finally arrived and it was worth the wait.  While it’s not the best "Star Wars" movie (that award goes to "The Empire Strikes Back"), I do think it is a great addition to the series.  One of the things I think the filmmakers did very well was captured the feel of the original films.  The action scenes were fun, it had a great sense of humor and the character drama is done really well.  It is a bit disappointing, however, that they borrowed a little bit too much from the original movie.  That being said, my favorite aspect of the movie, by far, is that the new characters are fantastic!  I honestly believe we will remember these characters as fondly as those from the original trilogy.  They include Finn, who is super entertaining, BB-8, who is charming and funny and Kylo Ren, who is a great villain that doesn’t feel like the rehash of Darth Vader that many feared.  My personal favorite character is the female lead, Rey.  She is smart, interesting, and has great emotional depth.  I’m really satisfied with this movie and I cannot wait to watch the next episode.

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

BANGERANG SCORE: ***1/2

Creed

LANDON ***1/2
I'll be the first to admit that I thought the original "Rocky" was a little overrated.  You have some good characters and good inspirational story, but there was an emotional connection that was lacking for me.  "Creed" more than makes up for that.  This is one of the best movies of the year.  Instead of Rocky Balboa, we have the son of Apollo Creed, Adonis Creed, taking the spotlight.  Michael B. Jordan is fantastic as the lead character and brings a lot of heart to his performance.  Sylvester Stallone gives perhaps the best performance of his career and certainly of the year as the aged Italian Stallion.  This is a film that's sensitive, steady, and surprisingly emotional.  I haven't even started talking about the fight scenes.  They're all exhilarating and totally immersive.  I'm especially talking about Adonis' first professional boxing match, which uses only one take and is utterly gripping and incredibly filmed.  There's really no other way to say it.  This movie is awesome.

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

BANGERANG SCORE: ***

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

CHASE ***
We have finally meet the final movie of the popular Hunger Games franchise.  Just like in the fashion that most franchises are taking, they split the last story into two movies.  While I hate the idea of them splitting the movie in two, what the filmmakers did with the last one was actually well done.  A huge part of it has to be in thanks of the good actors that we have, especially Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss as she gives a really good and surprisingly emotional performance.  They also do a lot of interesting action scenes to keep the movie engaging and even intense.  It's also satisfying on how they wrapped everything up and it feel really fitting on how everything concluded.  It's not the best one of the franchise, but it did a good job to make itself an entertaining movie, despite stretching the story more than they should.

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

BANGERANG SCORE: ***