Coming 2 America is a comedy that serves as a sequel to the original 1988 film. The movie is directed by Craig Brewer and created from a screenplay by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, and David Sheffield. The story, by Blaustein, Sheffield, and Justin Kanew, is based on characters created by Eddie Murphy. It is the second installment in the Coming to America film series. I thought Coming 2 America was going to be funny, I was right, it was hilarious.
On the 30th anniversary of his wedding with Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley), Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) of Zamunda is summoned before his dying father, King Jaffe Joffer (James L. Jones). King Jaffe and his shaman Baba (Arsenio Hall) reveal to a dumfounded Akeem that he begot a son during his first visit to Queens, New York after Semmi (Arsenio Hall) had enticed two women into spending the night with them while Akeem was still searching for his future queen. One of the women, Mary Junson (Leslie Jones) drugged Prince Akeem, resulting in an intimate encounter he did not remember. Since Zamundian tradition demands that only a male successor can inherit the throne, and Lisa has borne only daughters, Akeem is forced to travel back to Queens to retrieve his son. The alternative would be to face a violent takeover by Zamunda’s militaristic neighbor nation, Nextdoria. Dictator General Izzi (Wesley Snipes), who rules Nextdoria, has repeatedly tried to push Akeem into marrying off his eldest daughter Meeka (Kiki Layne) to his fastidious son, Idi Izzi (Rotimi). After King Jaffe’s funeral and Akeem’s ascension as king, Jaffe and Semmi travel to Queens to meet and bring home his illegitimate son, Lavelle Junson (Jermaine Fowler).
Coming 2 America is a continuation of the first Coming to America and is equally as funny. I especially liked how Eddie Murphy employed so many Black actors whom we haven’t seen for some time. James L. Jones who is 90 years old revised his old character of King Jaffe Joffer and acted one of the funniest scenes in the movie. He turned out a magnificent portrayal of his character. Also revising his old character of Cleo McDowell is John Amos, Akeem’s former employer, and father-in-law as well as Lisa’s father. As an established actor, he performed brilliantly. Tracy Morgan as Reem Junson, Lavelle’s uncle, and Mary’s brother was perfect. I couldn’t think of a better actor to play that part. Vanessa Bell Calloway, as Imani Izzi, General Izzi’s younger sister and Akeem’s former intended bride who didn’t think for herself and was last seen hopping on one foot. Maurice (Louie Anderson) plays a mid-level employee at McDowell’s restaurant and is not Black. The crème de la crème was Wesley Snipes, who played General Izzi and didn’t look a day older than his days of Blade. He was funny, forceful, and convincing. Entertainers such as Gladys Knight, En Vogue, Salt-N-Pepa, Morgan Freeman, Davido, and Dikembe Mutombo all played themselves. Trevor Noah played Zamunda a News Network anchor. Arsenio Hall played several characters aside from Akeem’s best friend and aide Semmi; Reverend Brown, Morris, Mr. Clarence’s right-hand barber, and Baba the witch doctor, showing off his many talents. I particularly liked the barbershop scenes that were the funniest, in my opinion. The dancing, music, and costumes were fabulous. There is a lot to Coming 2 America’s plot, albeit a little silly and archaic I still think you’ll enjoy the movie. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 139 reviews with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website’s critic’s consensus reads, “Decades after its predecessor joked about the fine line between love and nausea, Coming 2 America reminds audiences that there’s an equally fine line between sequel and retread.” Murphy said there could be a Coming to America 3 when he turns 75, which will be in 16 years — Check It Out!
Going in Style is a 1979 remake of a totally unrealistic answer to a realistic problem in today’s society. Too bad we couldn’t all be clever enough to pull off a guilt free bank heist, (just kidding). Going in Style is also a delightful, humorous story of three senior citizens who are lifelong best buddies who are getting the shaft every where they turn. Living off their less than modest pensions, in situations that afford them little to no extras in life, they are now faced with the company they worked for all their lives being bought out, causing their pensions to become a thing of the past. Ironically, an unusual incident at the very bank that’s threatening to take what little they have, becomes the very solution to a peaceful, happy existence for these 3 old geysers and their families.
I thought the first “Now You See Me” was clever and it was but the sequel has more substance and is even more entertaining. It’s just as clever plus they explain how most of the tricks are done, which is nice to know. The same crew is back with the exception of Isla Fisher who played Henley Reeves, the only female member of the Four Horsemen. Isla was replaced by Lizzy Caplan as Lula May, the new Illusionist. The rest of the crew consists of Woody Harrelson as Merritt McKinney, Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas and Dave Franco as Jack Wilder. Also back is their handler, FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley, an ex-magician who, for thirty years, has made money by revealing the secrets behind other magicians’ tricks. Thaddeus was arrested by Dylan in the original movie and appears as an inmate in the sequel. Mark seeks revenge as he blames Thaddeus for the death of his father, Lionel Shrike, who was also a magician. The sequel starts out one year after the team goes into hiding from the FBI. Upon further instructions from the Eye, who is the secret society of magicians they’ve been recruited by, their new mission is to expose corrupt businessman Owen Case (Ben Lamb), whose new software secretly steals data on its users for Case’s benefit. This assignment starts the Four Horsemen’s new adventures and makes for a pretty good sequel. Once again, Michael Cain does an excellent job as Arthur Tressler, the businessman who the Horsemen bankrupted in the original film. I enjoyed the movie and found it to be entertaining. I thought it was clever and well though out. I understand another sequel is in the works, slated to open in 2017. I takes a lot to come up with the tricks and plots that can hold your attention as the “Now You See Me” series has. Kudos to the writers.
London has Fallen is one of a couple of similar titles (White House Down and Olympus has Fallen) that deal with the taking over of a country or the attempted murder of a world leader i.e., president of the US, right in their own back yard. This time, a funeral for the Prime Minister, James Wilson is scheduled to take placed in London and is being attended by many world leaders. Concern for their safety becomes a growing concern because of the state of the world regarding terrorist, and current events including the mysterious death of the Prime Minister. President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart), Secret Service Agent, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), Secret Service Director, Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett), travel to London to join many other prominent world leaders for Wilson’s state funeral. As they arrive, an attack is launched killing the Canadian Prime Minister and his wife, among others. The Japanese Prime Minister drowns when suicide bombers cause Chelsea Bridge to collapse, the French President perishes when a bomb destroys his yacht on the River Thames and heavily damages Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster, the Italian Prime Minister and his wife die when one of Westminster Abbey’s bell towers is blown up and the German Chancellor is murdered by disguised royal guardsmen at Buckingham Palace. The terrorists also hack into the city’s power network, effectively shutting it down. Meanwhile, back at the White House, the president’s staff, including Vice President Allan Trumbull, now acting President, (Morgan Freeman) watch the events in horror. The action is non stop as Mike turns an amenable president into a soldier as they fight to stay alive and free themselves from the terrorist war zone they find themselves in.
I really loved this Sci-fi, futuristic movie. Lucy who is a student in Taipei, is 1 hour and 28 minutes of non-stop action. Scarlett Johansson was beyond eye candy. After forcibly becoming a drug mule, carrying a leaky bag of synthetic drugs containing CPH4 (a substance produced during pregnancy), in her stomach, Lucy instantly starts using the more than normal 10% of her brain. Going further than mankind has ever known, Lucy goes out to seek revenge on the crew responsible for her abduction and illegal smuggling as well as transportation of drugs into the streets using unwilling subjects. This movie is slick, fast, action packed and sexy. I thought the movie was too short but very effective, so time well spent. Morgan Freeman played college professor Norman who gave us powerful information regarding the nuances of the brain’s capacity. The special effects were pretty good but nothing new. See Lucy on the big screen or wait for the DVD. You won’t see too much difference in the two.
Last Vegas is a pretty good movie. Michael Douglas (Billy), Morgan Freeman (Archie), Robert Di Nero (Paddy) and Kevin Kline (Sam) are best friends from childhood. Now senior citizens, they get together to attend a wedding in Las Vegas. Michael Douglas is getting married to someone half his age and is not in good favor with one of the members of this elite party of long time friends. It seems they butted heads years ago because Paddy’s wife died and Billy didn’t attend the funeral, among other things. To complicate matters more, they meet a singer in Las Vegas, Diana (Mary Steenburgen) and both Paddy and Billy fall for her. Eventually they suck up their differences and the journey continues. Last Vegas is a lesson in friendship, trust and doing the right thing. An enjoyable movie with a wholesome message. Now that it’s out on DVD, I think it’s certainly worth checking into. There are some very funny moments and its interesting to see how the team works out all their problems. 
CAROL's WORLDS 