The Hunger Games

The runtime of these movies always prevented me from watching them, but on an afternoon between night shifts I decided to give it a shot as it's one of those movies that's referenced so often.  This is a teen version of "The Running Man" and while more serious in tone, it' not necessarily better.  I managed to make it through the film with a few button presses to see how much longer I had to sit through (never a good sign) and while I can't say I hated it, I didn't particularly love it either.  It's just "okay".  The universe is interesting and I'll probably watch the sequels just because they're there.  Overall, pass.

Edit:  After watching the full series of Hunger Games films, I would now recommend this film if you're willing to invest in the franchise as a whole.

Jerry Before Seinfeld

The first Seinfeld standup act to show up on Netflix is a bit of a disappointment.  If you're familiar with Jerry's stand up, this show adds very little new material and is primarily a retelling of his best bits.  Of course if you're only familiar with the TV show, you'll probably find a lot to like here, but again, for those of us who've seen it all before, it's just ... a clip show.

Backcountry

I'm a sucker for films like this, Open Water, Frozen (not THAT Frozen), and now Back Country.  A young goodlooking couple go for a camping trip in northern Ontario to discover they're being tracked by a grizzly bear.  It's suspenseful and executed fairly well, but not as good as the films I mentioned at the start of this review.  At 90 minutes it's worth checking out.  Recommend.

Atypical: Season 1

Having a son with Autism, my wife and I were eagerly anticipating this show, and while it's core focus was on a teen on the spectrum, the rest of it was typical "dramedy" affair.   That's not to say the show is bad, it actually appeals to all, moms, dads, teens etc.  While I enjoyed Sam's perspective on things and the shows attempts to make the watcher more autistically aware, it's focus on the parents were my favorite aspect for obvious reasons.  It's a good show.  Recommend.

San Andreas

The Rock.  Earthquakes.  He's separated from his wife and daughter.  The earthquake brings them back together.  Action sequences.  Disaster sequences.  Stunning visual effects.  Recommend.

Ozark: Season 1

I'd heard many similarities to Breaking Brad (perhaps my favorite show of all time) about this show, skeptical I went in, and can say the only similarity is the fact that we're dealing with a dad, who's in over his head with drug dealers, trying to provide for his family.  This show doesn't have the same sense of humor Breaking Bad did, nor the "Buddy Cop" in reverse scenario, that Walter and Jesse had.  This show's a little creepy in spots, but held my attention and should there be a second season, I'll likely check it out.  The language is bad, there's some nudity, and the violence is pretty rough in spots, I can't recommend it in good conscience.

The Lego Batman Movie

I quite enjoyed the Lego movie, not as much as others, but I found it amusing.  Batman in that movie was fantastic, so why not make a whole movie featuring him?  Well, they did, and it's good.  The movie is very self aware, and the callbacks to older versions of Batman from the 60's to Christopher Nolan's adaptations are fantastic.  It has a nice story for kids about family/friendship and it's incredibly easy to follow.  I heard my son tell his mother the next morning every plot and subplot. He liked it, as did I, perhaps he a little more than me, but that's the target right?  Recommend.