BAD HAIR (2020)

 Written & Directed by: Justin Simien  Cinematography: Topher Osborn  Editor: Philip J. Bartell & Kelly Matsumoto

Cast: Elle Lorraine, Jay Pharoah, Lena Waithe, Vanessa Williams, Blair Underwood, Laverne Cox, James Van Der Beek, Usher Raymond IV, Kelly Rowland, Robin Thede, Judith Scott, Michelle Hurd, MC Lyte, Chante Adams, Nicole Byer, Steve Zissis, Yaani King Mondschlien, Ashley Blane featherstone, Daheli Hall, Courtney Sauls 

In 1989 an ambitious young woman gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career may come at a great cost when she realizes that her new hair may have a mind of its own.

BOO! A MADEA HALLOWEEN (2016)

 Written & Directed By: Tyler Perry Cinematography: Richard Vialet  Editor: Larry Sexton

Cast: Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Diamond White, Liza Koshy, Bella Thorne, Yousef Barker, Jimmy Tatro,  Lavell Crawford, Corey Holcomb, Adele Givens, Lexy Panterra, Patrice Lovely, Andre Hall, Tyga, Mike Tornabene, Angela Ray, Dominique Witten, 

Madea lands in the midst of mayhem when she spends a haunted Halloween fending off killers, paranormal poltergeists, ghosts, ghouls, and zombies while keeping a watchful eye on her wild teenage great-niece.

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (2002)

 

Directed By: Michael Rymer Written By: Scott Abbott & Michael Petroni Based on the Novels “THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES” Written By: Anne Rice  Cinematography: Ian Baker  Editor: Dany Cooper 

Cast: Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moureau, Vincent Perez, Lena Olin, Paul McCann, Claudia Black, Bruce Spence, Matthew Newton, Christian Norton 

In this loose sequel to Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), the vampire Lestat becomes a rock star whose music wakes up the equally beautiful and monstrous queen of all vampires.

FANTASY ISLAND (2020)

Directed By: Jeff Wadlow Written By Jeff Wadlow, Chris Roach & Jillian Jacobs  Based on the television series “FANTASY ISLAND” Created By: Gene Levitt  Cinematography: Toby Oliver  Editor: Sean Albertson

Cast: Michael Pena, Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, Portia Doubleday, Jimmy O. Yang, Ryan Hansen, Mike Vogel, Austin Stowell, Kim Coates, Michael Rooker, Robbie Jones, Parisa Fitz-Hanley, Ian Roberts

The enigmatic Mr. Roarke makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort. But when the fantasies turn into nightmares, the guests have to solve the island's mystery in order to escape with their lives.

BEST/ FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2020 VIEWING EXPERIENCES (PART 2 OF 2)

BEST/ FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2020 VIEWING EXPERIENCES (Part 2 of 2)

 

DORA & THE LOST CITY OF GOLD (2019)

 Directed By: James Bobin Written By: Nicholas Stoller & Matthew Robinson Story by: Tom Wheeler & Nicholas Stoller Based on the television series “DORA THE EXPLORER” Created by:  Valerie Walsh, Chris Gifford & Eric Weiner Cinematography: Javier Aguirresarobe Editor: Mark Everson

Cast: Isabelle Moner, Eva Longoria, Michael Pena, Adriana Barraza, Eugenio Derbez, Benicio Del Toro (voice), Danny Trejo (voice), Temuera Morrison, Q’orianka Kilcher, Madeline Madden, Nicholas Coombe, Jeff Wahlberg, 

Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, nothing could prepare Dora for her most dangerous adventure ever: high school. Always the explorer, Dora quickly finds herself leading Boots, Diego, a mysterious jungle inhabitant, and a ragtag group of teens on a live-action adventure to save her parents and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost Inca civilization.

LAND OF THE LOST (2009)

 Directed by: Brad Silberling  Written By: Chris Henchy & Dennis McNicholas Based on the television series “LAND OF THE LOST” created by: Sid Kroft & Marty Kroft  Cinematography: Dion Beebe Editor: Peter Teschner 

Cast: Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride, Jorma Taccone, Sierra McCormick, Bobb’E J. Thompson, Matt Lauer, Brian Huskey 

Palaeontologist Rick Marshall takes Will and Holly into a new world of danger, dinosaurs and big bug-eyed lizard people while trying to find their way back home and, too, save the universe and in doing so saving his reputation. With the dinosaur with brains, brawn and personality and the adventure of scientific advancement and exotic beasts in a far away land, it all adds up to time traveling fun and frolics.

ODDS & ENDS: FAVORITES OF 2020 (PART 1 OF 2)

 FAVORITE MOVIE EXPERIENCES 

WONDER WOMAN 1984 (2020)

 

Directed By: Patty Jenkins  Written By: Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns & Dave Callahan Story By: Patty Jenkins & Geoff Johns Based on characters from DC Wonder Woman created By: William Moulton Marston Cinematography: Matthew Jensen  Editor: Richard Pearson 

Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, Lilly Aspell, Natasha Rothwell, Ravi Patel, Stuart Milligan

Diana must contend with a work colleague and businessman, whose desire for extreme wealth sends the world down a path of destruction, after an ancient artifact that grants wishes goes missing.

AVA (2020)

Directed by: Tate Taylor Written by: Matthew Newton  Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt  Editor: Zach Staenberg 

Cast: Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Common, Colin Farrell, Ioan Gruffund, Geena Davis, Jess Weixler, Diana Silvers, Joan Chen 

Ava is a deadly assassin who works for a black ops organization, traveling the globe specializing in high profile hits. When a job goes dangerously wrong she is forced to fight for her own survival.

THE KITCHEN (2019)

 

Written & Directed by: Andrea Berloff Based on the comic book series created for DC Vertigo by: Ollie Masters & Ming Doyle Cinematography: Maryse Alberti Editor: Christopher Tellefsen 

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Elisabeth Moss, Tiffany Haddish, Common, Domnhall Gleeson, James Badge Dale, Brian D’Arcy James, Bill Camp, Margo Martindale, Annabella Sciorra, Jeremy Bobb

The wives of New York gangsters in Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands' rackets after they're locked up in prison.

#ALIVE (2020)

Directed By: Il Cho Written By: Il Cho & Matt Naylor  Cinematography: Won-Ho Son Editor: Min-Kyeong Shin 

Cast: Yoo Ah-In, Park Shin-Hye, Jeon Bae-Soo, Hyun-Wook Lee 

The rapid spread of an unknown infection has left an entire city in ungovernable chaos, but one survivor remains alive in isolation. It is his story.

THE CANNIBAL CLUB (2018)

Written & Directed By: Guto Parente

Cinematography: Lucas Barbi

Editor: Ricardo Pretti & Luiz Pretti 

Cast: Tavinho Teixeira, Ana Luisa Rios, Pedro Domingues, Jose Maria Alves, Wallen Abreu 

Otavio and Gilda are a very wealthy couple of the Brazilian elite who have the habit of eating their employees. Otavio owns a private security company and is a notable member of The Cannibal Club. When Gilda accidentally discovers a secret from Borges, a powerful congressman and the Club's leader, her and her husband's lives are in danger.

WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE! (2018)

 

Written, Directed & Edited By: Kirill Sokolov

Cinematography: Dimitry Ulyikaev

Cast: Aleksandr Kiznetsov, Vitaliy Khaev, Evgenia Kregzhde, Milhail Gorevoy, Elena Scevchenko

Andrei, a detective and the world's most horrible father, brings together a terrible group of people in his apartment: his resentful actress daughter, an angry thug, and a cheated cop. Each one of them has a reason to want revenge..

GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS (2019)

Directed By: Michael Dougherty  Written By: Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields Story By: Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields & Max Borenstein Cinematography: Lawrence Sher Editor: Roger Barton, Bob Duscay & Richard Pearson 

Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Charles Dance, Ken Wantanabe, Ziyi Zhang, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Aisha Hinds, Thomas Middleditch, O’Shea Jackson Jr., David Straitharn, CCH Pounder, Joe Morton, Anthony Ramos

The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.

X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX (2019)

Written & Directed By: Simon Kinberg Cinematography: Mauro Fiore  Editor: Lee Smith 

Cast: James McAvoy, Nicholas Hault, Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Michael Fassbender, Alexandra Shipp, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jessica Chastain, Halton Sage, Brian D’Arcy James, Lamar Johnson, Scott Shepherd, Ari Rassendoh 

Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix, causing the X-Men to decide if her life is worth more than all of humanity.

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)

Directed By: Steven Spielberg  Written By: Josh Friedman & David Koep Based On The Novel By: H.G. Wells Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski  Editor: Michael Kahn 

Cast: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, Yul Vazquez, Rick Gonzalez, Lisa Ann Walter, Lenny Venito, David Alan Basche 

An updated version of H.G Wells' seminal sci-fi classic about an alien invasion threatening the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.