Tag: Review

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“Gifted” Review

While blockbusters, like Fox’s Boss Baby and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast are still taking the top spots at the box office, there is another heartwarming movie that is bringing light to a challenging question of education vs. being a child in this day of age.

Marvel’s Chris Evans plays single Uncle Frank as he is left to raise his 7 year old niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) after his sister decides to commit suicide.  Frank sees Mary’s gift for mathematics something that his sister possessed, but feels it is more important for Mary to have friends and be a kid, so he decides to enroll her in public education, even though his friend, Roberta (Octavia Spencer), is skeptical.   Mary is instantly bored and her teacher (Jenny Slate) sees more potential and starts the dominoes falling into place to where her grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) finds her grand daughter and sees fulfillment of a life long goal that her daughter had yet to accomplish.

At 1 hour and 41 minutes, Gifted will have you debating over what is more important, love and fun or education.  The Fox Spotlight movie came out on April 7 in select theaters and thus far has brought in just under half a million at the box office.  It’s definitely one to see for the family values and will leave the audience with a profound view of how gifted children should and should not be treated.

Gifted is currently playing in limited theaters near you.

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“Collateral Beauty” Review

Will Smith is back in the most dramatic role yet as a man at the top of his game in the industry, whose life begins to crumb at the sudden death of his six-year-old daughter, Olivia due to brain cancer.  His friends and partners at his work, played by Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, and Michael Pena, see the devastation, and try to let him cope but when they all fear losing their jobs, that fear takes place and they enlist three local actors to play death, time and love, in order to discredit Smith, but will that be the best thing for the struggling father in order to cope with his daughter’s death?

At an hour thirty-seven minutes, Collateral Beauty will have you deep in thought about how three very different elements work together in mysterious ways in order to see a collateral beauty in everything.

Collateral Beauty also stars Helen Mirren, who beautifully captures the role of death for Howard, Kiera Knightley portrays love in more ways than one, beginning with the weepy heartfelt moments to the love as a strong threshold and Jacob Latimore encompasses time in the raw, edgy type that will leave you wondering how one could ever forget about time.

All in all, Collateral Beauty, came out December 16, 2016 and thus has brought in well over 30 million at the box office.  It’s still playing in a theater near you.

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“Patriots” Stand Strong

Lionsgate’s historical drama thriller is expanding to theaters this weekend as other new movies are coming out.  Despite its slow start of bringing in just under 1-million dollars at the box office, it is a movie that is worth seeing on the big screen.

Patriot’s Day stars Mark Walberg, a paramedic/ first responder, who saw first hand the devastating impact of the Boston Marathon Bombing including the aftermath, where the entire city of Boston pulled together to find the terrorists that planted the series of bombs in April 2013.

Overall, Patriots Day combined real life footage with that of the actors, in order to put together a film that truly captures the heart of the matter and showed the strength of one city and state that bounced back and survives today as Boston Strong.

Patriots Day also features, John Goodman as Commissioner Ed Davis, Michelle Monaghan as Walberg’s wife and Kevin Bacon as Special Agent Richard DesLauriers, as they worked together with the real life heroes to make this a movie to fully honor the fallen.

Patriots Day came out in theaters Dec 21 of last year and is expanding its reach this week for even more to see and remember.  See it in a theater near you.

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“Fantastic Beasts” Top Box Office

The highly anticipated prequel to the Harry Potter Franchise is bringing out all sorts of creatures to the big screen as fans flock the theaters opening weekend and help the movie take number one at the box office with 75 million domestically, as last week’s front-runners, Dr. Strange and Trolls, barely held on to the second and third places with 17 million each.

The latest film produced by J.K Rowling, delves into one of the many textbooks that Harry Potter and his friends study at Hogwarts and explores the journey to put together the manuscript as Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, comes to America with his briefcase of many monsters.  While in America, Scamander discovers that the witches and wizards are underground from their muggle or as they call them nonmaj residents who fear magic and seek actively to find and kill them in a second Salem act.  Meanwhile, the children who possess magic are punished for it and so are turned into the monsters that are making the Witches Council of the United States of America scared of discovery especially when Scamander arrives and some of his creatures escape through a chance encounter with a nonmaj, Kowalski, played by Dan Fogler.

Now it’s up to Scamander and Kowalski to track down all of his creatures before the council gets a hold of them and destroys them.  At two hours and thirteen minutes, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them brings audiences even deeper into the Wizarding World with an up close and personal looking into the mysterious creatures that Harry Potter has only read about.  Set in the 1920’s America, it’s a movie that truly stands on its own.  The imagery of the creatures and the land inside Scamander’s briefcase will have audiences wishing they could be there to as Scamander introduces for the first time a nonmaj to his creatures in order to help him truly understand that they are not dangerous.

Fantastic Beats and Where To Find Them opened with nearly all theaters sold out at the Thursday night showings on November 17th and is currently playing in a theater near you.  See it and let the magic transform you.

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“Trolls” Dance To #2

Dreamworks newest animated movie Trolls, starring Anna Kendrick as the happiest troll to be born, Princess Poppy and Justin Timberlake as Branch, the troll who just can’t be happy, is bringing families to the theater as it has already brought in over 46 million for its first weekend, coming in number two at the box office.

Trolls tells the story of the happy, dancing, hugging childhood toy made popular from the 60’s and again in the 90’s, who all they can do is be happy, while their counterparts, the Bergens can’t dance and sing and the only way for them to be happy is to eat the trolls from the Troll tree in a symbolic day called Trollstice, but the King of the trolls decide to relocate to save from another Trollstice.

But will the trolls truly be safe or will the Bergens have another Trollstice so they can be happy again.

Trolls also stars the voice talents of Russell Brand as Creek, John Cleese as King Gristle sr., Jeffrey Tambor as King Peppy, Zooey Deschanel, as Bridget, the maid in the Bergen King’s palace, who holds the true secret to happiness for the Bergens and Gwen Stefani as DJ Suki.

At just over an hour and a half, Trolls will have you laughing, crying and singing along with the fun loving trolls as Princess Poppy and Branch set out on a adventure to save their friends once more when the Bergens discover their whereabouts and long to be happy once again.

See Trolls in a theater near you.

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Western Remake Review

Warner Brothers has their eyes set on the prize with the Magnificient 7 reboot starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke as a band of outlaws set to save a town from thieving gold miners who wish to dig up the land for profit.

The high action adventure kicks off with a bang as the robbers come in and demand the land, killing several people when they don’t get their way.  They give them three weeks to change their mind.  Meanwhile widow, Emma Cullen, played by Haley Bennett, is determined not to let her husband die in vain.  She enlists the help of Chisolm (Washington) who agrees but not without a little back up.  It is what is called the most unlikely team of seven,  that will serve as the little towns last hope of redemption.

Magnificent 7 is a film that has all the ingredients of a good old fashion western including a bar room brawl, standout and gun fighting.  It’ll keep one on the edge of their seats from the first minute through including a few surprise twists that one might not see coming.

The film opened officially in theaters Sept. 23 and is a close front runner for the number one spot at the box office this week.  See it in a theater near you.  It won’t disappoint.

The original Magnificent 7 came out over 50 years ago and starred Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach,  and Steve McQueen.

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Pete’s Dragon takes 3

The Classic tale about a little boy and his dragon is returning to theaters after nearly 40 years since the original and has earned enough to take number three at the box office with 21.5 million in revenue.

Pete’s Dragon stars newcomer Oakes Fegley in his first big role as Pete, the little boy who befriends a dragon named Elliot after his mother and father are killed in a car crash.  He manages to survive with his dragon friend for six years until a little girl (Oona Laurence) discovers him by himself in the forest and takes him back to her mother (Bryce Dallas Howard), a forest ranger whose goal is to protect the forest as well as her father, (Robert Redford), the local storyteller, who is the only person besides Pete to have actually seen the dragon.

Now it is up to Pete to find some way to get back to Elliot before  something happens to his beloved friend.

As good as the original with a few plot twists, Pete’s Dragon is a great movie for the whole family to experience.  It’s heartwarming and will send chills down your spine as you are not sure what to expect next in the adventure of the little boy and his pet dragon.

Pete’s Dragon came out August 12, and is currently playing in a theater near you.

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Magic battles Video game

It was a race this week at the box office as two movies with very different crowds vie for the number one spot at the box office this week.

Universal’s Warcraft, starring newcomers Travis Fimmel as Anduin Lothar, Paula Patton as Garona and Dominic Cooper as Llane Wrynn, brings the video game world to the big screen as fans watch the orcs fighting for survival as they try to make a new home in the land of humans, but when a magical force threatens the planet, it’s time for orc and human to band together and save their home for the future.

At 2 hrs and 3 minutes, Warcraft will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as one is fully engaged in the epic battle and comedy that makes Warcraft a true joy to watch on the big screen.

But if magic is more your forte, the much anticipated sequel, Now You See Me 2, is bringing enthusiasts to the theater this weekend.  The four horsemen are back as their show is being threatened this time by a tech genius (Daniel Radcliff) who is looking to put a stop once and for all to the thieving team of hustlers and tricksters.

But now it’s up to the four horsemen, played by Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenburg, Woody Harrelson, and Lizzy Caplan to pull off the greatest and most impossible heist yet.  As hypnotizing as the first, Now You See Me 2, has tricks and flicks that will keep your mind reeling as you ask yourself time and time again, how can they possibly do it.  It’s magic in the truest and most believable sense.

Both Now You See Me 2 and Warcraft came out June 10 and were only a couple million dollars away as of Friday’s estimates.  See them both in a theater near you.

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Disney Sets Record- Captain America

Disney has reached the 1 Billion dollar mark in just over 128 days concluding with its latest Marvel Film, Captain America: Civil War.  The blockbuster follows the team of Avengers in their latest fight against each other, especially when the United Nations force the super heroes to limit their effects on the world to only being called upon in extreme situations.  But the heroes are divided on whether or not leaving the saving to the UN is such a good idea and thus the Civil War begins.  The two sides, headed up by Iron man and Captain America leave for some powerful fight sequences as well as witty bantering back and forth until they come to some kind of understanding.

At 2 and a half hours, Captain America: Civil War introduces a whole new team and challenges along the way.  It is very much entertaining to the eye and ultimately leaves the viewer wanting more every second that goes by.  Captain America stars a line up of well-known actors including, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America as well as Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch, Paul Rudd as Antman and Emily Vancamp as Sharon Carter and of course, no Avenger film is complete without a cameo by creator Stan Lee.

Thus far, Captain America has earned just shy of 200 million domestically and is currently playing at a theater near you.  See it soon, you won’t regret it.

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“London” Hits 60 Million

The Focus Films sequel, London Has Fallen is still drawing movie goers to theaters nearly a month after it premiered on the big screen, bringing in over 61 million dollars in revenue.

The movie follows secret service agent, Mike Banning, played by Gerald Butler as he is sent on one final protection detail to protect the president of the United States, Benjamin Asher, played by Aaron Eikhart, who is among the top political figures that are called to attend the funeral of the former prime minister in London.   While there, a botch assignation attack on the leaders nearly destroys the city and causes Banning to go into full protection mode, when he discovers the terrorist mission to publicly assassinate the president.

At an hour forty minute run time, its and action adventure, that has a lot of bang for its bucks as the first explosion is just the beginning and for those who never saw the original Olympus Has Fallen, one won’t be missing too much to see London Has Fallen.  In addition to being a high action drama, there are a few humorous banter that will break the monotony of the action.

London has Fallen is still currently playing in select theaters near you.  For an action suspense drama, this is the movie for you.