James' World 2

Aladdin is a musical fantasy directed by Guy Ritchie, who co-wrote the screenplay with John August. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated film of the same name, which is based on the eponymous Middle-Eastern folktale from One Thousand and One Nights. I decided to see Aladdin at the last minute and I’m glad I did because it is the best version of Aladdin I’ve seen.

Aladdin opens with a husband (Will Smith), his wife Dalia (Nasim Pedrad) and their two children, Omar (Jordan A. Nash) and Lian (Taliyah Blair), sailing the world. As Omar and Lian watch a much bigger and more lavish ship pass by, they become excited. The husband hears the children comment on how much better the passing ship is, so he decides to tell them the story of Aladdin, the Princess and the lamp, emphasizing bigger isn’t…

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a neo-noir action thriller. It is the third installment in the John Wick film series, following John Wick (2014) and John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). The film is directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams, based on a story by Kolstad. In the film, ex-hitman John Wick finds himself on the run from legions of assassins after a $14 million contract is put on his head. John Wick: Chapter 3 is strictly about the fighting and a lot of killing.

Less than an hour after the conclusion of John Wick: Chapter 2, former hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is now a marked man, on the run in Manhattan. After John’s unsanctioned killing of crime lord and new member of the High Table Santino D’Antonio in the New York City Continental, he is declared “excommunicado”…

Tolkien is a biographical drama directed by Dome Karukoski and written by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford. The film is about the early life of English professor J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as other notable academic works. Tolkien is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures under the Fox Searchlight Pictures banner, making it the first film released by Searchlight after an acquisition by Disney.  I wasn’t sure about Tolkien — I thought it might be a documentary, but it isn’t. The film was well done and I’m glad I got to see it.

Tolkien opens with young J. R. R. Tolkien (Harry Gilby) lying in a field of leaves fantasizing about two fully armored men on their horses, fighting amidst fire, with spears drawn. Reality sets in and he awakens as an officer in WWI who is badly…

Avengers: Endgame is a superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team,The Avengers. The film is produced by Marvell Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Avengers: Endgame is the sequel to 2012’s “The Avengers”, 2015’s” Avengers: Age of Ultron” and 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” , it is also the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Avengers: Endgame is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Endgame picks up with the surviving members of the Avengers team, along with their allies working to reverse the damage caused by Thanos during the Infinity War. I for one, anticipated Endgame with bated breath. While I thought this was a descend sequel, I was somewhat disappointed.

Thanos (Josh Brolin) used the Infinity Stones to disintegrate half of all life across the universe, leaving us devastated by the deaths of our…

Long Shot is a romantic comedy directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah. The plot follows a journalist who begins to spend time with his former babysitter who is now the United States Secretary of State.  While I’m not a fan of Charlize Theron or Seth Rogen, the plot of Long Shot was intriguing, so I decided to see the movie.

In 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is told by her boss, President Chambers (John Odenkirk), that he does not plan to run for a second term. Realizing an opportunity has now arisen, she convinces POTUS to endorse her as a potential presidential candidate.

At the same time,  New York City journalist Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogan) is being told that the newspaper he works for has been sold to Parker Wembly (Andy Serkis), a wealthy media mogul whose integrity…

Ben is Back is a drama written and directed by Peter Hedges, who is also the main character’s father. The plot follows a mother who tries to help her addict son after he unexpectedly returns home after just 77 days of rehab. Ben is Back is moving and intense and includes a message of  how powerful drugs are, even when you apply tough love.  I’m glad I got to see this riveting movie — what an appropriate, strong message it sends as a sign of the times, as well as a look into the world of drugs at a very personal level.

Driving home with her kids on Christmas Eve, Holly Burns-Beeby (Julia Roberts) is startled to see her son, Ben Burns  (Lucas Hedges) standing in the driveway. Ben has been in rehab for the past couple of months and was not supposed to be released yet. Ben explains that…

Little is a fantasy comedy, co-written and directed by Tina Gordon. It follows an overbearing boss who is transformed into the child version of herself. Martin, who serves as an executive producer on the project, at 14 years old, becoming the youngest person to ever hold the title on a Hollywood production. I was really anxious to see Little but I was slightly disappointed. The story could have covered more of her adult life and the overall movie could have been a little funnier.

Little opens with 13 year old Jordan Sanders (Marsai Martin) being bullied at her middle school talent show by Caren Green (Eva Carlton) and her friends who turned Jordan’s daring demo into a wrecking ball experience. As a result, Jordan landed in the hospital with broken limbs. Being bullied throughout her childhood, caused Jordan become a ruthless tech mogul as a grown-up. Scene after scene shows…

Cold War is a historical period drama directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, who co-wrote the screenplay with Janusz Głowacki and Piotr Borkowski. It is an international co-production by producers in Poland, France and the United Kingdom. Cold War follows a musical director who discovers and falls in love with a young singer. Their love story is explored over the years and is loosely inspired by the lives of Pawlikowski’s parents. I waited for some time to see Cold War. I found it was worth the wait.

Cold War opens in 1949 post-war Poland, with Wiktor (Tomasz Kot), a musical director who also plays piano and Irena (Agata Kulesza), a strict ethnomusicologist, colleague and producer conducting auditions for a state-sponsored folk music ensemble. Wiktor’s attention is immediately captured by Zula (Joanna Kulig), an ambitious and captivating young woman who is faking a peasant identity and is on probation after attacking her…

The Best of Enemies is a 2019 drama directed and written by Robin Bissell. It is based on the book “The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South” by Osha Gray Davidson and focuses on the rivalry between civil rights activist, Ann Atwater and Ku Klux Klan leader, C. P. Ellis. Mostly based on a true story, this film is both moving, timely and necessary, considering the racial tension that exists in the United States at present.

The Best of Enemies opens with four Klansmen  shooting up the home of a White women because she’s dating a Black man. Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson), an African American civil rights activist lives in Durham, North Carolina and is constantly at war with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and their leader and chapter president, C. P. Ellis (Sam Rockwell). Their battle and hate for each other has…