NickLikesMovies

Finding Dory is a wonderfully heartwarming, visually breathtaking, incredible film. It isn't as perfect as the first but it didn't need to be. It did what a good sequel's job is to do: it furthered along a story in a structurally familiar but also wildly original and different way. The film exceeds mostly due to it's overwhelmingly likable and hilarious characters. Every character, new and old, have their shining moments. Not just one moment. Multiple moments. From Dory to Nemo to Hank to Destiny to Becky to Gerald, they all are extremely memorable and help further the plot in their own, unique ways. And are truly the reason the film works so beautifully well. Finding Dory packs so much emotion in it's heartbreaking/heartwarming flashback scenes that are definitely the highlights of the film. I cried within the first five minutes and that's what I've come to expect with Pixar films. The film within the Pixar universe isn't one of the very best, just due to lack of originality. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this case. If this was the first in the series it would be groundbreaking, like the first Finding Nemo is. I loved Finding Dory with every inch of my body. It does everything it needed to do and actually exceeding my expectations more than I ever could have imagined. It even features positive messages of teaching children with disabilities and animal captivity. Finding Dory is a wonderful, emmersive, lovable film that I don't see anyone disliking. I cannot wait to see it again!

Hilariously over-the-top and ridiculously fun, Keanu is one blast of a movie. I enjoyed every minute of it and had a smile on my face through the entire runtime. Key and Peele are comedic geniuses and knock it out of the park with Keanu. Has some pacing issues, but other than that I really, really loved it. Definitely a movie that is very rewatchable. And I know it's what everyone has been saying, but Keanu truly is the cutest cat I have ever seen. Now, please excuse me as I go listen to George Michael.

Mysteriously fascinating and totally riveting from start to finish, but not without fault. Takes a few missteps here and there, but is overall very satisfying. Writer/director Jeff Nichols does a fantastic job building an increasingly suspenseful tone and keeping things interesting while being a slow burn. The performances are top notch, specifically Adam Driver and Kirsten Dunst, and they all play completely developed and engaging characters. I was thoroughly impressed by the visually striking, well-acted, thought-provoking Midnight Special.

A visual masterpiece with a completely engaging, energetic, and emotional story that hooked me. I am blown away with this movie. The voice acting, the characters, Neel Sethi, the action, the music, the cinematography, and most importantly, the breathtaking visual effects. Everything in this movie works perfectly. I was worried that the songs would feel out of place and awkward, but I was wrong, they really work well. Jon Favreau has made something very special with "The Jungle Book", and I can't wait to see it again.

...In The Boss, a lot of jokes work, but an equal amount fail. McCarthy turns in a solid performance, and the pacing is nice and it moves quickly. It was just meh, not McCarthy's best, and not her worst, just meh...

...Overall, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a structurally messy, horribly written, choppily edited, sometimes fun, disappointment of a superhero film. I was underwhelmed...

...The movie itself, is bad. It isn't overly preachy, and has a great performance from Jennifer Garner. But it's really dumb. There are useless characters that are introduced then ignored until the end, and then we're supposed to suddenly care about them. The whole film to me was just extremely flat and one-dimensional. And I know my experience is what made me hate this film so much, but I can't separate the two. The experience and the film go hand-in-hand and I had a terrible experience thus making me hate the film as well. I can't say this is the worst film of the year, but I can say it's the worst theater experience I will probably ever endure...

plodding and ugly with a gross attitude of "white people are good, brown people are bad" that I couldn't get past. pair that with terrible one-liners and unnecessarily excessive violence, this is an extremely unpleasant watch.

I watched it. It was fine. It's been 10 minutes and I already forgot about it.

A really fun, exciting journey that doesn't really add up to anything. It's still beautifully shot and has a load of exciting and interesting characters. Alden Ehrenreich is gold here. And the Scarlett Johannson mermaid film scene is MAGIC. Just a lot of fun.

Consistently tense and superbly acted, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a thrilling and exciting time at the movies. The self-contained feel helps build suspense and drive characters in a very naturalistic manner, and provides some insane, unexpected twists. John Goodman is a gift from God.

The Witch is a genuinely terrifying horror film that shows how religion and faith can be much scarier than a loud noise on a video camera. A new horror movie staple. I love, love, love this film. Go see it!!!!

The perfect movie for Deadpool. An exciting, hilarious, action-packed time at the movies. I loved every single second of it. Thank you Ryan Reynolds, thank you.

Being a huge fan of the first Zoolander, I was not only disappointed in the sequel. I was disgusted. Zoolander 2 is not only obnoxiously unfunny on its own, but damages the original. The characters have lost all realism and have become annoying caricatures. Ben Stiller is really, really, ridiculously awful here. As is the actor playing his horribly grating son. The plot is stupid, the writing is completely flat, and it's just not funny at all. I laughed a few times and they were all from Will Ferrell as Mugatu, but even he didn't live up to the potential of his brilliant character in the first film. Penelope Cruz and Kristen Wiig are hardly in it and don't really offer anything other than star power for marketing. It's filled with all-star celebrity cameos, but nothing interesting comes from them. I was thoroughly disappointed with Zoolander 2 as a whole and expected so much more from Stiller and gang.

A whole lot of Pride and a whole lot of Prejudice and a little bit of Zombies. I wasn't a fan. Not for me.

A brilliantly animated, heartfelt, exciting final chapter(?) to a great series. Jack Black leads an extremely talented voice cast bringing to life their colorful and well-realized characters. The animation is top-notch, balancing computer generated images with 2D backgrounds in stunning action scenes and other landscapes throughout the film. Kung Fu Panda 3 is a thoroughly entertaining film with breathtaking visuals, thrilling action scenes, and memorable, fun characters. See it.

Effectively creepy and greatly acted, "The Boy" is not as clichéd nor as bad as I expected. I found myself really invested in the story and being genuinely spooked by most of the scares. The twist, while surprising, does not make complete sense, and it drags a bit, but I found it to be a pretty solid horror film.

DIRTY GRANDPA was a torturous, agonizing, painful, unfunny, neverending, piece of garbage. Did not even crack a smile one time. I despise this movie. Everything about is wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm not going into details because I want this wiped from my memory as soon as possible. No movie has made me physically ill before, but I felt like I needed to check into a hospital after viewing this vile scum.

Michael Bay has actually made a fairly decent, coherent film?!?!?! Wow. While it is way too long and features very bland characters, there are some very intense and compelling action scenes. The story itself is incredibly interesting and Bay is much less abrasive than I expected, by not mentioning Hillary Clinton or any politics involved. The writing and dialogue is awful, as expected, and the performances aren't that good. John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, and Pablo Schreiber are easily the best in the cast and shine in a slew of amateur, weak actors. Of course, there are explosions everywhere and while most of them are the same, basic Bay explosions, he does use some new, inventive tricks (i.e. the mortar tracking shot). Congrats Michael Bay on making a decent, forgettable film rather than an excruciating, terrible one.

"The Benefactor" has a plot that is hard to ever truly understand, especially when practically nothing happens during the runtime of the film. Richard Gere stars in the overwhelmingly flat film, and his performance is very bad. He is way over-the-top while being void of any emotion at the same time. He feels so out of place that he makes the whole film feel uncomfortable and awkward. Theo James is actually good here, not great but not bad like he is in the Divergent series. Dakota Fanning also stars but has literally nothing to do other than be pregnant. A huge problem in the film is that the audience is never informed about what Gere and Fanning's relationship is, why he cares so much for her, or how he was related to her parents to begin with. It's a glaring issue in a film jam packed with problems. All in all, The Benefactor is an uneventful slog of a film with terrible writing and a grating performance from its lead actor.

Concussion is completely riveting but uneven in quality. Will Smith gives a fantastic performance and the story is fascinating and one that needs to be told.

While not as good as David O. Russell's previous films, Joy is still worth watching for Jennifer Lawrence's great performance and some lovely, well-written scenes.

Sisters has some good laughs, but is ultimately too long and takes too long to get to the laughs.

"Steve Jobs" pulses with magnetic energy and spark, is acted phenomenally, and has razor sharp writing and directing.

Has a strong message and Carey Mulligan is great, but the execution failed to ever captivate me. The camerawork is very sloppy, and director Sarah Gavon didn't mesh scenes together well, and paced the film poorly.

Director Denis Villeneuve does a phenomenal job crafting a visually striking, intense, atmospheric thrill ride.

"Brooklyn" is a joy to watch all around and is anchored by a subtle yet powerful performance by Saoirse Ronan and a wonderful screenplay. Definitely one to watch for this awards season.

A beautiful and heart wrenching film powered by phenomenal, outstanding performances from Brie Larson and breakthrough star Jacob Tremblay. An air tight script and swift direction boost Room into so much more than a relationship between a mother and son, but rather a subtle and poignant film about life and the world.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" spoke to my every emotion and effectively balances nostalgia and discovery in the galaxy. The characters are exuberant, the visuals are vibrant, and the directing is top-notch. "The Force Awakens" is a cinematic experience like no other, and becomes an incredible film.

As a whole, In the Heart of the Sea is a visually grand, well-acted, disappointment of a film. The writing is weak, the characters are boring, and the pacing is sluggish.

"The Ridiculous 6" is the laziest attempt at a comedy I have ever seen. It is excruciatingly painful and is the newest form of torture available to your enemies.

"Krampus" is a solid, well-made Christmas horror/comedy that is a joy to watch. It has strong performances from its leads, and uses phenomenal practical effects to spook its audience effectively.

"Sleeping With Other People" is a charming and lovable romantic comedy boosted by wonderful performances by Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis. The writing is sharp and witty, the romance is believable, and the characters are strong and incredibly well-realized. An all-around pleasure.

"By the Sea" is visually gorgeous and Angelina Jolie shows strong potential with some great directing moments, but the movie is just so sluggish and boring. The performances are solid, the writing is fine, it just doesn't work. Something feels off through the duration of the film, and increases as the film goes on. It's way too long, and would have benefited from cutting off at least 40 minutes.

"Youth" is annoyingly pretentious, extremely sluggish, and drained of any charm or emotion. Michael Caine, but can't save this sloppy, unpleasant film.

"The Good Dinosaur" is breathtakingly gorgeous and tells an incredibly emotional and heartfelt tale. The ending is abrupt, but i'd be lying if I said it didn't make me tear up. One of the most watchable films of the year, a great time at the movies.

"Creed" is incredible. The performances are top notch, especially Stallone, and director Ryan Cooler does a phenomenal job pacing and moving the story to perfection. A must-see.

All in all, I was disappointed with “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2”, but it is still a very solid film and has great character moments, but fails to reach the height of its powerful scenes. And should have and would have been better as one single film.

"The Night Before" is a great theater experience with tons of laughs, heart, and holiday cheer. One of the best comedies of the year

"The 33" is annoyingly mediocre, painfully predictable, and grating dialogue. It has some shining moments and Rodrigo Santoro gives a great performance.

"Love the Coopers" is a horribly written mess. It's all over the place and extremely over narrated. But I can't deny that I was charmed by it. I'm well aware of the problems it has, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

"Mistress America" is a thoroughly entertaining film with hilarious laughs, fascinating characters, and a great script. Another Noah Baumbach gem.

A chilling and intense story of the depths and terrors of psychology. A fantastic ensemble, with outstanding work from Michael Angarano and Tye Sheridan, a phenomenal script, and a wonderful style and tone lead this to one of my favorites of the year. It's incredibly smart and uses fascinating details and story points. Don't miss "The Standford Prison Experiment."

"The Peanuts Movie" is very, very charming and enjoyable, but overuses its weak plot with Snoopy and the Red Baron and doesn't bring anything fresh to the screen. You'll still have a great time watching the beloved characters.

... Overall, "Spectre" has great action scenes and beautiful cinematography, but falls flat in its writing and plot, and becomes one of the biggest disappointments of the year.

A sloppy, unfunny, lazy, horribly paced crap fest. Tye Sheridan makes it barely watchable. A big fail for a strong premise.

Sarah Silverman gives a phenomenal performance and the film itself tells a harsh, brutally honest story about addiction and depression. It does fall into some cliches and as a whole, it's pretty predictable, until the very end. I suggest you find "I Smile Back" this weekend and give it a watch.

The first act is fantastic, but after that the movie just falls flat and becomes extremely dull and boring. It's very intelligent and has strong performances, but ultimately, it's forgettable.

A touching, realistic tale of love and happiness until it turns dark and horrifying. An excellent, interesting way to spend 90 minutes. One of the biggest surprises of the year.

Burnt has a pretty solid first half, but falls apart in the latter half. The second half attempts to juggle comedy, drama, and romance, and fails to do so. Big name stars are completely wasted, some only given one lazy scene. As a whole, "Burnt" is a poorly written mess of a film that wasted its great potential across the board.