Red Sparrow is a slow burn spy thriller. I see this movie as an intrigue Unbreakable. We have the introduction to a protagonist I hope we get to see in future sequels.
This movie is not for children. There is graphic violence. There is sexual assault.
Do not be like the mother who brought her small child to the movie.
I would recommend seeing this movie in the theater. It is a slow burn – not an action fest.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons, Mary-Louise Parker, Ciarán Hinds, Joely Richardson, Bill Camp, Thekla Reuten, Douglas Hodge, Sakina Jaffrey
Like most initial solo Marvel hero movies, Black Panther gives us a nice introduction to the character and his motivations above and beyond his introduction in Civil War.
Black Panther introduces us to the MCU version of Wakanda, his family, love interest, and traditions. Also, where those same traditions can fail.
Wakanda as a society has always hidden who and what they are. The world at large sees Wakanda as a third world farming country. Not the technologically advanced, rich country they are. Some Wakandans believe they should go out into the world with their technology and help people while others wish to stick with tradition.
Claw returns and has a sonic hand cannon and is working with War Monger. They show little regard for human life while stealing a Wakandan artifact from a museum. Their attempt to sell it in South Korea to the CIA brings them in direct conflict with the Black Panther.
War Monger takes extraordinary steps (many evil steps) to get into Wakanda. You want to completely dislike the character. But. His backstory makes him a sympathetic character. Up to a point. War Monger’s ideals to spread Wakandan weaponry and begin an Empire are in direct conflict with the Black Panther and Wakandan tradition.
The fight between War Monger and Black Panther ultimately splits the Wakandan people over tradition and new ideals. There will be a lot of healing needed for the Wakandan people. And a change in tradition.
The mid credits scene lets us see how Wakanda will be interacting with the world at large now. The post credits scene gives us a nice update on characters last seen in Civil War.
My favorite character introduced by far is Shuri, T’Challa’s sister. She brought a fun lightheartedness take on the role. Okoye was just plain badass.
There were a lot of kids at the theater when I saw this movie. They all had a blast. This one group sitting near me had all of them picking which Marvel hero they were going to be. From Black Panther to Iron Man. Then the movie started….and all the kids were so engrossed in the movie. I have never seen a movie where kids were so behaved and engrossed in a movie.
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker, John Kani
Vía Letterboxd – AngryTownsman
This was an enjoyable blending of the Belko Experiment and 28 Days later. In Mayhem, a virus exists that lasts 8 hours and removes a person’s filters. Normally, you would not give in to that impulse hit the person you are arguing with. Under the effects of the Red Eye virus, you’re smacking that person.
What happens when you have a building filled with people in high stress jobs lose that filter? Where there is nothing holding them back from doing whatever pops into their heads.
A freaking good movie – that’s what.
I heard a review of this movie on the Trick or Treat Radio podcast and it intrigued me.
Steven Yeun pulls off the everyman vibe perfectly. Someone who is trying to hold onto a piece of their goodness in his chosen profession.
Samara Weaving gives another amazing performance here. Between this and the Babysitter, she is an actress to look out for in the future.
Starring: Steven Yeun, Samara Weaving, Steven Brand, Caroline Chikezie, Kerry Fox, Dallas Roberts, Mark Frost, Claire Dellamar, André Eriksen, Nick Kent
I first heard about this movie on the Trick or Treat Radio podcast. I jumped onto this one without seeing the first entry in the series. I will probably catch the first one (streaming on Netflix as of Dec 2017).
You have the main character from the first movie, Leng Feng, heading to Africa after leaving the military. Some rebels attempt to take over the country he is currently in and Action Movie ™ ensues. We get enough plot to keep Leng Feng in the midst of the action.
The stunts and gun play were amazing. The CGI blood less so. Two words. Improvised Crossbow.
Starring: Jing Wu, Frank Grillo, Celina Jade, Gang Wu, Hans Zhang, Qian Yu, Nan Yu, Shanshan Chunyu, Haifeng Ding, Oleg Prudius, Heidi Moneymaker, Aaron Ly
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a nice simple popcorn movie to cap 2017.
It is not a deep thinking movie, but it is entertaining. I saw this movie and the theater was filled with groups of teens. It was nice hearing how much they enjoyed this movie. Probably made me like it more.
I can honestly say that if I am watching a movie with an audience that is having fun, it does make me like the movie more.
I would recommend you go see this. Especially if you have MoviePass.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Rhys Darby, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner
