Movie Reviews on good movies that are compulsory viewing

The Chi – Season 2 Review
Movie Reviews this week continues with the hard hitting drama The Chi, focusing on the lives of some of the residents in Chicago in their struggle to survive.

We join it as Ronnie played magnificently by Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Bosch) is getting used to his new surroundings in jail, and already is beginning to take people under his wing, but receives some distress news, that causes him to seek any way of getting out of jail.

Our protagonist and constantly optimistic chef, Brandon played by Jason Mitchell (Kong: Skull Island) tries to rectify whatsoever issues may exist between him and his girlfriend Jerrika played by the gorgeous Tiffanny Boone (Hunters), all the while joining an uncomfortable partnership with local drug dealer Reg, played amazingly by Barton Fitzpatrick (Empire), and the boss of the 63rd St. Mob Otis \”Douda\” Perry, played menacingly by Curtiss Cook (Mayans M.C.), who might have to make an uncomfortable choice after pressure from his business partners. Matters are not helped with a new Detective Alice Toussaint, played by the gorgeous Crystal Dickinson (The Good Wife); has been assigned to Detective Armando Cruz, played by Armando Riesco (Queen of the South); who has an inkling that Brandon is now just aligned with the 63rd St. Mob but must be a high ranking member, after surveillance footage, shows several members of the 63rd St. Mob hanging around at his fast food van.

The three friends, Kevin played by Alex R. Hibbett (Moonlight), Stanley \”Papa\” Jackson played by Shamon Brown Jnr. and Jake played by Michael Epps, have a day out to another school, and chose this opportunity for a business deal that might have some unforeseen consequences.

Eternal playboy Emmett played convincingly by Jacob Latimore (The Maze Runner), has a compromise for his baby mamas, but has to deal with an incident at work that might mean he is out of a job, and strikes a deal with Brandon to promote a joint venture that Brandon is initially wary off, but with Emmett’s charm is hard ot resist.

The Chi has always been fascinating, in that it gives life to some of the characters we often don\;t hear about, and for whatever reason, may find their life choices, seriously altered from the norms predominant society expects.

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The Chi – Season 1 Review

Movie Reviews this week looks at the highly praised drama from the people involved with The Wire, the The Chi Season One.

The Chi Season One is a fascinating insight into life in the projects in Chicago, with an underlying theme that not everybody’s circumstances paints them with the brush of either pure evil or purely good.

It stars the superb Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) as Brandon Johnson, an upcoming chef, who has a lovely girlfriend played by the beautiful Tiffany Boone (Hunters); he is trying to make something of himself with his passion for cooking, all the while trying to keep tabs on his buoyant little brother Coogie played by Jahking Guillory, and their mother Laverne played the stalwart Sonja Sohn (The Wire), who needs a break from the teenager, and allows Brandon to look after Coogie for the day.

We join the series as a murder has occurred, and the only suspect is Coogie, who was found standing over the body. This incident seemingly then connects the lives of all in the community, ofcourse Brandon, their mother Laverne, the police officer investigating the case Detective Armando Cruz played by Armando Riesco (Queen of the South), who is aware that a local drug gang operate nearby who have one of their lieutenants Reg Taylor played by Barton Fitzpatrick (Empire) as controlling that area, and after questioning the likeable Coogie, he is convinced he is not a suspect.
This however does not help matters, and the victim’s adopted father Ronny, a vet who might have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), played by the fantastic Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Bosch), since he is a confidential informant for Detective Armando Cruz, he feels he should give him a headsup that they have someone in custody.
The fact that Ronny is told this information, has far reaching consequences for the small community, from Brandon’s girlfriend Jerrika who may have to come to terms that Brandon is being led up a path that he is not, to three life long friends Kevin Little played by the very promising Alex R. Hibbert (Moonlight), the funny Stanley ‘Papa’ Jackson, played by Shamon Brown Jr., and Jake Taylor played by Michael Epps (Chicago Fire).

The Chi tries to give a reasonable depth to some of the characters in a community many don’t hear about, and are easily labelled, but aims to show things are never quite just black and white.

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Snowfall – Season 3 Review

Movie Reviews this week looks at season 3 of the much lauded crime drama created by the late John Singleton (Boyz in the Hood) Snowfall.

It continues the story of the rise of crack cocaine in South Central Los Angeles, with our protagonist Franklin Saint payed charmingly by Damson Idris, as not only controlling the crack cocaine in Los Angeles, but having to deal with competitors in the form of Drew “Manboy” Miller played by Melvin Gregg (Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No).

Surprisingly after Franklin’s episode in jail, his mother Cissy Saint played by Michael Hyatt (Nightcrawler), has come around to accepting her son’s life choice, as long as she does not lose him; so it is a little bit of a surprise compared to the first two seasons to see Cissy and Franklin buying properties together.

Franklin’s uncle Jerome Saint played by Amin Joseph (Baywatch) has also branched out in opening a nightclub possibly to satisfy Aunt Louie played by Angela Lewis (The Good Wife) who always had eyes on Claudia Crane’s (played by the wonderful Judith Scott (Flightplan)) nightclub , and even Franklin’s father, Alton Saint, played by Kevin Carroll (The Walking Dead) has come off his street addiction to reconcile with Cissy, and even help Cissy and Franklin.

Meanwhile Franklin’s neighbour, the police officer Andre Wright, played by Marcus Henderson (Get Out) comes to the stark reality of what the drug is doing to his community.

Franklin’s love interest Melody played by the gorgeous Reign Edwards (The Bold and the Beautiful) is about to go to college, but may be a bit reluctant, seeing her father Andre, has not taken her on the road trip he promised her they would go on if she got into college.

CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) operative Teddy Macdonald played by Carter Hudson, has to contend with dealing with someone in his past when he contacts the agency, after being expressly told not to, and Gustavo ‘El Oso’ Zapata played by Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: last Blood) makes headway into new routes with his love interest’s family, who has mysteriously gone AWOL.

The viewers get to see how Franklin has progressed from a small time drug dealer dealing in cannabis, to being the boss of a large drug dealing network, now expanding into a select clientele, regardless of the moral impacts of his decision, which makes Snowfall a fascinating series to watch.

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Snowfall – Season 2 Review

Movie Reviews this week continues with the dramatic rise of crack cocaine through South Central Los Angeles.
It continues with story of Franklin Saint (played superbly by Damson Idris) as he continues to expand his crack cocaine enterprise, much to the dismay of his long suffering mother, Cissy Saint played marvellously by the stalwart Michael Hyatt (Nightcrawler). Now Franklin is no longer under the wings of his Uncle, Jerome Saint, played by Amin Joseh (Sons of Anarchy), and Aunt Louie played by the gorgeous Angela Lewis (The Good Wife), they are now under him in his operation, and he is acknowledged as the boss, much to the chagrin of one of his long time friends notably the emotional and highly strung Kevin Hamilton played by Michael M. Mays (Power Book III: Raising Kanaan), and Leon Simmons played enigmatically by Isaiah John.
Franklin’s love interest, Melody played by the gorgeous Reign Edwards (The Bold and the Beautiful), whose police officer father; Andre Wright, played by Marcus Henderson (Get Out), has to turn his back on Franklin who he helped raise, but since they are next door enighbours, he cannot help seeing Franklin, and Melody like a moth to flame cannot resist him either.
This time Franklin rather than deal with the volatile Avi Drexler, played enigmatically by Alon Aboutboul (Rambo III), who seems to have taken him under his wing, as a pseudo father figure; is now dealing directly with Reed Thompson, one of the aliases Teddy Macdonald uses (played efficiently by Carter Hudson); a CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), who has now enrolled a family member no else in his proxy war to aide U.S interests, albeit if anything were to go wrong, he has been told he is on his own, and not to contact the CIA unless it is absolutely necessary.
We join Season two as Lucia Villanueva played by Emily Rios (From Dusk till Dawn the series), and Gustavo ‘El Oso’ Zapata played menacingly by Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood), have found themselves having to make up for their treachery in the previous season.
Despite the moral dilemmas the viewer faces watching the protagonist, it is fascinating to watch as Franklin metamorphosises from an innocent, wet behind the ears small time drug dealer trying to get in on the action, to running the entire crack cocaine enterprise in South Central Los Angeles, and some of his actions as necessary as he sees it, to demand respect from his workers.

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Snowfall – Season 1 Review

Movie Reviews this week looks at the crime drama created by the late John Singleton Snow Fall.
It tells the story of the first crack cocaine epidemic through Los Angeles, and the impact it has on the local community.
It stars Damson Idris as Franklin Saint, an easily liked college drop out, who is currently living with his mother.
It is a close knit community, but already his uncle Jerome Saint, played by Amin Joseph (Baywatch), Jerome is well known for selling marijuana, despite Franklin’s mother, Sharon ‘Cissy’ Saint played by Michael (yes didn’t know Michael could be a female name too) Hyatt ( Brothers and Sisters, The Wire) in a stirring peformnce; desperate desire that he does not follow the same path.
The lure of making his own money, and getting a piece of the pie, Franklin feels others are doing is a pull too great, and gets an opportune meeting with Avi Drexler, played charismatically by Alon Aboutboul (Rambo III), who initially does not believe that he can offload the kilograms of cocaine within a short amount of time. Ever the opportunist, he offers to do just that, which leads to a meeting with the local Madam, Claudia Crane, played wonderfully by Judith Scott (Flightplan).

Added to the mix is Gustavo ‘El Oso’ Zapata placed menacingly by Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood); a wrestler who has found himself being asked to do something that might make him rich but may not sit so well on his conscience, who happens to have a fan in Franklin, along with Lucia Villaneuva and Pedro Nava, played by Emily Rios (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series) and Filipe Valle Costa (Blue Bloods) respectively, two cousins, in a Mexican cartel who have hired Gustavo. The cartel is headed by Ramiro played by Jos Ziga (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), Pedro’s father, and Teddy McDonald played warmly by Carter Hudson, a CIA agent who finds himself embroiled in the narcotics game to fund a war by the US government, unwittingly finding himself attached to Alejandro Usteves appropriately labelled a latin Freddy Mercury, played chillingly by Juan Javier Cardenas (The Walking Dead).
Snow Fall Season 1 is a fascinating insight into the emergence of crack cocaine in the early 80s, and although the subject matter holds no grounds for heroes, you end up sympathising with the characters and the consequences of their choices.

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Aquaman – Review

Movie Reviews this week looks at the sci-fi blockbuster Aquaman.
It stars Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman, following his introduction and other DC (Detective Comics) Comics characters in Justice League.
We meet our protagonist, saving the crew of a Russian ship, from an attack by alleged Navy Seals who strangely have been hired by Arthur’s half brother and apparent heir to the throne of Atlantis, King Orm, played by Patrick Wilson.
It turns out Arthur has never been to Atlantis, and his mother, the queen of Atlantis, Atlanna played by Nicole Kidman (Eyes Wide Shut), left Atlantis to avoid an arranged marriage to King Orm’s father. On land she meets Arthur’s father and they fall in love, but as such movies go, they do not get to
live happily ever after, and soon have to part ways, as defecting from your royal responsibilities has some serious consequences.
Arthur grows up without his mother, but being trained by Vulko played by Willem Dafoe (Spider Man), who is a loyalist to Arthur’s mother, but despite doing everything he asks of him with the promise of finally going to see his mother in Atlantis, it never happens. We get to see through flashbacks that Arthur has not had an easy life, being bullied for his strangeness at school, notably his ability to talk to aquatic animals.
Matters come to a head, as King Orm is about to be crowned king of all Atlantis, and wants to bring a war to the surface, due to the pollution humanity has on their environment.
Arthur now has the opportunity to step up to the mantle and unite the land and the sea as the true heir.
He is helped in his quest by Mera played by the beautiful Amber Heard as a redhead, who inevitably ends up being his love interest, however she is also betrothed to his half brother King Orm, and as daughter of King Nereus played by Dolph Lundgren, she has a great deal of pressure to show a united front.
Audiences can see why Aquaman is a worldwide hit, and the first movie in the DC Universe to compete with the Marvel Universe.
It has the charm and wonder that is rarely captured from the comic books, and the trailer is one of the more captivating comic book trailers I have seen in a while, and it was almost a guarantee that it would break records when worldwide ticket sales are finally summed up.
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Fauda Season 1 Review

Movie reviews this week looks at the fascinating Israeli and Palestinian drama Fauda, Arabic for chaos.
This is unique in that it is one of the first series to focus on the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, as seen through the eyes and minds of their families, providing a much needed human angle on the conflict.
It stars our protagonist Doron Kavillio played very warmly by Lior Raz, as a retired father of two, not long retired from a Mossad type agency, aimed at infiltrating potential Hamas operations, and giving much needed intel to thwart terrorist plots.
We meet Doron as he is settling to retired life, tending his vineyard that produces his own wine. Doron is brought back from retirement, for one last try after getting concrete evidence, that an alledge nemesis Abu Smara played by Jameel Khoury (Jack Ryan), long thought dead, is still very much alive, unable to resist the temptation for one last try to catch a terrorist that has eluded him, he ventures back to his old unit.
What follows is a tale of cat and mouse, as Doron tries to track down Abu Smara who is aided by his number two Walid El Abed played very well by Shadi Mar’i and his cousin Dr Shiri El Abed a non-religious doctor played by Laetitia E’ido, who is thrust against her will in the midst of a conflict she neither wants nor is prepared for, while Abu Smara tries to pull off a major terrorst act, that would cause some serious escalation in conflict in the Middle East.
The series is captivating as it sees things through the families of the protagonist and the victims they leave behind. Although this is an Israeli produced series, it tries to be neural in justifying the behaviour of our protagonists, and you end up feeling for them, although the choices they feel compelled to make are gruesome in many cases, the viewer sees the justification from their point of view, and although the choices may nto be agreeable to the audience all the time, it is seen through their lens.
One thing that rings true throughout the series, is the love of family above all else.
This is a Netflix original series, that has not been ventured into before, and the success of this series has already led to a second series with many angles to explore.
Fauda is a fascinating look at the Israeli and Palestinian conflict from those on the ground.
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Movie Reviews – Bright

Movie Reviews this week looks at the alternative futuristic sci-fi movie Bright starring the stalwart Will Smith (Indepedence Day).
We join the movie finding out that orcs, elves, and humans all live together in a futuristic alternative universe, where elves are in charge; the bourgeoisie of the planet, humans are the middle class, and orcs are not just the working class but are looked down upon, by both humans and elves. It does a very blatant comparison to any unjust society through any era of human civilisation and for this, it deserves recognition.
We meet Daryl Ward played by Will Smith (Independence Day), who is a cop looking just trying to survive till his pension in 5 years time. He has been paired up with the first LAPD orc police officer Nick Jacoby, played wonderfully by Joel Edgerton (Warrior), who is completely unrecognisable as the honour seeking orc. His personal battles of being a sellout to his race by being a cop, and never being accepted by his colleagues has been playe numerously in many a cop tv show, but not many have tried to apply that in such a futuristic universe as this.
In the routine of an incident, our two protagonists come into contact with an elf, Tikka played by Lucy Fry (Vampire Academy), who has a mythically wand, which apparently can give anybody their heart’s desire, the only problem being only a “bright” can handle it, anyone else who touches it is simply destroyed. What follows is a life and death struggle to preserve their lives whilst the owner of the wand, a powerful elf Leilah, played by the wonderful Noomi Rapace (Prometheus); as well as the LAPD are trying to get their hands on this wand.
Bright can be transposed into our modern world, with many of its themes, and anyone can recognise various political inferences in this movie, and it is an enjoyable sci-fi movie that will gather many fans.
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Movie Reviews – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Movie Reviews this week looks at the dark comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel, starring the stalwart Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener), and the little known Tony Revolori as M. Gustave and Zero respectively.
It tells the story of the older Zero now Mr Moustafa, played by the impeccable F. Murray Abraham (Homeland), as he tells his story to Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes), as to how he came the owner of the Grand Budapest Hotel.

It tells his story from his start as a bellboy, who comes into contact with the eccentric owner of the hotel Monsier Gustave M. played charmingly by Ralph Fiennes. He is immediately given an impromptu interview, and there on becomes Monsier Gustave’s trusted confidante.
It seems Monsier Gustave is all about satisfying his financially well off guests, and according to Gustave the requirements must that they must be rich, blond and old.
Matters take a sudden twist when one of Monsieur Gustave’s regularly arrivals to the hotel takes a turn for the worse, and Monsieur Gustave is fingered as the prime suspect, by none other than the woman’s family.
What ensures is a darkly hilarious journey as Zero and Monsieur Gustave try to prove his innocence, inbetween meeting characters from the world of hoteliers played by some famous faces, notably Bill Murray, Harvey Kietel, Jeff Goldblum and Adrien Brody.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is an oddly charming movie that initially gives the impression that it might be a comedy drama, but it is so much more darker, and takes the viewer on a convoluted journey of ignorant bliss. It tells the tale of a world long gone through oddity and mirth. The cinematography in the Grand Budapest Hotel is what makes it stand out, from its comparisons with cold war era espionage mixed with the bright effervescent colors of a Swiss chocolate, it certainly serves up a treat.

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Narcos Season 1 – Review

Movie Reviews this week looks at the very well made narcotics true crime series Narcos Season 1.
It tells the story of notorious Colombian drugs kingpin Pablo Escobar played impressively by Wagner Moura (Spider in Elysium). It isn’t quite a biography as it picks up his story with Escobar already a well known drugs smuggler having progressed from smuggling marijuana with his network of smuggling routes.
The story of the Colombian drug wars is told from the point of view of a local U.S. DEA(Drug and Enforcement Agency) officer Steve Murphy, played by Boyd Holbrook (Gone Girl).

We start his story with Agent Murphy arresting hippies for smoking marijuana in the U.S. but having seen the devastative effects of cocaine on the human brain (there’s a very drastic comparison at the beginning that sheds light on this), he is propelled to do something about it, and moves to Colombia, with his wife Connie, played by the gorgeous Joanna Christie (Misfits).
In Colombia he is assisted by Horacio Carrillo played by Maurice Compte (Breaking Bad), and his American partner in the DEA, Javier Pena played by Pedro Pascal (more familiar as the Scorpion in Game of Thrones). The fact that Agent Murphy doesn’t speak the language presents him a barrier when dealing with informants and criminals. That however is the least of his problem, as trying to take down a Colombian drug lord, he meets the inevitable wall of corruption, that seeps right into the government, that gives him and his agency a level of frustration rarely encountered before; not knowing who to trust.

Some of the scenes were done for dramatic content, but regardless the known true parts of the story will leave viewers unfamilar with the Pablo Escobar story shocked as to how one man could single handedly cause so much chaos in a country.

In light of what is known about his activities, Escobar is presented at all times neither a hero nor a villain, his story is simply told along with true events at the time. In his relationship with his wife, and mother, and children, and close cousin Gustavo Gaviria played by Juan Pablo Raba, he is presented favourably, and his constant donations to the poor did help him ingrain himself to many of the poor and disenfranchised of Colombia. We get little insights as to how many of the population viewed him, even with pictures in certain areas of him being presented as a saint. Giving hard cash to people to encourage them to vote by proxy for him did go a great deal to entrench him with many of the people.

The shocking body count and ease of loss of life during this “Narcotics war” is neither shied from nor hidden, and surprisingly actual footage and pictures are intertwined with the story line, giving it that realistic touch, almost like a docu-drama.

Although the end result is well known, how that was achieved, and the tussle between Escobar, the Colombian government, the police, the DEA, the US government and many other organisations is intriguing to watch, which makes this series compelling.

Narcos Season 1 is an intriguing insight into one of the most violent eras during the last 30-40 years in the drugs war, and emphasizes how power corrupts.

Movie Reviews is constantly updated with great reviews of good movies you don’t want to miss.

Movie Reviews is constantly updated with good reviews of great movies you don’t want to miss.

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