'Fly Me to the Moon'- A Breathtaking and Beautiful Movie

In a great step away from her tenure as Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson starred in and produced a well-executed Space Race romantic dramedy, 'Fly Me to the Moon. I enjoyed her getting a chance to be the funny one, alongside a dedicated NASA employee played by Channing Tatum. The beautiful, breathtaking story along with jazzy scoring by Daniel Pemberton, swinging pop and soul songs, and clashing romantic times between Johansson and Tatum's characters were the highlights that made 'Fly Me to the Moon' a dazzling spectacle.

Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Jones and Channing Tatum as Cole Davis in 'Fly Me to the Moon'. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

In a retelling of the Apollo 11 mission, marketing expert Kelly Jones, played by Johansson, and mission director Cole Davis, played by Tatum, had their own ideas for how the story should be told to the American public. Jones saw it as a chance to make Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins look great on commercials for items such as watches or Tang, and help people trust government spending on space missions while recovering from earlier tragedies such as the disastrous Apollo 1 mission, the Vietnam War, or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's assassination. On the other hand, Davis focused more on the rocket launch than the program and astronauts being publicity stunts.

I enjoyed the movie. Once Johansson's character of Jones appeared, I was amused by her marketing savvy and how she outsmarted some snobby businessmen at an automobile business. Though I picked up some 'Hidden Figures' vibe when she started off in the pits at NASA (a dusty, not-so-homey office), she went back to Johansson's Black Widow by sneaking in and charming the employees- to help her get NASA some better PR and funding. Tatum's character was funny, as well, when he tried to dissuade Johansson from entering a center at NASA by saying anything could fry or poison her, but Johansson was undeterred. Sometimes, Davis dressed like Captain Kirk from 'Star Trek.' 

Channing Tatum and Ray Romano in 'Fly Me to the Moon'. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Other funny actors came courtesy of Jim Rash and Ray Romano. Rash played a brash film director who resembled Steve Carell and Stanley Tucci, and he tried too hard to imitate the Moon landing as a failsafe in case the rocket didn't make it again. Romano played Tatum's coworker who provided some comic relief at the workplace, like Romano was bringing back his prior character of Ray Barone. I noticed one person of color in the cast, Donald Elise Watkins as engineer Stu Brice, and I enjoyed seeing his excitement as the film proceeded. And though he was not funny to me, Woody Harrelson as Jones' employer Moe Berkus seemed like a cross between a paranoid government agent and a slick car salesman.

The film's songs were sung by artists such as Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Bee Gees, and Eddie Floyd among others. Their sounds provided soothing and/or danceable music during the laborious times of the Space Race. As I said in my Bikeriders blog, you got to enjoy the costumes of the 60s. Johansson's character reminded me of the original comic book appearances of Karen Page from 'Daredevil.' from the hairstyle, at least.

Cole Davis, played by Channing Tatum, in front of a memorial of the Apollo 1 astronauts in 'Fly Me to the Moon'. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

As faith in NASA began to be restored, Johansson and Tatum's characters (predictably) fell in love. Their romance reminded me of Clark Kent and Lois Lane from 'Smallville'; they started as bickering and clashing, then got closer. 

Besides the cast, humor, and music, I enjoyed the Apollo 11 liftoff and discussions of the beauty of space from the characters. Ultimately, 'Fly Me to the Moon' was a beautiful, dazzling, sentimental movie. If you want to see a film this summer that's not a sequel, reboot, or remake, you should watch 'Fly Me to the Moon'. starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.

'Despicable Me 4' is 'Incredibles' with Slapstick

Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, is back in 'Despicable Me 4'. Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

On Friday, July 5, I watched Universal and Illumination's latest work, 'Despicable Me 4.' I felt like they were returning to the original film's roots with Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, being superbad and a super dad, along with cool original songs from Pharrell Williams, clever voice acting and characters, and humor and action that reminded me of 'The Incredibles' with slapstick.

In this sequel, Gru is back in the Anti-Villain League and must contend with a villain without sea creatures, mutation serums, or a keytar. That villain was Maxime Le Male, voiced by Will Ferrell, a primadonna rival who plans to conquer the world with cockroaches. Gru must protect his wife Lucy, voiced by Kristen Wiig, daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes, voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Madison Polan, respectively, and newborn son, Gru, Jr, voiced by Tara Strong. And of course, there's comic relief from the Minions, voiced by executive producer Pierre Coffin.

The Minions, voiced by Pierre Coffin, return in 'Despicable Me 4' Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

'Despicable Me 4' was similar to 'The Incredibles' with Gru trying to be the protective and bonding dad,  Gru Jr being a tricky baby like Jack-Jack, and Maxime acting like Syndrome with some eccentricities from Sacha Baron Cohen. Though Gru may have softened up from being despicable, he was still funny on his own with his bumbling parenting, or struggling to mingle with his new neighbors, Perry and Poppy Prescott, voiced by Stephen Colbert and Joey King, respectively.

Poppy Prescott, voiced by Joey King, a new character in 'Despicable Me 4'. Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Poppy physically reminded me of Audrey, Taylor Swift's role from 'Dr. Seuss' The Lorax.' She was funny and intimidating in trying to get Gru out of his shell and teach her the art of villainy. Next, they performed a heist that ended with a showdown with an older villain that could make throwbacks of the Omnidroid or Doctor Octopus. Talk about "Granny overboard."

And though this is primarily Gru's story, Ferrell's character of Maxime Le Male really stole the show. As I said, he was a primadonna, and a knockoff of Syndrome and Sacha Baron Cohen, because he was obsessed with taking Gru down. He also reminded me of Dave the Octopus, John Malkovich's character from Dreamworks' 'Penguins of Madagascar.'

All in all, I would give Despicable Me 4 a 7.5/10 for showing that the franchise can still kick butt, make some laughs, and have excellent spy scoring from composer Heitor Pereira and original songs from Pharrell Williams. There's also some uplifting music Cameo, Blackpink, and Tears for Fears. I'd just suggest more screen time for Gru and the girls; I feel like I don't see enough of their father-daughter moments. Feel free to check out 'Despicable Me 4'.

‘Wonder Woman’ is Similar to ‘Captain America’ and ‘Mulan’

Gal Gadot reprising her role as Diana of Themyscira in 'Wonder Woman'. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

When I watched Wonder Woman back in 2017, I was probably looking for a cool summer movie to watch at the time. Now that I've seen some behind-the-scenes footage, I appreciate it better.

When I watched the DVD, I thought Gal Gadot's reprisal of Diana of Themyscira was like watching 'Captain America' and 'Mulan'. Her intense training also reminded me of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. And it was funny watching her struggle to blend in with humans with help from Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine. 

Chris Pine as Steve Trevor from 'Wonder Woman.' Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

But now, I get that this film was not just made to fill a Warner Bros./DC quota. It was and still is important to augment the "wonder" that is Wonder Woman. From director Patty Jenkins trying to stay true to the original character's iconic story to fulfilling her own ambitions to the set design to the costumes to VFX to different filming locations, it truly was a lot of work to display the power of Wonder Woman, and it was well-executed.

Similarities to other films aside, the other great part of the movie was Diana was a beacon in an otherwise troubled world. Whereas some people were sexist or cautious about battlefields during the times, she's more uninhibited in that she will walk straight into the danger if it means no man, woman, or child has to suffer in war, whether that war was caused by Ares, played by David Thewlis, or men who just don't want to be peaceful. But going back to the sexist discussion, it was no skin off her nose if some men objectified her and didn't want to see her as an equal. She shut them up by staying true to her calling and proving she could knock down gunfire with powerful bracelets and more in her array of weaponry.

Like Superman and so many people before and after her, Wonder Woman brought hope to people as the world was suffering in war. Beyond that, she proved that women can do just as well, if not better, than men in belonging on this planet.

'Wonder Woman' director Patty Jenkins behind the scenes. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

As for the crew, I appreciate all their dedication to filming, contrasting the color palettes, and trying to bring more life to a groundbreaking comic book superhero. For example, including blue smoke in Diana's running in No Man's Land and using classic Greek mythos about an eagle with Wonder Woman's emblem and tiara were examples of showing how fierce Diana was when she put her mind to it. Whether we'll see Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman again in the new DC Universe remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, DVD or not, I challenge you all to watch some behind-the-scenes videos of your favorite movies. You might see more reason to enjoy it. Thank you.