Avengers: Endgame

As anyone who knows me can tell you, I am a Marvel gal. To a certain extent.

I like Marvel films because Robert Downey Jr. is in them, as Tony Stark, A.K. A. "Iron man." Just as I liked the X-Men films because Hugh Jackman played Wolverine. If Tony Stark and Iron man aren't in a Marvel film, I have no interest in it.

That being said, I did watch "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Ant-Man and Wasp" leading up to "Avengers: Endgame." The day before going to the movies to see "Endgame", I did watch "Avengers: Infinity War" to get up to date.

If you are one of the few people on the planet who has not seen the movie, I won't share any spoilers, or divulge who survives the fight with Thanos.

3/4 of Endgame is leading up to the fight, the last 1/4 being the fight. That final part of the film is truly epic. If you're a Marvel fan and haven't seen it yet, you won't be disappointed.

Seeing this film, it makes me want to watch all of the Marvel films, in order.

If you're not up on the Marvel movies and want to set started, or perhaps just get caught up, there are 22 movies. The Marvel cinematic universe begins with "Iron Man."

image source: https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/what-makes-marvel-films-so-popular-understanding-the-relationship-between-mcu-and-the-real-world-6443741.html

This fall, the Disney company, who owns the Marvel franchise, is set to reveal a streaming service similar to Hulu and Netflix called "Disney +". It has been reported that the new service will have all of the Marvel films, as well as the television series. They will also be creating new Marvel content, all of which will only be available in the Disney + streaming service.

Now in theaters, coming to Blu Ray and DVD soon. 5 emphatic stars. Thanks for the ride Tony. It's been amazing.

Remastered: The Lion's Share (The Lion Sleeps Tonight Story)

"Remastered: The Lion's Share (The Lion Sleeps Tonight Story)" is a documentary of how one of the most famous pop songs in the world is derived from an African song.

This fascinating documentary tells the tale of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and how the words and melody have been taken from a song written by Solomon Linda in 1939.

Randy Lewis wrote about the film in the Los Angeles Times:

"The simplistic version of the story would be that Linda was cheated out of his rightful songwriting royalties by scheming, heartless music business sharps. He originated the song “Mbube,” the Zulu word for “lion,” and during one of three attempts at the song in a South African recording studio, spontaneously spun out the soaring and bewitching falsetto melody that has defined every subsequent version of his song."
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-lion-sleeps-tonight-netflix-documentary-20190515-story.html

The documentary tells the tale of how Linda recorded the song, and how the song emigrated and morphed into a hit by The Tokens:

"The song, as the “Lion’s Share” documentary outlines, dates to 1939, and Linda, whose group the Evening Birds made the recording that found its way across the Atlantic and into the hands of folk music revivalists Pete Seeger and the Weavers, and then, with additional lyrics written by George David Weiss, to the Tokens."

Most people are familiar with the version that The Tokens recorded; yet Linda's family was denied compensation for the song:

'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' wound up generating millions of dollars over the decades, little of which ever reached Linda’s family. It’s a classic theme repeated countless times in the U.S. for black blues, R&B and soul musicians who often unknowingly signed away lucrative rights to their music."
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-lion-sleeps-tonight-netflix-documentary-20190515-story.html

The documentary shows how people tried to right a wrong, namely to have credit for the song and compensation to go to the Linda family. The story involves copyright law, cultural appropriation, the system of Apartheid, a legal fight with Disney, and a literal Dickensian twist.

Now streaming on Netflix, 3 stars.

When They See Us

"When They See Us" is a 4 part movie series on Netflix and tells the story of "The Exonerated Five":

-Yusef Salaam
-Korey Wise
-Kevin Richardson
-Raymond Santana
-Antron McCray

These five men were teenagers-14-15-16, in 1989. They were arrested, held in police custody, and questioned after a young woman was attacked while jogging in Central Park. The woman was found clinging to life, after having been raped and beaten within an inch of her life. The five young boys were not a part of the attack on the jogger, and had not beaten or raped anyone.

The film shows police trying to coerce the five kids into a confession to the crime. These kids were innocent of the crime, and did not have a clue what the police were referring to.

Still the police persisted. The movie shows police interrogating the five young men for more than 24 hours, without a parent or lawyer present, which is illegal. The film shows the police telling the children, "If you tell us what we want to know you can go home tonight." The kids were manipulated into confessing to the crime, under the guise and promise of going home.

The film shows the prosecutors pulling the case together, concocting fantastical stories of how these five young boys attacked the woman in the park. They made all of the puzzle pieces fit, and brought a case against the five young men.

While the trial was being argued, the media tried and convicted the five young men. As they were all young men of color, the system was rigged into working against them. The media dubbed them "The Central Park Five", and professed their guilt. Most of those white American saw these young men as guilty. Even our current President took out a full page add in a newspaper, calling for the reintroduction of the death penalty, and that these five young men be put to death.

All five young men were found guilty and sentenced to 5-14 years in juvenile detention and prison. Years later, the man who attacked the jogger confessed to the crime, thus freeing the men from prison. They were later exonerated of all charges against them. The five men received a settlement from the state of New York, the largest amount the state had ever awarded.

This movie is based on a true story. It is angering, upsetting, disturbing, and it needs to be. It is a disturbing tale of racism and white privilege in the United States. Every American needs to see this film.

A wonderful companion piece: "When They See Us Now", Oprah Winfrey interviews director Ava DuVernay, the actors of the film, as well as "The Exonerated Five" themselves.

Both films now streaming on Netflix. Five stars.

Evening Shadows

This is a perfect movie for Pride month.

"Evening Shadows" is set in India, and tells the story of Kartik, a young man who identifies as gay. He lives in the big city with his lover as a proud gay man, unashamed of who he is and how he identifies.

In the film, Kartik returns to his parents home for a visit, a trip which turns his entire life upside down. While he visits his parents, the topic of marriage equality is being debated, and is in every newspaper and news broadcast.

Kartik's decides to come out to his mother, telling her he is gay. Her reaction to the news is truly a heartfelt performance, played by Mona Ambegonakar.

But what happens once his father discovers Kartik is gay? What will happen to Kartik, to the family?

A wonderful, heartfelt story of love overcoming all obstacles. In Hindi with English subtitles, now streaming on Netflix, 2 stars.

The Bookshop

"The Bookshop" stars Emily Mortimer as Florence Green, and Bill Nighy as Edmund Brundish.

The film takes place in the 1950s, several years after the war. Florence, a war widow, begins a new life in a new town, buying a vacant building and turning it into a bookstore.

Everyone that lives in the town is against her, and hopes her business does not succeed. Some in the town are even plotting against her, reaching out to the highest levels of government to stop her.

There is one person in the town that is on Florence's side-Edmund Brundish, a friendly man who is prone to panic attacks and does not leave his home readily. He utilizes a young man in his employ to send Florence his correspondence; he is excited she's opened her bookstore, and is eager for some recommended reads. She finds books Mr. Brundish to read, and sends them home with the young man. They forge a sincere, literary friendship.

Now on DVD, 2 stars.

Can You Ever Forgive Me

"Can You Ever Forgive Me" is based on the life of Lee Israel, writer and biographer.

In the film, Israel, played by Melissa McCarthy, is down on her luck and about to lose her apartment. She can barely feed herself or her cat. She asks her publisher, played by Jane Curtin, for an advance, and she is refused.

With no other prospects, Lee continues working on her next project, a biography of vaudeville comedienne Fanny Brice. While researching the book, Lee comes across letters written by Brice, on a typewriter. As she is down on her luck, she takes the letters to a rare bookseller, to see if they might be worth some money. The bookseller tells her that she could give her some money for them, a paltry amount, as the letter isn't too terribly personal. Personal letters, if she could find any, could guarantee more money.

With that Lee begins a nefarious endeavor, forging letters from famous writers. At one point she has numerous typewriters in her home, one per author, mimicking the writing styles of Dorothy Parker, Noel Coward, and several others.

Based on a true story, from a book of the same name.

Now on DVD and Blu Ray, 2 stars.

The Kid Who Would Be King

This movie is a modern day version of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Set in current day England, the movie focuses on Alex, an unpopular student in school. He lives wit his Mother, his Father out of the picture. One of his cherished memories of his Dad: a book about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

One day after school, as the two school bullies are chasing after him, Alex runs into a building construction site to evade the bullies; there he finds a sword in a stone. Having grown up on the story of King Arthur, Alex takes a chance and tries to pull the sword from the stone. To his astonishment, the sword comes out of the stone. The legend is born anew-Alex is the kid who would be king.

This movie reminded me of the Harry Potter film series, as well as the Netflix show "Stranger Things", in which kids save the day and save the world. Every actor in this film was unknown to me, except for the role of Merlin, who was played by Sir Patrick Stewart.

Now on DVD and Blu Ray, 2 stars.

On the Basis of Sex

This movie portrays the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice. It covers several years of her life, over a 20 year span.

The film begins when Ginsburg is an incoming law student at Harvard Law School in 1956. In those days, women went to university to find a husband. In this case, Ruth was already married to Martin Ginsburg. In a a time when women were expected to work within the home, Martin encouraged his wife to do everything she wanted to, which included becoming a lawyer.

In one of the first scenes in the film, Ruth and Martin are at a dinner party, at the home of the dean of the law school. Every law student was encouraged to stand and introduce themselves; in the case that the student was a woman, she was instructed to explain why they were admitted, taking the place that should have been given to a male student.

A few years into her education at Harvard, Ruth and Martin moved to New York, and she transferred to Columbia University. Upon graduation, she became a professor of law.

One of the popular topics in her classroom was gender equality. She brought up examples of how men and women are not protected equally under the law. For example, if a woman became pregnant, her employer could fire her.

The movie comes to a nail biting conclusion when Ruth argues a case before the Colorado state Supreme Court, involving a case of gender equality. The surprising thing about the case: the defendant is a man.

The movie is a snapshot into the life of Justice Ginsburg in the beginning of her life and of her practicing law before the courts. While the movie is well made, it made me yearn to watch "RBG", the documentary about Ruth, which encompasses most of her life.

 3 stars.

RBG trailer:

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

"Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile" stars Zac Efron as the infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy.

The title of the film comes from the murder trial of Bundy; these exact words were spoken by the judge, in reference to Bundy's crimes. Extremely wicked, shockingly evil, vile.

This film is unique in that it is told from Bundy's girlfriend's perspective. She'd heard all of these stories about him, and seen newspaper articles about him being previously arrested. Yet he's telling her nothing happened, and that the police are creating conspiracy theories against him.

What does she do? Does she listen to what Ted's telling her, or does she trust her own gut instinct? It's a pertinent story for our times, when countries are gaslighted, being told that verifiable news stories are "fake news."

The film does not glamorize Ted Bundy or any of his killings. Zac Efron is brilliant in the film. His performance is a master class in acting. It's a wonderful example of how people can charm and manipulate anyone into believing anything.

Now streaming on Netflix, this film is riveting from beginning to end. Netflix subscribers should also watch the documentary, "The Ted Bundy Confession Tapes", made by the same director, for more information about Bundy and his case.

5 stars.

Stan and Ollie

Hello everyone, I've been a bit disconnected of late. I've continued to watch movies, and I have some reviews to share. First up is "Stan and Ollie."

Stan and Ollie stars John. C Reilly as Oliver Hardy, and Steve Coogan as Stanley Laurel, best known to the world as the comic duo "Laurel and Hardy."

Laurel and Hardy were an comedy duo in the early days of Hollywood. Contemporaries of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy brought their own comedic genius to their on screen personas.

Stanley Laurel played the innocent, child like character "Stan", and Oliver Hardy played the straight-man, "Ollie."

The two men could not be more opposite from one another, in genetic make-up alone. Laurel was thin and lanky, Hardy was tall and overweight. Yet together they were poetry in motion, comedic genius.

This film takes place in the 1950s, some 20-30 years after the height of their fame in motion pictures. At this point in their careers, they were doing theater tours in Scotland, Ireland, and England, performing bits from their movies for live audiences.

The film shows Laurel and Hardy as they are, the men behind the personas. Stanley Laurel wrote all of their comic bits, while Oliver Hardy had a penchant for horse racing and gambling. The film depicts the friendship between the two as uncertain-was it a friendship or merely a creative partnership?

Both John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan are wonderful in this film. They both showed such dedication to the roles. For example, Reilly had to be in make-up for 3-4 hours every day getting prosthetic pieces added to his face and chin, and getting into a fat suit.

In my mind, Steve Coogan had the harder part of the two actors. There are two performances in the role of Laurel, the verbal and non verbal physical humor. His non verbal physical humor had to be on point, and it was. His mime skills are amazing to watch, and is poetry in motion.

I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. I cannot wait to see it again. 5 stars.