TRAVIS BYRAM'S MOVIE REVIEWS

What a lovely day to be a film buff. In fact, what a lovely year to be a sci-fi nerd of any kind. When there's big fare like George Miller's return to the "Mad Max" franchise in three decades with Fury Road , blockbusters like Age of Ultron and indie side dishes like Ex Machina , a nerd's palate is sure to be quenched. Of course, these are just appetizers until the mother of all science fiction franchises releases its long awaited film near Christmas, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip . Until that sure to be Oscar winner is released, Fury Road will be a fine placeholder, and a perfect shot of adrenaline for movie buffs familiar with Max or not. I binge-watched the two sequels leading up to this movie, The Road Warrior and  Beyond Thunderdome . Both were enormous servings of adrenaline and creativity, especially the latter, which might've been my favorite until I walked into the theater, anxiously awaiting the start of this film, as EIGHT TRAILERS pass...

First off, I must tell you a movie I fully recommend: "Django Unchained."  I didn't review it last week because of exams and the fact anyone who really wanted to see it probably saw it over Christmas when it came out.  It is a bold, extremely  gutsy movie that has become one of my favorite movies...not even of the year, but ever.  I'm still rooting for "Argo" come Oscar time, but I'd love to see Mr. Waltz pick up his second supporting actor Oscar for his remarkable work in this film. If you're thinking, wow, recommending a movie before the actual review...that can't be good!  It's not..."Warm Bodies" is absolutely a February movie, like the much-hyped "Mama" and "The Woman in Black" last year.  It's a (kind of) horror movie with some comedy and a whole lot of romance dashed in there, but not all of it works, and some of it is just downright predictable.  "Warm Bodies" works especially best as slum...