Finally Friday - The Bad Guys movie

 After a lifetime of legendary heists, notorious criminals Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson) and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) are finally caught. To avoid a prison sentence, the animal outlaws must pull off their most challenging con yet -- becoming model citizens. Under the tutelage of their mentor, Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), the dubious gang sets out to fool the world that they're turning good.

Ray and I enjoyed a matinee date on a very dreary day. This animated movie was just really fun with plenty of action, a decent story, lots of laughs, and  excellent voice acting. I am always amused by Awkwafina and her snarky rasp. 

Do The Bad Guys really deserve such a bad rap? Watch and see if they are wolves in sheep clothing. 

Movie Review Madness - RESPECT

 Aretha Franklin anointed Jennifer Hudson to play Ms. Franklin in her life movie. The late Aretha Franklin has to be singing in the rafters of heaven as she looks down on happy movie goers - delighted with the movie RESPECT. 

Jennifer Hudson can SING - blues, gospel, soul, pop. She hits the notes with all of the emotion needed for Respect,  Think, You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman), Amazing Grace, and more.  Jennifer Hudson can ACT. Her range covers the life force that is Aretha Franklin. 

The woman lived quite a life and the movie is very serious. Her forceful preacher father (Forest Whitaker) was a tough man to say no to. She was abused by a family friend, had kids at a very young age, married an abusive man (Marlon Wayans) who managed her. She dealt with the Civil Rights issues of the day and was active, singing in gatherings with Martin Luther King, Jr.  She wrote songs and re-arranged others to suit her talents. She always missed her mother (Audra McDonald) who left her and her siblings and did die young. 

RESPECT is a solid serious musical movie based on the life of the Queen of Soul - Aretha Franklin. I think it does her justice and gives a greater appreciation for her life work. It makes you Think...

GLOW

I never watched wrestling.  I had no interest. However , the buzz on GLOW on Netflix captured my attention and I gave it a whirl. Well, hello……..I am hooked.

GLOW. What a great series, and the wrestling is the least of it.  First there’s Ruth (Alison Brie). She’s a very intense young actress, eager to make it. Otherwise she has to keep calling her folks for some money. How embarrassing.  She auditions and makes the rounds for this new series on television. She’s a “professional” and needs information – what’s her character and motivation? She drives the director (played perfectly by the jaded Marc Maron) crazy with her questions. “Hey Strindberg”, he calls her, but she grows on him. He knows how much she cares. Meanwhile, Debbie (Betty Gilpin) is the gorgeous former soap opera star who just had a kid and is feeling fat and unattractive. Plus, complication – Ruth, her best friend, had an affair with her husband.  Awkward!!!

Now, that’s cause for the perfect wrestling match.  Anyway, the show strings together an oddball assortment of women to aim for a Saturday morning slot on very cheap cable TV. We are talking very old school TV here. The key to the show is the variety of women, the characters themselves, and the depth of their stories. It’s awesome.  You really come to care for how they interact and what’s going to happen. They slowly learn how to wrestle, and they care.  And YOU care. Plus Marc Maron’s Sam is so pathetic, you actually care about how shallow he is, but how much he actually cares about these ladies and their potential story lines.

GLOW on Netflix is a little gem and worthy of your attention.  The key is the word CARE and you will. Let’s keep this series going. I am hooked.