“Early Man” Review

The next stop animated film is currently out in theaters and bringing in a small group of faithfuls as it battles the popularity of the latest Marvel film that is taking all attention away from the other films at the box office.

Liongate’s Early Man features the voice talent of Eddie Redmayne as Dug, a caveman with big dreams of doing more than just hunting rabbits.  He attempts to convince Chief Bobnar (voiced by Timothy Spall) to hunt something bigger, but no change, until the bronze age takes over and Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleton) challenges the cavemen to a little game of football in exchange for living in the valley.

Now it is up to Dug to turn these caveman of the past into players of the future in order to win back their home.  Early Man is a comedy for all ages with a message of  learning to work together as being pivotal to how one survives and conquers.  It also contains several adult themed jokes that kids may not get in the same way, but none the less will be entertained for the sake of things.

Overall, it’s a film that is good for the whole family as it came out February 16 coinciding with Black Panther and is currently playing in a theater near you.

“Shack” Review

Based on the  New York Times best seller by Wm. Paul Young, The Shack is the first truly inspiration story of the year as you see the struggle of Mack as he goes from having everything in life to losing the one thing that begins to unravel his family’s whole existence, as he grapples with the ultimate question, “How could God let that happen?” The story tugs  at the heartstrings as it shows a God fearing man, and challenges everything that Mack Phillips believes. Now in the midst of his grief, Mack receives a letter from God, to which he makes the journey back to the shack that took his youngest daughter in order to find the ultimate forgiveness that everyone hopes to find.

The Shack stars Sam Worthington as Mack as he meets God, or Papa (Octavia Spencer),  who he remembers from a young child as being the one who helps him see the light in the mist of his abusive father.  The film also stars Tim McGraw as his friend, who helps him throughout his journey.  At 2 hrs and 10 minutes, the Shack is sure to have you tearing up with the deepest emotion as the powerful acting of the entire cast brings even more depth to such a powerful story.

The Shack came out the first weekend in March and has already brought in over 20 million at the box office and is said to be the seventh highest grossing Christian film thus far.  It’s currently playing in a theater near you.

“La La Land” REVIEW

There’s an original musical that is bringing crowds into the theaters for the month of December and trying to bring back the old time jazz and live stage performance to the big screen.

La La Land stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as two star cross lovers who are drawn together by their own unique passion.  Gosling a struggling jazz pianist whose ultimate dream is to bring back the iconic jazz scene to a new age audience.  He encounters Stone, a ambitious actress whose current repertoire is a series of rejections, but as they keep running into each other, a spark is ignited in each of them as they fall passionately in love, giving them extra passion to drive their dream, but is the love enough to hold their relationship when their dreams begin to become reality or will they be pulled apart by distance to achieve what they really want in life.

Set in traditional Hollywood, La La Land is the journey of one couple through an entire year and how fast life, love and work moves in the Los Angeles timeline.  At just over two hours, it’s the perfect movie to end the old year and ring in the new year with hope.

La La Land came out in theaters December 9th, 2016 and has already brought in over 27 million in revenues at the box office and has received seven Golden Globe Nominees for best director, cast nominees for Miss Stone, Mr Gosling and J.K Simmons as well as writer, score and song.  The Golden Globes are set to air on Sunday January 8, 2017.

La La Land is currently playing in a theater near you.