X-Men: Apocalypse, The Nice Guys, Neighbors 2, High-Rise Reviews

X-Men Apocalypse
Dir. Bryan Singer
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Counting all the spin-offs, Apocalypse is the ninth entry in the X-Men franchise. At the turn of the new millennium, the original X-Men pretty much changed the game for superhero movies; at a time when Batman and Robin's ice puns were still seared into the public consciousness, Bryan Singer and Co. literally began a comic book film in a concentration camp. Superhero movies were officially ready to be taken seriously. With no bat-butt zoom-ins to be found. Since then, for the last 16 years we've seen the superhero genre balloon into a behemoth that's pretty much taken over the box office, and throughout that time the X-Men franchise has seen its highs (X2, First Class) and abysmal lows (Origins: Wolverine, The Last Stand). In my opinion, X-Men Apocalypse is pretty middle-of-the-road for the series, not the best and not the worst, and has enough fun moments "for the fans" that it's worth catching on the big screen.

Captain America: Civil War, Eye in the Sky, Money Monster, Miles Ahead Reviews

Captain America: Civil War

Dir. Joe & Anthony Russo

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Only a couple months ago we saw a blockbuster comic book film that presented a central conflict between two superheroes, being manipulated by an outside evil force, while examining the philosophy and repercussions of the civilian casualties caused by the heroes' big battles and also setting up future movies in a mega-budget franchise. I'm of course talking about DC's Batman v Superman, and it's crazy to think how similar in structure Civil War is...and how much better it pulls off the same ideas.

Summer 2016 Box Office Predictions

While technically the movie "summer season" has already started, I'm still going to post my annual box office predictions, albeit a little late on arrival. Basically, I attempt to guess which blockbusters will rake in the most American coin; I don't do worldwide intake because movies are released at different times in different countries. The rules reward accuracy more than getting the exact right movies, so it's not enough to get the Top Ten, my goal is to get the Top Ten in the right order. This year was particularly difficult because there's not nearly as many sure-fire hits as last year, and it's anybody's guess as to how the season will play out! Below is the points system, if you want to play along and attempt to beat my "score" at the end of August:

Keanu, Midnight Special, Green Room, Everybody Wants Some!! Reviews

Keanu

Dir. Peter Atencio

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Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, known for their Peabody Award-winning sketch comedy show, Key & Peele, are sort of the hot thing in comedy right now. And like their fellow Comedy Central star Amy Schumer recently did with Trainwreck, Keanu is the first time the duo dip their toes into the pool of feature filmmaking. The story follows a slacker, Rell (Peele), who shortly after being dumped by his girlfriend finds happiness once again when an adorable kitten, Keanu, shows up on his doorstep. The two form an impenetrable bond, with Rell even making painstakingly intricate photoshoots of famous movie scenes with Keanu in them. But one night while he's away, a thief ransacks his apartment and takes his cat friend with him. Rell recruits his cousin Clarence (Key) to help him, and they soon find out a thug named Cheddar (Method Man) has his pet, and will only give it back if they agree to work for him. The problem: Rell and Clarence are possibly the least "gangster" people imaginable. Instead of N.W.A., Clarence's playlist is filled with George Michael.