PLOT: Black
woman does everything for her husband only to be cheated on and conned.
What does acrimony mean? It means bitterness and anger. Melinda
(Taraji P. Henson) fell in love with brilliant but con artist. He took a lot from her: her virginity, her
money, her mother’s house. Her husband did become successful and married
someone else. She has borderline
personality she calls it blind rage!
Okay. This movie is a Lifetime
movie for black women. Oh man, Henson
was over the top but so would you if you had been through what she has. If you go to see this movie, go with your
girlfriends because if you go with your man it will give you the wrong
ideas. See it if you love Taraji Henson
slowly turning into a crazed bitch!
AVENGERS INFINITY
WARS
ACTION/SUPERHERO
PLOT: World’s
mightiest heroes come together to battle the evil Thanos.
Ironman,
Hulk, Thor, Captain America Black Widow along with many others joins forces to
stop Thanos from having all Infinity gemstones.
That’s basically it but it is well done and even better for the fans. Thanos
is a horrible foe yet he tries to make sense of his world killer logic. He is a great villain. Fans or not be
prepared for sensational special effects and shocking events for many of the
popular superheroes. You will be saying
OMG or curse words. You don’t see it coming and you when you do you will be
gasping! Worth watching!
PLOT: Three
animals grow and become extremely aggressive because of a chemical by a major
corporation.
Davis
Okoye (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) a primatologist (!) has a bond with an albino
ape named George. One night he stumbles
and breathes in a gas that makes him incredible big and incredible hostile. Davis must help his friend George and save a
city. Oh man, the story is hard to
believe but the giant monster action is fantastic!!! The rest of the cast is not too bad either
with Naomie Harris (James Bond) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Walking Dead) who is
very, very, very funny. If you like
Johnson, giant monster attacking cities and fighting each other-Go! If not WAIT!
PACIFIC RIM 2: UPRISING
SCI-FI/ACTION
PLOT: The sequel to Pacific Rim.
It took five years
for Hollywood to continue the story of Jaegers (hunters in German) giant
mecha-robots to defeat giant monsters from the sea. John Boyega (Star Wars: The
Force Awakens) is Jake Pentecost, the son of (Stacker Pentecost, Idris Elba)
from the last movie. He is not like his
dad, he is reckless but Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi from the last movie) brings
him back to train cadets to control the mecha-machines. Story is not my concern but the action
is! It is rock ‘em sock ‘em 250 feet
robots attack big monsters. If you
didn’t like the first one you will not like this but if you did you are in for
a treat! There is action and minor
spoiler: None of the robots fight in the
rain or at night!
A WRINKLE IN TIME
FANTASY/ADVENTURE
PLOT: Based on the 1962 novel by Madeleine L’
Engle.
Meg (Storm Reid)
and her younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) miss their father (Chris
Pine) a scientist who discovers a new way to see the universe and he hasn’t
been seen in four years. They go on a mission to find their father. Man, this
movie has great special effects and the bottom line love for family but it was
confusing to me. One of the reasons why it doesn’t grab you is that they took
out the religious overtones in the book. The novel was difficult to make into
film but director Ava DuVenay did her best.
If you like the book and Oprah Winfrey (who looks very amazing in her
outfits) you should see it, if not wait.
READY PLAYER ONE
ACTION/SCI-FI
PLOT: When an inventor of a virtual reality dies he
tells the gamers if they can find the Easter Egg they will be rich.
In 2045 the world
is much worse than it is now but their only release is going to the Oasis, a
virtual reality game. The creator passes
away but if he can find the three keys to find the Easter Egg the person will
have enormous wealth. If you love video
games and pop culture you will enjoy this movie. You think you can’t follow it but you can and
it is visually stunning. Younger people
will love it even more! Director Steven
Spielberg went back to what he does best--focusing on what it is like to be young and have
fun.
Dominika Egorova
(Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men, Hunger Games franchise) is a ballerina who has to
take care of her sick mom. After a
planned accident she can’t dance anymore so of all people her uncle recruits
her to become a seductive spy. The
training sequences are tough to watch.
If Hollywood makes Black Widow movie they will clean it up. It is not Atomic Blonde either. Not much action but lots of deception like in
the real spy world. Lawrence is brave to
do some of stuff she did and she has a passable Russian accent. It is not making money, not because of star power, but it is grim and not for kids.
DEATH WISH
ACTION
PLOT: Remake
of 1974 classic with Charles Bronson.
Paul Kersey (Bruce
Willis) is a trauma surgeon and has a lovely wife, Lucy (Elisabeth Shue) a cute
daughter Jordon (Camila Morrone) who is going to college when burglars rob
their house and kills his wife and his daughter in a coma. He can’t sleep, goes to therapy but that is
not working. What does work he shoots a
carjacker. He starts shooting criminals
while finding out who killed his wife for the police are not doing
anything. The film is updated but it
still asks the question: Who you kill
someone who killed a member of your family?
Downbeat as it sounds there are comic moments in the film. Minor spoilers: Some kills you don’t see coming. If you love action and Bruce Willis you will
enjoy this.
TOMB RAIDER
ACTION/ADVENTURE
PLOT: Reboot of Lara Croft
Lara Croft (Alicia
Vikander Jason Borne, Ex Machina) is aggressive losing her dad as he searched for
a grave that if open would destroy all mankind.
She decides to find this grave and the journey begins. Vikander put on muscle to her lithe frame to
do those action sequences and she is good.
The film is grittier than the one with talented Angelina Jolie. She is not as pretty as Jolie but damn she is
fierce! It is a good popcorn movie.
PLOT: True story of British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill.
Winston Churchill
(Gary Oldman) is the Prime Minister at the worst time in England. He must decide to surrender to the Germans
lead by Hitler or continue to fight. The
cast is brilliant and Oldman is fantastic as Churchill. He is funny, grumpy, intelligent and unsure
what to do in such a desperate time.
Even if you don’t know history you will know an amazing performance by
Oldman who must be nominated for an Oscar.
NOMINATED FOR: BEST ACTOR: GARY OLDMAN
ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ.
DRAMA
PLOT: Defense attorney for the poor wants a better
life.
Roman J. Israel
Esq. (Denzel Washington) is an outspoken, smart lawyer but he stayed in the
background while his partner got clients.
He becomes ill and he tries to make it on his own but doesn’t
succeed. He gets to work at a very
exclusive law firm and feel out of place for he doesn’t dress the part. He is tired of doing the right thing so he
does a very bad thing. He becomes rich
but his conscience bothers him with tragic consequences. This is a character study about a man who
does believe justice but justice doesn’t make you money. Washington is as great as always and the cast
which includes Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo.
NOMINATED FOR:
BEST ACTOR: DENZEL WASHINGTON
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI
DRAMA
PLOT: Angry mother wants the police to solve her
daughter’s murder.
Mildred (Frances
McDormand) is upset mother and she buys three billboards to solve her
daughter’s rape and murder. The small
town is turns against her even worst when the sheriff commits suicide thinking
it is because of the case. Oh man, this
film is very different from other movies of moms wanting to find their child’s
killer. It feels like a sick comedy but
when it becomes dramatic it is.
McDormand is not your typing grieving mother! She is feisty, vengeful and hostile and yet
you feel her ongoing frustration. Dixon (Sam
Rockwell, the darling of independent movies and in Iron Man 2) is amazing as a
racist cop who loses his job and tries to redeem himself in a strange way.
NOMINATED FOR: BEST ACTRESS FRANCES MCDORMAND
NOMINATED FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
SAM ROCKWELL, WOODY HARRELSON
DUNKIRK
HISTORY/DRAMA
PLOT: World War 2 England and French soldiers were
cut off from help and surrounded by Germans in Dunkirk, France.
Usually I review movies that
were in the theater but I doing something different this year. There is a saying “war is hell.” This movie
proves it! Military men hungry searching
for food, water and shelter and they can be killed at any moment! There was another Dunkirk movie in 1958 but
this was directed by Christopher Nolan who made Batman the Dark Knight so you
know what to expect: a very good
movie! It shows the best and worst of
soldiers during May 26 –June 4. My gripe
is it is too beautiful for a war movie.
War is not pretty at all-even for the right reasons.
PLOT: The final installment of the very popular
franchise.
Christian Grey (Jamie
Dorman) and Anastasia Steel (Dakota Johnson) are now married and like married
couples no matter how rich have problems.
She loves him but wants to be independent and he just wants to dominate
her. Things get even worse when she
finds out she is pregnant and he doesn’t want children. Jack Hyde wants vengeance on the couple and
he does get it. It’s a Lifetime movie
with a lot more nudity and cursing. It
is a girls night out movie. Johnson
looks dazzling and so does Dorman. The
entire cast is very attractive along with the soundtrack. Is mommy porn over? Don’t count on it. They didn’t split the last book into two
movies (thank goodness) but greedy Hollywood could make a prequel about
Christian meeting Elena Lincoln maybe that film would sizzle.
BLACK PANTHER
ACTION/SCI-FI
PLOT: T’Challa now king of Wakanda must restore
order.
T’Challa(Chadwick
Boseman, Marshall, Get On Up) must be King of Wakanda after the death of his
father; deal with greedy arms dealers who want the country’s unique metal and fight
a foe from his past Erik Killmonger (Michael P. Jordan Creed, Fantastic Four). OMG is this movie good! The fight scenes with Black Panther are great
and his female fighters even better! For
many people the film is just another Marvel superhero movie but to African
Americans it is spectacular for it shows the beauty and technology of an
African country. It shows black
people-mostly dark skinned people who are heroic, intelligent and compassionate
which you don’t see very much anywhere.
Worth watching.
12 STRONG
WAR DRAMA
PLOT: The true story of the first Special Forces
to attack the Taliban.
Captain Mitch
Nelson (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) and his men must go to Afghanistan after 9/11
and needs the help of Afghan warlord to defeat the Taliban. War is hell and shows in this movie. It is very realistic with bodies of men,
women and children being gun down without warning. As dramatic and tragic as it is it does have
humor. The acting very good especially
by Hemsworth and the rest of the cast.
Hemsworth actor has done most every genre except romantic comedy which I
hope you does.
