I went to see The Maze Runner with no expectations. I saw a trailer two or three times in the last season that promoted this young adult (YA) dystopian sci-fi, but other than the trailers, I didn’t have prior knowledge of the film.

Dystopian flicks and novels work better this way. I like a movie I know little about.1 And if it’s in the YA category, it helps to keep an open mind and let the movie speak for itself. I’m not a young adult anymore, and sadly I’m finding it harder to relate to the fears and angst teenagers experience. However, a well-made movie can suck me into a story so that I…

Books have a lot going for them when they become so successful that public schools make them required reads. The Giver is the first in four novels by Lois Lowry that have earned a place on such a list in America, Australia, and Canada. And only now, after 21 years of popular bookshelf demand, The Giver makes an appearance in cinemas.

Without a doubt, this social science fiction novel has its detractors. Some critics take it to lack “originality” and “literary merit.” Such concerns matter to the critics, as you well know. For what it’s worth, children and young adults usually enjoy the story,…

Scarlett Johansson is arguably the most popular woman alive. Morgan Freeman is one of the most popular men, thanks to his mature masculine voice. These two performers gave Lucy the promise of offering a compelling sci-fi action flick that had nothing to do with super-heroes, a reboot, or a franchise continuation. That’s why TJ and I at MovieByte wanted to see Lucy: a movie that dreams big but crashes even bigger.

The woman in over her head

Lucy (played by Scarlett Johansson) is your average American living and studying in downtown Taipei, Taiwan. One not-so average day, she’s tricked into…

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the latest in the reboot of the Apes franchise. I really love it for a few reasons.

But first, newsflash: I’m new to the franchise. I know, I know. This series of films is a cult classic, and you have to be a pitiable noob if you haven’t at least seen the original.

I’ve actually watched documentaries that addressed Apes at length. I have seen interviews with the cast and directors. I’ve watched a really decent review of the first film in this reboot. Friends have told me I have to watch at least the good ones.

So my excuse is that I simply don’t find apes…

You know those films that all your friends love, so you feel a little emotional pressure to like them too? How to Train Your Dragon and its sequel are those films for me.

It’s not that I don’t like them, because I do. I just don’t like them as well as anyone else I know. Dreamworks has impressed the masses with these dragon flicks all too easily, in my humble opinion. Critics gave the first film 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The sequel has 92%. For comparison, Ratatouille has a 96% and Frozen has 89%. It seems to me that people just like dragons—not that Dreamwork’s film was actually as good if…

Star Wars: Episode VII, directed by J.J. Abrams, is deep into production. It’s scheduled for a December 2015 release, which leaves little time in production years to complete one of the greatest film epics of our time. J.J.’s is a monumental assignment.

But if that were not enough, Disney and Lucasfilm have publicly declared they will release another Star Wars film every year for the foreseeable future. That means Star Wars: Episode VIII must be scripted at this very moment, or very close to it. That gives them 1.4 years to finish Abrams’ and 2.5 years to make the sequel from… Read The Rest

Everyone wants to see Iron Man (a.k.a. Robert Downey Jr.) suit up for another Marvel film. Personally, I would enjoy more super hero stuff with Downey, but I’m more interested in the rest of his career.

Mr. Downey and his wife co-produced their very own drama that hits theaters this October 10th. It’s The Judge, the story of a scrupleless lawyer (Robert), his judge father (Robert Duvall), and a tumultuous trial that charges not-so-dear-old-dad with murder. The Judge also stars Billy Bob Thorton, Leighton Meester, and Vera Farmiga.

Robert had some nice things to say about his film on…

Pixar’s Inside Out is scheduled for release June 19, 2015. This is the first time in more than a decade that Pixar has skipped a yearly release cycle.

The upcoming film is shrouded in mystery, as little is known besides a simple summary and the voice cast (no trailers available at this time).

It’s the story of eleven-year-old Riley, a girl in the Midwest that’s moving to San Francisco. It’s about her transition in a wave of new life experiences. It’s the new beginnings that Riley encounters that spur some inner growth, turmoil, and comedy. Pixar’s press release:

Like all of us, Riley is…

Refugees from Sudan come to America, and it’s ‘A Great White Cow’ Reese Witherspoon that’s picks them up at the airport.

Produced by the makers of The Blind Side, The Good Lie sheds light on trauma in war-ravaged African countries. It’s a story about two journeys: the American woman learning to care about people outside of her bubble, and the refugees’ new life in western civilization—away from their former torments.

Depending on what you choose to dwell on, you could perceive the film to be shallow for dwelling on the savior complex of this American woman. If you think the film is all…