"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Actors: Naturi Naughton, Jason Mitchell, Lance Gross, Nicholas Turturro, Johnny Messner, Tobias Truvillion, Han Soto, Barry Ratcliffe
IMDb Blurb: After the courthouse is hijacked by Black Caesar, brother of Sean Samuels, who has just been sentenced, Judge Jaeda King must rely on her strength and skills to find a way to end the standoff, save the hostages, and make her escape.
Selina’s Point of View:
When watching Call Her King, I think it’s important to consider the budget. It can’t really be compared to mainstream theater fare. It’s a lot more along the lines of a TV movie.
The start of the film was a little rough. The casual conversation between husband and wife and between the main character and her colleagues all felt a little forced. On top of that, Naturi Naughton didn’t sell me on the interactions any more than the script did. As a result, I settled in for what I thought would be a long hour and a half.
Once the movie picked up, however, my perception of it changed. As it turns out, Naughton is much better with the high-action scenes. It may just be that she’s better at the action stuff than anything else, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Nicholas Turturro also had me laughing a lot of the time. He provided some much-needed comedic relief.
I say “much-needed” because the subject is heavy. As much as the plot lent itself to a decent action premise, it was also a very important subject. The corruption of our justice system is a huge problem. I love it when flicks take that issue and wrap it in something watchable because it forces people to acknowledge it. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t seem to care about it until it affects them directly. Sometimes movies, books, and TV shows can help with that.
The low budget did lead to some issues with things like gunshot CGI. However, I think they got innovative with some of the other stuff. At one point a person is shot and the gore winds up on a window. Because the creative team for Call Her King was forced to improvise, whatever they did caused it to look terrifyingly real for a minute. As the movie went on, it became easier to ignore any other CGI issues.
The script was my least favorite part of the flick. The dialogue specifically. A lot of it just didn’t feel natural. The cooler parts that you see in the trailer feel like they were added specifically for use in the trailer. I think it would have benefited the film to just leave them out entirely.
Call Her King had a lot of ups and downs. That said, it was worthy of a watch.
Cat’s Point of View:
Call Her King initially was a little intriguing to me. The trailer seemed to promise a decent amateur action movie. While I wouldn’t say that was inaccurate, it wasn’t exactly what I hoped it would be.
I admire the message that was explored within the dramatic moments of Call Her King, but I just had a hard time buying most of everything else. I was cringing more often than I wasn’t. There were plot points that just didn’t feel supported.
Then there was the shaky-cam. Sure, it wasn’t as bad as some found-footage movies, but even straight non-action shots had a lot of bobble to them. I just had a recent health circumstance that involved some mild vertigo. The screen-jitters didn’t do me any favors.
It’s entirely possible that I’m just slightly cranky from being exhausted at the moment, but Call Her King did very little for me as an action fan. I spent far too much time pondering the fact the bailiff looked like he could be Geraldo Rivera’s (A Miracle in Spanish Harlem, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming) brother. (He isn’t.)
The fight choreography was basic and OK, the blood effects were iffy, and there were some sound quality issues where it was clear there was a voiceover happening rather than something that happened live in the shot I was watching.
Normally I find it easier to look over these earmarks of a smaller-budget movie and give them the benefit of the doubt like The Little Engine that Could. Alas, today, those small details pulled me out of the story and had me slightly bored with the overall experience.
If you’re catching Call Her King in rotation on the BET network, and this is your type of movie - I certainly wouldn’t call for changing the channel. However, if you’re looking for a quality action movie (even one with social justice themes), this may not be the one you’d want to settle on.
Call Her King releases for streaming on BET+ Thursday, July 6, 2023.
10 – Talk to Me
(7/28) Production/Distribution:
Bankside Films, Causeway Films, Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology, Screen
Australia, Talk to Me Holdings, The South Australian Film Corporation, A24 Director: Danny
Philippou, Michael Philippou Writer: Bill
Hinzman, Danny Philippou, Daley Pearson Actors: Sophie
Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Marcus Johnson,
Alexandria Steffensen, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Ari McCarthy Genre: Horror,
Thriller Rated: R Length: 1h 34min IMDb Blurb: When a group of friends discover how to conjure
spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one
of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. I find myself completely hypnotized by the trailer for Talk
to Me. The visuals are terrifying. Even parts that would otherwise come
across as basic jump scares feel like there’s more to them. The part where one
of the characters is repeating ‘run’ is tense as hell. The only reason I don’t have this higher on my list is because
there’s a small red flag in the beginning. The voices don’t entirely sync up to
the lips at one point. It could be nothing, just an editing mishap, but it
could also be a sign of those in charge trying to hide a sub-par script. I’m
hoping that’s not it, because it seems like a solid horror flick otherwise. 9 – Insidious:
The Red Door (7/7) Production/Distribution:
Alliance, Blumhouse Productions, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Entertainment
(SPE), Stage 6 Films, Columbia Pictures Director: Patrick
Wilson Writer: Scott
Teems, Leigh Whannell Actors: Rose
Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Hiam Abbass, Lin Shaye, Andrew Astor,
Juliana Davies, Sinclair Daniel Genre: Horror,
Mystery, Thriller Rated: PG-13 Length: 1h 47min IMDb Blurb: The Lamberts 10 years after the last installment,
as Dalton begins college. I’ve never really gotten into the Insidious films.
Every time one comes out, the trailer looks amazing, but then when it’s time to
sit down and watch something there’s always a different movie that draws my
attention more. I think what’s kept me away from Insidious is the
belief that it’s connected to the Conjuring universe, which I’ve just
been corrected on. So, I think it’s time for me to sit down and really watch
the rest of the series in anticipation of The Red Door. The mystery aspect of Insidious: The Red Door is more
inviting to me than I thought it would be. The trailer engages me enough to make
me want to know what’s going on. It’s impressive, considering my ambivalence up
until now. This is, allegedly, the last installment of Insidious.
You know how Hollywood goes, though, if it’s successful enough that could be up
for debate. From what the trailer is showing, it may go down that route. 8 – They Cloned
Tyrone (7/14) Production/Distribution:
Federal Films, MACRO, Made With Love Media, Netflix Director: Juel
Taylor Writer: Tony
Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor Actors: Jamie
Foxx, John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, David Alan Grier, Kiefer Sutherland, J.
Alphonse Nicholson, James Moses Black Genre: Action,
Comedy, Mystery Rated: R Length: 2h 2min IMDb Blurb: A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio
onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery
caper. They Cloned Tyrone is going to be one of the funniest
movies out there. It has a stunning cast and a fun plot. The idea of people being cloned due to some government conspiracy,
while someone with the comedic timing of Jamie Foxx (Strays, Day Shift, Just
Mercy) is running around is hilarious. It’s still also topical, especially
with the history of non-consensual experimentation on people of color and other
minorities. To be fair, I’d have added They Cloned Tyrone to the
list just with the excitement of seeing Foxx, Teyonah Parris (Candyman,
Charm City Kings, Chi-Raq), and David Alan Grier (Joe Pickett, The Cool
Kids, Sprinter) work off each other. It’s going to be a killer film. 7 – Bird Box
Barcelona (7/14) Production/Distribution:
Chris Morgan Productions, Dylan Clark Productions, Netflix Studios, Nostromo
Pictures, Netflix Director: David
Pastor, Àlex Pastor Writer: David
Pastor, Àlex Pastor Actors: Georgina
Campbell, Mario Casas, Diego Calva, Michelle Jenner, Patrick Criado, Leonardo
Sbaraglia Genre: Horror,
Mystery, Sci-Fi Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 50min IMDb Blurb: After an entity of mysterious origin annihilates
the world's population causing those who observe it to take their lives,
Sebastián and his daughter begin their own great adventure of survival in
Barcelona. The first Bird Box (2028) was a lot of fun. Much like
A Quiet Place (2018), it robbed the characters of one of their senses and
put them in a dangerous world. And, despite the similarities, they did wind up being
two very different movies. Not showing the big bad at all was one of the best things Bird
Box did. It allowed audiences to use their imagination to create something terrifying
for them. It’s a strategy that is too often not taken in horror films, and it’s
one that works. I hope that Bird Box Barcelona continues down the same
road, allowing the antagonist creatures to remain a mystery. The biggest
mistake I believe they can make is to show us some kind of creature. No matter
how well done, it would remove some of the tension. Luckily, the trailer makes
it seem as though they will be taking that same route. I’m glad they’ve opted to go into a different story in a different
part of the world. As much as I’d enjoy checking in with the original story and
seeing how that’s going, there wasn’t a whole lot to do with that that wouldn’t
mess up what we’ve already gotten. Seeing a whole new perspective from new
characters was absolutely the way to go about it. There’s a bit of concern that the change in writer/director could
mean a change in tone, but Àlex and David Pastor (The Head, Self/less, Carriers)
are brilliant with apocalyptic stories. If there is a change in tone, it just might
be for the better. 6 – Cobweb (7/21) Production/Distribution:
Lionsgate, Media Capital Technologies, Point Grey Pictures, Vertigo
Entertainment Director: Samuel
Bodin Writer: Chris
Thomas Devlin Actors: Lizzy
Caplan, Antony Starr, Cleopatra Coleman, Luke Busey, Woody Norman Genre: Horror, Thriller Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 28min IMDb Blurb: Horror strikes when an eight-year-old boy named
Peter tries to investigate the mysterious knocking noises that are coming from
inside the walls of his house and a dark secret that his sinister parents kept
hidden from him. The trailer for Cobweb does a good job of showing
that it was inspired by The Telltale Heart. Obviously, it’s not the same
story, but the inspiration is apparent. What I love about the direction the film takes is that I can’t
predict it from the start. There are a lot of different ways it can go. All the
supernatural stuff could be real, or just part of the kid’s nightmares. The
parents could have a body hidden from someone they killed, or from someone the
kid killed. There are a ton of possible outcomes. That means it will be more
interesting to watch than the basic jump-scare fare that we’ve become used to. It seems like Cobweb will be a solid horror flick. 5 – Mission:
Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (7/12) Production/Distribution:
Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, New Republic Pictures, TC Productions, Bad
Robot Director: Christopher
McQuarrie Writer: Erik
Jendresen, Christopher McQuarrie Actors: Rebecca
Ferguson, Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Vanessa
Kirby, Rob Delaney, Simon Pegg, Cary Elwes, Ving Rhames Genre: Action,
Adventure, Thriller Rated: PG-13 Length: 2h 43min IMDb Blurb: Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a
dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands. I’m not much of a Mission Impossible (1996-)girl,
but you can’t write a Top 20 for movies coming out in July of 2023 without
acknowledging this one. Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick, Edge of Tomorrow, Jack
Reacher) does all his own stunts and pours his heart and soul into each of these
films. He’s a talented guy, regardless of anything else. He never does anything
without doing it 100%, often to a fault. That does tend to make his movies
worth dropping the theater money on. If you’re a fan of the Mission Impossible films, this
is a must-see. Especially since it’s part one of what is supposed to be the
finale to the flicks. 4 – Joy Ride
(7/7) Production/Distribution:
Lionsgate, Point Grey Pictures Director: Adele
Lim Writer: Cherry
Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao Actors: Stephanie
Hsu, Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu, David Denman, Meredith Hagner, Annie
Mumolo Genre: Comedy Rated: Unrated Length: 1h 35min IMDb Blurb: Follows four Asian-American friends as they bond
and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while
they travel through Asia in search of one of their birth mothers. What I thought would be a basic buddy comedy in the vein of Girls
Trip (2017) took a hell of a left turn in the trailer. Suddenly there are cocaine
mules and fake K-pop stars singing Cardi B. No doubt there’s going to be a bunch of cringe in Joy
Ride, which is not my favorite, but there’s also a lot of heartfelt story
as well. Aside from the story of friendship, there’s also the plot addition of
one of the main characters looking for answers in a homeland they never knew. That
has the potential to get extremely deep. Done right, it might even lead to some
ugly crying. Now, this is Adele Lim’s (Dynasty, Reign, Life Unexpected)
directorial debut, but she’s credited as a writer for some beloved flicks such
as Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).
Being a good writer doesn’t necessarily make someone a good director, but I
have a lot of faith in her. She’s been gathering writing credits for just over
20 years, and I think she has the know-how to make her directorial debut shine. Both writers, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (Awkwafina is
Nora from Queens, The Orville, Resident Alien) and Teresa Hsiao (Awkwafina
is Nora from Queens, American Dad!, We Bare Bears) have credits writing for
Family Guy (1999-). I know that’s not everybody’s humor, but I happen to
love the show. I feel like that gives me a clue as to what the majority of the
jokes will be like – and I’m here for it. I believe Joy Ride is going to strike a balance
between heartfelt and funny that will delight audiences. 3 – Haunted
Mansion (7/28) Production/Distribution:
Walt Disney Productions, Rideback, Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Director: Justin
Simien Writer: Katie
Dippold Actors: Jamie Lee
Curtis, Winona Ryder, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto, Danny DeVito, Owen Wilson, Dan
Levy, LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Hasan Minaj Genre: Comedy,
Drama, Family Rated: PG-13 Length: Unknown IMDb Blurb: A single mom named Gabbie hires a tour guide, a psychic,
a priest, and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after
discovering it is inhabited by ghosts. If you put LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, Uncut
Gems, Judas and the Black Messiah) in a movie, I’m going to see it. I don’t
know if I’ll enjoy the film, but I know from the jump that I’ll enjoy his part
in it. The man is brilliant. I’ve seen him take on films that are absolute
stinkers and still shine like the god-damn sun in them. After all, I fell in
love with his acting after watching Death Note (2017) which was
otherwise objectively bad. I must not have been the only one, because, since 2017, Stanfield
has been cast in some seriously amazing projects. To put it in perspective: he’s
been in 14 full-length feature films/TV shows since then and only 1 of them has
been deemed rotten on Rotten Tomatoes (by either audience or critics). That
means he has roughly a 93% success rate for his films. Clearly, either only the
best creators are interested in him – or, more likely, he chooses his projects
carefully. Either way, I will follow him to all the films he does. Blindly. Aside from Stanfield, they got Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween,
Everything Everywhere All at Once, Knives Out), Winona Ryder (Stranger
Things, Destination Wedding, Beetlejuice), Rosario Dawson (Clerks III, The
Lego Batman Movie, Luke Cage), Danny DeVito (Matilda, It’s Always Sunny
in Philadelphia, Jumanji: The Next Level), Owen Wilson (Loki, Paint,
Marry Me), Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek, Happiest Season, Degrassi: The Next
Generation), Tiffany Haddish (Like a Boss, Keanu, Night School), Hasan
Minhaj (The Daily Show, No Hard Feelings, Goatface), and more. It’s an
absolutely stacked cast. It just so happens that Haunted Mansion looks good. I’m
a little surprised there’s a PG-13 rating. The original Haunted Mansion
(2003) starred Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls, Dolemite is my Name, Shrek) and
was undoubtedly made for kids. Then there was Muppets Haunted Mansion
(2021) which was also a kid’s film. Both previous films were rated PG. The trailer for this Haunted Mansion looks like it’s
geared more toward older teens and adults. There’s some actual ghost-based
horror in it. I think this is going to be a new look at an old favorite. I’m
looking forward to it. 2 – Oppenheimer
(7/21) Production/Distribution:
Universal Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, Syncopy Director: Christopher
Nolan Writer: Christopher
Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin Actors: Josh
Hartnett, Florence Pugh, Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt
Damon, Olivia Thirlby, Jack Quaid, Gary Oldman, Gustaf Skarsgård, Kenneth Branagh,
David Dastmalchian, Rami Malek Genre: Biography,
Drama, History Rated: R Length: 3h IMDb Blurb: The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and
his role in the development of the atomic bomb. Although Oppenheimer is not a horror, there’s no
doubt in my mind that the story of the title character’s life and ‘accomplishment’
is going to be harrowing. To say the least. It’s a story that’s more than worth
watching play out. The choice of Cillian Murphy (Inception, 28 Days Later,
Sunshine) for the title role was the right one. He’s capable of bringing weight
to the performance that might have been missed by many others. He’s joined by a
staggering amount of talent that would take me weeks to write about in any way
that does the cast honor. Oppenheimer is just about a guaranteed success. 1 – Barbie (7/21) Production/Distribution:
Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, Mattel Films, Mattel, Warner Bros. Director: Greta
Gerwig Writer: Greta
Gerwig, Noah Baumbach Actors: Margot
Robbie, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ryan Gosling, Hari Nef, Ariana Greenblatt, Helen
Mirren, Michael Cera, John Cena, Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Rhea
Perlman, America Ferrera, Dua Lipa, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Ncuti Gatwa Genre: Adventure,
Comedy, Fantasy Rated: PG-13 Length: 1h 54min IMDb Blurb: To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in
a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. I don’t know what I was expecting the Barbie movie to
be about, but I can tell you that it wasn’t what the trailer showed. In fact,
this is another film I was surprised to find a PG-13 rating for. I 100% thought
it would be for little kids. I’d say the only thing I got that I knew I would get was oversaturated
pinks and pastels. They hurt my eyes, but anything other than that would have
felt unbelievably wrong. The trailer looks incredible. Margot Robbie (Suicide
Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street, Babylon) embodies the presence of the
Barbie we all know. Seeing Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine, Drive, The Gray Man)
as a peppy Ken doll makes me laugh just by the thought of it. I always
associate him with sarcastic banter. I have no idea how that’s going to
translate to the rose-colored glasses of his character but I’m dying to find
out. I love that every single Barbie or Ken doll featured in the
film represents a doll that actively exists somewhere in our world. That means
there should be a touch of nostalgia for just about anyone who goes to see it.
What I find most interesting is that it’s written and
directed by Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women, Nights and Weekends).
Most of the film is from the viewpoint of characters that are significant naïve
and viewing the world through an unmarred perspective of innocence. Gerwig is
not a happy-go-lucky story creator. Her stories have a sense of realism and
understanding of the world around her. That makes me certain that this bright
and peppy flick is going to have a few more realistic twists that people won’t be
able to peg from the jump. As tempting as it may be to bring young children to see it,
I doubt this Barbie film will be for them. I, however, will be seeing it
ASAP.
Now, if you’re a fan of Fraser’s, then you probably know why
seeing him this happy is a BIG deal. I won’t go into it too much, but he was basically
blacklisted for pointing out the issues in Hollywood that the Me Too movement
highlighted. In a post-Me Too world, that blacklist has been lifted and he is
starting to pop up in cinema again. There’s more to the story, but I’m not going to harp on it. The point is that fans never turned on Brendan Fraser. We
loved him back in the 90s, and when Tom Cruise tried to bring back his biggest
movie franchise without him, we spoke at the box office. As loud as we’ve been
since the beginning that his blacklisting was unfair, it wasn’t until the
current incarnation of the internet where we were really heard. Not only am I looking forward to seeing The Whale
because Mr. Fraser is back at the top of his game, but because it got that
6-minute standing ovation. I expect it will be a hell of a tear-jerker, though. Bring
tissues.
