Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

PG-13
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Samantha Morton and Jon Voight.
Running Time: 2 Hours and 20 Minutes

Some of you might be surprised to find out that this is actually a prequel to the ever so infamous
 "Harry Potter" series by famed author J. K. Rowling.
This story takes place seventy years before young Harry Potter reads about the amazing adventures of
Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) who is a Magiczoologist. Newt is transported along with Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) an aspiring baker and they find themselves in the middle of a secret community of wizards and witches in New York.
Young Newt always carries with him a very prized briefcase full of his very, very special magical creatures that have escaped from him. He gets help from Jacob Kowalski, Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), and Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol) to help him locate them. While searching for them, they come across MACUSA, the Magical Congress of the United States, which just happens to have the same significance as Britain's Ministry of Magic.
The MACUSA believe that magical creatures endanger the Statute of Secrecy. Therefore, Newt is seen as a criminal to MACUSA.
Without divulging to much of the intriguing plot, there is not a definitive villain in this movie like Voldemort in The "Harry Potter" series. But, there is a twist in the plot at the very end that I certainly did not expect or see coming.
I found this movie to be interesting, intriguing and very enjoyable. There were a lot of fun characters, I especially got a kick out of Jacob Kowalski and the beasts were most definitely "fantastic"!
The Computer generated images were honestly off of the chart! The special effects were second to none. It was a great escape movie and totally entertaining.
Parents be  advised: This movie is rated PG-13. There were some dark and scary parts to this movie. As usual in these J. K. Rowling movies, there is magic and some intimidating dark magic. I think children over the age of ten will be fine with this story, especially if they are familiar with the "Harry Potter" movies and I think they will be wishing for even more movies to follow.
With that being said, "Fantastic Beasts 2" is rumored to be set in the city of love...Paris and set to be released on November 16, 2018, (only two years away)!
I am giving "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them" three and a half bags of popcorn.

Dr. Strange

PG-13
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong and Mads Mikkelsen
Running Time: 1 Hour and 55 Minutes

I had no idea what to expect to from this movie not being familiar with this character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This is the story of Dr. Stephen Strange a world-renown Neurosurgeon with an impeccable reputation! He is sought after throughout the world for his incredible ability. He also has a somewhat love interest with a nurse who assists him with his surgeries, Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams).
 He is loving his jet-set life and the fruits of his hard earned labor when he gets into a terrible car wreck and his hands are severely injured! He feels hopeless becomes extremely discouraged.
Christine is devastated when she hears of his tragic accident. She does all she can do to help him, she tries to keep him upbeat and positive about himself.
His world is turned upside down and he is desperate to find some way to get any kind of help he can.
When he hears about a man, Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt) with a similar physical circumstance, he hunts him down to see how he had miraculously been cured. Pangborn refers him to a person in Nepal.
When he arrives in Nepal, he has to find this person and try and convince them to help him!
This person is "The Ancient One", (Tilda Swinton) who has the secrets of an undercover world of alternate dimensions. He has to learn to develop these so-called secrets to develop his own powers to encounter and defeat the evil and very destructive Kaecilius (Mads Mikkeksen).
Dr. Strange becomes very adapt at his powers and he also inherits a red cloak with magic powers all of its own.
I really enjoyed this movie! It has a bit of a "Harry Potter" feel to me as well.
The CGI was totally off the charts! The graphics were simply astounding! It was a total feast for the senses! It was unlike anything I have ever seen before.
I would definitely recommend this movie. The combination of Cumberbatch and the special effects are just the best!
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13. I would recommend this for children over the age of ten. There is some pretty incredible CGI violence combined with the evil Kaecilius that might be intimidating for the young ones.
I am giving "Dr. Strange" four bags of popcorn.

Keeping Up with the Joneses

PG-13
Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot
Running Time: 1 Hour and 41 Minutes

Take a regular suburban couple just living their  traditional lives and interject an international espionage "super-couple" who just happen to move in right next door to them and all chaos breaks out.
Jeff Gaffney (Zach Galifiianakis) works as a human resources officer in an aeronautics firm. His wife Karen (Isla Fisher) is an interior designer and they have two sons that they had sent away to summer camp when the Joneses move in. Karen notices things happening that don't seem to be adding up in her opinion. Jeff just thinks she is making too big of a deal out of it all and she is feeling uneasy with the kids gone.
When the Joneses, Tim (Jon Hamm) and Natalie (Gal Gadot) come over and introduce themselves, they give the Gaffney's a gift. It is a sculpture that just happens to have a bug planted into it.
 Jeff invites them over to the big neighborhood summer party "Junetoberfest" to get acquainted with everyone. When the Joneses show up at the party, they are the talk of the town! Natalie swoons all the men with her stunning beauty and her dart throwing accuracy and Tim gets inside the Gaffney's home to search for information about Jeff's work.
One thing after another starts to add up and Karen finally convinces Jeff that things are not as they appear to be. When they get caught in the middle of a bad situation, the Joneses just happen to be there to save them and things really take off from there.
This movie is a comedy and it really was a lot of fun. They have been advertising it on TV as a diversion to all of the seriousness of the nation and the election at hand. There were so many fun and just downright silly scenes that you couldn't help but laugh. If you do need a lift and an escape from all of the election craziness, this movie will fill that bill.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13, this is not a movie for children. I wouldn't allow children under the age of fourteen. There is discussion of sex, partial nudity, lingerie, and adult themes. There is also violence, language, plus the infamous F-bomb is dropped once.
I am giving "Keeping Up with the Joneses" two and a half bags of popcorn.

Pete's Dragon

PG

Starring: Robert Redford, Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, and Karl Urban
Running Time: 1 Hour and 42 Minutes

To be completely honest, I was not a fan of Disney's 1977 original movie "Pete's Dragon".
That was the movie starring Helen Reddy and I did not enjoy it at all, so I was very skeptical about how this new version was going to play out.
I was actually pleasantly surprised. This was a sweet and sentimental movie with a magical touch.
This story takes place in New Zealand where young Pete (Oakes Fegley)  has been orphaned since he was five years old. He survives by living in the forest where a giant dragon named Elliot befriends him and takes him under his wing. The two of them form a unique and loving bond living in a very isolated area.
There is a legend among the local townspeople of a very large and mythical dragon who lives in the forest! A man named Meacham (Robert Redford) claims to have actually seen the dragon in the forest. All of the people are reluctant to believe his story.
When the local loggers start to cut away at the forest, Pete and Elliot encounter humans for the first time. When Pete is discovered by a woman named Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her boyfriends daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence), they take the bedraggled young boy into town with them where they try to figure out who he is. They discover that he is the lone survivor of a car wreck where both of his parent's were killed six years ago. They take Pete to the hospital for an evaluation where he escapes and they set out to try and find him.
I enjoyed this movie and found the magical relationship between Pete and Elliot the dragon to be heartwarming and touching. This is a great movie about imagination, determination and love.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG. There a a couple of scenes that might be difficult for young children to see, especially if they have pets and love animals. I think children over the age of seven are are appropriate to see this movie.
I am giving "Pete's Dragon" three bags of popcorn.

Jason Bourne

PG-13
Starring: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Julia Stiles, Vincent Cassel, Riz Ahmed and Ato Essandoh
Running Time: 2 Hours and 3 Minutes

I can say that when you go to see one of the movies in the Bourne franchise, you know exactly what your going to get. Well, this movie is right up there with the best of them, number five to be exact. Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne and thrown right back into all of the action he is so famous for.
You find Bourne trying to make a go of it by engaging in underground prizefighting to make a living.
When Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) locates him and seeks him out, protests and anarchy just happen to be taking place all around them and all chaos breaks out!
It has been about a decade since Bourne went into hiding and disappeared, life has changed dramatically since then in the world of technology. Now that he has been located, they, (the CIA) can follow him anywhere in the world with just a computer keystroke! When he is detected by a sharp young CIA operative and computer whiz, Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) in what appears to be a CIA  data/information center, she is instructed by the agency director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones), a tough as nails old geezer, to not lose contact with him. Dewey has hired an evil and heartless hitman called "the Asset" (Vincent Cassel) to take Bourne out.
Bourne is dealing with flashbacks that become more frequent and finally lead him to figure out the death of his father and who is responsible for it!
 This movie also involves a young up and coming mega computer genius, Aaron Kalloor
 (Riz Ahmed), a Mark Zuckerberg type character who owns a billion dollar company called, Deep Dream that just happens to be involved with Robert Dewey!
This movie definitely contains a fair amount of twists and turns and some major action sequences as well. I enjoyed the different locations that the movie took place in; Athens, Greece (it was actually Tenerife which is located in the Canary Islands) London, Berlin, Washington D. C. and then there's Vegas!!! Good old Vegas, that was quite a car chasing scene that took place on the strip and locations that most Utahn's are so familiar with.
I felt like this movie had a lot of issues which are so relevant and realistic to the times we live in now!
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13, and it is a hard PG-13. The action scenes are fast and furious with some pretty tough violent scenes that can be hard to watch. There was some profanity but not a great deal of it. I couldn't make out if there was an F-bomb, but I don't believe there was. I would not recommend this for children under the age of 13.
I am giving "Jason Bourne" three bags of popcorn.

Ghostbusters

PG-13
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Andy Garcia and Neil Casey
Brief Cameo appearances by: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver
Running Time: 1 Hour and 48 Minutes

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I attended the screening for this movie. I definitely was not impressed that they had turned the entire Ghostbusting team upside down, I felt that, that much of a change was going to destroy the whole concept of the original 1984 "Ghostbusters" which I loved!
Much to my dismay, it worked! I mean, it really did work and I ended up being very impressed with the new female characters and the women who played them.
I was drawn in so quickly and the movie held my interest the entire way through it.
When New York City finds itself being haunted with apparitions and unusual goings on, two young women, Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) and Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) decide to start a company dedicated to finding and capturing these detestable creatures.
Abby had formerly written a book with Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) who is currently seeking tenure in her profession and wants nothing to do with Abby and the study of Ghosts. They argue over who has the rights to the book. Erin is afraid if her superiors find out about her past with the paranormal, it will destroy any chance she has for an advancement in her career. But when Abby insists Erin goes with them to an old mansion which is believed to be haunted, she reluctantly goes and they encounter a dreadful apparition.
The encounters become more frequent and more intense as well. A new character, Rowan North (Neil Casey) is a very strange type of human who you just know is going to end up being an evil creeper.
Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) works for the NYC Subway system and is drawn into the fabulous Ghostbusting team when another apparition appears to them all while down in the dirty and disgusting subway.
The women form a team of four and hire Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) to be their receptionist even though he has very little skills of any sort.
When word gets out that Ghosts have been haunting New York, the Mayor (Andy Garcia) wants to eradicate the rumors and have the Ghostbusting team labeled as frauds.
All chaos breaks out and the Ghostbusters come to save the day!
There were brief cameo appearances by the original Ghostbusters except for Harold Ramis, who sadly passed away in 2014.
Be sure and stick around for a bonus scene after the credits too.
I actually thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I really had my doubts that they could resurrect this franchise and make it worthwhile. The audience reaction was very positive too. Every time one of the original characters surfaced, they went wild!
This truly is a very fun movie. It has substance and humor. It is just a movie that will let you escape reality for a short time.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13. There is a fair amount of profanity but no F-bombs.
 It also has some very intense moments that can be intimidating and frightening, The apparitions are scary and realistic. I would not recommend this movie for children under ten years old.
I am giving "Ghostbusters", three and a half bags of popcorn.

The Secret Life of Pets

PG
Starring the voices of:  Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Chris Renaud, Steve Coogan and Michael Beattie
Running Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

If you feel the need for a reprieve after all of the grim news lately, this little movie is your answer.
I admit that I did have very high expectations for this movie, and I was a little disappointed.
But overall, I found it to be a sweet and fun little popcorn movie.
As the title "The Secret Life of Pets" implies, this movie is about little Max (Louis C. K.) a darling and very happy and content little terrier that lives alone with his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) in New York City. It focuses on his life and what happens to him after Katie leaves everyday for work.
 He has a network of other animal pals in his apartment building that collaborate together to get through the doom and gloom of life after their owners all abandon them for work everyday!
One day Katie brings home a great surprise for Max... another dog! A very large and messy dog named Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Well, Max is not happy about this at all! In fact he is angry!!!
Max and Duke are very different and Max is determined to get Duke in trouble.
The two of them set out on an interesting journey where they encounter many obstacles and unusual animals where it gets a little scary for them. They encounter fire escapes, roads, sewers, animal control and a tough little bunny named Snowball (Kevin Hart) who is anti-human because of the way he and his buddies have been treated by them.
Max's friends back at the apartment building notice he is missing and Gidget (Jenny Slate) a pup who is sweet on Max form a team to set out and find him to bring him safely home.
The graphics and coloring were incredible in this movie.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG. There are some scenes where the animals are running from danger, a deadly snake scene plus the story of Duke's treatment from his former owners is hard to hear too.
I am giving "The Secret Life of Pets" three bags of popcorn.