Venom

Venom is the origin story for anti-hero, Eddie Brock, a controversial journalist, who in an effort to expose the creator of the Life Foundation, Carlton Drake, encounters the symbiote, Venom. 

I thought that the best parts of this movie were the plot, the action sequences and the CGI. The plot was interesting and engaging. The CGI throughout was really good. Anytime any of the characters morphed into their symbiotes it looked really realistic. There was also a great car chase scene that was full of high octane action sequences and really creative CGI.

In regard to the acting, there were some misses. Even though Tom Hardy, was a good choice to be at the helm of this movie, his love interest, played by Michelle Williams, was not.  She was not a convincing Anne Weying. This isn’t the type of genera that I would expect her to be in. I think that her talents were misplaced and on top of all of that the chemistry between her and Tom Hardy was painful throughout. The first 20 minutes of the movie was like pulling teeth, because of their scenes together. Additionally, her wig was terrible. It was a distraction; they should have just let her rock her natural short hair, like to comic book character.

The script also lacked quality. There was really corny dialogue all thought out the movie. I think at times they were trying to be ironic or comedic but it didn’t really hit well. It was almost like they were dialing it down for a younger audience. Some of the cut always also made me think that this movie was watered down from its original version which was probably rated R but because of all of the editing ended up being PG-13.

Although there were a couple of miss steps, I thought the movie was still entertaining and fun. Like I’ve said for most action movies, these aren’t running for an Academy Award, they were just meant to amuse. So for those that have enjoyed previous Marvel movies, I think they will like this one too.

Paid In Full

Paid In Full is the story of Ace, a young man from Harlem in the 1980s. With the influx of drugs in his neighborhood he sees his friends around him making a lot of money while he is making minimum wage working an honest job at a laundromat. After an encounter with an influential dealer, he builds his own drug empire but soon realizes that lifestyle might really not be for him.

I thought that the cinematography was well done, it had an older movie vibe to it. I thought that the acting convincing and that the plot was realistic and gritty. I also think that the movie wrapped up properly.

Where I think that the movie fell off was, even though it was only an hour and a half long, it felt so much longer than that. There were parts that really dragged.

Even though this is not my favorite genera, I thought the movie was okay, but not something that I would seek out again.

The Resistance Banker

The Resistance Banker is a World War II drama based in the Netherlands. It’s the untold true story of two brothers, who are bankers, helping to fund the underground fight against the Nazis.

I had never heard this story before so I found the plot to be very informative and thought that the Dutch men and women being portrayed in this movie were incredibly smart and courageous.

The script was in Dutch which I found more realistic than most WWII historical drams told in this region. Additionally, the locations and costumes were also appeared to be very historically accurate which helped to really propel you to this incredibly stressful and fearful time.

I thought that the acting from the entire cast was emotionally jarring and compelling. Even though most of the actors were relatively unknown to me, I was still immensely engaged in their story.

Overall I found this movie to be a very well told piece of history. Something that everyone should see and appreciate the sacrifices willingly given for so many.

Nappily Ever After

Nappily Ever After is the Netflix distributed drama/romance/comedy starting Sanaa Lathan as Violet Jones, an ad executive with an obsession with perfection. When her long term boyfriend doesn’t follow through with her expectations combined with a hair mishap, her life starts to unravel.

There was strong character development among the entire cast which helped to push the story along enjoyably. Sanaa’s acting in particular was relatable and at times quite powerful. I thought that she did a great job leading this all too familiar story of how mainstream expectations of beauty effect black women. I liked the underlying messages about loving yourself, not needing a man to be happy, and embracing your natural hair, no matter what others think or say about it..

I thought that the plot was interesting but a bit extreme when it came to the reactions that Violet had to her hair changes. It was also lacking in the wrap up. The end was abrupt and I would have liked some extra time provided for some additional content to properly close out this movie.

Overall I thought that it was cute, and worth seeing once, but not something that I would seek out again.

Message From The King

Message From The King is a revenge thriller/crime drama distributed by Netflix. It stars Chadwick Bosman as Jacob King, a mysterious South African man looking for his sister in Los Angeles.

The plot and cinematography had a Man on Fire vibe to it. Even though there were parts that were predictable and other scenes that didn’t make sense, by how easily the clues were put together, it was still engaging and edgy.

The character development was pretty good and I thought that the acting from Bosman and the rest of the cast were convincing and genuine. Bosman always delivers emotionally, so I found it easy to connect to his character. The only thing I would say was a bit distracting, was the fact that he was using the same accent he had as Black Panther. I know this movie was made around the same time as Black Panther, so I can see why he would want to keep the same accent but I thought it was lazy.

Additionally, the fight sequences were not anything athletically spectacular but they were all realistic and intense.

In the end, I thought that it had a good twist and a proper wrap up. Even though this wasn’t the greatest movie ever, it wasn’t the worst. So if you are a fan of this genera I would still recommend checking this one out.