Tag: Viola Davis

Air

Air

Its 1984 and Nike owns 17% of the Sports Shoe market. Converse owns 56% and Adidas comes in somewhere in between. “Air” is about the unbelievable game changing relationship that was born between Nike and NBA Super Star Michael Jordan.

This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional Marketing Team with everything on the line and the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time.

You definitely get an inside look at what negotiations looked like and what it took to win Michael Jordan.

“Air” is definitely worth a look.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

The Woman King in AMC Dolby

The Woman King in AMC Dolby

Viola Davis is back on the big screen!! Wow!! What an entrance she has made. 

“The Woman King” is a great story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800’s with skills and a fierceness that were unmatched.  

The movie is inspired by true events that did occur. The story follows the epic saga of General Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of female warriors and readies them for a battle against an enemy who is determined to destroy the Dahomey People. The story unfolds from there…

Moving story, good plot, lots of action and also a bit bloody at times. The cinematography was on point. You will be on the edge of your seat for most of the 2 hours and 15 minutes. The story speaks to the empowerment of woman.

Only in Theaters, “The Woman King” is definitely worth a look.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

The Suicide Squad in AMC Dolby

The Suicide Squad in AMC Dolby

Welcome to Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate. This is a place where the worst super Villains will do anything to get out, even sign-up for do or die assignments with the super-secret, super shady Task Force X.

This assignment starts with an assemble of cons like Bloodsport, Blackguard, Javelin, King Shark, Rat Catcher 2, Peacemaker, Savant, Captain Boomerang and everyone’s favorite psycho Harley Quinn.  Heavily armed and ready, they are sent off to the Island of Corto Maltese. They are not sure what awaits them but they are ready for battle. The story unfolds from there…

The addition of Viola Davis, John Cena and Sylvester Stallone along with the Director/Writer James Gunn makes this installment better that the first.

The story is lacking, but where the story falls short, the movie makes up for it with a super-fast pace, crazy out of this world stunts and great cinematography. The violence is way over the top, at times I had to cover my eyes because it was so bloody. The movie is deranged, but entertaining none the less.

“The Suicide Squad” is open-wide in theaters. It is also streaming on HBO MAX

It’s worth seeing on the big screen.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

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!!

Widows

“Widows” is a great way to kick off the Holiday Season!!

Four woman who have nothing in common eventually come together because their husbands are dead due to their criminal activities and it soon comes to light that a debt was left behind and those who think they are owed come to collect. The story unfolds from there…

“Widows” is a gritty suspenseful drama. The movie is well executed and has lots of intrigue and enough action to keep you interested. Definitely a great way to start the holiday season at the box office.

“Widows” is an excellent collaborative effort between writer Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) and director Steve McQueen III (“12 Years a Slave”).

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Fences

Denzel Washington and Viola Davis both give masterful performances in the big screen adaptation of “Fences”.

The main characters in the movie are both complex and deep. Their performances make it look easy.

“Fences” is about a family of color in 1950’s Pittsburgh. The Patriarch is Troy (Denzel Washington) who works as a city garbage collector. His wife, Rose (Viola Davis) takes care of the house and their teenage son Cory (Jovan Adepo).
Troy is trying to pave a path to a better life for Cory, but Cory thinks his Dad is selling out to the “Establishment”. The story unfolds from there…

“Fences” is August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play that has been brought to the big screen. The movie shows its “stage” roots a bit, but that does not stop it from being excellent. Denzel not only stars but also directs. Viola and Denzel’s performances outshine and upstage any possible problems.

What a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon that also happens to be Christmas Day!

This is a 5 Star Movie!

Suicide Squad in 3D

This is another edition of “Thursday Night at the Movies with The Movie Warrior”.

What was I thinking…DC Comics are not as good as Marvel Comics.

“Suicide Squad” is not entertainment, it’s just plain “Suicide”!!

The villains in this movie are just plain awful. You will be yawning before things really get going.

The movie has a great cast that tries to do something with nothing, but at the end of the day it’s just plain bad. The problem with “Suicide Squad” is the muddled plot. What am I thinking…there was no plot. The movie just rambles. The characters are not fully developed. This leaves you to guess. I did not go to see “Suicide Squad” to guess. There are some humorous moments, but not enough to sink $17 dollars into a ticket.

This is the second time this year we have been treated to a DC Comic on the big screen. The March 2016 Batman vs. Superman was bad enough.

I am giving the movie 2 stars because of the strong cast. Margot Robbie was awesome. Otherwise the movie would get no stars from me.

“Suicide Squad” is best viewed on Cable or Blue-Ray. On second thought just Cable.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Black Hat

“Black Hat” is more of a “Black Eye”.

“Black Hat” is about Cyber Crime. For no apparent reason a remote nuclear attack on China is staged via a computer system. As it turns out it was staged so that all of the money that the Chinese Casinos are bringing in can be stolen. The Chinese Government reaches out to the United States for help. The person, Nick Hathaway (Hemsworth) most able to solve this crime is serving time in a U.S. Prison. The U.S. Justice Dept gets Hathaway out of prison so that he can help solve the case. The story unfolds from there…

The story on paper is very interesting, but on the big screen not so much. The problem is the stage is not set correctly, so you have to watch the entire movie to piece it together. There is no rhyme or reason. I was bored the first 90 minutes of the movie. 

Too much time is spent showing the viewing audience what the inside of a computer chip looks like way down in the depths, from the time the
“Enter” key is hit on the keyboard until it reaches it’s destination.

I expected better from a Michael Mann production. Movie “Heavy Weights” “Viola Davis” and “Chris Hemsworth” are not enough to give “Black Hat” high marks.

There are 3 other movies scheduled to open soon with the word “Black” in their title, let’s hope they fair better.

This is a 1 1/2 Star Movie!

Ender’s Game

An Elite group of talented and gifted children are selected to train for a potentially very catastrophic War.

Ender Wiggins, shy but a strategically brilliant young leader, is recruited to join the elite group.

Once at the Battle School, Ender quickly masters the increasingly difficult challenges and simulations that are presented to him.
Ender soon gains that attention of Graff who is one of the schools Commanders who ordains Ender as the military’s next great hope. Ender is soon promoted to Commander School where he is trained to lead and given his own team of soldiers to lead into the next epic battle. The story unfolds from there…
If you read the NY Times best-selling novel you won’t be disappointed. It’s definitely a must see in IMAX to get the full effect. The special effects, cinematography and camera angles are fabulous. There is a small lull in the film, but it arrives at the end respectfully. Although this is a first chapter, “Ender’s Game” will lead to a blockbuster franchise.

Prisoners

On the edge of your seat suspense” is what “Prisoners” brings to the party. The movie will hold your attention!

“What would you do if your child went missing? How far would you go to get your child back? A Parent’s worst nightmare is what two sets of parents face in “Prisoners”.
On Thanksgiving Day Anna and her friend Joy go missing. As minutes turn into hours which turn into days and weeks everyone associated with the situation starts to panic. The only lead is a dilapidated RV and Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrests it’s driver, but his intense questioning for hours and days of the suspect yields nothing so when the suspect is released by the police department Keller Dover(Hugh Jackman) takes matters into his own hands. The story unfolds from there…

“Prisoners” is an extremely well executed movie. It’s very realistic in its emotions and events that occur. There is plenty of edge of your seat suspense and intrigue. The movie will definitely hold your attention. While I did not like the subject matter, that doesn’t mean the movie was good. It’s a definite must see if you can handle the subject matter. The movie is long in its execution at 2 hours 33 minutes, but worth every minute. There are a few surprise twists that bring everything together toward the end.

As an additional foot note Mark Wahlberg is an executive producer on this movie.