Fifty Shades of Grey

The number one movie in America is none other than the sexual escapades of Christian Grey in, Fifty Shades of Grey. The movie’s debut was monumental as it doubled its budget this Valentine’s Day weekend, earning an estimated $85 million.

E.L James’ best selling novel proactively comes to life in the movie’s adaption. Dakota Johnson and Jaime Dornan star as the world’s hottest fictional couple, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. Life gets a little complicated when Anastasia has to decide if she’s willing to submit.

Starring as Mr. Grey, Dornan is immensely “dominant” the entire film. Even with early talks of other candidates to portray Christian Grey, Dornan has proven to be fully enamored into the character who is adored by many.

Fifty Shades of Grey is the first of a movie trilogy and it is important for Dornan to hit the ground running. Even with one little mistake, book nerds all over the world would have dissected the credibility of the movie. But, he effortlessly keeps his end of the bargain.

The movie was intense- no, like intense, intense. And you know it is serious when someone says the word twice.

This is definitely not a movie for the sexually awkward. The movie’s overall idea circled around submission– about who or what you are willing to submit to. In a sexual relationship, I personally coined white women as the submissive stereotype, because in reality, it is a trait that can overpower all women.

A few times during the movie, I was thinking to myself, “I wish he would”– simply refusing to perform some of the items requested. But, with more thought, I can recalls times when I submitted to some non-sexual acts far worse.

And after awhile, submission slowly becomes the standard.

Like Christian Grey, men are widely praised as the protectors, bread winners, and patriarch. While women are often times considered the inferior species. But, there’s a thin line between submission and comprise in relation to gender specific roles. Healthy submission comes with non-physical perks. It’s called compromise.

Who are you willing to submit to?

4 Stars: With no reading prerequisites, Fifty Shades of Grey is thoroughly enjoyable!

February 17, 2015 0

Annabelle Passes

She terrified you in “The Conjuring,” but this is where it all began for Annabelle. Capable of unspeakable evil, the actual doll exists locked up in an occult museum in Connecticut—visited only by a priest who blesses her twice a month. New Line Cinema’s supernatural thriller “Annabelle”, starring Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis, and Alfred Woodard, begins before the evil was unleashed. John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia—a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn’t last long. Members of a satanic cult invade the home of a man (Horton) and his pregnant wife (Wallis) and turn a vintage doll into a conduit for ultimate evil.

The Annabelle screening will be held Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 7:30 PM in the Waterfront. To secure your chances at getting the special Gofobo code, please comment below with your favorite doll movie (good or bad). MSQ Favorite Doll Movie: Child’s Play 2 (1990)

The Gofobo code will be emailed the morning of the screening (9/30).

Much Love,

Movie Scene Queen

September 18, 2014 89

No Good Deed

There’s no question why ‘No Good Deed’ is the #1 movie in America right now. Knocking ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ striaght out of the top spot, the movie’s quick suspense and appealing cast are clear indications that the film is well worth the $24.5 million box office sales.

A deserted housewife, Terri (Taraji P. Henson), shows an escaped convict, Colin (Idris Elba), a brief act of kindness. But, that brief of act of kindness swiftly turns into a night of terror. Taraji P. Henson and Idris Elba are electifrying and the pair, who also serves as executive producers, are a match made in movie heaven.

When Idris Elba plays the villain it fondly reminds me of this days as Stringer Bell on HBO’s ‘The Wire’. His role in this movie is like when Denzel Washington was in ‘Training Day’ (2001)- the utter excitement of seeing the good looking guy play the bad boy. Elba is charmingly attractive on screen with his artifical American accent, even though his English accent slips in occassionally.

Doesn’t it seem like trailers are now starting to reveal too much of the storyline? Initially, I was frustrated with the ‘No Good Deed’ trailer because it was giving too much of the plot away. Despite the lengthy trailer, there are lots of twists and turns. The thriller creates the creepy suspense of ‘The Shining’ (1980) and man-vs-woman battle of ‘Enough’ (2002).

I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone took this fictional scenario and made a real life reference. When the Ray Rice NFL decision broke early last week, social media pages were flooded with a meme about women and their double standards. Here’s the Instagram post:

Although this movie’s release date has been set for almost a year, maybe it was bad timing. Or maybe it’s a mere coincidence that Ray Rice’s video publicly surfaced around the same time a movie about domestic violence would be released. Clearly, the connection did not stop millions of movie goers from enjoying the movie this past weekend.

As a woman, at no point in time did Ray Rice’s elevator footage dilute my desire to see this flick. While domestic violence is a global epedimic, the issue is widely depcited in movies and should serve as platform rather than promotion. ‘No Good Deed’ touches on other relevant topics like Infidelity (Future, Stevie J) and Child Endangerment (Adrian Peterson). (And we didn’t attack those people or make a sad association.)

3.5 STARS

September 16, 2014 2

No Good Deed Passes

Terri (Taraji P. Henson) is a devoted wife and mother of two, living an ideal suburban life in Atlanta when Colin (Idris Elba), a charming but dangerous escaped convict, shows up at her door claiming car trouble. Terri offers her phone to help him but soon learns that no good deed goes unpunished as she finds herself fighting for survival when he invades her home and terrorizes her family.

The screening will be held Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at AMC Waterfront 22, beginning promptly at 7:30 PM.

For tickets, please comment below with your favorite Taraji P. Henson and/or Idris Elba movie.
MSQ’s Favorite Taraji P. Henson Movie: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
MSQ’s Favorite Idris Elba Movie: Daddy’s Little Girls (2007)

Much Love,

Movie Scene Queen

***This screening has been cancelled. Screen Gems sent the following message to all ticket holders: Screen Gems has decided to cancel all of the advance screenings of NO GOOD DEED. There is a plot twist in the film that we do not want to reveal as it will affect the audiences’ experience when they see the film in theaters. We apologize for any inconvenience.

MSQ also apologizes for the inconvenience.

September 3, 2014 150

Non- Stop

Liam Neeson is the iconic hero. He saved his daughter in ‘Taken’ (2008) and then years later he saved his wife in ‘Taken 2’ (2012). This time he’s United States Federal Air Marshall, Bill Marks, in ‘Non-Stop.’ On an international flight to London, he has to save all the passengers from a anonymous hijackers.

Neeson set the bar with Taken. As a result, it’s quite difficult to comparably make cinematic connections with his other works. He recently lent his voice for the box office surprise “The Lego Movie”, but Non-Stop gave us typical Neeson; high action, bravery, and investigative deployment.

I enjoy when he saves the day, even if it is predictable.

The film, also starring Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Anson Mount, and Lupita Nyong’o, is attention-grabbing, suspenseful and full of surprises. Despite the cliche ending, ‘Non-Stop’ holds up to its name with its never-ending curve balls of suspects and blame.

Although she had a smaller role, African-Mexican beauty Lupita Nyong’o graces the movie with her presence. She could not have uttered more than a few dozen words in the movie, but I was excited to see her again. She hasn’t failed yet and every one of her red carpet looks are better than the previous one.

Nyong’o’s recent fame hails from her inaugural role as ‘Patsey’ in Steve McQueen’s ’12 Years a Slave.’ She has already snagged several awards, including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress and 37 other acknowledgments. This past Sunday, she was bestowed the most prestigious award; the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

3.5 Stars: The suspense, and Liam Neeson of course, is what keeps the movie alive.

March 3, 2014 0

Gravity

Dr. Ryan Stone (Saundra Bullock) battles more than scientific elements when she is trapped in outer space in Warner Brothers Pictures’ “Gravity”. As if “Prisoners” hasn’t been killing in the recent box office, we now get the pleasure of another great movie. With only a 7-person cast, “Gravity” starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney will have any NASA nerd clinging to the end of their seat.

Biomedical engineer Dr. Stone commits to her inaugural space shuttle mission, while commanding astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) is celebrating his final trip before retirement. Dr. Stone, still in a mourning state of her own, is staring death right in the face after fast moving debris ruins their space shuttle.

The movie travels a little deeper than the dimensions of outer space taking on a psychological connection to the idea of being reborn. Gravity, the physical force not the movie, metaphorically holds Dr. Stone captive to her current state of mind and it’s up to her to use her survival instincts to hopefully see another day. The graphics and special effects were awesome! The movie literally captured every snippet and glimpse of what it means to be floating aimlessly in space. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who has been nominated several times for his previous work, did a phenomenal job. Oscar buzz is never official, but he might just win for “Gravity.”

After “The Heat”, Sandra Bullock is shown in a different, more serious light. She truly embodies the fragile state of Dr. Stone and seems to be an actress of flexibility and variety. Bullock can be sensitive and compassionate (“A Time To Kill”), she can be cute (the “Miss Congeniality” series), she can be outrageously hilarious (“The Heat”), and now, she’s proven to be a vulnerable, persistent biomedical researcher.

4 STARS: May I suggest the 3D or IMAX experience for “Gravity.” The extra $5 effects are worth the simulated feeling of getting lost in outer space. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are a match made in “space.”

October 17, 2013 1

Prisoners

Warner Brothers Pictures has been on roll lately dropping great summer movies like “We’re the Millers” and “The Conjuring”. Not to mention the highly anticipated film “Gravity,” about Sandra Bullock trapped in outer space, will be released in early October.

Prisoners, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Viola Davis, Maria Bello and Terrence Howard, is no different. It was the best 2 hours and 33 minutes I have spent recently. It were as if I were watching an extended episode of Dick Wolf’s Law and Order: SVU, minus Olivia Benson, of course.

When two young neighbors, Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons) and Anna (Erin Gerasimovich), go missing on Thanksgiving Day, it’s up to their parents to find them and justice. The small Pennsylvania town unites in a high-low search for the girls. Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal), who has solved all of his cases, gets stumped with a few leads as he considers everyone as a suspect. Keller Dover (Jackman) takes on a unique approach in a desperate deployment to recover both girls alive.

Terrence Howard and Viola Davis were traditional middle class parents. Despite the recent portrayal of Howard being an alleged woman beater, his character was very delicate and emotional. Filled with a lot of tears and yearning for their daughters return, they both were phenomenal and made for a beautiful couple.

Viola Davis is slowly creeping on the A-list actress radar. Physically, she’s no Halle Berry but she makes up with concrete believability, diversity and a beautiful spirit. I believe it all started with the Help. Since then, Davis has been an unstoppable force and each movie gets better than the one before.

A Strong 4 Stars: You’ll enjoy this movie as you play “Guess Who” trying to figure out who the real bad guy before the plot reveals itself. Prisoners is in theatres Septemebr 20th

September 23, 2013 0

Enter to win Prisoners Passes

When Keller Dover’s daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?

Join the Movie Scene Queen for the September 18th advance screening of Prisoners starring an-Oscar filled cast such as Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Terrance Howard. For your chance to win 2 tickets just comment below with your email address and your LEAST favorite movie of all time!

The screening will be held at AMC Loews Waterfront on Monday, September 16, 2013 at 7:30 pm. Winners will be notified on Friday, September 13th.

Much Love,

Movie Scene Queen

September 4, 2013 71

Now You See Me (5.24.13)

Now You See Me was surprisingly refreshing and filled with suspense, action, and occasional laughter. The movie follows four lonely illusionists as they live out a dead magician’s son’s vendetta.

FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) joins forces with Interpol Detective Alma Vargas (Mélanie Laurent) to prove that a team of Las Vegas magicians, the Four Horsemen, were responsible for robbing a Paris bank and rewarding their audience with the $3 million. The Four Horsemen consists of as J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), The Know-It-All, who amazed New York City crowds with his elaborate card tricks, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), The Beauty, who captivated her audience with tricks and good looks, Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), The Rookie, who seems like he was greater at breaking and entering rather than simple magic tricks, and finally, Merritt Osbourne (Woody Harrelson), The Mentalist, who before joining the group was conning married couples out of their vacation money.

White Men Can’t Jump
Woody Harrelson, who is most known in the Black community as the b-baller from the 1992 classic White Men Can’t Jump, was absolutely charismatic and loveable in Now You See Me. He’s clearly aged but he’s aged well. In the movie, Harrelson played the brazen, arrogant psychic, knowing your every thought and desire. But, like most spiritualists and predictors, he was just very good at guessing and sensing the obvious.

Harrelson definitely get puts on the “You’re So Ugly, You’re Kinda Cute” List!

Another pleasant, handsome surprise was rapper and actor Common, who played FBI Supervisor Evans. Common only popped up in a few scenes but it was definitely worth it! He’s so posed and regal that it’s hard not to notice him. I still haven’t come to a solid conclusion whether his talents are more superior as an actor or a rapper. But, if Nelly, Ludacris, and TI can do, I say more power to Mr. Common!

My favorite AARP card holder, Morgan Freeman (197 years old), graced us with this presence. Mr. Freeman has yet to let me down in his cinematic roles. In Now You See Me, he’s a key player. His character, Thaddeus Bradley, exposes the tricks to everyone’s act. Money quickly becomes his motivator as he shifts gears mid-way through the movie. Of course, this isn’t a spoiler review so please check out Now You See Me, which “magically” hits theatres on May 31st!

3.75 STARS: Besides the ending, which happened to be a little cliché, the movie was great!

May 24, 2013 1

The Call starring Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, and Morris Chestnut was filled with total suspense as long time 911 operator, Jordan Turner, played by Berry, had to face her previous fears and save a teenager from being brutally murdered. No spoiler alerts here but Berry’s character goes to many lengths to ensure her 911 caller’s safety.

The movie was more than I expected from a WWE Films production. I quickly associate WWE with staged wrestling matches and corny greasy muscled bound men. Although WWE superstar and Jennifer Hudson’s fiancé, David Otunga, made his cameo appearance, he was surprisingly poised and seemed to be very confident behind the camera. Punk came a LONG way since his days as New York’s love slave on vh1’s tacky Flavor of Love spin-off, I Love New York. I’m pretty sure the tables have turned and Miss New York is eating her reality-show-yet-scripted-heart out.

Okay, back to the movie. Many times, I jumped in my seat and never knew what was coming next. The best movie I’ve seen all year (but it’s only March)

4 STARS: A must see with your insignificant other (someone you can hold onto for at least 90 minutes)!!!!!!

March 25, 2013 0