26 May
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X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Director: Bryan Singer Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Evan Peters, Oliva Munn, Rose Byrne, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp I thought it would be a slam-dunk no-brainer that the casting of Oscar Isaac in the latest and final film in the new X-Men trilogy would make it the best one yet. I now realize I was reaching a bit due to my love of the actor. In case you’re unfamiliar, he played the heroic Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the title character in Inside Llewyn Davis. Now he’s playing theRead More →

23 May
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NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING Director: Nicholas Stoller Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Selena Gomez, Chloë Grace Moretz, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lisa Kudrow Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is that sequel that you didn’t really expect to happen after the first film ended. This film is proof it still isn’t necessary despite the huge box office draw of the first film. The last time we saw Kelly (Byrne) and Mac (Rogen) Radner they made peace with frat boy Teddy (Efron) and his clan of partygoers. Everyone seems to be moving on from their days of ruining each other’s lives. Teddy is at a crossroadsRead More →

12 December
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X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Director: Bryan Singer Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Munn, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tye Sheridan, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters In just a few days, we will be treated with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Before that movie starts, audiences will get a glimpse at the first trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse. This is the final film in the new trilogy that started with X-Men: First Class. The mutants we’ve come to know including: James McAvoy’s Professor X, Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique, and Michael Fassbender as Magneto are all back as well as some new mutants including Olivia Munn as Psyloche,Read More →

04 June
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SPY Writer/Director: Paul Feig Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney Let’s cut to the chase. Melissa McCarthy is one of the funniest actresses working today and is starring in one of the funniest movies of the year. In Spy, she plays CIA agent Susan Cooper who is quite content sitting behind her desk monitoring dangerous situations for field agent Bradley Fine (Law). She has a severe crush on him, as he is completely dashing and debonair like any spy should be. He has been working on a mission to track down the location of some nuclearRead More →

19 December
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ANNIE Director: Will Gluck Starring: Quvenzhané Wallis, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Tracie Thoms, Dorian Missick Many people grew up watching Annie whether it was on stage or the Carol Burnett movie from 1982. It has received a modern twist in the latest version of the classic musical. Annie (Wallis) is a foster girl from Harlem living with a group of other girls under the pseudo-strict guide of Miss Hannigan (Diaz). In this version, Miss Hannigan is a washed up pop singer who used to be a member of the ‘90s group C&C Music Factory. Annie is aRead More →

19 September
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THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU Director: Shawn Levy Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Dax Sheperd, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Abigail Spencer, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schwartz I must admit that I have a soft spot for these types of family ensemble stories. Two films in my top ten, American Beauty and The Ice Storm, both center on dysfunctional families. This is Where I Leave You takes a lighter approach than both of those films. It’s even lighter than last year’s August: Osage County, which has a similar premise. For Judd Altman (Bateman), when it rains it pours.Read More →

29 May
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THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU Director: Shawn Levy Starring: Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Rose Byrne, Dax Shepard, Timothy Olyphant, Debra Monk It’s become a joke with my parents that I love movies about dysfunctional families. As an actor, I’m always drawn to those types of large ensemble dramas as there are rich characters for the actors to play with. I was immediately drawn to This is Where I Leave You when I first saw the cast list and a publicity photo in Entertainment Weekly. Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver,Read More →

13 May
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NEIGHBORS Director: Nicholas Stoller Starring: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jerrod Carmichael, Lisa Kudrow Let me get this straight. Seth Rogen plays a pot smoking guy looking to reclaim his youth. Zac Efron plays a ridiculously chiseled college guy. These are some bold casting choices. Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) Radner have moved into a warm neighborhood with their new baby girl and are looking forward to the next stage of their lives. They see a young gay couple moving in down the block and think they have really found the right neighborhood for them. That joyous feeling comes toRead More →

06 March
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ANNIE Director: Will Gluck Starring: Quvenzhané Wallis, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Bobby Cannavale One of the movies I remember watching as a child was the 1982 film adaptation of the musical Annie. It starred Aileen Quinn as the red haired title character, Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks, the legendary Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan, plus Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters. Trepidation took over when it was announced that their would be a remake. There was already a television version a few years ago with Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan. You really can’t top the 1982 film version, so why are weRead More →

18 September
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INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2Director: James WanStarring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Steve Coulter, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson Director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell shocked horror fans with 2011’s Insidious, one of the best films of the genre in the last ten years. It was inevitable that a sequel would be green lit. Whannell and Wan got the whole cast back together for a deeper look into the Lambert family. Josh (Wilson) and Renai (Byrne) are relieved to have their son Dalton (Simpkins) back to normal after a mysterious spirit haunted him. The events of that evening have left their medium EliseRead More →