Hidden Figures
What’s it about?
1960’s America was a vortex of social upheaval: apartheid (segregation) was rampant; women’s equality was unimaginable; the space race was nuclear hot; and national pride, if not survival, was at stake. Against all odds, three genii stepped out from the shadows to help NASA realise an impossible dream. Three genii who happened to be black women.
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: This movie should be compulsory viewing for every man, woman and child. Equality is something many pay lip service to (even today), and while other Oscar-nominated movies show the ugly face of racism via a negative tirade, Hidden Figures lifts you up with a heart-warming, truly accessible story of the little person overcoming insurmountable odds. Inspiring and hopeful.
Incidentally, I never thought I’d see the day where I’d cry watching a man smash a toilet sign off a wall with a crowbar.
Fences
What’s it about?
Life as a black man in 50’s America was hard – you had to fight for every ounce of respect. You are constantly reminded of this by Troy, garbage man and would’ve-been baseball legend (if he had’ve been white).
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: Adapted from an award winning play, Fences reminds us that before TV enslaved us, people talked to each other for entertainment. They talked & they talked & they talked & they talked. And they talked really fast. They talked about mundane things. About important things. About daily grind. About judgement. About being a black man in a white world. Really fast. A lot.
Talking fast makes Shakespeare natural sounding (a basic rule for theatre productions), and Fences feels like they filmed a theatre show then CGI’ed realistic backgrounds in to make it a movie. It’s blocky. It’s talky. It’s a play made into a film. It’s a beautifully made play made into a film with exceptional acting. But it focuses on style rather than the story. Almost as if it was made to get people nominated for award shows.
A Street Cat Named Bob
What’s it about?
A recovering heroin addict uses up five of his nine lives when he survives an overdose, gets a leg-up from a case-worker/guardian angel, meets a girl who might help him straighten out his life, tries to reconnect with his father, and is adopted by a street cat.
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: Homelessness and drug addiction go hand in hand; and this story opens your eyes to what happens on the other side of the tracks, and just how incredibly hard it is to get a second chance. Whilst a little clunky in its telling, the emotional connection of this harrowing, yet heartwarming story will leave you with a tear in your eye, and the knowledge that cats are indeed the best people.
Fifty Shades Darker
What’s it about?
The sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey sees sexually dominant Christian Grey beg his lady love, Anastasia Steel to come (snigger) back into his life, but not without women from his past shaking things up.
What did we think?
Andrew Danyals says: I have to admit that while watching this, I had the urge to be tied up and licked. Or spanked. Pretty much anything to get my mind off this dreadful movie. While it has slightly better eroticism than the first one (not necessarily saying much), the sequel suffers from a discordant narrative that drove me nuts. It’s all over the place. I like seeing the exploration of erotic themes and empowering situations on the big screen but this barely qualifies as the former and still confuses as the latter. I still can’t get over how a film about this sort of sex is somehow so very vanilla.
DISSENTING SQR REVIEW BELOW
Patriots Day
What’s it about?
A retelling of the horrific Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, and the dramatic four-day chase of the Tsarnaev brothers.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: Hollywood dramatising recent tragic events makes me uneasy, so I can’t say I find this film anything other than distasteful and unnecessary. That said, it’s reasonably well told (not too much high-drama BS thrown in with the facts) and a lot of the actors do a pretty good job, including Kevin Bacon and a strangely deflated-looking John Goodman, though Mark Wahlberg’s made-up hero character designed to neatly tie things up is pretty overdone. I’d much rather see a well-made documentary.
Live By Night
What’s it about?
It’s the 1920s, and Ben Affleck is a zoot suit-wearing, machine gun-toting gangster. Sometimes he has feelings, but you can’t really tell.
What we thought
Amy Currie says: Live by Night is overstuffed with plot and takes itself far too seriously. I’m sure the book on which it was based is quite interesting, and that it would have made a decent Netflix series. As it is, it’s not so much a saga as an edited highlights package. It certainly looks pretty, and some of the subplots and characters are genuinely intriguing. They’re gone in a flash, though, and we’re back to more of Affleck not moving his face.
Don’t bother.
What’s Popular
BlacKkKlansman
What’s it about?
Colorado Springs is welcoming their first black officer to the force. He ingratiates himself over the phone with the local Ku Klux Klan before becoming their first African American member.
What we thought
Dan says: This is exactly what a dark comedy should be. Not a lot of dumb gags but a compelling and humorous look at a true story of Ron Stallworth. People with an interest in progressive politics will get a lot out of this but so long as you don’t emotionally bond with neo-nazis you should enjoy this thrilling romp.
Warning: Spike Lee uses his platform to append real footage of race crimes as an addendum to the film. While the message is powerful it is confronting and adds little to the film’s story. I preferred to avoid this footage when I first had the opportunity to see it and didn’t appreciate it being sprung on me. Avoid this segment is you’re sensitive.
3.5 stars
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
What’s it about?
This follow up to the 2008 musical based on the music of ABBA sees a pregnant Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) discover more about her mother Donna (Meryl Streep/Lily James).
What did we think?
Amy Currie says: At once a sequel and a prequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is ridiculous, unnecessary, overly sentimental and wildly enjoyable. With the bulk of ABBA’s hits used up on the first movie, the soundtrack tends towards B-sides and repeats (with a few notable exceptions*). It doesn’t matter a bit. It’s great fun to see young versions of some of the main characters, and the overly elaborate set-up necessary for Cher to sing a particular song is in itself worth the price of admission. Bring your dancing shoes, your tissues and your mum.
*Editor’s note: Stephen says: before we get attacked by ABBA fans, 6 of the 18 songs are A-side singles that weren’t in the original (one of which is their biggest single, and at 10 million copies, one of the highest selling songs of all time- guess who gets to sing that one?), and there are quite a few album tracks from Arrival and Voulez-Vous (two of this reviewers favourite ABBA LPs). #ABBAFan #NerdAlert
Skyscraper
What’s it about?
The Rock reimagines Die Hard by saving his family from terrorists in a locked-down skyscraper.
What did we think?
It’s time to put aside the Chuck Norris jokes and declare that gravity doesn’t affect The Rock; The Rock affects gravity. Skyscraper walks a fine line between homage and plagiarism but if you just want to see Dwayne Johnson saving the day amidst explosions and eye-rolling stunts then you will love this mindless action film. There are actually a few good scientific tidbits and accuracies in here as well as an interesting motive. It’s a shame that there are also flaws that render any credits from them immediately worthless. It’s highly predictable but to be honest, Liz and I had a blast predicting lines and cliched incidents (it even had a Rocky shout out) so would be fun slightly intoxicated. At the end of the day there’s one sentence that will decide whether you’ll see it or not: it’s The Rock.
Ant Man and the Wasp
What’s it about?
Scott/Ant Man (Paul Rudd) is struggling with the fallout of answering the Civil War call. He’s not legally allowed to have contact with Hank (Michael Douglas) or Hope (Evangeline Lilly), but they need him for a mission so…
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: It’s the characters who make this movie enjoyable, which is lucky because a strong story line is nowhere to be found. It’s a sequel that doesn’t really know what it wants to be, and that leaves the audience clinging to the quips of our heroes and waiting for something to really invest in. Interestingly, this movie was meant to be released BEFORE Avengers: Infinity War. I won’t say whether they do or don’t address that but it’s worthwhile noting.
Editor's Choice
BlacKkKlansman
What’s it about?
Colorado Springs is welcoming their first black officer to the force. He ingratiates himself over the phone with the local Ku Klux Klan before becoming their first African American member.
What we thought
Dan says: This is exactly what a dark comedy should be. Not a lot of dumb gags but a compelling and humorous look at a true story of Ron Stallworth. People with an interest in progressive politics will get a lot out of this but so long as you don’t emotionally bond with neo-nazis you should enjoy this thrilling romp.
Warning: Spike Lee uses his platform to append real footage of race crimes as an addendum to the film. While the message is powerful it is confronting and adds little to the film’s story. I preferred to avoid this footage when I first had the opportunity to see it and didn’t appreciate it being sprung on me. Avoid this segment is you’re sensitive.
3.5 stars
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
What’s it about?
This follow up to the 2008 musical based on the music of ABBA sees a pregnant Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) discover more about her mother Donna (Meryl Streep/Lily James).
What did we think?
Amy Currie says: At once a sequel and a prequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is ridiculous, unnecessary, overly sentimental and wildly enjoyable. With the bulk of ABBA’s hits used up on the first movie, the soundtrack tends towards B-sides and repeats (with a few notable exceptions*). It doesn’t matter a bit. It’s great fun to see young versions of some of the main characters, and the overly elaborate set-up necessary for Cher to sing a particular song is in itself worth the price of admission. Bring your dancing shoes, your tissues and your mum.
*Editor’s note: Stephen says: before we get attacked by ABBA fans, 6 of the 18 songs are A-side singles that weren’t in the original (one of which is their biggest single, and at 10 million copies, one of the highest selling songs of all time- guess who gets to sing that one?), and there are quite a few album tracks from Arrival and Voulez-Vous (two of this reviewers favourite ABBA LPs). #ABBAFan #NerdAlert
Skyscraper
What’s it about?
The Rock reimagines Die Hard by saving his family from terrorists in a locked-down skyscraper.
What did we think?
It’s time to put aside the Chuck Norris jokes and declare that gravity doesn’t affect The Rock; The Rock affects gravity. Skyscraper walks a fine line between homage and plagiarism but if you just want to see Dwayne Johnson saving the day amidst explosions and eye-rolling stunts then you will love this mindless action film. There are actually a few good scientific tidbits and accuracies in here as well as an interesting motive. It’s a shame that there are also flaws that render any credits from them immediately worthless. It’s highly predictable but to be honest, Liz and I had a blast predicting lines and cliched incidents (it even had a Rocky shout out) so would be fun slightly intoxicated. At the end of the day there’s one sentence that will decide whether you’ll see it or not: it’s The Rock.
Ant Man and the Wasp
What’s it about?
Scott/Ant Man (Paul Rudd) is struggling with the fallout of answering the Civil War call. He’s not legally allowed to have contact with Hank (Michael Douglas) or Hope (Evangeline Lilly), but they need him for a mission so…
What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: It’s the characters who make this movie enjoyable, which is lucky because a strong story line is nowhere to be found. It’s a sequel that doesn’t really know what it wants to be, and that leaves the audience clinging to the quips of our heroes and waiting for something to really invest in. Interestingly, this movie was meant to be released BEFORE Avengers: Infinity War. I won’t say whether they do or don’t address that but it’s worthwhile noting.