Tag: True Story

Big George Foreman

2023  Sony Pictures

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  2 hr  9min

Biography ~ Drama ~ True Story

Directed by:  George Tillman Jr

Starring:  Khris Davis, Jasmine Mathews, John Magaro, Sullivan Jones, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Sonja Sohn and Forest Whitaker.

“Anger was my answer to everything. I couldn’t stop myself from fighting. It was the only thing I did well.”

Khris Davis stars as George Foreman in this True Story Biopic about his life and career as a World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Starting with his poverty stricken life in Houston, Texas growing up with six brothers and sisters. George was a troubled youth who was quick to anger and fight, frequently ending up in trouble. At 16 George decides to join the Job Corps to get himself out of the neighborhood trouble and turn his life around. It is there that he meets a man that will change his life.

Having gotten into a fight and facing expulsion from the Job Corps, Doc Broadus (Forest Whitaker), a boxing trainer, convinces George to channel his anger into the sport of Boxing. Doc takes George under his wing and seeing the incredible raw talent he possesses, grooms him for competition. He quickly excels and wins the gold medal for the United States in the 1968 Summer Olympics. He goes on to win more bouts and rises very quickly in the sport, winning a bout with Joe Frazier in 1973.

George goes on to fight Muhammad Ali in THE RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE in 1974 and loses to Muhammad. Ultimately they become very close friends for the rest of their lives. From the bottom living in poverty as a child, to rising to the top of the Boxing World, BIG GEORGE FOREMAN chronicles every step of his journey.

There was a reason they called him Big George Foreman, even as a child, George was big. And as he grew into a young adult and started working out he became a very powerful physical force to be reckoned with in the ring. Here is a man who rose from nothing, gained the world, lost it all, and gained it back. Refusing to take it lying down no matter how great the odds. From near death, a divorce, losing all he gained monetarily thanks to a shady business manager, naming his children all George Foreman, becoming a preacher, the Foreman grill, this movie covers it every step of the way.

It is a great story and a great movie and you know I love the True Story Movies. I have seen it three times and still love watching it. Khris Davis as George Foreman, Sullivan Jones as Muhammad and Forest Whitaker as Doc Broadus are really good in this. I really like this movie…..alot. And I AM NOT A BIG BOXING FAN!, this movie is more about the life and trials of George, and it is a fascinating look at his journey.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

TWO THUMBS UP!!

Queenpins

2021   STX Films

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  50min

Comedy ~ Crime ~ True Story

Directed by:  Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly.

Starring:  Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn.

“When folks use coupons, their oxytocin levels, they kinda spike, like in they get that little tingly sensation. They call it “THE COUPON HIGH”.”

Kristen Bell stars as Connie Kaminski, a three time gold medal winning former Olympic racewalker, currently unemployed and unhappily married in Phoenix, Arizona. Frustrated by several unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant and have a child, Connie has thrown herself into the coupon world. Constantly clipping and stockpiling everything she can get her hands on in a spare bedroom that was going to be the baby room. Her husband Rick, an IRS Audit agent, starts taking on travelling assignments to spend less time at home with Connie as they both deal with the disappointment of not being able to have a child.

JoJo (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) is Connie’s best friend and is also unemployed and living with her mother. JoJo had her identity stolen and it completely ruined her financially. She has started a Youtube channel on saving money and using coupons. Connie and JoJo team up and start a coupon business together after Connie discovers that she can get free item coupons from big manufacturers just by writing a complaint letter. They start selling the coupons on their website SUPERSAVVYSHOPPER.COM. That grows into an illegal operation when Connie learns that the free coupons are printed right across the border in Mexico and hatches a plan to “acquire” them from the facility in Mexico.

They enlist the help of Tempe Tina (Bebe Rexha), who stole JoJo’s identity and is a cyber hacker, to help them set up the illegal coupon operation on a large scale. Ken (Paul Walter Hauser) is a Loss Prevention manager for the local grocery chain A&G where Connie has been using her coupons to shop. When their coupon business starts growing and people start using the coupons, it comes to Ken’s attention and he puts together a case file and approaches the FBI. It then comes to the attention of The Postal Service and Inspector Simon Kilmurry (Vince Vaughn) is assigned to the case.

And what follows is the incredible and hilarious True Story of how a couple of women in Phoenix, Arizona built an illegal multi-million dollar business and the two guys who tracked them down. Ken is a complete a**hole with an inferiority complex. The relationship between Ken and Agent Kilmurry is hilarious, as Ken is a wannabe Law Enforcement agent suddenly thrust into a would be partnership with a real Law enforcement agent. How Agent Kilmurry takes pity on Ken and treats him as an equal is kind of sad yet very funny.

Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn all do really good jobs in this movie. It is based on the true story and real life crime case of three women in Arizona. And you know I love the True Story movies. Definitely funny and worth a watch…BOGO!

Two Thumbs Up!

Woman Of the Hour

2024   Netflix

Rated:  Unrated

Length:  1 hr  35 min

Crime ~ Drama ~ Thriller

Directed by:  Anna Kendrick

Starring:  Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, and Autumn Best.

“Bachelor number three, I’m counting on you. What are girls for?”

Anna Kendrick stars as Cheryl Bradshaw, an aspiring actress from Pennsylvania, who relocated to Los Angeles.  Desperate for work and not having any luck, her agent books her on “The Dating Game” TV show. Among the three male contestants is Serial Rapist-Murderer Rodney Alcala played by Daniel Zovatto. I just can’t talk too much more about the plot of the movie without giving any spoilers, so I will give you more background on the movie and the real life story.

Woman Of The Hour is based on the true life story of Cheryl Bradshaw’s account of being on the episode and meeting Rodney Alcala. It focuses more on that story than the life and deeds of the convicted serial killer Rodney Alcala. At the time he appeared on The Dating Game September 13, 1978 he was wanted for the rape and murder of several women and the rape and attempted murder of an 8 year old girl. He was also employed at The Los Angeles Times and was interviewed by the Los Angeles police as part of their Hillside Strangler investigation.

Rodney Alcala hid behind the façade of being a photographer. Always carrying a camera around his neck and pretending to be interested in photographing his victims as a ploy to get them to remote spots. Charming and personable be the devil that lurked behind the camera, peering at his victims through the lens. Quietly watching and capturing their last moments of freedom before he unleashed his unsuspected savage terror. He would beat and strangle his victims to the point of unconsciousness, then bring them back to life so he could rape and abuse them. Mercilessly over and over again until they died.

It reminds me of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the true life depiction of serial killer Ted Bundy. Another ruthless savage who hid behind the façade of his charm and good looks, using them to lure his victims into a false sense of trust before he brutally raped and murdered them. Woman Of The Hour does depict some of the most famous Rodney Alcala cases to give you a better sense of the suspenseful Game Show appearance. One of the other male guests is quoted as saying that Rodney gave him the heebie-jeebies, something very unnatural about his presence made him want to get as far away from Rodney as possible.

Like Ted Bundy, Rodney Alcala evaded capture by running and hiding, assuming a new identity wherever he went. Always leaving the state they perpetrated their crimes in for new territory and an untapped victim pool. Bundy wore a cast and pretended to be helpless as he asked victims to assist him, Alcala always wore the camera around his neck and pretended to be taking photographs as he hunted for his next victim. He had over a thousand photographs he had collected that the police found when he was finally captured. It is believed that he potentially raped and murdered hundreds of women.

This movie marks Anna Kendrick’s Directorial debut. Nice job, I say. It is a great depiction of how the devil hides in plain site waiting to pounce on his next unassuming victim. I think she did a great job with the story, the movie and her role as Cheryl Bradshaw. Daniel Zovatto also did a great job portraying the many sides of Rodney Alcala, going from personable and charming, to a horrific murdering animal in the blink of an eye. Autumn Best also did a great job of portraying the victim Amy (The real life case of Monique Hoyt) who managed to trick Rodney into letting her live and escaping while they stopped at a gas station. She alerted the authorities and he was apprehended at the gas station.

So, that’s a big thumbs down on serial killers and rapists and………..

Two Thumbs up for Woman Of The Hour, Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto and Autumn Best!

The Pope’s Exorcist

2023   Sony Pictures

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  43min

Horror ~ Thriller ~ True Story

Directed by:  Julius Avery

Starring:  Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe,  Peter DeSouza-Feighoney and Franco Nero.

“When we jeer at the Devil and tell ourselves that he does not exist, that is when he is happiest.”

Russell Crowe stars as Father Gabrielle Amorth, The Pope’s personal exorcist. As we learn in the movie he answers to no one but The Pope. He is tasked with handling the most extreme cases of possession that the Church encounters. He travels by moped and carries his case filled with Exorcism tools and Holy water. In the first case in the movie, Father Amorth goes to an Italian village where a man is being possessed by a demon. He asks the farmer to bring in the pig that he saw him with outside. Father Amorth then proceeds to trick the demon into leaving the man’s body and possessing the pig. As soon as he does they shoot the pig, killing it, freeing the man from the demon.

Father Amorth is then sent to San Sebastian Abbey, where a widow and her two children have come from America to renovate the building. They inherited it when her husband died in a horrific car accident. He was impaled in the car and her son Henry, who was in the backseat, witnessed the horrible death of his father. He has not spoken since, and upon removing a stone in a basement wall, has apparently become possessed. As Father Amorth begins to investigate the boy and the demon, he senses something deeper and sinister within the property.

He uncovers evidence that the church long ago covered up something deep within the property to seal off a demon and a gateway to hell. He has to learn the name of the demon in order to defeat it and free the little boy Henry before the Demon destroys him. He learns that the demon is Asmodeus, The King of Hell. And he goes head to head with the Demon to free Henry, assisted by Father Esquibel, a younger less experienced priest.

It is supernatural horror at it’s best. The little boy possessed by a demon conjuring, cussing, screaming obscenities, and wreaking havoc on the poor little boy’s body. Peter DeSouza-Feighoney plays Henry, the little boy. He is a newcomer to the movie scene, this being his Hollywood debut. Peter…I give you a standing ovation for that performance. WELL DONE! Alex Essoe plays his mother Julia, she has done a number of horror movies. I am not familiar with her work but I like her and will keep an eye out for her. Father Amorth is a very likeable fellow, completely faithful to his faith and his work. He even carries around a little flask of whiskey to quench his thirst after fighting with The Demons. I really like Russell Crowe in this, I thought he did a really good job of portraying Father Amorth.

This is based on the true life story Of Father Gabrielle Amorth, a Roman Catholic Priest who performed over 60,000 exorcisms in his lifetime. He also helped found The International Association of Exorcists. He wrote more than 30 books in his lifetime, I have bought this one and am reading it now:

There is a sequel in the works, slated for release sometime next year, THE POPE’S EXORCIST 2 with Russell Crowe again playing Father Amorth. I am looking forward to it, I am becoming a fan of Father Amorth and this movie series.

It is Horrorful Halloween season and I will be watching and reviewing a lot of Horror movies over the next couple of weeks.

This was a good one.

Yes I recommend it.

Two Thumbs Up!

Pain Hustlers

2023   Netflix

Rated:  R

Length:  2hr  3 min

Crime ~ Drama ~ True Story

Directed by:  David Yates

Starring:  Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy García, Catherine O’Hara, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, and Chloe Coleman.

“I will not give up on myself. I will not give up on my dreams. I will make my life count.”

Emily Blunt stars as Liza Drake, a single mother struggling financially and raising her daughter Phoebe (Chloe Coleman) in Central Florida. Liza and Phoebe had been staying in her sister’s garage but were kicked out when she lost her patience with Liza’s situation. They go to a motel and just as they pull in Liza’s car dies. Desperate, Liza calls Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) who she had met at The Onyx Strip Club where she has been working as a dancer. They had hit it off while having a conversation and Pete had offered her a Job. When he didn’t return her call, Liza tracks him down and goes down to the company office to apply.

Where she is introduced to Dr. Jack Neel (Andy García), the founder of The Pharmaceutical company Zanna. and is hired on the spot to become a rep. Dr. Neel started the company after his wife died from Cancer and, after watching her suffer in pain, developed the Fentanyl based opioid Lonafen for pain in Cancer patients. They are struggling to get the drug on the market and all they need is one Doctor to start writing prescriptions for it. Liza finds him at The Lakeland Pain Management and Wellness Center, Dr. Nathan Lydell, who currently prescribes $9 million a year for their competition Praxiom.

Liza gets a break when one of Dr. Lydell’s cancer patients complains about the Praxiom side effects and he writes the first prescription for Lonafen. Zanna Pharmaceutical quickly grows and expands into the market making all of them extremely rich. Liza buys her Mom (Catherine O’Hara) a new car and a new luxury beachside condo for herself and Phoebe. Dr. Neel gets greedy and decides they need to prescribe Lonafen “Off Label” for any pain management not just cancer. And that’s when the cookie starts to crumble, soon leading to an FBI investigation into Zanna’s business practices.

This is one of those True Story movies, this one involving greed while overlooking the dangers involved with the drug Fentanyl. All in the name of money. What will you do when you’re desperate and you see an opportunity to lift yourself up by making enormous amounts of cash? Forget the risks even if it hurts somebody else? Or go for it and turn a blind eye, while basking in the glow of artificial success while convincing yourself you’re doing it for the benefit of humanity.

Emily in Emily The Criminal faced a similar scenario, desperate for financial independence, and when exposed to an opportunity to change it knowingly chose to rise above her situation at whatever cost. Dog eat Dog.

Emily Blunt is one of my favorites. I really like her in this and thought the rest of the cast were really good. I was rooting for the underdog and in the end she did the right thing. It is an interesting look at the human condition, greed and the lengths we will go to lift ourselves up.

Greedy story, excellent movie.

Two Thumbs Up!

P.S. This movie inspired a new category, CONCESSION STAND, when Emily Blunt made Movie Salad for her and Phoebe in the motel room. First post coming soon!