Scott Lang (Paul Rudd, PARKS AND RECREATION) is just getting out of prison for burglary -- but of the social justice kind, so that makes it okay. The particulars of his case -- as well as his character and skills -- bring him to the attention of Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who wants him to break into a vault to steal back technology Pym invented that is being prepped for military use and sold to the baddest bad guys in the Marvel Universe, Hydra.

Loosely based on the life of inventor and entrepreneur Joy Mangano, JOY is supposed to be "a story of a family across four generations, centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right." ;Joy brings David O. Russell, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper back together again after SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.; I had seen SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and enjoyed it thoroughly so I went into this movie with high hopes.; I had watched the trailer so I knew this was supposed to be an inspirational tale about a woman who achieves success.; Good holiday fodder.

It’s the season the season for forgiving and forgiveness, so let’s leave our politics and political correctness and 21^st century tendency towards anger at the door for a minute and talk about Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, THE HATEFUL EIGHT. I know it’s going to be hard for some folks to be objective about this but let’s be honest; Tarantino’s comment about police earlier this summer probably didn’t cost him a lot of his core audience. Tarantino’s movies have always been a love/hate proposition. If you loved PULP FICTION and INGLORIOUS BASTERDS you’re probably going to see THE HATEFUL EIGHT regardless of what Tarantino or I have to say about anything. If you don’t generally care for his films, you’ll head on down to the next theater and watch that quirky little art film everyone’s been talking about, Star…something.

If you haven't yet seen the movie, turn back now. There are spoilers in this post that will ruin it for you. Given the record breaking numbers at the box office during opening weekend, I'm comfortable writing this article as most diehards have seen the movie several times already.

For those of you who haven't, *waves hand* you will leave this page and drive to your nearest cinema.

Still here? Well then, you must have seen the movie. Because like I mentioned, there are SPOILERS below.

If you look back over history and think about great openings to great stories, what comes to mind? “It was a dark and stormy night?” “It was the best of times, It was the worst of times?” Perhaps even “Once upon a time?” Yes, truly all classics, openings to wonderful stories. But what about “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?” I will venture to say without even flinching that this last opening means more to perhaps more people in the world today than even “Once upon a time!”

I myself have just returned from seeing the latest installment in the Star Wars saga--and having darn near sequestered myself from watching, reading, or even listening to anything pertaining to who was in it and what was it about, I will offer no spoilers here.

There are several emerging trends in current films that I’ve noticed – and many are trends I’m not fond of, such as rebooting old concepts (Another Batman movie but still no Wonder Woman or Black Widow?) and making single books into multiple movies (don’t even get me started on my rant). However, one thing I’ve noticed in recent cinema that I absolutely love is the rise of lady-driven comedies crushing it at the box office. Between Bridesmaids, Trainwreck, and a whole slew of Melissa McCarthy movies (Spy, Tammy, The Heat, and Bridesmaids again), those “but women aren’t funny!” trolls are running out of steam.

Twenty years after the Captain of the USS Enterprise retires, young Terry McGinnis is recruited to...

What?

Oh. Let me start over.

Set to a rousing soundtrack of "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys, the trailer for STAR TREK BEYOND comes across more like a music-video mashup than a movie trailer. It has a ton of intense action scenes and incredible jumps (both on foot and on wheels), highlighted by humorous one-liners. I half-expected Star-Lord to appear at any moment to help out.

So here it is -- the trailer for STAR TREK BEYOND. Let's hear your opinions on it.

The hunt is on for Ethan Hunt in the latest installment of the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise. With recent events in the IMF history, the CIA, headed up by Director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin), is keen to have the force defunded and folded into CIA operations. But Hunt (Tom Cruise) is now personally involved in unmasking the existence of an anti-IMF team calling itself The Syndicate. No one believes that this Syndicate exists, and when Hunt is callled in, he goes to ground, becoming the CIA's most wanted.

When Hunt is finally ready to make a move against the Syndicate leader (Sean Harris), he needs to call in favors from his friends, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) -- all of whom live under constant and intense scrutiny by the CIA for any chance that they might betray Hunt's location.

20th Century Fox has released the first trailer for next year's X-MEN: APOCALYPSE. I have enjoyed pretty much enjoyed all of the X-Men movies (even X-MEN: THE LAST STAND), and Apocalypse is one of my favorite comic villains. It's real early to judge, but I am not sure this trailer captures the character all that well. He totally looks like a villain from a Power Rangers episode.  X-Men: Apocalypse is set for release on May 27, 2016.

Call me Ishmael. No, wait, don’t do that. Ron Howard didn’t. With IN THE HEART OF THE SEA, Howard managed to make Moby Dick in full glory, creating a killer (no pun intended) whale that is almost as likeable as Godzilla. It’s a shame, though, because there’s just no reason not to make MOBY DICK. Howard decided to play it safe and make the story behind the story, the truth of which I would think would be pretty hard to verify. The film is based on a nonfiction book of the same name, detailing the misadventure of the Essex, a Nantucket whaler in the 19^th century. I have no doubt that the Essex’s misadventure happened, the book was non-fiction, verified by various firsthand accounts in historical records, but the odds that it informed Herman Mehlville’s writing of MOBY DICK seem pretty long.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR is coming May 6, 2016, and we've got the first real trailer.  

Appropriately, I saw this on Stan Lee's website!   Thanks to the post-credits sequence for ANT-MAN, we already knew Winter Soldier was going to be at the heart of the Civil War conflict, and this trailer seems to lay out exactly how that will work.  We do get a glimpse of Black Panther in the trailer, but no sign of Spider-Man.   I loved both of the Captain America movies, so I am really looking forward to this.  Though I will say that THIS should have been the plot for Avengers 2.  I like Ultron, and James Spader was awesome, but it just seems strange that they are calling this movie "Captain America" when it features Iron Man, Black Widow, War Machine, Falcon, and Black Panther too.  Hopefully the marketing will clue the general movie goer in that "this is really an Avengers movie."

Critics are in an uproar over Jesse Eisenberg’s scathing commentary on critics in the New Yorker.  In the column, he pretends to be an Internet reviewer who sums up his thoughts on a film he reviewed with:

In sum, these are the main problems with “Paintings of Cole”: it was inconveniently shown on the Upper West Side, written by a guy I envy, screened by a cute intern whose name was too confusing to remember, based on an idea that I poorly executed in grad school, and praised by the Times, which rejected me.

Thomas McCarthy is an actor, writer, and director with a couple of nice independent films under his directorial credits. With his latest film, SPOTLIGHT, he’s poised to be a household name, and almost certainly a name you’ll hear read aloud at the Oscars. The outstanding job he’s done crafting a story that by both default and historical accuracy require the film to be nothing more than a collection of talking head frames is so compellingly done, so engrossing, that it really makes my job difficult. I don’t want to tell you anything about it. I want you to see it for yourself. You need to see this film. Even the group that should be the most opposed to this film is very positive about it, and that’s the Catholic Church I’m talking about. Thomas McCarthy may just have directed a miracle.

Before I discuss Mockingjay, I want to discuss something else. Bear with me. I have a point, I promise.

(Some spoilers for Twilight and Mockingjay Part 1. No spoilers for Mockingjay Part II)

There is an emerging trend in the YA books-turned-movies industry, and that is the final book in a series being made into two individual movies. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows started this trend, followed quickly by Twilight’s Breaking Dawn. And let’s not forget that awful strategic decision to take J.R.R. Tolkien’s 320-page classic, The Hobbit, and turn it into not one, not two, but three separate movies.  

I think the first movie that I remember being aware of Antonio Banderas was 1995’s ASSASSINS, with Sylvester Stallone. It certainly wasn’t the pinnacle of moviemaking, but it was fun for what it was. That became the Year of Antonio, as he starred in five other movies released that year: MIAMI RHAPSODY, DESPERADO, FOUR ROOMS, NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS, and TWO MUCH. Banderas hasn’t slowed down a whole lot, averaging at least a couple of films a year. From underappreciated gems such as THE 13^th WARRIOR, the underrated FEMME FATALE, and the goofy but fun retro romp of THE EXPENDABLES 3, Banderas has always been fun to watch. THE 33, directed by relative newcomer Patricia Riggen, is another strong showing by the versatile Spanish star.

I was going to say that INSIDE OUT is not your average cartoon. But then, what Disney*Pixar film ever is? Rather, then, INSIDE OUT is not your average movie, period. It's subject matter is funny, easy to relate to, and completely captivating from beginning to end. However, on an even deeper level, INSIDE OUT is a film worthy of study for a college psychology course.

The majority of the film takes place in the mind of a prepubescent girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), where we meet our main characters: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). These are the core emotions Riley has, and their interactions form her young personality. However, there's an imbalance; Riley believes that she must be happy all the time for the sake of her parents, therefore Joy takes charge, and pushes Sadness to the fringe. After all, what good does Sadness bring? Who wants to feel that emotion?

The SPECTRE of Bond
by: Chris Delloiacono & Jeff Ritter

It’s time for the main event!

James Bond vs. Goldfinger?  Not today!

007 vs. 006?  See Goldeneye!

Blond Bond vs. Gary U.S. Bonds?  Uh, never!!!!

First, in the Bond corner, it’s Chris “Enjoys ‘em Shaken” Delloiacono!

GOOD GRIEF! The Peanuts are at it again! Once again Charles Shulz's beloved characters have been brought to life, this time in a feature-length film produced by Blue Sky Studios. Did it stay true to the core values of ole Chuck and the gang? Or was it made by a bunch of blockheads that don't understand the characters?

Let's find out!

 _^^^ THE PEANUTS MOVIE REVIEW _^^^

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've seen the previews and are wondering if you should take the kids to see THE PEANUTS movie. Or perhaps you're wondering if it's worth dropping money on an animated film to capture an hour and twenty-six minutes worth of nostalgia for yourself.

I'm here to tell you that regardless of your reason for going, you won't be disappointed!

If you’re a regular reader of my film reviews you know I have a weakness for spy movies. The flagship franchise, of course, is Ian Fleming’s Secret Agent 007, James Bond. Starting with Sean Connery in DR. NO, through George Lazenby (if he counts), Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and now Daniel Craig, the venerable series has had its ups and downs through the years. Sometimes campy, sometimes serious, sometimes just plain weird, the exploits of the most beloved spy in the world has always given me some level of satisfaction. That is, until now. With SPECTRE, the sequel to director Sam Mendes’ ultra-popular 2012 installment SKYFALL, the sky is indeed falling on 007. This is easily the worst James Bond film in the series and one of the worst films I’ve seen regardless of genre in years.

In Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, an all-new spectacular adventure featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories, Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter. Directed by James Bobin, who brings his own unique vision to the spectacular world Tim Burton created on screen in 2010 with ALICE IN WONDERLAND, the film is written by Linda Woolverton based on characters created by Lewis Carroll and produced by Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd and Tim Burton with John G. Scotti serving as executive producer. ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS reunites the all-star cast from the worldwide blockbuster phenomenon, including: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter along with the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall.