The Buzz: movie reviews

We are well into 2016 now, and I've had time to look back on the whacky year that was 2015. The year was a solid mix of sublime and horrendous. Today I'm giving you my favorites of the year. Leave a comment and let me know if you agree or disagree. Now, here's the countdown: 7. Jurassic World    Barely making this year's countdown is the soft reboot of the classic dinosaur series. I don't think it's quite fair to call Jurassic World a "soft reboot", because it's a pure sequel. It picks up in the year 2015, in real time, as if the first Jurassic Park happened in the early 90's. I loved that aspect of it. I also loved Chris Pratt's semi-breakout performance (post Guardians of the Galaxy ) as a leading action star. Dallas Bryce Howard is also one of my favorite actresses.  Jurassic World is a tad cheesy. However, it's full of imagination, grand scale, and wonderfully ambitious special effects. I love the gyro-spheres and the monorail...

Art film lovers, rejoice! Black Swan is the quentissential "art film." We have shakey camera work, dark shadows, an offbeat plot, mind-bending dream sequences, and enough creative inspiration to fill a museum. Hipsters can sip lattes, wear argyle (is that still hipster fashion?), and discuss the deeper undertones of Black Swan . If what Natalie Portman claims is true, then Black Swan was a work-in-progress for nearly ten years. I suppose it's true that every movie has a horrible uphill journey to aquire funding, interest, and enough talent to get it made. Then, if that all comes together, you have to promote it, distribute it, and pray that people buy tickets. So, in a sense, it is miraculous that a movie like Black Swan not only got made, but that it is as widely known as it has become. But, here we are, celebrating that Black Swan survived! This is the story of Nina Sayers, a dye-in-the-wool New York ballerina. Her mother was also a ballerina. They live together in ...