Tag Archives: Octavia Spencer

Drama

SELF MADE – INSPIRED BY THE LIFE OF MADAM C.J. WALKER (2020): New Trailer Starring Octavia Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Carmen Ejogo, Blair Underwood…

1 Comment
Self Made - Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020), Octavia Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Netflix
Self Made – Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020), Octavia Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Netflix

Octavia Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Carmen Ejogo and Blair Underwood are the stars of Self Made – Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker. The extraordinary story of trailblazing African American entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker.

Walker built a haircare empire that made her America’s first female self-made millionaire.

I love stories about inspirational humans and I can’t wait to hear Spencer assert herself, speak as Walker and deliver lines that make me want to cheer.

Seeing this trailer also reminded me of another story about a real-life female entrepreneur  Joy Mangano, the subject of David O’Russell’s Joy (2015).

Kevin Carroll, Keeya King, Dalila Ali Rajah, Garrett Morris, Mouna Traoré, Sydney Morton, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Bill Bellamy, Sheila Isaro, Cornelius Smith Jr. and Devante Goulbourne also star.

Self Made – Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker Release Dates: March 20th, 2020 (US)

Happy Film Loving,

G

Horror, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller

MA (2019): The Things I Liked…

Leave a comment
Ma (2019), Octavia Spencer, Universal Pictures
Ma (2019), Octavia Spencer, Universal Pictures

Starring Octavia Spencer as the lonely and definitely unhinged Sue Ann, Ma is the story of a group of teenagers who end up wishing that they never accepted a middle aged woman’s invitation to party in her basement.

Having had no idea about the true extent of Sue Ann’s lunacy, I enjoyed being surprised by it. And when Ma wasn’t busy thrilling me, I was appreciating the believable portrayal of teenage life, the close mother/daughter relationship and another notable performance by Spencer. 

Director Tate Taylor’s film could certainly have taken a more realistic direction in terms of how particular aspects of the story played out – but I’m not mad about the end result. It was mostly realistic enough for me, and fun. 

A key part that I wish had gone differently was approximately twenty minutes in, during the exchange between Ma and Gianni Paolo’s character. The dialogue and what happens in that scene just didn’t seem to quite fit.

Watch Ma if you’re curious. You may just have a good time. 

Happy Film Loving,

G

Drama

LUCE (2019): New Trailer From Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth, Kelvin Harrison Jr…

2 Comments
Luce (2019), Octavia Spencer, Neon
Luce (2019), Octavia Spencer, Neon

Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth and Kelvin Harrison Jr. are the stars of Luce.

Directed by  Julius Onah, Luce is the story of parents to an adopted son from war-torn Eritrea. Said parents are forced to reckon with their idealised image of their son, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher.

This rather good trailer edit has me scared. Scared for myself, scared for Spencer’s character because no one is listening to her and scared for Luce’s parents. I’m also very curious about what the alarming secret actually is.

We all know Watts and Spencer are great actors, so I can’t wait to see what Harrison does with this role. They do say that dark characters are more fun to play, after all.

Andrea Bang, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Norbert Leo Butz, Omar Brunson and Astro also star.

Luce Release Dates: August 2nd, 2019 (US)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Adventure, Animation, Comedy

ONWARD (2020): New Trailer From Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Octavia Spencer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus…

3 Comments
Onward (2019), Disney Pixar
Onward (2019), Disney Pixar

Read my spoiler-free movie review of Onward (2020).

From writer/director Dan Scanlon, Onward is a new Disney Pixar animated adventure starring Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Octavia Spencer, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Set in a suburban fantasy world, Onward is about two teenage elf brothers who embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there.

The two moons at 01:33 into this trailer have me intrigued, as does the idea of usually majestic unicorns as ‘vermin.’

I can’t wait to see how this story about a world of imaginary creatures such as pixies, mermaids, gnomes, unicorns and pet dragons actually unfolds.

Onward Release Dates: March 6th, 2020 (US & UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Comedy, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

INSTANT FAMILY (2018): The Things I Liked…

Leave a comment
Instant Family (2018), Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Paramount Pictures
Instant Family (2018), Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Paramount Pictures

After seeing the trailer for Instant Family several months ago in 2018, I wanted to get excited about it because the story looked great, and I’m fond of its main stars, Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne.

However, having previously seen Wahlberg in the Daddy’s Home movies, which I didn’t fully love, I was understandably concerned. Turns out that I needn’t have worried because Instant Family is a better experience than the Daddy’s Home films.

Directed and co-written by Sean Anders, Instant Family is a comedy/drama based on the true story of the ups and downs faced by a couple who foster/adopt three children all at once. 

Things started looking good for this movie within the first few minutes. Firstly, the editing. I really appreciate the fact that I didn’t find myself wishing I could fast forward any of the scenes. Second, I enjoyed the relationship dynamic between the central couple played by Wahlberg and Byrne. Last but not least, the banter between Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro’s characters is a delight to watch.

I laughed during Instant Family more than I expected to. An especially memorable moment is the scene at the dinner table with the pair of closed eyes. I was, of course, also moved by the beautiful moments of familial love and the unfortunate truth of some of the experiences of children and teenagers in the foster care system.

Watch Instant Family because it’s good, very likely better than you expect, and it’s definitely, as a fellow film lover predicted, more grounded than the Daddie’s Home films.

Happy Film loving,

G