Category: Drama

Den of Thieves

The Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve takes roughly $120 million dollars out of circulation and destroys it every day. There is an elite band of bank robbers who believe they can pull of the ultimate heist and get the money before it’s destroyed, but they will have to do it under the noses of LA’s most elite Law enforcement group. The story unfolds from there…

“Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave When We are Trying to Deceive.” That about sums up “A Den of Thieves”. With the exception of a few dead spots the movie is entertaining, full of suspense, action and intrigue. There are a few surprise twists and turns also.

The paid critics were “Luke-Warm” about “Den of Thieves”, but I thought it was pretty good. It’s an enjoyable “Heist Drama”.

If you enjoyed the 1995 movie “Heat”, I say throw caution to the wind and check out “Den of Thieves”.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Proud Mary

I had high hopes for “Proud Mary” I believe it’s going to be a Franchise for Taraji P. Henson. She deserves better because if this is the first installment there is nowhere to go, but up.

Taraji P. Henson is Mary a professional hit woman who works for a Major Crime family in the Boston area. Mary’s life becomes even more complicated when she meets a young boy when a professional hit goes all wrong. The story unfolds from there…

“Proud Mary” does not set the stage or provide any foundation for the story so that you will understand the character.

I find Taraji P. Henson’s talent wasted on this vehicle. She deserves better. The movie is choppy and lacks depth. The end is abrupt and does not close any open gaps.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

The Commuter

“The Commuter” would be an awesome action-packed thriller if the story made sense and provided a foundation from the beginning, but it doesn’t do either of those things. You the viewer have to piece the story together yourself, it’s not an easy task.

Michael (Liam Neeson) an Insurance Salesman who rides a Commuter Train every day is approached by a mysterious woman (Vera Farmiga) who seems to know him. This woman offers Michael a strange assignment that is lucrative, this has him intrigued, but cautious. Soon Michael finds out he is being blackmailed and his entire family is in danger if he does not complete the assignment that the mysterious woman offers him. The story unfolds from there…

I love Liam Neeson, but not in “The Commuter”. He does what he can with what he was given, but yet it’s not enough! The context of the story does not make sense. You are not given enough to fully understand the “What’s and the Why’s”. It does come together at the end, but at the end it’s too late!!

There are several excellent movies currently playing. “The Commuter” is worth a look, but only as a last resort.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

The Post

“The Post” is a “Thrilling Drama” about the unlikely partnership between Katherine Graham (Meryl Streep) and Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) both of the Washington Post. The two together race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that cover three decades and four U.S. Presidents. The two allies must over-come their differences to help bring deeply buried truths to light. The story unfolds from there…

Plain and Simple…Meryl Streep portrayal of the first ever female publisher of an American Newspaper was Brilliant!!

“The Post” gives you “Old School” reporting and reminds you of times long since passed where Newspaper Reporters pound the pavement to get the scoop. The story moves along quickly and shows an accurate account of the events that occurred.

“The Post” is an excellent collaboration between Spielberg, Streep and Hanks.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Darkest Hour

Finally!! I was able to see “Darkest Hour” this movie has been on my “Watch List” for months!! I was highly disappointed when it opened Nov 22nd in limited-release and it did not open in a theater near me until Christmas Day.

It’s WWII and France is about to go down…Great Britain faces its problems as the threat of invasion is vast approaching. Great Britain hangs on the leadership of their newly appointed Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman). Churchill must decide whether or not to negotiate with Hitler to save the British people all the while maneuvering his political rivals, also deciding whether to fight the odds and at what cost to the nation. The Story unfolds from there…

Gary Oldman is brilliant as Winston Churchill. He deserves every award nod he is currently getting. While at times a bit dull, the movie is still moving, entertaining and educational.

I am not sure why it took so long to go wide-release, but at least it finally did.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Molly’s Game

My movie going experience was enhanced today because my brand new husband went with me!! For those of you who did not know, One week ago today I got married! Going forward from time to time my husband may attend the movies with me making my reviewing experience more fun!!

Finally “Molly’s Game” has opened. I have been waiting for this movie for months and it does not disappoint!!

“Molly’s Game” is based on the true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), an Olympic Down-Hill Skier who ran the most exclusive “High Stakes Poker Game” operation for over a decade before she was arrested in the middle of the night by the FBI.
Molly’s players included some of Hollywood’s Royalty, Sports Stars, Big Business Tycoons and unbeknownst to her, members of the Russian Mob.

Molly’s only ally turned out to be her criminal defense attorney Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) who learned that there was a lot more to Molly than what the tabloids reported. The story unfolds from there…

“Molly’s Game” is awesome!! It’s suspenseful, intriguing and edge of your seat entertaining. I love Jessica Chastain and she does not disappoint!! She makes it up as she goes along. The only down turn of the movie was there wasn’t enough “poker play” shown.

Molly’s Game was worth the wait. You should check it out!!

This is a 4 Star Movie!

All The Money in the World

“All the Money in the World” is the true story of the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty’s Grandson, John Paul Getty III. The story depicts the desperate pleas from John Paul Getty III’s Mother, Gail (Michelle Williams) as she begs the billionaire J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) to pay the ransom.

J. Paul Getty believes the kidnapping is a ruse that will allow his grandson to gain access to his fortune, but as it turns out that is not the case. Precious time is wasted and the grandson is held for months. As time races on the kidnappers become desperate, volatile and decide to send the authorities a message. Gail and Getty’s advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become allies in a race to save the grandson’s life. The story unfolds from there…

“All the Money in the World” is a thought provoking mystery with a philosophical punch that shows no mercy. There is plenty of Mystery, Suspense and Intrigue to keep you entertained.

Christopher Plummer is brilliant as J Paul Getty. Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg bring a fresh perspective to the story.

“All the Money in the World” was not on my original “Watch List”, but the movie is definitely worth a look.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

Downsizing

“Downsizing” has an impressive cast, too bad the movie wasn’t as impressive as it should have been. The end of the movie is very anti-climactic.

When Scientists discover how to shrink humans to 5 inches in an attempt to combat over population, Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristin Wiig) decided this is the way to go for them, so they sign up. Half way through the procedure Audrey changes her mind, she calls Paul to tell him, but Paul has completed the procedure and is now 5 inches tall. The Story unfolds from there…

The movie starts off Ok, but after the first hour, the movie tanks. It does not make sense. It’s all over the map and becomes boring. This was supposed to be a Comedy, but I never laughed once.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

Roman J Israel, ESQ

“Roman J. Israel, ESQ” is a slow-paced legal thriller. Unfortunately the pace was too slow and not nail-biting or edge-of-your seat thrilling.

Academy Award Winner, Denzel Washington plays Roman J. Israel, ESQ a defense attorney in Los Angeles. Roman’s life is turned upside down when a series of unfortunate events occur and challenge his otherwise daily routine causing chaos. The chaos causes Roman’s beliefs in the system to be question. The story unfolds from there…

The pace of the movie was too slow for what was going on. It dragged and at times became boring. The foundation was not laid properly so there are holes in the story.

Denzel Washington is the bright element in the movie doing what he does so well. Denzel works overtime to hold the story together. Without him, the movie would really be mundane.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Justice League in Real 3D

Out of the gate this is NOT one of the DC Universe’s best outings.

There is a new rising threat to humanity. Batman (Bruce Wayne) works with Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) so that they can find and assemble a team of meta-humans to stand and protect against this new rising threat.
Unfortunately the task is not easy. Even though a league of superheroes (Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash) has formed, it may not be enough to battle the new threat. The story unfolds from there…

Superhero Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is the best element of the film. In this first outing I find the movie a bit lacking. The Justice League members are a bit disassembled in this first installment. The director (Patty Jenkins) for Wonder Woman was definitely missed. The story drags and is missing some foundation and there is too much CGI.

However I did find the cinematography and 3D aspects to be good. There was lots of action, but that too was sort of chaotic.

Hopefully the DC Universe will go back to the drawing board and clean this up before the next installment. I still prefer Christian Bale as Batman, but alas I found out that he does not want to play that role anymore. Earlier this year Wonder Woman set the bar high and it’s still the best film that came from the DC Universe in 2017.

This is a 2½ Star Movie!