Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

☆☆☆☆

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The seventh installment of the Star Wars saga is filled with action and adventure, and is sure to please Star Wars fans.
Great to be reacquainted with all of our favorite characters: Han Solo (Harrison Ford) , Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
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It felt like watching a movie we have already seen. The film doesn't seem to be keeping-up with the times.

Visit the official website and watch the trailer.

Rated PG-13
2 hr. 16 min.

The Revenant

☆☆☆☆1/2

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Based on true events, "The Revenant" is a cinematic experience starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass...an explorer attacked by a bear and left for dead by a member of his own hunting team.

A top contender for the Oscar for best picture, best actor (DiCaprio), and best director (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu).
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Although DiCaprio gives an amazing performance...the lack of dialogue (some very difficult to understand) and the length of the film make it feel a little long.

Visit the website and see the trailer.

Rated R
2 hr. 36 min.

The Big Short

☆☆☆☆1/2

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Adapted from Michael Lewis' best seller "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine," the film manages to take a story about the housing credit bust from a few years ago and make it into an entertaining story with strong performances by Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt.
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May be a little hard to understand and follow at times...but some fun "explanations breaks" help keep viewers on-track.

Rated R
2 hr. 10 min.

Visit the official website and see the trailer.

2016 Oscar Nominations

Best Picture

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

Best Director

Adam McKay, The Big Short

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant

Lenny Abrahamson, Room

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight



Best Actor

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Matt Damon, The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl



Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn



Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone, Creed



Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs



Best Original Screenplay

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

Inside Out

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton



Best Adapted Screenplay

The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

The Martian

Room



Best Animated Feature

Anomalisa

Boy and the World

Inside Out

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There



Best Foreign Language Film

Embrace of the Serpent

Mustang

Son of Saul

Theeb

A War



Best Documentary Feature

Amy

Cartel Land

The Look of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom



Best Cinematography

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Sicario



Best Film Editing

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens



Best Production Design

Bridge of Spies

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant



Best Costume Design

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant



Best Original Score

Bridge of Spies

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens



Best Original Song

“Earned It,” 50 Shades Of Grey

“Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction

“Simple Song #3,” Youth

“Til It Happens to You,” The Hunting Ground

“Writing’s on the Wall,” Spectre



Best Visual Effects

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens



Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Mad Max

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared

The Revenant



Best Sound Mixing

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens



Best Sound Editing

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens



Best Documentary Short

Body Team 12

Chau Behind the Lines

Claude Lanzman

A Girl in the River

Last Day of Freedom



Best Live Action Short Film

Ave Maria

Day One

Everything Will Be Okay

Shok

Stutterer



Best Animated Short Film

Bear Story

Prologue

Sanjay’s Super Team

We Can’t Live Without Cosmos

World of Tomorrow