Al's Top Rated Films: 2015

Remarkably excellent modern-day western set in the snowy and gritty landscapes of 1870s Wyoming. Superb story which follows a bounty hunter who is transporting female prisoner and murderer Daisy Domergue to Red Rock to be hung and collect his reward, when he reluctantly picks up an infamous black bounty hunter and a former militiaman who claims to be the new sheriff of Red Rock. Due to extreme weather conditions, they have to stop at Minnie's Haberdashery until the blizzard blows over, and they find a mysterious group of guests with questionable motives as a thrilling and deadly story unfolds. This is Quentin Tarantino's 9th film he has directed, produced, and written. Being my favorite movie maker of all time, I'd have to say this is also his 9th classic film. The interaction and dialogue between the characters is so fantastic, I never want the movie to end. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen, and Walton Goggins all deliver superb performances—arguably the best of all their careers. I'd also have to say the roles from Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, and Bruce Dern were the best performances I've seen from any of them yet. Channing Tatum, Demián Bichir, James Parks, Dana Gourrier, and Zoë Bell all had excellent supporting roles. Not a single character is weak amongst the superb cast.

N.W.A is one of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time, and this film ended up being everything I had hoped it would be. Excellent direction from F. Gary Gray, a superb script, acting, great style and flair to the production, and one of the greatest soundtracks/scores of all time (R&B and Hip-Hop). Fantastic origin story about how these 5 promising young musicians formed the legendary hip-hop group in the gritty and turbulent streets of Compton, Los Angeles, California, circa 1987. The film did a great job mapping out their influence and revolutionary status in the game, as they face adversity, controversy, as well as their own egos and greed. O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube), Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre), Jason Mitchell (Eazy-E), Neil Brown Jr. (DJ Yella), and Aldis Hodge (MC Ren) all delivered excellent lead performances. Paul Giamatti (Jerry Heller), LaKeith Stanfield (Snoop), Marlon Yates Jr. (D.O.C.), R. Marcus Taylor (Suge Knight), Carra Patterson, Alexandra Shipp, and many others had great supporting roles. I'd love to see a sequel about the Aftermath story after seeing this hip-hop infused masterpiece.

Superb sci-fi adventure/drama from Ridley Scott set in 2035, and follows an astronaut that becomes stranded on Mars when he is presumed dead and left behind by his crew after a vicious storm forces them to evacuate. When NASA learns he is still alive, it's a race against time to rescue him before he runs out of food and supplies. Being an expert botanist and having a vast knowledge in many things, he's able to stretch his food and time as he aids NASA in their strategy to bring him home. Matt Damon delivers one of his all-time best lead performances. The isolation factor is similar to watching Tom Hanks in Cast Away. He was excellent, and held down almost all the screen time perfectly. Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Sean Bean, Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Mackenzie Davis, Nick Mohammed, and others had great supporting roles.

Fantastic boxing-inspired crime drama from Antoine Fuqua that follows the troubling life of the light-heavyweight boxing champion of the world when his wife is devastatingly shot and killed after a quarrel with a rival boxer. The altercation gets him banned from boxing for a year, as her death sends him into a vicious cycle of pain, depression, and sadly causes him to lose custody of their 10-year-old daughter to social services. When he gets motivated to get his life back on track, he seeks the help of veteran boxer to train him and compete in the most important match of his life. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers another very ambitious and superbly executed performance lead performances. He played his gritty role perfectly. Forest Whitaker also delivered one of his finest performances as trainer Tick Wills. Oona Laurence was a standout playing the daughter, as was Rachel McAdams. 50 Cent, Naomie Harris, Beau Knapp, Miguel Gomez, and others had great supporting roles.

Fantastic comedy/drama biopic from Adam McKay about the U.S. mortgage housing crisis of 2005, and a handful of sharp-witted investors who discovered how upside down and housing market was, and they decide to invest their money by banking on an economic downturn and market crash in 2006–2007. Incredibly interesting with tons of great humor throughout. Adam McKay handled all the direction (and much of the writing) perfectly for what could be a very depressing topic. The cast is amazing, and many deliver some of their finest performances. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Rafe Spall, Hamish Linklater, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Strong, John Magaro, Finn Wittrock, Jeffry Griffin, Tracy Letts, Vanessa Cloke, Stanley Wong, Marisa Tomei, Rajeev Jacob, Melissa Leo, Karen Gillan, Margot Robbie, and many others have excellent roles.

Powerful drama about a woman and her son who are abducted and held captive in a 10-by-10-foot tool shed for 7 years. Her son Jack was born there, and has never been exposed to the real world, and their abductor supplies them with food and other bare necessities. After 7 years of depression and terrifying hopelessness, a dangerous opportunity to escape presents itself. Brie Larson arguably delivers her finest performance to date, and the young boy Jacob Tremblay did a tremendous job (as he also did in the 2017 film 'Wonder'). Often thrilling and frightful—the film was done right in every way. Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, Wendy Crewson, Amanda Brugel, and Joe Pingue all had great supporting roles.

Fantastic drama from Todd Haynes that follows the unexpected love affair of two women in the controversial times of 1950s New York. Therese is a beautiful 19-year-old middle-class woman who works in a department store, aspires to be a photographer, and struggles with her boyfriend who desperately wants to marry her. Carol is a gorgeous 32-year-old upper-class mother who has previously shared an intimate relationship with a woman, and struggles with her husband who wants to stay married to her, while she wants a divorce. Through a chance meeting at the store Therese works at, they share unforeseen chemistry, which blossoms into an uncontrollable urge to be together as they take a road trip and fall in love. Trouble enters the picture when Carol's husband collects evidence of Carol and Therese's relationship, and uses it as a morality clause in their upcoming divorce proceedings, which adds a chaotic twist to the future of their relationship, and also the custody of Carol's daughter. Every scene that Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett shared was electrifying. They both delivered arguably their best lead performances. Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, John Magaro, and others had excellent supporting roles.

As a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy (1977–1983), this has become my favorite Star Wars film since those original three. Bringing back Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and C-3PO was the key for casual fans like myself getting back into the franchise. That, and the new characters are pretty great. The story takes place 30 years after the defeat of Darth Vader and the Empire, and follows a lonely scavenger named Rey, and an ex-stormtrooper named Finn join up with Han Solo and Chewbacca when they find a droid that know where the long lost Luke Skywalker is located. Meanwhile, a new enemy named Kylo Ren, and the First Order, are hot on their tracks. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, and many others had excellent performances.

Excellent Pixar comedy adventure follows a bubbly 11-year-old girl who moves from Minnesota to San Francisco when her dad gets a new job, and follows her struggles as she tries to make the best of her new school, city, and life. We get to see her inner struggles first hand, as her emotions (Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness) work to bring Riley to happy and emotional stable place once again. The concept is great, and it's executed perfectly. Great story and acting throughout. Kaitlyn Dias (Riley), Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Bill Hader (Fear), Lewis Black (Anger), Mindy Kaling (Disgust), Richard Kind (Bing Bong), Diane Lane (Mom), Kyle MacLachlan (Dad), and many others had excellent voice performances among a solid supporting cast.

Epic sequel to the original Jurassic Park trilogy (1993–2001). I'd have to say it's my second favorite film in the entire franchise. Not only is the action and special effects elevated, the story and acting is the strongest since the 1993 debut. 22 years after the first Jurassic Park failed, a new park called "Jurassic World" opens for business, and is far more monumental in scale, as they have beefed up production of dinosaurs, which includes a genetically modified monster called Indominus Rex. It will prove to be the most powerful, dangerous, and deadly dinosaur they ever created, after they realize nothing created by man can stop it. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard both deliver excellent lead performances. Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, Judy Greer, Lauren Lapkus, Katie McGrath, and others had very nice supporting roles.

Fantastic documentary on the life of actor and comedian Chris Farley. It maps out his early beginnings as a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre, and his groundbreaking work creating several energetic and unique characters on Saturday Night Live (1990–1995), to his rise to fame as a lead actor in films like Tommy Boy (1995), Black Sheep (1996), and Coneheads (1993). The up-to-date interviews from his family, friends and big names in the industry really made this film worthwhile and interesting throughout. Christina Applegate, Tom Arnold, Dan Aykroyd, Bo Derek, Jon Lovitz, Lorne Michaels, Jay Mohr, Mike Myers, Bob Odenkirk, Bob Saget, Adam Sandler, Will Sasso, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Barbara Farley, John Farley, Kevin P. Farley, and Tom Farley Jr. all added greatly to this emotional remembrance of Chris Farley's life.

Excellent crime drama biopic about how the Boston Globe's relentless "Spotlight" team of reporters exposed the huge child molestation scandal within the catholic church in 2001. The deeper they dive into the investigation, the more they find the case grows, and exposes decades of cover-ups that not only involve the churches and other religious organizations, but legal and government establishments as well. Well written and acted throughout. Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams all deliver excellent lead performances. Brian d'Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Doug Murray, Neal Huff, Billy Crudup, and many others had great roles among a solid supporting cast.

Excellent historical drama and biopic from Steven Spielberg that follows the true story of American lawyer James B. Donovan, who is appointed to defend an arrested Soviet spy during the Cold War in 1957. He is later appointed to help facilitate the exchange of the Soviet spy for an American U2 spy plane pilot and a young American economics student who are both being held captive in Russian prisons. Fascinating story done extremely well all around. Tom Hanks delivers one of his best lead performances. Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Eve Hewson, Noah Schnapp, Jillian Lebling, John Rue, Billy Magnussen, Austin Stowell, Dakin Matthews, and many others also had excellent roles.

Excellent horror-infused western from S. Craig Zahler set in the tiny fictional town of Bright Hope in the 1890s. After a couple of criminals encounter a Native American burial site when killing and robbing a couple of men, one man is brutally murdered by a savage tribe of inbred cannibalistic cave dwelling Troglodytes. The other man makes it out alive and makes his way to Bright Hope. When Sheriff Hunt suspects the man of wrong-doing, he shoots him in the leg, forcing his deputy and the town nurse to spend the night with him in jail. By morning, they have all disappeared, and it is soon found that this tribe of Troglodytes kidnapped them. Now Sheriff Hunt, the nurse's husband Arthur, old-timer assistant deputy Chicory, and gunslinger Brooder are must take a long journey to rescue them and discover the mystery of these cave dwellers. I can't say I've seen a legit western and horror film mixed so perfectly. Great story, action, and thrills all around. Kurt Russell delivers one of his finest lead performances. Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and Richard Jenkins also had excellent starring roles. Lili Simmons, Evan Jonigkeit, David Arquette, Sid Haig, Fred Melamed, James Tolkan, Kathryn Morris, and others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic sequel in the Mission Impossible franchise from Christopher McQuarrie. This is the 5th installment, and it's the best of the first 5 films in my book. This time we follow IMF (Impossible Mission Force) agent Ethan Hunt as he continues to pursue his investigation of a group of rogue agents known as the Syndicate. When the IMF is shutdown by the CIA for reckless methods, Ethan decides to continue on his mission even though he is now a fugitive of the law. After he is captured by the Syndicate, he's rescued by a mysterious Syndicate agent named Ilsa Faust who sets him free after they threaten to kill him. Former friends and colleagues Benji, William, and Luther risk their lives and careers as fugitives to help Ethan achieve his impossible mission to take the Syndicate down and reinstate the IMF in the process. They just keep making these films better every time. The story is tighter, the dialogue was better, the action sequences were tighter and crystal clear. It also has the most humor of the bunch. Tom Cruise delivers his best lead performance as Ethan Hunt yet. Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson had great starring roles. Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin, Simon McBurney, Tom Hollander, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent coming-of-age drama romance from John Crowley set in 1951 southeast Ireland, and follows an ambitious young woman named Eilis Lacey. She is given the opportunity through their church to live in Brooklyn, New York where she will have better opportunities for work and education. She's immediately very homesick and faces plenty of issues fitting in to the work and social structure of Brooklyn. However, when she meets a modest and charming Italian-American plumber named Tony Fiorello, and quickly falls in love with him. Now she feels happy and right at home in Brooklyn. However, tension comes into play when her sister dies and she must go back to Ireland to care for her mother, and finds a lot of pressure from friends, family, and the community to stay and not return to America. Excellent story all around and beautifully done. Saoirse Ronan is becoming one of my favorite actresses with every role I see her in. This may be her best lead performance yet. Emory Cohen also delivered a great starring role. Julie Walters, Emily Bett Rickards, Eve Macklin, Nora-Jane Noone, Jane Brennan, Eileen O'Higgins, Fiona Glascott, Art Campion, Eva Birthistle, Brid Brennan, Hugh Gormley, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent comedy drama from Jean-Marc Vallée that follows a successful investment banker named Davis who works at a firm founded and run by his father-in-law, Phil. When Davis and his wife get into a horrific car accident, Davis comes out without a scratch on him, while his wife dies from the impact. Phil and his wife are devastated by the loss of their daughter, along with all of their friends who's lives she touched. However, Davis is unable to show any emotion after the accident, and attempts to go back to his normal daily routine without going through the process of grieving. The first thing he does is writes a letter to a vending machine company asking for a refund after his Peanut M&M's got stuck in the machine at the hospital, 10 minutes after his wife dies. The letter also contains part of his life story. One day he is contacted by a woman named Karen who works for the company, which kicks off an odd friendship with her and her teenage son that helps him deal with his struggles and move forward with life in crazed fashion. While the basis of this story could have easily fallen apart at any moment, it was Jake Gyllenhaal's fantastic lead performance that held it all together. Chris Cooper and Naomi Watts also delivered excellent starring roles. Judah Lewis, Heather Lind, Brendan Dooling, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent music biography from Dan Fogelman set in 2011, and follows a washed up rock star icon named Danny Collins. He was once seen as a critically acclaimed musical prodigy back in 1971 when he gave an interview for a magazine and cited John Lennon as being his greatest influence. However, he has long since surrendered to money, women, drugs, and booze to cope with his fast moving lifestyle. All that is about to change when he receives a gift from his best friend and manager for his 70th birthday. It's an inspiring letter that John Lennon wrote to Danny Collins back in 1971, that he's only seeing for the first time. The letter has so much impact that he decides to change the course of his home-life, personal life, and career; which leads to him meeting his estranged son, daughter-in-law, and grand daughter that he's never met before. Excellent story with great comedy, drama, and poignant dialogue throughout. Al Pacino delivers one of his best later day lead performances. Annette Bening, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Plummer, and Jennifer Garner also had excellent starring roles. Melissa Benoist, Katarina Cas, Giselle Eisenberg, Nick Offerman, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent biopic on the life of famous Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (1905–1976). The story is set in 1947 when he and several other artists in the film industry were blacklisted for their political beliefs, leading many to believe they were spreading dangerous Communist propaganda in their movies. After serving 11 months in prison, Trumbo (and others) ingeniously became a ghostwriter, which earned him huge critical acclaim, helping him break the blacklist, resulting in retroactive recognition of the affected writers' accomplishments. Great film for fans of older films, as many characters like to John Wayne, Edward G. Robinson, Kirk Douglas, and Otto Preminger got involved. Bryan Cranston delivered a fantastic lead performance, along with a great supporting cast.

Excellent historical biography that looks back on the 2004 CBS 60 Minutes news report investigating President George W. Bush's military service; which implied he avoided being drafted to Vietnam through his father's political advantages in 1972. Show producer Mary Mapes and legendary anchor Dan Rather head up the story, and are faced with career-ending attacks after it is found the documents that proved their case were likely forgeries, which put everybody's jobs in the CBS news team in jeopardy. Excellent execution of the story all around. Cate Blanchett continues to deliver fantastic and complex lead performances like she has here. Robert Redford was also superb as Dan Rather. Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid, Elisabeth Moss, Bruce Greenwood, Stacy Keach, David Lyons, and many others had fantastic supporting roles.

The Rocky franchise delivered my favorite boxing films to date, so I was thrilled to see the return of Rocky Balboa when this film dropped. Great story and direction from Ryan Coogler, which follows the son (Adonis) of his friend and former adversary, Apollo Creed. Adonis was born after Apollo was killed in Rocky IV (1985), and seeks out Rocky to be his mentor and trainer so he can follow in his father's footsteps. The movie stands on it's own and doesn't feel like just another Rocky sequel. Michael B. Jordan delivered an excellent lead performance as Adonis, and Sylvester Stallone played Rocky great as usual. Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew, and others had great supporting roles.

Excellent drama adventure set in 1823, and follows a frontiersman exploring uncharted South Dakota territory, where he barely survives a horrific bear attack. His hunting team leaves him for dead, and he must utilize his survival skills to survive, and to track down the man from his hunting team that deserted him. Fascinating story with great acting all around. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers another excellent lead performance. Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, and Forrest Goodluck all have great roles among a solid supporting cast.

Excellent survival adventure/biography from Baltasar Kormákur set in May 1996, and follows the leader of all commercial expedition guides on Mount Everest, Rob Hall. He leads the Adventure Consultants team, and has a mixed bag of clients that are ready to be led to the glorious peak of the mountain. Commercial expeditions to Everest have become so popular at this time, that the mountain is literally filled with teams of people ready to make their way up the mountain. On the day of their journey, they meet delays from several health issues and lack of oxygen, which gives the weather time to churn into a horrific blizzard that puts everyone on the mountain in grave danger. Excellent and powerful story all around with great character development, drama, action, and thrills. Jason Clarke delivered one of his best lead performances to date. Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Watson, and Keira Knightley also had great starring roles. John Hawkes, Elizabeth Debicki, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Tim Dantay, Sam Worthington, Naoko Mori, Vanessa Kirby, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent historical drama from Sarah Gavron set in 1912 London, and follows a 24-year-old laundry worker, wife, and mother, named Maud Watts. She becomes interested in the groups of women lobbying for the right to vote in suffragette protests on the streets, and is encouraged to take action when follow activists Violet Miller and Edith Ellyn encourage her to testify to a Parliamentary committee on the subject of votes for women. They all follow the wisdom of the biggest suffragette of them all, Emmeline Pankhurst. While these women find hope in their methods of protest, the police and government systematically destroy their relationships and lives through brutal beatings, torturous prison sentences, and scandalous news articles. But they will never give up until they win the fight. Great story all around, which has a thrilling urgency that makes it both very powerful and entertaining. Carey Mulligan delivers one of her best lead performances. Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham Carter, and Brendan Gleeson also had excellent starring roles. Ben Whishaw, Geoff Bell, Natalie Press, Meryl Streep, Adam Michael Dodd, Romola Garai, and Finbar Lynch also had great supporting roles.

Powerful, ambitious, controversial and underrated joint from Spike Lee that's set in the early 2010s Chicago when murder and violence has run so rampant that it has surpassed the death toll of American special forces in Iraq. The story focuses on two rival gangs who are at complete war with each other. The Spartans are led by rapper Demetrius Dupree, nicknamed "Chi-Raq", while the Trojans are led by lord Cyclops. The story mainly follows Chi-Raq's lover Lysistrata, who has a change of heart after seeing a young child shot and killed in the street. With the influence of her righteous neighbor Miss Helen, she decides to organize a "sex strike" against all the husbands and lovers in the city, in order for the two gangs to end the war, stop the killing, and build peace. While the film is also billed as a musical, it's mostly because much of the dialogue is spoken in rhyme, which I felt was a nice stylistic touch. The message is powerful and executed nicely. I know this film is controversial for what people consider a pretentious message, but it's Spike Lee joint. It's supposed to be heavy, and he brings the message home just like some of his best films. Teyonah Parris delivered one of her best lead performances yet. She was fantastic. Nick Cannon, Angela Bassett, and Wesley Snipes also had great starring roles. John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, D.B. Sweeney, Dave Chappelle, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent fictionalized biopic on the life and music of jazz/social music pioneer Miles Davis from Don Cheadle. While the actual story in the film did not actually happen, you still learn a lot about the personality, mindset, life, and music of Miles Davis throughout the picture. The story mainly focuses on Davis' later struggling years in the 1970s after he quit making music for a period of 5 years. At the height of his cocaine addiction he's greeted by a Rolling Stone reporter who wants to write a story on his comeback. But when the only tape of music he's recorded in 5 years is stolen, they go on a dangerous and deadly mission to retrieve it. It's a wild story overall, but very entertaining throughout. Don Cheadle gives one of his best and most memorable lead performances as Miles Davis. Ewan McGregor and Emayatzy Corinealdi also had a great starring roles. LaKeith Stanfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, and others had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent sports biopic about a football coach who loses his temper with one of his players, gets fired from his job, and is forced to move to one of the poorest city's in the country (McFarland, California) to find a teaching and coaching position. After seeing the extremely hard work ethic and unmatched speed of some of his students, he builds one of the best cross-country running teams in the country through a very inspirational story. Kevin Costner fits the lead role perfectly, and delivered a great performance. Maria Bello, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts, Johnny Ortiz, Rafael Martinez, Hector Duran, Sergio Avelar, Diana Maria Riva, Omar Leyva, and others had excellent supporting roles.

Excellent and uniquely done R-rated animated drama that follows an English author (Michael) who's an expert in customer service, and flies too Cincinnati to give a speech at a conference. He is clearly utterly exhausted and depressed with his monotonous day-to-day life. Inspiration strikes when he meets a withdrawn and antisocial woman named Lisa, and immediately falls in love with her beautiful voice as he pursues her, and further examines his current state of life. Very powerful drama all around. David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh both had excellent lead voice performances, and Tom Noonan was great voicing every other character in the film.

Excellent sequel that lives up to the greatness of the first Avengers film. The story follows Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Banner (The Hulk) as they work to create and advanced program called Ultron to protect the world with the help of the Loki's scepter. It creates devastating results, as Ultron is now against them, and more powerful than all the Avengers combined. The Avengers must regroup to figure out a way to stop Ultron and save the world, which may require creating another advanced being to defeat Ultron. As usual, the special effects and cinematography are visually stunning throughout. Great story through and through. Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), James Spader (Ultron), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Quicksilver), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Paul Bettany (Vision), Cobie Smulders, Linda Cardellini, and many others delivered excellent performances.

Hilarious coming-of-age crime comedy/drama the follows a modern-day high school senior named Malcolm who loves 1990's hip-hop culture, and is an outcast along with his best friends Jib and Diggy. They live in "The Bottoms" part of Inglewood, which is a rough neighborhood filled with gangsters, drugs, and violence. After a chance encounter with a girl, they end up getting invited to a huge underground party that send them on a comical, dangerous, and drama-filled adventure through Los Angeles. Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Kimberly Elise, Chanel Iman, Tyga, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky, Quincy Brown, and many others had great performances.

Great film to conclude the 4-movie Hunger Games saga. After Katniss has successfully become the symbol of rebellion in Panem, her and a team of rebels from District 13 prepare for a final deadly battle against President Snow's tyrannical regime. Meanwhile, they are still working to get Peeta back to his normal state of mind, and President Alma Coin is working with the rebels to eliminate Snow, but has questionable motives for Panem's future. Not one of the strongest film in the series, but it wraps up the storyline nicely. Jennifer Lawrence delivers a great lead performance as usual. Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mahershala Ali, Jena Malone, Natalie Dormer, Evan Ross, Elden Henson, Wes Chatham, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent dystopian sci-fi drama/romance from Yorgos Lanthimos set in the near future when relationships take on a vastly different form. The story follows a troubled a depressed man named David who's wife just left him. According to the law in the city he lives in, single people are sent to "The Hotel" where they are given 45 days to find a romantic partner. If they fail to do so, they will be transformed into an animal of their choosing, and banished into the wilderness. David decides early on that he wants to be a Lobster if he fails, but he plans to do all he can to find a partner and remain human. He soon finds that no two people can "fake" being compatible together, which has troubling consequences for those who try to cheat the system. When he finally finds a woman he truly loves, great forces come together to keep them apart. It's a strange story, but very nicely done overall. Colin Farrell delivered an excellent lead performance. Rachel Weisz also delivered a great starring role. Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Ariane Labed, Angeliki Papoulia, Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen, John C. Reilly, and others also had great supporting roles.