Get your popcorn ready! (And brews if they serve ‘em.)
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Spike Lee is bizzzzack with BlacKkKlansman!
(Photo by Vibe.) |
Cheers Everyone!
It’s the weekend and
I want to make sure for those of you wanting to get out of the house - whether you want to go on a date night, hang with
the homies, or make it a solo flight- here are some movies worth checking out. Most of them I can happily say concluded with follow-up conversation and an overall relief that there are
productions that still go outside the box a bit. This is especially true with Sorry
To Bother You which I discuss a bit below. It was simply bugged out. Have an open mind for it and
look for the hidden messages throughout the film.
Anyway, here
are my picks of flicks while they are
still in theaters—even if they're playing at the joints that charge a quarter of
the original ticket price—along with the recent release of the heavily lauded BlacKkKlansman.
My reviews are like you coming up to me and asking what I think or what I would
post on my Instagram handle. (Go get a late pass if you don’t know it: @realalesharpton).
My brother Lamont Byron aka L.K.
breaks down Equalizer 2 for ya with a more descriptive assessment too.
One of the movies
I haven’t had the chance to see yet that’s definitely on my agenda is Eighth
Grade. It looks like my kind of humor and original writing. Stay tuned for
that one.
Enjoy the
weekend and beyond!
Ale
I
say: Honestly, I get a little hesitant to see
anything with “2” following it; the majority of the time, results are not
favorable. But then again, anything Denzel signs on for is going to be solid at
the least. D-Dub and his team do a stellar job of taking roles that dodge
bombs. This one continues the trend with a lot of action, an original screenplay,
some very necessary messages regarding today’s perception on the youth, relationships,
and who to trust. Oh, and a lot of ass kicking perfectly balanced with Denzel’s
gift as one of the greatest actors of all time. My kind of film.
Wait
For It: The staircase scene.
Contributor L.K. Byron says…
“The
Equalizer 2 once again the
extremely well-casted Denzel Washington as Robert McCall. Usually in the case
of sequels, the original is hard to match. In this case, “a worthy follow-up to
its predecessor,” would not be an understatement. After a few successful
revenge jobs, McCall is settling into regular everyday life—the routine he yearns
for. But that mission of peace unfortunately doesn’t last long after he finds
out a close acquaintance has been harmed. McCall is now thrust into a warpath,
and this time it’s even more personal. Unfortunately for his adversaries, they
missed the memo: You don’t disrupt McCall’s bliss or harm those worthy of being
in his inner circle. As viewers, we benefit from the mistakes of the wrongdoers
as McCall’s spankings get more captivating and shocking as the movie ensues.
“From start to
finish, Equalizer 2 is suspenseful, action packed, and seasoned with the
perfect amount of unforced humor. You will not want to leave your seat once
this thrill ride begins.”
Official
Synopsis: Denzel Washington returns to one of his
signature roles in the first sequel of his career. Robert McCall serves an
unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed - but how far will he go
when that is someone he loves?
Run time: 125
minutes
----
Sorry
To Bother You
I say: I really had no idea what this movie was about and felt I
needed to go in with that mentality. No teasers, trailers, reviews from other
folks…nada. I just know that you will bug out with the shockers they have in store.
Alongside the humor and plethora of hidden messages, this is a very necessary
film to address a lot of the racism, hard times financially, materialism, the
influence of today’s media, and simply having a voice for what you believe in.
Wait For It: The company’s party throws a shocking curve
ball. That’s all I can say.
Official Synopsis: Sorry
To Bother You tells
the story of Cassius Green, a 30-something telemarketer with self-esteem
issues, who discovers a magical selling power living inside of him. Suddenly
he’s rising up the ranks to the elite team of his company, a company which
sells heinous products and services. The upswing in Cassius’s career raises
serious red flags with his brilliant girlfriend, Detroit, a sign-twirling
gallery artist. But the unimaginable hits the fan when Cassius meets the
company’s cocaine-snorting, orgy-hosting, obnoxious, and relentless CEO, Steve
Lift. SORRY TO BOTHER YOU is unlike anything you have ever seen. It is a
searing social satire about greed, racial dynamics and capitalism in a universe
not unlike our own. Prepare yourself for something outrageous and totally
original.
Run
time: 107 minutes
----
BlacKkKlansmen
I Say: From the jump, for someone who has had so much of an impact on
my life, it was a no-brainer to attend the advanced media screening of Spike
Lee’s latest project. An added bonus was continuing to witness John David Washington’s
steady momentum of carving his own lane in the acting world and losing the
initial label as Denzel’s son. To his credit though, the apple doesn’t fall far
from the tree. And that’s one hell of an accolade. Alongside Blumhouse, the
homie Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw team continue their incredible run as
producers as well. Shout out to Adam Driver’s performance as well.
BlacKkKlansmen is based on a remarkably true story, provides some comforting
laughs to balance out the seriousness of the film, and overall discloses how
racism back then is sadly revitalized under today’s American “leadership.” Its frankness
is truly timely and necessary.
Now a lot of viewers are claiming
that this is the best movie Spike Lee has ever directed; considering Do
The Right Thing and Malcolm X, that is highly debatable,
but evidently this film is stated in the same sentence as the aforementioned
classics so it already wins. Definitely check it out and be affected.
Wait For It: Spike’s signature low-angled, dolly shot.
Official Synopsis: It’s
the early 1970s, a time of great social upheaval as the struggle for civil
rights rages on. Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) becomes the first
African-American detective on the Colorado Springs Police Department, but his
arrival is greeted with skepticism and open hostility by the department’s rank
and file. Undaunted, Stallworth resolves to make a name for himself and a
difference in his community. He bravely sets out on a dangerous mission:
infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.
Posing as a racist extremist, Stallworth
contacts the group and soon finds himself invited into its inner circle. He
even cultivates a relationship with the Klan’s Grand Wizard, David Duke (Topher
Grace), who praises Ron’s commitment to the advancement of White America. With
the undercover investigation growing ever more complex, Stallworth’s colleague,
Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), poses as Ron in face-to-face meetings with
members of hate group, gaining insider’s knowledge of a deadly plot. Together,
Stallworth and Zimmerman team up to take down the organization whose real aim
is to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.
Produced by the team behind the
Academy-Award winning Get Out, BlacKkKlansman offers an unflinching, true-life
examination of race relations in 1970s America that is just as bracingly
relevant in today’s tumultuous world.
Run
time: 135 minutes
----
Mission:Impossible – Fallout
I say: If you want to get a good dose of action and see how Tom
Cruise somehow still manages to jump out planes and avoid Father Time’s curses,
this one’s for you.
Wait For It: Any action sequence, so I guess the whole
movie.
Official Synopsis: The
best intentions often come back to haunt you. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT
finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving
Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan)
in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Cavill, Angela
Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker
Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.
Run time: 110 minutes
Peace!
Ale
