Written/directed by Jeymes Samuel, The Book of Clarence is the story of a man named Clarence who risks everything for a better life. His inspiration? the rising Messiah, of course.
Lakeith Stanfield, David Oyelowo, RJ Cyler, James McAvoy, Omar Sy, Afre Woodard, Benedict Cumberbatch and Anna Diop are among the key cast.
So many thoughts going through my head with this one. I’m excited to see Stanfield deliver as he always does. I also can’t wait to see the various aspects of the universal human experience on display for us to collectively recognise, reflect upon and laugh at.
I’m ready for the great soundtrack, especially if the music in this trailer is anything to go by.
George Clooney’s latest acting/directorial effortThe Midnight Sky has scenes that will likely stay with you for quite some time. Scenes linked to the visual presentation and specific performance moments.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the earth has suffered a mysterious global catastrophe; Clooney’s character is Augustine, a lonely scientist on a race to stop an astronaut and her team from returning back to earth.
Before watching the movie, I encountered a review headline for The Midnight Sky that used the word ‘boring.’ Now, as any serious Clooney, Kyle Chandler, Felicity Jones and David Oyelowo fan would do, I had to find out for myself if I agreed.
Post viewing, I must say that even though the films tense and anxiety-inducing moments initially kept me engaged, there soon a came a time or two when I reached for my phone; partly due to the story editing and things happening at a slower pace than preferred. However, I was also trying to distract myself from emotional stress. That caused by the bleak realities of Augustine and the astronauts’ situations.
There’s even a specific scene where you know a tragedy is happening any moment now. And you’re not sure you want to hang around to see it unfold; partly because you’re mad that you were able to guess what was coming next. But you’re also displeased because you’re not a big fan of the continued depressing mood of the story and you want some normalcy again.
Curiosity about the ending, the acting, plus visual moments that impressed are what kept me watching The Midnight Sky. Generally, everyone performs well. Two specific highlights being the closeup of David Oyelowo’s character’s profile as he digests the meaning of a very unsettling bit of news. And the second is every time the camera was on young Caoilinn Springall who plays Iris.
The most visually impressive moments include the colour-rich scene at the beginning that features Jupiter. Another at a later stage involves the removal of a helmet.
Give The Midnight Sky a chance if you’re curious. The premise is certainly intriguing. It’s just unfortunate that I’m convinced there’s a more engaging story, with better character development and maybe even a less moody/depressing creative execution I could have enjoyed more.
Chaos Walking (2021), Daisy Ridley, Lionsgate Films
Tom Holland, Mads Mikkelsen Daisy Ridley and Nick Jonas’s latest adventure/sci-fi movie is Chaos Walking.
Directed by Doug Liman; the story is set in a dystopian world where there are no women and all living creatures can hear each others’ thoughts in a stream of images, words, and sounds called Noise.
Additional key cast includes David Oyelowo, Kurt Sutter and Cynthia Erivo.
It seems that the trend for movies where women are scarce is here to stay. As a lady myself, I’m not quite sure how to feel about that. Nevertheless, I do want to see where this plot takes us.
What I know for sure is this, I wouldn’t be glad about being the only woman left.
Demián Bichir, Óscar Jaenada, Bethany Anne Lind, Olunike Adeliyi, Mylène Dinh-Robic, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos and Tara Nicodemo also star.
David Oyelowo, Storm Reid and Mykelti Williamson star in Don’t Let Go, a new mystery/thriller directed by Jacob Estes.
Oyelowo plays uncle Jack, a man whose family dies in what appears to be a murder and he gets a phone call from one of the dead, his niece.
A good trailer. The premise is compelling, and my heartstrings have been pulled. Now I’m just hoping for a well-paced time-travelling story and memorable performances.
Daniel R. Lawson, Omar Leyva, Shinelle Azoroh and Byron Mann also star.
Gringo (2018), Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Amazon Studios
There are three things I like about Gringo, director Nash Edgerton’s action/comedy about a former law-abiding citizen (David Oyelowo) who’s turned to crime to survive.
The first is Charlize Theron, her general awesomeness and her character’s beautiful style. The second is the way Gringo is concluded. The ending is surprising and simultaneously unsurprising. I didn’t fully expect the turn the story took, but I also wasn’t surprised because it was still clichéd.
The last thing I like about Gringo is how the movie appears to be a little inspired by one of my all-time favourite films, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). ThoughI certainly wouldn’t say that Gringo is as smart and as well-written as my beloved Lock Stock, it did, however, deliver some laughs. It’s just disappointing that I didn’t find the whole experience as amusing, engaging or exciting as the trailer hinted.
The Movie My Life 