Author: moviewarrior

I am an IT Professional who has loved the movie going experience since Kindergarten. My favorite Genres are Action, Suspense/Thrillers, Drama, Sci-Fi, Animation, Art House and Romantic Comedies.

The Intruder

My husband was so excited about this movie from its trailers that I promised him we would go when it opened. So on Friday night May 3rd there we are in the theater to see “The Intruder”.

Scott (Michael Ealy) and Annie Russell (Meagan Good) decide its time to move away from the hustle and bustle of city life and purchase a home in the country where they can start a family.
Scott gets a line on a beautiful country home with lots of acreage. Scott and Annie go out to check out the home. The owner, Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid) is there and after some discussion he hesitates to sell the property. The Russell’s decide to leave, but at the last minute Charlie has a change of heart.
Scott and Annie purchase the property, move in and make many changes. This seems to upset Charlie Peck. The story unfolds from there…

The problem with “The Intruder” is that the plot is short and there is really nowhere to go with it, but there is an attempt to stretch it out. You know what is eventually going to happen, you just wonder how long it’s going to take. This makes the movie painful to watch.

There is a more detailed back story behind the character Dennis Peck, but it’s not fully developed in this movie. This forces you to draw your own conclusions.

There are some small thrills and chills, but nothing to really make the movie suspenseful. There is also some light-weight drama, but it too is fluff. Last by not least the ending is strange and abrupt.

The best element in the movie is Meagan Good. She is beautiful and the wardrobe she wears in the movie is fantastic!! Unfortunately that’s not enough to make it worth paying to see “The Intruder”.

“The Intruder” is best viewed on Cable.

This is a 1 Star Movie!!

Avengers: ENDGAME in 3D

I am not as happy with “Avengers: Endgame” as I have been with the other installments. This is not to say the movie isn’t good because it is. It was executed brilliantly! I am just not totally thrilled with the ending. Additionally there are a couple of events that occur in the movie that are very unsettling to me. It leaves me with questions as to what’s next. Where is the Marvel Universe going in the future? You will have to see the movie and make your own assessment.

In the previous Avenger’s installment Thanos rose up and ruled. Much of the universe was wiped out and the Marvel Universe was severely fractured. Time passes and the few Marvel Heroes that are left decide to make one final run at taking Thanos and his army out. The story unfolds from there…

As I previously stated “Avengers: Endgame” is executed brilliantly!! The action is non-stop. There is suspense and intrigue. It’s definitely “Edge of Your Seat” entertainment. The cinematography and special effects are fantastic. The 3-D aspects are very good. There are a few dead spots in the movie where you are not sure what’s coming next, but that does not take away from the over-all execution of the movie.

I am just not happy with the way the movie ended. I found myself a bit confused and deep in thought when I left the theater because I knew I needed to get my thoughts together to write this review. It was very quiet when everyone was leaving the cinema. Usually there is loud chatter, laughter, clapping etc…But not today!

The movie is 3 hours and 2 minutes long. This does not include previews!! I now can understand that the long running time was really necessary. This is the longest movie in this genre that I have ever seen. Previously the longest running movie in this genre was “The Dark Knight” at 2 hours, 42 minutes.

If you are a Marvel Universe fan, you must see “Avengers: Endgame”.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Little

“Little” is about a super successful female CEO, Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) who owns her own company, when the pressures of the day overwhelm her, she is given the chance to go back and relive her care-free youthful life. The story unfolds from there…

“Little” is cute. I expected more laughs. The movie did not turn out as funny as it appeared on trailers and previews. It is however a tastefully done comedy. The teenage set will get a kick out of this movie.
I am sure at one time or another we have all wished to go back to our childhood, in “Little” you get the chance to do just that.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

The Best of Enemies

Based on a true story, “The Best of Enemies” is centered around the unlikely friendship between Ann Atwater (Henson) an out spoken civil rights activist and C.P Ellis (Rockwell) a local Ku Klux Klan Leader. Together they both reluctantly co-chair a community committee that is centered on eliminating racism and desegregation of the schools in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina in 1971. The events that occur will change both of their lives and Durham, NC forever. The story unfolds from there…

The movie gets off to a really slow start and I was bored at first, but along the way it picked up steam and became not only interesting but comical. This is once again another movie with HUGH racial undertones.
Hollywood seems to like making these types of movies as they continue to enjoy award success (“Green Book” took home the Best Picture Oscar)

“The Best of Enemies” is no “Green Book”. In fact the best elements of “The Best of Enemies” is Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. They both turn in excellent performances, but you will remember Taraji P.

The paid critics were ‘Luke-Warm” about “The Best of Enemies”. I think it’s worth a look.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Five Feet Apart

“Five Feet Apart” is about seventeen year old Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) who is like most teenagers, she has friends, she’s popular, attached to her phone and laptop, but one thing is very different, Stella lives with Cystic Fibrosis and she spends most of her time in a hospital.

Stella meets a fellow CF patient named Will Newman (Cole Sprouse).
There’s an instant attraction but because of their illness Stella and Will must remain five feet apart. As their friendship in the hospital blossoms they are tempted to throw caution to the wind. The story unfolds from there…

“Five Feet Apart” comes very close to being one of those “Been There Done That” type of movies, but the performances of Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse keep you watching. They are the best elements of the movie.

Some elements/scenes in “Five Feet Apart” will remind you of the 2014 film “The Fault in Our Stars”. The movie is ok, but I am not sure it’s worth the hefty ticket prices at the box office.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!!

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral

What is supposed to be a fun family reunion turns into a nightmare when instead Madea and her crew arrive in Backwoods, GA and unexpectedly have to plan a funeral. The story unfolds from there…

This was the most boring of all the Madea movies. I did not find any aspects of the movie funny or entertaining. When the Madea franchise started she was entertaining and very hilarious!! But, as time moved on she became less funny and more cheesy.

“Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral” is supposed to be the last installment in the Madea Franchise. This installment should be going out with a bang instead it’s whimpering on its last leg as it exits stage left. The movie ended abruptly without warning. It’s like a live audience play that is brought to the big screen, although there are some key elements missing.

Don’t waste your money. Wait for Cable.

This is a 1 Star Movie!!

Captain Marvel in AMC Dolby

“Captain Marvel” opening on International Women’s Day. I am sure that was well thought out. This is a very good first installment.

The back story for Captain Marvel was played out in bits and pieces that had to be pieced together more than 3 quarters of the way through the movie.

If you are a diehard Marvel Universe fan you will be engaged. If not…This may not be your movie!

The story is about Carol Danvers journey to become one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. Earth gets catch up in the middle of a Galactic war between several Alien Nations. Captain Marvel comes to the rescue. This is a fresh new story never seen in the Marvel Universe before. The story unfolds from there…

Fantastic cinematography!! Great camera angles. HUGH sound and visual effects and lots of action. The movie is very enjoyable seen in IMAX or AMC Dolby.
This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Oscar Roundup 2019

The 91st Academy Awards are over…The show turned out better than I expected. Not having a host was not a big deal. The show kept moving. It still ran over the 11:00pm hour, but only by a few minutes. There were some highlights and some low-lights…

One glaring moment for me was when Spike Lee accepted his Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay” for “BlackKklansman” and proceeded to speak about the shortest month, Black History month and remind us all of the events that took place some 400 years ago. I felt that was not necessary and I moved away from my living room TV until he had concluded…

There were some nice surprises like Regina King winning Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk” I was extremely happy for her and felt that the academy got that right!!

Although “Black Panther” did not win Best Picture it did take home 3 Oscars (Production Design, Original Score and Custom Design) and for that I am very happy. “Vice” fared ok, taking home 1 Oscar for Makeup & Hair Styling.

The big surprise was “Green Book” taking home 3 Oscars including (Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) and of course the coveted prize “Best Picture”). There was a lot of controversy on Social Media about “Green Book” winning “Best Picture”. It was stated that it’s like awarding “Driving Miss Daisy II”.

The predictions were that “Roma” would win Best Picture. “Roma” took home Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography and Best Director.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” took home 4 of the coveted statues, Best Actor(Rami Malek), Sound Editing, Film Editing and Sound Mixing.
“The Favourite” won the Best Actress Oscar (Olivia Colman)
“First Man” took home the Visual Effects Oscar
“A Star is Born” took home the Original Song Oscar
“Spider-Man into the Spider Universe” took home the Animated Feature Oscar

I did not review “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “BlackKklansman”, “Roma”(Netflix), “The Favourite”, “A Star is Born” or “First Man”, but the movies I did see fared very well and once again I did review the Best Picture Winner (Green Book)!!

So on with 2019, let’s hope it’s a better year for movies than 2018!!

Alita: Battle Angel

“Alita: Battle Angel” is a pretty decent science fiction film. The movie will remind you of the Matrix Trilogy.

Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is or where she comes from. She has been “Rebuilt” so to speak by Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz). Alita doesn’t understand this futuristic world she now lives in. Dr. Ido takes her in and provides a place for Alita to live.
Day by Day Alita ventures out to discover the world she is unfamiliar with. She makes some friends and attempts to live a normal life, but there are people who know what she is and where she came from and they will stop at nothing to destroy her. Dr. Ido attempts to shield Alita from her past, but Alita has other ideas. The story unfolds from there…

The story is moving and very entertaining. The cinematography is awesome. There is a lot of action, suspense and intrigue. “Alita: Battle Angel” is definitely a visual feast.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

What Men Want

Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson) is a successful Sports Agent in a firm that is primarily made up of men. Ali is constantly being boxed out by her male colleagues. When Ali suddenly gains the power to hear what men are thinking, its game on and the tables are turned and Ali has the chance to sign the NBA’s next biggest star. The story unfolds from there…

There is plenty of comic relief in “What Men Want” but the movie for the most part is nonsense. Taraji P. is great in the movie, but most of the supporting cast was a bit boring. Taraji P. is a strong actor and therefore the supporting cast needs to be strong. Aside from Richard Roundtree, you do not get this combination in “What Men Want”.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!!