The Cinematic Review-verse

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 ite...

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, t...

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 ful...