04 February
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MOONFALL Director: Roland EmmerichStarring: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry, John Bradley, Charlie Plummer, Michael Peña, Donald Sutherland Roland Emmerich has become synonymous with disaster flicks like Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012, and yet, some feel like an actual disaster like his new film Moonfall. Expectations going into a movie like this are key. You’ll want to grab your big bucket of popcorn and leave all realism at the door. Moonfall stars Patrick Wilson as Brian Harper. He’s a disgraced former NASA astronaut whose been blamed for the accidental death of another astronaut while doing a satellite repair mission. That scene kicks off theRead More →

04 July
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ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Director: Peyton Reed Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Hannah John-Kamen, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, David Dastmalchian, T.I., Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer If you’re up to date on your Marvel Cinematic Universe, you may remember the topical and powerful nature of Black Panther and the serious, and somewhat depressing, nature of Avengers: Infinity War. We still don’t know who lived and died in that film. Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige has lightened things up for their third film in 2018. One of the notable heroes missing from Infinity War was Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man. We last saw him inRead More →

08 March
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A WRINKLE IN TIME Director: Ava DuVernay Starring: Storm Reid, Deric McCabe, Levi Miller, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Pine, Michael Peña, André Holland Readers have cherished “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeline L’Engle for decades since its release in 1962. It was groundbreaking at the time for attempting a sci-fi, fantasy story for young readers much like we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years with the increased attention to the YA formula. It’s now been given the big screen treatment thanks to Disney and Selma director Ava DuVernay. Fourteen-year-old Meg (Reid) and her younger brother Charles Wallace (McCabe)Read More →

18 January
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12 STRONG Director: Nicolai Fuglsig Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Austin Stowell, William Fichtner, Rob Riggle Chris Hemsworth has proven with a variety of comedic roles that he can successfully transition out of his work as Thor into other genres and stories. The catch is that he needs a good enough script to give him something to work with to differentiate himself from the beefcake image we associate with Thor. 12 Strong doesn’t live up to the challenge. It’s based on a true story following the tragic events of 9/11. Hemsworth plays Captain Mitch Nelson who has just movedRead More →

15 December
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COLLATERAL BEAUTY Director: David Frankel Starring: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Peña, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Jacob Latimore, Naomie Harris, Ann Dowd Sometimes you need those movies that are a little bit schmaltzy to put you in just the right mood for Christmas. It can be a hard time for people who have lost a loved one whether it’s a child, parent, or significant other. This film is for that audience. You could consider Collateral Beauty a Christmas movie as the whole thing is set at that time, yet the script doesn’t directly refer to the holiday as much as you would expect.Read More →

06 October
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THE MARTIAN Director: Ridley Scott Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastian, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Askel Hennie, Donald Glover, Kristen Wiig Last year, Jessica Chastain and Matt Damon starred in the science fiction epic Interstellar. They didn’t share any scenes together, but now they are back to familiar territory in The Martian playing Melissa Lewis and Mark Watley, two members of a space team stationed on Mars. Their crew, comprised of Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, and Askel Hennie, is caught in the middle of a huge sandstorm. Watley is struck by debris when he attempts to board theRead More →

17 July
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ANT-MAN Director: Peyton Reed Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Michael Peña, David Dastmalchian, Tip “T.I.” Harris It’s time for another Marvel movie, thus concluding Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You may have thought that Avengers: Age of Ultron would have been the conclusion, but they’ve snuck this little guy in there and tied him into the story lines of what came before in terms of the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D, and Hydra. Scott Lang (Rudd) is seen enjoying his last few hours in prison by getting a goodbye ritual. He is looking forward to getting his lifeRead More →

17 October
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FURY Writer/Director: David Ayer Starring: Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal, Jim Parrack, Jason Isaacs It’s easy to think of Brad Pitt as your average A-list movie star. I have always been on the Pitt train as he continually produces and stars in exceptional films. Many of them recently have gone on toward Best Picture nominations like 12 Years a Slave, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, Inglourious Basterds to name a few. I have a feeling Fury will be another hit for him. He plays Wardaddy, a forceful and dutiful American soldier that leads a team of four other men inRead More →

03 January
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AMERICAN HUSTLE Director: David O. Russell Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Peña, Robert DeNiro Sometimes it is the most random choices and tidbits that catch my eye that lead me to believe I will really love the movie. The use of the vintage Columbia Pictures studio logo and the phrase “Some of this actually happened” hit just the right spot even though I am sure most people will gloss right over them. I do not know too many folks that take an interest in studio logos. While Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) runs a chain ofRead More →

04 June
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END OF WATCH (2012) Writer/Director: David Ayer Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera, Cody Horn South Central Los Angeles seems to be as rough as you can get. It takes a certain type of police officer that would want to assign themselves to that area. Knowing that you are putting your life on the line with every phone call into 911 is heroic to say the least. Every day they are faced with guns and rifles pointing back at them with every house call they respond to. Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Peña) are partners in the LAPD. They have aRead More →