Green Room (2015)

Nazis are the classic bad guys throughout cinema; mainly historic dramas centered around Germany and the war. These days, however, there are plenty of Nazi white power groups shopping at Walmart and posting in our Facebook groups. The classic bad guy is back as the movie villain. 

In Green Room, a struggling punk band takes a gig at a venue with an audience that leans to the right--the far far right. Things go south and I won’t spoil the rest, but it’s not for the squeamish. 

This was released in 2015, before we elected a hardcore racist. Now if we want to see white power hate crimes, we can just flip on the news. New plots are unfolding weekly. I hope the story arc moves in a better direction. 

Rating: B-

Uncanny (2015)

The similarities to Ex Machina are palpable. Here we have a male robot instead of a female one. There were some interesting moments, but overall I enjoyed Ex Machina much more.

Rating: C

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Like nothing you've seen before. It's hip, funny, quirky, and a bit juvenile. Video games infiltrate every part of the production. I really liked the characters and their quick witted interactions.

A miss for me was the focus of the entire film—Scott fighting the 7 evil ex's. If I want to see cartoonish fights, I can watch schlock like Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Still, it was refreshing to see something different brought to screen.

Rating: C+