Eight Movies Were Enough for Me So Far This Year

The year is already a quarter over, so before we get too far down the road, I thought I’d share some brief reviews of the eight movies I’ve seen so far.

For the record, this list only includes 2015 releases — which is to say, it doesn’t include any 2014 awards-eligible movie that didn’t open in Boston until after New Year’s, but that I may have seen in this calendar year. (If I included those movies here, the total would probably be closer to 15. Just for the record.) For reviews of any late-releasing 2014 movies I saw, you can read this blog post or revisit my 2014 top-10 list.

The first quarter is usually a bad time for movies, but there was one great film among those I saw, and chances are good you’ll hear about it again when I rank my favorites of the year in December.

Here are the movies, in order of my seeing them.

Blackhat. The same guy who made Heat and The Insider really made this? C–

The Wedding Ringer. Offensive, broad, pandering, but not-horrible comedy that somehow, ultimately finds a way to be endearing. C+

Fifty Shades of Grey. Less a movie than a collection of scenes people wanted to see on screen. Meh. C–

The Last Five Years. Two attractive, talented leads trapped in a dead-end, albeit cute, musical. For theater geeks only. B–

The Hunting Ground. Excellent documentary that makes the point that sexual assault on college campuses isn’t limited to certain parts of the country, certain types of schools, certain races or religions, or even one gender — and something must be done to stop it. Now. A–

Kingsman: The Secret Service. Hip and cool spy movie. Everyone in it looks like they’re having a blast; that extends to the audience. B

Danny Collins. An appealing cast (including a mostly not–scenery chewing Al Pacino and the always lovely Jennifer Garner) try valiantly to salvage a lackluster screenplay, but don’t always succeed. B–

Furious 7. Not as fun or ridiculously over the top as 6 was, but still a damned good time. And kudos for the way the film pays tribute to Paul Walker. B

Oh yes … I should mention that F7 doesn’t actually open till April 3, but I’ve already seen it, so I thought I’d include my quick thoughts here.

Are there any movies you’ve seen so far this year that were notable? Let me know in the comments section below.