Inner City vs. Outer Space

Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones, Franz Drameh, Simon Howard, Maggie McCarthy, Danielle Vitalis, Nick Frost, Michael Ajao, Natasha Jonas, Gina Antwi

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"What kind of alien, out of all the places in the whole wide world, would invade some shitty council estate in south London?" - Dimples

Why watch this? It's one of the best low-budget alien invasion films in years.

Plot Summary: A South London gang and the nurse they just mugged must reluctantly team up to survive when their council estate is invaded by hostile extraterrestrials. What starts as a simple robbery is interrupted by an object falling from the sky, forcing the group to face an intergalactic threat with improvised weapons. Throughout the night, they defend their turf against predatory, fanged creatures as they learn to put aside their differences for the sake of survival.

StudioCanal, Film4, UK Film Council,
Big Talk Pictures; Optimum Releasing

What's Gotten Into You?

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Tania Saulnier, Xantha Radley

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"It tried to get in my mouth. What kinda thing wants you to eat it?" - Jack MacReady

Why watch this? It's crude, gory, slimy, violent, and completely awesome - if you like this kind of horror film.

Plot Summary: In the small town of Wheelsy, South Carolina, a meteorite crashes, unleashing a parasitic alien creature. The creature infects local businessman Grant Grant, transforming him and giving him a hunger for raw meat. As Grant's body becomes a monstrous breeding ground, a swarm of slug-like offspring threatens to infect the rest of the town, turning residents into zombie-like drones.

Brightlight Pictures, Gold Circle Films,
Strike Ent.; Universal Pictures

From the makers of Chicken Run.

Starring (Voice talent of): Peter Sallis

"They're techno-trousers, ex-NASA, fantastic for walkies!" - Wallace

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

Why watch this? ... it's a delightfully British claymation misadventure that will leave quite an impression.

Plot Summary: Due to financial strain, Wallace and his clever dog Gromit decide to take in a lodger – a seemingly innocent penguin who quickly takes a keen interest in Wallace's new "Techno Trousers". Gromit grows suspicious of the penguin's unusual behavior, especially after being displaced from his own room to accommodate the new guest. It soon becomes clear that the penguin has a sinister plan involving the robotic pants.

Aardman Anamations, Wallace and Gromit Ltd.,
BBC Bristol, Lionheart TV, BBC Children's Int'l;
BBC Enterprises

She's an experiment.

Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, Vicki Pepperdine, Margaret Qualley, Keeley Forsyth

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I have adventured it and found nothing but sugar and violence." - Bella Baxter, speaking of the outside world

Why watch this? It's Shelly's Frankenstein novel with lots of sex... but it's still quite compelling in its unorthodoxy.

Plot Summary: Set in an warped, yet colorful, version of Victorian England, we witness the growth of Bella Baxter. Her caretaker is the brilliant scientist Godwin Baxter. At first, Bella's mental capabilities are child-like, but she learns at an accelerated rate, oblivious to common British social norms. This frustrates and intrigues her two suitors. The first is God's (as Bella calls Godwin) university assistant, Max; the second is an unscrupulous lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn.

Film4, Element Pictures, Fruit Tree,
Limp; Searchlight Pictures

We're not your classic heroes, we're the other guys.

Starring: Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Greg Kinnear, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Wes Studi, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Waites, Lena Olin

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"We've got a blind date with destiny... and it looks like she's ordered the lobster." - Eddie, The Shoveller

Why watch this? It's so much fun to watch a bunch of screw-ups win the day.

Plot Summary: A group of underachieving, self-proclaimed superheroes in Champion City are constantly upstaged by the city's popular and corporate-sponsored hero, Captain Amazing. When Captain Amazing's nemesis, Casanova Frankenstein, is released and kidnaps the hero, the misfit team must band together to save both Captain Amazing and their city. Along the way, the Mystery Men recruit other heroes with peculiar powers and learn to work together despite their quirks.

Golar Productions, Dark Horse Ent.;
Universal Studios

About Time (2013), Director: Richard Curtis, rated R for adult themes

A new funny film about love. With a bit of time travel.

Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Richard Cordery, Joshua McGuire, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie, Will Merrick, Vanessa Kirby, Tom Hughes

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Lesson Number One: All the time traveling in the world can't make someone love you." - Tim

Why watch this? This delightful British romantic comedy has a message about how we spend time.

Plot Summary: Our protagonist is the awkward Tim, who just can't figure out the opposite sex. Then his father, on this 21st birthday, drops the bomb that the men in his family can travel back in time. What!? Astonished, Tim immediately tests this assertion, and well, Dad was right. The rest of this rom-com delves into several love-based situations enhanced by Tim's unique ability. Say the wrong thing at a dinner party? No problem - just hide in a closet, travel back in time, and redo it.

Brandywine Prod.; 20th Century Fox

The story of a nobody who saved everybody

Starring: (the voices of) Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Hey, I can be dark and brooding too - Guys, look, a rainbow!" - Emmet

Why watch this? A movie... using Legos... to make characters... and I love it. Wow.

Plot Summary: Emmet is an ordinary, rules-following construction worker in Bricksburg who is mistakenly identified as "The Special" – a prophesied hero destined to save the world. He is recruited by a group of Master Builders to stop the tyrannical Lord Business from using a super-weapon called the Kragle to freeze the entire Lego universe into eternal stasis. Despite being completely unprepared for such a task, Emmet embarks on an epic journey to prove that even an ordinary mini-figurine can be extraordinary.

Warner Animation Gp., DC Ent., RatPac-Dune
Ent., Lego System A/S, Lin Pictures,
Lord Miller Prod.; Warner Bros.

Drop everything. Save the world.

Starring: (the voice talents of:) Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung, T.J. Miller, Daniel Henney, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph, Abraham Benrubi, Kate Lowes

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You have sustained no injuries. However, your hormone and neurotransmitter levels indicate that you are experiencing mood swings, common in adolescence. Diagnosis: puberty." - Baymax

Why watch this? It's an exciting, uber-creative film with a big, BIG heart for all ages.

Plot Summary: Set in a distant future city known as San Fransokyo, a young robotics prodigy, Hiro, is luckily influenced by his older brother, Tadashi, to apply at the famed Institute of Technology. Hiro's application allows him to show off his own invention, a swarm of microbots that can link together, in any configuration, using a neural transmitter. However tragedy strikes when a fire erupts at the institute and Tadashi is killed. While grieving at home, Hiro discovers his brother's own invention, a white, inflatable healthcare robot named Baymax. Soon, a new masked villain, known as Yokai, makes an appearance, and is using Hiro's microbots for evil purposes. Hiro, Baymax, and a motley group of techno-nerds, must use their smarts to become the heroes the city needs.

Walt Disney Animation Studio; Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures

Thunder Will Reign.

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I don't hang with the Avengers anymore. It all got too corporate." - Thor

Why watch this? This takes the Thor story in a fresh, and funnier, direction. I instantly loved it.

Plot Summary: Imprisoned on a distant planet, Thor must escape a gladiatorial contest against the Hulk to return to Asgard. Upon his return, he faces his powerful and ruthless sister, Hela, who seeks to destroy his home world and its civilization. To save his people, Thor must confront Hela and prevent the cataclysmic event known as Ragnarök.

Marvel Studios; Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures

Discover the Side of Superheroes You've Never Seen Before

Starring: (the voices of) Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Elizabeth Peña

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Normal? What do you know about normal? What does anyone in this family know about normal?" - Violet

Why watch this? ... a Disney film that is one of the best super-hero films out there.

Plot Summary: Following a government ban on superhuman activities, superheroes Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, now Bob and Helen Parr, are living a quiet suburban life with their super-powered children. Bob misses his hero days and secretly moonlights as a vigilante with his friend Frozone, leading him to accept a mysterious invitation for a top-secret mission. Soon, his family must come together and embrace their powers to face a new threat and protect the world.

Pixar Animation Studios;
Buena Vista Pictures Dist.

Enter a universe where more than one wears the mask.

Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Vélez, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, Liev Schreiber

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero. " - Stan

Why watch this? It's loads of fun and the animation is visually quite stunning.

Plot Summary: Miles Morales, a teenager struggling with fitting in at school and living up to parental expectations, is bitten by a radioactive spider. When he witnesses a fight between his universe's Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, a dimensional collider, created by Kingpin, pulls various Spider-people from other realities into his own. Miles must learn to embrace his powers and work alongside these alternate Spider-heroes to stop Kingpin from further endangering the multiverse.

Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures
Animation, Pascal Pictures, Lord Miller Prod.,
Arad Prod; Sony Pictures Releasing

It Came From Outer Space!

Starring: (the voices of) Jennifer Aniston, Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., Vin Diesel, Cloris Leachman, James Gammon, Christopher McDonald, John Mahoney

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I know you feel bad about the deer, but it's not your fault. Things die. That's part of life. It's bad to kill, but it's not bad to die." - Hogarth Hughes

Why watch this? ... a boy finds an unlikely friend when a mysterious metal giant becomes sentient.

Plot Summary: Set in 1957, during the Cold War, a young boy named Hogarth Hughes discovers and befriends a giant robot that has crash-landed near his town in Maine. Hogarth attempts to protect the robot from a paranoid government agent and the U.S. military, who are determined to find and destroy the giant. With the help of beatnik artist Dean McCoppin, Hogarth tries to teach the Giant about life and prevent him from becoming the weapon his creators intended.

Warner Bros. Feature Animations;
Warner Bros.

Steve Martin is a world famous surgeon. He invented screw top, zip lock brain surgery. Trust him.

Starring: Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner, David Warner, Paul Benedict, George Furth, James Cromwell, Merv Griffin

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"The only time we doctors should accept death is when it's caused by our own incompetence!" – Dr. Hfuhruhurr

Why watch this? This is Steve Martin at the pinnacle of his "wild and crazy" era.

Plot Summary: World-renowned brain surgeon, Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, has his life takes a bizarre turn after marrying a conniving femme fatale whose life he saved. Driven to distraction by his wife's antics, he falls in love with the disembodied, telepathic brain of another woman, Anne Uumellmahaye, stored in a jar at a Vienna laboratory. Amidst a series of murders in the city, the doctor finds himself entangled in a comedic search for a body for his new jar-enclosed sweetheart.

Aspen Film Society; Warner Bros.

A romantic comedy. With zombies.

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, Nicola Cunningham, Keir Mills, Matt Jaynes

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Who died and made you f***ing king of the zombies?" - Shaun

Why watch this? It was high-time for a zombie comedy, a zomedy, if you will!

Plot Summary: Shaun, an ordinary electronics salesman, faces the challenge of a zombie apocalypse sweeping through London. He decides to embark on a quest to rescue his girlfriend Liz, his mother, and their close friends, intending to seek refuge in his favorite pub, The Winchester. Alongside his best friend Ed, Shaun must navigate the chaotic, undead-ridden city and find a way to survive this unexpected challenge to his mundane life.

StudioCanal, WT² Prod., Big Talk Prod.;
Universal Pictures

In Space, No One Can Hear You Clean

Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I can't just sit here and... and do nothing. That's all I've ever done! That's all anyone on this blasted ship has ever done - nothing!" - Captain

Why watch this? Wall-E will work his electronic way into your heart.

Plot Summary: Earth is a trash-filled wasteland, centuries after humanity evacuated due to an uninhabitable environment on the ship Axiom. WALL-E, the last remaining trash-compacting robot, discovers a tiny living plant, initiating a chain of events that could potentially allow humanity to return to Earth. He follows a probe named EVE to the Axiom, where they must overcome challenges posed by the ship's autopilot.

Pixar Animatoin Studios; Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures

He was never in time for his classes... He wasn't in time for dinner...
Then one day he wasn't in his time at all.

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Tom Wilson, Claudia Wells, Marc McClure, James Tolkan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I guess you guys aren't ready for that, yet. But your kids are gonna love it." - Marty McFly, after lighting up the prom with some guitar licks by Eddie Van Halen

Why watch this? When Marty meets his parents, back in the 1950's, the fun really begins.

Plot Summary: Marty McFly is a teenager who travels back to 1955 using a time machine built by his friend, the eccentric scientist Doc Brown. He accidentally prevents his parents from meeting and falling in love, putting his own future existence at risk. Marty must ensure his parents get together and find a way to return to his own time.

Amblin Entertainment; Universal Pictures

The show has been cancelled... But the adventure has only begun.

Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Enrico Colantoni, Missi Pyle, Jed Rees, Justin Long

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Never give up. Never surrender!" - Commander Taggart

Why watch this? ... it's a parody of Star Trek's campiness, and it has a heart of its own.

Plot Summary: The alumni cast of a canceled space opera television series, known for their roles on the spaceship NSEA Protector, find themselves stuck attending conventions and making other trivial appearances. However, their mundane lives are disrupted when they are approached by an alien race, the Thermians, who, having watched the old show, believe it to be real historical documents. The Thermians enlist the cast's help in battling a formidable reptilian warlord, forcing the actors to navigate a genuine interstellar conflict while pretending to be the heroes they once played.

Gran Via Productions; DreamWorks Pictures

Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, Carel Struycken, Siobhan Fallon Hogan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"This definitely rates about a 9.0 on my weird-shit-o-meter." - Jay

Why watch this? Will Smith - man, can he carry a film when he's hot.

Plot Summary: James Edwards, an NYC cop, joins a secret organization known as Men in Black, which regulates the activity of aliens living disguised among humans. Alongside his new partner, the veteran Agent K, James (now Agent J) must investigate a series of strange incidents and stop a destructive plot by an intergalactic villain. They embark on a mission to recover a powerful energy source before the antagonist can use it to destroy the Earth.
 

Dad's Preview: I'm a sci-fi guy. I crave well-done science fiction on screen. Here we meet two agents, Jay and Kay (their real identities have been permanently removed), who work for a secret agency that tracks aliens who live on Earth, undetected. Most are benevolent, but not all. This film is packed with slimy aliens of all shapes/sizes, lots of action, a count-down to Earth's destruction, and the sexy Linda Fiorentino. Additionally, Vincent D'Onofrio's performance is amazing as Edgar/The Bug. This sci-fi goldmine is creative with lots of laughs and creatures from outer space.

Columbia Pictures, Amblin Ent., Parkes/MacDonald
 Prod.; Sony Pictures Releasing

... they didn't make history, they stole it!

Starring: John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Ian Holm, Katherine Helmond, Michael Palin, David Warner

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"God is not interested in technology... He's obsessed with making the grass grow and getting rainbows right. Look at what he spends his time on: Forty-three species of parrot! Nipples for men!" - Evil

Why watch this? It's a fantasy comedy. Plus most of the Monty Python players have roles!

Plot Summary: Kevin, a young boy fascinated by history, is unexpectedly drawn into a fantastical adventure through time when a group of thieving dwarfs escape into his bedroom through a time portal. The dwarfs, former employees of the Supreme Being, have stolen a map detailing all of the time holes, which they use to jump through different eras to steal treasures. Pursued by both the Supreme Being and the powerful Evil Genius, Kevin joins the dwarfs on their journey, encountering various historical figures along the way.

HandMade Films; HandMade Films Dist. Ltd.

Who ya gonna call?

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I've only been with the company for a couple of weeks, but I gotta tell you: these things are real. Since I joined these men, I have seen shit that'll turn you white! – Winston Zeddemore

Why watch this? It may be the best SNL-cast film ever. It's delightfully creative and fun!

Plot Summary: Three eccentric parapsychologists are fired from their university jobs and decide to start a unique ghost removal service in New York City. As supernatural occurrences escalate throughout the city, they attract a growing clientele and become famous. They must ultimately confront an ancient entity threatening to unleash destruction upon the world.

Columbia-Delphi Productions, Black Rhino;
Columbia Pictures

The scariest comedy of all time!

Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Madeline Kahn

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long, fifty-four inch wide GORILLA? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME?" - Dr. Frederick Frankenstein

Why watch this? It's perhaps now more of a classic than the films it spoofs!

Plot Summary: Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, is a respected neurosurgeon who tries to distance himself from his family's eccentric legacy. He inherits his ancestor's Transylvanian castle and, after discovering his grandfather's scientific journals, becomes intrigued by the potential of reanimating the dead. Aided by his hunchbacked assistant Igor and a lab assistant named Inga, Frederick attempts to bring a corpse to life, inadvertently creating a monster.

Gruskoff/Venture Films, Crossbow Prod.
Inc., Louer Limited; 20th Century Fox