Irreplaceable You

Irreplaceable You is a romantic drama starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Game of Thrones actor, Michiel Huisman. When Abbie, played by Gugu, receives a life changing diagnosis she and her fiancé, Sam, played by Michiel, go through a roller-coaster of emotions coming to terms with the results. 

The plot was engaging. The themes of everlasting love, friendship and grief were all poignant in this film. The script was well written and smart with the comedic jab.

The character development and acting were done so well that you really feel for these people. Gugu and Michiel were great together. I was touched by their chemistry. Gugu really brought her acting chops to this role and did a great job carrying this film. I also enjoyed some surprising additions to the cast in Kate McKinnon as Glass Half Full Kate and Christopher Walken as Myron. They were both was very funny and helped to lighten up the tone of the film.

This movie reminded me a lot of PS I Love You, which is another favorite of mine. It was full of heart, stellar acting, some touches of comedic charm and just a full on tear-jerker. If you are looking for a good cry this movie is the one for you.

The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines is a crime drama, the name coming from the loose translation of the name of the city, Schenectady, that the movie is set in. The movie stars, Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. When a motorcycle stunt rider, played by Gosling, discovers he has a child, but is unable to support his child with a low paying job, he decides to start robbing banks. During a particular robbery he has an encounter with a cop, played by Cooper, which ends up changing both of their lives for generations. 

The story was gritty and dark. It had a couple of odd plot transitions, the shift in main character about an hour in was different from other movies that I had seen in the past. It made me have to wrap my head around the fact that this is, in a sense, like a 3 act film, which I was not anticipating.

In regard to the acting, I was mostly on board. I liked Eva Mendes as the love interest, Romina. She played a hardworking, loving, and driven mom. I was pleasantly surprised to see Mahershala Ali in this film. He played a supportive and kind step-father. A young Bradley Cooper also brings his A-game to this movie, as a cutthroat cop. Ryan Gossling was the only disappointment to the cast. He was one-dimensional and boring.

Overall this movie wasn’t my taste. It had a tension throughout and a low budget, indie vibe to it. I couldn’t connect to the characters and I wasn’t fully convinced by the outcome of the plot, which seemed a bit unrealistic to me. I'd say skip this one.

Before The Flood

Before The Flood is the 2016 climate change documentary narrated by and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The title is in reference to the Triptych oil painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights, by Hieronymus Bosch, which shows three panels on the inside, the left shows the meeting of Adam and Eve, the center is the world in excess and the right is a version of Hell. 

I thought I knew about climate change already but I found the film to be quite informative. Sometimes films like this can be a bit dry or boring but Leo did a good job in that he was able to travel the world and interview a number of different people, which kept my attention throughout.

Some of the places that he went to that I found interesting were, China, where he talked with leaders about their transition from highest polluter in the world, to their beginnings of transition to more wind and solar. He also went to India, where he had a bit of a tense conversation with a woman talking about their poor countries struggle with changing over from coal to renewable energy and how the US, as a global leader, needs to step up first before less developed countries would be inclined to join in.

Some of the more depressing parts were seeing the Island of Palau, where the effects of climate change can already be seen in the flooding of their island and their homes due to sea level rising. You also see what this destruction has done to coral reefs which is leading to starvation in certain parts of the world. One of Leo’s interviewers stated that in the last 30 years, 50% of the world’s coral reefs have been lost. In Indonesia they are experiencing the destruction of 80% of Sumatra’s rain forests for palm oil, which is used in food and cosmetics in the US.

Something that I also found interesting was that this documentary was created during Leo’s filming of The Revenant. He shared his first-hand experience on what climate change is doing to the world, because the cast and crew had to relocate from their set in Canada to finish filming in Argentina, since it was one of the last places in the world that still had snow.

The most impactful part to me was in the end were Leo interviewed an astronaut who said, the ice is melting, the world is warming, seas are rising. In a few decades parts the world will become drier with less food and water, in places where icebergs have stood for centuries, they will continue to melt and flood, and other parts of the world will get colder. He was however optimistic in a possibility to repair the trajectory that we are on, he talked about even simple changes like changing our diets, such as switching beef for chicken.

I found this documentary to be very well done with a lot of insightful information. Because of this documentary, I have been inspired to work on doing my part to make a better impact on this world. Hopefully anyone else who finds this subject interesting will take a look at the documentary and be inspired themselves.

The Highwaymen

The Highwaymen is a Netflix produced biography about two older, retired Texas Rangers, Frank Hamer and Maney Gaul in the 1930s, hired to hunt down Bonnie and Clyde.

I didn’t know a lot about these people and only knew high level about Bonnie and Clyde so I found the story to be quite interesting.

The cast was impressive for a Netflix film, not only were Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson in this movie, but also starred Kathy Bates. Costner and Harrelson played the leads, Frank Hamer and Maney Gaul, respectively, and Bates played the first female governor of Texas, Miriam "Ma" Ferguson. They were all great in their roles. Kathy Bates gave a strong and convincing performance. It was great to see her in such a commanding and important role. Kevin Costner didn’t give me anything new with his range, but he played a character that was strong in his convictions, sometimes a bit out of control, but overall a great even keeled leader for the team and for the role. I also liked that Woody Harrelson brought some comedic jabs to the script to help lighten up the seriousness of the situation.

Esthetically, the set design and costumes looked quite authentic for the time period.

I thought that the writers and director did a good job focusing on the perspective of the law enforcement and less on romanticizing Bonnie and Clyde, which is what the news media was doing at the time and what other movies have done in the past. Where it lacked in action, it was able to bring suspense and was thankfully was not too dialogue heavy.

If you are looking for a well-made drama with a steady moving, surprisingly refreshing plot then this bio-pic this could be the one for you.

#RealityHigh

#RealityHigh is another Netflix produced, coming-of-age drama. It follows high school senior, Dani Barnes. She is a nerd with a clear plan for her future. She is not noticed by many, until one day the most popular boy in school asks her out and the most popular girl in school befriends her, drawing her into a Southern California lifestyle that threatens everything she's worked so hard to achieve.

You could pretty much tell how this story was going to play out by the previews. Even though the plot was predictable and typical for this genera, I still found it to be quite enjoyable. It had Mean Girls themes. It also reminded me of She’s All That or Pretty in Pink at times but with a much more modern, diverse cast.

The way social media was used in this film was pretty smart and realistic for the time. The script was good it had some sweet and humorous moments, with only a few parts that were not very convincing.

The acting from the entire cast was entertaining. The principle, played by Pitch Perfect’s John Michael Higgins and the veterinarian, played by Grey's Anatomy’s Kate Walsh, were the only two people I recognized from the group, the rest were relatively unknown to me. The lead actress, Nesta Cooper who played Dani Barnes was not only very pretty but also a great actress. She did a great job of bringing this awkward, naive and innocent character to life. Keith Powers who played the star athlete and her love interest, Cameron Drak, as did a great job in his role giving me Zack Siler, from She's All That, character vibes. Together I thought that they had great chemistry and played well off of one another.

I liked almost everything about this movie, it was fun, full of growth and redemption. An overall a proper chick flick. If this is your genera you’ll like this one.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Parabellum which means, “prepare for war”, picks up right where John Wick: Chapter 2 left off. John has a 14 million dollar bounty on his head for killing a member of the High Table in a sanctioned place and now everyone is looking for him.

This movie, like its predecessors, is high action and has amazing stunt choreography. Keanu Reeves is called the hardest working man in Hollywood because of these amazing fight sequences, he is almost 55 years old, doesn’t look it, and moves smoothly and effortlessly though these scenes. Someone else who fits in that box is Halle Berry. I was impressed with her fight choreography and loved the scenes with her and her dogs. I wish they would have given her more screen time so that we would have had a better chance to get to know her character.

The script was pretty generic but there were pockets of comedic genius. Within the plot there were some parts that were a bit confusing; it would have been good to re-watch the first and second movie before watching this one.

Parts that I didn’t like as much were that some of these fight sequences were not very realistic, similar to the 2nd one, where there is disbelief as to how John Wick is even still alive after all the beatings he takes. At times there were so many bad guys it didn’t make sense how to good guys weren’t over powered, another Power Rangers puddy scenario for sure.

Unfortunately this movie has been left open for another sequel which I think is unnecessary. I think these movies are only popular because of Keanu Reeves and for their action sequences. They are full of plot holes and not very realistic. I came in knowing that so I was still entertained. For the casual viewer, however, this is one that can easily be skipped.

Bachelorette

Bachelorette is a dark comedy that came out in 2012, starring Kirsten Dunst, Rebel Wilson, Mean Girls’, Lizzy Caplan and Isla Fisher. When Regan, played by Dunst, finds out that her high school friend, Becky, played by Wilson, is getting married to a handsome, wealthy man, she gets jealous and starts to spiral into a host of bad decisions with the help of their friends, Gena and Katie, played by Caplan and Fisher. 

The plot was somewhat unique and kept my attention throughout. The theme had a bit of a Hangover vibe to it which lead to some pretty cringe worthy moments. Additionally, the script was not as funny as I hoped it would have been.

I did like that this was a strong female driven movie. There was a good amount of character development for the main cast. I felt like these roles were something different for Dunst and Wilson. They both did a great job in their portrayals. Dunst was a more cutthroat, brutally honest, controlling person whereas Wilson was her opposite, a more kind-hearted, self-sacrificing character that was a bit clueless to what was going on around her. I noticed in this movie that Isla Fisher has been typecast for a while now, she is this air-headed, slightly crazy character in every movie.

I came away from this film thinking that these girls are terrible friends to Becky and this definitely wasn’t a story about redemption. There was no growth or change, just bad choices which lead to an ending I wasn’t completely satisfied with, but in the end I guess it made the movie more realistic because that is life, in a way. You don’t always see the change you want to in people, they have to want to make those changes themselves and it can take time. I wasn't really a fan of this one, but for people who are into Hangover type movies, I would recommend giving this one a shot.

Hot Girls Wanted

Hot Girls Wanted is a 2015 documentary produced by Rashida Jones. The film follows a group of young 18-25 year old girls entering the life of amateur porn. 

I found this documentary to be quite eye opening. It was sickening to me to see how easy it was for predators to take advantage of these young girls, who thought that they knew what they were getting into, but had no idea at all.

You find out in this documentary that there are a lot of fetishes out there and a large demand to see those fetishes played out by teenagers. It was disheartening to see the statistics of the amount of young girls who enter the amateur porn industry and how popular it is. There was one statistic that said certain sites had more daily viewings then Amazon, CNN, or even NFL.com.

This documentary is going to be good for anyone who, like me, just didn’t know anything about this side of the industry. In the end, I came away feeling sad for these girls. My only critique is that there wasn’t really a direct opinion given in this film, so you don’t really feel like there is anything being done to make changes in this dire situation.

Someone Great

Someone Great is a romantic comedy starting Gina Rodriguez, LaKeith Stanfield, Brittany Snow and DeWanda Wise. When Jenny Young, played by Gina, experiences a devastating breakup, she connects with her girlfriends to have one last memorable night in New York before her big move cross country.

I thought that the plot was a realistic, mature, coming-of-age story. I was entertained the entire time and found it to be one of the few Netflix films that was great all the way though. It was able to showcase the complexities of falling in and out of love, growing up and moving on.

The script full of humor and heart. The acting from the cast was engaging, they all held their own. I also enjoyed how diverse the cast was, it felt like a proper reflection of New York and today's world in general. I even enjoyed the fun cameo from Ru Paul. The character development was also well done, you really connect with each of the characters, especially the 3 female leads. They do a great job of showcasing friendship and empowerment. Additionally, I found the soundtrack to be appropriate for the time and setting; it was fun and eclectic.

Overall this was a well made movie. If you are looking for an honest, heart-warming, hilarious film, this is the one for you.

The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now is a drama based on the 2008 novel of the same title by Tim Tharp. It is the story of Sutter, a hard partying high school senior who is living, what he thinks, is his best life, until he meets Aimee, a smart, driven, nice girl who tries to show him a different path. 

I found the plot to be interesting. It kept my attention for the most part. The tone of the film had an anxious, sadness to it. You were always on the edge of your seat, waiting for something bad to happen. It was, however, a bit dry and about an hour in I was checking to see how much longer I had to go. Some of the themes around alcoholism, finding your place in the world and growth were all well placed. I thought that Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley both did a great job as love interests. After seeing a few of Miles' and Shailene’s movies now, I feel like this is as far as their range goes, but it was fine for this film. I was surprised to also see Brie Larson in this film. I think that she wasn’t as impressive and since this film has really upped her game as an actress. As far as the rest of the cast, they were fairly one dimensional and could have used more diversity.

I had some issues with the believably of some of the scenes but overall the movie was fine. It’s not one that I would want to watch again but it wasn’t a complete waste of time. For those that are a fan of either of the main actors or this genera you probably enjoy this movie.

Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé

Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé, is not your typical film. It is a look inside Beyoncé’s preparation for Cochella along with coverage of the 2 day concert. 

The theme of this concert is Beyoncé giving homage to the women before her, and opening the door to Black culture, specifically the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) experience, to her audience. I thought that visually this concert was stunning. The bright colors, the beautiful costumes, the amazing performances, the choreography, the all Black musicians, dancers, backup singers, steppers and special guests were all a sight worth seeing.

This was an eye opening experience for me to see Beyoncé in a different light, I’ve always seen her as someone who didn’t embrace her blackness, until it was convenient for her, a few years ago. Hearing her talk about how in her younger years she would attend step shows, and how her father went to a HBCU and it was something that she always wanted to do, was humbling. You also see her family and the inner workings of her sacrifices and work ethic to get on that stage.

The only bad thing I will say is there could have been a better song set list. The majority of the songs, until about the hour marker, sucked. To me, Beyoncé is the queen of album filler. The 1st hour was full of songs I didn't know, they all had descent beats with potential but fell flat, the lyrics in those songs were corny and most didn't make sense. They were amateur at best.

If you can push past the mediocre song selection, I think that most will still find this concert enjoyable.

The Perfect Date

The Perfect Date is another Netflix produced romantic comedy based on the book, The Stand-In. It stars, the Netflix rom-com king of the moment, Noah Centineo. Noah plays Brooks Rattigan, a high school student who wants to go to Yale. To save up for college, he and his friend create an app where anyone can pay him to play their idea of the perfect boyfriend/date for any occasion.

I thought that the plot was fun and engaging but predicable. The majority of the cast were new to me and I was pleasantly surprised by how well they all acted off one other. Though some played pretty stereotypical roles, I found the acting from the cast was pretty good. I also thought that the character development within the main cast was done well and the script was full of humor and smart sarcasm, which I enjoyed. I liked the themes of friendship, self-reflection and authenticity. I would have liked to see more diversity within the cast and a little more character development from the minor characters.

Overall, this was another cute, light-hearted chick flick. It was easy to follow, not something worth seeing in theaters, but it’s not bad for a random Monday night.