Alice Through The Looking Glass

PG
Starring: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska,
 Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and
Sacha Baron Cohen
Running Time: 1 Hour and 53 Minutes

This a sequel to the original 2010 movie and blockbuster "Alice In Wonderland" which took in over a billion dollars!
Alice (Mia Wasikowska) finds herself as captain of her fathers large ship on very troubled waters. Needing to return home safely to England after a long voyage she finds The Lord of England, Hamish Ascot (Leo Bill) (who had asked for her hand in marriage in the previous movie, which she declined) trying to take advantage of her mother Helen Kingsleigh (Lindsay Duncan). He is trying every way he can to unethically acquire their property. When Alice angrily confronts him and finds herself in a very awkward situation, she flees and that is when she escapes through the looking glass.
She finds herself back in Wonderland complete with all of the former characters enjoying their extravagant tea party, The White Queen/Mirana (Anne Hathaway), The Red Queen/Iracebeth (Helena Bonham Carter), and the voices of Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas), Absolem/Blue Caterpillar (the late Alan Rickman), Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) and McTwisp/The White Rabbit).
They inform her that The Mad Hatter/Tarrant Hightopp (Johnny Depp) is very sad and melancholy. When she visits him she finds him depressed and withdrawn. His family is dead and he blames himself. She tries desperately to console him with no avail. He begs her to bring his family back, the only way she can do that is to go back in time and acquire the chronosphere.
The chronosphere is the most cherished, revered and paramount piece of equipment in all the land.
It controls time and life itself! Just one small problem, the chronosphere is housed in a very large, dark and complex building. It is controlled by the the evil villain Time (Sacha Baron Cohen). Time's life is not only controlled by the chronosphere, but hangs in the balance by it!
Alice's mission is to find and remove the chronosphere to save and restore Hatter's family.
While in the big black building, all pandemonium breaks loose. Alice is under siege by all kinds of commotion and many different forces are against her.
I was very entertained by this movie and pleasantly surprised. It really held my interest and it was an amazing visual experience! The animation and the graphics were absolutely stunning. This movie is a feast for the senses.
Another aspect of this movie that I enjoyed was the story behind the two queens. The White Queen and The Red Queen and how their stories came to be.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG. It contains some intense and dark scenes.Some strange and unusual characters but also some cute and charming characters as well. There was no profanity.
I would recommend children over the age of six for this movie.
I am giving "Alice Through The Looking Glass" three bags of popcorn.

Captain America: Civil War

PG-13
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Daniel Bruhl, William Hurt, Frank Grillo and Marisa Tomei
Running Time: 2 Hours and 27 Minutes

If you are a Marvel Comics fan...this movie will truly blow you away!  This is the mother of all of The Marvel movies combined. This is the one that the Marvel fans have been waiting for.
A Super-hero smackdown! I found this movie to be incredible from an emotional standpoint, an action standpoint and a comedic standpoint. "Winter Soldier" stood as the movie that most fans had declared as their favorite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I am willing to say that this will now be the ultimate treasure of them all! That is a tall order when you are accompanied by the Marvel giants "Guardians of the Galaxy", Iron Man 1 and 2, "The Avengers" and "The Avengers:Age of Ultron" and so on.
After another super-hero save that caused an unfortunate amount of collateral damage, the super-heroes have been put on alert! No more intervening or fear of reprisal will be waiting. Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) believes that superheroes should be free to govern themselves where Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) feels that they need to follow the laws of the land and respect them. They have a difference of opinion where an all out brawl ensues and the Civil War begins! The other super-heroes, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff  (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) find themselves choosing sides. Two new heroes are added to the mix,
 Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) was a great new addition to the heroes family and Spiderman/Peter Parker (Tom Holland) was a great and fun fit as well. There is an absolutely epic action scene that lasts about seventeen minutes that will knock your socks off!
Overall, this movie is very entertaining and is worth the ticket price to see it, I personally, really enjoyed this movie.
Parents be advised: This is a PG-13 rated movie. There is a lot of super-hero action violence with blood and injuries. Plus the emotional upheaval that takes place is sad to watch but the comedy is a lot of fun, so it balances itself out. There is also a small amount of profanity but nothing too significant.
I am giving "Captain America: Civil War" four bags of popcorn.

Mother's Day

PG-13
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, Jason Sudeikis, Sarah Chalke, Britt Robertson, Timothy Olyphant, Jack Whitehall and Aasif Mandvi
Running Time: 1 Hour and 58 Minutes

Okay, so this is undoubtedly a so-called "chick flick". I really feel that women are going to enjoy and relate to this movie more than our male counterparts. These movies that involve several different stories in one are quite popular with the female genre. I was really looking forward to this movie,
I found myself completely involved and enjoying every minute of it even though it was a little edgy!
Jennifer Aniston stars as Sandy, a recently divorced mother of two young boys trying to come to terms with her new situation as her ex-husband Henry (Timothy Olyphant) had already moved forward with his life.
Kate Hudson stars as Jesse, a young woman trying to live her life apart from her prying and disapproving parents. She felt the need to suppress the news of her marriage to Russell (Aasif Mandvi) and the birth of her child from them.
Julia Roberts stars as Miranda, a home-shopping superstar! A very famous and beloved TV personality who is actually very lonely.
Britt Robertson stars as Kristin, a single mother with a British boyfriend Zack (Jack Whitehall) the father to her child who is just dying to marry her and make their little family complete. She is struggling with her situation because she was adopted and she really wants to find her birth-mother.
Jason Sudeikis stars as Bradley, a newly widowed father grief stricken over the loss of his wife and father to two teenage girls trying to find his way through his new reality.
There was also some really fun comedy with Jesse's parents, Flo (Margo Martindale) and Earl (Robert Pine) that added some humor to the story-line too. All of these lives were intertwined and and they were all embarking on celebrating Mother's Day, each in their own unique way.
There is a lot going on in this movie, but it works. I spoke with several women after the movie was over and they all said they loved it! I found myself being lifted-up and then being a little let down and  then being lifted up again and wishing things would happen sooner. Go and see this movie with the important women in your life, there are many tender moments that were very touching.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and I was still wanting more when it was over.
Parents be advised: This is a PG-13 rated movie. It contains real-life stories and more adult themed content. One of the relationships involves a Lesbian couple. The F-bomb is dropped and there is some other mild profanity. This movie is definitely edgy! I would only recommend this movie for children over the age of 13.
I am giving "Mother's Day" two and a half bags of popcorn.

Jungle Book

PG
Starring: Neel Sethi and the voices of: Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito and Christopher Walken
Running Time: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes

Adapted from the Rudyard Kipling classic, "The Jungle Book", this  Disney movie was spectacular and visually stunning. The storyline is very similar to the original 1967 Disney classic but with Mowgli portrayed by a real human boy (Neel Seethi) and all of the animals were computer generated images that were absolutely incredible and extremely life-like!
The scenery virtually transports you to the jungle and you genuinely feel like you are right there along with Mowgli.
Mowgli was separated from his father as an infant during a fire and Shere Khan (Idris Elba) the very evil and conniving tiger killed his father and made it his life's mission to find and capture the
man-cub Mowgli.
He tries desperately to hunt the young child but Mowgli was taken in by the wolf-pack, the sweet mother Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o) who loves him like one of her own Cubs and the alpha-male Akela (Giancarlo Esposito).
Mowgli also encounters the kind and noble Bagheera (Ben Kigsley) who befriends and protects him. Mowgli being an inquisitive young boy always finds himself in dangerous situations! He is lured deep into the forest where he is surprised by Kaa (Scarlett Johannson) the sultry and mesmerizing gigantic Indian Python snake whose underlying motive is nothing less than to enjoy devouring every inch of Mowgli!
He is fortunate to stumble upon the always comedic and lovable bear Baloo (Bill Murray) who seeks him out to retrieve honey for him and they form an enduring bond. That brings us to the monkey encounter! Mowgli is approached by monkeys, many, many monkeys! They take him against his will to the temple and bring him before their King, King Louie (Christopher Walken) the enormously  monstrous orangutan who has summoned Mowgli for his human ability to start fire also known in the jungle as "red flower". Fortunately for Mowgli, Bagheera and Baloo have teamed up to help rescue him from the very persistent King Louie!
BYU film school graduate Brigham Taylor helped produce this version of "The Jungle Book".
 I found this movie to be as touching as it was beautiful! I thoroughly enjoyed this portrayal of the classic story.
Parents be advised: this movie is rated PG. I honestly think it could have been rated PG-13 because it was very dark in spots and extremely serious as well. These encounters of young Mowgli were life and death situations! The tiger Shere Khan, the Python Kaa and King Louie were very scary and intimidating characters. I think children ages 10 and over will be fine with this movie. Below that age the children might be frightened.
I am giving "The Jungle Book" four bags of popcorn.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

PG-13
Starring: Nia Vardolas, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, Elena Lampouris, Alex Wolff, Louis Mandylor,  Bess Meisler, Rita Wilson and John Stamos
Running Time:1 Hour and 34 Minutes

This movie takes you right back to 2002 in Chicago with the always entertaining Portokalos family.
This time around, Toula (Nia Vardalos) is the wife of Ian (John Corbett) and the mother to her seventeen year old daughter and only child Paris (Elena Kampouris).
Toula is embarking on a new phase of her life as her daughter Paris is about to graduate from high school and head off to college. Toula feels threatened by her new found empty nest status, as she was always a hands-on mother, loving and protecting her darling daughter Paris to the best of her ability. She is still working at the family restaurant, Dancing Zorba's.
Her husband Ian is the principle of the high school where Paris attends and also enjoys his close association with his daughter as well. The two of them are coming to terms with Paris leaving and trying to re-establish the romance in their relationship.
Her family is all back and reprising their original roles. Her father Gus (Michael Constantine) is still the heralded patriarch of the family complete with an ever present bottle of Windex to save the day. Her mother Maria (Lainie Kazan) is also back with her own ideas and an independent attitude.
The Portokalos' extended family is always involved in every aspect of each others lives. If there is an event taking place, the entire gang shows up. Gus is still busy trying his best to convince everyone that they are all decendant's of Greek heritage one way or another. While working on his family ancestry he discovers that the priest had not signed his name on he and his wife Maria's wedding license and all chaos ensues!
I really enjoyed this sequel and found it to be funny and uplifting while also somewhat sentimental.
It was a lot of fun to see all of the original characters, I am really happy that they brought it back before they had lost anyone. It was also fun to see how some of them had aged and some still looked exactly the same. If you got a kick out of the original movie, I think you will enjoy this one as well. Parents be advised: There really was nothing objectionable in this movie. One scene where Toula and Ian were trying to reenact their courting days in their car kissing and her parents and daughter found them and they were very embarrassed. I don't remember any profanity whatsoever. This movie is rated PG-13, but I feel it would be appropriate for children ages ten and over just because I think young children would get bored.
I am giving "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" three bags of popcorn.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

PG-13
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot
Running Time: 2 Hours and 31 Minutes

An interesting side note, at the critics screening earlier this week, the Director, Zack Snyder gave us a video warning not to release any spoilers via facebook or twitter before the movie is released to the general public. In all of the years that I have been screening movies, I have never experienced a warning from a director, very unusual.
This movie begins and ends the very same. In-between it is very dark and sinister. I was really excited to see Ben Affleck as "The Batman", he did a good job but I feel like he was a little stronger starring as Bruce Wayne. He is a very torn soul with a lot of anger and rage.
Henry Cavill stars once again as Superman and it takes right off from there following its predecessor, the earlier movie "Man Of Steel". Superman is trying desperately to redeem himself after all of the carnage he caused in the city of Metropolis.
 Batman is worried and concerned that Superman has become too powerful and will do whatever he wants to with no accountability to anyone or anything.
Since being restricted, I do not want to give away any spoilers. Amy Adams reprised her role as Lois Lane, Jesse Eisenberg stars as Lex Luther, he was a psychotic and chaotic character! A very unpredictable human with a cruel and unusual agenda!
 The new kid on the block was the up and coming "Wonder Woman" (Gal Gadot), she did a great job but didn't come into the movie until almost the very end.
I just felt like there was so much action and violence that is was very confusing and I came away feeling very conflicted. It was very dark and dismal with a lot of clang and bang, it was not the super-hero showdown that I was anticipating. I was sadly disappointed.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13. This is a hard PG-13! So much darkness, violence, anger, rage, and hostility. There is also a very chilling monster/hulkish character called
"Doomsday" that is very intimidating. There was quite a bit of profanity in this movie too, no F-bombs but plenty of other words. I think children ages 13 and over will be okay with this movie, but the younger ones should stay home.
I am giving "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", two and a half bags of popcorn.

Eddie the Eagle

 Pg-13
Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Jo Hartley, Tom Costello and Jack Costello
Running Time: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes

This movie is based on a true story that took place in 1988. It is about a young man in England, Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) who has dreams and aspirations of becoming an Olympic athlete. He is completely determined and won't stop at anything to achieve his dream. He is surrounded by doubters and naysayers, but he still presses forward. He really didn't care which venue to compete in, he just really wanted to be in the Olympic games. He tried to qualify for downhill ski racing and did not qualify. He found a loophole in the English Olympic rules and decided to try to become a ski jumper, England had not had a ski jumper since the 1920's. Bear in mind, most elite Olympic ski jumper's begin to train around the age of 5 or 6 and Eddie was in his early twenties. His father was not at all happy about his son pursuing the Olympics! He wanted Eddie to help him work in the family plastering business. Eddie just wouldn't give up and headed off to Germany to try and qualify. While there he met a snow plow driver and a borderline alcoholic, Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) who just happened to be a former ski jumper. The two became great friends and Bronson helped to coach Eddie. They developed a very sweet and tender relationship, I really enjoyed the dynamics of their partnership.
I found this movie to be very refreshing and inspirational! It was motivating and touching at the same time. Helps you to believe in dreams again and it was really nice to see this kind of a movie back in the theaters after so many dystopian and depressing movies. Helps you to believe in the Olympic spirit of the the games and glory of the competition. The audience really enjoyed this movie as well, it just made you want to stand up and cheer!
Parents be advised: I was a little surprised that it was getting a PG-13 rating, but Hugh Jackman caught me off guard when he quickly dropped "mother-f" and I really felt like it was completely out of place! He also told and described to Eddie how to make love to his dream celebrity (Bo Derek) in advising him on how to jump. That also was a little uncomfortable as well. Other than those two incidents, I absolutely loved the movie! I think children ages 10 and over will be okay with this movie.
I am giving "Eddie the Eagle" four bags of popcorn.