Category: 2015

Reviews and columns from 2015

The Martian review

Director
Ridley Scott
Cast:
Matt Damon
Jessica Chastain
Jeff Daniels
Kristen Wiig
Sean Bean
Rated: PG-13

Matt Damon plays Mark Watney in “The Martian,” an astronaut who is part of an expedition on Mars which includes a couple of other researchers. The film opens with the exploration of the red planet going relatively smoothly, however, when a storm comes along, things go south.

During an escape to return to Earth, all of the astronauts make it to the ship to get back home, except for Mark, who gets stranded by himself on the deserted world. It’s now up to Mark to figure out a way to survive and up to NASA to find a way to get him back home.

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Hotel Transylvania 2 review

Director:
Genndy Tartakovsky
Cast:
Adam Sandler
Andy Samberg
Selena Gomez
Kevin James
Rated: PG

“Hotel Transylvania 2” picks up a few years after the first movie finished. Jonathan (Samberg) and the vampire Mavis (Gomez) are married and both live and work at the hotel run by Dracula (Sandler). As the movie goes on. Jonathan and Mavis have a son named Dennis. While the young couple are thrilled, the fact that Dennis doesn’t show any qualities of being a vampire concerns Dracula.

To help the situation, Dracula and his friends Frankenstein (James), Wayne the Werewolf (Buscemi), Griffin the invisible man (Spade) and Murray the mummy (Keegan-Michael Key), team up to teach the young kid how to be a monster.

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The Intern review

Director:
Nancy Meyers
Cast:
Robert De Niro
Anne Hathaway
Anders Holm
Rated: PG-13

In “The Intern,” Robert De Niro plays Ben, a senior citizen and widower who has become a bit bored in his retirement. He’s taken up hobbies and traveled to other countries, but still feels like there’s more to do. The movie picks up when Ben comes across an ad marketing an intern program for seniors at an online clothes store.

Despite not having much experience with today’s technology or the newest fashion trends, Ben throws his hat in the ring and gets picked up as a new intern at the business. While there, he is tasked with being an assistant to the company’s owner Jules, played by Anne Hathaway. Jules is a bit difficult to work with, though, as she’s under pressure to make a decision regarding hiring a CEO for the company.

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Everest review

Director:
Baltasar Kormakur
Cast:
Jason Clarke
Josh Brolin
Jake Gyllenhaal
Sam Worthington
Rated: PG-13

“Everest” tells the true story of a group of mountain climbers who were caught in a severe storm while trying to reach the summit. The film centers on the real-life climber and guide Rob Hall, played by Jason Clarke, who led a group on the mountain in the mid-1990s.

Other true to life characters in the film are portrayed by Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes and Sam Worthington. The film follows these characters as they prepare for the climb and the eventual storm that arrives when they take on the endeavor.

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Black Mass review

Director:
Scott Cooper
Cast:
Johnny Depp
Joel Edgerton
Benedict Cumberbatch
Kevin Bacon
Peter Sarsgaard
Rated: R

Johnny Depp plays real life gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in “Black Mass,” the latest film from Director Scott Cooper. The film starts in the mid-1970s and focuses on Bulger as a powerful crime lord in Boston and an FBI informant.

The film is told through flashbacks from the perspective of multiple true-to-life characters who are being interrogated by law enforcement.

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The Visit review

Director:
M. Night Shyamalan
Cast:
Olivia DeJonge
Ex Oxenbould
Deanna Dunagan
Peter McRobbie
Kathryn Hahn
Rated: PG-13

In “The Visit,” a pair of siblings named Becca (DeJonge) and Tyler (Oxenbould) are sent by their mother (Hahn) to visit their grandparents they’ve never met. While doing so, Becca decides to film the visit to create a documentary. Upon meeting the two grandparents, played by Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie, the brother and sister find them to be nice and welcoming.

This begins to change, though, when the grandparents begin exhibiting odd behavior and eventually start acting somewhat threatening.

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No Escape review

Director:
John Erick Dowdle
Cast:
Owen Wilson
Pierce Brosnan
Lake Bell
Claire Geare
Sterling Jerins
Rated: R

“No Escape” stars Owen Wilson who plays a father relocating his family to an undisclosed county in Asia for a new career opportunity. Upon arrival, Wilson’s character Jack, his wife Annie (Bell) and their two daughters make their way to a hotel and, despite some reservations, settle in to their new home.

The peace of the first few moments with the family is quickly shattered, though, as a revolution begins and rebels with anti-western motives start attacking the hotel. The film then follows Jack and his family’s attempt to get away from the hostile city and find safety.

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Ricki and the Flash review

Director:
Jonathan Demme
Cast:
Meryl Streep
Kevin Kline
Mamie Gummer
Rick Springfield
Rated: PG-13

“Ricki and the Flash” tells the story of the title character, also known as Linda, played by Meryl Streep. Ricki is an aging musician who had dreams of hitting it big as a rock star but as the movie begins she is only able to get work doing covers of songs at a local bar in California. To help make ends meet, she also works at a local grocery store.

The story picks up when Ricki gets a call from her ex-husband Pete (Kline), who informs her that their daughter Julie, (Gummer) recently had a bad break-up with her husband and has fallen into depression. Ricki then flies out to Indianapolis to try and help her daughter, even though she has become distant with her family.

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Straight Outta Compton review

Director:
F. Gary Gray
Cast:
O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Corey Hawkins
Jason Mitchell
Neil Brown Jr.
Aldis Hodge
Paul Giamatti
Rated: R

“Straight Outta Compton” tells the story of the N.W.A., a west coast rap group that caused a monumental shift in the whole genre. Founding members of the group included Andre “Dr. Dre” Romelle Young (Hawkins), Eric “Eazy E” Wright (Mitchell), O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson (Jackson Jr.), Lorenzo “MC Ren” Patterson (Hodge) and Antoine “DJ Yella” Carraby (Brown Jr.).

The film follows their rise, from creating their first album to going on tour and the eventual group break-up that occurred in the early 1990s.

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