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!!

Cold Pursuit

Liam Neeson returns in an action packed drama that has some comic relief.

Nels Coxman (Liam Neeson) is a snow remover who works day and night to keep the roads plowed between the mountain towns and the city of Denver. Little does Nels know that his son who works are the local airport as a baggage handler has a drug problem. When Nels son is found dead, things get dicey. The story unfolds from there…

“Cold Pursuit” contains lots of action and intrigue. It’s a good movie with a few dead spots. There is enough going on to keep you interested. At times the movie comes across like a comedy play with some dark moments.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Green Book

I am really late with reviewing “Green Book”. I had not planned to see it, but after it was nominated for several Golden Globes and Oscars, I quickly changed my tune.

So better late than never!!

“Green Book” is very good. I was concerned about the racially motivated scenes, but as it turns out there were not that many and the ones that were shown were played down and a bit mild in comparison to others I have seen in other movies that depict racism in the 1960’s.
The movie was entertaining and watchable. Mahershala Ali is a very fine actor and deserves all of the accolades that come his way. The movie sort of reminded me of “Driving Miss Daisy” but in more modern times.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Glass

Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis reprise their “Unbreakable” roles Elijah Price also known as Mr. Glass and David Dunn. Joining them from “Split” is James McAvoy as Kevin Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within him. Also Anya Taylor-Joy joins “Glass” as Casey Cook who was the only person to survive an encounter with The Beast.

“Glass” picks up following the conclusion of “Split” where Crumb’s superhuman figure The Beast is being shadowed by David Dunn in a series of escalating encounters that lands them both in a mental hospital. Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) is already there. Once they all find out they are together again Elijah Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets that are critical to both Crumb and Dunn. The story unfolds from there…

I am not sure what I expected, but this movie was just plain crazy. It’s almost like a deconstruction of a series of events that have happened in the lives of the three men, Dunn, Price and Crumb.
There are times of clarity and then there are times of confusion. There are a few interesting scenes and some interesting action and intrigue, but unfortunately that’s not enough to make “Glass” a good solid movie.
“Glass” is not the worst movie I have ever seen, but it certainly is not the best.

I am not sure that I would watch “Glass” at home on a Saturday night with a tub of popcorn…

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

A Dogs Way Home

A loving highly intelligent Pitbull named Bella gets separated from her family and home in Denver, Colorado. The movie embarks on the 400 mile journey that Bella goes through to get back to her family. Along the way she makes a few new friends and comforts the lives of a few.

“A Dogs Way Home” is entertaining, cute and light-hearted and provides a moving story. There is no new ground covered, but the movie does a good job of reminding you that a dog is a man’s best friend.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

The Upside

Based on a true story, “The Upside” is about a paroled ex-con, Dell (Kevin Hart) who must find a job. After several failed attempts to become gainfully employed, Dell applies for what he believes is a janitor position for a billionaire. As it turns out the position isn’t a Janitorial position it’s a position to help the paralyzed billionaire, Phil (Bryan Cranston) with everyday chores like dressing, bathing, eating etc…It does not appear to be a good fit, but the billionaire sees something in Dell and hires him anyway. The story unfolds from there…

“The Upside” is a mirror of another movie called the “Intouchables” that came out in the 2011-2012 time frame. There is an English version and a French version.

Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart play well together on the big screen. The movie was surprisingly entertaining and at times funny. There are several subplots/agendas that don’t quite play out, so you are forced to use your own imagination to figure them out.
When I go to the movies I don’t want to have to figure anything out. It should be all nicely laid out for me. This is the reason “The Upside” is not a 5 star movie, but it is still worth a look.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Vice

Not on my original “Watch List”, “Vice” became a late entrant.

“Vice” is a depiction of Vice President Dick Cheney’s life starting from college up to and including his time as the Vice President of the United States.

The movie starts in 1963 in Casper, WY where Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) is having a rough time in college. He then ends up working as a Telephone Pole climber who repairs phone lines. In 1968 Dick Cheney gets his act together and enters into Political Life as an intern. During his internship this is where he meets Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell). Cheney’s connection with Donald Rumsfeld wets his appetite for Politics. Moving along the movie touches on the following Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and then in 2001 with President Bush and Obama’s election in 2008.

The main focus is the events and administration’s decisions that occurred after 9/11. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is not bad, but it does not focus in one area too long and that can cause confusion with the viewer. There is a lot of skipping around so you have to pay attention and sort of put the pieces together yourself.

I like Political-based movies when they are done well. “Vice” is just ok. I wanted to view it mainly because of the cast playing the roles. I wanted to see what they would do with what they were given. Needless to say it was interesting and also a bit dry.

This is a 2 1/2 Star Movie!!