The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.
Directed by: Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton
Cast: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell, Jessica Mcnamee, Natalie Morales and Fred Armisen
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I love Amy Schumer. I love that she’s not afraid to show off her body that isn’t the Hollywood preferred size zero or to be dirty. Some adults like their R-rated films to be hard-core, even if they star women. Men, don’t fear. There isn’t too much estrogen it’ll push you away. Snatched isn’t really geared toward any specific sex. While it’s true a few gags are aimed directly at the relationship between mother and daughter, which is a refreshing thing to see, that not all it has. It’s just a hysterical film. Sophomoric also comes to mind to describe it but its genre is comedy and funny it is. Again I will reiterate that it can be lowbrow at times but go in knowing that and just have a chuckle.
The movie opens letting the audience know that when it comes to the mayhem that eventually happens, it’s Schumer and Hawn who’ll end up inflicting it on their captors rather than the other way around. It’s not necessary to give this away but films can’t help but be predictable sometimes, being aware of this in advance doesn’t hurt the story any.
Schumer plays Emily, a young woman torn apart by the devastating blow her boyfriend just dealt her. She has an exotic vacation planned to Ecuador and he breaks up with her right before they’re supposed to go. Never one to listen to what her mother, Linda (Hawn), tells her to do, she had purchased nonrefundable tickets… something her mother always warned her against. After asking all of her friends if they’d take the extra ticket off her hands, she has no choice but to crawl to mom and admit she didn’t listen to her and that she needs her to go. She pleads by asking her to help put the fun in nonrefundable.
Linda isn’t excited about it at first but admits to herself that a life that centers around her cats and dealing with Emily’s agoraphobic brother, Jeffrey (Barinholtz), who still lives at home, would be nice to get away from for awhile. Linda does go but it’s difficult for her to let go. She’s set in her ways and though her daughter means well and wants her to break loose, she’s not willing to change who she is for anybody. On the beach, as Emily tries to talk her mother into relaxing and not being so afraid of everything, they end up meeting two of the more hilarious characters in the film. They are Ruth (Sykes) and Barb (Cusack) who throw their two cents in, interrupting the conversation by disagreeing with Emily. They tell her they should never let their guard down. Barb was in Special-Ops and knows a lot about these matters. Knowing that the movie is about two women who are kidnapped, it’s glaringly obvious that this will come into play later.
Emily meets the gorgeous, too good to be true, James (Bateman), who she can’t wait to have sex with. A scene where she preps for that moment is shocking but not too surprising… this is an Amy Schumer film after all. They decide to go out the next day and see the beauty of the land. James says it’s okay to bring Linda for their little adventure. Ever the pessimist, Linda doesn’t want to go but agrees to anyway. When she turns out to be right not to trust the unknown environment, mother and daughter are tested when they’re kidnapped and thrown into a dark room. This entire situation lends to some ludicrous scenes for Schumer to do her thing. Luckily, they make their escape and find that they must get to the U.S. Embassy if they hope to find any further help. The men they meet during this trek contribute to the story and the humor without being frivolous or just sex objects. Christopher Meloni, who plays Roger a guy who slightly oversells his jungle talents, attempts to give them a hand and finds he probably should have sat this adventure out. Bashir Salahuddin, a State Department official contacted and constantly badgered by a desperate Jeffrey to help his mother and sister, is a wonderful supporting role as he attempts to be left alone. Jeffrey’s character gets old fast but it’s necessary for the overall story and works for the film. Some of the comedy can be immature and crude but it’s a comedy… it’s okay to laugh at the absurd and be amused by the ridiculous.
What works best is that the relationship between Emily and Linda is believable. It wouldn’t be too hard to believe they’d be real mother and daughter. That said, it’s apparent to see that Linda has always wanted Emily to do more with her life and though you already know that the bond between them will be strengthened through the film, it’s fun to watch because the trip that Katie Dippold (Parks and Recreation, MADtv ) wrote for these actors to bring to life really works with the casting director Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, The Night Before) did for the film. At the end, we see them one year later. Has Emily grown up or was that just wishful thinking? See it this Mother’s Day and find out for yourself. Bring your mom… even if she doesn’t want to go!
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HOME AGAIN stars Reese Witherspoon (“Big Little Lies,” Wild, Walk The Line, Sweet Home Alabama) as Alice Kinney in a modern romantic comedy.
Recently separated from her husband, (Michael Sheen), Alice decides to start over by moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles with her two young daughters. During a night out on her 40th birthday, Alice meets three aspiring filmmakers who happen to be in need of a place to live. Alice agrees to let the guys stay in her guest house temporarily, but the arrangement ends up unfolding in unexpected ways. Alice’s unlikely new family and new romance comes to a crashing halt when her ex-husband shows up, suitcase in hand.
HOME AGAIN is a story of love, friendship, and the families we create. And one very big life lesson: Starting over is not for beginners.
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Producer Will Packer (Ride Along and Think Like a Man franchises, upcoming Almost Christmas) presents Girls Trip, a new comedy from director/producer Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man franchise, Barbershop: The Next Cut).
When four lifelong friends—Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish—travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush. James Lopez, head of motion pictures for Will Packer Productions, and Preston Holmes, executive produce.
Starring: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish, Larenz Tate, Kate Walsh, Mike Colter, Kofi Siriboe
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Screenplay by: Kenya Barris & Tracy Oliver
Story by: Erica Rivinoja and Kenya Barris & Tracy Oliver
Produced by: Will Packer, Malcolm D. Lee
Executive Producers: Preston Holmes, James Lopez
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BAYWATCH follows devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) as he butts heads with a brash new recruit (Efron). Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.
The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach, and Ilfenesh Hadera.
Directed by Seth Gordon.
Tickets on-sale NOW: http://bit.ly/BaywatchTix
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Based on the real-life courtship courtship between Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, THE BIG SICK tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional Muslim parents. When Emily is beset with a mystery illness, it forces Kumail to navigate the medical crisis with her parents, Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) who he’s never met, while dealing with the emotional tug-of- war between his family and his heart.
THE BIG SICK is directed by Michael Showalter (Hello My Name Is Doris) and produced by Judd Apatow (Trainwreck, This Is 40) and Barry Mendel (Trainwreck, The Royal Tenenbaums).
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The Master of the Marvel Mix Tape is back. Yes, Peter Quill and his gang of misfits have returned to the movies. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” takes another step into the wilder side of Marvel’s never-ending stream of comic book heroes. Back in 2014, the first movie introduced the characters, and now you have more time to get to know your ‘Guardians’.
Quill (Chris Pratt), also known as Star Lord, is working with Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax (Dave Bautista). With them are the two creatures; a genetically-modified raccoon named Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and humanoid tree-thing, now called Baby Groot (Vin Diesel). They are hired to fight off a monster for a group of gold-colored Sovereign people. They defeat the beast and win the release of Nebula (Karen Gillan), Gamora’s evil half-sister.
But soon the Sovereign leader is after the Guardians, and they hire a mercenary team of Ravagers led by Yondu (Michael Rooker). Yondu and Quill have a sorted history going way back to when Peter was kidnapped off Earth. Peter Quill is still looking for his father, when the Guardians meet up with Ego (Kurt Russell). Ego is an ancient being called a Celestial, and he has created an entire Living Planet based on his brain power.
Quill learns that Ego (his human-like avatar, not the Planet) is his actual father. But Quill is still upset that Ego loved his mother, but then left her. Quill wants to go along with Ego, so that he can be a semi-immortal creature, too. But Gamora is wary, and she has a right to be. Not everything is as rosy as it appears. Yondu has his crew mutiny against him, but with help from Rocky and Baby Groot, he’s back in command.
Nebula escapes and goes after her half-sister Gamora. They fight an attack each other, but they do eventually find common ground. Ego has plans, much larger than what Peter Quill can imagine. But his plans would cause death and destruction of thousands of planets. All of the Guardians, along with Nebula and Yondu, team up for a good old-fashioned fight to the finish. Ego is immortal and all-powerful, but he still has some weak spots. If the crew all work together, can they find the answers in time?
Marvel scored really big with the first ‘Guardians’ movie, and now they have a chance to double-down on the crazy fun of these characters. There is such a high-energy spark within this group that the easy dialog and funny situations just are a joy to watch. Each characters get a little time to develop more and become deeper and more intense. Some are real standouts, such as Yondu. His character was not much more than a cameo in the first movie. But here Michael Rooker really gets to make fantastic impression.
All the actors are great and well cast for the roles. The most fun is to see Kurt Russell coming back into movies big time, and this role for him is just icing on the cake. Baby Groot is such a little huggable sapling, that every time his image is on screen, you just want to say, “Awwwww”. Quill is still clever and snarky, Gamora is strong and stoic, and Drax is a huge mountain of power, with a big soft heart.
The movie is full of pop culture references. Lots of things are brought up, such as Pac-Man, Cheers (the TV show), Knight Rider (the TV show) and David Hasselhoff. There are again lots of Marvel cameos, like Howard the Duck, Cosmo the Space Dog and (of course) Stan Lee. There are a few celebrity cameos: Sylvester Stallone, Ving Rhames, and Michelle Yeoh.
Yes, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” have come back, and they are saving the Galaxy again. As Rocky says, “We can really raise our rates now”. It seems that they have raised the quality standards, too. Hey, and it can also be found in 3-D and in IMAX format, which actually makes for Greater Guardians!
Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez, with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isn’t through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racing’s biggest stage!
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KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Written By: Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn, based on the comic book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons
Cast: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, with Sir Elton John, and Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges
SYNOPSIS
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” introduced the world to Kingsman – an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy…
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The plot of Is That A Gun in Your Pocket? is loosely based on the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata.” It was written and first performed in 411 BC. It’s interesting to see how little has changed in that men and women still lock horns over what the other considers to be best for their family and also in the way we entertain one another.
In the play, Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sex from their husbands until they negotiate peace and end the Peloponnesian War. Using the theme of a 2,000-year-old sex comedy works for what the women of this small Texas town want from their men. These are strong values to stand on and the film does a good job of giving the audience both point of views. The comedy chafe’s the brain a few times as some scenes are not only too contrived but sophomoric, however, in the long run, it’s worth a watch for the number of times you’ll chuckle at this battle the sexes.
In Rockford, Texas, guns are the order of the day. This is set up in several ways. Pay special attention to the titles playing at the theatre for the wittiest of them. This little borough of 6,969 people is calm and quiet almost idyllic, in fact, and everyone seems happy on the surface yet deep down brews a silent soldier in the form of resentment. The women speak of it and make fun of men in group chats; the men do the same behind the backs of their wives or girlfriends, mostly while hunting. What is this resentment based on? Their sex lives. Their sex lives couldn’t be staler if it were a cracker from 1991 found this morning behind the refrigerator. As if it were a sketch comedy show, writer/ director, Matt Cooper (Perfect Opposites, The Last Supper) gives us set up after set up and joke after joke of men and women pinned against one another, all charged up and in full battle mode. Some japes in this comedy do land better than others but if you don’t take the subject too seriously, the touchdown is a lot less bumpy.
Married couple, Glenn (Passmore) and Jenna (Anders), and seemingly the rest of the town, are having problems in the marital bed. After their son takes a loaded gun to school and accidentally discharges some bullets, Jenna decides to take some of her unspent energy out on a cause. That cause is to rid the town of guns altogether. Glenn is against this and before you know it, the frustrated couple decides on one thing… neither will give in. She talks her girlfriends into helping her take a stand for something she feels is important to her after she learns that guns contribute the most to the death of children… above everything else. She explains that gun violence can end by removing the reason it exists… guns. The women agree and the men aren’t going to have it. So, the fairer sex comes up with the one thing that’s sure to break the men… they’ll close their legs until the guns are gone.
When the men hold up surprisingly well and are still not giving in, the women decide to turn up the heat. This is also when Cooper turns up the funny. These gals play some dirty tricks on these unsuspecting lads. I’ll let you discover those when you watch the film. As the title alone might suggest, there are some really fun moments that will hook you into the lampoonery you’ll find in Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?; like the revelation of a vibrator thought to have been a candlestick, a man crying because his ak47 is painted pink and the men wishing the women would have had a talking strike instead of a sex strike.
It’s slow to get going at first but hang in there. Laughing at jokes aimed at your sex, whether you think they’re completely accurate or not, is healthy. If you can do that you’re going to be entertained. There’s some really funny dialogue delivered by Cloris Leachman’s character, as well, such as suggesting that, ‘There is nothing more powerful than p*ssy.’ But her dirty old lady was a bit overused. Had she said only a few filthy things, I believe the declaration of that particular line would have had a much bigger impact. That said, when Horatio Sanz says, ‘Hell hath no fury like a Latina scorned,’ I hope you don’t have a drink in your mouth. My suggestion is to see this crazy little movie and don’t worry so much about the politics mentioned within. Whether you agree with the stance within or not you’ll laugh if you let yourself. You’ll like the characters once you get to know them and you’ll want to see where the story is leading. You truly care for them and what they’re standing up for and it’s also hard not to like this wonderful cast; there’s hardly a name you won’t recognize.
