It's great to see a spy film that's not afraid to be fun! With all the seriousness of the newer Bond films and the darkness or realism of other new spy thrillers, it's nice to see something more akin to the earlier days: campy, fun, and a bit over the top. Of course, as with Kickass, another one of the director's recent works, this film does feature quite a bit of violent, gory, action. But a gory, campy, fun spy thriller is just what I wanted and just what I got out of this one. Super fun. Would watch again.

4.0 Stars (out of 5)

This film constantly straddles the line between comedy and horrific drama. Long sequences of dark humor are always interrupted by the shock of dark reality, usually seen through the eyes of another character. While I thought it was an interesting take on the subject matter, I can see how it could turn off general audiences just looking for a straight comedy or horror film. Ryan Reynolds gives one of, if not the best, performances of his career. It's incredible that he actually plays both of the animals' voices as well as the main character. It's definitely an interesting film, seen from the point of view of someone who may be crazy, knows he is, but really wishes he wasn't.

3.0 Stars (out of 5)

Despite all of the bad reviews I have seen I still had to see it. I'm a fan of the Wachowskis' works, even though they've all been somewhat terrible since the first Matrix film, (which I now assume was just a fluke). Even though their films tend to do terribly at the box office and are panned by critics, I still find them fascinating, in one way or another. Jupiter Ascending is no exception. Like Cloud Atlas before it, this film tries so very hard to tell a simple enough story in a most complicated way. As many critics have pointed out, the visuals are done quite well, and this film had some of the best action sequences they've pulled off since the highway chase in the second Matrix film. It wasn't the visual spectacles or action that interested me this time, but more the way they used science-fiction to tell a story of people in power and their greed winning over compassion for others. Beneath the strange face of the film, under the facade of silly looking genetic hybrid people, lies a story of a few families so wealthy and so well-connected that they feel they can do whatever they choose, and that rules, or ethics do not apply to them. Under the guise of a space opera may be the film's main ideas and concepts, that are more akin to our current world than meets the eye.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)

I haven't met a time travel movie I didn't like, and while this one tries its hardest to make me not like it at times, I couldn't help but still enjoy it. Like the first half of Chronicle showed what teenagers would do with superpowers, this film perfectly illustrates what they would do with a time machine. Much of it is enjoyable enough: watching them build a time machine, then use it for fun, win the lottery, etc., but the third act is thin, not really delving into the consequences of their actions. And I wasn't that impressed with the way it's wrapped up in the end. Still, I liked it. Didn't realize going in that it was in found footage style, which may have run its course, but wasn't too distracting for me.

3.0 Stars (out of 5)

While this might not be the most well constructed film, with its story taking clichés and bits and pieces from every other bromance, outrageous, and gross-out comedy that has come before it, there's enough laughs and heart to make this one worth watching. The chemistry between Josh Gad and Kevin Hart is perfect. Hart is playing something different from his usual high energy annoying sidekick character, instead playing a suave, seemingly confident, and calm character, and it works. The plot is predictable but the events that happen along the way aren't at all, sometimes feeling like they belong in a different film altogether, but that keeps it from getting boring. Here's hoping we see Josh Gad in more leading roles in the future.

3.0 Stars (out of 5)

Benedict Cumberbatch does an incredible job inhabiting the persona of Alan Turning; portraying his genius, quirks, and his own strange way of saving thousands of lives. The film focuses on a few years during World War II, along with a small bit before and after the war. I would've liked to have seen a more bio-pic style, with more of his life covered, but by focusing on this time it does show his best contributions to humanity, and how he was ultimately "rewarded" for it. Would have loved to see a bit more elaboration on what Turing called the "imitation game", what we refer to now as the "Turing test", as it's briefly mentioned but not clearly defined.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)