Moviegoers View

"Rise of Skywalker" and "Cats" have both hit theaters, and they are definitely movies. Then, we dive into a slew of other movie news, including trailers and other tidbits that will prepare us for 2020 and beyond. 

The first reactions to "Rise of Skywalker" suggests the movie will be met with a mixed response from fans and critics. Then, we dive into the legacy of Danny Aiello through movies like "Do the Right Thing" and "Moonstruck."  Finally, we've got the first trailer for "You" season 2, and it looks like a doozy. 

DC has a pretty promising slate of movies coming out between 2020 and 2022, including "The Flash" and "Shazam 2," which were both just given release dates. At the box office, "Jumanji: The Next Level" did incredibly well, while "Richard Jewell" and "Black Christmas" sank like stones. 

After comments from J.J. Abrams and the cast of "The Rise of Skywalker," the controversy around "The Last Jedi" is back and the news, and it's more than a little exhausting. We also discuss "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" renewal, the premiere of "The Expanse," and the "In the Heights" trailer. Then, we uncover what a meeting between Disney CEO Bob Iger and Martin Scorsese might look like.

The Wonder Woman 1984 trailer proves that this sequel isn't playing around, and the Golden Globes announce their nominations.

A number of early awards bodies have weighed in on what the best movies of the year are, which gives us our first look at this year's big Oscar contenders.

Beauty, the Beast and PTSD? Hello moviegoers. Today I’ll be taking a look at Beauty and the Beast the live-action remake of the 1991 animated classic, by Disney. This time around Emma Watson and Dan Stevens assume the titular roles and they are joined by a cast that includes almost everyone else. Really. The movie starts as we know – with the casting of a spell. A young, mean-spirited prince shuns a poor woman who has the gall in intrude on his grand ball in search of shelter from inclement weather with merely a red rose to offer as gratitude. For his behavior, he is turned into a hideous beast with an expensive education, and his staff are turned into assorted household objects circa the French colonial era, by this mysterious woman who turns out to be an enchantress. And the kicker is, the prince has to find true love before the final petal falls from this rose, or they will live the rest of their lives as beast and appliances. Not much else is known about the enchantress’ motivations. Maybe she just wanted to stick it to the upper crust of society. Fast-forward to Belle’s (Emma Watson) village where she lives with her dad who is played by Kevin Kline. It is established that Belle is fearless. This is one of the traits that sets Belle apart from the other girls in the village and doesn’t go unnoticed by the village hunk Gaston. He is played Luke Evans and wants Belle’s hand in marriage. The movie to this point is whimsical with bright colors and some musical sequences that didn’t really elevate the story for me. But does, introduce Josh Gad’s Lafou. He is Gaston’s more than flamboyant confidant which is made fairly obvious. However, their relationship is not explored any further. The story doesn’t really get to where it is going until we return to the castle, where Belle races into the beast’s castle on horseback in search of her dad who has been taken prisoner for the crime of theft. It isn’t long before the castle comes alive, literally. Belle is treated as the guest of honor by the staff of animated objects that are voiced by a bevy of stars, including Ewan McGregor as Lumière, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen and others. They are a delightful and fun lot all around, and wonder out loud if she could be the one to break the spell. Meanwhile the village locals grow restlessness as they a whipped into a frenzy over the threat of the Beast by Gaston. His narcissism aside, Gaston’s outbursts and uneven behavior combined with his boasts of military conquest suggests that Gaston might suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – which doesn’t excuse him behavior, but might offer some context. As the rest of the story unfolds we learn a little more about Belle and the beast whose character is served well by Dan Stevens is authentic. In reality, this beast with his gorgeous blue eyes isn’t hideous at all, but the idea is that the outside matches the inside. The musical sets also resonate more so in the second half of the film. Director Bill Condon does about as good a job as you could expect with a movie about the love story of a beauty and a beast that comes with all the trappings of a bloated Hollywood production, and makes a movie that is still fun to watch and listen to for the most part. This movie doesn’t take itself all that seriously and it shouldn’t have. I give Beauty and the Beast 3 ½ sweet potatoes out of 5. This has been Moviegoers’ View. Moviegoersview.com. Until next time, enjoy the movies.

You know Kong; I always saw you as the lovey-dovey romantic type. I could be wrong. Hello moviegoers. Today I will be taking a look at ‘Kong: Skull Island’ the latest treatment of the legendary giant gorilla who made his debut on the silver screen in 1933 during the depression era… This time around the film takes place at the end of the Vietnam War. Bill Randa played by (John Goodman) and a young geologist, Houston Brooks, played by (Corey Hawkins) of ‘Straight Out of Compton’ fame are a couple of government official from an agency named Monarch, who organize an expedition to the previously uncharted Skull Island under the pretense of seismological research. Randa and Brooks, however, are proponents of the hollow earth theory. That theory being that the earth is hollow, of course, and serves as domicile for the entities that really own the earth – not us. And they are in search for proof. The rest of the team includes, among others, (Tom Hiddleston) as James Conrad, a former British Captain who is hired to lead the team on the island – he is in it for the money; (Brie Larson), an accomplished antiwar photojournalist, who thinks the government is up to no good and wants to be there to document the goings-on, and (Samuel L. Jackson) as Lieutenant Packard. He is bummed out over the outcome of the war, but gets a gleam in his eye when he gets a call for one final mission – to the disappointment of the rest of his soldiers. The team braves stormy weather to make landfall which leaves them cutoff from the outside world. From there, it isn’t long before the expedition is face to face with the king of Skull Island, himself. The movie quickly becomes a struggle for survival – first from the assault by Kong after the rude intrusion, and then from giant lizard-like creatures called Skullcrawlers that terrorize the natives on the island. This version of Kong displays greater intelligence and a lack of curiosity about these visitors to his island. You get the sense he is aware of what’s going on. He knows the hierarchy and assumes a custodial posture on Skull Island – which makes a lot of sense to me. (John C. Reilly) appears about halfway through the film as Lieutenant Hank Marlow who has been stranded on the island for twenty-eight years after his fighter plane was shot down during World War II. He injects a necessary dose of levity and his obvious curiosity gets the movie to its final act. There is also a juxtaposition that can be made between the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War and this ill-fated expedition to Skull Island whether the filmmakers intended to do so or not. Overall ‘Kong’ is an okay movie and I liked it, but other than Samuel L Jackson’s Lieutenant Packard slipping into derangement and Kong himself, I don’t think the motivation of some of the other main is characters is established well enough. ‘Kong: Skull Island’ gets 3 sweet potatoes out of 5. This has been Moviegoers’ View. Moviegoersview.com. Until next time, enjoy the movies.

“Maleficent” shines on the fantasy aspect, and definitely is empowering for women. But, it falls short in other areas and Jolie might have picked a better film to signify her return to the silver screen.   

Today on the Mid-Shift Report: 1:00 Movies you’ve never seen but should have – 2:05 Maya Angelou – 3:20 A Million Ways to Die in the West – 4:05 Celebrity News – 5:00 Upcoming/Weekend Preview

Today on the Mid-Shift ReportBox Office in Review – Oscar Watch: Foxcatcher, Bennett Miller (director) – Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars). Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner) – Maleficent Preview – Celebrity News: The Clippers bidding war has begun – Kate Middleton dress fiasco – Emma Watson graduates – Out this Weekend

All hail Marvel. "X-MEN: Days of Future Pasts" is the third release of the summer and it surpasses all the rest. 

"Blended" shows remnants of the Sandler/Barrymore spark, but it seems the duo's charm has just ran out.

Who is the most powerful mutant?Super-powered infused flicks you haven’t seen that you need too.Sandler/Barrymore Effect – Blended Preview – News: T.I./Mayweather, #YesAllWomen, Kimye Wedding

Hey everybody, how’s your week going? I’m doing pretty good, thanks for asking. I’m A. P. Richardson for moviegoersview, it’s Wedensday May 21st and this is the Mid Shift Report.

Surprisingly well acted, excellent special effects, and an epic monster battle which will thrill audiences, “Godzilla” is a worthy reintroduction to an iconic character.

 “Million Dollar Arm” is a story with a lot of heart, a dash of culture, and baseball and it equals success for Disney.

  Epic Film Baddies that aren’t completely bad 7:00 -          King Kong, Hulk, Terminator, Darth Vader, Catwoman Perfect Characters: perfect good/perfect evil 14:00 - Celebrity News Stories 18:00 - Jon Hamm spotlight 23:45 - Million Dollar Arm In depth Preview 30:00 - Barbara Walters 35:00 - Oprah Winfrey / Michael Sam 39:00

Hello Moviegoers! It's Wednesday, May 14th, my producer's on vacation, so we're getting crazy. I'm A. P. Richardson for moviegoersview and this is the Mid-Shift Report. 

Although it has a good message, "Moms Night Out," offers few laughs and doesn't try to appeal outside of its demographic: moms with kids.

Over the top vulgarity, tons of pot and weed usage, and everything you'd expect from Rogen and crew produces solid laughs. 

Hello Moviegoers! I'm A. P. Richardson for moviegoersview. It's Wednesday, May 6th  and this is the "Mid Shift."

“The Amazing Spider-man 2” may have more plot than needed, but the Webslinger satisfies and the film leaves its mark. Hello Moviegoers! Tis’ the summer of Marvel and “The Amazing Spiderman 2” doesn’t disappoint with multiple villains, origin back story to fulfill the comic book nerd in all of us, introductions of comic counterparts, and […]

“Brick Mansions” is an hour and a half worth of action sequences held together by a simplistic plot. Hello Moviegoers! If you like fighting, chase scenes, shoot-outs, and evasion scenes that make parkour look like the best thing since sliced bread, “Brick Mansions” is your movie. The film downplays an important commentary on social injustice, […]

Community outreach echoes a chorus of faith. Hello moviegoers, ‘Heaven Is for Real’ tells the true story of the Burpos’ a christian family from the small town of Imperial, Nebraska, who’s four year old son Colton (Connor Corum) has an out of body experience during an operation to have his appendix removed. The movie is […]

A female empowerment comedy that lacks in laughter. Hello moviegoers! “The Other Woman” finds three unusual female friends with one thing in common: they all are seeing the same man. While I’m all for girl power. The film suffers from it’s weak plot so much so it’s repeated a second and then a third time. […]

BOO! This word is equivalent to the scares offered in “The Quiet Ones.” Hello Moviegoers! A typical horror film that does nothing to change the game or rise above the tropes of its the genre, inspired by true events in the field of parapsychology, “The Quiet Ones,” may only produce a scare for the most […]

I think therefore I am. To be or not to be … okay. How far are we going to go with this? That is the question! Hello moviegoers, Johnny Depp stars in ‘Transcendence’ as Dr. Will Caster an (AI) Artificial Intelligence researcher who keynotes a presentation lead by his wife Evelyn played by (Rebecca Hall) […]

A family-friendly musical comedy, entertaining primarily for the younger set. Hello moviegoers! “Rio 2” the sequel to the break-out animated musical film ‘Rio’ leaves the city and heads deep into the Amazon. A predictable plot, with enjoyable gags for kids, and a fun soundtrack that will appeal across demographics doesn’t quite measure up to its […]

You don’t understand, we’re all in this together! It makes everything that way. It pulls you in! Hello moviegoers, writer-director Mike Flanagan takes material that could have easily gotten lost in trying to be scary and tells the tragic story of the Russell family in ‘Oculus’. From the Latin oculus, which means eye and denotes a […]

Elevated by a cadre of worthy foes, this ‘Captain’ takes us higher. Hello moviegoers, it’s been a couple of years since his romp with the other Avengers, but the first Avenger – Captain America – is back to doing his own thing. Captain America, played again by (Chris Evans) whose civilian name is Steve Rogers, […]

“I wouldn’t have gone about it any other way and Noah was the right man to weather this storm” – The Creator, Old Testament. Hello moviegoers, Oscar winning director of the ‘Black Swan’ Darren Aronofsky reaches into biblical lure and renders in vivid splendor an unapologetic and imaginative epic. ‘Noah’ is the story of the […]

The cast outruns the narrative in ‘Divergent’ the most recent installment of the young adult star-ship vehicles. Hello moviegoers, ‘Divergent’ like ‘The Hunger Games’ the movie it will most often be compared to, depicts a dystopian civilization in which the post-apocalyptic environment gives rise to a sociopolitical structure that further lock citizens into a way […]

‘Rise of An Empire’ is more companion piece than it is sequel; either way it rises to the occasion. Hello moviegoers, ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ is the follow up to 2007’s smash hit ‘300’, both of which are based on graphic novels by legend of the genre Frank Miller. The story in ‘Rise of […]

That dog Peabody and his boy are a couple of cool cats. Hello moviegoers, Ty Burrell (Modern Family) and Max Charles lend their voices to the Title characters in ‘Mr. Peabody and Sherman’ a knowledge infused, time-traveling adventure based on the late 50’s cartoon series. Mr. Peabody is a beagle, if you weren’t sure. He’s […]

Think you’re forty thousand feet above the law? Think again! Hello moviegoers, Liam Neeson continues to add to his growing filmography as the rather effective action hero in ‘Non-Stop’. This time Neeson plays Bill Marks an alcoholic US Air Marshall with a lot on his mind who needs a good luck charm to get him […]

An albino, a purple bike, an estrange wife, etcetera – oh my! The plot devices thicken in ‘3 Days to Kill’ an otherwise good looking movie. Hello moviegoers, Kevin Costner is retiring CIA agent, Ethan Renner,  who hasn’t missed a day of work in thirty-two years; and now,  as he is heading out the door […]

This is ‘The LEGO Movie’ you deserve! Hello moviegoers, ‘Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you’re a part of a team!’ is the catchy theme song and the embodiment of this clever, action-packed spoof of the superhero genre that’s rich with theme and personality. The popular interlocking bricks which can be manipulated into just […]

These guys are a walking sight gag for sore eyes, but the importance of their mission is no laughing matter. Hello moviegoers, ‘The Monuments Men’ opens and closes with Harvard Professor and Lieutenant, Frank Stokes played by (George Clooney) making the case before President Roosevelt in an otherwise empty lecture hall for the monuments men, […]

Labor Day, That Awkward Moment, I Frankenstein, Nebraska

No-no-no-no … let me explain! Laugh at my pain, wont-cha! Hello moviegoers, in ‘Ride Along’ funnyman Kevin Hart takes us along for the ride in this rehash of the buddy-cop comedy. This time around, our hero is able to find time amidst a standoff in a strip club and a drug deal that’s going down […]

Based on a true story… Hello moviegoers, written and directed by New York native Peter Berg and based on the book of the same name by SEAL Team 10 member Marcus Luttrell, ‘Lone Survivor’ starts with a crash course in the metal it takes to be a frogman as preamble to the failed mission Operation […]

‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ makes no bones about its depiction of indulgence and excess run amuck, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill are excellent even if Scorsese is longwinded. Hello moviegoers, DiCaprio raises the stakes as single-minded Jordan Belfort, a young determined stockbroker who’s intent on realizing his world view in ‘The Wolf of […]

Pay no attention to the O.S. behind the curtain; it actually sees you for who you are. You’ll project and it will reflect at warp speed. Hello moviegoers, from the mind of writer director Spike Jonze comes this funny and original love story ‘Her’, which is the most thoughtful and complete vision of what human […]

World War Z, The Hobbit 2, Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby

In this clash of artistic dispositions the combatants make time for tea. Hello moviegoers, Walt Disney’s (Hanks) twenty year courtship of Australian author Helen Lyndon Goff who wrote under the name P.L. Travers (Thompson) for the film writes to her beloved children’s novel Mary Poppins, has led to a rehearsal studio on the grounds of […]

Put on your hustling shoes for this one. Christian Bale and the rest of the pitch-perfect cast certainly did for this late 70’s revival. Hello moviegoers, David O. Russell follows up his wildly successful ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ with another winner in ‘American Hustle’ which he also co-wrote with Eric Singer. Russell, who has worked with […]

Warts and all the legend continues; even if ole’ Ron Burgundy has to reinvent himself to see it so. Hello moviegoers, Will Ferrell is back in his most infamous role as oblivious San Diego newsman Ron Burgundy. The rest of the main cast Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Christina Applegate, return as well […]

Death looms amidst the crescendo of bombs, the echoes of war and feverish nationalism. But ‘Death’ waits for Liesel. Hello moviegoers, today I’ll be taking a look at ‘The Book Thief’ Director Brian Percival’s interpretation of Michael Petroni’s adaptation of the Novel by the same name. The movie takes place during World War II Nazi […]

Bellowing smokestacks once the trademark of industrial strength in Rust Belt communities are the symbolic backdrop for this tense and angst-filled drama. Hello moviegoers, ‘Out of the Furnace’ sees Christian Bale as Russell Baze a salt of the earth mill worker in a Pennsylvania community that offers a limited outlook for its residents. Bale is […]

‘The Best Man Holiday’ serves up too many story-lines in reuniting old friends, rivals, and attitudes in what is an otherwise entertaining alternative to other viewing choices currently in theaters. Hello moviegoers, ‘The Best Man Holiday’ is director Malcolm D. Lee’s sequel to 1999’s ‘The Best Man’ which starts with a flashback montage that brings […]