Logan

"Old man look in my eyes, I'm a lot like you were."  That song rang through my head most of this movie, and thought it would have been fitting to have it play at some point during the 2 1/2 hour epic!  Nope, didn't have much to offer at all other than an old ass super hero trying to stay hidden from the world and drive people around as a cabbie.  Oh, thanks Marvel, for conforming to the all too familiar film set up by throwing a kid as the main actor and focal point.  That should bring them in so you can cash your corporate paycheck!!!  Just kidding, that was all complete bullshit.  This was the best superhero movie yet!  The only exception would be The Dark Knight, but this was completely awesome!  There were a lot of "didn't see that coming" moments and the story was outstanding.  I loved that it was a future world where Mutants were pretty much all in hiding or extinct.  This movie was very much catered to the more mature comic movie fan with some language and gore but all I could say after was WOW!  Basically it was a story based on new hope for the mutant generations to come with a new breed being able to stand for what is right.  I would highly, highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes action, comic book movies, and Wolverine!

FYI:  This Marvel movie does not feature a Stan Lee cameo.  ;(

*****

Kong: Skull Island

Poor misunderstood monkey.  He just wants to be left alone on the most dangerous island of all time.  You know the place, basically where nightmares come from.  Well amidst the giant acid spitting spiders, the flesh eating insects, the bone crushing lizard things that live underground there is a cute cuddly 140 ft tall gorilla.  And he hates people messing with his shit!  This is by far the best Kong movie yet!  It was awesome in every sense of the word with a really cool premise that strayed a little from the originals.  There were a lot of Easter Eggs in this film, many of which were obvious but funny.  Quite a few undertones of Apocalypse Now, Jurassic Park, and Monster Island.  John C. Riley had some awesome lines in his typical idiotic fashion that was much needed in terms of some witty smart comedy.  Jackson played the ruthless war hero well with some good lines such as "hold on to your butts!"  Brie Larson has never really done anything for me until this movie.  Super hot with lots of slow motion, windy hair scenes.  We also have a reunion of Dr. Dre and Easy E!  I have to say though, the best part of this movie was the soundtrack.  It consisted of all 70's Vietnam War songs and were placed perfectly.  Definitely go see this movie!

FYI:  John C. Riley's character was supposed to go to Michael Keaton

*****

Parasites

Ever thought about moseying on down to your cities seedy area to mess with some bums?  You know, make em fight, fight them, steal stuff from them.  Good ole American fun!  Well if you are preparing for it, make sure you watch this movie first as a survival guide, and stay out of their neighborhood!  This is about as "B" rated as it gets with all the bells and whistles.  Bad acting, no name actors, cheesy camera work and angles, and terrible editing.  With all of that (and I love cheesy B movies) this movie had something that made it really good!  The story was cool.  A group a rich USC college students find themselves in the wrong part of a bum infested area of LA.  This area happens to be run by bums, and they are angry and out for blood!  It kind of has a "Warriors" feel to it with a number of different bums chasing down the survivor into different neighborhoods all through the night.  Extremely low budget and you have to take it for what its worth but the story and soundtrack alone are worth the watch.  Now lets go fight some bums!

FYI:  The crew was actually run down by a group of homeless men at one point during filming.

***

The Edge of Seventeen

Ahhh, teenage angst.  Do you love it?  There is just something about an almost witty, somewhat smart-ass comment from the narcissistic views of a know it all teen.  If you have a teenager, especially teenage girl, sit them down and watch this with them, it is hilarious!  I watched it with my 14 year old, and even though there are a few uncomfortable moments it is awesome!  The movie is based around Nadine, a 17 year old who is a bit awkward, kind of an introvert, and has one single friend in her horrible high school life.  That same friend just so happens to hook up with Nadine's super popular, good looking brother and it all goes down hill from there.  The best part of the movie, other than the real situations and true feel of it, is the relaxed teacher with an almost dont care attitude played by Woody Harrelson.  He seriously steals the show, and locks down the chemistry he has with the other actors.  This is a great movie that will not only help your teenager see how ridiculous they are most of the time, but also as a parent help to remember how life really did suck at times when your comparison factor was extremely minimal.  Give it a shot!

FYI:  Erwin who plays Nadines somewhat interest is 10 years older than her in real life.

****

Sausage Party

Well, how many times do you think you can use the word "F**K" in the first 20 minutes of a movie?  If you think its less than about 500 you would be wrong!  Now picture those vulgarities coming out of cartoon food.  There you have it, Sausage Party.  Rude, crude, over the top, disgusting, inappropriate, ridiculous, and I loved every second of it!  The story is from the point of view of food at a grocery store who all think that once you are "chosen" by the humans (Gods) you go to this euphoric fantasy land like heaven.  Well, one product gets returned and gives an unsuspecting hot dog the real news of what happens outside of the store, murder!  His goal is to find the truth and educate the others but no one will listen because their faith in what has been passed down.  The movie is really funny and extremely smart with types of food depicting the characteristics of their origin.  There are so many great voices and lines that unless you are in a really bad mood, you will laugh a lot.  Terrible for anyone under the age of 18, and not good to watch with your kids, but a fun throwaway to watch with your significant other, and who knows, if you are into some kinky stuff, this might actually turn you on!

FYI:  The preview for this accidentally played before Finding Dory in a California theater, oops!

***

Get Out

Ahhh, the racist undertones of the white loving controversial film maker Jordan Peele.  What do you expect from a guy who this type of movie.  Of course the black people are going to be portrayed as some Uncle Tom servants!  I've had it with this type of casting!  The Academy will definitely be on board with this one!  Wait, Jordan Peele is a black guy, you know from Key and Peele!  Who would have thought that this comedic superstar could turn to making a downright awesome horror/thriller like Get Out.  It did have a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes at one point so for those of you who have doubts, check this one out.  Basically two college age kids take a trip to rich-ville to spend some time with the girlfriends parents.  She is white by the way and hasn't told them he is black.  Well once they arrive he notices that the servants are also black but almost in a trance like state.  Well, he falls into a place where he keeps finding out things just aren't as they seem.  This is an outstanding movie with twists that are somewhat predictable but perfectly justified as the movie would have sucked if not.  Good acting, great story, and awesome twists.  Go see this movie!

FYI:  Budget for the film $5 Mil.  Opening weekend $33 Mil.  Success?

*****

Captain Fantastic

If you're going off the grid, I suggest doing it just like this modern day family.  Have a tricked out bus that you hardly ever use.  Hunt for your own dinner by knifing down a deer with your brothers and sisters.  Learn 7 different languages by the time you turn 9.  This is a great story from a unique point of view of a father living with his 6 extremely gifted children in the wild.  They have all they need for survival and are extremely well rounded in the arts, culture, and history.  Unfortunately they are as socially retarded as it gets when it comes to the real world.  An unforeseen event happens that takes this family into the modern day society and their world gets turned upside down.  The acting is outstanding and the story really makes you think about the miscommunication between humans with their own agendas getting in the way.  There are some moments that make you really question what you are doing with your life and the level of importance we stress on most things.  Give this movie a shot, its a bit "indie" but great overall.

FYI:  Mortensen used a number of props in this movie from other films he has done.

****

Hidden Figures

Dont you just love movies that remind you how insignificant and stupid you are to this world?  If so, then throw in overcoming adversity, racism and inequality at a time where all of this was extremely acceptable.  And here we are complaining about having to serve an extra side of ranch to a rude patron!  Well here we have the incredible true story of three black women in the 60's where racism and sexism was still a very common practice in the workplace.  On top of that they worked for NASA, which was an extremely male dominated world at a high pressure point in history racing the damn Russians into space.  These three pioneers worked in the low levels of the buildings doing human computing and back up engineering until each of them took a risk, made a stand, and overcame just about every thing thrown in their way.  Very inspiring movie, although a little bit typical where the underdog has to jump through more hoops than the average worker but overall great movie.  Highly recommended unless your a racist douche, then go back to watching the Benny Hill Show.

FYI:  Real Life Katherine Johnson asked the question when approached about making this movie, "Why would anyone want to make a movie about my life?"

****