In Theaters: December 25, 2015

There are a whopping FOUR wide releases this weekend.  And Star Wars will likely keep the number one spot with ease.

Concussion

Will Smith stars in a true story drama about headaches.

Concussion is about a scientist or doctor or whatever who discovers a connection between playing in the NFL and permanent brain damage.  This causes some kind of uproar.  I don't know the details.  Oh, and Will Smith's character is African American.  You know, like, actually from Africa and emigrated to America.

Concussion is rated PG-13 for thematic material including some disturbing images, and language.

Daddy's Home

You won't remember this movie exists in two years.

The idea is funny.  Will Ferrell is a step father to two kids.  Their birth father comes back into the picture, played by Mark Wahlberg.  They compete for the kids' affection.  The trailers do look funny! But not funny enough.

Maybe I'm wrong!  That would be great!

In any case, Daddy's Home is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, crude and suggestive content, and for language.

Joy

A single mother invents a mop.  I'm not kidding that's what it's about.  The interesting experiment here is if Jennifer Lawrence (a millionaire since her early twenties) can elicit feelings of sympathy as a single mother.

Joy is rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Point Break

Luke Bracey does his best Keanu Reeves impression and meanwhile Edgar Ramirez does his best Patrick Swayze impression.

This remake has the same premise as the original.  Extreme athletes are performing large scale criminal acts and an FBI agent/extreme sports enthusiast goes after them.  After a while his loyalty to the FBI is in question.

Point Break is rated PG-13 for violence, thematic material involving perilous activity, some sexuality, language and drug material.


      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: December 18th, 2015

This is it.  The wait is over.  It's here.  But, believe it or not, Star Wars is not the only wide release this weekend.  There are three.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

I've never seen any of the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies but I'm willing to believe they're at least okay and I bet they each have one or a few laugh out loud moments.

In The Road Chip Dave is about to get married, but the chipmunks don't get along with their would-be-step-brother so they go on a trip to break off the engagement.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip is rated PG for some mild rude humor and language.

Sisters

Is it obvious to anyone else that they're trying to re-capture the box office success of "Step Brothers" except with women?

The fact is I can hardly stand Amy Poehler.  Tina Fey is pretty funny (and she delivers the single funny line in the trailer) but I can hardly stand Amy Poehler.

Sisters is about these two going back to their hometown and throwing a party and reliving memories and stuff like that.

I can't stand Amy Poehler.

Sisters is rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, and for drug use.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I already have my ticket.

There's really nothing I can tell you.  Everybody on Earth has an opinion about this movie.

Here's my opinion.  I hope they didn't drop "Episode VII" from the official title just because it's what George Lucas would have done.  I hope they don't alienate and disown the prequels just because of all the George Lucas haters.  I hope they don't steer the story away from the Skywalker family just because of all the George Lucas haters.  I hope they don't (didn't) make any production decisions whatsoever - based only on the fact that a lot of people were not fans of the prequels.

The George Lucas hate has to stop!  The cold hard fact that nobody wants to admit is this: the world would not be the same without George Lucas.  Star Wars would not have happened.  And when he made the prequel trilogy he made three movies (that were still unlike any other science fiction) exactly the way he wanted to make them, and you should respect that.  He still delivered the thrills and the great set pieces all the same.  The romance between Anakin and Padme and the transition from Chancellor Palpatine to the evil Emperor are the only parts that are still a little hard to swallow for me.  Even so, I would rather watch the prequels than any number of other films today.

Let the new Star Wars films stand on their own feet - lest we have crowds cheering simply because Jar Jar Binks isn't on the screen.  You know what I mean?  I don't want people coming out of the theater thinking, "I love how they weren't like the prequels at all and that made them awesome!"  People aught to come out thinking, "That was an incredible movie!"  A real success here would wipe away the negative feelings toward the prequels, it would make the haters forget their hate for two hours, not cater to it for two hours.  Do you follow?  Bring the joy of Star Wars back to the big screen for those who have been waiting since Return of the Jedi as well as for those who were happy with the prequels and have only been waiting since Revenge of the Sith.

I really hope with Episode VII they don't subtly - or in any other way - denounce any of George Lucas' prior work on Star Wars.  That would be a huge mistake.

But I don't believe they will do that.  I think J.J. Abrams probably is the man for the job.  And like I said I already have my ticket.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence.

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: December 11th, 2015

There is only one wide release this weekend.

In The Heart of the Sea

This is a Ron Howard film and those are usually pretty good.  Chris Hemsworth stars and he's usually pretty good.  This is their second film together.

In the Heart of the Sea is set a couple hundred years ago or so.  It's the true story that inspired Moby Dick.  As far as I can tell it's pretty much about a whale that is seemingly evil and likes to beat up little boats.  I'm thinking about going to see it.

In the Heart of the Sea is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and peril, brief startling violence, and thematic material.

"Brief startling violence" is a new one.  I haven't heard that one before.  Hmm.

      Big Shot Critic

In Theaters: December 4, 2015

There is only one wide release this weekend.

Krampus

I really don't get this.  It's a monster that is like Santa Claus but really isn't at all and it's got horns and maybe looks like a goat.  I really have no idea.  It looks weird.

Krampus is rated PG-13 for sequences of horror violence/terror, language and some drug material.

      Big Shot Critic