BLACK AND BLUE (2019) – My rating: 8/10

Black and Blue is an action thriller directed by Deon Taylor from a screenplay by Peter A. Dowling.  Unsure if I wanted to see this movie, I decided to go after a few family members told me they enjoyed it.  The film follows a rookie police officer who goes on the run after she witnesses two corrupt police officers murder an informant/drug dealer. Usually not my cup of tea, but it was well done.

Black and Blue opens in the year 2019 when a U.S. Army veteran Alicia West (Naomie Harris) returns to her hometown in New Orleans.  Now back, she is recruited into the city’s police department. Alicia is reminded by her new partner Officer Kevin Jennings (Reid Scott) about the differences of residing in the community where she grew up and being a police officer servicing that same neighborhood.  The two officers seemed to have a relatively good relationship.  Later that day, Kevin gets assigned to work night duty, paired with Officer Deacon Brown (James Moses Black) on a night he had planned a romantic date with his girl.  Alicia sacrificed her evening and took Kevin’s place so he could go on his date.

**** SLIGHT SPOILERS BELOW ****

Officer Deacon, who was against Alicia working with him, drives to an abandoned warehouse and tells Alicia to wait for backup as he goes to investigate. While waiting in the car, Alicia hears gunshots coming from the warehouse, so she heads into the building, armed with a Glock pistol and a vest fitted with a body cam. There, she witnesses Deacon along with two obviously corrupt police officers, murder an unarmed drug dealer. The lead officer, Terry Malone (Frank Grillo), tries to explain the situation to Alicia but Officer Smitty (Beau Knapppanics) panics when he notices Alicia is wearing body cam. He instantly shoots Alicia, causing her to fall and crash through the partly open floorboards, landing her at least 30 feet below. When the police officers investigated the scene, Alicia was gone. And so, the chase began.  A wounded Alicia tries to get help from the community but no one was willing to risk getting involved with a wounded police officer, except a reluctant old friend from school, Milo “Mouse” Jackson (Tyrese Gibson). And so the plot thickens!

I didn’t know what was going to make Black and Blue different from other movies in this genre. After seeing the film I think Black and Blue is different enough to recommend it to all you moviegoers.  The film has a decent plot and an ideal cast playing the roles.  The biggest issue I had with this movie was the Hollywood version of what a ghetto looks like.  In this case, it was somewhat a disaster.  I felt the environment was overdone and had a cheesy look about it.  It wasn’t lively enough nor was there enough folks occupying the streets.  Tyrese Gibson and Naomie Harris gave brilliant performances as did Frank Grillo, who practically stole the show.  There was just the right amount of action and desperation of the corrupt police trying to get the body cam which held evidence against them.  The excitement level eventually had you on the edge of your seat.  “Black and Blue” was nicely done with an epic ending.  I highly recommend the film.  Check It Out!

 

LATE NIGHT (2019) – My rating: 8/10

Late Night is a comedy-drama directed by Nisha Ganatra from a screenplay by Mindy Kaling. Amazon Studios bought the domestic distribution rights for a record $13 million. The plot follows the host of a late-night talk show who teams up with her new female staff writer in an attempt to save her position and her career.  Late Night is definitely a feel-good movie that’s funny and heart felt, all while it’s also addressing diversity.

Legendary talk-show host Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is a pioneer in her field. The only woman ever to have a long-running program on late night, she keeps her “all male” writers’ on a short leash, not even knowing their names. She is stern, unsympathetic, selfish and self centered, so after her ratings plummeted, rumors started swirling that Katherine is a “woman who hates women”.  To make matters worse, Katherine also hears she is being replaced by a younger, hipper male host Daniel Tennant (Ike Barinholtz, so she demands that her team of writers make her funny and relevant again. Katherine’s right-hand-man Brad (Denis O’Hare), under pressure, impulsively hires Molly Patel, (Mindy Kaling) a chemical plant efficiency expert from suburban Pennsylvania, as the first and only female (who, by the way, has never written comedy), to join Katherine’s writing staff.  As a lifelong fan, Molly is determined to prove she’s not just a diversity hire, but the one person who can turn her idol’s career around. Going against everything Katherine has staked her reputation on, she urges her to make the show more contemporary, authentic and personal, a move that could make Molly’s career ― or send her back to the chemical plant for good, as well as end Katherine’s career in the process.

Late Night is a charming, funny film that gives you a rest from all the current events of today.  The cast is brilliant and the chemistry between Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling gives you all kinds of “warm fuzzzys”.  Emma brought reality to her character as she made a believer out of me.  There’s a lot more to this story. I was thoroughly entertained as I laughed, clapped and backed some policies out loud.  John Lithgow, who played Katherine’s husband Walter,  was convincing as the understanding husband who is sick but still able to mingle.  The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its social satire and commentary, as well as Thompson’s performance. I highly recommend Late Night to all.  There’s a good messages in it for everyone.  Check It Out!