Alice Through the Looking Glass, 3D

Jean, This is not your mother's or father's Through the Looking Glass story. They take the characters and you pass through the mirror into a beautiful, amazing, visually imaginative world with a straight forward story. All the usual characters are back, including Mia Wasiowska as Alice and Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway etc. It is also in 3D and uses the 3D to a terrify advantage. This is one of the best. But the visuals are so good. You have pirate ships racing through the stormy waters (Pirates of the Caribbean) and the clock repairmen reassembled int one huge repairman (Transformers) etc.The theme of the movie is Time and it's importance in all matters. They use that thought to great advantage in moving the story along. I am not a purist when it comes to Lewis Carroll stories, so I enjoyed this beautifully produced story about a strong, smart ,young girl handling one challenge after another.  Dad

P.S. The previews were:

The Secret Life of Pets
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Pete's Dragon
Sing
The Space Between Us
The BFG

Captain America - Civil War

Jean , This is about the most thinking man's or woman's super hero movie I have seen. It has a coherent story line. It also has many characters who are introduced along the way, but all are easily tracked with no confusion. You are not over whelmed with the visual effects and it uses them where necessary. For example: the helicopter takeoff scene is done so well you will find yourself twisting in your seat to give some help to the actors. Also the quiet scenes are so well done. For example: the scene between Robert Downey Jr. and the new, young version of Spiderman revolving around convincing him to aid in the current emergency. Just listen to the fast dialogue between the two. A very, very  entertaining movie that never stops moving. Dad

The previews were:

Dr. Strange
X-Men: Apocalypse
The Legend of Tarzan
Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Rogue One

Midnight Special

Jean, This is a movie with a lot of misdirection. You come upon a little boy being hustled off at night by two men. The plot moves seem to support one scenario and then "wait a minute." The little boy actor could not be better in his role. The adults are uniformly excellent including Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard . Most enjoyable is Adam Driver as the PhD Child Psychologist who "understands" the little guy. Some one said that Spielberg would love this movie. I think that is the case including the big finale that is not a disappointment.  Dad

The previews were:

Deep Water Horizon

Free State of Jones

The Jungle Book (3D)

Jean, Wow, this is a big, gorgeous, enthralling movie. The plot is much more than you would expect. And it draws you into a world of trees and rivers and animals. It starts where Avatar left off. Jon Favreau, the director has his hand on all the knobs in this one. It may be too dark and intense for some of the little ones in some scenes, for example, the tiger has a battle with the black panther. The voices are so well done such as Bill Murray as the bear. What is worth of the price of admission alone is Christopher Walken as the the talking and singing voice of King Louis , the leader of all the monkeys in what looks like the temples at Angkor Wat. It is a stroke of genius using that voice. I do not think anyone will be disappointed. Our audience applauded at the end of the movie.  Dad

P. S. In the closing credits, "The Jungle Book"  book pages are turned and they are "pop-up pages" wherein as the names are shown, the pop-ups come to life and continue action of certain of their scenes. It is very cleverly done.

P. P. S.

The previews were:

Ice Age:Collusion Course
The Secret Life of Pets
The Angry Bird Movie
The Wild Life
Pete's Dragon
Alice:Through The Looking Glass

Spotlight

Jean, This is a simple straight-forward telling of the Boston Globe's 2002 newspaper story of multiple priest sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.There are no side stories or romances but an almost documentary telling. The facts carry the story in an unblinking manner. You are drawn in and almost mesmerized by the events. It starts with ore case and one priest and escalates to 87 priests and on and on. This has to be one of the best movies of the year.   Dad

The previews are:

Snowden
Hail, Caesar
Concussion
Triple 9

Brooklyn

Jean, This is a touching and romantic movie.It starts with the suburb performance of the lead character played by Saoires Ronan. She is a young Irish girl who leaves her Irish home for a new job and life in Brooklyn U.S.A. She will certainly receive many  award nominations for this performance. Just to see her change from the innocent one on the boat to America to the self-assured woman before your eyes is worth seeing by itself. This leads up to a momentous decision she has to make between her new life and the ties to her old life.  Dad

The previews were:

Youth
Carol
The Danish Girl
Demolition

In The Heart of the Sea

Jean, This has to be the "Moby Dick "movie to end all "Moby Dick" movies. This  is  based on the best-selling book  about the actual events that Melville used to write his fictional novel. (I read then-fiction book entitled " In The Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex." ). This is one real life action film with all the ingredients of all the actual events. You have the enlistment of the real crew, the voyage to the South Atlantic and then to the South Pacific, the encounter with the mammoth rogue whale, and the hardships endured by the crew that survived the numerous attacks of the whale. Ron Howard gives you your money's worth in everything here, from the gruesome details of the adrift crew to one World-Class Whale. The critics find faults with the film but I saw an exciting and  an amazing true-life adventure. The actual facts of the story are more interesting than the fictional novel of Herman Melville.  Dad

P.S.  The previews were worth the price of admission. They were:

The Choice
The Huntsman:Winter's War
Concussion
Eye in the Sky
The Legend of Tarzan
Batman vs. Superman