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Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is the new girl in school looking for a crowd to run with, so, when the Plastics, an A-list girl clique take an interest in her, it would seem she might be in over her head. But, with a little guidance from the Artists Janis and Damian (Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey) there might be a chance for Cady to become the Apex predator of the school, but at what cost and who’s friendship?Written by Tina Fey and Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. this charming remake brings new flair in the form of a musical comedy with creatively thought out song and dance numbers and further adaptations to present day social media mixed with classic high school anxieties all the while staying true to what fans of the original 2004 version love most. Shining as an ensemble piece with an embarrassment of riches it should also be noted that Fey and Tim Meadows reprise of their own roles as Ms. Norbury and Mr. Duvall adding one more golden thread to keep the piece well tied together. At a time of the year when studios typically dump their worst into theatres, this addition stands out above the norm. Running an hour and fifty two minutes, Mean Girls is rated PG-13.

A super secret operative known as a Beekeeper (Jason Statham) is rustled when the only person (Phylicia Rashad) who showed him compassion and helped to “take care of him” is taken advantage of, losing her entire life savings. Now, with a vendetta and a motive the beekeeper sets out on a one man mission to restore balance to “the hive” through every and any means possible, a wave of carnage that’s bound to reach the President of the United States (Jemma Redgrave), but what’s the final body count?Written by Kurt Wimmer and Directed by David Ayer, if you’re in search for the year’s thickest (read as impossibly dumb) dialogue paired with the most brutality, keep in mind we’re just 12 days into the new year, you’ve certainly found it. Pulp, action, heavy artillery, thinly veiled satire, and Statham mean mugging on camera more than should be legally allowed, you’re in for a ride that’s set to resolve exactly as you expect; but oddly, this all seems okay. By throwing out all high expectations and just going for adventure, with the right audience, the guffaws and and winces all come with some bizarre elation, and some pretty decent action choreography…John Wick, another player has entered the game with you. You know what you’re getting with this, if this is your bag…you already know. Running an hour and forty five minutes, The Beekeeper is rated R.

In the midst of the Great Depression and looming World War the men with humble beginnings on the University of Washington’s JV rowing crew would find themselves against all odds as a team; and yet somehow, through grit, determination, and unrelenting spirit, with a way to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, this is their story.Written by Daniel James Brown and Mark L. Smith and Directed by George Clooney, this ultimate David and Goliath story based on incredible true events efforts to capture the public’s heart on screen as much as the Bestseller novel by Brown; and, to a fair extent the magic is there. With Clooney at the helm and frequent collaborator cinematographer Martin Ruhe on board the re-creation of Seattle in the 30’s is a “close enough” approximation for Hollywood, and their vision truly is beautiful and well executed, but as anyone who’s spent time on the inland waters of Lake Washington will tell you, not even close; that aside, the heart of the story still beats strong, even with edits for brevity. With a fine ensemble cast all characters feel in order, it’s a shame we don’t get to dive into all of the characters background’s with richer detail, again edits for brevity. Meanwhile, score from Alexandre Desplat elevates and brings extra life to the picture, mission accomplished. Bottom line, and not surprising, the film serves as a fine cliff’s notes to the book, but misses the full effect. It should also be pointed out, the sound design crew missed a significant bit of detail from the rower’s perspective inside the boat, not that it’s important to the story in any regard, but it is significant to the experience of anyone who’s ever rowed, the sound of the oars rotating in their locks, a distinct clunking sound, gone. Also gone, the sound a well crewed boat makes as it runs and skids across the water, flitting and splashing, too bad, that’s part of the real experience. Still, for two hours and four minutes, the excitement feels real and palpable. The Boys in the Boat is rated PG-13.