87.) Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 [12/23/2015]

The fourth movie based on the dystopian trilogy of novels was as expected: there was a battle between "good" guys and obviously bad guys and the good-guys won, putting a nice bow on the long running series; this movie lacked some of the more clever themes of the first three (propaganda, the role of fashion and spectacle in oppression), but if you liked the first three, you'll like this one.

86.) Creed [12/23/2015]

This might-as-well have been called Rocky Redux, since it was essentially the same story (though, the boxer's backstory was different); like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this was another entry in a franchise that returned to the well, and like Star Wars, this looked to capitalize on the audience's nostalgia for the original film rather than build a compelling narrative within that establish narrative; surprisingly, Sylvester  Stallone was incredibly charming and nuanced, and not surprisingly, Michael B. Jordan was good.

85.) Star Wars [12/19/2015; 3D IMAX 12/26/2015]]

I saw this twice, and I really...REALLY...wanted to like it (Star Wars sits right in my interest wheel-house), but I just can't bring myself to give the film a glowing review; I liked it well-enough (who doesn't like dog fights with Tie Fighters and X-Wings and light saber battles, and JJ Abrams knows how direct an epic space ship battle), but the first installment of the new trilogy, so heavily steeped in nostalgia, was built on the viewers love and knowledge of the original trilogy, jumping from big nostalgic set-piece to big nostalgic set-piece (literally flying through the ruins of ATATs and Star Destroyers) rather than taking time to build the relationships between the new central characters; that said, I loved Rey, Finn and Po, and I look forward to some more films where I might be given a story that gives me a reason to care about these people.

84.) Sisters [12/18/2015]

I love Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, so I was really looking forward to what seemed like a Trainwreck-style comedy which examined how women move into middle-age; unfortunately, it played out more like a Judd Apetow movie, with ad libbed jokes that ran on for just a bit too long (though, some were funny); still...it was nice to see two leading women drive a film which focused on their relationship; the style of comedy just isn't my bag.

83.) In the Heart of the Sea [12/15/2015 - IMAX]

There have been a few movies in which I get to watch a person die while voluntarialy doing something immensely and obviously dangerous, most notably Everest, which occasionally still haunts my waking life, and Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea is another such film in which a person flirts with death in a breath-takingly beautiful place; unlike Everest, where Rob Hall's motivations were so tragically human and understandable his death had some sort of resonance, I didn't care for any of these characters, so while everyone on the boat is wasting away from starvation with death looming overhead, I didn't have that same deep, resonant sadness (even with all the amazing cinematography, which just becomes beautiful window-dressing to an ultimately meaningless set of tragic circumstances).

82.) Brooklyn [12/10/2015]

This movie received a lot of buzz early as an Oscar contender, and with a Nick Hornsby script and a cast of great actors, my interest was certainly piqued; it was, however, a bit disappointing: I was glad that Hornsby's adaptation (I haven't yet read the book) didn't kowtow to Hollywood's insistence on neatly wrapped packages and perfect endings; however, the cinematography felt claustrophobic and I questioned some of the directorial decisions; Brooklyn was good, but it wasn't great.

81.) Trumbo [12/1/2015]

The Oscar-contenders are out in full-force as the year draws to a close, and a film about Hollywood with an All-Star Cast of dramatic actors is bound to be considered for Best [Something] (likely film); this movie did not disappoint: Bryan Cranston (as Dalton Trumbo) managed to sermonize without being ham-fisted, the characters were well-rounded and developed, and the whole film was rife with parallel metaphors for how the language we use to disagree with others can have terrible consequences for those ostracized (refugees, Planned Parenthood, Liberals V Conservatives, et. al).

80.) The 33 [10/21/2015]

This was an interesting story told in an overly dramatic and predictable way; it might have had something to do with the amount of Latino actors in it, or the script they were given, but the whole, overly-long, film sounded and felt like a Spanish Soap Opera, including overly poetic dialog, and over the top emotional outbursts (and it was really, really long).