In Theaters: February 27, 2015

There are TWO wide releases this weekend.

Focus

The first in a string of movies that star Will Smith and look boring, Focus comes to us from the writers of . . . Cats & Dogs.  No joke.  Only this time they're writing AND directing.  This is truly shaping up to be a superior thriller.

It's about con artists.  That's about all you get from the trailers and ads.

Focus is rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.

The Lazarus Effect

A horror movie!  You know how much I love those.  The trailer for this is actually pretty clear on what it's about.  

Olivia Wilde is part of a team of scientists working on something to actually bring dead things back to life.  You would think the scientific community would be very interested, since in the trailer they successfully bring a dog back to life, but after the dog thing they still seem to be working out of the basement of some building (if it's a funding problem you'd think the dog demonstration would have solved that).  Oh, and the dog might be possessed or evil or something.  In any case, they proceed with their research when a horrible accident leaves Olivia Wilde electrocuted and dead.  Of course they use the magic potion on her and bring her back, but there are some unexpected side effects.  Little things like telekinesis, creepy black eyes, and a strong desire to murder those around you at all times.

The trailer even showed you how one character was killed!  I mean, I don't know for sure if he was killed.  But he stopped talking and started bleeding a lot.

It's not often you get all that from a trailer.  I've basically seen the movie I guess.

The Lazarus Effect is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of horror violence, terror and some sexual references.

      Big Shot Critic

In theaters: February 20, 2015

There are THREE wide releases this weekend!

The DUFF

Let me get one thing straight.  This movie is spreading misinformation.  DUFF stands for Dumb Ugly Fat Friend, NOT Designated Ugly Fat Friend.  Just so we're clear.

The Duff is basically a 2015 rehash of 1999's She's All That.  The only difference is that in She's All That the popular guy sets out to make the awkward girl become Prom Queen.  In The Duff the girl herself sets out to break the boundaries, or make a change for herself.  I would say it looks just fine, but Ken Jeong is in it as a high school teacher and I can hardly stand him.  That's just me though.

The DUFF is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual material throughout, some language and teen partying.

Hot Tub Time Machine 2

I'm embarrassed.  As a defender of the movie industry as a whole, this movie embarrasses me.  Movies like this are the reason people hate Hollywood.

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, graphic nudity, drug use and some violence.

McFarland, USA

The latest inspirational sports drama.  This time it's track & field, and Kevin Costner is the coach.  Probably not compelling enough to get me to the theater, but I bet it'll be a solid movie.

McFarland, USA is rated PG for thematic material, some violence and language.

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: February 13, 2015

There are TWO wide releases this weekend.

Fifty Shades of Grey

This movie doesn't get a poster, OR big letters, because this is my blog and I find this movie more than a bit disgusting.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a mommy blogger on a crusade to get you to boycott this movie, I just think it's no good and inappropriate for everyone.  I'm also not a feminist, but if I was, I would be pretty ashamed of my culture for releasing this (book and) film.  You don't need to be a feminist to recognize that, in terms of objectification of women, this movie is ten times worse than the entire James Bond franchise combined.  Yikes.

Fifty Shades of Grey is rated R for almost every reason a movie could be rated R.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

The poster says this fall but it was pushed back to this weekend.

Kingsman is from director Matthew Vaughn who is most known for movies like Stardust, X-Men: First Class, and Layer Cake.

This movie is based on a graphic novel I think.  About super spies saving the world and stuff.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is rated R for sequences of strong violence, language and some sexual content.

Old Fashioned

If you just gotta see a romantic movie this weekend, but you aren't so much into hardcore pornography (Fifty Shades of Grey), there is hope!  It's not a wide release, but Old Fashioned will be playing in more than 200 theaters around the country starting Friday, including five theaters in the Valley of the Sun.

There is a list here.

Old Fashioned is rated PG-13 for some thematic material.

Also, I have personal assurances from writer/director Rik Swartzwelder himself that this movie is family friendly.  Pretty cool, huh?

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: February 6th, 2015

There are THREE wide releases this weekend.

Jupiter Ascending

From the Wachowskis (formerly known as "the Wachowski Brothers" - one of them had an operation - Hollywood is a strange place) comes Jupiter Ascending!  And it looks pretty exciting.  I don't know about the whole Channing Tatum with pointy ears thing, but I'm digging the whole Eddie Redmayne as a villain thing.

Eddie Redmayne as a villain

The premise goes something like this.  Mila Kunis plays a very normal girl on Earth.  What she doesn't know is that she is a reincarnation of a former Empress of some kind of space empire.  Wow!  Well the heir to the throne of that space empire (Redmayne) doesn't like that, and he's evil, so he tries to stop her from assuming the throne.  Hey at least it makes more sense than Cloud Atlas!

Jupiter Ascending is rated PG-13 for some violence, sequences of sci-fi action, some suggestive content and partial nudity.

It is worth noting that the Wachowskis wrote the modern sci-fi bible when they came out of nowhere with The Matrix in 1999.

Seventh Son

Another protagonist who is unaware of some fantastic destiny!  Ben Barnes (most well known for playing Prince Caspian in the Narnia movies) is an ordinary boy who it turns out is the seventh son of a seventh son.  This is important for some reason, I'm sure.  Jeff Bridges mentions it in the trailer anyway.  I think Jeff trains Ben to become a knight of some kind and they have to defeat Julianne Moore.  I'm not even sure if this is based on a book.  Just checked - it's "inspired" by a book.  In any case expect all sorts of fantasy action.

Seventh Son is rated PG-13 for intense fantasy violence and action throughout, frightening images and brief strong language.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

I have nothing against SpongeBob, but I know almost nothing about it.  Except that there already was a SpongeBob movie in 2004.  Extra points for parodying the Jurassic World, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Terminator: Genysis teaser posters though!

Jurassic World poster parody

Fifty Shades of Grey poster parody

Terminator: Genysis poster parody

Again, I know nothing about SpongeBob.  But I feel I can safely say that if you think you'll enjoy this one, you probably will.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is rated PG for mild action and rude humor.

      Big Shot Critic