Tag: Forest Whitaker

Respect in AMC Dolby

Respect in AMC Dolby

“Respect” is a quiet Biopic about Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul.

The movie follows the rise of the Queen of Soul, from a young Aretha singing in her father’s church choir, to the adult Aretha who garners international fame and stardom. It’s a remarkable story of a woman on the journey to find her voice.

I can honestly say that Jennifer Hudson’s performance in this movie DEMANDS “Respect”. The music and performances were on point. Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin was awesome. Where the movie falls short is the direction and the screenplay.

I can say that regardless of the holes in the direction and screenplay, Jennifer Hudson’s performance did Aretha Franklin proud and is worth seeing if you are an Aretha Franklin fan. I was hopping in my seat to music. There is a “Live” performance of Aretha Franklin herself at the end of the movie footage. It’s definitely worth seeing.

“Respect” is only playing in Theaters! Go see it!!

4 Stars for Jennifer Hudson’s Performance!!

Black Panther in 3D

THIS IS A REPUBLISH FROM FEB 17th 2018

“Black Panther” is a bold departure from the normal Marvel Universe movie. The movie is extremely colorful, has visual interest and has a detailed back-story. The detailed back-story is played out and sets the stage for the events that happen throughout the movie.

“Black Panther” tracks T’Challa who after the events of “Captain America:Civil War”, returns home to eventually become king, but there is someone who has other ideas. The story unfolds from there…

“Black Panther” is extremely entertaining. The visual effects are awesome. There is plenty of action and suspense. The costumes adorned are beautiful. The cinematography at times is breathtaking.

One aside is that the villains are a bit weak…but this is the first installment. This first installment is off to a great start.

If you are even mildly interested in the Marvel Universe, “Black Panther” is a “MUST SEE”.

This is a 5 Star Move!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: The IMAX 3D Experience

A new Episode of the Star Wars Franchise is upon us. It’s the old-school Star Wars, but with a new deeper story!

This episode is pretty deep, wide and intense. The story is laid out in painstakingly fashion. Revenge and Justice are the order of the day.

Jyn (Felicity Jones) is separated from her parents at a very early age. She ends up being raised by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker). The story picks up when Jyn is an adult. Jyn has become a “Rebel”. She and others join forces to steal the plans for the Death Star. This sets up an epic battle between several nations. The story unfolds from there…

The cinematography is breath-taking. The camera angles are awesome. There is plenty of cool special effects, CGI’s, intergalactic action and serious space battles.

IMAX is a must. You will feel like you are riding on the space crafts.

Once again Star Wars delivers. If you are a Star Wars fan, Rogue One is your movie!

This is a 4 ½ Star Movie!

Arrival

“Arrival” is way more than your usual “Run-of-the-Mill” Alien Disaster movies. If that’s what you are expecting, you will be so disappointed.

“Arrival” is a “Thinking Person’s Sci-Fi Drama”. The movie in and of its self is thought provoking and very cerebral.

Amy Adams is Dr. Louise Banks, an expert linguist whose expertise is called upon when a number of mysterious spacecraft touch down in various places around the globe. Dr. Banks and an elite team investigate the spacecraft that comes to the US. Dr. Banks uses her knowledge and with the help of her team they translate the responses received from the alien beings, but what Dr. Banks does and learns could not only put her life at risk, but all of humanity. The story unfolds from there…

“Arrival” is a bit subdued. It’s an intensely calm movie that will get you thinking.
The movie did engage my brain, but not my heart. While it was executed brilliantly, it will not become one of my favorite all time flicks.

If you are a Sci-Fi fan, “Arrival” is for you.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Southpaw

“Rocky” this is not!! But it does have its own identity.

“Southpaw” tells a riveting story about Billy “The Great” Hope a reigning Junior Middle Weight Boxing Champion of the World.

It appears that Billy has a great life and successful Boxing career, a loving wife and an adorable daughter. When tragedy strikes, Billy’s entire world is turned on its axis. His long-time friend and manager Curtis (50 Cent) up and leaves him. Billy hits rock bottom. Now in dire despair Billy turns to an old ally who owns and operates a run-down gym from Billy’s early boxing days. The story unfolds from there…

“Southpaw” is “Bloody”. The movie is physically brutal during the boxing action. It’s a bit tough to watch. The action scenes are very surreal. I felt that Jake Gyllenhaal did an excellent job portraying Bill Hope. The movie ends a bit abruptly leaving the family dynamic part of the story unfinished.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Taken 3

I was mildly excited at the thought of another installment from the Taken series, but alas…this Trilogy has run a ground.

Watching “Taken 3” will make you long for the original installment “Taken”. There is no new ground here. Liam Neeson reprises his role as Bryan Mills the retired ex-covert operative with special skills. Bryan and his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) appear to be trying to reconcile, but when she is murdered and Bryan is framed for her murder, he then has to go on the run to elude the FBI, CIA and the Police while he tracks down the real killers and protect his daughter. The story unfolds from there…

The movie starts off with an unexplained murder. That murder is never really tied to anything in the movie. It just didn’t make sense. There are bright spots in the movie where Liam Neeson is in action kicking butt and involved in some crazy vehicle chases and Forest Whitaker adds some interesting chaos to the movie, but that’s about it. For the most part the dialog throughout the movie is meaningless.

“Taken 3” will take your time and money. I am afraid I have to say it’s the worst of the Trilogy. It’s best viewed on DVD, Cable or Blu-Ray.

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Out of The Furnace

I saw “Out of The Furnace” in Atlanta this weekend while visiting my Posse.

“Out of The Furnace” is clearly a case of great actors navigating a horrible script. The music is really good and Woody Harrelson was insanely crazy in the movie. That’s about as good as it gets.

“Out of The Furnace” is about family, fate and justice. Christian Bale is Russell Baze who works a dead end job at a local Steel Mill. His brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) fresh from serving his country in Iraq plays the ponies and eventually hooks up with one of the most notorious crime syndicates in the area. Rodney soon gets caught up in something way over his head and mysteriously disappears. The story unfolds from there…

This is one of those movies that was minimally edited. There are no ebbs and flows and its strictly monotone. For the most part the movie will hold your attention because you want to get to resolution of the situation and events, but the lulls that occur will give you pause.

I would suggest waiting for “Out of The Furnace” to hit Blue-Ray, DVD or Cable.

Lee Daniels ‘ The Butler

Based on a true story, Lee Daniels’ The Butler tells the story of a White House Butler who served eight American Presidents over a 30+ year period.

The story is excellently told and very well depicted. The movie at times is very emotional, but none the less it’s very good. It will hold your attention.

If you can tolerate the reenactment of 1926 thru the late sixties and how African American people were treated during this time period, then by all means do see “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”. There is a star studded cast that portrays history beautifully.