Monthly Archives: November 2016

Lawrence and Pratt in “Passengers”

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passengers-poster

Directed by Morten Tyldum, Passengers follows Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in an exciting action-thriller about two passengers on a 120-year journey to another planet when their hibernation pods wake them 90 years too early.

Jim and Aurora come to terms with being forced to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction as the ship teeters on the brink of collapse, with the lives of thousands of passengers in jeopardy.

The movie’s scenes are intense and mysterious. I loved the scene with the swimsuit.

I am guessing this is an action science fiction movie. I speculate that the bad guy is the spacecraft.

“Fences” is an Epic Film

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fences

The movie Fences arrives from multi-talented Denzel Washington based on the screenplay by August Wilson, adapted from Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The film stars Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Jovan Adepo, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, and Saniyya Sidney.  The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington, and Todd Black.

Viola won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the wife.  When she accepted her award, she praised Washington as a director.

She talked about how she chooses a role by thinking about those people in the graveyard. They all have lives. They all have stories. It was such an inspiring speech.

“Cars 3” Trailer

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Pixar and Disney are promoting everything that will change from this moment, and what that means is there is an accident on the racetrack. There is a dark car that seems sinister, with the added promotion of a dark story.

All I can say is that I hope Pixar doesn’t disappoint us and keeps to its traditional style of prominent characters and an outstanding storyline.

Cars 3 Blu-ray and DVD are available on the street if you haven’t seen the Pixar movie yet. Now is your chance.

Family Movie “Smurfs: The Lost Village”

animation, children movies, family movies, kid movies, sequels, , , , , ,
smufsvillage

Directed by Kelly Asbury, Smurfs: The Lost Village is a fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs. A mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy, and Hefty on a thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest.

The forest comes to life with magical creatures. Smurfette and her friends must find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel finds it first.

Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf’s history.

The voice cast includes Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson, Joe Manganiello, Jack McBrayer, Danny Pudi, and Mandy Patinkin.

The film is fun to watch and keeps families entertained.

“Miss Sloane” Storyline

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Directed by John Madden, Miss Sloane is about the high-stakes world of political power brokers. The movie follows Elizabeth Sloane, played by Jessica Chastain. She is the most sought-after and formidable lobbyist in D.C., known equally for her cunning and track record of success. She has always done whatever it takes to win.

But when she takes on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds that winning may come too high.

Miss Sloane also stars Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alison Pill, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jake Lacy, David Wilson Barnes, Raoul Bhaneja, Chuck Shamata with Christine Baranski, Sam Waterston, and John Lithgow.

With such a talented cast, the film shines and hoping Sloane pulls off the impossible against the big gun lobbyist, which keeps the story interesting.

“Kong: Skull Island” Trailers

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Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Kong: Skull Island is being touted as a reimagining of the origin of the mythic Kong, presented as an interesting, original adventure. I must admit, how can a remake (or reimagining) be original? If it is original, then don’t call it a Kong movie.

In the film, a diverse team explores an uncharted island in the Pacific, which is both beautiful and treacherous.  But as they venture deeper into the unknown, they are unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong. I must admit it’s a fun movie to watch with all the plot points rhythmically in place.

The movie stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jing Tian, Toby Kebbell, John Ortiz, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Terry Notary, and John C. Reilly.

The screenplay is by Dan Gilroy, who wrote one of the Bourne movies, and Max Borenstein, who wrote Godzilla, story by John Gatins and Dan Gilroy.

Interesting and Absolutely Lowest “Patriots Day”

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Directed by Peter Berg, Patriots Day is about the after-effects of an indefinable act of terror. Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders, played by Mark Wahlberg, joins gutsy survivors, first responders, and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the bombers before they attack again.

The movie interweaves the stories of Special Agent Richard Deslauriers, played by Kevin Bacon; Police Commissioner Ed Davis, played by John Goodman; Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese, played by J. K. Simmons; and nurse Carol Saunders, played by Michelle Monaghan.

This a horrendous story that chronicle captures the suspense of one of the most high-level manhunts in law enforcement history and the strength of Boston’s people.

Based on a true story, which makes it enticing. The cast is brilliant and guided by a true-to-the-core director who worked with Wahlberg on Deepwater Horizon.

“Transformers: The Last Knight” Storyline

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Transformers: The Last Knight will be a young adult movie for ages to come, and it looks like some cast members are returning. It’s nice to see Anthony Hopkins in this movie, adding some acting credibility.

So, once again, like so many superhero movies, the greatest hero becomes our fiercest enemy.

To rescue Cybertron, Optimus Prime starts a mission that will destroy Earth. Nobody appreciated it!

It’s time for Bumblebee and Cade Yeager to lead the Autobots against their former ally in the ultimate battle to save humanity from devastation.

The movie and cartoons are streaming. All are available on all discs if you want to see it again or haven’t seen it yet.

I love that line, “I am glad I got in that car with you.” It is cheesy, but fun. It’s a great line to say to Wahlberg.

Story About Women Behind the NASA Program “Hidden Figures”

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I saw the first trailer in the movie theaters about two weeks ago and thought, why hasn’t this story been told yet? It is priceless, and everyone needs to see it.

Theodore Melfi’s Hidden Figures is the inconceivable, not surprising, true story of three intelligent mathematicians who saved the NASA space program.

The talented cast deftly plays these extraordinary women: Katherine G. Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson, Dorothy Vaughan, played by Octavia Spencer, and Mary Jackson, played by Janelle Monáe.

Kevin Costner also stars as the man in charge of the NASA program who sees the undeniable talent in these courageous women.

Also in the cast are Glen Powell, Kirsten Dunst and Kimberly Quinn.

The movie follows a brilliant African-American woman working at NASA who was the brains behind one of the greatest operations. That is the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

The movie is entertaining, if not educating. I hope to see more produced movies like this one. It’s a keeper.

Well-Known Voices Animated in “The Little Prince”

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Directed by Mark Osborne, The Little Prince is a feature-length animated film inspired by the French novella Le Petit Prince, first published in 1943 by poet, author, and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The novella is one of my daughter’s favorite books.

The movie uses four types of animation: hand-drawn 2D animation, CG animation, paper cutout animation, and stop-motion animation to bring this fable of friendship, love, loss, and loneliness to life.

The Little Prince cast of voices is impressive, including Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Mackenzie Foy, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Albert Brooks, Benicio Del Toro, Ricky Gervais, Bud Cort, and Riley Osborne, with Paul Giamatti. The Little Prince includes an original score and songs by Hans Zimmer and Richard Harvey featuring Camille.

I have to admit this trailer is so cute and sweet. Netflix is producing some notable movies, and I am a happy subscriber.