As flashy as it is with tremendous and eye-popping special effects, "Terminator: Genisys" has created an extremely convoluted mess of merged timelines and revisionist storytelling that treads all over what made the 1984 original and superior 1991 sequel so great. This is more of an attempt of retcon than of homage. Even if you find yourself entertained by the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to his signature franchise, you may be asking, maybe even screaming in outrage, why this revision exercise was even necessary.

EDITORIAL: The Best of 2015 (so far)

The end of June marks the halfway point of 2015. This website makes it a point each year to measure the calendar year's offerings so far of what has been the best with the goal of building a year-end "10 Best" list. This is as good a place as any to honor the fine efforts that have graced the screen this half-year. Here are the "Top 5 (so far)."

MOVIE REVIEW: Big Game

Bankrolled overseas for just under $10 million, the new film "Big Game," playing concurrently in limited theatrical release and Video On Demand, stars a sizable cast of Hollywood players stealing easy money and cashing quick paychecks. "Big Game" is a dumpster fire. It might be so incredibly terrible that it's too bad to ever become a "so-bad-it's-good" guilty pleasure and cult favorite. This might be beyond the boys at RiffTrax to mock, and that's saying something.

MOVIE REVIEW: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

By tackling the subject of cancer and doing so in the guise of a quirky high school comedy, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" stands out as proof that a movie can be earnest and humorous at the same time. It can be understated in one moment and then completely outgoing the next. It is a film that can feel facetious and yet still be profound. It takes the modern high school setting that is deliberately riddled with innate tropes, stereotypes, and cliches and masterfully steers around every single one of them to offer you something smart, touching, and, most of all, original. That is no small feat and something to stand up and celebrate.

COLUMN: 2015 Late Summer Movie Preview

Boy, I'm just going to come out and say it. Contrary to prior expectations, there is not much worthwhile left in the 2015 summer movie season. May and June were loaded and delivered a plethora of hits. Outside of some noteworthy big hitters, the slates for July and August don't look all that strong. Here's a complete preview of the final two months and second half of the 2015 summer movie season.

MOVIE REVIEW: Dope

The next sure-fire addition to any list of possibly great coming-of-age films is "Dope," the fifth feature film from writer-director Rich Famuyiwa ("Brown Sugar," "The Wood'). "Dope" debuted in dramatic competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was selected as the prestigious closing film of the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in France last month. Those are prominent feathers to have in any film's cap. Better yet, they are kudos that are more than earned by this film's energetic brilliance.

MOVIE REVIEW: Inside Out

The prevailing feeling has been that the hallmark extra level of magic and poignancy that used to be Pixar's calling cards have been lost while they milked dollars from lackluster sequels and prequels like "Cars 2" and "Monsters University." We have missed the visual originality from "Monsters Inc." and "Cars." We have missed the sense of wonder from "Wall-E" and "Ratatouille." Most of all, we have sorely missed the strong familial dynamics of the "Up," the "Toy Story" series, and "Finding Nemo." "Inside Out" is exactly the redemptive return to form that Pixar desperately needed. The film rivals each of those prior greats in each of those areas. This is exactly what you loved and were missing while being something truly great that can stand on its own merits.

MOVIE REVIEW: Jurassic World

Spectacle defines "Jurassic World" perfectly. Just as the dictionary definition states, the blockbuster is unusual, notable, and entertaining in an eye-catching, dramatic, and very public way. It is loud and dumb, but, hot damn, it sure is fun. More discerning tastes will definitely gravitate to the "object of curiosity and contempt" version of the definition and they wouldn't be wrong in doing so. In the end, the simple definitions seal "Jurassic World" too. It is an very impressive monster movie and it will indeed attract attention and shock.

MOVIE REVIEW: Spy

In her two films since "Tammy," Melissa McCarthy has done both. Going against her bread-and-butter zaniness, playing it straight for a change in last fall's superb Bill Murray vehicle "St. Vincent" was the first step. The new summer spoof comedy "Spy" is the next step, thanks to McCarthy returning as the go-to muse for her "Bridesmaids" writer/director Paul Feig. With Feig and a stellar cast, "Spy" is clearly better company, but it's not a tremendous step up in material or acting for our star. "Spy" feels like one of those movies that is funny the first time and lasts for that one dose, but won't be something you'll revisit and likely something you'll regret you really liked five or ten years down the road. It is worth your Redbox rental, but not all that much more.

OVERDUE REVIEW: The Age of Adaline

In a new subset of movie reviews on my main website, I am circling back to see and review reasonably recent films that I either missed during their main theatrical runs or saw later then their window of mainstream prominence. As a guy with a traveling day job and a new father of "two-under-two," I can't see everything every week and I have to choose my spots to head out to the theater. These are my educational-themed "OVERDUE REVIEWS" and the life lessons are still in full effect.

MOVIE REVIEW: San Andreas

"San Andreas" is one of those terrible-to-OK movies that Dwayne Johnson makes either passable or good solely through his presence, heroics, and charisma alone. We're a long way from great here, but "San Andreas" counts as mind-numbing fun that's fit for the summer season. The errors, implausibilities, and eye rolls are as high as the city-leveling casualty rate, but Warner Bros. and company weren't aiming very high.

EDITORIAL: The 10 best movies set in Hawaii

Let's look at the best films set in and about Hawaii, its people, citizens, and history. To make this list, the film has to actually be about and predominantly set in Hawaii. Any movies that start or end somewhere else, where Hawaii is purely a side trip or vacation, are not good enough. Here are the top ten as they stand before the arrival of "Aloha" this weekend. Can that film crack this list? We shall see.

EVERY MOVIE HAS A LESSON

by Don Shanahan

BRINGING YOU MOVIE REVIEWS AND MORE SINCE 2010

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