Tag Archives: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Review: ‘Elizabeth Blue’ is Gold!

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Elizabeth Blue

Theatrical Release: September 22, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Recently released from a psychiatric hospital, Elizabeth (Anna Schafer) returns to her Los Angeles apartment where she lives with her fiancé, Grant (Ryan Vincent). With the guidance of her new psychiatrist, Dr. Bowman (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and the unfaltering support of Grant, Elizabeth works at regaining control of her mental stability and her life as she begins to plan their wedding. Struggling to navigate daily voices, hallucinations, anxiety, failing medications and her judgmental, unsupportive mother, Carol (Kathleen Quinlan), Elizabeth fears that Grant will leave her as she clings to hope that love will truly conquer all – even mental illness.

Wow… Give Elizabeth Blue all the awards. For Vincent Sabella’s first film, he absolutely nailed it! Mental illness is no joke and Elizabeth Blue shows you that. This is an intimate look into struggling with a mental illness like never seen before. We always see/hear stories about people not taking their medications because they “feel fine and healthy” and this brings us face to face with that struggle through the eyes of Elizabeth. It was very powerful and left us moved by the performances. Anna Schafer as Elizabeth was excellent! She had us completely caught up in her story and her struggle with schizophrenia and OCD. This movie will definitely put her on the map. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Kathleen Quinlan were also great in their selective roles! Everyone knows someone who is, or is themselves, affected by mental illness so this movie will impact everyone in a different way. There are a few scenes we felt could have been cleaned up a bit because they were dragging on, but all in all, that is just nit picking for complaints. It is a must see for everyone. Our jaws are still on the ground! Elizabeth Blue is GOLD!

*Anyone can experience mental health problems. Friends and family can make all the difference in a person’s recovery process. If a friend or family member is showing signs of a mental health problem or reaching out to you for help, offer support.*

Reel ROB Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!

Review: ‘WETLANDS’ blows by with little gusto.

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Synopsis: Babel “Babs” Johnson (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is a police detective who finds himself assigned to a precinct in the Wetlands, the no-man’s land surrounding Atlantic City, within eyeshot of the once fancy and now dilapidated hotels and boardwalk, but a world away.  A year ago, he was a top cop in Philadelphia, but mysterious circumstances intervened and now he finds himself back home and back in the lives of his estranged daughter, Amy (Celeste O’Connor), and still-bitter ex-wife, Savannah (Heather Graham)

 

Surrounded by locals, Surfer Girl (Reyna de Courcy), a surfboard builder who has dreams of moving to Hawaii to ply her trade; and Kate (Jennifer Ehle), a local news anchor; and local thugs Jimmy (Louis Mustillo) his boss, Lollipop (Barry Markowitz); and with a new partner, a fun-loving gambling addict named Paddy Sheehan (Christopher McDonald), Babs slowly adjusts to life back on the beat.

 

Meanwhile, as the region prepares for a massive, late-season hurricane, the storm threatens to destroy the Wetlands… and the lives of some of its inhabitants.

Wetlands tries really hard to be a noir that never really pans out. It’s painfully slow and rather cliche in its character development. With such a heavy-hitting cast, it is difficult to walk them try so hard at something that doesn’t give them, or the audience, enough to care about. What information we do have about Babs, comes in what feels like misplaced and piecemeal black & white flashbacks. The nonchalance of the shadiness that’s occurring in this town makes it all the more underwhelming. 

While beautifully shot, with sweeping shots of the rundown boardwalk, that’s just about the only pretty thing about Wetlands. I was left with an overall feeling of, “Meh.” This cast deserved a whole hell of a lot more by way of character development. There is never any feeling of genuine urgency, and with one of the major plot points being an impending hurricane, it certainly seems like that should have been quite the priority.

WETLANDS – starring Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Suicide Squad, ABC’s “Ten Days in the Valley,” TV’s “Oz,” “Lost”),Heather Graham (The Hangover, TV’s “Californication”), Jennifer Ehle (Zero Dark Thirty, Fifty Shades of Grey, TV’s “A Gifted Man”) and Christopher McDonald(Requiem for a Dream, TV’s “The Good Wife,” “Boardwalk Empire”).

The film is written and directed by first-time filmmaker Emanuele Della Valle and will be released in theaters on September 15th.

 

 

Review: Suicide Squad

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Warner Brothers are off to a rough start in creating their DC Cinematic Universe with the overwhelmingly negative reception of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but they’re hedging their bets that David Ayer’s Suicide Squad can right the ship. With movie superstar Will Smith, the live action debut of beloved character Harley Quinn and the return of the Joker, this movie is set up to be a home run, but with early screening responses trending negative and word of back stage issues, could we possibly be seeing strike two for the movie studio or will fans embrace this rouge group of bad guys doing good and usher in a new successful comic book franchise to the ever growing genre.

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It is a world post Superman and Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is a government official who doesn’t plan on sitting back and waiting for an apocalyptic event to occur. Her plan is to assemble a task force consisting of a group of dangerous criminals with the intent of controlling them to do her bidding if a threat to this nation arises. She receives the approval to move forward and, along with military man Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and samurai Katana (Karen Fukuhara) she selects her team consisting of Deadshot (Will Smith), the deadliest hitman on Earth, Harley Quinn (Margo Robbie), former psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum and current crazed super-villain who happens to be the love of The Joker’s life, Boomerang (Jai Courtney), a rugged, unpredictable and mouthy criminal who utilizes deadly boomerangs, Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), a super-villain with the features of a crocodile, and El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), a gang member who has powers that allow him to summon flames.

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Together they must take on Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), an ancient evil force that awakens to find a world where she once ruled has adopted new gods to worship. Enchantress beings to assemble a machine that will destroy the city, but it’s the Suicide Squad that is activated to take on the threat, but Enchantress isn’t the only threat to these anti-heroes. Harley Quinn’s boyfriend, The Joker (Jared Leto), the biggest criminal in Gotham is out to get his girl back and he’ll stop at nothing to get her back. Around each corner, a new threat lurks, can this team find a way to coexist or will the deeds from their past hinder their chances of success?

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Director David Ayer creates a chaotic world in which to drop his suicide squad into and sets them off like a time bomb. Much like DC’s animated movie Batman: Assault on Arkham, this is very much a search and destroy film taking from recent video game plots, mixing it all into Ayer’s world and relying on the strength of the actors to make the simplistic plot as intersting as possible for the audience. Viola Davis is amazing and embodies Amanda Waller with the exact amount of venom needed to bring this “take no crap” character to the screen. Will Smith brings his star power to the film and ultimately becomes a focal point of the movie. Deadshot’s back story and character arc embrace the human side of his character while attempting to prove that even bad guys can be good. Margo Robbie’s Harley Quinn is the other focal point and her portrayal of Quinn is perfection. Robbie adds sex appeal to Quinn’s bad ass persona and brings to life one of the most beloved characters with pure class. Jared Leto unearthed the clown prince and brought the the screen a new take on the Joker. Leto’s is a perfect companion to Robbie’s Harley Quinn and one that will be highly anticipated to watch as the character makes his way thru the DCU. My only wish is that the character was given a bit more screen time. The rest of the cast including Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman and Jai Courtney were serviceable at best and really didn’t leave a lasting impression.

Overall, Suicide Squad is a highly enjoyable action film that will surely entertain fans of the comics. Will audiences embrace this movie? That’s a question for another time, but one thing’s for sure, form your own opinion and make sure not to allow the negative critical reaction from allowing yourself to see the film.

Stars:

3 1/2 out of 5

After Credit Scene?

Yes. Mid Credit

Trailer:

Review: ‘Concussion’ Tackles the Growing Problem of Head Injuries in The NFL

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Director Peter Landesman (Kill The Messenger) tackles the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic pathologist who fought against efforts by National Football League to suppress his research on the brain damage suffered by professional football players. Omalu, is portrayed by Will Smith in this powerful drama that will leave you angered, speechless and saddened by the treatment of the players who have made the game of football so beloved in this country.

Will Smith stars in Columbia Pictures' "Concussion."

Will Smith stars in Columbia Pictures’ “Concussion.”

Dr. Bennet Omalu is a well educated African man who came to this country with a dream of making a difference in this world. Settling in the city of Pittsburgh, Omalu works as a forensic pathologist for the city and has come face to face with an epidemic that has no name. After the tragic death of Steeler legend Mike Webster (David Morse), Omalu discovers that his death maybe caused by trauma to the brain. CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) as it comes to be known, has been left undetected and hidden from the public and players in the NFL, but it might be the exact thing that is killing so many young men after their careers are over. After several attempts by the NFL to deny the problem and to disparage the doctor, Omalu gets an unlikely ally in this fight from Dr. Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin), former Steelers team doctor, who believes what Omalu is saying is true. As the two take on the most powerful corporation in this country, their wills will be tested and their careers in jeopardy, but the truth must come out to speak for those who have been left behind to this deadly disease.

Alec Baldwin , left, and Will Smith star in Columbia Pictures' "Concussion."

Alec Baldwin , left, and Will Smith star in Columbia Pictures’ “Concussion.”

Written by director Peter Landesman, based on the 2009 GQ exposé Game Brain by Jeanne Marie Laskas, Concussion is a powerful story of corporate cover-up and hits directly at the heart of the National Football League. Will Smith is fantastic in his portrayal of Doctor Bennet Omalu. The determination and will to do right of Omalu shines thru in Smith’s performance and helps the audience, who may not know who Omalu is, understand his importance to the medical field and the players of the NFL. Alec Baldwin delivers a sobering look at the inside actions of the medical doctors employed by the NFL and, along with Albert Brooks, lend credence to the authenticity of Smith’s performance. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is a calming figure that helps lead Smith’s character thru the toughest of times and helps to keep him focused on the importance of his task.

Concussion is a eye opening look at the violence of football and a spotlight on the corporation that brings it into our homes six months a year. It is a film not to be missed.

Stars:

3 1/2 out of 5

After Credit Scene?

No

Trailer:

‘Suicide Squad’ Cast Photo and First Look at Will Smith as Deadshot!

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David Ayer has released two photo from the upcoming Suicide Squad movie. The first one (above) features the first look at most of the cast and the second one (below) features a first look at Will Smith in his Deadshot costume.

The DC adaptation also stars Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) as Rick Flagg; Margot Robbie (Focus) as Harley Quinn; Jai Courtney (Divergent) as Captain Boomerang; Cara Delevingne (Anna Karenina) as Enchantress; Karen Fukuhara as Katana; Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc; Jay Hernandez as El DIablo; and Adam Beach as Slipknot.

Missing from the photo are Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, Raymond Olubowale, Alex Meraz, Jim Parrack, and Common in addition to Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and Jared Leto’s previously-revealed Joker.

A secret government agency run by Amanda Waller, named A.R.G.U.S creates a task force comprised of super villains, the “Suicide Squad”. They are assigned to execute dangerous tasks in exchange for shorter prison sentences.

Production continues thru the summer and the film will be released on August 5, 2016

 

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