Category: Drama

Ford v Ferrari

Academy Award winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale bring the true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British Driver Ken Miles (Bale) story to life on the big screen. They battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and gravity to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company. They then take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. The story unfolds from there…

“Ford v Ferrari” is everything I had hoped it would be. The movie is very entertaining, emotional, moving and just plain fun to watch. The cinematography is excellent. This movie contains one of the best cast I have seen this year. Strong performances from Matt Damon and Christian Bale make this movie what it is.

“Ford v Ferrari” is definitely a must see movie.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Harriet

“Harriet” is about the incredible life of Harriet Tubman. The iconic freedom Fighter who pioneered the Underground Railroad to free slaves. Harriet herself was a slave who eventually ran away to freedom. Once she had been free for a short time she risked her life and freedom to go back many times to lead family and friends to freedom.

During Harriet’s life she freedom over 750 slaves. The movie showcases events in Harriet’s life about her courageous efforts to free slaves. Harriet’s efforts changed the course of history.

The movie is excellent! It’s moving, heart-wrenching and at times sad. There is some comic relief. “Harriet” is definitely worth the price of admission, if for nothing else a bit of History learning/revealing. I am looking forward to the $20 Dollar Bill that will showcase Harriet Tubman.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Motherless Brooklyn

“Motherless Brooklyn” is set in the 1950’s New York. The movie follows Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton) who is a private detective living with Tourette Syndrome. Lionel sets out to solve the murder of his long-time friend and mentor, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). Along the way Lionel stumbles upon and unravels a few addition mysteries and secrets that could affect the whole city. The story unfolds from there…

“Motherless Brooklyn” is a long movie and requires patience as the plot unfolds and the mysteries unravel. All actors involved give strong performances and that’s what makes the movie worth viewing. There is action although it’s slow in coming and more of the gangster variety.

The movie soundtrack is excellent if you like jazz. “Motherless Brooklyn” is worth a look.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Judy (2019)

“Judy” picks up Judy Garland’s life in 1968. Judy has 2 children (a son and a daughter) and is struggling to support them. For a while Judy and her 2 children perform small shows for a few dollars that furnishes cab rides and maybe one or two nights in a hotel. Soon Judy becomes desperate and she takes the children to their father. She leaves them and goes to London where she is given a second chance. The story unfolds from there…
“Judy” is very entertaining, somewhat eye-opening and also a bit tragic. This movie pulls back the layers a bit to show you the addiction that Judy Garland suffered from and potentially how the addiction started.

Renee Zellweger does an excellent job of portraying Judy Garland.
“Judy” (2019) is a nice surprise.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Downton Abbey

From the little screen to the big screen, “Downton Abbey” is a delightful British Comedy/Drama that should be enjoyed with a spot of tea!!

The Crawley’s and their staff find themselves preparing for the visit/event of their lives when the king and queen of Great Britain come to Downton Abbey to stay for a few days. The story unfolds from there…

As I stated in my opening “Downton Abbey” is delightful. It’s funny, interesting and entertaining. The transition from TV to motion picture does nothing but help “Downton Abbey”. Now everyone can enjoy the never-ending drama that occurs with the Crawley’s, their family, staff and friends.

Afternoon Tea anyone?

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Hustlers

Based on a true story, “Hustlers” shows you that a bunch of savvy former strippers are a lot smarter than you think.

Tired of dancing/stripping and taking home only a fraction of what they made, several former strippers led by Ramona (Jennifer Lopez) put together their own “Hustle” to take the same guys who were previously visiting them at the strip club. Everything is going great, money, clothes, jewels you name it, but after a while little by little things start to fall apart.
Ramona stumbles upon some other women who are trying to copy-cat her system. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is good and well-acted. Just warning you…The nudity is “In Your Face”. Female friendships are on display in “Hustlers”. The movie just scratches the surface of a “Dancer/Stripper’s Life”. There is even some comic relief.

If you can keep an open mind, I say “Hustlers” is worth a look.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Angel Has Fallen in AMC Dolby

“Angel Has Fallen” is a good Action/Adventure flick with a tightly wound plot that unravels it’s self at the end.

Not everyone agrees with President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) of the United States on his views about war and combat. Little does the President and his Security Detail know that the trouble maker is right in the President’s cabinet. When there is an Assassination attempt on President Trumbull, his best and most experienced Secret Service Agent, Mike Manning (Gerard Butler) is framed and ends up on the run. The story unfolds from there…

As I stated in my opening lines, “The plot is tightly wound”. You will scratch your head for a while trying to figure things out. Once it becomes clear everything goes downhill quickly.

There is lots of action, suspense and intrigue and some nice cinematography. There are times when the scenes will get on your nerves and you will want to wring your hands. That’s the reason “Angel Has Fallen” is not a 4 or 5 Star movie.

That being said, “Angel Has Fallen” is an enjoyable movie and still worth a look.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

The Art of Racing in the Rain

“The Art of Racing in the Rain” is based on the best-selling novel by Garth Stein. The story is about a race car driver, Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia), who has a dog named “Enzo”. Together they go through the day to day of life as a Racer Car Driver and his dog. Denny soon meets a woman, Eve (Amanda Seyfried) who becomes the love of his life. Denny and Eve soon get married and life really starts. The story unfolds from there…

I did not read the book, but I thought the movie was pretty good. It held my attention and had many elements that are expected in a dramatic type of film. There are lump in the throat moments and teary eyed moments, but that is to be expected because this story brings those emotions to the surface. While there are a lot of things going on in the movie, one thing stand out, “A Man and his Dog” going through good times and bad times. A Dog is one of the most faithful friends a person can have.

The paid critics were not too high on “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, but I think it’s worth a look. The movie is about life and almost everything that is in the movie could happen in real-life.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

The Kitchen

Three Hell’s Kitchen Housewives soon find themselves husband-less because their husbands tried to rob a liquor store and failed. Once their husbands were sentenced to spent time behind bars, the three wives went about hatching their own plans to make money in Hell’s Kitchen. The story unfolds from there…

I had high hopes for “The Kitchen” when I first saw trailers of the movie, I thought wow this should be interesting.
My hopes were dashed only 20 minutes into the movie. The movie was dry and lifeless, almost listless. I found myself a bit bored.
There was no real back story. Each housewife had a story, but it never really came to the surface. Those stories should have come to the surface even for just a few scenes so you could understand the events that happened.

There is some suspense and intrigue, but not nearly enough to justify a $15 dollar movie ticket. I was very surprised given the cast in the movie, but it just goes to show that a great cast does not always translate into a great movie.

I say wait for cable for “The Kitchen”.

This is a 1 Star Movie!!

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Wow!! It seems like it’s been ages since I saw and wrote a movie review, but in reality it’s only been 3 weeks. I hope this is the only 3 week drought for me for the remainder of the year. It seems that this July has been a surprisingly very dismal month for movies. Let’s hope August is more promising.

Quentin Tarantino is back with his ninth movie with a story set in LA in the late 60’s into the early 70’s. One of the leading characters in the movie is Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) who happens to be a former Western TV Series Star and his long time stunt double and driver Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Both men are struggling to make it in a Hollywood environment that they no longer recognize. Rick finds out he has a very famous neighbor…Sharon Tate. The story unfolds from there…

This movie is painfully long. I had no idea it would be 2 hours and 39 minutes. The story drags a bit, but there is a little bit of everything in this movie. There are parts that will make you yawn, parts that will make you laugh and parts that will make you sit up in your seat. The movie contains fiction as well as historical facts about Hollywood in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Quentin Tarantino has been known for making long satires, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is no exception.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!