Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020), Chadwick Boseman, Netflix
Produced by Denzel Washington; starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman and based on a play by Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a new drama/music film directed by George C. Wolfe.
Set in 1927 Chicago; tensions rise during a recording session between Ma Rainey (Davis), her ambitious horn player (Boseman) and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable ‘Mother of the Blues’.
The story telling talent involved here is fantastic and I’m excited to experience the full results of Davis’s transformation. Also, considering that this is the last movie the late Chadwick Boseman made, I’m sure this is going to be a bitter sweet viewing experience. It took me a while but finally, I’m ready to go on this journey with the characters as they fight for autonomy and their dreams.
Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Taylour Paige, Jonny Coyne, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Joshua Harto and Dusan Brown also star.
Widows (2018), Liam Neeson, Viola Davis, 20th Century Fox
There are a couple of unexpected turns I enjoyed in Steve McQueen’s crime/thriller, Widows. A story about four women in need of a way to survive after their husbands’ criminal activities leave them in huge debt.
Starring Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Liam Neeson, and Robert Duvall, Widows is, without a doubt, very well acted and devoid of any dull moments.
I’ll start by saying that I generally appreciate the quality in movies where everything isn’t overly explained. I like moments where the audience is trusted to connect the dots and make sense of things. Widows is a movie that has a handful of such moments. Yet, the ending aside, McQueen’s film feels oddly incomplete.
The feeling of incompleteness comes first from not knowing enough of the backstory of some of the characters. We learn a fair amount about some key players, but we’re left wanting when it comes to Cynthia Erivo’s very intriguing Belle, for example.
Widows (2018), Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Rodriguez, 20th Century Fox
There are questions I had about one or two of the dead bodies and how they were disposed of. If you’ve watched Widows, you may be reading this and be thinking: ‘The brown notebook, silly!’ And you wouldn’t be wrong. Nevertheless, I still wanted to be fully convinced by how the story played out, especially when it came to the widows’ turn to criminality. Unfortunately, even though I came close to being convinced, I just wasn’t – not completely.
I’ve seen far too many television crime dramas/thrillers, which show just the right amount, for me to buy a story wholeheartedly, which is why I can say that Widows may have been better suited to a miniseries format. That way, it wouldn’t feel quite so heavily edited and in draft form. There’d be more time for me to get to know a greater number of the characters more satisfyingly.
My favourite performance in Widows is delivered by Farrell. I enjoyed watching his super-entitled politician’s son character and listening to what sounded like a very convincing accent. Elizabeth Debicki also delivered some fun turns I wanted more of.
Overall, Widows may not be my favourite McQueen movie, but it isn’t all bad either. Watch it if you’re curious. You may find it more complete than I do.
Denzel Washington is the star and director of Fences, a new drama about an African American father who’s struggling with race relations whilst raising his family in 1950s America.
Also starring the remarkable Viola Davis, Fences is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by August Wilson.
I’m very interested in this one because of the issues it deals with and for the chance to see two acting powerhouses – Davis and Washington face off on screen. I’m also very excited for Jovan Adepo, a young British actor getting to do his thing opposite the Denzel. I can only imagine the dream it must be.
Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Scott Eastwood, Cara Delevingne, Ben Affleck, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Common, Jay Hernandez and a few more are the stars of Suicide Squad.
Teaser Trailer
Trailer 1
Blitz Trailer
David Ayer, the man who wrote Training Day (2001) and Fury (2014) is in the director’s seat. I want to say that there’s no way this isn’t a sure thing, and I just did.
Based on all three trailers, it looks like Margot Robbie’s part is a big one, something I have no complaints about since her role looks perfectly badass.
As for Jared Leto’s Joker, Heath Ledger did such an unforgettable thing with the part in The Dark Knight (2008) that it will take something super special for many film fans not to think of Ledger whenever the Joker is mentioned. With that said, I love what I see in the Blitz trailer. Well done trailer maker, for the excellent editing and choice of music.
The wait for release feels long. Let’s all hope that it’s so very worth it indeed.
Lila and Eve is directed by Charles Stone III and stars Jennifer Lopez and the Viola Davis.
Lopez and Davis play two women who decide to take matters into their own hands after the system fails them, following the murder of their sons in drive-by shootings.
I know I’m super ready to see great performances from both actors. Does this one intrigue you?
The Movie My Life 