Category: Movies

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“Children” Reach 55 Million

After it’s second weekend at the box office, Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is still bringing a fair amount to theaters worldwide as the fantasy film has topped the box office with over 55 million for its second weekend though it has dropped to second for its second weekend.

The fantasy adventure based on the book by Ransom Riggs, stars Asa Butterfield as Jake, a young boy who discovers a magical world from the stories of his beloved grandfather (Terence Stamp) and releases for the first time that he isn’t just “ordinary” as he embraces is “peculiar” trait in order to save Miss Peregrine (Eva Green) and her mysterious school from the Hollows including Barron (Samuel L. Jackson) who only seeks one thing to become fully human again by using the children’s gifts.

At 2 hours and 7 minutes Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is truly a unique tale about using one’s gifts to save everyone and discover where home really is.  It’s a film that full of adventure, mystery and even a little foretold romance in the most innocent way imaginable.

It’s a film that is definitely worth seeing in a theater near you.

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Disney’s New Queen

Buena Vista has a new queen that is battling to take the top box office though it was no match for the other movies that came out over the last two weeks.

Disney’s Queen of Katwe stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo and introducing Madina Nalwanga as Phiona, a  young girl growing up in poverty stricken Uganda who struggles with being the one to protect and feed her family and feeling as if this is the only thing she is meant to do until she stumbles upon an outreach program where she discovers her passion for the game of chess.  Despite her educational dilemma, Phiona quickly realizes, with the guidance of her teacher, Robert (Oyelowo) that she has the natural talent to become a master chess player.

Queen of Katwe is an inspiration tale of how one little girl’s dream to be more than what she was born into is greater than the bounds of poverty and if one finds the right person to help, one can do anything they set their mind on.

The Disney movie fell a little at the box office with its domestic total at just around 3.4 million.  It opened worldwide Sept. 30 and is playing in select theaters near you. 

See it this weekend if you want to be inspired.  You won’t regret it.

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Family Comedy Takes Two

Warner Brothers is on top with its two movies taking the first two spots for its opening weekend.  Magnificent 7 of course brought in over 35 million while Storks claimed second with just over 21 million.

WB Animations, Storks stars Andy Samburg as Junior the top stork who dreams of being the BOSS of Cornerstone Delivery Service especially when Hunter (Kelsey Grammer) promises to turn that dream into a reality.  But that dream is put on hold as Orphan Tulip (Katie Crown), a young girl who never got delivered to her family, on the verge of her 18th birthday, encounters the vacant Baby factory where she creates a baby for a little boy, who wants a baby brother.

Now it’s up to Junior, with the help of Tulip, to get that baby to her family before Monday morning when he is supposed to be made.

Storks is a fun adventure for the whole family with laughs for the children and heartfelt moments for the adults as Tulip and Junior both discover that their true family is closer than one thought.

At just 87 minutes, Storks will have you laughing, crying and rooting for the baby to get to her family.

See Storks in a theater near you.  It’s worth it.

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Western Remake Review

Warner Brothers has their eyes set on the prize with the Magnificient 7 reboot starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke as a band of outlaws set to save a town from thieving gold miners who wish to dig up the land for profit.

The high action adventure kicks off with a bang as the robbers come in and demand the land, killing several people when they don’t get their way.  They give them three weeks to change their mind.  Meanwhile widow, Emma Cullen, played by Haley Bennett, is determined not to let her husband die in vain.  She enlists the help of Chisolm (Washington) who agrees but not without a little back up.  It is what is called the most unlikely team of seven,  that will serve as the little towns last hope of redemption.

Magnificent 7 is a film that has all the ingredients of a good old fashion western including a bar room brawl, standout and gun fighting.  It’ll keep one on the edge of their seats from the first minute through including a few surprise twists that one might not see coming.

The film opened officially in theaters Sept. 23 and is a close front runner for the number one spot at the box office this week.  See it in a theater near you.  It won’t disappoint.

The original Magnificent 7 came out over 50 years ago and starred Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach,  and Steve McQueen.

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Pete’s Dragon takes 3

The Classic tale about a little boy and his dragon is returning to theaters after nearly 40 years since the original and has earned enough to take number three at the box office with 21.5 million in revenue.

Pete’s Dragon stars newcomer Oakes Fegley in his first big role as Pete, the little boy who befriends a dragon named Elliot after his mother and father are killed in a car crash.  He manages to survive with his dragon friend for six years until a little girl (Oona Laurence) discovers him by himself in the forest and takes him back to her mother (Bryce Dallas Howard), a forest ranger whose goal is to protect the forest as well as her father, (Robert Redford), the local storyteller, who is the only person besides Pete to have actually seen the dragon.

Now it is up to Pete to find some way to get back to Elliot before  something happens to his beloved friend.

As good as the original with a few plot twists, Pete’s Dragon is a great movie for the whole family to experience.  It’s heartwarming and will send chills down your spine as you are not sure what to expect next in the adventure of the little boy and his pet dragon.

Pete’s Dragon came out August 12, and is currently playing in a theater near you.

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“Star Trek” Review

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana are back in the latest adventure of the U.S.S Enterprise to voyage even deeper into space, but this time, the crew finds themselves stuck on a faraway planet where their fight to get back to Earth is limited.   Meanwhile Captain Kirk (Pine) is offered an admiral position with the fleet, pending their return from their last voyage, but is he willing to give up command of the enterprise and freedom of traveling anywhere to stay put in one place.

At 2 hrs, Star Trek- Beyond pushes its boundaries with a unique story line, based in part on the original, but with enough creative freedom to let the new franchise thrive on its own.  Star Trek fans will not be disappointed and specifically with the loss of one of the original cast members, Leonard Nemoy, the film did an exceptional job of paying homage to him as well as the original cast in the story line.  The film of course concluded with a dedication in the credits which read, “In Loving Memory of Leonard Nemoy” in addition to “For Anton”, for the young actor, Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov, that passed away just last month after being pinned by a car outside his driveway.

Star Trek opens in theaters Friday July 22, 2016 and is expected to be one of the top picks at the box office this weekend.

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“Ghostbusters” All Female Reboot

After nearly two decades, the ghost hunting is in the hands of 4 witty wise cracking ladies, whose ultimate goal is to be taken seriously in a new age of haunting ghosts.

The reboot stars, Melissa McCartney as Abby Yates and Kristin Wiig as Erin Gilbert the team who is ultimately the first and most enthusiastic in the world of the paranormal.  They begin with a book, and eventually branch out into the world of chasing down and catching ghosts in order to prove that ghosts do exist.  Together with a nuclear engineer (Kate Mckinnon) and a subway worker (Leslie Jones), the four woman must band together to stop the paranormal from reeking havoc on the living.

Overall, the all new Ghostbusters will have audiences laughing and ultimately cheering on these unlikely woman who are now chasing down ghosts to ultimately prove their existence.  With cameos from nearly all the orginal cast including Bill Murray as the serious political doubter, Dan Aykroyd as the taxi cab driver, and Ernie Hudson as Jones’ uncle, who lends out one of his cars which ultimately gets wreaked by the paranormal, as well as short cameos from Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver, these moments add to the enjoyment and nastalgia of the original 1984 film.

At 1 hour and 56 minutes, Ghostbusters presents a modern day audience with a truly unique story line while adding a few slight references to the original.  The film came out on Friday July 15 in theaters worldwide and according to its Friday estimate, brought in just over 17 million, nearly passing the Comedy Animated Film, Secret Life of Pets, which topped the box office last week.  It’ll be close to see which one makes it for number one this week.

Both the orignal as well as this reboot was the creative vision of Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who passed away nearly two years before the reboot was released.  The 2016 film was a tribute to him.

See it now in a theater near you.  A unique story with an iconic twist for a modern day audience.

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“Central Intelligence” Review

20 years after high school graduation, big man on campus Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) can’t believe that his life has turned into some what of a predictable one as an accountant, though he is married to his high school sweetheart, Maggie (Danielle Nicolet), Joyner refuses to go back to his high school reunion.  In a random Facebook friend request, now Joyner is pulled into the world of espionage in order to help high school buddy, Bob (Robbie) Stone, (Dwayne Johnson) crack the code with his computer accounting skills.

Overall, Central Intelligence will have audiences laughing all the way through.  The chemistry of Hart and Johnson is impeccable and a treat to see Hart in a semi serious role as he is basically forced into going on this adventure with his friend.  Also making an unplanned cameo is Melissa McCartney, who plays Robbie’s crush at the reunion.

All in All, Central Intelligence is a fun, date night movie for anyone who just wants to forget and have a good laugh.  Opening weekend, it brought in roughly 35.5 million domestically and is currently playing at a theater near you.

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“Dory” On Top

In the latest adventure of Marlin, Nemo and Dory, audiences receive a glance into Dory’s childhood in Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory.  Voiced again by comedian/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, the forgetful blue fish, Dory suddenly remembers her parents and comes to the realization that she misses them as she goes on an all new adventure to rediscover where she came from.

But she’s not alone.   Marlin the clown fish, voiced by Albert Brooks along with his son, Nemo (Hayden Rolence) team up to help her remember her task as they travel to California to find her family.  Along the way they encounter possessive sea otters as well as a scheming Octopus (Ed O’Neill) whose only mission is to be transferred to an aquarium where he’ll be safe from the ocean, the movie will have audiences of all ages laughing and routing for the little blue tang fish to finally find her mom and dad.

With a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes, Finding Dory is a heart warming sequel about what it truly means to be a family especially when one can’t always remember.  The film definitely has Disney on top bringing in over 136-million and making it the 11th Disney movie to claim the number one spot at the box office.

In addition, the added short, Piper, about a little seagull learning to feed for itself on the tough sandy beaches had kids and adults fully engaged in the little bird’s struggle and proves once again, pictures are just as important as verbal words to get the point across on the big screen.

Finding Dory opened in theaters Father’s Day Weekend June 17 and is currently playing in one near you.  See it, it’s just as good as the original Finding Nemo, which came out in Summer of 2003.

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Magic battles Video game

It was a race this week at the box office as two movies with very different crowds vie for the number one spot at the box office this week.

Universal’s Warcraft, starring newcomers Travis Fimmel as Anduin Lothar, Paula Patton as Garona and Dominic Cooper as Llane Wrynn, brings the video game world to the big screen as fans watch the orcs fighting for survival as they try to make a new home in the land of humans, but when a magical force threatens the planet, it’s time for orc and human to band together and save their home for the future.

At 2 hrs and 3 minutes, Warcraft will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as one is fully engaged in the epic battle and comedy that makes Warcraft a true joy to watch on the big screen.

But if magic is more your forte, the much anticipated sequel, Now You See Me 2, is bringing enthusiasts to the theater this weekend.  The four horsemen are back as their show is being threatened this time by a tech genius (Daniel Radcliff) who is looking to put a stop once and for all to the thieving team of hustlers and tricksters.

But now it’s up to the four horsemen, played by Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenburg, Woody Harrelson, and Lizzy Caplan to pull off the greatest and most impossible heist yet.  As hypnotizing as the first, Now You See Me 2, has tricks and flicks that will keep your mind reeling as you ask yourself time and time again, how can they possibly do it.  It’s magic in the truest and most believable sense.

Both Now You See Me 2 and Warcraft came out June 10 and were only a couple million dollars away as of Friday’s estimates.  See them both in a theater near you.