Tag: Gugu Mbatha-Raw

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!!

Miss Sloane

I love Jessica Chastain and she does not disappoint in “Miss Sloane”.

All eyes are on Washington as a campaign ensues. Miss Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is a highly sought after lobbyist in D.C. whose record of success is unmatched.

As the power brokers in Washington make their moves, Elizabeth Sloane is down-right ruthless and she is right there doing whatever is necessary to win even if the price for winning costs her. The story unfolds from there…

“Miss Sloane” is a gripping, powerful Political Drama. The story is moving and gets better as it progresses. The movie definitely will make you look at the political landscape in Washington, D.C. with wide open eyes.

It would have been nice if the character “Miss Elizabeth Sloane” had been a bit more in-depth. There is a lot of under-current that is not explored and this keeps the movie from being 5 stars.

It was great to see Sam Waterston who was the long time “DA” in the original NBC hit Law & Order.

“Miss Sloane” is definitely worth seeing and is worth the price of its ticket.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Free State of Jones

It’s another edition of “Thursday Night at the Movies with The Movie Warrior”.

“Free State of Jones” is an Epic Civil War Satire based on factual events that occurred between 1862 and 1876.

Matthew McConaughey is Newt Knight a stubborn southern farmer who goes up against the Confederate Army. Over time Newt assembles an army of his own made up of free slaves, women and white men who defected from the army.

They fought against farmers losing everything to the Confederacy, slavery, the right to vote and any act that was unjust or unlawful during those times.
This is a big story to tell and it can’t be told in 2 hours and nineteen minutes. The movie jumps around a lot. There are actually 2 stories occurring simultaneously. There are many holes left unfilled.

This is the type of movie that has all of the elements that grate on my last nerve, “Racism”, “The N Word being used rampantly”, “The KKK running amok”, “Hangings, Lynching” and “People being beat with a whip”.

If you wish to stomach all of that, have at it!!

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Concussion

Based on a true story; “Concussion” is a solid movie that tells an important story. The subject matter is something not often thought about, but very important.

Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) is a Pathologist in Pittsburgh, PA who performs Autopsies. A retired NFL Football player commits suicide at the young age of 50. Dr. Omalu is tasked with performing the Autopsy. Some extensive tests are performed and it is uncovered that the deceased NFL player suffered many concussions during his career which lead to some other brain related problems. Dr. Omalu and his office face an uphill battle as they try to get to the true and make the public aware. The story unfolds from there…

Good execution, moving story. Will Smith does an excellent job as Dr. Bennet Omalu.

What keeps “Concussion” from being a 4 or 5 star movie is that it drags at times and the setting is a bit dark. “Concussion” is definitely worth a look.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie!

Beyond The Lights

“Beyond The Lights” is a story about the latest music super star known as Noni. Everything is not as it seems. The pressures of super stardom start to get to Noni. She meets the young police officer Kaz (Nate Parker) who is assigned to her security detail. He “sees” the real Noni. They get to know each other and soon fall hard and fast despite the discouragement of others.

Kaz has political aspirations and is encouraged to pursue them. But ultimately it’s Kaz and his love for Noni that help her find her true voice. The story unfolds from there…

“Beyond The Lights” is very well done. The movie is very enjoyable. Most of what you see is a true picture of the entertainment world and how music superstars often live and how they are treated.

Both Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nate Parker look great together!!

This is a 4 Star Movie!!