In October 2015, A’Ziah “Zola” King, a Detroit Hooters waitress and part-time stripper, unleashed a 150 tweet thread that became a viral sensation. The tweetstorm, now infamously known as the “The Story“, was a bonkers account of a road trip with a brazen young woman she’d served at work. Zola, actually titled @Zola, is adapted
Natasha Romanoff gets an action-packed origin story that sets up a raft of new MCU characters. Black Widow can best be described as The Americans meets 007 in a James Bond-styled adventure. A fantastic supporting cast adds much more humor and likeability than expected. Black Widow also tackles the serious themes of human trafficking and
In the summer of 1969, the musical world had its spotlight on “3 Days of Peace & Music” at the Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York. During that same period, one hundred miles south in Harlem’s Mount Morris Park, another series of concerts inspired a generation and helped to define a tidal shift in Black
Hungry aliens make mincemeat of future humans in an action-packed, but nonsensical sci-fi blockbuster. The Tomorrow War has Chris Pratt conscripted into a temporal conflict. Mankind is getting decimated, so a time portal is invented to get reinforcements from the past. The high concept plot is easily picked apart by common sense and logic. What
The Purge franchise ends on a dismal note with a ham-fisted and brainless fifth installment. The Forever Purge has white supremacist militias running amok to claim America for its true Christian citizens. All immigrants, the wealthy ruling class, and pretty much every non-caucasian, are targets for bloody slaughter. Social media drives the carnage in a
Steven Soderbergh returns to peak crime drama form with an outstanding all-star cast. No Sudden Move is a riveting tale of theft, murder, and betrayal. What begins as a simple job for three career criminals spirals into a big money score with serious ramifications. The fifties period setting adds fascinating social, racial, and sexual dynamics.
A shy teen gets in big trouble while trying to go out with his acerbic neighbor. First Date has the pieces of a zany adolescent action comedy, but never puts the puzzle together in an interesting way. Amateurish direction and a significant lack of chemistry from the young leads doom the film from the start.
Long haul truckers race to the rescue in an action-packed, blue-collar thriller. The Ice Road follows the frantic response to a mine collapse deep in the Canadian tundra. Liam Neeson comes to Netflix as a recently fired trucker who’s enlisted for the dangerous drive. The Ice Road has its fair share of clichés, but also
Ubisoft’s hit whodunit video game gets an equally successful big screen adaptation. Werewolves Within is a cheeky horror comedy that delights from start to finish. The film has an aw shucks, nice guy trapped in a small town with a feral killer on the loose. He’s forced to survive the night, while trying to figure
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One is an absolutely stunning adaptation of the classic comic book series by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. In a Gotham City ruled by organized crime, The Dark Knight faces a mysterious killer that cannot be stopped by brute force or terror. He learns to be a true detective, where