Ad Astra

Ad Astra is a science fiction film with an all-star cast led by Brad Pitt, including Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland. In the not so distant future, it follows Roy McBride, an astronaut, who must go on a mission into space to locate his long lost father and determine the cause of a threat to the Solar System.

The previews for this movie really hyped it up. All the reviews about how this is one of Brad Pitt’s best performances ever really drew me in. Visually I thought that the cinematography was well done. It was very vast and bright and the juxtaposition in the colors was brilliant.

After fully digesting Brad Pitt in this role I felt that he just borrowed from character in Meet Joe Black. His portrayal of Roy McBride required that he didn’t show a lot of emotion so I didn’t see a lot of range there until the end. It wasn’t a terrible performance, but just felt like something I’ve seen before. In regard to the rest of the cast, I liked Toomy Lee Jones and Ruth Negga in their roles but wished they both had more time to fully develop their characters. Of everyone I felt like Liv Tyler’s character warranted a lot more screen time. Her role was so basic and one dimensional that they didn’t even need a big name to fill it.

I found the plot to be very slow moving and the mood of entire movie to be flat. There were only a couple of times throughout the entire film where I felt any type of excitement or suspense. For the most part this movie was long, dry and boring. This is the type of space movie that I try to avoid.

Overall I think that the hype wasn’t warranted. I like Brad Pitt but this wasn’t one of his best films and in my opinion is one that can be skipped.

Little

Little is a comedy; it the story of a controlling and belittling boss who is cursed to be her teenage self. 

I thought that the movie’s themes of treating people right and being yourself even when it’s not perceived as cool were great messages to send to viewers. Overall the movie was fun and easy to follow. The plot was similar to a Freaky Friday scenario with the majority of the script being predictable but there were a couple of twists toward the end that were not foreseen.

I enjoyed the all-female led, diverse cast with a female director. I was impressed with the young actor from Black-ish, Marsai Martin, who not only starred in this film but also was one of the youngest to ever produce a film. Sometimes she overacted the scene, but the majority of her onscreen time was great. Additionally, I liked Regina Hall. She was however her normal self. She didn’t give me a lot of range. This was a safe role for her. I also liked seeing Issa Rae in this film. I think she was typecast but I still found her to be the heart and comedic genius of this movie.

This film was cute and sometimes quite funny. I would not say that it is something worth seeing in theatres but definitely worth supporting from home.

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair is the story of a woman from a poverty stricken background using her wits and beauty to make her way up the ranks in English society in the early 1800s. The movie stars Reese Witherspoon as Rebecca "Becky" Sharp. It also had some familiar faces in James Purefoy as Colonel Rawdon Crawley, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Captain George Henry Osborne and Gabriel Byrne as the Marquess of Steyne. 

The movie came out over 15 years ago but still held up visually. The costume design was diverse, vibrant and appropriate for the time. The plot was easy to follow, short, sweet and to the point. On a number of occurrences the theme of rising up when you are knocked down was presented which was great to see.

The acting from the entire cast was well done. I especially enjoyed Reese Witherspoon in the leading role. She was fierce, smart, strong willed and resourceful. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was basically his Tutors character King Henry VIII. It’s clear that he has been typecast for a while as a villain of sorts. Gabriel Byrne and James Purefoy on the other hand brought something different to their roles and I thought that they both did well.

In the end I thought that this movie was just okay. For me it lacked a strong emotional connection and because of that didn’t leave me wanting to watch it again.

Miss Bala

Miss Bala is an action, drama based on a Spanish language version starring Gina Rodriguez. Gina played Gloria Fuentes, a makeup artist from Los Angeles. When Gloria heads to Tijuana to support her friend, Suzu Ramós, during the Miss Baja California pageant, they run into some trouble with a local gang and Gloria has to step outside her comfort zone to protect them both.

I like Gina Rodriguez, so, as much as I had a feeling this movie wasn’t going to be good, I still wanted to give it a chance for her. I enjoyed Gina’s portal Gloria; the growing confidence and ability to take her power back in this male dominated, corrupt world, however there was a lot that I didn’t like.

The plot was interesting but there were major holes in it and quite a few parts that were not realistic. This movie is supposed to cover a period of 3 days and it was just impractical, due to a serious lack in character development, how a make-up artist with no previous gun experience was able to survive multiple shoot outs with career criminals. Her relationship with the gang leader and how much he choose to trust her also didn't make sense because of the short amount of time they actually spent together. I also thought that there was too much English laced in this movie, since it was supposed to be based in Mexico. I really don't think in real life everyone would be as fluent as they all were in English.

Richard Roeper, a well-known writer and movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times said, "run away from Gina Rodriguez's ludicrous drug running shoot-em-up... Miss Bala is an early contender for a spot on my list of the worst movies of 2019." Since I choose to watch this at home, I didn’t have as visceral of a reaction as Roeper did to the film. After watching I’d say it’s not worth seeing in theatres, but it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve seen this year either. This is the type of movie that you can put on when you are bored and are down to take a ride with a movie that you can check out on because it won’t make any sense in the end.

Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones (TV Special)

Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones is Dave Chappelle’s newest Netflix stand up special. He covers a variety of topics from Michael Jackson, R Kelly, the LGBTQ community, some of his time on the Chappelle show, the current climate of cancel culture and a number of other topics. 

For anyone who has ever seen his other standups or the Chappelle show, you will know that Dave Chappelle is more cutting edge than some of the other famous comedians out here right now. Before I watched I knew he was in hot water because of the Michael Jackson jokes, so before I saw it, I was on edge about what he was going to say. After hearing the jokes all the way though, I didn’t think it was a bad as some people felt. It may have been in bad taste but that is Chappelle’s style. I actually thought that his LGBTQ jokes could have been perceived as more offensive but no one was talking about those.

Just like with any of his previous standups, I found the majority of the set to be very funny, with only a few that did hit with me. For the most part I find his jokes to be very clever and his storytelling to be engaging, keeping you in for the hilarious punch at the end. Although I didn’t think it was necessary, I also liked his humility when he said, "if you’re in a group that I made fun of, then just know that I probably only make fun of you because I see myself in you."

In the end, I thought that this standup was pretty good. Not his best within the last few years but definitely up there. For those that are not super sensitive and can roll with the punches, this could be the one for you.

Men In Black - International

Men In Black – International is an action packed comedy starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. It is a spinoff of the Will Smith originals. In this story the Men in Black have to work together to figure out who the mole is within their organization.

I thought that the plot was predictable but still engaging and fun to watch. The cinematography and soundtrack had a nostalgic feel to it. Additionally, the movie itself was definitely kid friendly making the jokes mediocre softballs.

The acting was good from the majority of the cast, I especially enjoyed Tessa Thompson in this role. I was also surprised to see some star-studded casting in Rebecca Ferguson, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson. The only disappointment in the cast was the addition of professional dancers, Les Twins. They are amazing dancers but it didn’t make sense to have them in an actual role. The acting from them wasn’t that great and there was a lot of CGI used. I am assuming the director was trying to use their strength as dancers within their super powers but it just came off corny. I would have rather just seen them do a cameo as dancers than them have an actual part in the movie.

Overall, the film was cute and easy to follow. It was not something worth seeing in theatres but not bad if you are watching at home.