Bad Boys for Life

Bad Boys for Life is the third installment in the Bad Boys franchise. 17 years after Bad Boys 2, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, reprised by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, respectively, team up again to track down a killer who is out for revenge, targeting all those who have wronged him.

I liked the plot in that it was unpredictable and focused on the themes of ageing, family, friendship, and being open to change. The twist at the end was a bit lame but they’ve set this up for another sequel so I’ll ride along with it for now.

I thought that the cast was great. They brought back a lot of the originals along with adding a new high tech millennial crew which, mixed with the old guys, made for a fun juxtaposition. We also get the same funny banter from Mike and Marcus that we love along with some fresh faces that also brought some comedy to the table.

The cinematography from the opening sequence was just like the previous Bad Boys movies which made for a nice walk down memory lane, along with similar music and inside jokes referenced from the first and second movies, it made for a film full of nostalgic qualities.

If you liked the previous Bad Boys movies you will like this one too. It is helpful to have seen the first two movies to get some of the jokes, but not necessary. As long as you are looking for an action packed roller-coaster of a movie, this one is for you.

The Banker

The Banker is a drama, based off of true events, of two African American men, Joe Morris and Bernard Garrett, living the American dream during the segregated 1960s through real estate and eventually bank ownership. The movie stars an incredible cast featuring Anthony Mackie, Nicholas Hoult, Nia Long and Samuel L. Jackson. 

The acting was stellar from the entire cast. I thought that everyone played well off of each other, especially the leads Mackie and Jackson. They were opposites, Mackie as Bernard, the more serious and determined revolutionary and Jackson as Morris, the lighter hearted, fun, and established entrepreneur.

The costumes and sets were all appropriate for the time and helped to transport you. The script was well written and pretty funny. I didn’t know about this story so I found the plot to be very interesting and inspiring. It was great to see two men, with all the odds against them, be able to make great wealth and start to encourage major historical changes in regard to housing legislation.

Even though The Banker was two hours long but didn’t feel like it. With its easy moving story full of happy moments, tense moments and hilarious moments, this historical drama is a piece of American history and well worth the watch.

Molly’s Game

Molly’s Game is a drama based off of the autobiography of the same name. It is a true account of Molly Bloom’s life from a young child eyeing to be one of the top Olympic skiers to becoming the mastermind behind one of the worlds most infamous and exclusive high-stakes poker games across multiple states, and in the end, becoming a target of the FBI. 

Leading the cast was Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom along with Idris Elba as her lawyer, Charlie Jaffey, and Kevin Costner as her father, Larry Bloom. I thought that all three did a great job in their respective roles. Chastain as Molly Bloom was quite entertaining. She gave me a lot of range and was able to carry this movie on her own. Bloom was very smart, learning a game she knew nothing about and making it work for her. 

The plot was a bit slow moving but still quite intriguing as I knew nothing in regard to Bloom nor her case. The film was directed and written for the screen by Aaron Sorkin, the writer of the really great show, The Newsroom. In that show they are known for their fast talking and colorful language, which is exactly what I got in this movie. At first it is a bit off putting, there is a lot of voice-over and time jumping but you get used to it.

The plot was almost unbelievable as to what Molly was able to accomplish and the outcome of her situation, but that is how life is sometimes. With that being said, I thought the movie was good but not one I’d watch again.

Spenser Confidential

Spenser Confidential is an action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin and comedian Iliza Shlesinger. After two Boston police officers are murdered, ex-cop Spenser, played by Wahlberg, can’t let it go; believing that there is something shady afoot. He takes it upon himself to investigate what is going on, with the help of his roommate, Hawk.

I thought that the plot had a ton of predictability throughout and was a typical Wahlberg movie, it was basically The Other Guys, meets Mile 22 mixed with The Departed. I was fine with it though, since I was in the mood for something that was not very thought provoking and more along the lines of something you could half watch and veg out to.

The acting from the cast was very entertaining. Everyone played well off of each other. Newcomer Iliza Shlesinger played Cissy Davis. One of the only females present in this movie and she was hilarious. She held her own and to me stole the show. Another actor that I enjoyed watching was Winston Duke who played Hawk, a young man, looking to turn his life around as an amateur mixed martial artist. He was funny with his subtle comedic timing, and although his acting could use a bit of work, overall I enjoyed his performance. Wahlberg’s role was a photo copy of his past roles but still fun to watch. My only critiques in the casting were that there was too much of a boy’s club vibe; I would have liked to see more major female characters and the bad guys were stereotyped pretty heavily. I would have also appreciated more character development.

Even though there were some things I didn't like, all in all I thought that the movie was easy to follow, action packed and very funny. This is one that I would recommend checking out if you are looking for something fun that isn't going to require a lot of brain power.

The Kitchen

The Kitchen is crime drama based off of a DC comic book series of the same name by Ollie Masters. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss as the housewives of Irish mobsters in the 1970s. After their husbands are arrested and they are left for broke by the mob, that was supposed to protect them, they take it upon themselves to reign control over overlooked organized crime operations in their New York neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen. 

The plot was engaging and easy to follow. It kept me locked in throughout and had some great twists at the end. If I didn’t know this was based off of a comic book I could have easily thought this was based on a true story.

All three women did a great job playing off one another. I liked seeing the serious side of comedians Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish. I appreciated that the women led this film and all had strong character development and diversity in personalities. McCarthy playing the family woman with questionable alliances, turned mob boss, Haddish as the cutthroat, conniving and brilliant co-partner and Elisabeth Moss as the innocent, abused housewife turned ruthless independent woman. I enjoyed seeing these characters pull themselves up from their bootstraps, not depending on any man to get what they wanted. They were willing to take smart risks and be the drivers in their own futures.

The sets and costumes were all very appropriate for the time. Some of the looks were super chic and could definitely be rerun today.

This movie gave a fresh take to a familiar mobster themed drama. With these three strong female leads at the forefront it made for an intense and thrilling movie that is absolutely worth checking out.

Anna

Anna is an action thriller starring newcomer Sasha Luss, alongside veterans Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, and Cillian Murphy. Anna Poliatova is a strikingly beautiful and intelligent young woman on the brink of a life destroying decision when she is given the opportunity to change her situation forever by becoming one of the world's most feared government assassins.

This plot is the same as all the others, it’s basically Atomic Blonde, meets Nikita, meets Red Sparrow. It was entertaining but predictable. Some of the fight sequences were choreographed well but at times weren’t very believable. In certain scenes I was sitting there saying, “how can one woman kill like 50 men in one scene?” It was another Power Rangers’ “Putty Patrollers situation”. It would have been nice to have seen something a bit more realistic and original in that aspect.

The acting was impressive for some and a letdown for others. Sasha Luss did a great job carrying this movie as Anna. She was able to bring the beauty, athleticism, mental and physical strength, cleverness, and resourcefulness to the role. Helen Mirren was a surprise addition. She is accomplished and well renowned actor, so I found this movie as an interesting choice for her. She, of course, did a great job and I liked her conniving, powerful, take no crap from anyone character. Cillian Murphy was intriguing in his role. I have noticed that he likes to choose a diverse array of projects. In this, he gave me a lot of range and I liked his conspiratorial role. The major disappointment for me came from Luke Evans. I’ve seen Luke in a few things and don’t mind him as an actor but he dropped the ball on this one. He was supposed to be Russian but didn’t have a Russian accent. There wasn’t a lot of character development there so he was boring to me and didn’t give me a lot of range in his acting.

All in all this movie was just okay. It would not have been worth paying for in a theater but it’s okay to catch at home on a lazy weekend.

American Son

American Son is a drama based off of a Broadway play of the same name starring Kerry Washington. 

Set in a Miami police station waiting room and it opens with Washington, who plays Kendra, a mother worried sick about her son, Jamal, who hasn’t been home all night. She begins losing her patience because rookie Officer Paul Larkin, played by Jeremy Jordan, who is White, doesn’t seem to care very much about her Black teenage son. Steven Pasquale plays Scott Connor, Kendra’s estranged White FBI husband and Jamal’s father, and Eugene Lee plays Lt. John Stokes.

The movie touched on a lot of heavy themes including stereotyping, the relationship that the African American community has with the police, racism vs ignorance, parenthood, interracial relationships, and raising biracial children. It asks the uncomfortable questions and forces you to think about what you would do in that situation and how you would react.

The acting from the entire cast was great. They go through a wide range of emotions and you really feel for Kendra, who is complicated and hurting. She lashes out, sometimes at the wrong people and you get that. She is also forced to face hard truths and even gets a dose of humble pie from Lt. John Stokes.

The plays writer, Christopher Demos-Brown, was also credited for the script. I didn’t think this was a good idea because there was not a smooth transition from Broadway to film. It felt like a copy and paste from the play; very dialogue heavy and lengthy monologues. Honestly, I’m not even sure if a proper screenwriter was brought to translate this from the stage to the screen if it would have been worth it. The intention was impactful but the delivery couldn't quite get me there. This movie felt like it should have just stayed a play.