BIRDS OF PREY: (2020) – My rating: 8.5/10

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is a superhero film based on the DC Comics team, Birds of Prey. It is the eighth film in the DC Extended Universe, and a follow-up to Suicide Squad (2016). It is directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson. The film follows Harley Quinn as she joins forces with three powerful females to save Cassandra Cain from Gotham City crime lord, Black Mask.  Good action hero movie!

Former psychiatrist, Suicide Squad member, and girlfriend of the Joker,  Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), is determined to redefine her life.  With no place to live, she is rescued by Doc (Dana Lee), the elderly owner of a Chinese restaurant. Still recovering from her abusive relationship, Harley cuts her hair and adopts a spotted hyena, who she names after Bruce Wayne, takes up roller derby, and blows up the Ace Chemicals plant where she once pledged herself to the Joker.

After visiting a nightclub owned by gangster Roman Sionis/Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), Harley cripples Roman’s driver and meets burlesque singer Dinah Lance/The Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a vigilante with the metahuman ability of hypersonic screams. Later, Dinah rescues an intoxicated Harley from an attempted abduction by Roman’s goons. Impressed when he sees Dinah’s fighting skills, he appoints her as his new driver. In the meanwhile, GCPD Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) investigates a series of mob killings carried out by a crossbow-wielding vigilante named Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a vigilante who is the orphaned daughter of gangster Franco Bertinelli. Detective Montoya discovers Harley isn’t safe without the Joker’s protection.  Sweetening the pot, Roman is pursuing a diamond necklace that is worth a fortune — he sends his sadistic right-hand-man Victor Zsaszand (Chris Messina), who retrieves the diamond but falls victim to pick-pocket and professional street thief, Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), who doesn’t know the value of what she has stolen.  This is why these four powerful women (Black Canary, The Huntress, Detective Montoya, and Harley Quinn) joined forces to protect this young thief (Cassandra) from Roman and his thugs.

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn has turned out to be a good solid action hero movie.  I’m sure this version of Quinn’s recovery will be followed up with some other movie where she seeks revenge on the Joker for all the wrong he inflicted on her.  This movie reveals Quinn’s deliverance from dependence to freedom in her own right.  I loved that she recited over and over that she is smart, has a Ph.D., and is crazy enough to protect herself without help from anyone.  My only criticism is the winks she wore throughout the entire movie.  She just doesn’t have the shape for the outfit.  I hope they do better choosing her wardrobe next time around.  I’m just saying.  I found Birds of Prey… to be fun, entertaining and a refreshing idea of powerfull women taking charge.  I recommend Birds of Prey to superhero lovers and then some. The film has grossed $48.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $112.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $160.7 million.  Birds of Prey has also received praise from critics for its visual style, Yan’s direction, and the performances of Robbie and McGregor, but criticism for the screenplay. I also urge viewers to beware of the “R” rating the film received, I can’t figure why but I’m sure there’s probably a good reason! Check It Out!

 

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (2018) – My rating: 8/10

Christopher Robin is a fantasy comedy-drama directed by Marc Forster and written by Alex Ross Perry, Tom McCarthy, and Allison Schroeder, from a story by Greg Brooker and Mark Steven Johnson. The film is inspired by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and is a live-action/CGI adaptation of the Disney franchise of the same name. The story follows an adult Christopher Robin as he has lost his sense of imagination, only to be reunited with his old stuffed bear friend, Winnie-the-Pooh and friends. I wasn’t thrilled with this film but found it cute as far as stories for children go. I also found the visual and special effects to be excellent! A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.

A young Christopher Robin (Orton O’Brien – young / Ewan McGregor – grown up) is leaving for boarding school, so his imaginary friends, Winnie the Pooh / Tigger (Jim Cummings), Piglet (Nick Mohammed), Eeyore (Brad Garrett), Kanga (Sophie Okonedo), Roo (Sara Sheen), Owl (Toby Jones), and Rabbit (Peter Capaldi), all from the Hundred Acre Wood – threw him a goodbye party. Christopher comforts Pooh and tells him that he will never forget him. Christopher then leaves to go off to boarding school where he grows up, meets and marries an architect named Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), with whom he has daughter named Madeline (Elsa Minell Solak – young /Bronte Carmichael – older). In addition, he serves in the British Army during World War II. After the war, he works as an efficiency expert at Winslow Luggages.

Christopher’s demanding job position causes him to neglect his family, additionally, he has also decided to send his daughter, Madeline, to boarding school. With the company hitting hard times, Christopher’s boss Giles Winslow Jr. (Mark Gatiss) orders him to decrease expenditures by 20%, largely by choosing which employees to lay off, and to present his decisions by Monday morning. This causes additional neglect to Christopher’s family, who he has weekend plans with for a get-away at their countryside cottage, in Sussex.

Meanwhile back at Hundred Acre Wood, Pooh awakens and is unable to find his friends, so he decides to travel through Christopher’s door and finds himself in London. He reunites with Christopher as a grown-up, who is shocked to see Pooh and takes him to his London home. After a night and morning of chaos, Christopher escorts the bear back to Sussex, on the next train.

Christopher Robin’s adventure is just beginning.  This film is a well put together story that will delight children everywhere.  The Visual Effects are outstanding and the acting is brilliant.  I think Christopher Robin will be a worthy use of your time.  Check It Out!

[Christopher Robin is Oscar nominated for Best Visual Effects]

 

 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017) – My rating: 9/10

Beauty and the Beast is a musical romantic fantasy directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos, and co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films. The film is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1991 animated film of the same name, itself an adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s eighteenth-century fairy tale. While Beauty and the Beast is a timeless film and story is hasn’t lost it’s appeal.  Every time it’s remade, it gets better and better.  I’m so glad I decided to see it once again.

In Rococo-era France, a beautiful enchantress disguised as an old beggar woman (Hattie Morahan) arrives at a castle during a ball and offers the host, a cruel and selfish prince (Dan Stevens), a rose in return for shelter from the storm. When he refuses, she reveals her identity. To punish the prince for his selfishness, the enchantress transforms him into a beast and his servants into household objects, then erases the castle, the prince and his servants from the memories of their loved ones. She casts a spell on the rose and warns the prince that the curse will only be broken if he learns to love another, and earn their love in return, before the last petal falls.

Some years later, in the small town of Villeneuve, Belle (Emma Watson), the book-loving daughter of a music box maker and artist Maurice (Kevin Kline), dreams of adventure and brushes off advances from Gaston (Luke Evans), an arrogant former soldier. On his way to a convention and lost in the forest, Maurice seeks refuge in the Beast’s castle, but the Beast imprisons him for stealing a rose from his garden as a gift to Belle. When Maurice’s horse returns without him, Belle ventures out in search for him, and finds him locked in the castle dungeon. The Beast agrees to let her take Maurice’s place.

Belle befriends the castle’s servants, who invite her to a spectacular dinner. When she wanders into the forbidden west wing and finds the rose, the Beast scares her into the woods. She is ambushed by a pack of wolves, but the Beast rescues her, and is injured in the process. As Belle nurses his wounds, a friendship develops between them. The Beast shows Belle a gift from the enchantress, a book that transports readers wherever they want. Belle uses the book to visit her childhood home in Paris, where she discovers a plague doctor mask and realizes that she and her father were forced to leave when her mother (Zoe Rainey) succumbed to the plague.

While I’m sure everyone knows the story, I will not give any more of the story away in case you don’t know the story.  I urge everyone to see Beauty and the Beast.  It’s a delightful movie and well done.  Beauty and the Beast is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.  Check it out!

[Beauty and the Beast is Oscar nominated for Best Production Design and Best Costume Designs.]