Tag: Jessica Chastain

IT: Chapter Two in AMC Dolby

It’s 27 years later and the gang is all grown up and all have left Derry except one. There is a carnival in Derry and folks are out and about. At the carnival two gentlemen are beaten and become part of a hate crime. Soon after, one of the gentlemen is taken by Pennywise the sadistic clown.

When the local Police and investigator come to the scene the lone member of the gang shows up and is doing his own sniffing. He sees some signs that Pennywise has been on the scene, so he spends the night phoning all of the other living members of the gang insisting that they must return to Derry so that Pennywise can be stopped for good. The story unfolds from there…

“IT: Chapter Two” is crazy scary and extremely graphic!! The movie at times is very bloody. Personally I can’t handle another installment. I spent a lot of time squirming in my seat… The movie does its job by making you feel scared and terrified. There are many twists and turns. You can cut the suspense with a knife.
One negative is that the movie is all over the place. They do a good job on the continuation from the first installment, but this installment shows you elements that probably should have been in the first installment so that the stage would be set properly.

If you are a Stephen King fan and you enjoy his books that become movies. You should definitely see “IT: Chapter Two”.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

X-Men: Dark Phoenix in AMC Dolby

The X-Men have been enjoying “Hero” status among normal humans when they are called out to use their powers to save and protect. But the X-Men soon find out that they will end up facing their worst foe, one of their own when after a journey into space to save one of NASA’s Space Shuttle crew Phoenix consumes the unknown fire source in space in order to save her team and the shuttle crew. The X-Men are unaware of the danger humanity could end up being in. The story unfolds from there…

First for the good…The cinematography is fantastic, the special effects and action are on point.

The bad… The story lacks emotion and depth and is not very entertaining. The acting seemed a bit dry also. This is supposed to be a “Finale” of sorts. I would have expected much better. I am highly disappointment. The story ends on a whisper. You are left more questions than answers.

“Dark Phoenix” is supposed to be the last installment in the X-Men franchise. It comes in with a whimper and goes out with a Whimper… The movie is not very memorable and does not do the comic book justice.

I think the 2017 “Logan” installment was much better and more entertaining.

This is a 1 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!

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!

The Huntsman: Winter’s War

I had modest expectations for “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”. Unfortunately the movie did not even come close to meeting modest expectations.

Continuing the twist on the fable Snow White, “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” is about the powerful evil siblings; Freya the Ice Queen (Emily Blunt) and her sister Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) and their plan to conquer the Enchanted Forest. The only people who can stop them are the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and his secret lover Sara (Jessica Chastain). The story unfolds from there…

The special effects, cinematography and big name cast are all that “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” has going for it. The story is dis-jointed. Three strong female actresses are swallowed up in the script. Chris Hemsworth come across as being cocky and full of himself.
What a waste…Instead of a fairy tale, I felt like the movie was a nightmare.

“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” is definitely a forgettable sequel.

This is a 1 Star Movie!

The Martian in 3D

I love Matt Damon!! In “The Martian” he does not disappoint!!

A team of NASA Astronauts are on a manned mission on Mars. While members of the team are out performing routine tasks a storm brews in the distance. A quick decision as to whether to stay or go is made in a snap. While packing up and trying to get everyone back to the Space Shuttle to take off, the storm blows some heavy metal debris toward the team members as they are trying to run. Astronaut Watney (Matt Damon) is struck and buried beneath a lot of red dirt and is believed to be dead.

The team takes off and heads back to their Satellite station “Hermes” where they report the tragic incident to NASA officials. A few hours later Astronaut Watney wakes up. He’s badly injured, but very much alive. He gets himself to the team housing quarters and tries to repair his wound. The story unfolds from there…

“The Martian” is nail biting suspenseful, intense, intriguing, entertaining and very well executed. The movie is also moving and of “Epic” proportion. At times the cinematography is breath-taking.

“The Martian” will remind you of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar”.

This “Science Fiction Epic” should not be missed!

This is a 5 Star Movie!

A Most Violent Year

“A Most Violent Year” opened in limited release on New Year’s Eve. After a month it finally opens nationwide this weekend.

Set in 1981 New York, a year that has been historically categorized as the most violent year of the city, Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) an immigrant and his family try to capitalize on the “American Dream”. Abel owns a thriving business, but the violence and corruption threaten him, his family and all that they have tried to build. Abel and his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) find themselves defending their business and their version of the “American Dream” to a New York Police Detective (David Oyelowo) who is charged with investigating Abel’s business. The story unfolds from there…

“A Most Violent Year” is an understated, straight forward, no nonsense, mildly intense dramatic film.

There are several good movies out right now. “A Most Violent Year” should be considered amongst them.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Interstellar: The iMAX Experience

“Interstellar” is way too long and it attempts to reach beyond its concepts.

It’s believed that mankind is coming to an end, so a team of scientists and astronauts search for life on other planets in the hopes that mankind may continue to exist beyond the stars.

“Interstellar” is a visual splendor. It will blow your mind. The cinematography and special effects are off the charts. It’s definitely a must see in IMAX so you can get the full effect.

Now for the bad news…the movie drags, its way too long and at times does not make sense. I could not wait for it to be over. I practically ran from the theater because I spent most of my afternoon there. Personally I did not like the subject matter. All that aside…Director Christopher Nolan delivers thrills and chills.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie!

For all you “Fast & Furious” Fans…I saw an awesome trailer of “Fast & Furious 7”. It looks really good…it opens 4/3/15

Zero Dark Thirty

Finally!! “Zero Dark Thirty” opened in wide-release. I have known about this movie for over 7 months. It opened in limited release (NY & LA) in December 2012.

The movie needs no introduction. It’s about the events that led up to Osama Bin Laden’s ultimate demise. The movie is intense, chilling, brutal and mind boggling. There is no sugar-coating here. The actions and events are as real as it gets. The movie shows excellent timelines and is very well executed. Jessica Chastain is superb!! Two hours and thirty seven minutes go by quickly.

My only complaint is I wish the ending had been a few minutes longer.

Bravo to Director Kathryn Bigelow for giving us the real deal. The movie was worth the wait, hype and all of the Oscar nominations it received. If it does not win any Oscars I will be angry.

If you have a weak stomach, do not go see “Zero Dark Thirty”.

If you like Action, Suspense and Thrills this is YOUR movie.