The movies follows the real life story of Lightning and Thunder (aka Mike and Claire Sardina), tribute singers who became a duo act to create the Neil Diamond Experience.

This film makes you want to jump up and join in, singing and dancing to some of Neil Diamond’s most famous (and not so famous) songs. There is joy, laughter, tragedy, catharsis (quite literally) and good times all around. This movie reminds you that you can overcome any obstacle to find your dream and live it.

Lead actors Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson performed all the singing vocals themselves and they were amazing. It will be a tough call on who will win Best Actress, but Kate Hudson certainly deserves it.

This movie was not nominated for Best Picture but it should have been.

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Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Shakespeare or the Shakespearean plays. And familiarity with or fondness for them is not necessary to enjoy this film. It is simply a historical portrait of the famous playwright as he falls in love, creates a family, endures hardship for them, suffers tragedy with them, and finally finds a way to trudge through the melancholy to salvation.

Near the end of the movie we finally witness the scenes of the most famous play, spoken in the verse of the time, of which I was completely baffled. The things is, you don’t have to understand a word of it to understand exactly what is happening. Jessie Buckley’s performance as Agnes (Anne) Shakespeare was absolutely breathtaking. I’d be very surprised if she did not win Best Actress for this portrayal.

Of all the Best Picture nominees I’ve seen so far, this is my favorite to win.

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The film is labeled a documentary, but it could easily be included under the category of horror. The conditions within the prison, as documented by the prisoners themselves is absolutely horrifying and undeniable. And yet the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) denies what is clearly evident in the presented footage. Follow the lives of several individual prisoners as they appeal the system, are targeted for it, beaten, murdered, systematically denied parole of which they are wholly deserving, and starved out during a peaceful protest.

A rude awakening for anyone who doesn’t fully comprehend the system or the forces of total corruption that are responsible for it. Not for the faint of heart. Scenes of carnage and the disturbing incidents which are caught on camera are beyond sickening. And yet, to this day, nothing has been done about it. Perhaps this film will be the catalyst to desperately needed changes within the prison system.

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It is a soppy, dragged out look into the dull and lifeless relationships between the sisters and their father. A wholly unwatchable, overly tedious, and unevocative exercise in the examination of family that no one is even remotely interested in. Two hours of my life that I’ll never be able to make up for.

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Tedious at times in its rhetoric, the movie is one political statement after another. It lands feet first on mental illness, then goes on to cover the willingness of the human race to legitimately accept the vast quantities of information available to us through the internet (whether real or manufactured) from any source (whether legitimate or not). It hints at the catastrophic effects of humans on the planet through war and environmental destruction. The dismissal of science and valid research in favour of pseudo-science and conspiracy theories is an ever-present theme throughout the movie.

It is a drama, it is science fiction, and sparsely comedic. IMHO it was an okay movie with too much ambition towards educating the collective unconsciousness. Not an Oscar contender. I felt like the kid in the back of the classroom with underestimated intelligence, being talked down to by a professor who got tenure simply because he wrote a book. No thanks, I’d rather experience life than be scolded for it.

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It started with two brothers returning to their hometown in Mississippi from Chicago with the intent of starting their own business. The typical story line of them re-awakening to the realities of the deep south, the racism, poverty, and violence, then, the movie takes a very sudden and unexpected turn in Act II. Jump scares work beautifully when you have no idea that they’re coming. I’m not particularly fond of this horror sub-genre, but I have to admit it was an engaging, gripping, nail-biter to the end. BTW that was the only part of this movie that left me scratching my head. I will happily admit that I didn’t get the ending, however, I look forward to sitting at my desk tapping my toes to the amazing soundtrack of this movie. Michael B Jordan was perfect in his role and although I don’t really see this movie as a Best Picture contender, it was most certainly entertaining.

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A federal task force (MKU) uses brutal tactics in its role as immigration enforcement. When the daughter of a former revolutionary gets caught in the crossfire and is taken, her father, the MKU, and an exclusive secret society that follows ethnic cleansing guidelines, leave a trail of destruction and chaos as they all search for her. Definitely a Best Picture contender that had me fully engaged, although the action scenes could have been a little more edgy with a little more shock factor to them. All in all, worth the time to watch.

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