10 Cloverfield Lane

I enjoyed the first Cloverfield, although a review never made it to the blog, I must have been during my hiatus.  Regardless, when I saw the trailer for this movie I was intrigued, and I preferred the traditional "movie" direction this one was going.  I enjoyed this one much more than "Cloverfield", I found the cast and narrative much more compelling.  John Goodman steals the show, but the supporting cast is no slouch either ... in fact now that I think about it, there are only 3 actors in the whole thing.  Cool!  Recommend.

Cool Runnings

I have so many movies on my Netflix list and never feel like watching any of them.  So I'm starting to watch them at random by swiping on my iPad and seeing what comes to a stop under my finger. Well, Cool Running's won this showcase showdown.  It's fine, dated, but fine.  I can see why it was popular back in 1993, I was 17 at the time and remember hearing how "hilarious" it is, I wouldn't call it hilarious, but it has it's moments.  Perhaps most disappointing is how far it strays from the true story. The fact that Jamaica entered into the bobsled competition is about the only fact that's "true".  I'm going to have to say pass on this one.

Elf

So many Christmas movies try to become classic, but eventually fall short.  This is one of the few "newer" Christmas movies that stands the test of time.  Funny year after year with so many quotable lines.  It's a true classic that will be watched for years to come.  I saw this in the theater when it came out and can't believe it's 13 years old already!  Absolutely recommend.

Seinfeld: Season 5

This show's great.  Reviewing these season's are pointless.  Season 5 was another good one, but I do feel like the show is falling off a little bit?  I could be just drunk on Seinfeld though. Memorable episodes include "The Puffy Shirt", "The Non-Fat Yogurt", my personal fav. "The Cigar Store Indian", "The Hampton's" (shrinkage episode) and "The Opposite" (George does everything the opposite of how he feels and his life is exponentially better).  Recommend. Duh.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip

Better than the Chipwrecked, but not as good as the original.  The chipmunks seemed significantly larger in this one too.  Really catchy song to close out the movie.  Pass.

E.T.

Picked this up for $5 at Best Buy, almost bought the Blu-Ray for $10 but opted for the cheaper version...this was the right choice.  The effects were spectacular "back in the day" but they didn't hold up particularly well in 2016.  It definitely has it's moments, but the relationship between E.T and Elliot is a little strange, primarily the way that they share "feelings" and it made me somewhat uncomfortable (I was watching with my 8 year old son Cole), it never quite gets explained either. It was worth a re-watch, and while I didn't "love" it, it's hard to say "pass", so I won't.  Recommend.

Seinfeld: Season 4

Best season yet?  Absolutely crushed this one.  This is the season where Jerry and George get the pilot of their TV Series "Jerry", but there are so many classic episodes in this season.  "The Bubble Boy", "The Contest", "The Outing" (not that there's anything wrong with that), and "The Junior Mint" are just a few of this season's amazing episodes.  For a show about nothing, it sure has a lot packed in.  I've even started watching the "inside looks" to see how they came up with these stories, unsurprisingly, they're (almost) entirely from real life.  Am I still recommending these?  This should be a no brainer.

Seinfeld: Season 3

Man, a great season.  Phenomenal.  I shouldn't even need to review this show.  Some highlight episodes in this season were "The Note" where George questions his sexuality after getting a massage from a male masseuse. "The Pen" where Jerry is given a pen from Uncle Leo and it sparks a huge family debate.  "The Parking Garage" is a classic, "The Cafe" where Jerry convinces Babu to change the theme of his restaurant and it ultimately fails. "The boyfriend" with baseball star Keith Hernandez, and of course "The Keys" where the main cast members swap keys to their apartments. Highest recommendation.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Man, I waited so long to see this and ... yeah ...  it was okay.  A little too "space opera" for me, and I'm sorry, I like fat Chris Pratt better.  I get why people like this, it's just not for me.  Pass.

Derek: Season 2 + Special

With only 6 episodes at 23 minutes each and an hour long special, I blew through this in under a week.  It seems raunchier than the first season, and less "sweet" but it did keep me thoroughly entertained.  Plenty of cringe-worthy moments and an awkwardness I haven't felt since the early days of "The Office". The "special" was quite disappointing though.   Recommend if you liked the first season.

Derek: Season 1

I watched the pilot for this show months ago, and recently decided to pick it up again.  I remember why I stopped the first time, it's because my wife and I were looking for a show to watch together and I thought this might fit the bill.  It did not.  I like it however, quite a bit.  I described it to my nephew as "sweet and raunchy" at the same time.  The final episode of this season may have originally been intended as a wrap to the series, but it was especially touching.  I loved it.  Recommend.

Episodes: Season 4

This is one of those shows that I only watch when I can't find anything else.  Strangely I found this season more enjoyable than the previous one.  Half hour shows on Netflix are hard to come by.  This isn't great, it's not horrible either.  I'd still say you're better off skipping this one though.  Pass.

Chef

This one's been on our radar for a while, I'd heard great things about it.  It's okay.  It's quite funny in spots, but comes together in such a predictable way it leaves you a little underwhelmed.   The food looks great though ... so there's that.  If you looking for a no brainer, I'd still recommend.

Orange is the New Black: Season 4

Man, I really shouldn't watch this show, but I've become so attached to the characters it's hard to give up.  Working in "the field" also gives me some appreciation for it.  This season seemed pretty strong, some good additions to the cast and some compelling story lines.  The commercialization of prisoners is compelling, scary, and very real.  If you're a fan, like me, there's no reason to stop now.

Seinfeld: Season 2

The second season of Seinfeld has over twice the amount of episodes of the first season, and after watching the "How it all Began" documentary, it was interesting to see that Larry David and Jerry thought this would also be the series end.   This is why Jerry and Elaine end the season as a couple as they were feeling heat to put the two together.  Regardless, this season still has this show trying to find it's groove, but man there are some great episodes here.  As with season 1, how can you not recommend.

Favorite Episodes:

2.2 The Pony Remark: Jerry: "I hate anyone who ever had a pony growing up".  Great Aunt: (in thick accent) "I HAD PONY!"

2.4 The Phone Message:  George leaves an embarrassing message on his girlfriends machine and has to get the machines tape.  George: "It's a machine! The little light is blinking right now, 'Come and listen to the idiot! Hey everybody, the idiot's on!"

2.6 The Statue:  Going through a box of old items Jerry inherited, Kramer finds a statue, turns out it's identical to the one George broke when he was a boy, Jerry promises it to George who is ecstatic he can finally redeem himself to his parents.  Jerry's college student maid steals it.   George: "When I was ten years old, my parents had this very same statue on the mantle of our apartment. Exactly, and, one day, I grabbed it, and I was using it as a microphone. I was singing, "MacArthur Park", and I got to the part about, "I'll never have that recipe again," and it slipped out of my hand and it broke. My parents looked at me like I smashed the Ten Commandments. To this day, they bring it up. It was the single most damaging experience in my life, aside from seeing my father naked."

2.11 The Chinese Restaurant:  The entire episode takes place as Jerry, George and Elaine wait for a table in a Chinese restaurant.  Elaine:"It's not fair that people are seated first-come, first-serve. It should be based on who's hungriest. I feel like just walking over there and taking some food off somebody's plate.  Jerry: "I'll tell you what, there's fifty bucks in it for you if you do it."

Stranger Things

Stranger things came recommended to me, I started to watch it, and then somehow it BLEW UP.  It was everywhere and everyone is watching it, that's okay, I don't have to be hipster who liked a show before everyone else.  Stranger things is considered a mashup of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King.  That's a pretty good mashup in my opinion.  My wife and I have very dissimilar tastes in television, we both loved this one though.  I'm not going to get into any spoiler territory, so I'll leave this with a very simple "highest recommendation".  It's fantastic.

Men in Black 3

More like "Meh in Black 3" amirite?  It's fine.  Nothing will ever top the origin story, not that it's epic, but it was by far the most fun/intersting.  Josh Brolin shines in this as a young Tommy Lee Jones and that alone is worth the price of admission.  It was okay for a rainy afternoon between nightshifts, but otherwise, pass.

Fastball

I reviewed Knuckleball a few months ago and enjoyed it.  Fastball (not the same production company by the way) primarily explores the question of "who throws the hardest".  How would a pitcher from the 30's compare with the fireballer's of today?   I've always thought should Justin Verlander in his prime pitched in the 20's and 30's, that he would dominate...but that's not necessarily the case.  Narrated by (who else) Kevin Costner, this documentary pleases.  Recommend.

Seinfeld: Season 1

I purchased the complete series of Seinfeld during "Prime Day" from Amazon for $38.  I was hoping to find this series digitally, but physical was the only format it's available without subscribing to another streaming service.  Everyone knows the show is fantastic, but the first series is a little rough and quite short at only 5 episodes.  As you'll remember, this season features Jerry's "first" dad, who is much less charismatic than the actor portraying his father in later episodes.  Still though, some classic moments early on in this series life.  How can you possibly not recommend.

Favorite Episodes:

1.3 The Robbery - Jerry's apartment is broken into, George finds him a new one but finds out he wants it too. Jerry: "[They stole my] answering machine... Boy, I hate the idea of somebody out there returning my calls."

1.4 Male Unbonding - Jerry doesn't like his childhood friend who keeps persisting they get together. He decides to break up with him like he would a girlfriend.  George: ""So we order lunch and we're talking. Finally she blurts out how it's not working. So as she's saying this I'm thinking, 'Great, the relationship's over and the egg salad's on the way.' So now I've got the decision - do I walk or do I eat? ... Sat there for twenty minutes chewing. Staring at each other in a defunct relationship."

Finding Dory

I loved Finding Nemo, and while this one is not quite as endearing as the original, I must say it was a fine film and much better than many of Pixar's latest attempts.  I took my two older sons to the theatre, AJ for the first time and they really liked it as well.  Great story, a loveable cast and a lot of charm.  Recommend.

Maggie

I remember watching a trailer for this when I was really into "The Walking Dead" and thinking "WOW, this looks awesome!" ... well, now I'm sick of The Walking Dead, and zombies in general, so I'm not sure why I decided to watch this one.  Part of it was the short run time.  Well, this movie sucks.  I love Arnold, but man, what a slow ass movie that tries really hard to be emotional, but I didn't give a rip about the zombie gal and I don't think many others will either.  Pass.

Banksy Does New York

This is the second Banksy movie I've watched, and while I admire Banksy's work, I loathe the people who adore him.  I'd be much more interested in watching a documentary about the man himself (duh) than those who follow him.  The concept of a unique project every day in New York is awesome but there's zero focus on its execution.  Pass.

Grown Ups 2

I quite enjoyed the first Grown Ups movie.  This one has been on my Netflix list for a while now, so while I did enjoy the original, I was in no rush to watch the sequel.  Today I gave it a shot and was a bit let down.  It's like this movie was written in an afternoon, it's really bad.  There are a few laughs, but how can there not be with this cast.  Even if you liked the first, I say pass.

Labour Day

When an escaped con, convicted of and guilty of murder makes you feel inadequate as a man, you know you must watching a film written by a woman.  Women will love this movie, guys will not.  I only stumbled upon this as I was looking for movies featuring JK Simmons, as I enjoyed him so much in "Whiplash".  My wife and I watched it, she loved it, I was entertained despite it feeling a little too long.  This is a gushy love story, and to my dismay, good ol' JK was only in the movie for all of 2 minutes.  Boo.  For date night, I'd say it's worthwhile, otherwise, pass.

Whiplash

And you thought your 7th grade teacher was mean.  Whiplash is a fantastic film, considered a "Thriller" I'd consider it more dramatic in theme.  The movie is especially enjoyable if you think participation trophies and games played with no score kept is ridiculous in concept.  I don't know what else to say.  It's great.  Recommend.

Godzilla (2014)

Watched  this between night shifts on my iPad, which is not optimal conditions for a big action monster movie, and that may have something to do with my level of enjoyment.  I did some research and found I was not alone in the fact that this movie was way too dark.  I couldn't see anything.  So that big monster destroying the city?  Didn't see much of it.  It's less about Godzilla and more about MUTO's, which is an acronym for something, but really, does it matter?  Bryan Cranston was good, but he gets little screen time.  Can't really recommend this one.  Pass.

Interstellar

Christopher Nolan, how I want to love thee.  Why must your movies be so confusing?  I was cruising along on this one thinking I had it all under wraps, then the whole black hole sequence and I'm googling excessively to understand it all.  The premise of the film is great and for the most part, executed very well.  I take comfort in knowing I'm not the only one who found the film confusing, a quick google search will back me up.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon between night shifts, but I can't honestly recommend it.  Pass.

Blended

Sandler and Barrymore team up for potentially their weakest of the 3 films they've done together, but that doesn't mean it's terrible.  You get what you expect out of this Happy Madison flick along with a few extra feel good moments.  Dare I say this movie is family friendly?  Depends on how old your kids are.  I had more than  a few LOL's.  Recommend.

Heaven is for Real

"Based" on a true story, and from the brief research I did, it appears the film is accurate of a young child's claim to have visited heaven.  It's slow to start, and I didn't agree with its message about salvation and how one gets to Heaven.  The movie puts a lot of emphasis about the financial trouble the family is going through with no resolve, it makes me wonder if the story is fabricated for gains.  Pass.

The Wolf of Wall Street

I went into this movie expecting a heavy drama with confusing plot lines, man was I wrong.  This movie is labeled a "comedy" and while it definitely had some humor, it's more of a real life horror story.  Money is the root of all evil, this movie confirms that.  As an educatory or even cautionary tale, I'd recommend it.  For a comedy?  Pass.

Bloodline: Season 2

I was a big fan of the first season of Bloodline and was excited to see a 2nd season.  Season 2 had a lot to live up to, and while it comes up a little short, it's still an excellent drama.  Kyle Chadler is and always will be one of my favorite actors, but this dark turn is his character is not something I'm used to, Coach Taylor can't go dark!!   My greatest fear is that the show does not get renewed, however Netflix is famous for finishing unfinished shows, surely they can't leave one of their own a cliff right? Recommend.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 2

While the concept of the show has lost some of it's "freshness" it's  still a solid comedy and the jokes come so fast you better be paying attention at all times (much like the first season).  Kimmy is just as likable in this season, and I found Titus funnier this time around.  Recommend.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

So, I said a couple reviews ago that I was tired of Super Hero reviews right?  Now I can't stop watching them.  I think now I'm all caught up on the Marvel movies on Netflix however.

Okay, so, the Winter Soldier.  Wow, talk about inside baseball.  These Marvel movies are getting deep.  It's no longer about beating the bad guy, but that's fine with me.  The Winter Soldier actually has very little to do with Bucky (The Winter Soldier) and more of an internal conflict at S.H.I.E.L.D. The action sequences are fantastic, and who doesn't like Steve Rogers (Captain America).  He's fantastic, but in my opinion, Black Widow steals the show here (hence she gets the poster).  The action sequences are great, the story is complex (I don't think many 7 year old's will have a clue when they go to see Cap fight) and the film is captivating from the very beginning.  Recommend.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

I thought I'd missed out on this one, but thankfully it reappeared on Netflix.  I really enjoyed the first Avengers movie, with the second movie however, the whole "Whoa all these guys are all together" feeling just isn't there anymore.  The first movie was so amazing because it felt like all the Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor movies were setting up this epic event.  It really was a one time thing.  It's still cool to see them all together, but the "wonder" just isn't there this time around.  Ultron is not nearly as cool as Loki as a villain, even though James Spader does a great job in his role.  I felt like this movie required a lot more knowledge of the comic books to get the most out of it.  I knew most of the characters from my time with the Lego game hahah.  At almost 2 and a half hours, the movie is a little long, but still worth my time, recommend.

The Call

Being "Telecommunicator' Week" it was a great time to finally watch this.  Being a 911 operator definitely peaked my interest in it, and should I not hold this job, I probably wouldn't have watched it.  When the movie opened with "WWE Studio's" (yes, the same as the Wrestling "league") my expectations dipped further.  This movie reminded me of the bad thrillers of the 90's, like "Kiss the Girls", "Double Jeapordy" and countless others.  It was okay, but not worth going into great detail about.  Pass.

Ant Man

Despite becoming somewhat fatigued of Superhero movies, I gave Ant Man a spin as it's now on Netflix and I didn't want  to miss it.  I missed out on Avengers 2 and that still bugs me.  Regardless, this one's pretty good.  It's origin story isn't nearly as deep as many other superhero films, but it has that nice Marvel tone to it that keeps it fun.  That is what superhero movies should be isn't it?  Recommend.

Sleepwalk With Me

This "hilarious" movie came recommended to me by a trusted source, he is no longer a trusted source.  I've seen this story told in many variations and in much better ways before.  I did appreciate that this one didn't necessarily have the cliche happy ending, but still ...  Pass.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I might be the last person who has some appreciation for Star Wars to watch this, but it was worth the wait.  I got a free DVD and digital copy from my uncle Pete, and watched it the night I received those.   It's good.  It's a good sci-fi action movie and really, knowledge of the previous movies is an asset, but not a requirement.  Family friendly and an easy recommend.

The Good Dinosaur

My son AJ has a fascination with all things Pixar.  So when a new movie comes out from them, we typically buy it blind.  We passed on "Inside Out" thankfully, but this one was going to be a surefire hit right?  Pixar can't make 2 bad movies, let alone in a row right?  Well.  I was wrong.  First off, this movie is scary, not as an adult, but for kids, it's terrifying.  The scrappy little human, while kind of cute, but portayed humanity at a human level which I didn't appreciate, despite the fact that I'm offended by very little.  I was probably a little cautious and touchy on the matter as I was watching with my kids.  This survival story took some surviving on our own part to get through, it was entertaining enough, but difficult for my 7 year old to watch.  I don't think this will get many repeat viewings despite the fact that we own 3 copies now, DVD, Blu-Ray, Digital combo pack.  Oh well.  Pass.

House of Cards: Season 4

House of Cards season 4, must be the time of release, but I  always seem to get sick when this show is on.  I don’t so much recall a season 2 illness, but season one I had a chest infection fearing it was pneumonia, season 3 I had the flu something horrible, and this year again, the flu.  It does help me to get though a season quickly, but at the same time, I get a bit of an upset stomach just thinking about this show.  The fourth season is good, it’s broken up into 2 parts which I find kind of odd for a Netflix show, it’s not like there’s a midseason break, but regardless, you can definitely see there are 2 separate “halfs”.  I can’t say one half is better than the first, they’re equally good, and while the show has already spun out of what could be considered “realistic”, I’m enjoying it for what it is. I was excited about Neve Campbell joining the show, but her role is a little disappointing.    Joel Kinnaman who I watched develop his acting chops on “The Killing” plays a great GOP candidate in Will Conway.  I’m  not sure how many seasons this show has left, I don’t know if they could wrap everything up in one additional season, but I’d like to see it end on a high note, and I just get the feeling this show has already peaked.  If you’re a fan of the series, recommend.

Ex-Machina

Recommended to me after watching “Her” this movie came as a bit of surprise, I was expecting something a little … lighter.  This movie is creepy, start to finish.  I did enjoy it even though it did have some light Terminator vibes with the “Rise of the Machines”, but much more narrative than Terminator.   Mature subject matter prevents me from recommending this to anyone, but I would say I found it very intriguing. So take that for what it’s worth.

About Time

About time is a fantastic film.  Make no bones about it, it’s a time travel movie, but not your typical one.  The movie is quite cut and dry about the fact that “The men in the family can travel through time” and while it seems a little awkward at first, it’s accepted and we move on.  Some nice moral lessons and a great cast.  I was cautioned this film may make me cry, and while I may have felt some welling of tears, none of them dropped.  Man card still intact.  Watch this.   

Edit: What marvels me is the fact that I'd never heard of this movie, yet there it was on Netflix all along.  Makes me wonder how many other gems I miss.

Knuckleball

With baseball season approaching I watched this documentary which had been on my Netflix list for years.  It’s an interesting documentary which I hoped would be more about the physics of the pitch and why it behaves the way it does, but turned out to be more about the people who throw them.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, and the movie does explain fairly early on that once the ball leaves the hand, there’s no telling what it’s going to do.  If you’re a fan of Tim Wakefield or R.A. Dickey you’ll get some extra innings out this movie, a baseball fan will appreciate some of the behind the scenes looks at the game.  It’s a good film for baseball fans.  Recommend.

Wild

Wild is appropriately titled as it features a gal “gone wild” and her going “into the wild” to find/redeem herself.  I say this a lot about movies I watch and games I play, but if I can’t relate to, or don’t care for the central characters, I find the movie hard to give praise.  I didn’t really care for anyone in this film.  That being said, it was fairly entertaining, it was just missing a little “something”, perhaps sentiment, perhaps care, I can't quite say.  I understand what the film is going for, I’m just not sure it made it.  The “journey” is/was long, but I felt the movie failed to portray it properly.  The real life events fully warrant a movie, I just feel it could have been done better.  Pass.

Her

Her has been on my Netflix list for some time.  It's now off my list but in my head.  I can't stop thinking about it.  I felt my own connections to the characters and even to the OS Samantha, which was probably the point of the whole thing anyways.  The movie takes place in the near future, and it was nice to see a future concept that seemed believable, and livable despite it's creepiness.  This movie will make you feel uncomfortable at times, but will also make you feel happy, sad, and it will question what's you believe to be real and what isn't.  As a Christian it raises questions about what makes us human (or made in God's image) and while the ending didn't quite deliver how I'd hoped it would, I still really enjoyed it for it's thought provoking themes.  There are a couple really uncomfortable moments which would prevent me from recommending Her to anyone, but for someone open to technology and with a firm grasp on reality, I recommend it.

Spy Kids 4D

Watched this one with the kids.  If not for Ricky Gervais voicing the dog, I wouldn’t have liked much about it, but they LOVE IT.  It has a nice central message about spending time with loved ones, but I don’t think the kids understood that.  They liked the barf jokes and diaper bombs.  A kids movie that kids enjoy, that is the point after all, unlike Inside Out, I recommend for kids.

Inside Out

Family movie night.  It’s nice that Netflix now has (some) Disney/Pixar movies, unfortunately this one wasn’t high on our “to see” list, but hey, it saved us spending $5 on some other crappy animated movie.  Inside Out has some really neat concepts, I think they flew right over my 7 year olds head however.  It’s smart, intelligent and witty, but perhaps too much so for it’s own good.  About half way through my son says “Does this movie have a bad guy?” … you see to young 7 year old kids, movies are about good guys catching bad guys, not necessarily about thought patterns, emotional connections and cognitive thinking.  So, for an adult, it was a pretty cool movie made for kids.  For a kid, it’s a movie about thinking?  I don’t think he got it.  Tough to say you should pass on this one, but when it all comes down, your kid may just want to.

Atari: Game Over

With an hour to kill, I fired up this documentary on Netflix.  I really didn’t care if the cartridges were found, I was more interested in the details of the “crash of the game industry”.  The documentary does a decent job at explaining what happened, but looks more to redeem Howard Warshaw, the creator of the ET Atari game which is often criticized as “The worst videogame ever”.   Warshaw does come out of the film vindicated, albeit annoyingly so as he seems a little tough to root for, and is clearly scarred by the whole ordeal and is very insecure.  The insecurities are covered by an ego akin to Billy Mitchell in a much better documentary “The King of Kong”.  If you’re interested in the subject matter, this film comes recommended given it’s short runtime and production value.

Homeland: Season 3

I adored the first season of Homeland.  I borrowed the DVD's from a friend and was captivated from the start.  I enjoyed it so much, in desperation I watched season 2 via some not so legal streaming sites, where they varied in quality, and "speed", buffering really kills any momentum in any television show, let alone one where you hang on every word like Homeland.  Refusing to watch another season in such low grade quality I decided to wait for it to be on Netflix.  By the time the third season arrived, I was kind of "over it" but recently decided to give it a spin and see if I could recapture some of that magic.


I had to do some reading to put all the pieces together, I was just about 4 years removed from the previous season.  Season 3 was relatively self contained once I was reacquainted with the cliffhanger from last year, so I didn't necessarily require vast knowledge of intricate details in order to get through.  I'd have to say this was the weakest of my 3 seasons of Homeland.  The Dana storyline was so mundane, every time it cut to her I rolled my eyes.  Thankfully half way through the show writers wised up and pretty much wrote her out of the script.  The 2nd half was much more satisfying to the point where I wanted to watch back to back episodes, rather than constantly pressing X on my PS4 to see how much longer some of those earlier episodes were going to drag on.


The season ends nicely, peacefully, and really could have been a series finale.  The show returns for season 4, but I'm not sure I will.  I recommend Season 1 and 2 absolutely, and if you've gone that far, season 3 is not a complete waste of time. 

The Revenant

A rare theatrical release, I was given the choice to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens or The Revenant and I chose The Revenant, must be age.  Can I blame age for the fact that I also chose a bottle of water and raisins for snack?  Okay, they were chocolate covered raisins, but still … ... Anyway, so, The Revenant, a survival/revenge movie.  This was a good movie with some very difficult scenes to watch. the actual bear attack was brutal, but there's another scene that I felt was worse, it had me half covering my eyes, I won't spoil that.  This movie's been nominated for a number of awards, and while I appreciate the movie for its entertainment value, it didn’t’ make me “feel” anything.  Movies that leave me thinking for days are the ones I ultimately view as “the best”, I’ll be surprised if this takes home best picture.  I think Tom Hardy could win best supporting actor, he was great, but I think Leo will get snubbed again this year unless there's a "best grunting" category now.  I’d still recommend The Revenant as it’s much better than most of the repetitive crap out there, it’s just not AAA.