One of Them Days - A Fresh Take on The Buddy Comedy Featuring Keke Palmer and SZA’s Standout Film Debut

By - Ubong Ekpo

  One of Them Days is a brand new comedy film starring Keke Palmer and SZA, in her film debut. This film was surprisingly funnier than I anticipated and introduced several themes while keeping the plot from becoming too convoluted, culminating in an enjoyable time at the cinema. Issa Rae is one of the film's producers and imprints her signature style of showcasing the experiences of millennial-aged black women in LA. The film follows Dreux ( Keke Palmer ), Alyssa ( SZA), and their crazy day of hijinks, as they struggle to make their rent money before their impending eviction. Admittedly the film follows a formulaic setup, similar to that of Friday, but the two leads being young black women adds a fresh dynamic to this trope. 

 SZA’s performance was one I was looking forward to, being that this was her first major film. Her quirky, bubbly personality, which she often showcases through her music, translated extremely well into the film medium. For a feature film debut, SZA showcased that she has the comedic chops to carry a film. For many black women, the manic pixie girl archetype is far and few between showcased, but SZA brings that role to life. Alyssa has a good heart but lacks the structure to give herself a stable life. Alyssa is a character we all know in real life, the boy-crazy, ditzy pseudo-free spirit who dabbles in the ilks of traditional religions and astrology. I would like to see SZA in more movie roles going forward, I believe she is a natural.

Keke Palmer plays Dreaux, the responsible member of the duo. Dreaux works long night shifts at a diner, and one central point of the film is her interview for a corporate store manager position. For a young black woman living in the “ hood,” the opportunity to move up within a company is rare. Still, the dilemma of her rent, which snowballs into further financial and personal turmoil, impacts Dreaux and her ability to be upwardly mobile. 

 There is a great use of subtle social commentary infused with humor. Along with the struggle of Dreaux preparing for her job interview, the socioeconomics of Dreuax and Alyssa’s situation are hilariously pointed out such as their comically low combined credit scores, or how the very presence of loan sharks, in the form of payday loan stores, readily available to take advantage of poor people in lower-income communities. Katt Williams, the man who set 2024 on fire, was featured as a comic relief character, someone who was prime to be taken advantage of by the payday loans, had maxed himself out to poverty, and comedically warns the two protagonists throughout the film to not delve into deeper debt to fix their current debt, pointing out how that system is more of a trap than it is of aide to people.

 

 Themes of gentrification, respectability politics, and classism are tackled tactfully. Dreaux’s promotion highlights how African Americans have to deal with being held to a different standard than their counterparts starting from the resume.  I wish One of Them Days had not been relegated to the Dog Days of cinema in January, it deserved a wider release.  In a time in the film landscape where comedy movies being major hits are a rare occurrence, One of Them Days would be worth the risk to test its strength, opening to $14 Million during the Martin Luther King Holiday Frame, it’s shaping up to a success, already making back its $14 million budget. One of Them Days is a feel-good comedy worth a watch if for anything else, to enjoy a relatable day of hilarious predicaments, led by two young black women who can be the future of Black Cinema.

Twisters Review - A Film That Makes Chasing Tornados Cool

  

By - Ubong Ekpo 

A Legacy Sequel/ Reboot Done the Right Way

 Twisters is a legacy sequel to the original 1996 film, Twister starring the late Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt. With 28 years passed between films, and no returning characters ( unless you want to count Dorothy) I still had hoped this film would live up to the spectacle of its predecessor and it did that and more. Twisters was better than I expected and it has the hallmarks of a reboot done the right way. With its three main leads, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, and Daisy Edgar Jones, Twisters shapes up to be a film full of earned emotional stakes and a spectacle that showcases the devastating impacts that tornados can have on communities.

  Natural disaster movies like Twisters have a unique approach to their antagonist, as while there is no clear-cut “villain” besides the tornados themselves, which are inevitable forces of nature. Twisters managed to touch on the multitude of problems induced by Tornados in both technological and personal standpoints. 

 Glen Powell has been on a roll ever since his emergence in Top Gun: Maverick, starring in the surprise Rom Com Hit  Anyone But You and the Netflix hit Hitman. In this role as Tyler Owens, a callback to the Jonas Miller character from the original film played by Cary Elwes, Powell exudes classic movie star charisma and charm as Owens. Tyler is a self-proclaimed “ Tornado Wrangler” with a major YouTube following, who is characterized at first as being self-absorbed and only concerned about gaining views, as his tactics for encountering Tornados are unconventional compared to the traditional Tornado specialist/chasers. Powell adds depth to this character as the film goes on and we learn he did go to college and studied Meteorology, he is much more than a flimsy YouTube star.

  Daisy Edgar Jones is the clear-cut lead of this film, her character Kate Carter, modeled after Bill Paxton’s Bill Harding, experiences tragedy right in the opening scene, as we see her and her team, featuring Anthony Ramos as Javi, attempt to “tame” a tornado, only for it to be much stronger and deadlier than anticipated, leading to the demise of three crew members, including her boyfriend. The tragedy makes her leave Tornado chasing to work behind the scenes at a weather forecast station. I felt pain and guilt from Kate throughout the film, knowing she and Javi are the only survivors, and it was her idea to chase that fateful storm. Her arc goes through expected ups and downs as she struggles at first to re-enter the storm-chasing scene, only to triumphantly at the climax redeem herself. 

 Anthony Ramos is an actor I’ve been a huge fan of ever since I first saw him as Mars in the Netflix show  “ She’s Gotta Have It’” an adaptation of Spike Lee’s first feature film. Having feature roles in Lin Manuel’s popular Broadway play Hamilton, the musical film In The Heights, and last year, Transformers: Rise of the Beast, Ramos is certainly on his way to being a notable movie star himself and in his role as Javi he delivers his comedic charm and shows caring chemistry with Kate. If Twisters is to be the start of a new franchise, I see a brewing love triangle between him and Tyler.

 Twisters is the exact type of movie we need, taking a risk to reboot a franchise from nearly 30 years ago that people weren’t exactly clamoring for, but was still treated with the respect that the film artform deserves. Unlike other failed reboots, Twisters knows it’s not the original film, it does enough to pay homage to Twister, yet still lets the story and its characters stand out to be its own unique thing. When it comes down to it all however, the Box Office, for better or worse, tells the story of how the audience receives the film and it doesn’t disappoint, Twisters opened to a whopping $80.5 Million, nearly doubling its initial prognostications of $45-50 million, a major overperformance.

 I implore everyone to keep giving films like this a chance, it may not necessarily be purely original, only time will tell if Hollywood will ever truly give original films a chance to be blockbuster hits again, but Twisters is surely a good sign that moviegoers do and are willing to take risk, if the film is properly made. Check out Twisters in movie theaters everywhere in the highest quality format possible!

Bad Boys: Ride or Die Review - Will Smith & Martin Lawrence Give Classic Movie Star Performances in this High Octane Fourth Installment

  The Bad Boys Duo is back and better than ever; Will Smith is still a movie star!

  By - Ubong Ekpo

In this day and age of cinema, we cannot escape the endless recycling of franchises, from reboots, sequels, prequels, and all in between, but every once in a while, we get one film that stands out from the pack, Bad Boys Ride or Die( Bad Boys 4), does just that and then some. It’s one of the rare instances where a franchise gets stronger as it goes on and I’d go as far to say that Bad Boys has reached its peak with its latest installment. 

 Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s chemistry is the strongest it has ever been, both men now in their late 50s,  grounded into the roles, Lawrence the comedic relief and Smith as star vehicle, primed for the most intense action scenes. Our two favorite Miami detectives, Mike Lowery ( Will Smith) & Marcus Barnett ( Martin Lawrence), are embroiled in a corruption, conspiracy case when their late beloved Captain Howard is framed as working for the drug cartels. The film managed to show immersive, thrilling set pieces that I didn’t think this franchise was even ready for, with heart-pounding action sequences taking place in a crashing plane and abandoned alligator amusement park, among other impressive set designs. The action scenes in this film were the best of the series yet. Martin Lawrence as the comedic relief was put front and center throughout the film to balance the serious and collected tone of Smith’s Lowery. I found the overall plot to be thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining, Eric Dane as the villain showcases his versatility, best known as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy.

Let us address the elephant in the room that this will be Will Smith’s first high-profile film since the infamous slap incident with Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. I was intrigued by what impact it would have on moviegoers or if any the drama would seep into the film and I’m glad to say it 

didn't.. I attended an early access screening last Wednesday of the film to a packed theater and people couldn’t be in more awe of Will Smith.  His scenes of triumph were met with thunderous applause. While there will always be those who will hold that one moment of infamy against the Fresh Prince star, the film's opening weekend tells us that the general film-going audience is ready to embrace Will Smith again. The film opened to $56 Million domestically alone, and $104 Million globally, already making it one of the year's most successful movies, truly signifying the slap was only a mere speedbump in Will Smith’s career. The perceived “overperformance” of Bad Boys: Ride or Die showcases that Will Smith is still one of the last few movie stars who can still command an audience and monstrous box office numbers.

 

Civil War Movie Review - A Movie That Delivers on a Riveting Journalism Story, But Lacks The Divisive War Spectacle.

 By no means a bad film. But this wasn’t a movie about a Civil War

By - Ubong Ekpo

 I had the pleasure last week of attending an early Monday night screening of Alex Garland’s film, Civil War and the film was totally different from what I was expecting. . Civil War, based on its trailers and marketing, made it out to be an epic, thrilling showcase of the United States at war with itself. However, the film ended up being more of a journalism story masked under the guise of being a Civil War film. The details and exacts of how the USA ends up in a Civil War are never truly divulged.  Rather the story was centered around the plight of Kirsten Dunst and her fellow journalist, as they aim to travel to Washington to cover the possible killing of the president. 

 What I liked about the film was it raised concerns regarding the ethics of the press during times of war. Dunst and her colleagues go out of their way to put themselves in real, dangerous war zones to capture live footage. Dunst gave one of her more stronger performances as the reserved, matured journalist Lee. Jesse Plemons, the real life husband of Kirsten Dunst, was the highlight of the film for me, he truly encapsulated the feeling of America in a civil war state. His one scene was chilling and was the one time I felt the spirit of a divided America, as he questions the journalist on where they’re from, what kind of American they are. This was what I was expecting the movie to be like, the tensions that we even feel in the real world are ever so present; I wish the film put more emphasis on those aspects.

   My main gripe with this film was the lack of detail and presence it gave to the actual Civil War. One of the biggest marketing tools was the USA Alliance map, which showcased a divided America. I was expecting to see how these divisions were formed or at least some brief explanation of such, neither was given. We are shown that the USA, in many parts, has been devastated by war, such as amusement parks being war-torn. It would’ve made for a much more exciting, deeper film with a little more backstory.

 Civil War is by no means a bad film but, ultimately, Civil War was a bait and switch to make a journalism-themed movie. I have no problem with seeing a film that challenges the ethics of covering war, whether it’s right or wrong to capture a person's last moments on camera for the sake of news, but it didn’t have to be at the expense of the promising concept. I do understand that the aspect of a civil war, as the United States is reaching levels of division not seen since the Civil Rights era, would be an effective tool to garner viewers, but the film didn’t deliver personally for me. I do recommend that people see it, it is an original as-you-can-get concept and showcases A24 foraying into more entertainment-leaning films. While Civil War doesn’t live up to its premise, it is still a film worth seeing

Immaculate Movie Review - Sydney Sweeney Shines In An Enthralling Religious Thriller

By - Ubong Ekpo

Sydney Sweeney expands her range as she showcases the true horror of being a Virgin Mary 

 I had the pleasure of viewing Immaculate a few nights ago, I was thoroughly impressed with the film overall. Sydney Sweeney gives a breakout performance as nun sister Cecilia. I am not usually a fan of horror films, as I find the writing of films in this genre to be too on the nose and formulaic, but Immaculate was a pleasant surprise. Its one hour, thirty-three minutes runtime could’ve fooled me because I was captivated from the beginning, it felt like it was more of a two-and-a-half-hour film with how much it managed to accomplish. It was much more thought-provoking than I had anticipated and my viewing experience led for the film to resonate with me on a much more analytical, philosophical level.

  Immaculate tells the story of Cecilia, an American nun who decides to join a convent in Italy, which also serves as a hospice-like center to aide ailing Nuns who are about to pass away. While the convent is seemingly innocent at first, it soon takes a darker turn. We eventually discover the convent is a front for the priest, who is a scientist who has been attempting to recreate the immaculate conception, forcing women to be pregnant with a fetus formed from the DNA of Jesus Christ with the nails that crucified him.

    I loved that this film can be seen as a critique of the fanaticism of both religion and science, which are often pitted against each other in the search for the true meaning of the world, yet share numerous commonalities than realized. Often in the real world, the most tragic and violent events stem from a conflict between religions, such as Palestine and Israel. This level of adoration and worship can go beyond normal conventions, to the point where people will blatantly commit sins and excuse it under the guise of being “told” and directed by “ God “ to do so, we see this logic common with suicide bombers. Sweeney’s character, as we find out, was chosen as a guinea pig, to conduct experiments on impregnating her with the new world savior.

  One tactic commonly used to attract and convert new believers, one that was used to manipulate Sweeney’s character, is the weaponization of hope. Due to her surviving a traumatic childhood accident, Cecilia felt her survival was a calling, that she had to have a deeper meaning in life. This internal such for validation is what drove her to become a nun, giving her life to God, as a way to “repay” for saving her life. People will often, rationally or not, devote their lives to God, Christ, Allah, etc, due to what they perceive as miracles occurring in their lives. Even with the complete absence of evidence. In the same vein as religion, in the name of science, we human beings will conduct inhumane experiments, knowing death can be the result, to test out theories. While that is a bit more normalized, we’ve seen countless situations where those in power in Scientific communities take advantage and conduct experiments unauthorized, practically playing God. This can even extend to the power and grace we give to those in professions where people’s lives are at stake for the sake of their jobs, such as doctors and police officers, to the point where they’re even excused for taking a life if it was up to a judgment call, depending on the situation. The film manages to drive that point home, especially once Cecilia realizes she is being used as an experiment under the guise of religion, she constantly remarks how what’s being done to her isn’t “God’s work”. 

 Sydney Sweeney did an amazing job, portraying Cecilia with the truest innocence and pure intentions, then a harrowing scream queen as she attempts to escape the horrors of the convent she finds herself in. In the last twenty minutes of the film, Sweeney carries the film, her character in labor and fighting for her life at the same time. While much attention is paid to Sweeney’s sexual appeal, I find her to be an enduring actress who has much more to offer and can be one of the household-name movie stars of the next generation. Immaculate is a modern horror thriller done the right way, that doesn’t overstay its welcome and understood the exact kind of horror film it wanted to be. 

Lily Gladstone vs Emma Stone - The Most Compelling Oscar’s Best Actress race in years

 Lily Gladstone & Emma Stone have dominated the Awards Season in the actress category, leading to a final showdown at the 96th Annual Academy Awards

By - Ubong Ekpo

 Without a shadow of a doubt, the best two acting performances by actresses in 2023 were Lily Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of The Flower Moon and Emma Stone as Bella Baxter in Poor Things

.  Both of these performances couldn’t be any more polar opposites from each other; Gladstone showcases a subtle, but powerful performance as the Osage woman who endures a tragic romance, as her husband, Earnest Burkhart, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, over the years schemes with his uncle, played by Robert De Niro, to systematically murder her sisters & mother to gain the rights to her headright, i.e. her wealth, such as land, money.   Emma Stone gives an out-of-this-world, colorful, explosive performance as the Frankstein-like creation of Bella Baxter, a woman who has the brain of her unborn child implanted into her body by a mad scientist.  Both actresses have received critical acclaim throughout 2023 as their respective films made their way through film festivals to the big screen, with Gladstone and Stone being memorable standout performances alongside iconic leading men. Both women showcased masterclasses in acting that will be remembered for years to come. 

  Gladstone being Native American herself, of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce descent, had some pressure to deliver the role of Mollie. Gladstone had to ensure she gave an accurate portrayal of the tragedy of Mollie’s family, while not making her a destitute victim and showcasing the resilience of Mollie and the Osage people.

 Native Americans have historically been underrepresented in media, often reduced to stereotypes of savages. It was important to showcase Mollie’s story as accurately as possible, but at the same time not reduce her to a mere damsel in distress, which she executed magnificently. Gladstone held her own acting alongside legends like De Niro and DiCaprio, with most of her scenes being with DiCaprio and her reserved, but delightful demeanor balancing with DiCaprio’s charming, but ignorant ways as Earnest Burkhart.

 There was some slight controversy over Gladstone choosing to campaign in the lead actress category, as her screen time would usually warrant a supporting nod, but I commend Gladstone. Mollie Burkhart is the heart and soul of Killers of The Flower Moon, her arc and what she goes through are shown as symbolic representations of the overall experience of Native Americans in the United States.

 When I saw Emma Stone in Poor Things, I was truly mesmerized by the performance she gave. Playing a woman with the brain of her unborn child, a child woman, then going on a journey of self-discovery, was truly a groundbreaking role for her. Stone gives a realistic portrayal of someone discovering life and sexuality for the first time. Poor Things is most definitely not the easiest watch for some people, but beyond the graphic sexual elements, Poor Things was a truly liberating tale. Stone showcases the various stages of Bella’s development, giving the innocence of a child, genuinely not understanding why her actions at times were inappropriate. Stone portrays Bella with such a thoughtful comedic tone, that you can’t help but empathize and route for her. Everything Bella does is believable, not plot convenience, ultimately her autonomy is what she stays true to and is rewarded for at the end.

 Throughout awards season, Stone and Gladstone have been trading awards, both women won Best Actress in a Comedy/ Musical for Stone and Drama for Gladstone at the Golden Globes. Stone then won Best Actress at the BAFTA Awards and Critics Choice Awards. Gladstone won the most recent televised award, SAG Best Actress, which is voted by the actors, who make up the largest voting block at the Academy Awards, which could possibly signal a Gladstone win. Lily Gladstone would make history as the first Native American person to win an Academy Award and only the third woman of color to win the Best Actress Oscar besides Halle Berry in 2002 for Monster’s Ball and last year’s 2023 winner, Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once.  

 Regardless of who wins, I would be fine with either outcome, I find both women to be deserving equally, but I would love to see history be made with a Lily Gladstone win. Killers of the Flower Moon & Poor Things with ten and eleven Oscar nominations well deserved overall are remembered ultimately by the performances of their main actresses. Mollie Burkhart and Bella Baxter, just as their actresses Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone are two who wouldn’t usually be paired together, but as both dominate through the award season it gives a better appreciation for the art of acting and medium of film, which has linked both women together.  Oscar night on Sunday will be the final showdown and the winner of bragging rights over who gave the best performance of 2023 and I and every other movie fanatic cannot wait.

Madame Web Review : A Movie That Encapsulates Everything Wrong With Superhero Films Today

Madame Web Review: A Movie That Encapsulates Everything Wrong With Superhero Films Today

 Sony’s latest abysmal Spider-Man Spinoff, Madame Web, premiered on Valentine’s Day, with no love lost whatsoever.

By - Ubong Ekpo

I had the “pleasure” of viewing Madame Web last week and every single negative review that it has garnered was spot on, what a mess of a movie! The choppy, jumpy editing that goes from one conflict to another within seconds had me feeling like the movie at times was running at 1.5x speed. Dakota Johnson does her best with the so-called “script” that she was given, (the same screenwriters who wrote Morbius, so this mediocrity isn’t new to us). I enjoyed her dry, awkward sense of humor, but this movie didn’t really know what type it wanted to be. Throughout we’re given these weak, underdeveloped Spider-Man easter eggs, such as the Ben Parker character, but they ultimately lead nowhere, Spider Man is never mentioned by name.

 The most egregious part of this film is how the marketed material of this being like a Spider-Girl team-up movie, was only just a brief glimpse. Literally, the scenes of the three girls fighting in the trailers are the only scenes in the movie where they are suited up and have powers. This film wanted to be an origin story and lacked the substance or heart to pull it off. The three girls, who are all strangers and don’t have a natural bond, ending up as best friends in a matter of hours, was jarring. The inclusion of the newest Hollywood sex symbol Sydney Sweeney wasn’t enough to save this film.  However, this movie’s villain was the character that lacked the most heart out of all of them.  I kid you not when I say Ezekiel only repeated the same 5 lines, different variations of “ These girls cannot stay alive”, and “ I must kill these girls” His motivations for stealing the spider are never deeply looked into, as nothing else is in this film.

 Utter mediocrity like Madame Web being released truly makes you wonder about what is going on in the movie industry today. It actually is quite obvious, but still perplexing, that profit more than ever is prioritized over art, but at what cost?  Sony continues to make Spider-Man-related movies, without actually featuring Spider-Man, which is almost like an excuse now to make the movie as lifeless as possible. Ironically, the animated Spider-Man film from the last Spider-Man, Across The Spiderverse grossed over $600 million last year. 

  Madame Web is going down as one of the worst superhero movies of all time and arguably one of the worst movies of all time. I saw some promise, but I must say I agree with the negative reviews overall.   As someone who champions The Dark Knight as the greatest movie of all time, I think the genre just simply needs a rebirth or rebrand; the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, which is rated R, could be a signal for where the genre needs to move into, a more serious, mature tone, rather than a throwback to the pre-MCU days where superhero films were still in a camp like tune. Madame Web was a soulless cash grab from the start, Sony needs to do better if they want to maintain Spider-Man rights, because these movies they keep releasing make it seem like it’s inevitable Spider-Man will be a fully Marvel property once again.