A Dog Named Christmas

Hallmark movie starring Greenwood (Dirty Dancing) and Fisher (Shameless). He is a special needs boy who finds homes for 33 dogs over the holidays. His dad a former Vietnam vet has issues with bringing a dog onto the farm. Happy ending of course. It was really good - written, acted, directed, and edited. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Hail, Caesar!

Coen Brother's movie (Raising Arizona) and a super boring one at that. I stopped less than half way through. Brolin (W), Clooney (Oh Brother Where Art Thou), Fiennes (Skyfall), Ehreneich (Stoker), Johansson (Sing), Stevens (Hackers), Tatum (Hateful Eight), Swinton (War Machine), Hill (MIB 23), and McDormand (fargo) all star. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Brothers Grimsby

Cohen (Les Mis) and Strong (Sherlock Holmes) are brothers who were separated at a young age after their parents died. They each led different lives till now. One if on the dole and one is a spy. I don't like these kinds of movies and I didn't really watch this one. Fisher (Visions), Wilson (Pitch Perfect), and Egerton (Love, Rosie) also star. I watched the fight scenes with the guy below - Adkins (Doctor Strange):

All in all, I say: SKIP IT - the movie - WATCH HIM fight in anything.

Sing

McConaughey (Mud) is a koala who owns a theatre that is about to be foreclosed on. He decides to host a singing competition for 1,000 in proze money. A mistake makes the contestants believe it's for 100,000. It's a kids movie, so you know things work out in the end. Witherspoon (Mud) sings and voices the pig - she's a housewife with talent. MacFarlane (Ted) is a mouse who croons. Johansson (Rock That Body) is a porcupine who loves to rock. Reilly (Step Brothers) is a lamb who has a grandmother (Saunders from Absolutely Fabulous) with tons of money that might help bail out the theatre. Egerton (Robin Hood) is a guerrilla with great piano and singing skills. It;s not really a musical per say. It had a decent plot. All ages will like. The music they chose was the best part. All in all, I say: SEE IT - don't need to see it in 3D

Ice Sculpture Christmas

Hallmark movie about Tennessee actress Boston (A Rose for Christmas) who wants to be a chef and Canadian Alpay (Birdland) a financial consultant who met as kids and then later in life. They fall in love while the prepare for an ice sculpting contest. All in all, I say: SEE IT - not too bad.

Complete Unknown

Weisz (Denial) shows up at the birthday party of a long lost love (Shannon from Waco)- turns out she been pretending to be other people for almost 15-20 years. It's more about the two of them talking and her explaining why she leaves. It would make a better play than a movie. It was slow and just strange. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - I saw it on Amazon.

Assassin's Creed

Based on a video game I have never played. German Fassbender (Snowman), Irishman Gleeson (Live by Night), and New Yorker Williams (When We Rise) are good guys. British actor Irons (Justice League), Frenchman Menochet (Old Boys),  and French actress Cotillard (Allied) are bad guys. It's confusing, but super cool. The fight scenes are AMAZING! All in all, I say: SEE IT

Sully

Hanks (Toy Story 4) and Eckhart (London Has Fallen) play the real life pilots that saved 155 people by landing a plane on the Hudson river in NYC. Eastwood;s newest film continues to highlight American's finest. It's well acted, directly, and edited. I watched in on OnDemand. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

A Tim Burton (Sleepyhollow) movie starring Green (Dark Shadows), Butterfield (Hugo), Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Everett (My Best Friend's Wedding), O'Dowd (Mascots), and Stamp (Wanted) all star. IMDb writes, "When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds a magical place known as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers... and their powerful enemies. Ultimately, Jacob discovers that only his own special "peculiarity" can save his new friends. Written by 20th Century Fox". It's based on a series of books. It's not bad. I haven't read the books though. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Ride Along 2

Cube and Hart are back, but in Miami instead of ATL. Munn (Newsroom), Bratt (Miss Congeniality), and McGill (Run All Night) also star. It's just as bad as the first. It goes too far and so the rest just becomes stupid. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

By Gaslight

It's not the writing - it's the pace and honestly the characters. I didn't care about any of them - I got so bored I stopped after about 5 chapters. Amazon writes, "William Pinkerton is already famous, the son of the most notorious detective of all time, when he descends into the underworld of Victorian London in pursuit of a new lead on the fabled con Edward Shade. William’s father died without ever finding Shade, but William is determined to drag the thief out of the shadows.

Adam Foole is a gentleman without a past, haunted by a love affair ten years gone. When he receives a letter from his lost beloved, he returns to London to find her. What he learns of her fate, and its connection to the man known as Shade, will force him to confront a grief he thought long-buried.

A fog-enshrouded hunt through sewers, opium dens, drawing rooms, and séance halls ensues, creating the most unlikely of bonds: between Pinkerton, the great detective, and Foole, the one man who may hold the key to finding Edward Shade.

Steven Price’s dazzling, riveting By Gaslight moves from the diamond mines of South Africa to the battlefields of the Civil War, on a journey into a cityscape of grief, trust, and its breaking, where what we share can bind us even against our darker selves.". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Hostile Witness

It was a free book for kindle to get you hooked on a series about a lawyer/volleyball player. Amazon describes the plot as, "When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships create a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth is uncovered it can save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both.

"This story was inspired by a case my husband handled. As a superior court judge he had to sentence a minor to life in prison. It made me wonder how I felt about minors arrested for violent crimes. Are they most vulnerable among us - capable or horrible violence, perceived as adults and yet emotionally still children?" Rebecca Forster ". It wasn't bad...it didn't hold my attention - the arguing was annoying - and there was a lot of arguing. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Ghostly Echoes

It's the 3rd book in the Jackaby series and it was supposed to be them solving the death of the ghost they live with, Jenny. It was overly confusing and kind of dark for a young adult novel...AND....nothing felt resolved. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Tomorrow Code

I tried...honestly. Amazon describes the plot as, "Tane and Rebecca aren’t sure what to make of it—a sequence of 1s and 0s, the message looks like nothing more than a random collection of alternating digits. Working to decode it, however, Tane and Rebecca discover that the message contains lottery numbers . . . lottery numbers that win the next random draw! Suddenly Tane and Rebecca are rich, but who sent the numbers? And why? More messages follow, and slowly it becomes clear—the messages are being sent back in time from Tane and Rebecca’s future. Something there has gone horribly wrong, and it’s up to them to prevent it from happening. As they follow the messages’ cryptic instructions, Tane and Rebecca begin to suspect the worst—that the very survival of the human race may be at stake". I just got about 3-10% in and I couldn't continue - boring. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Rains

A young adult novel. I thought it was about zombies - it wasn't. It was aliens. Aliens infect the adults and prepare earth for invasion - oh and they use kids as incubators. The three main characters are ok - the plot is just kind of stupid. The ending is the worst...cheesy. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

When Star Wars came out in 1977 Luke is told rebels have gotten the plans to the Death Star and they know how to destroy it. Luke is then able to destroy it. Rogue One - the name of the ship that takes these rebels to a now blown to pieces planet - and its crew are the rebels they were talking about. It is well done - not as much fighting as some of the other films, so no need for 3D. Excellent characters, appropriate for same age group as the others, good characters- both good and evil. I think they should now re-number everything and make this IV and the 1977 Star Wars "A New Hope" V and so on. It deserves a place with the others. One day I will watch them all in order starting with this one (I, II, and III are a total annoyance)! All in all, I say: SEE IT

Miss You Already

UK film about two best friends and their lives as adults - one trying to get pregnant (Barrymore from Charlie's Angels) and one dying of cancer (Collette from Unlocked). The thing that kept me watching because it was cheesy nonsense was:

Considine from Child 44 - he can act! And...

Cooper from Need for Speed - so sexy!
All in all, I say: SKIP IT - it's on Amazon

Hide

This was a TNT tv movie based on a book by Lisa Gardner. It's the 2nd book in her DD Warren series. After seeing this I added all the other books in the series to my library Que. Gugino (Roadies) is DD Warren - she's the head of a department that is called to a scene at an abandoned mental hospital after some trespassing kids find a bunker filled with bodies. She and her team try to find the serial killer. It's well adapted - based on a good plot - good acting. All in all, I say: SEE IT - you can look forward to reading what I think of the books later. I'm skipping book one and book two - which is this movie. Gosselaar (Pitch), Abtahi (American Gods), and Alejandro (Lucifer) also star.

Love, Rosie

A UK film about 2 friends who grow up and are in love their entire life, but they are both to chicken to admit it. It's painful to watch them constantly make mistakes. I hate crap like this - no matter how cute he is. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Take

Spoiler...
It must be an independent film because it never came out in theatres here. I'm not surprised though it wasn't very good. Driver (Tarzan) and Renner (Avengers) do an excellent job acting in it - it's just everything else. The script, the editing, the plot - it was...annoying, He is desperate to get money to pay off a gambling debt kidnaps her kid in order to get out of a robbery gone bad. He crashed his car and the kid dies. He's on death row and she forgives him. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

In Order of Disappearance

A Norwegian film starring a Swede, Skarsgard (Thor). When his son turns up dead he is the only one that believes he was murdered. The small town snowplower gets medieval on a criminal organization. Things seem to be going well in the revenge game until some Serbs come into town. It is the nest Norwegian action film I've ever seen. It was fantastic. It had a similar plot to several American action films. It has some comedy in it too - so you don't get too down in the dark with the plot. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Passengers

Lawrence (Hunger Games) and Pratt (Parks & Rec) are the only 2 people awake on a ship filled with colonizers 89 years left till they reach their destination. It's not exactly what the previews would have you think though. It is a love story and no so much a science fiction story. Sheen (Masters of Sex), Fishburne (Matrix), and Garcia (Ballers) also star - how you ask - telling you would give away secrets. Excellent acting, excellent plot, and an ending that will make you smile - at least it did me. All in all, I say: SEE IT - even if you don't like science fiction.

Bodyguards: Secret Lives from the Watchtower

The directors second documentary, so it's not Michael Moore quality. I think he needed to go way more into the world. He needed to go way more into the trials and tribulations. I would have preferred dozens more examples of certain situations/events maybe. The people he picked just go really go below the surface. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. It was interesting if you don't know much about protections. I guess maybe I was hoping for some Blackwater level stuff. All in all, I say: SEE IT - Coates (SoA) narrates.

Storks

Samberg (Brooklyn 99) plays a stork who has to fire an orphan on her 18th birthday in order to become the new boss of the stork delivery company - which no longer delivers babies FYI. Problem: he acts the same way he acts in Brooklyn 99 so I kept picturing that. Grammer (Cheers) plays his boss. The orphan girl accidentally makes a baby in the factory - the 2 set off to deliver the baby to its family. The family, meanwhile is preparing for the delivery. Aniston (Friends) and Burrell (Modern Family) play the parents. I think the stork and the red headed orphan fall in love - which is kind of disturbing. The only part I liked was when they first meet the wolves - the wolves get too weird after that. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Older Hallmark Christmas movie with Winkler (Happy Days) as an uncle - retired cop - who brings a stranger to his nieces for Christmas. He's ready to settle down and he can do it all. She tries to do it all and needs help. She's a single mom. You get where this is going. It's well acted - some of the writing and editing aren't great. All in all, I say: SEE IT

A Christmas to Remember

Sorvino (Mimic) plays a woman who is famous for a Martha Stewart kind of show. She goes on vacation before the holidays, gets into a car accident and loses her memory - she also seems to lose any ability to act. She's just horrible in this. The local vet takes her in and keeps her till Christmas - meanwhile they fall in love - and you can guess. It's predictable. It's Hallmark. There wasn't anything wrong with it except Sorvino - I wish they had picked someone else to play her part. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Sleigh Bells Ring

2 people fell in love at a young age - one wanted to make it in NYC and one wanted to stay in the small town. They split - years later they reconnect. It's a Hallmark, but there is a magical element - the real Santa appears to help make them get together. There is no chemistry between the 2 main characters. It's a little lite in plot so they try to stretch it our with unnecessary scenes. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Incorporated

Syfy channel tv show about a future where the only people that have anything are those who work for the corporations, Everyone else is in squalor. Ormond (Che) is head of one of these and her daughter has married a man with an agenda. He has to keep everyone himself safe, his girlfriend, his mentor, his wife, his brother or it might be his girlfriend's brother. Problem - it seems so much better than it is in the previews. It is predictable and I was bored after a couple of episodes. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Baby's First Christmas

Van Dien (Con Man) and Wilson (The Glass House) star in this old Hallmark Christmas movie about a couple who normally argue work together to solve their brother and sister's money problem. Their siblings are married. He can't act in this and the flow is just terrible. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Into the Forest

Page (Juno) and Wood (Westworld) are sisters who have to survive some mysterious end of the world kind of scenario after their father dies out in the middle of the woods far from civilization in a cabin that is rotting. I got to the part where Page's boyfriend (Minghella from The Mindy Project)comes to visit and got a creepy vibe. I then decided to read the spoilers on IMDb and stopped watching. It tries too hard and goes too slow. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Creed

AKA Rocky 5 is about Creed's son who needs Rocky to train him for a big fight. It's will surprise you - the dialogue and the ending. No wonder it was up for nominations. All in all, I say: SEE IT

My Christmas Love

A Hallmark movie that is well acted, well directed, well edited, and well written. Go Hallmark!! A young woman is convinced that she needs constant romance and her one true love will know that. She starts receiving gifts in the form of the 12 Days of Christmas song and is convinced the man sending it to her is her one true love. Turns out things aren't how they seem. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Ace the Case

A NYC independent film about a young girl who witnesses a kidnapping and with the help of a seasoned detective is able to foil the kidnappers. It's tries to be good - with more money maybe they could have gotten a better cast and done a better job. It's just silly. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Up in the Air

Farmiga (The Conjuring) and Clooney (Oceans Eleven) star as executives who are constantly in flying around the US for their job. They have a connection, but not the kind they each want. He fires people for living and trains the new girl. She thinks she got a new more efficient way to fire people (Kendrick from Pitch Perfect). Bateman (Juno), Simmons (Oz),and Elliot (The Ranch) also star. All in all, I say: SEE IT - it's well written, acted, and directed.

A Merry Friggin' Christmas

McHale (Ted) and Graham (Gilmore Girls) visit his family for Christmas and it brings up a lot of bad memories from Christmas's past. Platt (West Wing) plays a drunk Santa. Bergen (Battle Creek) and Williams (The Crazy Ones) are the parents. It's kind of like a comedy family Christmas mixed with a road movie. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Now You See Me 2

Eisenberg (Zombieland), Harrelson (Zombieland), Ruffalo (Avengers), Freeman (Seven), Caine (Inception), and Franco (21 Jump Street) all star in the sequel. Racliffe (Harry Potter) joins the cast along with Caplan (127 Hours). It's a ridiculous plot like the first one. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Love You Like Christmas

After her car breaks down on the way to a wedding a marketing executive spends Christmas in a small town putting her know how to use to help several of the towns people. It's Hallmark, so you know she falls in love with the single dad. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Sound of Christmas

A woman starts to fall for the single father of one her new piano students. Turns out he is supposed to sell the building her music school is in an kick them out. It's a Hallmark, so no worries on a sad ending here. It's not bad - they have to draw out of some stuff to make it last the 2 hours including commercials. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Hearts of Christmas

Hallmark movie about a new CEO (played by Polaha from Life Unexpected) of a hospital who falls for a nurse in the children's intensive care. He needs to cut costs. She wants to keep the people that make the hospital so successful. Lawrence (Shameless) stars as a nurse. It has some editing issues. All in all, I say: SEE IT

That Use to Be Us

The authors explain what once made the US great, and we have fallen behind. They go into why we fell behind and how we can get back on top. I got a little more than half way through before the audio book I was listening to kept messing up. All in all, I say: READ IT if you're interested in a sort of un-biased look at the nuts and bolts of America.

I Saw the Light

Torture...this was so boring....it was just horrible editing. It didn't flow at all and I felt completely lost most of the time. Bio-epic on Hank Williams during the time of his first wife. I got maybe half way through and gave up. Hiddleston (Kong) does a KICK ASS job at singing - WOW. Olsen (Wind River) also starred - they both are good actors, but it didn't help the film. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Looks Like Christmas

Two single parents clash over a school holiday event and fall in love. The plot is good and believable. The script was decent - the editing wasn't bad. The biggest problem...Heche (Aftermath) can't act. She irritates me. Even though Neal (Cedar Cove) always seems to play the same role in everything..he's somewhat believable and decent. All in all, I say: SEE IT but don't say I didn't warn you about Heche.

A Nutcracker Christmas

Acker (Angel) is a dance about to get her big break when her sister dies. Her boyfriend (Radetsky from Centerstage) convinces her to go home and not go on stage, so she never gets to dance her dream role. 8 years later as the guardian of her niece she meet sup with him again and has a chance to dance. Again, as I often find with Hallmark, the editing kind of messes stuff up. All in all, I say: SEE IT though - I like the Nutcracker.

Journey Back to Christmas

Bure (Full House) stars as a war widow who gets transported into 2016 during the night of a blizzard and a comet. The plot is - she reminds everyone about traditions and holiday cheer. Everyone is supposed to become closer...blah, blah, blah. Problem is...the editing or script or both ruin it. It ended up feeling pointless. As a Hallmark movie I felt it didn't work - not a romance movie more of a mystery movie maybe? Not sure. All in all, I say: SKIP IT I'm not sure why Hudson (Scream Queens) and Skerritt (Top Gun) were in it.

Eddie the Eagle

Egerton (Legend) stars as Britain's first ski jumper for the 88 Olympics. It's a docu-drama about the life of the real man. Jackman (Logan) is his trainer. I was ok - silly, but not silly enough. Serious, but not serious enough. There was something missing and I don't know what. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Nocturnal Animals

Ford - who write and directed A Single Man wrote and directed this film noir. Adams (Enchanted) gets a manuscript from her ex-husband whom she cheated on. He uses his novel to share his feelings. The story is what has you on the edge of your seat. The entire story is a metaphor for her ex played by Gyllenhaal (Zodiac). Shannon (The Iceman) does a good job as a cop in the fictional story - in the metaphor he is the love Gyllenhaal has for Adams. Fisher (Rango) represents Adams in the story. Hammer (The Social Network) is the man Adams leaves Gyllenhaal for. It's a film noir so don't except a happy ending. All in all, I say: RENT IT

The Forest

Dormer (GoT) plays twins - they have a strong bond. So, when one goes missing in Japan's suicide forest the other goes looking. Because she is troubled she is fooled by demons and ghosts into committing sucicide while the lost sister is found. It's messed up. All in all, I say: SKIP IT