Scepter

James Bond is back chasing an international cartel that wants to be in control of a worldwide intelligence gathering operation. I think the Bond series is finally wearing down, not up to the past movies. 1 1/2 bananas

Truth

True story of how the George W. Bush scandal of being aol from the national guard is turned from that to one of discrediting the journalists who dug deep for the story. Mary Mapes a 60 Minutes TV producer, her reporting team and Dan Rather develop what appears to be solid evidence that Bush had been given special priviledges to avoid the Vietnam War only to have some very powerful lobbies turn the tables on them to discreet their reporting. Probably not going to be in the theaters long. 3 bananas

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

Sicario

Intense drama of the fight to stop the flow of drugs from Mexico. A U.S. drug task force is put together with no boundries or laws attached to it to seek out and kill the king pins of the Mexican drug operations. Emily Blunt is assigned to the force from the FBI but she wants to do everything legally which immediately puts her at odds with all the rest. Right on the money for telling it like it is. Sicario means hitman in Spanish , so take it from there. Wish the movie had been 3 hours as the 2 hours  flew by. 3 1/2 bananas

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

The continuing sage(3 so far) of a group of young people who have been held prisoners and then have escaped into a world that has been totally destroyed. Why they were being held and how they manage their way in a devastated world with their captors in hot pursuit is what makes things intertesting. 2 bananas

Black Mass

Johnny Depp portrays the rise and fall of Boston mobster James Whitey Bulger in this very dark drama of murder, corruption and mayhem.. Bulger is able to avoid the arm of the law by getting into bed with the local FBI who believe he is a valuable informant only to find many years later that they have been played. The cruel and heartless Bulger is played to perfection by Depp. 3 1/2 bananas

Walk in the Woods

Nick Nolte is hilarious in this comedy also starring Robert Redford as the two join forces after 40 years of being apart to walk the Appalachian Trail. Along the way they rehash memories of times spent growing up in Iowa as well the true reason Nolte shows unexpectedly up to join Redford . Emma Thompson never looked better as Redfords wife in a supporting role. Delightful from beginning to the end. 3 1/2 bananas

No Escape

Owen Wilson stars in this intense drama of a family who has just arrived in a 3rd world country at the same time the government is being over thrown by ruthless rebels. As the family tries to escape the rebels always seem to be one step behind, slaughtering all that get in the way. Pierce Brosnan in a supporting role as a mysterious do gooder helps the family in their attempt to flee the country. 2 bananas