Tag: Octavia Spencer

Get On Up

THIS IS A REPUBLISH FROM AUG 2, 2014

Do you know who the #1 Soul Legend was for many years…?

“Get On Up” is the sanitized Biopic of Soul Music Entertainer Mr. James Brown.

Don’t expect a story that is chronological. “Get on Up” jumps back and forth constantly. You must pay close attention. Director Tate Taylor does tie everything up in a neat package toward the end, but until that time it’s a confusing mess.

Actor Chadwick Boseman is electrifying. His portrayal of James Brown the entertainer was excellent. He has the dance moves, foot work and the splits down cold.

During this movie I was transformed back in time. I grew up with James Brown music. I still have all of the 45’s, LP’s and CD’s. The sound track on this movie is awesome. I was dancing in my seat the entire time…

It’s tough to do a Biopic of an entertainer. You have to piece the story together. I don’t believe that “Get On Up” gives us the complete story of James Brown, I believe it skims the surface.

If you are a fan of the #1 Soul Legend Mr. James Brown, then “Get On Up” should not be missed.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

MA

As you have known, I do not normally review Horror Movies, but I am married to a man who loves them, so it’s Friday Night “Date Night” and away we go to the movies!!

“Ma” is subtle in its approach. The movie starts out on the normal calm side, but once things get going the Horror is “In Your Face” creepy.

Oscar winning actress Octavia Spencer is Sue Ann, a veterinarian assistant in a quiet Ohio town. Things start to heat up when a new teenage girl in town asks Sue Ann to purchase liquor from the local Liquor store for her and her new friends from school. Sue Ann does this and befriends the teens. Soon Sue Ann’s home is the place where all the teenagers go to party. Sue Ann has an ulterior motive though.
What starts out as friendly and fun soon becomes an obsession. The parents of these teens went to school with Sue Ann and Sue Ann has an ax to grind pertaining to some unfinished business from her High School days. The story unfolds from there…

“Ma” is a combination of “Creepy”, “Suspenseful” and “Interesting”. What really makes the movie watchable is Octavia Spencer. She really shows her acting chops. She definitely has range. You definitely get the opportunity to see Octavia Spencer in a new light.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Gifted

“Gifted is a very cute and moving movie”

Chris Evans plays Frank Adler a single man who is tasked with raising a seven year old little girl who is a prodigy. Frank is raising his niece Mary at the wishes of his sister who is no longer living. Frank promised is sister that he would make sure that Mary had a normal life and did the fun things that little girls do growing up.

Mary is anything but a normal little girl. She can solve mathematical problems without blinking an eye. The school she attends wants to send her via a scholarship to a school for gifted children, Frank refuses because he feels that Mary would not adjust well because she would be viewed as different. Soon Mary’s Grandmother Evelyn comes calling from Boston. Evelyn wants to take Mary away to live with her. Frank is not about to allow that to happen. Soon Attorneys get involved and everyone goes to court. The story unfold from there…

The story is moving, heart-warming and at times a bit comical. There are a few places where the movie drags a bit, but that doesn’t deter from the story. It’s cute to see little Mary working mathematical problems the way a child would color in a coloring book. Chris Evans does a good job of transcending to a different role than Captain America.

All in all I say “Gifted” is worth a look. It’s open in a minimum number of theaters around the country. Check it out if you can.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

The Shack

It’s difficult to bring a best-selling novel to the big screen. It’s even more difficult to bring a novel that was difficult to read to the big screen. In comes “The Shack”. I read “The Shack”. After the first 75 pages I had to walk away from the book for a few a days, but I did come back because it was a recommended read for me because I was struggling with the death of my Mom at that time.

“The Shack” is about how we question or even abandon our faith when something tragic or devastating happens to us.
Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) suffers a family tragedy. He falls into a HUGH depression, questions his beliefs and abandons his faith. Mack is summoned to an old shack in the Oregon woods. There he meets three souls. Through this meeting Mack discovers truths about himself and how to deal with his tragedy. The story unfolds from there…

“The Shack” is difficult to watch on the screen, not because it’s not meaningful and important, but because the script is all over the place. The movie is really hard to follow. The story doesn’t really come together and the movie is not entertaining. The book wasn’t that bad…

The movie contains some beautiful cinematography and panoramic views, but that’s not enough to make “The Shack” even a three star movie.

I have seen many Christian-Faith based movies and I personally do not think “The Shack” is worth the money, but I will say that Octavia Spencer is the best element in the movie.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Hidden Figures

This is a special edition of “Thursday Night at the Movies w/The Movie Warrior”

What a way to start off 2017!

Based on a true story, “Hidden Figures” is a very eye opening, moving and entertaining movie.
In the 1960’s NASA employed a number of women of color who were Mathematicians and Engineers. These brilliant women helped NASA figure out how to get a man on the moon and then back to earth safely.

The movie chronicles these historic events while dabbling in the personal lives of the three main female characters. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is awesome! My only complaint is that the personal lives of the three main female characters, Katherine Johnson (Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Monae) should have been a bit more prominent in the movie. It would have been nice to find out how they actually got to NASA.

Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae were awesome in their roles. The entire cast was really good.

“Hidden Figures” is definitely worth a look and deserves all of the buzz it’s been receiving.

This is a 5 Star Movie!

The Divergent Series:Allegiant – The IMAX Experience

“The Divergent Series: Allegiant” is the third and final installment in the NY Times Best Selling Novel series by Veronica Roth.

Picking up where Insurgent left off, Tris (Shailene Woodley) must escape with Four (Theo James) and go beyond the electronic wall that encloses Chicago. The team of six start out and are able to cross the wall, but on the way they lose one. For the first time the five that successfully make it down the other side of the wall are free and have left behind the only city and family they have ever known.

It becomes a ruthless battle as Tris and Four must determine who they can trust and who is telling the truth. Things they believed have turned out not to be true. Back home a battle rages in Chicago among all of the residents. Finding out that all of humanity is at stake, Four decides to go back to Chicago. The story unfolds from there…
I found “The Divergent Series: Allegiant” to be the worst third installment of any Best Selling Novel Series that has come to the big screen.

Things are not put into context appropriately. If you did not see Insurgent or Divergent, you would not know what is going on. The story is disjointed and the pieces do not make sense, nor do they come together. It’s difficult to bring best-selling novel series to the big screen. The one exception is the “Hunger Games”. Its third installment was very good.
I feel that the movie industry is only interested in the revenue that can possibly be generated from this movie. It’s just not any good.

Read “The Divergent” Series. I bet you will enjoy the books a lot more than the movies.

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Insurgent: The IMAX Experience 3D

“Insurgent” is a “Hot Mess!!” The movie is a menagerie of dreams, events and chaos which collectively is supposed to mean something, but doesn’t.

In this installment, Tris (Shailene Woodley) searches for answers and allies in the ruins of futuristic Chicago. Tris and Four (Theo James) are now wanted fugitives on the run; they are being hunted by Jeanine (Kate Winslet) the leader of the Erudite elite.
Racing against time Tris must find out what her family risked they lives to protect and why the Erudite elite would do anything to stop her and anyone who helps her. The story unfolds from there…

As I stated previous, “Insurgent” is a “Hot Mess”. There is tons of violence and chaos. The story is confusing and uninvolving. The best elements are that the movie is fast-paced and non-stop, but in the end you will not hunger for the next installment.

“Insurgent” is best viewed on cable.

Black or White

Imagine losing your seventeen year old daughter when she is giving birth and then losing your wife in a tragic traffic accident. All you have left is your granddaughter.
The extended family hasn’t really been part of your granddaughter’s life and definitely not her biological father, but now that your wife has died, the extended family wants to play a bigger role. They even want sole custody.
This is what the movie “Black or White” is about although during some parts of the movie it becomes more about “Black or White”.

The story is a bit disjointed. You have to piece it together bit by bit. The movie is not bad. At times it’s rather entertaining. The young lady (Jillian Estell) who portrays the granddaughter Eloise Anderson is cute and adorable. She plays well with Kevin Costner.

The paid critics were rather harsh about “Black or White”. I think it deserves a look.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!