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Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
2020 | Action, Comedy, Crime
Lots of action and comedy (0 more)
A shocking death (0 more)
They're baaack!!!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Me and my husband watched this at the cinema yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised. After such a long wait for this I half expected it to be disaapointing, but it was far from it. Shortly after the film starts you think it's the end of the road of one of the bad boys as he gets shot multiple times and ends up fighting for his life. Forward 6 months and you think it's his funeral but in actual fact it's a wedding and the character is there enjoying it, and you breathe a sigh of relief. The whole movie is fast paced, full of comedy at every chance they get and a lot more action than the previous movies. Only downside was the death of a certain character, I won't tell you who but in my husbands words "that was bang out of order". We find out quite quickly into the movie that Marcus had hung up his badge and retired and It's this death that forces marcus and mike back together doing what they do best. A very entertaining movie from beginning to end and one to add to the buy list.
  
Uncle Drew (2018)
Uncle Drew (2018)
2018 | Comedy
After spending his life savings to enter the Rucker Classic street ball tournament in Harlem, Dax (Lil Rel Howery) loses his team his team, girlfriend, and home to his longtime rival (Nick Kroll). Seeking to turn things around and win the $100,000 cash prize, Dax stumbles upon the legend of streetball, Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving) and convinces him to return to the court one more time. The two men embark on a road trip to round up Drew’s old basketball squad (Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, and Nate Robinson) to take on a new generation of ballers and redeem their legacy.

There have been countless sports films that have used basketball as a backdrop. Uncle Drew takes many of the charming and humorous elements of films like Like Mike, White Men Can’t Jump, He Got Game, and more to make a film that attempts to wedge itself into the genre instead of simply being a marketing gimmick that has been dragged out longer than it should be. Although the story is very shallow, and the plot is very predictable, the point of the movie is to showcase love and friendship. The film demonstrates that sport is a way to connect people across racial lines, economic class, and across borders. Despite its weaknesses, it brings fans together for ninety minutes to laugh and enjoy the antics of a group of senior citizens and one outcast looking for redemption and a home.
  
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
Angel Has Fallen (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Thriller
Nolte steals the movie
It's always interesting to me that when I leave a film and realize that the best part of the movie I just saw was the extra scene during the credits. What were the folks that made this movie thinking? Did they save the best for last? Most of the time it is - unfortunately - that this scene shines BECAUSE it really has nothing to do with the rest of the film, in both style and substance.

Such is the case with ANGEL HAS FALLEN the 3rd film in the "Fallen" series (following OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN and LONDON HAS FALLEN) that follows the trials and tribulations of White House Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) as he tries, once again, to save the President (a game, stern - yet sincere - Morgan Freeman) from an assassination attempt. But this time...the twist is...that Mike is framed for the attempt, so he has to go on the lamb "The Fugitive" style to clear his name and to find out who really dunnit.

I figured out who dunnit - and who was behind it - in about the first 3 minutes those characters/performers were on the screen - but it's the destination, not the journey, that counts in these types of films and this journey is..."so-so".

The plot contrivances, action sequences and chase scenes are all pretty middle-of-the-road with Director Ric Roman Waugh (SNITCH, FELON) resorting to the quick-cut, jittery camera "cinema verite" style of action shooting that, to me, shows laziness in choreography and originality and ends up giving me a bit of a headache.

So...failing a good plot and good action sequences, a film like this must have good, interesting characters and good, interesting actors inhabiting them. And...for the most part...that part of this film generates some interest as the previously mentioned Morgan Freeman, the always dependable Lance Reddick, the oily Danny Huston and the quirky Tim Blake Nelson all share the screen to good effect. Piper Perabo also joins the fray as Mike's wife and she elevates that side of the proceedings.

In the end, it comes down to the screen presence and charisma of star Gerard Butler as Mike and - unfortunately - he just doesn't have enough of that to keep things interesting. Especially when he spends a large part of the film playing against an actor who plays Butler's father - the one and only Nick Nolte.

And he...just about...steals the movie. Here is an actor that has screen presence and charisma to spare, even under long hair, a beard and a voice that has seen many, many cigarettes and booze.

And this takes us back to the beginning (or should I say, the end) of the film...Nolte and Butler share the end credits scene and it's, by far, the best darn thing in this mediocre film.

If you're going to sit through this, make sure you stay for the end credits scene.

Letter Grade B-

6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
Home To You - Single by CADE
Home To You - Single by CADE
2019
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
CADE is an LA-based singer-songwriter and producer from Tampa, Florida. Not too long ago, he released an urban pop tune, entitled, “Home to You”, featuring Brooklyn rapper Desiigner.

“Different time, far from home. Hate having to fly here without you. Worrying, don’t know where you are. Hoping that you go to your bed alone ’cause I know you’re quite the dime. Shawty, gems like you are hard to find. You stay on my mind.” – lyrics

‘Home to You’ tells an interesting tale of a young artist who is out on the road, on tour with 12 more shows to go.

Even though he’s living his life-long dream and getting money, he can’t wait to get home to spend some romantic time with his significant other.

‘Home to You’ contains a relevant storyline, harmonious vocals, and twitchy instrumentation flavored with urban pop, hip-hop, and trap elements.

Also, the likable tune follows CADE’s “Strip Club” single featuring Lil Aaron.

‘Home to You’ highlights why CADE is one of the most in-demand artists in the United States.

So far, he has achieved over half a billion streams via Spotify alone, with a sound which fluctuates between future R&B and dance.

Also, he has amassed over 4.5M monthly Spotify listeners and continues to widen his fanbase by supporting artists such as Cheat Codes, Jeremih, Ke$ha, and Mike Posner.

Desiigner rose to prominence in 2016 after the release of his debut single, entitled, “Panda”, which topped the US Billboard Hot 100.

Later that same year, Kanye West sampled “Panda” for his seventh album, entitled, “The Life of Pablo”.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/cade-home-to-you-desiigner/
  
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
2020 | Action, Comedy, Crime
Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, what ya gonna do? Go and watch Bad Boys For Life, that's what you're gonna do.

Mike and Marcus are still going strong but Marcus wants to slow down and ease into retirement. His life is changing and it's time to realise he's not a boy anymore. When their celebrations are rudely interrupted a hunt begins, good against bad, old school police work versus new. Will this be the end of the road for our Bad Boys?

I rewatched the original movies before this because of course you have to! Something I loved about this is that they managed to bring the series up to date while still keeping some of the key elements that added fun to the first two instalments. There's nostalgia here that I absolutely love, more on that later.

There were times while watching Bad Boys For Life that I pondered if it was still a Michael Bay film, there are quite a few glossy moments that feel like they have a touch of Bayhem about them.

I love that the original cast are back with the same great chemistry. I wasn't overly keen on the additional cast they brought in. With an established universe it's difficult to bring in that many new characters. There was a solid effort to get their backstories and personalities in but with so much other story happening it often felt out of place or tacked on. A quicker way might have been to have them introduced from their files with montage shots and be done with. I did at one point assume it was just a set up for the next film.

One of the little surprises for me was DJ Khaled, I didn't know he was in it and his part was just great, he played it so well that I was a little sad there wasn't more.

Everything has a very crisp feel to it, which was another reason my brain kept saying Bay. Vibrant surrounding, costumes and sets all perfectly matched together. I liked the contrasts between Mike and Marcus' lives, though the montage just made me think of Hobbs and Shaw and how that felt better.

There are lots of holes to pick in this, the script isn't great and I wasn't fond of the way the main storyline came together at the end but this is one of those instances where I don't think it matters. I have never watched a Bad Boys movie for its Shakespearean drama, I watch it for the banter and the action. Bad Boys For Life has that in spade, as well as an incredible amount of emotion and heart.

This is the sort of film I like to watch to have a break from the stress, I will definitely be buying this one when it comes out. It's got that chicken soup feel to it, it's familiar and it's fun... and sometimes that's what you need.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/02/bad-boys-for-life-movie-review.html