One spark can ignite a war.
​
Ten years after aliens have taken over the world, an underground group of insurgents set out to bring them down and liberate Chicago, showing the world that they can also take back their cities.

​As a special policeman in charge of Chicago, William Mulligan (John Goodman) must stop the undercover group, Phoenix from attacking the extra-terrestrials who have taken over Chicago. Using the son of his former partner, William uncovers a larger plan to send a message to the rest of the world. 

​The Earth is rich in resources which the aliens are using up. They put the humans to work to dig out the new alien homes underground. Using clicks and squeaks only translators are able to understand these new creatures. The aliens are interesting in that they appear as long-legged insects at times. When they attack, their outer shell becomes sharp points like a porcupine. They can be killed when you remove their facemask because they can’t breathe. (Can you tell that the aliens were the best part?) With their advanced technology, the humans are implanted with bugs which allow them to be tracked and everyone is monitored. So much for a brave new world!

​This thriller keeps you guessing until the end but doesn’t have a great deal of action sequences like other movies like Transformers. The slow pacing leads to a long buildup but may have viewers asleep before the big reveal at the end. Trying to feel like a Cloverfield movie, Captive State just never hits the right notes. 

​Stay home rather than go to the movies for this one. The weirdness of the movie will have you scratching your head as you leave the theater, wondering what you just watched.

Higher. Further. Faster.
​
Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) wakes up after a horrible event as a different person. Pieces of her past are missing but she’s determined to be the best Noble Hero Warrior she can be. But when she is captured by the enemy, Skrulls, those pieces begin to come together, leading her to make a life change.

​Captain Marvel is set in the mid-1990’s and tells the tale of the origin of one of the most powerful superhero in the universe. Carol was a pilot at a time when women weren’t allowed to fly in combat so she tests planes with a secret project. Viewers see glimpses throughout her life where she is forced to stand up and overcome people who put her down for her determination. With female writers and a female co-director, it wasn’t hard to see how empowering Captain Marvel would be. 

​Yet, the movie resonates for more than the strong female character. Captain Marvel comes out against war and nudges viewers that people aren’t always who you think they are. Sometimes evil can look perfectly innocent. 

​But Captain Marvel is also an origin movie for Marvel and The Avengers. We see Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) before the loss of his eye and Coulson (Clark Gregg) as a rookie, two people who play a big part in SHIELD and keeping the Earth safe. However, it’s a cat named Goose which steals the movie. And anyone with a cat at home can relate! 

​Featuring music from the 90’s, viewers will be tapping their feet along with the songs which draw them back to their own younger years. But like most Marvel movies, there are two after credit scenes and a Stan Lee cameo filmed prior to his death. Seeing him on the big screen as Marvel gives him his due was touching. Stan’s influence can’t be replicated. This is a movie which you will want to watch again and again to catch all the things you missed the first time.

Family can really be the death of you…
​
In the final installment of the Medea movies, Tyler Perry once again dons the wig and dress, playing Madea, Joe, Brian and a new character, Heathrow. This time Madea and her cronies head off to celebrate a special anniversary when death and secrets get in the way.

​Madea puts herself in charge of the funeral, creating an event to rival Aretha’s show-stopping stunner. In addition, she sets out to comfort the family and provide the harsh reality she’s known for. While Joe and Heathrow set out to set the Me Too Movement back a decade.

​Reminiscent of the old Eddie Murphy movies where Eddie played all the characters, Madea’s outspokenness is just another reminder of Eddie’s Nutty Professor matriarch, Mama Klump. In the Nutty Professor, Eddie even played more characters in a single movie than Tyler Perry. 

​A Madea Family Funeral was shot in under a week and it shows. Some of the actors struggled with their lines or maybe they were hired for their looks not acting chops. Over the last decade, Medea has helped families come together, saved a family from the mob and gone to jail. Many fans are saying it’s time to hang up the dress. I agree. The dramatic moments went on too long and the jokes repeated…over and over.

​For fans of the movies, it’s nice to see Madea once more before she leaves us… but this movie is one to pass. Save the money and call your grandma instead.