Cars 3

G
Starring the voices of: Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Larry the Cable Guy, Chris Cooper, Nathan Fillion, Armie Hammer, Ray Magliozzi, Tony Shaloub and Bonnie Hunt
Running Time: 1 Hour and 49 Minutes


The legendary Lightening McQueen is back! It was fun to return back to "The Cars" franchise.
The original "Cars" was released all the way back in 2006, "Cars 2" in 2011 and now we have
 "Cars 3".
This was very sweet and tender movie that primarily focuses on racing superstar, Lightening McQueen (Owen Wilson) who Is returning back to the racing scene with a lot of bright and shiny fast entertainment.
Lightening finds himself just a little overwhelmed when a very fancy new generation race car, Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) rolls into town! Lightening is use to being the number one draw at the speedway. Suddenly he feels like he is being overlooked for this flamboyant new kid on the block! When Lightening's good buddies start to get discouraged by Jackson Storm, they start to retire from the racetrack while Lightening is starting to lose his own self confidence and questioning his own ability to race. On his final race he finds himself in a bad crash where he sustains some serious damage! He questions if he is getting too old to race anymore and considers whether he should retire too?
He consults with his great friends from Radiator Springs, Sally (Bonnie Hunt and Mater (Larry the cable guy) fortunately,  they encourage him and boost his confidence to get back on the racing circuit. He leaves for Florida to begin training and he unexpectedly has a new sponsor, Sterling (Nathan Fillion) who has a fantastic state of the art facility. Lightening still questions if he has the prowess or if he is getting too old to continue to race?
" Cars 3" felt like it had returned to the original and sweet story of "Cars 1". It felt more true to form. This is a story that the entire family can go and see and all will enjoy it without hesitation. As with all Disney Pixar movies, the visuals were off of the chart! Just a charming little movie
Parents be advised: "Cars 3" is rated G, it's been a really long time since I have reviewed a movie rated "G"! It's really nice  and refreshing to finally have a "G" rated movie in the theaters.
I am giving "Cars 3" four bags of popcorn.

Wonder Woman

 

PG-13

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Lilly Aspell, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, Danny Huston, David Thewlis,

 Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremerton and Eugene Brave Rock

Running Time: 2 Hours and 21 Minutes

Wow, "Wonder Woman" (Gal Gadot) was... wonderful!

 When I screened this movie I had very little 

expectations and I came away very pleasantly surprised!

I actually have a new favorite super-hero! 

I loved the way the movie began, how they set up the foundation for her life and how she developed into the strong and courageous young woman with a determination to always do the right.

She is a fierce warrior who never lets fear or trepidation stand in her way.

Young Diana (Lilly Aspell) grows up in a very beautiful environment filled with love and respect, surrounded by only women in a place called Amazon.

There she learns to become a skilled warrior capable of defending herself and others after much practice and training. Her aunt Antiope (Robin Wright) takes her under her wing and teaches her all of her own skills when she see great potential in Diana.

One day while looking out over the horizon she sees an airplane take a nosedive directly into the ocean and she knows she has no time to waste to save this pilot. She literally jumps into action and dives into the water to save this person.

Enter Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and suddenly she has encountered her very first human male. Unfortunately he is being followed by a whole host of enemy soldiers trying to kill him because he is a spy! They are in a ship and boats and come ashore where a battle takes place against the female warriors of Amazon. There is a very high death count and Diana is determined it is time for her to leave against her mothers wishes and take down the enemy which started this 

wicked World War I.

She sets out on a boat with Streve Trevor so that she can go and fight against the enemy and save all of mankind. 

I found this movie to touch on all sides of human emotion. First, there is incredible chemistry  between Diana and Steve. Plus there is some fun humor and great relationships develop. Some history and the agony of war is present plus the nefarious bad guys are present and it just makes for a really good story.

I really enjoyed this movie and I think anyone who has reservations about a female super-hero will be pleasantly surprised by "Wonder Woman"! 

FYI... no need to stay for the "after the credits" scenes because there are none! 

Save your valuable 15 minutes.

Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13. There is definitely the horror of war on the front lines and the diabolical evil minded enemies always  trying to constantly concoct insidious new ways to end human life. There is some mild profanity and Chris Pine has a scene where he comes out of some mineral pools without any clothing, he quickly covers himself, also some talk of human reproduction between Diana and Steve.

I am giving "Wonder Woman" four bags of popcorn.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

PG-13
Starring: Johnny Depp, Javier Barden, Kaya Scodelario, Brenton Thwaites, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Paul McCartney
Running Time: 2 Hours and 9 minutes

Johnny Depp reprises his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in this fifth installment of
"The Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.
The 1st and original was released in 2003; "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl".
The 2nd in 2006; "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest".
The 3rd in 2007;  "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
The 4th in 2011: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides".
It has been fourteen years since the first movie and six years since the last movie.
I was so happy when I heard that they were going to make another sequel. (I am a huge Disneyland fan and I love The Pirates of the Caribbean ride, it never gets old!) so it was with excitement and great anticipation that I screened this new movie.
I was not disappointed!
Johnny Depp did a great job as he usually does. This movie felt like they had moved back to more of the original story-line than they had in the past two sequels.
This is just a fun swashbuckling movie for fans of the pirate movies. More excitement and more action await as the the nefarious dead pirate, Captain Salazar (Javier Barden) escapes from the Devil's Triangle. Captain Jack has to think quick while consuming large amounts of Rum how he can locate the the infamous, Trident of the Poseidon to help to defeat the evil Captain Salazar.
He has to rely on two new characters, Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) who just happens to be Will Turner's (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann's (Keira Knightley) son and Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) who just happens to be Captain Hector Barbossa's daughter. There seems to be a love interest between these two new characters. She is proficient at Astronomy and Captain Jack needs her expertise. They also delve into a little bit of Captain Jack's past as a young man which was very interesting!
This movie is just for fun and a great escape movie. Simply entertainment meshed with a ton of pirate action, special effects and some emotion too. I think if you are a fan of the pirate movies, you will enjoy this one.
Make sure if you go and see this movie that you are not late! It starts out with a bang that sets up the entire story. Plus, don't leave until... after the credits!!! A great surprise awaits that will keep you guessing for the next sequel if it does indeed happen?!?
Parents be advised: This is a PG-13 rated movie. There is some fierce pirate fighting sequences with swords and also some scary pirate ghost characters that might be too intense for young viewers and some mild profanity. I would recommend this movie for children over the age of 12.
I am giving "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" three bags of popcorn.

Gifted

PG-13
Starring: Chris Evans, McKenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer
Running Time: 1 Hour and 41 Minutes

This movie was a sweet surprise. It is the story of a young man Frank Adler (Chris Evans) who inherited his sister's six year old daughter Mary (Grace McKenna) after his sister committed suicide. Young Mary just happens to be a mathematical genius and a child prodigy.
Frank finds his world turned upside down and puts every effort he has into making a wonderful life for little Mary. The two of them develop a tender and sweet relationship.They live in Florida where Frank repairs boats and lives in a rundown house.
When Mary starts school she finds herself very bored and she is not being challenged enough. Her teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate) notices she is not fitting in like the other students. Mary became frustrated and demanded to have Frank come and get her from school. When Mary returns, her teacher decides to challenge her and Mary completes her work at breakneck speed. Her teacher consults with the principal where they determine that Mary is "Gifted". They invite Frank in to discuss their findings with him and recommend a special school for her. Frank refuses and demands to keep her at the local elementary school.
Enter Frank's long lost mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan). She is a very proper English woman who suddenly shows up at Frank's front door. She found out that little Mary is a prodigy and demands to take her to her home in Boston and raise her in a more stable environment where she will supply her with all the tools she needs to be challenged and educated in her style.
Little Mary's mother was also a prodigy and a mathematical genius. Her mother Evelyn pushed her and was a very dominant force in her life! Evelyn really wants an opportunity to help move Mary in that same direction.
Frank and Evelyn lock horns and all chaos ensues!
I really enjoyed this movie. I found it to be very touching and heartwarming. Chris Evans did a really good job as Frank and it was great to see him in a serious role. Little Grace McKenna was incredible as Mary, I'm sure we will see her around in a lot more movies in the future. If you just want to go and see a sweet movie and have a break from the regular  intense movies, this will fill the bill.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG-13. There is really nothing objectionable about this movie other than some fighting and genuine showing of raw emotion. Also when Frank is really stressed out he drops one F-bomb.
I am giving "Gifted". three bags of popcorn.

The Fate Of The Furious

PG-13
Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson,Ludacris, Charlize Theron,Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Luke Evans, Kristofer Hivju, Helen Mirren and Scott Eastwood
Running Time: 2 Hours and 16 Minutes

Okay, so here we are once again and the gang is all here with the exception of course, of our beloved Paul Walker. This is the EIGTH  (octoquel) installment of "The Fast And The Furious" franchise!
When Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are finally honeymooning in
Havana, Cuba.
Dom suddenly finds himself being challenged to race the so-called leader (or bully) of the racing gang in Cuba, in order to save an old, beat up car for his cousin or his young cousin has to forfeit his car to the leader. The issue is that Dom has to race in the old beat up car! It is quite the race scene. Dom kicks in the Nos (nitrous oxide system) and it is pure pedal-to-the-medal classic "Fast and Furious" street racing!
This movie starts out with a bang! Lots of Latin culture and the flavor of Cuba which is interesting to see.
When Dom ventures out the next day he encounters Cipher (Charlize Theron) from his past who threatens him (or blackmails him) to turn against his racing buddies and his new wife Letty.
She shows Dom  a picture on her cell phone where he finds out he is actually the father of a newborn son from another woman he was previously involved with.
Cipher is some kind of an evil villain type that will do anything for power! She has kidnapped the woman and the newborn baby and put them on an airplane with her.
The whole movie is based on Dom finding a way to save the baby before Cipher does something to harm the baby. His friends and Letty have no idea why he has turned against them and continue to believe the best in him. This movie is full of mind-blowing stunts and special effects that are unbelievable. There is a chase scene in New York  with the Russian defense minister who just happens to be carrying a briefcase of nuclear codes that ultimately takes them to an unbelievable showdown in Russia.
The gang including; Letty, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludracris) all end up at some kind of Russian military outpost in the middle of nowhere where all crap breaks loose and a huge race/fight takes place on the frozen tundra. All of the drivers are there with the customized fancy race cars going as fast as they can on the ice and snow all while being chased down by the Russians! They are confronted with a gigantic, disastrous nuclear submarine that comes crashing through the ice when Dom saves the day!
Oh, and also, the baby is saved off of the airplane before it goes down and Cipher parachutes safely off the plane too, leaving her character wide open for a sequel.
They eventually all end up at one of their homes where they are all having a party when Dom introduces the newest member of the gang and all is well!?!?
This movie is classic "Fast And Furious" style. It stays true to the franchise and you will get the
 "The Fast and Furious" thrill out of this one too For me personally, I just really miss Paul Walker and his character Brian O'Conner. It just doesn't have the same feel without him. They introduced a new character in this movie, Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood). He just happens to be Clint Eastwood's very handsome son that has a similar look to Paul Walker  and he was also a close friend to Paul Walker for several years as well. It will be interesting to see if they decide to develop his character in the next sequel due out on April 19th 2019.
Parents be advised: This is a hard PG-13. Brief scantily-clothed women in the beginning, crazy racing scenes, violence, destruction and some suggestive content too. Of course they drop one f-bomb and several other curse words.
I am giving "The Fate Of The Furious" two and a half bags of popcorn.

Beauty And The Beast

PG
Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Hattie Morahan,
 Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Nathan Mack, Audra McDonald, Stanley Tucci and Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Running Time: 2 Hours and 9 Minutes

It's hard to believe after waiting for such a long time and so much anticipation...
"Beauty And The Beast", is finally here!
I have always truly loved this classic Disney fairy tale and I was so excited to see it. There has been so much hype and controversy surrounding this remake that I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
I will say that I am delighted with this movie and I found it to be a feast for the senses!
 It was an incredibly beautiful adaptation of the original 1991 animated Disney version. There have been several other remakes of the tale, one dating as far back as 1946.
This "Beauty And The Beast" takes place in a small village somewhere in France where you find beautiful Belle (Emma Watson) walking through the village where the townsfolk find her quite a peculiar girl because of her great love of books and literature.The most desired bachelor Gaston (Luke Evans) in the village has his eyes set on marrying Belle and does not want to take "no" for an answer! Belle has no interest in him and actually finds him offensive and does everything she can to avoid him! She has been raised alone by her widowed father after her mother had tragically passed away. Her father Maurice (Kevin Kline) loves her dearly and has done all that he can to give her a good life. He has to leave for a short trip to deliver some goods and promises Belle he will return as soon as he can. While out on that trip he encounters a bad storm and loses his way. The horse is spooked and the cart crashes. He finds himself lost and totally disoriented. Suddenly he is surrounded by wolves! Very  intimidating and terrifying wolves that appear very, very hungry! He is barely able to escape and finds his way to a castle. He enters inside and finds it dark and dreary. He finds some cute little creatures, Cogsworth (Ian McKellan) and Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) who entice him.
He searches around where he encounters the BEAST (Dan Stevens)!!! The beast flies into a rage and locks poor Maurice up in a cell! A few days later their horse returns home to the village, but not with her father Maurice, so Belle jumps on the horse and sets out to search for her father. The horse follows the path he had traveled earlier and Belle falls into the very same fate! Attacked by the very vicious and wicked wolves, she survives and finds herself also at the dark and dreary castle! She enters reluctantly and eventually finds her father locked up! The Beast confronts her and she begs him to release her elderly father and the Beast agrees... but only if she takes his place. So her father is set free and she is locked up!
Many years beforehand, there was a young and handsome prince who lived in the castle and he had greatly offended the enchantress Agathe (Hattie Morahan) who quickly put a curse on the prince, the castle and the grounds surrounding it! The only way to break the curse was for the prince/Beast to fall in love before the last rose petal falls off of the rose that the enchantress had encased in a glass dome for many, many years.
In my opinion this movie is a true masterpiece! It was just as beautiful of a movie as you can possibly imagine. I loved the people they cast in these truly iconic roles. The amazing special effects and how they brought all of these objects to life, were simply incredible! All of the little characters we have grown to love over the years like; Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson) and Chip (Nathan Mack), Cogsworth, Lumiere, Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Madame Garderobe (Audra McDonald) and Maestro Cadenza (Stanley Tucci). They were simply delightful!
Gaston was his usual over-the-top self with his sidekick Lefou (Josh Gad) who took the brunt of Gaston's collateral damage. This movie is not without its controversy, there was said to be a "gay" scene towards the end of the movie, so I watched closely for it. It consisted of a very brief (maybe five seconds if that) of Lefou dancing with another male during the grand ball. I found Lefou to be just a jovial kind of guy throughout the entire movie.
Emma Watson did an outstanding job as Belle. She was perfect in this role! Dan Stevens was also exceptional as The Beast!
I was truly entertained and did not want the movie to end even at 2 hours and 9 minutes! A great movie for adults as well as youth!
Parents be advised: This movie did have several very intense scenes that I feel will be very intimidating for young children. The Beast has a harsh temper in the beginning and can be scary! What I found to be the most frightening were the wolves! The wolves were terrifying!
I would recommend this movie for children over the age of eight.
I am giving "Beauty And The Beast" four bags of popcorn.

KONG: Skull Island

PG-13
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Samuel L. Jackson, John C Reilly, Toby Kebbell, Corey Hawkins, Thomas Mann, Jason Mitchell and Shea Whigham
Running Time:1 Hour and 58 Minutes

There have been so many variations of King Kong movies made over the years that I really didn't think this one could be much different. However, this one definitely has its own identity with a nostalgic feel as well.
A special group of scientists including Bill Randa (John Goodman) get permission from the government to go and explore a very remote island that is hidden away and very obscure, hoping to find answers and cures to some of man's most deadly diseases.
The remote island is surrounded by perpetual mega-storms which have always deterred humans from exploring the island. However, the scientists feel that they must gain access to the island in hopes of finding worthwhile solutions to some of man's most perplexing issues.
The scientists convince James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) to accompany them along with Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), some top-notch Vietnam soldiers, and a young photojournalist, Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) embark upon the dangerous journey.
 Once there they hop aboard the helicopters and head directly into the storms. The storms are much more powerful than they had anticipated and they are fighting to keep control of the choppers! They all land and crash in different areas and they are desperately trying to find the rest of their people.
When they find this island is not like any other place they have ever encountered, they realize they need to hurry and find their way off of the island as fast as they can! Suddenly they have a King Kong confrontation! As with all the King Kong movies before this one, the people encounter some of the most unusual and deadly creatures they could possibly imagine!  One pleasant meeting was when they come upon a World War II vet, Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly), that has been stuck there since the 1940's. He was a lot of fun and somehow miraculously survived all the hazards and dangers that thrive on the unusual island. As one thing leads to another the ultimate showdown takes place and King Kong proves that he is indeed, the King!
This movie was a very intense and intimidating movie.The creatures were violent and in a league of their own! Kong on the one had was fierce and held his own but also had a tender and gentle side as well. The special effects were off the chart and the creatures were incredibly realistic! I will say that the audience was totally into this movie and applauded loudly when it was over.
I really enjoyed the story, the scenery and the feel of the old time classic King Kong stories from the past. I also got a kick out of the seventies music and the feel of that genre. If you do go and see this movie make sure you stay until the credits are over, there is a really fun snippet at the very end you do not want to miss!
Parents be advised: I would not recommend this movie to children under the age of thirteen.
The creatures were alarming, frightening and might be too intense for youth that are intimidated by new and creepy beings. There was some profanity and one f-bomb and
another almost f-bomb.
I am giving "KONG: Skull Island" three bags of popcorn.