Bridge of Spies

Tom Hanks, a real estate lawyer, is recruited by the Federal government to  first , represent a Russian spy in court and later to help negotiate his swap between the Russian for Francis Gary Powers,, the pilot of the super secret U.S. spy plane that is shot down by a Russian rocket. Everything seems to go off the rails when the East Germans become involved. Well done re-enactment of a very dark time during the cold war. 4 bananas

99 Homes

Very dark drama of how mortgage foreclosures were gamed by real estate agents. Story depicks a young single dad being evicted from his house and then joining forces with the real estate agent who had him evicted. As the money flows in the young dad sees himself in the evictees and has to face the consequences. Hard to watch at times as you know that this is happening all around us, but a good under view of the misery of foreclosure. 3 bananas

The Martian

Matt Damon is terrific in this drama/comedy as an astronaut stranded on Mars. With little hope of being rescued Damon puts his botanist training to work in order to survive. Eventually Damon is able to McGiver transmissions to earth and the race is on to save him. Best movie of the year to date with Damon giving a great performance; a great supporting cast makes  for a fun, entertaining 2+ hours. 4 bananas