Dark Mommas and Phoenixes

MA

HORROR

PLOT:    Lonely older black woman has bad plans for a group of teenages.

                Sue Ann (Octavia Spencer) lives alone, maybe and has a job as a veterinarian assistant.  She lets kids use her basement to party and call her Ma but there is a reason why she is doing this.  Black people complain that black actors in horror movies are the first to die but Ma is different for Ma is doing the killing!  If you watch horror movies you figure it out very quickly but the film does tell you in flashback.  Race is not mentioned in the movie but it could easily be a blaxploitation film in the 70s, for most of the victims are white.  Spencer is great for she can play a kind woman to full-tilt psycho!  There is a lot of talent in the movie like Luke Evans (Dracula Untold, Beauty and the Beast) and the director of The Help Tate Taylor to do a guilty pleasure B-movie flick.

ALADDIN

FANTASY

PLOT:    Live action film of the timeless story.

                Disney made the animated feature starring the voice of the late, great Robin Williams and now it is live action with Will Smith as the Genie.  The singing so-so but the visual effects are AMAZING.  Smith is no Robin Williams but he isn’t bad as genie found by Aladdin whose only wish to be free and human.  Marwan Kenzari is the evil Jafar and he does a good job of being bad.  I hope his acting career goes far.  DELIGHTFUL.

X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX

SUPERHERO

PLOT:    The X-men has to fight one of their own.

                The X-men now are heroes in the future and mutants are no longer a threat but a mishap in space causes Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) to absorb a cosmic force which slowly turns her into the uncontrolled, malicious Phoenix.  The movie is good if you don’t know anything about X-men but if you read the comics you will know many things don’t happen. First, Raven/ Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) was NEVER leader of the team! If it was done correctly it would be like the Avengers’ saga and most of it happens in space.  The back-story of this movie is more interesting than the movie itself!  If you are a true of fan wait until video if you like action-go see it.

Little Monster Hustle

LITTLE

COMEDY

  

PLOT:    Adult black woman gets to be a thirteen year old again.

                Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) is a black, successful but mean-spirited and demanding boss who makes a little girl angry and she makes her young again.  It has been done many times plus it is predictable but this is the black version.  Hall is funny and Marsai Martin (TV show blackish) is cute and amusing as young  Jordan but it is Issa Rae who is hilarious as Jordan’s overworked creative assistant, April.  It is better than I expected   but it could easily be on TV movie.

THE HUSTLE

COMEDY

PLOT:    Two female con artists make a bet to scam a tech billionaire.

                Josephine (Anne Hathaway) is a classy, beautiful woman and Penny (Rebel Wilson) is pretty, plus crass female.  The two ladies are con artists.  They make a bet who can con the billionaire first.  It is a female take on Dirty Rotten Scoundrels made in 1988 with Steve Martin and Michael Caine.  I did not see that movie but I did see this one.  It is not as funny as I thought it was going to be but it does have amusing parts in it.  Hathaway has fun being having different accents and lovely outfits and Wilson is cute with her unique dresses.  It is NOT worth watching in the movies but on video and cable.

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

ACTION/SCI-FI

PLOT:    A sequel to Godzilla 2014.

                Godzilla destroyed San Francisco while defeating a MUTO and disappear from sight in 5 years.  Dr. Russell had a tragedy in her life and made a device named Orca (!) that can control the Titans (giant monsters) to obliterate the world to make it better again.  Plot is not why I go see a Godzilla movie.  You go see the film to watch monster battles and it does!  It is not the flick in 2014 where Godzilla is in the entire movie for about 10 minutes! He is in the movie a lot!  The epic film is for fans mostly for there are many references in GKOTM from the Toho movies.  The 2 things I am not pleased with is the fight scenes are in the rain and there are suppose to be 17 monsters but I didn’t see them all.  If you like Godzilla GO SEE THIS MOVIE but if not wait.

Oversized Fantasy, Understated Romance

DUMBO

FANTASY 

PLOT:    The classic Disney animated movie is now live action.

               

                Dumbo is about a baby elephant that has big ears because he can fly with them.  He lives in a circus which is near ruin and he becomes the main attraction but things happen that they take his mother away. An evil rich man takes over the circus and worst things happen.  It has more actors in the film for it is live action.  The special effects are great and there are tender moments but it is NOT like the animated movie.  Dumbo, the animated movie made in 1941 was only 75 minutes.  This movie is a little longer.

AVENGERS:  ENDGAME

ACTION/FANTASY

  

PLOT:    After the devastation of Avengers Infinity Wars the heroes that are left must change events back.

                The Avengers, Iron Man, (Robert Downey Jr.) Captain America, (Chris Evans) Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Hawkeye, (Jeremy Renner) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) plus a few more superheroes are struggling with half the population gone decide they have to correct the damage Thanos (James Brolin) has done.  It is long 3 hours and a bit confusing but the ending is SAD, SPECTCULAR and SUSPENSEFUL!!  It is worth the wait for Marvel fans and who like this amazing epic movie franchise.

  

AFTER

DRAMA/ROMANCE

PLOT:    Young college girl ventures off to college and meets a handsome bad boy.

                Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) is a good daughter and dedicated student.  When she goes away to college she has a lesbian roommate, she parties more than usual and she meets a bad boy hunk named Hardin Scott (Herro Fiennes Tiffin).  They lust for each other immediate then a romance blossoms and Tessa gives up a few things for Hardin then finds out something shocking about him.  You seen this all before but it is done very well.  It is based on a novel by Anna Todd and directed by a woman Jenny Cage.  The movie is much nicer than the novel but it is worth seening.  The film was in theaters a hot minute.  I hope more will see it on video.

Life, Death and Superheroes

UNPLANNED

DRAMA

PLOT:    A clinic director of a Planned Parenthood has a change of heart about abortion.

                Based on the book of the same name is about Abby Johnson (Ashley Bratcher) who had 2 abortions herself-one the regular way and one chemical.  She is perfect woman to entice other women to do the same thing until she sees what really happens to a fetus.  It is very GRAPHIC! After she sees that she becomes a pro-lifer herself.  It is a pro-life movie and very well done. It does tell the other side that it is a business and it is corrupt.  You have to decide. Bratcher did an excellent job.  I hope she isn’t blacklisted for doing this movie. The controversy is that the major network-even Lifetime didn’t want to advertise and they should have!  This is freedom of the press regardless of subject matter.  You have to search to find the film but it is well worth it.

SHAZAM

ACTION/SUPERHERO

PLOT:  Young boy has deity powers by saying one name.

                Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is an orphan bouncing around from one foster home to another.  He only was to find his mom so the last faster home he meets Freddy, who is an authority of superheroes for he has a bad leg and uses a crutch.  He gets a strange vision from The Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) gives him amazing powers with one word, Shazam (Zachery Levi) which means Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus Achilles and Mercury.  The villain in the film is Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong) who wants Billy’s powers.  OMG, this is good!  It is better than I thought!  ALL the actors are good in their parts.  It is delightful movie about heroes who doesn’t always wear capes and family.

PET SEMATARY

HORROR

  

PLOT:    Remake of the 1989 movie.

                Based on the novel by horror writer Stephen King is about loving family and someone dies.  One parent can’t accept death and brings the dead child back to life with terrible consequences.  The updated version is a bit creepier but the theme is the same-never bring back the dead!  Critics and fans will compare the difference between the novel, the two movies many times but if you like Stephen King you will like both versions.

Dragons, Champions and Superheroes

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3:  THE HIDDEN WORLD

ANIMATED 3D

  

PLOT:    The dragon Night Fury is growing up and finds a mate along with his master.

                Hiccup (Jay Barchel) is Night Fury (Toothless) friend and master.  Both are getting older and discover love.  There is also a place where dragons have their own land and Hiccup and friends must help the dragons go there.  The movie is beautiful-especially when they go to the Hidden World.  It has romance, drama and thrills.  It seems like the last movie but don’t count on it.  It is worth watching.

CAPTAIN MARVEL

ACTION/ADVENTURE

PLOT:    How an exceptional female pilot becomes a powerful superheronie.

                Carol Danvers (Brie Larson Oscar winner) is a pilot and through a series of events turns into an extraordinary super being.  This is the movie version of Captain Marvel NOT the comic book version.   She gets help by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and they make a good team.  The film is not bad.  The special effects are amazing!!!  It has all the elements of a Marvel movies back-story, humor, action and it is connected to the Avengers’ franchise.  The movie is getting bad press because of its star Larson saying things not relevant to the movie she is promoting.  If you look pass that you will really enjoy this film.

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY

DRAMA

PLOT:    How amateur wrestler rose to become the youngest WWE female champion.

                Saraya Jade Bevis aka Paige (Florence Pugh) is born into a wrestling family and all she dreamed of was to be in WWE but she never dreamed she would be picked and becomes WWE female champion on the first time on the big stage.   It is not as funny as the trailer suggest but when it is funny it is hilarious!  Her real family is from England, middle class and sometimes criminal.  She goes through tough training then NXT.  She learns the ropes-professionally and personally and she becomes victorious!  It shows wrestling is not fake, not a joke either.  It takes strength and stamina to survive so the next time your children want to be a wrestler-watch this movie.