Edward Joseph Snowden was a computer whiz who wanted to put his talents to work for the United States Government. He proved to be an elite programmer whose skills caught the attention of the CIA and National Security Administration. But he soon realized that our government was not just spying on foreign enemies, but allies, and even hundreds of millions of Americans by going through their emails, text messages, and telephone calls. Snowden hoped that some of these activities would be curtailed based upon the campaign rhetoric of newly elected president, Barack Obama. But Snowden saw that the new president did not cutback, but instead, expanded these areas of surveillance. Further, he watched those who complained internally about these government excesses have their careers destroyed and in some cases were arrested.

Snowden makes the life-changing decision to leave his post in Hawaii, travel to Hong Kong and release confidential tapes of the U.S.'s eavesdropping activities to the press.

Snowden is one of the best films of the year. It's thrilling, informative, and exceptionally well written by Kieran Fitzpatrick and Oliver Stone who also directed the film. It's a rich production following not just the evolution of Snowden's views and concerns but how it affects him and his relationship with his girlfriend. The storyline also takes viewers into the governments' security at all cost mindset; even if it means overkill in data gathering and overriding the constitution.

Equal to the quality of this film's writing and direction, are the stellar performances of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Snowden, Shailene Woodley who plays his girlfriend Lindsey Mills, and supporting cast members Rhys Ifans and Nicholas Cage.

As to cast diversity, Snowden gets a "B". Films based upon true stories get more leeway on cast diversity because actors chosen tend to be the same race as the real people. One of the small but important roles is that of Patrick Haynes a computer genius, and a black man, played by Keith Stanfield. Haynes who speaks seven languages is described by a colleague as the smartest man in the agency. And this character shows that brilliant, nerdy computer techs come in all colors.

Snowden is entertaining, thought providing, and gets a See It! rating.

It's Rated R for language and sexuality and nudity and is 138 minutes in length.

Storks deliver babies...or at least they used to. In this story, these birds are out of the baby business and now, deliver packages for a global internet giant, Cornerstore.com. Junior, the company's top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the previously out of commission, Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorized baby girl. Desperate to deliver this bundle of trouble before the boss gets wise, Junior and his friend Tulip, the only human on Stork Mountain, race to make their first-ever baby drop - in a challenging journey that could make more than one family whole and restore the stork's true mission in the world.

Storks never takes off and gets a Dead on Arrival rating. It deals with too many plotlines. None of which are especially interesting. And even in an animated feature, the characters need to have some level of depth, they don't here. I understand that this type of film is for kids. Halfway through the movie, my 12-year-old daughter whispered to me, "This is awful!"

Additionally, this theater with a lot of children was very quiet which is not usually the case when they are enjoying the movie. In a good animated film, children's laughter dominates the facility.

Character voices are by: Andy Samberg, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Anniston, Keegan Michael Key, and Jordan Peele.

Animated films generally do very well at the box office. Thus far in 2016, of the 10 Top Grossing Films, five are animated features. However, animation is not enough; the story has to have entertainment value. And, entertainment wise, Storks never gets off the ground, so it's Dead on Arrival.

Storks is rated PG for mild action and some thematic elements and is 89 minutes in length.

It's been 56 years since the original The Magnificent Seven first hit the big screen. The story is about a collection of lawmen and renegades who band together to save a small town from a powerful, well-organized group of outlaws. In the earlier version, Eli Wallach led the outlaws and Yul Brynner organized the small town defenders. In the 2016 version, Peter Sarsgaard (Bogue) and Denzel Washington (Chisolm) play the leaders of the bad guys and good guys respectively. The film opens with Bogue's band riding into town demanding that the farmers sell him their land for almost nothing. They have two weeks to decide. Anyone saying no, would have their land taken, anyway. Anyone speaking out against the offer was shot on the spot. When Chisolm, a federal marshal, arrives later with a warrant to arrest a local guy, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) approaches the marshal for help. Her husband was cold-bloodedly murdered for speaking out against the land grab. Chisolm decides to put together his own group to prepare for Bogue's return.

While The Magnificent Seven might have captivated viewers over five decades ago, this type of predictable and moderately entertaining film doesn't measure up by today's standards. Just the idea of people riding around on horses wearing the same clothes every day, shooting and killing multiple people in a single moment then going on as if they just swatted a few flies is just so implausible, nothing in this genre can be taken seriously.

The film does boast an All-Star or one might even say a magnificent cast. Academy Award winner Denzel Washington stars; however, as his roster of films goes, this is not one his more challenging roles. The most notable performance is by Peter Sarsgaard whose sinister, depraved heart character is the deepest role in the film. And Sarsgaard plays it with a villainous authenticity. Additionally, veteran actors Ethan Hawke and Vincent D'Onofrio round out the cast.

As to cast diversity, this film gets a "B+" and goes great lengths to be inclusive. The "Seven" consists of an Asian-American, Mexican-American and of course led by an African-American. Antoine Fuqua who directed the film is black. He, Washington and Hawke teamed together in Training Day, which resulted in Washington winning an Oscar for Best Actor.

The Magnificent Seven gets a Rent It rating. There's not enough here to justify the time and expense of going the theater.

It's rated PG-13 for extended and intense sequences of Western violence and for historical smoking, some language, and suggestive material. And at two hours and 12 minutes, it's a long movie.

Low-budget, but an ultimately effective film. See It!

It could be called Michelle and Barack's first date. Because that's what this movie is all about. Set in Chicago in the summer of 1989, Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter), a second year associate at a major law firm, agrees to spend the afternoon with the Harvard Law School intern she supervises, Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers). She's apprehensive about the propriety of going out with someone she manages and refuses to call the outing, a date.

Southside With You squeezes in more verbiage and conflict than this young couple probably engaged in on their first date. This smorgasbord of issues includes whether it is a cop out to make big bucks at an elite law firm rather than to give back to the community; whether Michelle should even be out with her employee; parent-child relationships; Barack's history of dating white women – among others.

One of the primary requirements of a film based on real people, especially very well-known real people, is that the actors selected to play those people are effective. Parker Sawyers does capture the image and persona of the first black president of the United States. In fact, he is much better as Barack than Tika Sumpter is as Michelle. Summers at 6'3" is a bit taller than Obama but has the same lean frame. While the script has Michelle teasing Barack about his protruding ears, Summers does not have prominent ears. Tika at 5'7" uses thick sole shoes to put herself closer to Michele's 5'11" height. And there is very little in Sumpter's presence, voice, or appearance that resembles the First Lady.

At 84 minutes, Southside With You, is short and the first scenes in which both characters prepare for the date were definitely overdone. Michele's parents repeatedly chide her over every detail about Barack and their planned outing. As if she has never been on a date in her life. On Barack's end, his grandmother from Hawaii calls to coach him on dos and don'ts for the evening.

It's hard to give Southside With You, a diversity rating. This movie is based on a true story in which by-in-large everyone is black. However, there was a scene in which much to Michelle's horror, she and Barack run into (a white) partner and his wife while they were out for the evening. A fair rating would be a "C".

In conclusion, Southside With You is a thought-provoking and ultimately entertaining film and gets a See It rating!