BOMBSHELL (2019) – My rating: 8.5/10

Bombshell is a biographical drama directed by Jay Roach and written by Charles Randolph. The film tells the story of Roger Ailes’ sexual harassment affairs during his reign at Fox News and the cover-up that eventually forced him to step down.

A tenacious Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) is the head of Fox News, the primary televised source of conservative politics. He runs the corporation with an iron fist that includes fear and determination. Roger is seen as an icon and only answers to Rupert Murdoch (Malcolm McDowell), who is CEO of the Fox network. The stories of Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), and Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), who are three political anchorwomen employed at Fox are revealed in Bombshell.

Megyn Kelly is one of the most popular anchors/commentators at Fox and is preparing to co-moderate the 2016 Republican debate. On the day of the debate, Megyn becomes sick and throws up, but nevertheless questions Donald Trump on negative comments he made about women. In retaliation, Trump sends out several tweets hurting her reputation.  As a result, Megyn is further ridiculed by reporters and others. One reporter sneaks into Meg and Doug’s home in order to take pictures of their daughter causing her husband, Douglas Brunt (Mark Duplass) to kick him out by force. When Megyn returns to work, Fox hires a security detail to protect her but refuses to go after Trump. Roger, who is a fan of Megyn, becomes paranoid with protecting her and thinks that someone poisoned her the day of the debate.

Meanwhile, Gretchen Carlson is the co-anchor of the popular program “Fox and Friends”, but is taken off and demoted to a less popular show and position. Often Gretchen faces sexist comments by others, on and off the air. Gretchen decides to escalate her situation by hiring legal representation. The lawyers mention that Gretchen should not engage with these newfound enemies then tells her the story of Rudi Bakhtiar who was fired for coming out against her employer who she accused of sexual harassment. The lawyers explain their plan to file a harassment suit against Roger Ailes personally and inform Gretchen that she will need to have other women come out and tell their story.

Kayla Pospisil is the newest hire at Fox, a young conservative from a religious background. She starts off working for Gretchen but is soon offered a position to work for “The O’Reilly Factor”. Gretchen asks Kayla to stay with her and warns her to be careful, but she refuses and questions why she shouldn’t take the job. On her first day, Bill O’Reilly (Kevin Dorff) yells at her and she is consoled by a coworker, Jess Carr (Kate McKinnon). Jess becomes a good friend while Kayla’s situation becomes pretty ugly at Fox.

I thought Bombshell was well laid out, conveying to the audience how one of the biggest sex preditors was caught with his pecker in the mouth of babes.  I think the movie was well-acted and the make-up was phenomenal.  It seems Trump got away with a lot more than just the Iranian crisis.  I’m glad women are coming out and stopping these preditors.  The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising the performances of the cast, particularly (Theron, Kidman, Robbie and Lithgow) however they criticized the screenplay and inaccuracies in the storytelling. The film received two nominations at the 77th Golden Globe Awards for Theron and Robbie, four at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards for Theron, Robbie and Kidman, as well as Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and three at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards. I really liked Bombshell, Check It Out!

 

THE UPSIDE (2017) – My rating: 7.5/10

The Upside is a comedy-drama directed by Neil Burger and written by Jon Hartmere. It is a remake of the French 2011 film, The Intouchables, which was itself inspired by the life of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo.  The film follows a paralyzed billionaire who hires a recently paroled convict as a caregiver.  I was quite anxious to see The Upside but became waylaid by all the bad reviews.  I decided to see it anyway, before it left the theaters and I’m glad I did.  I felt the movie was well done and quite entertaining.

The Upside opens with Dell Scott (Kevin Hart) and Philip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston) speeding through New York City in a Ferrari. After they are pulled over by the police, Dell makes up a story that convinces the officers he is rushing Philip to the emergency room. Philip grudgingly plays along, and instead of being issued a ticket, the two are escorted to the hospital by the police.

Rewind six months earlier to where the recently paroled Dell is ordered to obtain three signatures to prove he is seeking a job. He appears to answer several ads pretending he wants employment but is only seeking the signatures he needs to keep from violating his parole.  When Dell visited the penthouse home of Philip, a wealthy quadriplegic, his search for a befitting job was finally over. Philip, along with his assistant Yvonne Pendleton (Nicole Kidman), is interviewing candidates for the position of his “life auxiliary” caregiver. After waiting behind a couple of other highly qualified applicants, Dell barges in and demands a signature for his parole officer. For unexplainable reasons, intrigued by Dell, Philip offers him the job, but he declines. After leaving such a lush residence, Dell visits his ex, Latrice (Aja Naomi King) and son Anthony (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) at their dilapidated apartment, but neither is interested in him rejoining their lives, so he gives his son a book he stole from Philip’s library and leaves. Desperate to turn his life around, Dell accepts the well-paying position of Philip’s live-in caregiver, for which Yvonne establishes a “three strikes and you’re out” rule. Dell is daunted by his new responsibilities, despite guidance from Philip’s physical therapist Maggie (Golshifteh Farahani) but forges on anyway.

The Upside shows life between the haves and the have nots.  Even though Philip is a quadriplegic, he had more money than JZ, which makes him a very, very rich individual.  Dell, having no caregiver experience, was dirt poor with an estranged baby mama and their son.  Because The Upside is based on a true story, I can’t say the likelihood of this scenario happening is one in a million or who knows, maybe I can, we’ve just not heard of any similar cases.  The movie was moving, funny and semi-quasi emotional.  The relationship between Philip and Dell was complicated, at best.  There were a lot of Kevin Hart dynamics displayed throughout the film and I think this was certainly one of Kevin’s better performances.  Speaking of being qualified for a job, I felt Nicol Kidman was over qualified for her role, which in my opinion, didn’t require such an experience actress.  It is interesting to see how the story develops and how relationships were mended and how a win, lose situation became a win, win for everyone.  I think The Upside is definitely worth seeing, Check It Out!

NOTE:  Although The Upside was filmed in 2017, it wasn’t released in the United States until January 11, 2019 because it was originally suppose to be distributed by The Weinstein Company in March 2018, however the film was shelved and sold off following the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations.

AQUAMAN (2018) – My rating: 8.7/10

Aquaman is a superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the sixth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by James Wan, with a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, from a story by Geoff Johns, Wan and Beall. I am addicted to most superhero movies but had not really seen a full featured film about Aquaman, since there were none.  It is the third live-action theatrical film featuring Aquaman, following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017), and the first full-length feature film centered around the character.  I was not disappointed and the stellar cast gets a thumbs up!

Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, must step forward to lead his people against his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms against the surface world. In 1985 Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison) rescues Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), the princess of the underwater nation of Atlantis, during a storm. They eventually fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who is born with the power to communicate with marine lifeforms. Atlanna is forced to abandon her family and return to Atlantis, entrusting her loyal advisor, Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe) the mission of training Arthur. Under Nuidis’ guidance, Arthur becomes a skilled warrior but is rejected by the Atlanteans for being a half-breed and ultimately leaves Atlantis behind.

**** SPOILERS BELOW ****

One year after Steppenwolf’s invasion, Arthur confronts a group of pirates attempting to hijack a Russian Naval nuclear submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane (Michael Beach), dies during the confrontation while his son, David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), vows revenge. David later targets Atlantis at the behest of Orm, Arthur’s younger half-brother and Atlantis’ king who uses the attack as a pretext to declare war on the surface. King Nereus of Xebel (Dolph Lundgren) swears allegiance to Orm’s cause, but his daughter Mera (Amber Heard), who has been betrothed to Orm, refuses to aid them and journeys to the surface to ask Arthur for help, earning his trust by saving Thomas from a tidal wave sent by Orm. Arthur reluctantly accompanies Mera to a rendezvous with Nuidis, who urges Arthur to find the Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact that once belonged to Atlantis’ first ruler in order to reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by Orm’s men and Mera and Nuidis escape without having been seen, while Arthur is captured.

Orm visits Arthur while he’s in captivity and announces that their mother, Atlanna was executed for the crime of having a half-breed son, blaming Arthur and the surface for her death. He offers Arthur an opportunity to leave forever, but Arthur instead challenges him to a duel in the ring of fire/underwater lava. Orm gains the upper hand and nearly kills Arthur before Mera rescues him. Together, Arthur and Mera journey to the Sahara desert where the trident was forged and unlock a holographic message that leads them to Sicily, Italy, where they retrieve the trident’s coordinates.

Meanwhile, Orm provides David with a prototype Atlantean battle suit to kill Arthur, imprisons Nuidis upon learning of his betrayal, and coerces the remaining kingdoms of Atlantis to pledge their allegiance to him and his campaign against the surface.  After modifying Orm’s technology, a fully-armored David rechristens himself as Black Manta and ambushes Arthur and Mera in Sicily, injuring Arthur before being thrown off a cliff.  Mera nurses Arthur’s wounds as they journey to the trident’s whereabouts, and encourages him to embrace his destiny as a hero.

Wow, the first full length feature of Aquaman is fabulous!  Talk about eye candy, Jason Momoa is absolutely gorgeous and has turned out to be a fantastic actor.  If you thought he was good in “Game of Thrones”, you’ll love him as Aquaman.  I thought the movie was exciting and the special effects were out of this world.  Too bad these types of movies are not acknowledged for Oscars.  All the hard work that goes into the making of a movie like Aquaman should be honored.  There is lots more story to embrace here.  See how this fantasy comes together with surprises, twist and turns plus an ending you will love.  Aside from being a little long, I have nothing negative to say about this movie, it’s definitely worth your time and money to see it — Check Aquaman Out!

 

LION (2016) – My rating: 9/10

Wow, what an emotional roller coaster.  Lion is one of the better movies of 2016.  I really can’t say enough about this touching, true story about a little five year old boy who gets separated from his family, ends up in Calcutta, approximately 1,600 km away from home and ultimately lands in Australia, where he now lives with his new adoptive parents.  How did this all come to be?

An East Indian family: a mother Kamla Munshiand (Priyanka Bose) called Mum by her children, her two boys, Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel),  Young Saroo (Sunny Pawar), Guddu Kahn (Abhishek Bharate),  and Shekila, their new baby sister lived in meager surroundings.  Mum works for survival as a laborer who carries rocks and her two boys helps any way they could.  One evening, Guddu, the middle child readied himself to go to work, but had to decide who was going to take care of Shekila, his baby sister.  Mum had already left for her job, leaving the children unattended until someone came to look after the baby.  Saroo wanted to help out so much he begged his brother to let him go with him to his job.  After using every excuse he could think of to say no, he finally gave in and allowed his little 5 year old brother to come along.  They ended up at a train station where Saroo finally fell asleep on an empty train car while his brother was off tending to his work.  The train pulled off before Saroo awakened and despite his calls for help, there was no one on the train to provide any assistance.  ”Saroo called out his brothers name over and over to no avail.  He traveled two days before he was able to get off the train.  He tried to tell authorities where he was from but apparently had the wrong name which rendered the home he tried to describe non existent.  As Saroo explored his new surroundings, he almost got sold into a child molestation ring.  He was suffering from hunger, eating out of garbage cans and off the ground while he encountered many other horrific problems, he finally ended up in an orphanage, then with an agency that would place him with parents who wanted to free him from his deplorable circumstances, via adoption.  A loving couple from Australia ended up adopting Saroo but he never forgot his Mum and siblings.  After 25 years, Saroo became obsessed at the thought of finding his biological mother.  His adoptive parents John Brierley (David Wenham) and Sue Brierley (Nicole Kidman) were fantastic people and did all they could to make sure their son had everything he needed to move forward in his life.

This movie was brilliantly acted and the story was told with all the emotion and tenderness it deserves.  I truly enjoyed Lion and am torn between which of the nominated movies is the best of 8 up for Best picture.  You should definitely check Lion out.

[Lion is nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Original Score and Adapted Screenplay]

 

 

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SECRET IN THEIR EYES (2015) – My rating: 7.8/10

Secret in their Eyes is a suspenseful “how can we convict this totally guilty guy” thriller.  It’s a little slow at times but keeps your interest level high most of the movie. Taking place in Los Angeles, the film focuses on four main characters, Jess Cobb’s, (Julia Roberts) a District Attorney’s Investigator working on a case along side FBI Counter Terrorism Investigator, Ray Karsten (Chiwetel Ejiofor),  newly hired Assistant DA, Claire Slone (Nicole Kidman) and the criminal, Marzin, (Joe Cole) who is hard to arrest or convict given his status to the affiliated case.  We learn early on that Caroline, Jess’ daughter is found raped, brutally murdered and bleached inside and out.  The problem with this plot is I find it hard to believe.  I think anyone would find it hard to believe cops, corrupt or not, would cover up a fellow officer’s tragedy with nothing in return. Secret in their Eyes was well acted but just not a believable plot.  It was exciting and had a couple of bazaar twist, still when you finally realized the bottom line, I think it spoiled the whole movie.  You’ll have to make up your own mind.  Also the past, present sequences got a little confusing at times.  There was one instance when I thought we were dealing with the present when we were actually dealing with the past.  I’m usually pretty good keeping up with that sort of thing.  My blunder surprised me.  The entire movie was shot that way (flash backs of the pass, then suddenly we are brought back to the present.  Despite how I feel about not believing the plot, the end almost justifies the means and overall, I did enjoy the movie.  However, I recommend that you wait for the DVD on this one.

 

BIRTH (2004) – My rating: 6/10

A Deceitful Movie!
Why oh why did anyone make this movie? It was slow, dull and down right deceitful. The trailers would have you believe you’re in for a mysterious ride but in fact, you’re in for another unresolved, waste of time, money sucking, open-ended flick.  Birth’s concept was done before in a 1989 release of “Chances Are”, which was in good taste, with a good story and a good follow-up. The ending tied up all the loose ends, unlike “Birth” which left us hanging.

I truly want my money back — everyone in the theater agreed that “Birth” sucked. Not even Nicole Kidman could save this one.

Wait for cable!