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T.A. Moreland

T.A. Moreland

Movie Review: Don't Breathe will take your breath away!

Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette) and Money (Daniel Zovatto) are three Detroit thieves who use Alex's father position at a home security firm to locate their usual targets. Money learns about a blind veteran, played by Stephan Lang, who won a major cash settlement following the death of his only child. They usually hit residences when the owners are away. But they figure a large take with only a blind man at home is worth the change in strategy. However, it's a gross understatement to say this trio got much more than they bargained for when they decided to take on who they believed to be a helpless victim.

I am not a fan of horror films, but Don't Breathe may be the best one I have ever seen. The script is the star. It's an intriguing story which continues to surprise and entertain, taking viewers on a terrifying adventure with unexpected turn and after turn. And this is not the usual horror film with incredibly stupid moves by this group; they do everything they can to escape this nightmare. On the other hand, this film is plagued by unrealistic, Hollywood superhuman character fetes.

The cast diversity rating is D-. This film is set in Detroit. While the cast is very small, the only people of color in this movie are in background scenes.

Don't Breathe is the scary film genre at its best! It's a See It! It's rated "R" for terror, violence, distributing content and language. It perfectly timed at 88 minutes.

Movie Review: Come Hell or High Water, There Is NO Reason to See This Film

It's all about justice. Texas justice. Brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) after years of separation, reunite to get back the money their deceased mother paid in a reverse mortgage agreement. If the bank is not repaid, it will take the family farm. So Toby and Tanner set out to rob the branches of the bank in question, get enough to then repay the bank (using the stolen money) and free the farm of debt for Toby's children who were bequeathed the property. The plan seems completely justifiable in the cowboys' minds. The problem is that on the verge of retiring Texas Ranger, Marcus (Jeff Bridges) and his partner Alberto (Gil Birmingham) see the robberies as breaking the law.

Hell or High Water is not a bad movie. It's just no reason to see it. It's mildly entertaining but so is a lot of what's on TV or on the internet. It very much resembles a 1950s Western – except for the language and more graphic violence.

But in the 50s, this type of film worked because there was so much less entertainment competition. Now watching your favorite videos on YouTube alone would be a better use of your time.

The story is not especially thrilling, switching back and forth between Toby and Chris reminiscing about their childhood or strategizing over the next bank heist.

You find Marcus and Alberto debating how to best catch the brothers and Marcus taking shots at Alberto's half Comanche/half Mexican ethnicity.

The film drags through much of time. Small town Texas isn't that interesting, at least as portrayed in this movie.

Hell or High Water gets a D for cast diversity. Texas is a place where more than half the population is black and Hispanic. Other than Gil Birmingham who is in real life a Comanche, there are few people of color in this film.

So come Hell or High Water, pass on this film. It gets a Dead on Arrival rating. Not because it's a bad movie, it's not worth seeing or renting.

Hell or High Water is rated R for strong violence, language, and brief sexuality. And is 102 minutes in length.

 

Movie Review: Florence Foster Jenkins Will Shrill Her Way Into Your Heart!

People may say I can't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing", declared Florence Foster Jenkins. Born Nascina Florence Foster, in 1868, the daughter of a wealthy attorney, she later dropped Nascina and added her first husband's surname, Jenkins. The film, Florence Foster Jenkins, based upon a true story, stars Meryl Streep as a woman who despite having very little vocal talent was nevertheless convinced of her own exceptional singing abilities. Those who thought otherwise were either low class or poor judges of vocal excellence. Her piano accompanist Cosmo McMoon (Simon Helberg) did his best to hide her many voice imperfections. She used her wealth to gain access to New York City society and through that access was able to develop a small but loyal following. St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) was her second husband; although they never consummated their relationship due to Jenkins' health issues. Bayfield was his wife's most loyal supporter and also her manager, despite his unexpressed realization that Jenkins had little singing talent.

Florence Foster Jenkins was a movie in which I literally went from how did this movie ever get made, to what a great film! The plot, a wealthy eccentric lady believes she can sing when actually she cannot, is not an interesting concept. However, this script is skillfully written by Nicholas Martin and perfectly cast with Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, and Simon Helberg and they take an unexceptional premise and turn it into an exceptional movie. Florence Foster Jenkins is a See It!

The story takes a while to develop. But ultimately viewers are drawn in by the depth and appeal of Foster. A woman of warmth, compassion, and a unique charm. But ultimately this is a story of the power of positive thinking – aided a bit by wealth; and how if you believe in yourself, you find as least some others will too.

As to our cast diversity rating, Florence Foster Jenkins gets an A-. Considering the setting is upper-class 1940s New York City, the film has a black couple in the social set of St. Clair Bayfield. During that time period, New York City was about 7% black and that was reflected in this film with black people commonly featured in street and other public shots. And also black G.I.s were prevalent in soldier scenes.

Florence Foster Jenkins is rated PG for brief suggestive material. Running time is 110 minutes, and it gets our highest rating, See It!

Movie Review: Ben-Hur Races to a See It! Rating

It was 1959 when the epic story of Ben-Hur starring Charlton Heston was released. While mostly remembered for its classic, spellbinding chariot race, there is so much more to the story. Judah Ben-Hur and his adopted brother Messala enjoy a deep affection for each other until they become young men. Ben-Hur born into status and privilege sees the excesses of the Roman Empire as a necessary component of maintaining peace. Messala views the Empire as the route to the status that Ben-Hur was born into, joins and quickly rises through the ranks of the Roman army. Esther, Ben-Hur's childhood friend and later his wife, resists the Romans and advocates for the infidels who suffer the most at the hand of the Romans. This sympathy and conflict of views lead to the dissension between Messala and Ben-Hur, and the imprisonment and loss of social standing for the Hur household members. And also ultimately results in the great chariot race between Messala and Ben-Hur. These activities occur against the backdrop of the rise of Jesus of Nazareth.

Ben-Hur methodically lays out the characters' relationships, their behavioral motives before culminating in the climatic competition. It's a See It!

One issue with this movie is the dialogue seems a bit too 21st century. For example, when one character responds to another by saying: "Well, that's life!" Or the comment: "Everyone act normal!" And the statement: "Those are the people you run with." Are these really the phrases people used in biblical days?

But this film does come into its own. Notwithstanding some of the questionable dialogue, the performances of Jack Huston as Ben-Hur, Toby Kebbell as Messala, and Nazanin Boniadi as Esther all give authenticity to this epic story. The cast is greatly enhanced by the majestic Morgan Freeman as Sheik Ilderim, Ben-Hur's mentor, and supporter. The Sheik's role is greatly expanded from the previous adaptions of this story.

Also, Ben-Hur is bolstered by the powerful scenes both on land and at sea captured by the outstanding cinematography.

Ultimately, the movie ends with the thrilling, climactic chariot races with takes 32 days in Rome to film. It's time well spent!

Ben-Hur gets a "B" for cast diversity. Morgan Freeman's central role, accompanied by a heavy presence of black characters in background scenes supports that rating.

Ben-Hur will have to bring in the crowds to recover its $100 million production costs. It's 124 minutes in length and rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and disturbing imagery.

 

 

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