Here are all the movies I've seen this year.
- January 2016
- Boruto: The Movie (2015) - This is the last Naruto movie after the series ended in the manga. It takes place in the future with Naruto, now as Hokage, and his son is trying to gain his affection. I'm kind of glad that they will have a new series after this.
- The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) - A young aspiring chef and his Indian family living in London moves to France for a fresh start, opens a restaurant 1oo feet away from an established Michelin 1-Star French cuisine restaurant owned by Helen Mirren's character. It's a movie that makes you think if this is what happens behind the scenes in various Food Network personalities.
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - I held off on watching this movie. It's not a remake of the original Mad Max. It's a new adventure with out of this world characters, in a world where water is scarce.
- Kung Fu Panda 3 - They said this is the last Kung Fu Panda movie. I recommend it
- February 2016
- Deadpool - The surprise hit that made Fox and Warner Bros. reevaluate how they adapt comic book movies for the big screen. Deadpool is about a mercenary who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and undergoes a secret procedure from some shady people who just wanted to experiment on him to see if injecting Wolverine's blood and stress testing his body will awaken any powers... and it did, but his whole body is badly scarred.
Note: Deadpool is a mutate. Not a mutant. Mutants are born with their powers. Mutates gain their power through genetic manipulation. Other Mutates in the Marvel universe is Captain America and the Hulk.
- Deadpool - The surprise hit that made Fox and Warner Bros. reevaluate how they adapt comic book movies for the big screen. Deadpool is about a mercenary who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and undergoes a secret procedure from some shady people who just wanted to experiment on him to see if injecting Wolverine's blood and stress testing his body will awaken any powers... and it did, but his whole body is badly scarred.
- March 2016
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - The fans are split with this movie, but I like it. The premise is that Bruce Wayne (Batman) was on Metropolis when Superman fought General Zod. Many buildings were toppled, including Bruce Wayne's building and killed many people. That's why Batman doesn't trust Superman. Lex Luthor knows this and basically eggs them on for this fight. Also, Wonder Woman shows up... and The Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg in surveillance videos.
- April 2016
- The Jungle Book - I went to see this live adaptation of the Jungle Book with no expectations. That made this movie much better. They captured the Jungle Book story. There's probably a sequel in the works.
- Terminator: Genisys (2015) - The 3rd reboot for the franchise after Terminator: Salvation and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. The premise is that in the future, Kyle Reese was sent by John Connor to save Sarah Conor, during his send off, something went wrong and he ends up in an alternate timeline of the past where Sarah Connor knows about the Terminators because she was saved by a T-800 (Arnold Schwartzenegger) when she was 9 years old from a T-1000.
- May 2016
- Selma (2014) - Great movie. Sad at the same time. It's one of those movies where you want to look away from the screen from the brutality shown, but you have to push through because that is what really happened.
- Captain America: Civil War - This 3rd movie in the Captain America franchise is loosely based on the Civil War story in Marvel comics. In the comics, a reality-TV show about superpowered people ends up destroying an entire neighborhood, killing many people. This prompts the government to create a Superhuman Registration Act to have superpowered individuals register their names and report their powers to the government. Captain America was against this. Iron Man supports it. Almost every Marvel super powered characters (except the X-Men) fought including villains.
In this movie, the premise is sort of the same: because of the devastation caused by the Avengers, the government intervened to create the Sokovia Accords (basically the registration Act). Captain America is against it. Iron Man is for it. All of the current members of the Avengers fought. All 9 of them + Spider-Man and Ant-Man. It was more friends having a disagreement than anything. - The Intern (2015) - Robert DeNiro becomes an intern for Anne Hathaway's company. Robert DeNiro drops life lessons for the overworked Anne Hathaway. I think it's a feel good movie. No real villains.
- X-Men: Apocalypse - Another movie that's loosely based on the comics that it was based on. The comics was pivotal for many kids my age who read them at the time because no other crossover storyline could ever top it. My friend stopped reading comics after it. Apocalypse is such a powerful character and a force to be reckoned with in the comics. The movie version? Not so much.
- The Gambler (2014) - Mark Wahlberg is a gambling addict. Wrongs the wrong people. Must atone for them.
- The D Train (2015) - Jack Black, as the head of high school graduating class' alumni committee, invites their prom king. He ends up being obsessed with him. Hilarity ensues.
- June 2016
- Now You See Me 2 - This sequel tried to outdo the original movie about 4 people (illusionists, hypnotists, cards manipulator, escape artist) who became the 4 horsemen of magicians. It succeeded in all respects, but it felt like a drag (slow start with everything happening towards the end)
- Warcraft - Based on the game franchise. It tells the story of when Humans and Orcs first met and why they are fighting with each other.
- The Conjuring 2 - Scary movie. This time it looks like a nun.
- Spy (2015) - Melissa McCarthy is a B-grade spy doing a top-rank assignment. It's actually better than her last few movies.
- July 2016
- Zootopia - Anthropomorphic animals (mainly mammals) live along side each other until some animals started going feral. It's up to a fox and a bunny to find out why.
- The Good Dinosaur (2015) - I missed watching this movie the first time around. Dinosaurs were not wiped out by a meteor. They lived on to become farmers and herders. Humans are critters.
- Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) - In this sequel, the characters are out of the maze and now they know more of the world out there.
I think the dystopian teen science fiction novels are losing steam at this point. There's one more movie after this one, which is indefinitely on hold (tentative release date of 2018). - Ip Man (2008) - It's the story of Bruce Lee's mentor and how he overcame the Japanese occupation during World War II.
- Adoration (2013) - This movie was weird. Two childhood best friends grow up as friends. They end up sleeping with each others' adult sons.
- Star Trek: Beyond - This is the best Star Trek movie to date. It was a great movie overall even without the Star Trek name.
- Jason Bourne - Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne and the government is after him again because he holds secrets about his past and the government that they don't want exposed.
- Project Almanac (2015) - Teen discovers how to time travel using his dad's research found in the attic.
- August 2016
- Sleeping With Other People (2015) - A Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie rom com. What more could you possibly want?
- Suicide Squad - A jumbled mess of a comic book movie. The only reason this really did well is because they had Will Smith and advertised the hell out of the new version of The Joker and sneaking in Ben Affleck's Batman in several scenes of the movie.
- Dragon Blade (2015) - A Jackie Chan movie set in the past. He protects the princess and ends up uniting warring tribes.
- The Boy and the Best (2015) - If you like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Summer Wars, you'll like this movie about a boy who gets lost and ends up in the Spirit realm and befriends a beast who trains him.
- Addicted (2014) - Woman is a sex addict. She cheats on her husband with two different people. They find out. Fight ensues. She gets into an accident. Goes to rehab. Atones. Redemption.
- September 2016
- The Lifeguard (2013) - Kristen Bell is a 30-something living in NY who moves back to her home after breaking up with her boss. She is reaquainted with her high school friends. She also meets a new friend who is in high school and ends up sleeping with them. Overall, the movie is more on self-indulgence and drowning in self-pity. I think many in my generation (younger than me) can relate, I guess.
- Daddy's Home (2015) - Will Ferrell is the stepfather and he meets the kids' birth father, Mark Wahlberg. They fight for their affection and affirmation.
- Trainwreck (2015) - I don't remember how this movie ended. I was sleepy.
- Sisters (2015) - Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are sisters and their parents left them their old home for house sitting. It's a comedy.
- October 2016
- The Water Diviner (2014) - Russel Crowe is a water diviner looking for his son in Turkey. He befriends mother and his kid. He finds his son. Goes back to the mother and they hint that she is into him.
- Definitely, Maybe (2008) - I didn't see this movie the first time around. Ryan Reynolds is getting a divorce. He tells the story to his daughter of how he met her mother, but he winds up telling her all the women he's met. His daughter figures out who her mother is and they are still getting a divorce. All she wants is for his dad to be happy.
- Swimfan (2002) - If you're wondering why I have all these random movies from different years in the past, I have the premium channels package on Verizon and when I'm bored I end up watching a movie like Swimfan, which is kind of like the remake of The Fan with Robert DeNiro, except the fan in this movie is a girl.
- The Forest - It's based on the suicide forest in Japan (Aokigahara) where many people go to kill themselves (54 in 2010). In the movie, a woman goes to Japan in search of her twin sister who disappeared and was last seen entering the forest.
- Gods of Egypt - Read my take here
- Inferno - Based on the Dan Brown novel, Robert Langdon wakes up in the hospital in Italy with an apparent gunshot wound that grazed his head. Trying to make sense of things, he discovers that a billionaire transhumanist created a virus that could wipe out humanity. He must find all the clues to find the location of the virus bomb before it explodes.
- November 2016
- Bad Teacher (2011) - Cameron Diaz is a bad teacher. It's like Bad Santa, but a teacher and a semi-relevant plot. Also stars Justin Timberlake after they were already broken up.
- Doctor Strange - The latest Marvel movie to date. Doctor Strange focus on the magical/mystical aspect of the Marvel universe. First we knew of people with superpowers. Then there were machine-enhanced humans. Then we have mutates/mutants. Then we have aliens and gods. Now they show the magical side of Marvel.
- Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011) - I have not finished this movie. I fell asleep when it came on Adult Swim.
- Calendar Girls (2003) - middle aged women in England decided to pose naked in a calendar for a cancer benefit.
- Up Close and Personal (1996) - Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. An oldie, but a goodie.
- Arrival - The best sci-fi movie this year. Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner investigate a mysterious pod with aliens in them who touched down on earth. There are twelve of them around the world.
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - We're finally back in the world of Harry Potter. This time, the story takes place in America in 1926. Newt Scamander has not published his book yet. Something is killing wizards and nomaj (non-magic people).
- The Divergent Series: Allegiant - This movie is so different from the last two movies in the franchise. I think the fans just gave up. Also, there's supposed to be a 4th movie and they're planning to turn it into a series.
- Straight Outta Compton (2015) - The story on how Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube started NWA, their struggles, their right and wrong choices, and what they are now.
- December 2016
- Moana - Disney's 2nd attempt, after Lilo & Stitch, of showcasing Polynesian heritage and what they've learned in their studies. Great soundtrack from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - This is the prequel that needed to be told, which jumpstarted the events in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
- Midnight Special - It's an homage to Spielberg movies. A man, his friend, and his son is on the run from a cult and the government who wants to experiment on his son. His son has powers.
- Self/Less (2015) - Ben Kingsley is a dying rich man who undergoes an experimental procedure to place his mind on a younger Ryan Reynolds body so he can live forever. Only problem is Ryan Reynolds' body is not a test tube body and is actually from a real person and he starts remembering past events.
- Passenger - Chris Pratt wakes up 90 years too early on the ship's journey to a new colony planet. Jennifer Lawrence wakes up as well and they're the only two people awake in the ship. Hilarity ensues.
- Assassin's Creed - Based on the successful Ubisoft franchise with great storytelling, this movie is none of those. Bland static characters that you can't get attached to. Worst movie I've seen this year even though I like the videogame series.
- The Late Bloomer - I needed a palate cleanser after Assassin's Creed. Netflix to the rescue. It's about a therapist who finds out he has a brain tumor that's nesting near the pituitary gland, which preventive him from going through puberty. After surgery, he's goes through puberty at an accelerated speed. Stuff happens.
