Soderbergh is a master at pacing out a film and nothing is more true than with this one. He gives it the hilarity and pacing of his Oceans film mixed with a little entertaining storytelling narration provided by Oldman and Banderas. With star cameo roles inhabited by Sharon Stone, Jeffrey Wright, Cristela Alonzo, Larry Wilmore, David Schwimmer and Matthias Schoenaerts to name a few, kept me on the edge of my seat from first frame to the last.
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Charlize Theron's Real, Raw Take on Motherhood Gives Tully Heart
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Charlize Theron has never been one of those starlets who stayed away from a part because it wasn't glamorous. With Marlos, she goes in full-throttle with raw emotion and an uncomfortable physicality that fully helps someone like me understand the mental and physical toll going birth can be on an entire fa
Read MorePaula Patton is Action Vigilante in Deon Cole Indie Film Traffik
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Trafficking of young women in America has turned into a form of modern-day slavery. Living in Southern California, there are daily breaking news items concerning some white van full of young non-speaking English women who have been bought, sold and transported like cattle to a farm. As a woman of color, it breaks my heart to watch women being treated with such disdain and disrespect. Even more to the point, watching these same women drugged, raped and beaten so that some man somewhere can make a quick buck.
Read MoreWhy Black Panther is the Crown Jewel of the Marvel Franchise
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Black Panther is hands down the best film in the Marvel Franchise!!! Why? Black Panther is on the road to do for Marvel what The Lion King did for Disney. The Lion King had Mufasa, Simba and The Pridelands...Black Panther has Wakanda, King T'Challa, Nakia and Killmonger. Black Panther also manages to show tender young love between a man and a woman, a man and his parents and unflinching love for one's country no matter what the sacrifice.
Read MoreBABY DRIVER
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When I tell you that this is the best action movie I've seen in awhile...I do not exaggerate! The car stunts in this flick make the Fast and Furious franchise look like a movie about bumper cars.
From the first frame to the last, I was riveted by the acting, stunts and overall story line. It sort of has a little Godfather quality in the respect of "...every time I try to get out...they pull me back in."
Read MoreLA FILM FESTIVAL 2017: OUT OF STATE→
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"The first time I walked into the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona I cried. There, in the middle of a dusty prison recreation yard, were 100 men chanting my entrance into the facility. Prior to arriving, I had reasonable concerns about filming in prison and had been advised by mentors to love my subjects but to also be cautious given their histories. Every expectation was immediately thrown out the door when I saw these men chanting in varying
Read MoreLA FILM FESTIVAL 2017: SKID ROW MARATHON→
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When one thinks about skid row, the last thing that would come to mind is running through the streets of Los Angeles to prepare for a marathon half way around the world.
The Honorable Judge Craig Matthews spends his entire day sentencing convicted criminals from the Los Angeles Superior Court. When he invites these skid row felons to join him on Mondays and Thursdays at 5:45am...the results will blow you mind.
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LA FILM FESTIVAL 2017: THE BOOK OF HENRY→
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How many times do we watch an injustice happen to a compete stranger or even a next door neighbor and run a blind eye? Better yet, what if a loved one passes on and has a final wish they are insistent be carried out...would you do it?
Read MoreBLOOD ROAD→
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Like so many in the U.S., my father was a Marine who served his country in Vietnam. While he was away, he sent letters and reel-to-reel tapes to me, My Mom and my brother letting us in on his adventures, his fears and his never-ending love for us. Daddy was one of millions of men that ventured down the Ho-Chi-Minh trail, otherwise known as "blood road" for all the blood shed by both sides during the war.
While watching this documentary, I couldn't help thinking about the fact that our family was one of the lucky ones. My Dad returned from the war in one piece, but there are so many that were "missing in action".
One of those missing soldiers was Captain Steve Rusch. His plane was shot down during the war and his family didn't know if he was a P.O.W (prisoner of war), dead or lost somewhere with a mistaken identity. It would be 30 years later, that a portion of his remains would be found - two teeth.
Read MoreTHE FREEDOM TO MARRY→
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The Freedom to Marry chronicles Wolfson, Bonauto and a few couples along the way who they fought the good fight with. This documentary, at times, was just as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, but inspiring all at once.
Read MoreWonder Woman→
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This prequel, which delves into the origins of this strong-willed amazon, is a rollercoaster ride from first frame to the last. Taking place roughly a century earlier, Wonder Woman comes to "Man's World" for the first time during World War I. It was not lost on me that this is literally the third film I have seen this year directed, written and produced by a woman (Patty Jenkins)and starring a woman! Who says women don't rule the world!!!
Read MoreSophia Coppola Makes History at 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival
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Oscar-winner Sofia Coppola made Cannes Film Festival history becoming the second woman in the event’s 70-year history to win best director for her Focus Features release The Beguiled. Previously, Soviet director Yuliva Solntseva won for her 1961 war drama Chronicle of Flaming Years about the Russian’s resistance to the 1941 Nazi occupation.
Read MoreILLICIT
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Sasha and Guy Curtis appear to be a beautifully educated couple who are both successful in their own right.. Sasha, a former model, is now mostly a housewife and Guy is a supervisor for former felons trying to get on the right track. When one of those felons takes advantage s when things go terribly awry for the Curtis family.
Read MoreGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
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Picking up where “Guardians of the Galaxy”—2014’s highest grossing film of the summer—left off, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord and his gang of eccentric characters patrol and protect the universe, doing mercenary work in the wake of the popularity and fame garnered from saving Xandar. Set to the magnificent backdrop of Mixtape #2 (Parliament Funkadelic's "Flashlight" is one of my favs), doing a seat boogie while rooting for the Guardians to prevail over evil was definitely part of the experience. No one was happier to see a thief, a thug, an assassin and an angry little tree reunited!
Read MoreSmurfs: The Lost Village
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If Beyoncé' lit a match under millennial women with her concept album "Lemonade", Smurfette is the ringleader for the Female Smurf Nation. At least until she stumbles upon the "lost village", which is saturated with female Smurfs. These dolls have a strong sense of self, confidence and identity. For all these reasons and more, Smurfs: The Lost Village will really strike a chord with young girls.
Read MoreStranger Things hit SAG Awards with Viola Making History and Hidden Figures Blasting Off
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The Screen Actors Guild Awards are always a highlight of the award season because the love comes directly from the acting community. Needless to say, actors showed up and showed out casting their Ensemble votes for Hidden Figures and giving Fences mad love by honoring Best Actor Denzel Washington with his very first "actor" along with Mahershala Ali for Best Supporting Actor (Moonlight) and Supporting Actress Viola Davis for her mind-blowing performance in Fences. Davis is making history all over the place in 2017.
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One Piece Film: Gold
/Musicals are the "it" thing this year and even the anime game is getting in on the action with the release of Funimation Films...One Piece Film: Gold! The opening montage is complete with a Swinging Big Band, showgirls, kick lines and pirates ships. The Gran Tesoro, where most of the action is set, reminds me of a golden version The Venetian Hotel on the Vegas strip. Aboard the Gran Tesoro, where it rains gold upon a golden river, The Straw Hat pirates become enamored with their VIP status and 300 Million dollars line of credit. However, deception is king and the crew soon discovers that all that glitters is NOT gold.
Based on the wildly popular hit anime manga and television series, One Piece Film: Gold follows the Straw Hat pirates to the big screen in an all-new high-flying adventure. The Batman-like graphics, slot machine sound effects and high-octane music keep the energy of this entertaining flick moving and grooving.
Originally a Japanese manga series, One Piece was adapted into a television series by Toei Animation (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon) that has since aired over 760 episodes. As of August 2016, the original manga series has more than 380 million copies printed worldwide – the best-selling manga series in history.
The new film One Piece Film: Gold is a standalone film that does not require new audiences to be familiar with previous content to enjoy the thrill of this new adventure. Do the Straw Hat pirates luck turn them into billionaires? Or, are they turned into gold slaves? You can find out for yourself when On Piece Film: gold begins its North American Release begins TODAY through January 17th. Click Here to Grab Tickets to One Piece Film: Gold
Hidden Figures and Fences Get No BAFTA Love - 2017 BAFTA Nominations→
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BAFTA nominations were announced today and the love toward American artists in general was a little less than stellar. American Cinema has always outstretched our arms embracing artists from other countries...particularly the Brits. How many times have we nominated Dames Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Emma Thompson or Sir Anthony Hopkins?
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