“Southpaw”: The Next Rocky

The latest boxing movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the junior middleweight boxing champion Billy Hope is coming to the big screen this week.    After his wife, (Rachel McAdams) dies in a tragic way, Billy is battling severe depression as his life begins to unravel when child services steps in and takes his daughter away.  He has to bounce back for his sake as well as his daughter.

It’s a great story with phenomenal acting by Gyllenhaal and Forest Whitaker, who helps rehabilitate Billy, emotionally as well as in the Boxing ring so that he can get back on top.

At 2 hours and 4 minutes it’s a drama for a mature audience as it shows the true struggle of a man who’s lost everything.

Southpaw is also dedicated to musical composer, James Horner, who past away in a plane crash exactly a month ago today at the age of 61.  The movie will be in theaters July 24th, 2015.

“Minions” Are On Top

Universal’s done it again with another number one at the box office.  The voice talent of Pierre Coffin introduces you to the Minions, before Gru came into the picture.  In this early prequel, its a history of the minions with one objective, to find the baddest villain to serve.  Each new villain that they find, end up having a some sort of problem that leads to their demise.

But that is when Kevin gets the idea to form a search  party, though he’s not entirely happy with  the volunteers who go with him, one being  Bob, the youngest and Stewart the one that thinking of food all the time.  The three end up in Orlando at Villian Con, where they find Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock).  Not realizing her true motive, the minions go on a mission that ends up turning into a epic battle that ends with a shocking turn of events.

The Minions, with a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes is a hilarious movie for all ages.  Kids will love it for the cute little minions that are running on the screen with their unique language and adults will find it entertaining with all the historical references that they tie into the fun loving movie.

See it now, it’s playing in a theater near you and it’s the perfect way to tie the movie into the Despicable Me franchise.

“Max” Melts Hearts

The family drama about a war dog who comes home after his owner/handler dies in combat is pulling the heartstrings of its audience. Though it was no match for the three blockbusters including Jurassic World, Inside Out and Ted 2, that dominated the box office with nearly 150 million combined total, it still had a fair amount flooding in to rank number 4 with over 12 million.

Max stars Josh Wiggins as Justin Wincott, the brother of the Marine, who dies in combat and was handler to Max.  After the death, it is clear the dog recognizes Justin at the funeral of the soldier, though Justin wants nothing to do with Max.  His mother, played by Lauren Graham and his father, played by Thomas Haden Church, insist that the dog is now his and Justin and Max begin to form a bond that is stronger than one can imagine.

But when a rumor about what happened to the brother starts circulating around the family and Church doesn’t want to have a dangerous animal threatening the life of his other son, it’s up to Justin to do some investigating to save Max’s life as well as his father’s.

Max, with a run time of 111 minutes, is a family adventure that will bring tears to your eyes.  As good as Old Yeller with an even  better ending.

Max is currently in a theater near you.

 

The “Pitches” Are On Top

universal’ssummer sequel, Pitch Perfect 2 had crowds flooding into the theaters on its debut weekend as it brought in over 69 million at the box office, while Disney’s Avengers dropped to the number 3 spot with nearly 39 million.

The musical sequel brings the Barden Bellas back with several returning cast including Anna Kendrick as Beca, Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy, Brittney Snow as Chloe and newcomer, Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) whose mother, (Katey Sagel) is a former  Bella legend and thus a legend to live up to.  The group has to regain their good name after a major indecent exposure in front of national TV which causes the Bellas to be suspended from any additional competitions.  Now it’s a battle of ultimate acappella style as the group attempts to win the World Acappella Championship and redeem their good name for the sake of future Bellas.

Pitch Perfect is a stunning movie of a different caliper as each voice has a unique sound that makes the groups blend into a performance well worth the time.  It is highly recommended for its voice, comedy and passion as the girls ultimately have a deeper connection that one can connect with regards to graduating college and entering the real world.  It’s a story of knowing one’s voice and living it to the fullest, with a group of close friends that will always have your back.

Pitch Perfect 2 is currently playing in a theater near you.

Marvel overthrows Universal this weekend

For the first weekend in May, the latest Avengers sequel has stolen the crown from Universal’s Furious 7 coming in with the second highest opening weekend box office total.  The action heroes are back on stage this time to fight a robot villain named Ultron, who is determined to wipe out the Avengers all together.

The summer blockbuster reunites Robert Downey Jr as Ironman, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Muck Ruffalo as the Hulk, Chris Evans as Captain America Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and James Spader as the Voice of Ultron and keeps you entertained from the first line to the last epic battle as the Avengers race to save themselves and earth from the clutches of Ultron.

At 2 hours and 21 minutes, it’s a movie is jam packed with ultimate 3D effects, fight scenes that are typical of superhero films, and even a hint of a romance looming, but don’t believe me, you’ve got to see it.  I can assure you; it should not disappoint.

Avengers: The Age Of Ultron is currently  playing in any theater near you and its first weekend alone,  brought in over 187 million while Furious 7 came in third  with just over 6 million.

 

Children’s Classic Come To Life

From a beloved story written in 1958 by Michael Bond, the little bear called Paddington has finally made his debut in theaters.  The motion picture is a fun loving tale of Paddington, who manages to find his way to London after losing his home and his family in the Darkest Peru.  He is looking for a home and the Brown’s decide to open their home as a temporary place.

Paddington is a fun movie for all ages, filled with adventure, suspense and in the end love for a little bear.  The movie opened in theaters on Friday January 16 and stars Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and Nicole Kidman.

“Non-Stop” Is Number One Opening Weekend

Number one at the box office is Universal’s Nonstop with 30 million in ticket sales for its opening weekend.  The action packed, mystery driven thriller stars Liam Neeson as the U.S Air Marshall, who is being framed for hijacking a plane.  He receives a text shortly after the plane takes off on a transatlantic flight and with the aid of Julianne Moore, another passenger, who seems to be the most trustworthy onboard, they attempt to save the rest of the passengers, however his method of interrogation gets misinterpreted.

What will happen when Neeson realizes his country thinks he’s a terrorist?  It’s nearly two hours of suspense that is sure to keep everyone on the edge of his or her seats.

 

“Son Of God” Opening Weekend Review

20th Century Fox’s Son of God gave Universal’s Nonstop a run for it’s money finishing just 3.5 million below, in second place with 26.5 million for it’s opening weekend.  The film stars Diogo Morgado, as Jesus and expands on the History Channel’s Emmy winning miniseries, “The Bible” as it follows the life of Jesus Christ from Virgin birth, through his miraculous ministries and culminating with the betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection and “Great Commission.

Filmed on location in Morocco, Son of God is told through the eyes of the Apostle John and despite a few minor changes, follows the writings fairly close for a modern day audience.

For a list of theaters near you, click here.