Marlon Wayans parodies the movie based on the book in this latest Baby Way production. I give 50 Shades of Black a D. As in Don’t Waste Your Money…. Christian Black earned his money by dealing drugs, the sports car and expensive suit are stolen, yet he’s sought out for advice on how he earned his success. When Hannah’s best friend can’t make the interview, she goes in her place and falls for the enigmatic business man who has a unique lifestyle. The Wayans Brothers are known for their parody movies and in your face humor. Nothing is sacred in this movie either, from nudity, racial slurs, to politics. Everything is made into a joke. I loved the Scary Movie series and had high hopes for this movie. Too bad that the jokes weren’t more funny. The movie tries too hard to be funny but ends up sad and raunchy. The Wayans Brothers do a great job making a movie with a low budget that usually makes back their outlay. I admire that. But a low budget doesn't make a good movie. Most of the jokes are ones seen in the trailers so you leave the movie wondering why you paid so much for a movie that you saw most of the funny parts of already. There are some unique moments like the cameo of Florence Henderson as Christian’s first sexual tutor. And the part I loved the best was when Christian is reading from the Fifty Shades of Grey book as a means of punishment for Hannah. While this movie will appeal to certain fans, I would save my money and wait for it to show up on the television. You won’t miss the bleeped out words or hidden nudity. At least, you will have saved a few bucks!
Intense, edge of your seat action, with a dash of American patriotism… I give 13 hours an A. Imagine a place where you can’t tell who is on your side and who might try to kill you. Everyone seems to know what is going on but you. And when you call for help, no one answers. 13 Hours is based on the true story of six security team members who put their lives on the line during a raid on a covert CIA base and United States outpost in Benghazi, Libya. Benghazi became a household word with the death of the Ambassador and the questions that the US government had for Hillary Clinton about the State Department’s involvement or lack of involvement. Directed by Michael Bay of Transformers and Armageddon fame, 13 Hours uses music and shadowy images to show the dangerous conditions the security team faced. Your heart will beat and the adrenaline will flow as you try to guess along with the characters, who are the enemy and who are helping. And even though you know how things played out in the news, you will be shocked at what you didn’t know. The movie feels like another American Sniper where we celebrate the men who stand for America. Avoiding the politics, the focus of the movie is on the strong men who had families back home, wives and children but when called by a “brother” they go without asking. Featuring John Karsinski as John Silva, one of the security operatives. This is a big change from his part in The Office but he does a wonderful job. He’s bulked and bearded. With a cast of most no big names, the characters come through…as opposed to the actors and the story. Certainly, at the end of this movie you will leave feeling grateful for those six men and the many others like them who are willing to stand and fight.
Last week I warned you about feeling sick after seeing the blood and gore in the Revenant. After watching The Big Short, you will leave with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach for an entirely different reason. I’m giving it an A-. Based on real life events, The Big Short shows how a few mutual fund managers saw the destruction of the housing bond market and bet against the banks and mortgages in an effort to make money off the failure of the housing bubble. Filled with A-list actors from Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, and Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell steals the show. His character is the one with the conscious who while he does bet against the banks, he struggles with the choices he’s made and how it will impact the ordinary people. It’s a shame he wasn’t given an Oscar nod. Christian Bale’s character was hard to watch with his awkward social disability and glass eye. Each word appeared to be a struggle to say. But I found his character a shadow of Carell’s. The movie is wonderfully edited with real life images interspersed throughout. The movie also includes big name actors, actresses and other famous people explaining the banking/mutual fund terms that go over most of our heads. Ryan Gosling’s character narrates the story and breaks into the movie to provide dialogue and reasoning. The part that made me sick is that the banks and mortgage companies were playing with lives and they didn’t seem to care. They were out to make money and it lead to the collapse of the housing market, the loss of millions of jobs and billions of dollars. The scenes where mortgage brokers are bragging about getting bigger bonuses for adjustable rate loans and not even checking credit. These sharks targeted people who had a dream and got them in over their heads. Most of us haven’t recovered from the housing market devastation and we’re being set up for another crisis. No single character walks away after this unchanged. Each one has been affected by their part. And you will be too. I’ve decided that I wouldn’t survive in the past. I’m giving The Revenant an A. Based on the 2002 novel The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michale Punke and the real life of Hugh Glass, this movie tells an adaptation of Hugh’s life. It takes liberties so don’t leave thinking this is a true story. A revenant is a visible ghost or animated corpse that was believed to return from the grave to terrorize the living. And that is what happens when Hugh is attacked by a grizzly bear and left for dead by two of his “friends”. Determined to get revenge, he sets out to trail the men as they return to the fort where they were stationed. The Revenant isn’t for wusses. Gritty and realistic with blood, guts and gore and that’s only Leonardo’s injuries, we see how harsh life was back in the wilderness of the 1800’s. Indian attacks, mind numbing cold weather, and every man for himself…you can’t count on anyone but yourself and your determination to go forward. Life and death is right in your face with this movie, as well as racism as we see how Indians were treated. Not only the color of your skin but one person’s anger could have you saying The Lord’s Prayer. The cinematography of the movie is mind blowing. The beauty and deadliness of nature is shown in its entirety. It’s a wonder anyone could survive such a harsh world, let alone an injured man. As Hugh is seeking his revenge on Fitzgerald for killing Hugh’s son, Hugh is helped by a Pawnee Indian and in turn, rescues a Ree maiden. He also receives support and messages from his dead wife about strength and revenge. The director weaves symbolism through the movie drawing the viewer into Hugh’s struggle not only with death but also with his beliefs. Two cautions…the ending leaves you breathless or yelling as the guy behind me. It doesn’t really wrap things up with a happily ever after. Also, if you have a weak stomach, you will want to skip the popcorn. The blood and gore will have you regretting anything you’ve eaten. You will not feel like enjoying sushi anytime soon.
During the holiday season, there’s nothing better than finding a family that’s more dysfunctional than your own. I give Sisters a B. When sisters, Maura and Kate find out that their parents are selling the childhood home, they decide to recreate a part of their past- the famous Ellis Island drunken party. What could go wrong with having a party in a house that was already sold? In this movie, everything and anything. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler play the sisters and their natural chemistry shows in this movie. They have even brought many of their Saturday Night Live friends along for the ride. The secondary characters, once again steal the show, from the hunky handyman who lives down the road to the nerdy high school friend who speaks in movie quotes and thinks he’s funny. And what would a holiday season movie be without John Cena who has a hilarious cameo role as a drug dealer. While this movie has many raunchy and hilarious moments, it misses the boat at times. The characters are too nice. Sisters who get along? Parents who agree to give their messed up children another chance after they ruin the house. No one seems to be “real life” in this movie. I have four younger sisters. We didn’t get along like Maura and Kate…although we did stick up for each other if anyone picked on one of us, we were often our own biggest enemies. We played games like Red Rover Red Rover let everyone but Melanie come over. And maybe it’s me, but if I was having a huge house party, I wouldn’t want my sisters there. Loose lips sink ships! It’d be obvious that one of them would rat me out to the Rents. With potty humor abounding, drugs and drinking, Sisters has a definite adult tone. This humorous movie is not for the kiddos. You’ll spend most of the movie explaining why the things that Maura and Kate do are not appropriate. And while it has its funny moments, the over-the-top raunchiness and language will leave you feeling a little unsettled when you leave. At least you will feel better about your own family’s dysfunction.
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Melissa KeirIt's all about the movies... Archives
January 2020
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