THE OPTIMIST - MOVIE REVIEWS

FEATURED REVIEWS THIS WEEK:      With the year winding down, fewer big blockbuster movies are hitting the big screen, making room for the potential Oscar noms that show up around this time. This weekend's new release " Burnt " is probably not going to make it in the running, but its lead actor just might, which isn't much of a surprise. Bradley Cooper isn't new to the Oscar world, being nominated for best actor in "American Sniper", "American Hustle", and "Silver Linings Playbook" consecutively. His performance in this film isn't quite up to the caliber of his past performances, but not by much.    Cooper plays Chef Adam Jones. A two-star Michelin Jedi master in the kitchen, Jones had it all. However, as most rock stars do when bogged down by fame and fortune, Jones eventually destroyed his career with drugs and an ego to boot. After paying his self-dealt penance, he cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem hi

     The Halloween spirit is upon us and the scary, monster movies are making their way into cinemas. This week's new action/adventure " The Last Witch Hunter " won't fill your scare quota, but it will entertain you nonetheless. Vin Diesel stars and Breck Eisner ( Sahara, The Crazies ) directs this fantasy story about an immortal warrior who polices the activity of the witching world throughout the ages. It's a fairly straight-forward story that will probably win the box office this weekend.    So, Vin Diesel plays Kaulder, a man from the 13th century, who hunts down freaky-looking witches in order to rid the world of their evil. With vengeance in his heart, he wields a ferocious flaming sword as he hewns down his foes. When he and his group have a run-in with the powerful witch queen, Kaulder is cursed with immortality. He uses his new found lifespan to continue hunting down witches throughout the world. Having a foot in both the magical and real worlds, h

     It's October which means most people will be breaking out their favorite scary movies to watch in anticipation for Halloween. It also means there will be some new spooky flicks to see during the month as well. This week's Crimson Peak and Goosebumps kicks things off with Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, The Last Witch Hunter (which probably isn't a horror movie, but there are witches in it so it counts), and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (yes, that's a real movie coming out) waiting in the shadows. There are a few choices in there that will more than likely wet your whistle this Halloween season, both family-friendly and not. Goosebumps will definitely serve as a welcomed appetizer to a month of scary flicks.    Based on the beloved children's horror books by author R. L. Stine, Goosebumps is a wholesome, spooky, fun film that the entire family will enjoy. The movie follows high school student Zach ( Dylan Minnette ) and his vice principl

    Leading up the the home release of "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" EXTENDED EDITION, each extended edition of the epic trilogy played one night only in theaters this month. Last week "An Unexpected Journey" and "The Desolation of Smaug" extended editions graced the silver screen for the first and last time. I didn't make it to those screenings, however I own both and have seen both. They're fantastic. That being said, I made it a point to make it out to the cinema to see the third installment's extended cut, and let me tell you...it's everything I would've hoped for and more! Thank you Peter Jackson! Thank you!    I'm well aware of the negative backlash that the Hobbit trilogy has gotten, so I'm not going to spend anytime on the flaws and triumphs of the trilogy as a whole. I mainly want to get a few thoughts down about this particular cut of the third film. I'm not going to list out all the new stuff

      As a kid who grew up watching the Disney animated classic films, Peter Pan was one of my favorites. Then in the 90s, a little film called "Hook" came around and my mind was blown as my love for the character and story grew. To me, Disney's classic animated feature and Steven Spielberg's "Hook" are the Peter Pan cinematic staples. There have been many versions of the beloved story since then, the newest being this weekend's Joe Wright -directed " Pan ". I was optimistic going into this movie, because it looked really interesting, at least from initial impressions. That being said, though this movie had some shining moments, I walked out of the theater scratching my head with a dumbfounded look on my face because my brain was straining to figure out what exactly I had just watched. I was pretty sure it was Peter Pan, sorta. But then again...I just don't know! Let's break it down a bit.    What I DID like about this movie was th

       Ridley Scott 's latest sci-fi epic " The Martian " is one heck of a ride. Most people, while swimming in a lake of naivety, have dubbed this film Interstellar 2, which both undermines the greatness of Interstellar as well as this drastically different film. Others claim it's merely Cast Away on Mars, which is, in essence, a better comparison. However, The Martian is much more than any comparison one might make. It stands alone as an individual in the sci-fi world, and though it may not be the best sci-fi ever, it's still utterly amazing.    During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney ( Matt Damon ) is presumed dead after a fierce storm hits their base half way through their mission, and is left behind by his crew. Unbeknownst to his crew, NASA and the world, Watney actually survives the storm and finds himself stranded, alone on the hostile planet. With very little supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find