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Dog Days Movie Review

August 8, 2018 (updated August 14, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“Dog Days” is a movie named after the dead of summer, when many times things come to a crawl and life slows down. But this mixed breed of a movie has a theory that new friends can be found and romance can be kindled, with just a little canine help. Using a large ensemble cast and interweaving story lines, they are trying to go for the loosely connected Rom-Com style. Perhaps you could call it: “Love, Arf-ily”. The main connecting thread is a group of dogs; Mabel, Sam, Charlie and Gertrude.

These dogs are in the care of some humans. Mabel (a very overweight pug) is with a retired professor named Walter (Ron Cephas Jones), who lives alone after the passing of his wife. He meets a pizza delivery boy named Tyler (Finn Wolfhard), and when Mabel runs away, Walter and Tyler team up. A childless couple named Kurt (Rob Corddry) and Grace (Eva Longoria) adopt a little girl. But the child is unhappy, until she comes across a stray very overweight pub – yes it is Mabel. Walter is very sad with his dog gone, but Kurt and Grace are happy that their new child is now also happy.

Dax is a slacker musician who has to take care of his sister’s dog Charlie. Dax slowly becomes attached to the shaggy mutt. But his apartment building does not allow dogs, so he needs to hide Charlie all the time. Also living at the same place is Tara (Vanessa Hudgens), who find s stray little Chihuahua dog with no name. She brings the pup to a no-kill shelter run by Garrett (Jon Bass) – who has secretly pined for Tara for ages. He names the dog Gertrude, for the author Gertrude Stein. But the shelter is having major problems, when the landlord decides to sell out and kick the tenants out.

But at the same time, Liz (Nina Dobrev) – a popular morning host on an L.A. TV program, has a sweet little mutt named Sam. Sam is sweeter than her boyfriend who is cheating on her. Liz gets new co-host on the program, and it is Jimmy (Tone Bell). He is an ex-football star with an older dog of own named Brandy. Brandy and Sam get along great, but it requires a little bit more time for Liz to warm up to Jimmy. Liz is so afraid to get her heart broken again; she feels that Jimmy might just be using her. But don’t worry, all of these seemingly unconnected plots will be brought together at the end…

But as things always go in these types of movies, the various groups get pulled together slowly. The romances grow and the new friends are there to always help. A little family gets bigger and the dogs have a way of making everyone chill out. The story line is busy with several plots and sub-plots all running together. Some are much more interesting than the others, so that weighs the movie down slightly. The director tries to make the various plot threads come together near the end, and tries to keep all the stories moving forward. It has some hiccups along the way, but it mostly works.

“Dog Days” is not a pure-bred, and not in the same league as “Love, Actually”. But for people who like romantic comedy movies — and they really like dogs — then “Dog Days’” is one that you might want to take for a walk around the block.

McQueen Movie Review

August 3, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

This is top notch documentary filmmaking. It’s both incredibly entertaining and highly inciteful. It’s exceptionally well done not only in its value for its own artistic endeavors but its ability to show how truly talented fashion designer Alexander McQueen was. You may not be into fashion but you don’t have to be to enjoy this you just have to want to see an entertaining documentary on an interesting subject… that would be this film.

Alexander McQueen was an artist who, at a young age, was bitten by the fashion bug. Once he realized what it was he wanted to do he never let the fantasy of doing it die. At the age of seventeen, he was making his sister skirts. From very humble beginnings, he knew he didn’t have the money to go to expensive schools for his craft, so he got a job tailoring suits and thus began his dream. Realizing his talents, his aunt (who always supported and encouraged him), helped him get into Saint Martin’s School of Art. There, he felt he could let his true self out and it wasn’t long before he expressed what that was for the entire world to see. He had a legitimately dark side and after reading ‘Perfume,’ a book about the murder of women, he started doing research on Jack the Ripper and out of these influences came his ’92 graduation show in London called, ‘Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victim’s.’ It’s here where he catches the attention of Isabella Blow who was enamored with the craftsmanship, intensity and passion in his work. His ability to capture beauty and violence made her decide to take him on as her prodigy to which a deep friendship developed, one peppered, sadly, with ups and downs until her death at only forty-eight years of age. I don’t want to get into that too much here but know that their relationship was, most likely, more important than either one of them ever realized. This is stated and captured very well in this film.

McQueen was so good at what he did, such a uniquely complex visionary, that he didn’t even have to measure people before he made their clothing. He could size a person up and make something for them by just his eye just as a pianist might play a piece of music they’ve heard only once. His gifts were noticeable and vast as he always had a natural, physical association with what he crafted.

In this documentary we see him move from England, who loves him, to Paris, France where his work isn’t quite as understood. He is asked to be the creative director of Givenchy and with boyfriend Murray Arthur in tow, he goes to expand his technique and portfolio. He has more money than he ever dreamed of, but it hasn’t changed him… not yet. He tries the best he can to fit into the world of Paris fashion and does this by exposing a softer side. As far as fashion went, it didn’t matter which side he disclosed, it was always brilliant… but not necessarily for him.

Of all people, he deserved to be successful and by the end of this documentary, you’ll wish, for yourself, he had left one move in his life behind. If he had, we’d still be enjoying his broad, unconventional completely stunning work today. God knows how far he would have gone. That said, his last show will devastate you. What Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui reveal is a man crying out for help but too quietly to be heard. You can tell the filmmakers appreciated and loved him and his work because you can feel it in the way the movie was shot. By the time it’s over, you’ll feel the same way and want to Google everything you missed. So, do that and watch this, too. It’s a good way to get to know Alexander McQueen and it’s the least he and his intellectually complicated collections deserve.

Official Website: www.McQueen.film

The Spy Who Dumped Me Movie Review

August 3, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ is entertaining but highly predictable. It isn’t a terrible movie, hence the reason the rating I gave it didn’t destroy this comedic narrative, but outside of the two leads making you chuckle, there isn’t a lot to be thrilled about. Mila Kunis seems to be top billed, but Kate McKinnon definitely steals the show as Audrey’s (Kunis’) best friend, Morgan, who would do anything to protect her friend… just as McKinnon does anything to make an audience laugh. McKinnon alone is responsible for why the film will have a modestly successful theatrical run because she lives a breathes insanity into unpretentiously deranged characters. She’s a treasure. Which leads me to the story.

Audrey’s recent break up with Drew (Theroux) and her being angry at him, gives license to her bestie, Morgan, to determine the worth of Drew’s things that had been left in Audrey’s apartment. Once defined as worthless, Morgan wants to burn his possessions to rid her friend of this slug once and for all. Drew is warned and, as expected, shows up to stop it. This is when the women learn he’s a secret agent. During all of this, we flip back and forth as to who he’s working for and whether he’s a good guy or not. Suddenly, Audrey and Morgan are being followed, dodging bullets and being shoved into vans. Again, it’s unclear as to whether or not Drew is a good guy, a question we are left to ponder until the very end of the film. They learn who Drew is, around the same time they meet the hunky Sebastian, (Heughan), who Audrey can’t help but drool over. Drew says he’s a spy; Sebastian says he’s intelligence. Who to believe? It isn’t easy so, as Morgan puts it in the film, they’re going to own their intelligence and figure everything out on their own. It’s on to Europe to sort out the mess. They’re told a lot of people will die if a trophy in their possession isn’t at a certain location on time. That won’t happen on their watch.

To make a film an action/comedy, and that’s what ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ is billed as you must have fight sequences and car chases and such. You’ll be quite impressed with how well director Susanna Fogel embraced that convention when, after viewing the trailer, it seemed as if the movie originally sold itself as a chick flick of sorts. Leaving the bad digital blood aside, they’re superbly choreographed, well shot and in beautiful locales, all the things needed to please today’s action audience. Another highlight for some may be the addition of Gillian Anderson as the head of the British Secret Service. Though it was great to see her in the role of a boss who pulls no punches, it was hardly a stretch for her. Perhaps she took the part to remind us all that she’s out there to which she does in spades.

I liked the film, but I didn’t love it. Having said that, you should see it at a matinee because what works is worth seeing. McKinnon. Anderson. Strong characters and complete insanity. It will work for you as a laid-back, informal summer spy thriller during your easygoing, passive summer weekend.

The Darkest Minds Movie Review

August 3, 2018 (updated August 6, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“The Darkest Minds” is a movie adaptation of a book series, and it follows a typical Young Adult dystopian narrative. The world has gone very, very bad – and the main character(s) will be the only one(s) who can set things right. Or maybe just survive. The adults of the world either caused the dystopian disaster, or did nothing to stop it. Now the adults/government/group/agency are actively working against the main character and his or her friends. The adults will use the power of force and weapons if need be to stop the valiant heroes as they defeat the people they rise against. If this is done right, or it has some twist or a clever hook, then it is something interesting and fun to watch. Otherwise…

Ruby Daly (Amandla Stenberg) is one of a very small fraction of the world’s children to survive a horrible disease. Even the President’s son – Clancy Gray (Patrick Gibson) – has been affected, but he survived. He was supposedly cured of the wretched sickness. Other youngsters who have survived now possess unusual side effects. A large majority is affected with increased intelligence, and then another group has telekineses powers. And even above them are smaller groups with the most special abilities, but they are considered dangerous. Like a Homeland Security pyramid chart of risk, the top are labeled Orange and Red. Ruby is an Orange, but she is hiding as a Green (the lowest level).

Ruby has been removed from her parents and is confined at a military work camp for six years. Her powers have remained under wraps, but the job might be up. A doctor named Cate (Mandy Moore) seems to help Ruby escape. Ruby has super mind control, and does a sort of Jedi Mind Trick on the officer in charge. Cate wants Ruby to be part of the Children’s Alliance – a paramilitary type group that will spread the truth about the harsh work camps. But Ruby wants to get away, and then she finds a small group of other ‘special’ kids. They are led by Liam (Harris Dickinson) who also has powers. He travels with Chubs (Skylan Brooks), who is a super-smarty and also with Zu (Miya Cech) who can control electricity. Ruby joins with this little band of renegades, and she finds they are always chased by bounty hunters and threatened by government agents. But they hear about a special camp for the young gifted survivors. It is code-named EDO, and it is somewhere out in the woods. The group finally gets to the EDO camp, and they find it is run by Clancy Gray, the President’s son who was thought to have the disease but was cured. But he actually has the Orange level powers, just like Ruby.

This movie has some attractive leads, and the story moved quickly from one crisis and confrontation to another. But it lacks the deep emotional punch that a better movie would have. The Bad Guys are over-the-top insane, and the kids have all the ‘Stranger Things’ powers to get the upper hand. So there is no big threat. A couple of forced relationships are too pat, and the there is the wanna-be love interest stand-off between Liam and Clancy. At the end, there is Jedi Mind Trick that used in a very heartbreaking fashion. But even that (erasing memories) has been seen before, in the Harry Potter movies.

Amandla Stenberg does a very good job in this role. Harris Dickinson and Patrick Gibson are just OK. The rest of cast goes between just all right and over-the-top bad. The pacing keeps the story moving, but there is the forced love-triangle aspect that is a clunky add-on. The look and feel of the childless future looks a little eerie. Funny how in a dystopian future, everyone has perfect hair and shiny clean teeth!

This is lukewarm rehash of ideas served up with a very attractive cast, but without any fresh ideas from those Darkest Minds.

Website: https://www.TheDarkestMinds.com

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Christopher Robin Movie Review

August 3, 2018 (updated August 2, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“Christopher Robin” (also known as “Disney Christopher Robin”) is a movie about Winnie the Pooh’s friend. But when Christopher has grown up and has lost the feeling of wonder in the Hundred Acre Woods, he gets very moody. Chris is now married and has a family, but his job is making demands on him that make him testy and short-tempered. The kind little boy from the children’s books is nowhere to be found. Perhaps a visit to grown-up Christopher from his old childhood friend Pooh would be just the thing to cheer him up.

Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) is a manager at a London luggage factory. He is under the gun all of the time. His playful childhood memories are a thing of the past. He and his wife Evelyn (Haley Atwell) and their daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael) are many miles away from the Hundred Acre Woods. But Winnie the Pooh still plays there and waits for the return of his best friend. One day, all of Pooh’s other friends go missing, including Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Kanga and Roo. Winnie the Pooh is very afraid and he thinks that only Christopher Robin could help to find them. So, Pooh goes to find Christopher.

Pooh does find Chris in London, and the two of them decide the only thing to do is get back to the Hundred Acre Woods. Chris is on a tight deadline to make drastic changes at work to cut costs. So, the last thing he needs is to go traipsing in the Woods to locate Pooh’s other pals. But he decides that that is what Pooh needs him to do. Chris takes all of his important work papers with him, just he can keep them safe. You know, what could go wrong?

Christopher finds Pooh’s friends, and then he realizes that they are still also his friends. A burden is lifted from his mind. He gets back to London to show his evil boss all the work that Chris accomplished over that weekend. But of course, the papers are with his friends back in the Woods, and Madeline meets up with the talking stuffed animals, and they decide to sneak back to London, and soon Evelyn must also follow them to London, and Chris is about to give an important presentation, but all the important papers are… well, let’s just say that a mild level of chaos ensues.

This is a very nostalgic appeal to those who grew up with Winnie the Pooh and still want more of him. This movie gets you quite a lot of Pooh and his friends. But is also gives you a look at might have happened to Christopher Robin as he grew up and more removed from the Hundred Acre Woods. The movie takes a long amount of time to get moving, but it rewards with beautiful scenes of the Woods and of the English countryside. Ewan McGregor does a very pleasant job with being a guy stuck in a mid-life crisis – but who needs a stuffed bear to show him what is most important in his life. All the acting is very good, including the voice acting for Winnie the Pooh and for Tigger (both voiced by Jim Cummings).

Perhaps your life will not be changed by watching this movie. But it has a similar feel to the movie ‘Paddington’, also about a stuffed bear that walks and talks around London. And if you really stretch it, there is a resemblance to ‘Hook’, with the older Peter Pan reconnecting with the joys of his youth. And if you enjoy a movie like those other two, then “Christopher Robin” will be a new friend that will take you back to your childhood…

“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day” – W. Pooh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyChristopherRobin/

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Mission: Impossible Fallout Movie Review

July 27, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

Mission: Impossible – Fallout” takes a lesson from the fictional rock band Spinal Tap, and the movie action gets ‘put up to 11’. That means the movie is a non-stop E-Ticket thrill ride for nearly the entire run time (over 2 hours). Yes, it does stop occasionally to explain this situation or go over the disastrous outcome if that other thing happens. The main focus is on the action sequences and fight sequences. All of the over-the-top action, piling even more and more onto the plot that will threaten to make it burst with adrenaline. There in the center of it all is Tom Cruise, making stuntmen everywhere proud…

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” takes a couple of character from prior movies and also bring them into the action. But the main Impossible Mission Force is back together as in the past. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is the leader, and he also needs the talents of Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames). There is stolen Russian plutonium and Hunt blows a chance to buy it off the black market. He instead chooses to save the lives of his team members. IMF is called into action, as directed by the new IMF secretary Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin). But current CIA chief Sloane (Angela Bassett) will not allow IMF to operate on its own. She embeds a CIA asset named August Walker (Henry Cavill), and he is there to terminate the operation (and Hunt) if things go south.

So as soon as things could go wrong, they do… Hunt and Walker do a High Altitude (HALO) jump into a party held in Paris by White Widow (Vanessa Kirby). She is a black market operative who can obtain the missing plutonium – at a price. Hunt assumes the identity of a rogue operator who is part of a new terrorist group. White Widow buys the cover story that Hunt is the right guy. But the price is steep. Hunt and Walker must capture a police-held ex-British spy named Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). But there is another person interested in finding – and killing – Lane. That is Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) who is a British MI-6 agent who went deep undercover into Lane’s group. She must eliminate Lane to prove her worth.

Hunt and his crew get Lane, and are almost killed by Ilsa. But there are deep moles and turncoats and double-crosses around every corner. Ethan Hunt finds that he can trust almost no one. They team travel to London, where they will exchange Lane for the black market plutonium. But the twists come hot and heavy, and soon they are left empty-handed. Hunt and his team, along with Ilsa, travel to where Solomon Lane might be going next – Kashmir. They trace him to a volunteer temporary hospital. Hunt finds out that Lane specifically chose this location – Hunt’s ex-wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan) is there. They find that two of the nuclear cores have been constructed into bombs. There is a very complex way to defuse these two bombs, but only once the countdown has started. So will the team be able to find the bombs, and get them de-armed – before — FALLOUT?

Each Mission: Impossible has been a wild ride that relies a lot more on thrills than on a simple cohesive plot. But it always works out better than way. The more outrageous the premise, the more dire the outcome – it makes the M:I team come together and beat the odds. Odds that are Impossible, naturally. But always leading this pack is Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. His steely-eyed focus on an over-the-top goal makes everything more interesting.

Cruise has partnered with Christopher McQuarrie who has now become the only director to helm two M:I movies. Plus McQuarrie as this film’s only writer takes the story-line into treacherous places with treacherous people undermining Hunt’s Mission. But with many capable actors joining them (many going back for quite a few movies) – the results are spectacular. Sure, the overall details may not make perfect sense, but they propel the action forward, usually at breakneck speed.

Or perhaps it moves at break-ankle speed, referring back to the stunt that Cruise did over the London rooftops, where is landing was a little too rough. He suffered a few broken ones there, but he would not give up and – like this movie – there is nothing that will stop a Great Action Sequence!

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies Movie Review

July 27, 2018 (updated July 22, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“Teen Titans Go! To the Movies” is nifty little animated production that shows you DC Comics can ‘extend their universe’ by creating a comical superhero movie. These smaller teenaged versions of superheroes can deliver a decent production with some pretty pointed jabs at the big boys (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, etc.). Based on the Cartoon Network animated show, this team of small fry heroes will grab a rung on the ladder that is the DC Franchise, and pull them selves up to the — well maybe not exactly to the top, but it will be close…

All the Teen Titans are led by a young Robin (Scott Menville), known mostly as Batman’s sidekick. But he is joined by other young kids with special powers. There is Beast Boy (Greg Cipes) who can transform into any type of wild beast or animal. There is Cyborg (Khary Payton) who a mechanical human with high-tech powers. Also part of the team are Raven (Tara Strong) who is a half-human, half-demon sorceress and also Starfire (Hynden Walch) – an alien Tamaranian princess with super-human powers. They all hang out together and wait to fight crime.

But because of their ages and size, the regular superheroes never give them much of a chance. The last straw for Robin is when he finds out all the other superheroes are getting their own movie. Even Batman’s butler is going to get a new movie! The producer and director of the big movies is Jade Wilson(Kristen Bell). They all attempt to persuade Wilson to get them into a movie. But she refuses, because they do not have super arch-nemesis. That is someone who is planning for an evil world-changing event – so if they find someone like that and stop that evil-doer, well then, maybe a movie would be in order.

The next thing you know is that the Teen Titans cross paths with a major super villain who has a complex maniacal plan to rule the people of Earth. This fiend is none other than Deadp… opps, sorry – it just looks a lot like him – This fiend is none other than Slade (Will Arnett). Slade is going to brainwash the whole world into doing his bidding; causing mayhem in the street, robbing banks, disarming police stations, and picking him at the airport on short notice…

Jade Wilson then starts to make the movie about the Teen Titans. But wires get crossed and loyalties get tested. Wilson gets rid of team and only wants to work with and use Robin. But are there some underlying nefarious things that are going on? Is Slade somehow in involved to divide the Teen Titans team and get Robin to deliver some final piece of Slade’s ultimate Earth take-over plan… Will the Teen Titans be able to overcome any differences and unite to fight off a bad dude and prevent global chaos?

This movie is a light and breezy treat of DC Comics cotton candy, as opposed to the usual DCEU movies that are dark foreboding meals of burnt steak and thick ale. But it is more fun to see something fun, so this version could attract a decent audience beyond just kids and teenagers. However, there are plenty of fart and poop jokes. So that way you do not forget that the target is for kids and teenagers. The whole DC Universe is given a nice satirical look, and it evens gets a big NON-DC player into the act. (Enough with the cameos, Stan Lee!)

The voice acting is right on target, and the colors and images on screen are all very vivid. Most of the character voices are from the TV series, but a few big names are brought in. Kristen Bell does a good job with Jade Wilson, and Will Arnett is totally funny when he is voicing Slade. There is also a wonderful bit of trivia cameo. Back in the 80’s Nicolas Cage was considered for the role as Superman. But now, Cage does get a chance to lend his voice-over to get this done. Good job, Teen Titans! You have righted a wrong in this universe!

Blindspotting Movie Review

July 24, 2018 (updated July 24, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“Blindspotting” is a movie that moves with a rhythm and a rhyme of a hip-hop rave, to the hipsters in the street and the gangsters in the grave, there in a city in rebirth, being reborn, but not without pains, as the losses and gains pile up on the people who whose spirit has left but the flesh remains – worn down by the pressure and how it oppresses, with too many failures with too few successes, when the white and black and rich and poor are seeing only divisions, and not visions of together and futures always better – being all just one city and one family forever.

That concludes the ‘ hip-hop & rap’ portion of this review.

Collin (Daveed Diggs) has grown up with his close friend Miles (Rafael Casal) in the poor side of Oakland. The city has changed so much and Collin and Miles have trouble keeping up. Miles is a little too hot-headed and can easily erupt in anger. Collin has been in trouble with the law and he is a few days from the end of his probation period. If he can get through the next few days, living at a half-way house with very strict rules, Collin with have much of his freedom back. But Miles will always be a threat to Collin, if he happens to be around him at the wrong time.

Collin and Miles both work at a moving company. Collin’s ex-girlfriend Val (Janina Gavankar) runs the front desk. They rarely speak of the incident that caused Collin to be arrested a year ago. Miles has a current girlfriend and a little boy. But he thinks that the local neighborhood has gotten so bad that he needs to carry a gun. Parenting Alert: handguns and little boys usually do not mix. Collin is anxious that Miles is holding a weapon, because if he ever gets stopped by the police, there is a guarantee of more jail time.

There is a night when Collin is driving the moving truck back after work, and he is stopped at a light. He needs to be back very soon, because the curfew time is near. But there is a man who runs in front of his truck, and he is black and running into the night. And soon the man is followed by a policeman, and there is an ‘Officer-involved shooting’, right next to Collin. He is afraid to stick around, so he leaves in the truck and tries to forget what happened. But that will be impossible to forget.

Over the course of the next couple of days, Collin tries to reconnect with Val, and he tries to create a distance from Miles. There is the shooting that is still in his mind, and it makes him think that any day might be his last. Color creates differences in the people of the hood. There are new sections that are being renovated, where all the old buildings are now worth so much more. The long-term, old-time residents are being pushed out. Including a photographer named Patrick (Wayne Knight), whom the guys help get packed for a move elsewhere.

Eventually, the incident that caused Collin’s arrest is revealed, and it is handled with an amusing touch. But even later, there is an impromptu meeting between Collin and the Officer (Ethan Embry) – from the ‘Officer-involved shooting’. Collin is beside himself with rage, and there is almost a new ‘incident’. But Collin is able to pull himself back from the brink, and he is able to walk away knowing that he was the better man.

Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal have written a bittersweet love letter to their Oakland home. They have hit on so many themes that it is dizzying to watch. But they wrote the characters that they know, and then also acted out as those real human beings. Their work is impressive, as first-time writers and then playing out the story they know so well. Also Carlos López Estrada has done a splendid job as the first-time director.

Other than a couple of times when the change in tone is little too abrupt, or when the story strays onto the side of farce rather than drama – it sticks to a steady beat of honest daily toil in an indifferent city. Diggs and Casal have captured a good look into a rough life. They could have had a little better inclusion of some normal white guys, though. All of the white characters are either black-culture infused like Miles, or they are Portlandia hipster types, or they are ignorant racist cops.

Opens July 27th in Phoenix theaters

Mamma Mia! – Here We Go Again Movie Review

July 20, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Mamma Mia! came out a decade ago in 2008. In that film, we meet Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, who, by the way, has the voice of an angel. Sophie is about to get married to Sky (Cooper) and she sends invitations to three men, Sam (Brosnan), Harry (Firth) and Bill (Skarsgård) who we learn were all close with her mother Donna, who’s played by the extremely gifted Meryl Streep.
Donna is unaware her daughter has done this, but the reason Sophie felt it important to invite these men is because she has never known her father. She wants her father to give her away at her wedding. Sophie found Donna’s journal and discovered that her mother had relations with these three men around the time she was conceived.
Quite sure it’s one of them, she hopes to find out which one when they arrive. That’s quite an idea for a story, especially a musical told using tunes from the incredible group ABBA. It worked, that’s for sure. The film was a big hit despite the fact that the actors’ cast were the singers, as well, or because of that very reason. They were spectacular and the film and soundtrack both magnificent.

Since its success, everyone has been waiting for a second go around and it finally came with ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,’ which is fun in theory but just isn’t as good. But then again, how could it be? The original had a charm tough to match. This second film is a prequel telling the stories of Donna meeting Sam, Harry, and Bill. We meet the young Donna, a wild flower child of the 70’s, played wonderfully by Lily James, when she’s at her graduation. We also get to know her lifelong friends and backup singers, Tanya, played by Jessica Keenan Wynn, in for Christine Baranski and doing a bang-up job of it, and Rosie, played by Alexa Davies, who did a passable Julie Walters. You’ll love their characters as you did in the original.

Leaving her besties behind, Donna decides she’s off to tour the world alone. As she does, she doesn’t mind having an occasional love affair which is when we meet those three guys one by one. First, it’s Harry (Hugh Skinner), who distracts her in Paris. This is where they’re able to squeeze in a decent excuse for a fun rendition of ‘Waterloo.’ Next comes Bill (Josh Dylan), who, perhaps expectedly, has a boat when Donna runs into him. She uses him to get to her island destination. Then young Sam (Jeremy Irvine) enters, who as if waiting for her all along, is already on the island when Donna gets there. Fate, maybe?

What makes the film uncommon are the ABBA songs which fill each storyline, as they did before. Most are lesser known tunes but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re good songs, especially lyrically. Each song fits the situation well but none as good as ‘Fernando.’ Cher looked oddly uncomfortable in her performance, but she sings it beautifully. Andy Garcia, who plays Fernando, not so much. However, the situation that surrounds the two being a couple is quite comical.

As before, the vocals are well done but what you liked so well about the first movie simply isn’t there but that won’t stop you from enjoying yourself and singing along. What does is finding out that Meryl Streep’s Donna has passed away which creates a bit of a sadness in you, the audience member who expected to see her. Director Ol Parker came up with an ingenious way to bring her back into the fold, which helps you endear yourself to his particular vision. He uses a lot of callbacks throughout the entire film which helps you, as well, but at the same time, makes you wish you were just watching this first one instead. Rest assured that, even if that’s true, you have to see this. You may not watch or listen to it as many times as the first, you still have to see it once.

The Equalizer 2 Movie Review

July 20, 2018 (updated July 18, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

“The Equalizer 2” is special, if only because it is the first sequel that Denzel Washington has ever wanted to do (“The Sequel-izer”?). In 2014 “The Equalizer” took the old TV series and gave it a make-over with Denzel playing Robert McCall. This time around Denzel brings along the same director and the same writer as with the first installment. They have come up with another dose of action and revenge – with Robert McCall always looking out for the little guy. He brings justice to an unjust world, one kick-ass sequence at a time. With this movie, the second time around is not frantic as the first, but it ends up with a wild finish.

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) goes about his business and tries to mind his own business. He even has become a part-time Lyft driver so he could connect with everyday people. But with his many years of Special Forces training and even more years in a special operations unit in the CIA, there are ‘very particular set of skills’ that McCall can use to “equal the scales of justice”. That happens at the start, when he travels to Turkey to get back a kidnapped little girl. McCall lives in a simple manner, and has some friends in the Boston neighborhood where he is located. He befriends Miles (Ashton Sanders), who is a young black man with some artistic skills – but he also has a toxic attitude.

McCall has some other friends who live in Washington DC. Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) is a retired CIA manager who headed up McCall’s old unit. She and her husband Brian Plummer (Bill Pullman) are close to McCall, and they knew his wife before she passed away. Susan is called to research an odd murder-suicide that happened in Brussels. The man and wife happened to also be deep-cover agents for the CIA. She goes to see if there was any connection. She goes with agent Dave York (Pedro Pascal), and was also part of the special ops team and had partnered with McCall years ago. But there is an incident in Brussels and Susan is killed. The police think it was a couple of meth users, but McCall thinks it was much more than that.

The scenes flip back and forth between Boston and Washington DC and Brussels. But McCall keeps busy with his Lyft driving, while still doing forensic analysis on Susan’s phone and computer. He helps an elderly man to find a long-lost sister. He helps a young woman who had been brutalized by a group of high-dollar, low-class men. And everywhere he goes, he can leave a trail of blood and bodies. He also helps his young friend Miles, and convinces him to stay out of a violent street gang. Miles slowly learns that McCall has the ability to turn on some street gang level violence just on his own.

While the weather gets worse and worse in Boston, McCall figures out that his old teammate, Dave York, might be playing now on a different team. There is a lot of bad blood between them, when McCall knows who it was ultimately behind Susan’s murder. York has a group of henchmen who can make life difficult for McCall. They all follow McCall to his old home on the Cape Cod coast. But somebody forgot to turn off the hurricane that is making landfall near the town. McCall must face off with the evildoers in a driving wind and in drenching rain. But when he is able to use any item at his disposal to put up a defense against the bad guys, he has an advantage. But when they also have an ace-in-the-hole (or is that a Miles-in-the-trunk?) – the fighting gets pretty berserk.

Denzel Washington is (again) excellent playing Robert McCall. He has a steely-eyed gaze that could cause any wrong-doer to think twice and join the side of the angels. But his close-contact fighting skills can leave an opponent on the ground gasping. Denzel must enjoy this role, because he looks worn into place yet very nimble. Working again with director Antoine Fuqua brings a good level of karma to the whole production, and the result is very watchable. Pedro Pascal is also really good as a slick operative who is adept at playing both sides. Ashton Sanders does a decent job at not being entirely overshadowed by Denzel. Everyone else is mostly extended cameos in the movie.

Aside from the first half, which flips locations quite often, the pacing is steady. It picks up a lot in the second half, and final third is just a brilliant fast-paced cat-and-mouse fight sequence. The entire purpose behind all the murders is a little murky, and there a few scenes that go on a smidge too long. Maybe a more cohesive story line, and a few more days of editing could have turned this into a more forceful movie. Right now it is way above average, and a great deal of that goes to the presence of Denzel. His shoulders are wide enough to carry many obstacles.

“The Equalizer 2” is not a movie I ever expected to see made. But because of the care that Denzel Washington puts into the character of Robert McCall, this is a franchise that might be able to continue on with more movies and more high praise. All things being Equal…

Category: Reviews