Room

The Academy goes to Jack!!!  This is the most amazing performance by a 5 year-old.  Room is a unique and unexpectedly tender exploration of the boundless love between a mother and her child under the most harrowing of circumstances.  This suspenseful and deeply emotional film tells the extraordinary story of Jack, a spirited 5 year-old who knows nothing of the world beyond the shed to which he and his Ma have been confined since she was kidnapped and imprisoned years ago. The rescue does not end the movie.  Living back in the World has its own set of problems. Brie Larson also gives an academy award performance.  I give it a 9. 

He Named Me Malala

The movie is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai , who was severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan's Swat Valley.  The 15-year-old was targeted by the Taliban for advocating for girls' education and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world.  This is an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl's life, from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education to her impassioned speeches at the UN.  This will make you an advocate for girls and women's education.  I give it a seven.  It is a documentary.

The Martian

The Martian is an exhilarating realistic and an original sci-fi blockbuster.  During a mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind after a fierce storm.  With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.  Don't miss this one.  You will be on the edge of your seat the whole time.  The cast is fantastic and very realistic.  I give it a seven.  Stars Matt Damon,  Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Date Mara, Donald Glover.