peggyatthemovies

If you want to know how people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gym Jordan and Lauren Boebert get to power - then this is the documentary for you. Useless trash parents have kids when they are essentially kids themselves, so said kids grow up to be exactly like them as they have no role models. They do however, find time for drugs, alcohol, cigs, guns and phones. They live in trailers hence the word trailer trash comes to mind - there is one shot of the girl Brittany who is 15 at the time, sleeping at her b/f's house where he has a confederate flag for a curtain.. it's a hellscape for sure. But they could have broken the chain and seemingly none of them want to. The epitome of 'barefoot & pregnant' along with child molestation and rape to boot. This backwards town stuff is the thing nightmares are made of. And it never ends.

Truly have to say, I couldn't break away from my binge watching it over Thanksgiving weekend!! The only drawback is the constant commercial interruptions from Crackle.. I mean, either learn how to cut away during a non-critical part..like don't cut to commercial in the middle of a punch or something..it's really badly edited in that way. If they could just give you commercials at the beginning..and maybe in the middle..but every 6 minutes.. it gets draining on you. It was the quality of the show and acting that kept me in it though. Hope it comes back for a S2 so we can see what happens with the storyline and they learn on the commercial thingy.. :)

Not a big surprise that a sequel seemed like a logical choice to 2008's "Cloverfield" by JJ Abrams as it was a big hit comparatively with a 25 million budget, while grossing right around 170 million. The 'found footage' film about a group of young people surviving a monster attack in Manhattan was driven by a highly sophisticated and fun marketing campaign. Mysterious trailers of the film 'Untitled' left you guessing as to what was the content, was also really well received by critics & film-goers alike.

While not quite the exact same thing here, JJ Abrams sees '10 Cloverfield Lane' as a kinsman of "Cloverfield." And that's a good description because although there could be a comparison of a few elements, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a very different kind of film and can stand on it's own. Do not expect found footage film or a direct sequel or prequel. '10 Cloverfield Lane' is a pure psychological thriller, with a little taste of Sci-Fi thrown in for good measure.

It's mainly undertaken all in one place, the bunker of the mysterious Howard (John Goodman). The bunker is a typical doomsday place: an underground space filled with food, drinks and all the comforts of home, including a cozy living room and fully functional kitchen, ya know, for those underground bunker dinner parties. Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is excellent as the frightened but brave one, who basically MacGyver's her way through this film. Even John Gallagher Jr. as the simple Emmett is well cast. The biggest surprise is John Goodman as Howard, a role that is seemly tailor-made for him, as he turns the effortlessly friendly man into a creepy psycho without ever giving away which of the two he is and in turn, giving us a whole other level of fear.

'10 Cloverfield Lane' will truly have the most impact if you have minimal knowledge of it before hand because it's nail biting exciting. And any reviewer that gives away the spoilers or the full story of this one, I wish them years of paper cuts because this is one to be experienced, not told about. The only minus is the last act of the film, here and there, it flies off the rails, But you forgive debut director Dan Trachtenberg for this little whim, as I loved the fact that just when you think it won't go there.. it does! It's very clever and with fresh inspiration, gives just the right subtle nod to its successful predecessor. For those who love psychological mind-bending films like this, you won't be disappointed.

Grade: B

Review Screening: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 ~ Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Possibly one of the worst films I've seen...for sure so far in 2016. I'm really not going to say more than that because that would be giving it more of my time that it already took from me that i will never get back.

Oh wait, I have to write a few more lines for this to be posted. So I will tell you that pretty much go see any film but this one and you will get your money's worth..but don't lose out on the 2hrs of your life that I just did.. Just know I did..and trying to fill up the requirements just to get it posted..so I can tell you once again..don't pay money to see this film.. Just don't.

I've always had mixed feelings about Director Ridley Scott and his films. Some are fantastic and some..are not. Here he is back once again to exploring a familiar territory – space.

"THE MARTIAN" truly strikes cinematic gold here with what could be looked as a quasi-instruction manual on how to survive surefire death on Mars. Though this adaptation of Andy Weir's novel (which I haven't yet read) is the best thing Scott has given us in quite some time, he still goes where others have gone before – only this time, with a perky, life-affirming attitude.

The concept is catchy and simple: While on a mission on Mars, a major storm hits the crew of the Ares III facility causing them to abort and head for their escape rocket. As Commander Lewis (Jessica Chastain), cyber-whiz Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara), flight surgeon Chris Beck (Sebastian Stan), pilot Rick Martinez (Michael Pena) and chemist Alex Vogel (Aksel Hennie) head out into the vicious winds of Mars where botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is hit by debris and disappears. The others think he's dead and leave without him. But guess what?! He's alive! And in order to survive he must "science the shite" out of the remaining supplies in a lab that was created to last only 31 days. His wit, scientific know-how and vlogs are what sustain him until the people at NASA – including NASA director Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels), mission director Dr. Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and flight director Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean) – can figure out how to save him. Add in the back ground techies Mindy Park (Mackenzie Davis) & Rich Purnell (Donald Glover) who literally come up with the live-saving idea that make it possible to go back and get their man!! All the while they make this trip to Mars almost scenic as you can almost feel the atmosphere while watching.

There are shifts here between humor, heart and suspense which are all handled quite well. Plus the soundtrack..ohhh the soundtrack... with it's precise way that it works in the disco from the made-fun-of play-list of Lewis' – with just a sampling is "Waterloo" (ABBA) "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Thelma Houston) and Vicki Sue Robinson's "Turn The Beat Around" – is not only truly ingenious but yes, fabulous as well. It hits all the notes at just the right moment in Watney's journey, giving us a look into his in-the-moment feelings in a perfectly stated way.

While this film is almost all Matt Damon, his very adequate supporting cast really gives the film a huge boost..along with the fact that it engages us intellectually, but not over the top as they make it all relatable and with a dose of humour I just loved. So it makes it hard to even list the one small unfortunate thing about THE MARTIAN as it's good..really good.. it does stop just one step short of being electrifying. And in this case..that's still not a bad thing.

Grade: B

Courage – Fear – Pain – Strength – all the words used in the trailer to describe this film based on a true story. Though after watching this movie I can't help but think they might have skipped a word – Insanity – because truly one must have a bit of this to even attempt to climb this mountain. To know going in that there is a 60/40 percent chance you might not come down..would and does deter most.

In 'Everest' we get brought back to 1996 when the big mountain had been actually been conquered enough times that it was no longer the specter it once had been. That didn't stop people from wanting to climb it, instead it ended up turning it into a business. Leader of the trend is the New Zealand business team "Adventure Consultants" with partners Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) & Helen Wilton (Emily Watson). The teams that head to the summit are a mix of seasoned pros and moneyed amateurs, forking over fortunes to earn both killer views they get momentarily and probably most importantly thing of course, the bragging rights. On one team you have the clients – 'average' guy, mailman Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), the big Texan, Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), journalist Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly) and the one small Asian woman, a 47 yr old climber of 6 of the tallest peaks in the world, Yasuko Namba (Naoki Mori) along with guides Hall, Andy "Harold" Harris (Martin Henderson) & Michael Groom (Thomas M. Wright) – on the other team "Mountain Madness" you have the college frat guy guide Scott Fisher (Jake Gyllenhaal) & Anatoli Boukreev (Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson) who refuses to use oxygen even though they will be at a level noted by Hall as 'Humans aren't meant to function at the cruising altitude of a 747'

Having reached the summit and literally touched the peak — their moment of triumph – though problematic as issues with roping and lateness of the afternoon make the timetable of descent turn into a dire situation. A storm sweeps in before certain climbers have turned back. What follows is a brutal waiting game. Among those stranded in the inhospitable climate is Hansen, Harris & Hall – who finds himself curled up in a nook, patiently, almost inhumanly biding his time as numerous attempts to save him come and pass him by due to more storms.

Having years ago read Jon Krakauer's book "Into Thin Air" I hadn't realized this was going to be that story told so vividly so I recommend you go in with little knowledge of the body count as Everest plays a bit in the vein of Apollo 13, as you know the story history wise – but in this one there's only a slim chance the ones in trouble will make it.

The film truly focuses on the brutality of this type of climbing and what we now know was the beginnings of what the business end of this all is. All these climbs-for-hire have literally created a trash bin of Everest as what goes up, doesn't always come down. And of course the body count of those left up on the mountain has also increased exponentially since this first tragic event. And let's not ever forget all the sherpas with whom without them, most of these climbs could never be done.

So what's good about this movie? The 3-D is very good. Throughout most of the film you can't discern between what is the real on-location shots and what is sound-staged. Brolin & Clarke really have the lead acting roles here and both do well. Sam Worthington also comes on well more towards the end as Guy Cotter. Overall it will prove to be a rough watch with it's ending for some, but it's a good film nonetheless.

Grade: C+ @pegsatthemovies

Screening: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 ~ Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Assuming that you have a good enough memory to remember where the first film finished as before reading my own review from the first one, the only thing I truly remembered was the main characters Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), Minho (Ki Hong Lee) & Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and along with the fact one of my fav. characters Gally (Will Poulter) died.

Here in Scorch Trials we're thrust straight away into Thomas and company's bust from the World Catastrophe Killzone Department aka WCKD; (side note: seemingly no one realized the connotations of the acronym until after the business cards had been made *eyeroll). Missing his memories and suspicious of anyone over the age of 21, before we can even blink an eye..Thomas is once again leading a breakout from the complex he and his buds are being held in after being rescued from the maze. This includes newcomer to the group Aris (Jacob Lofland) and a new mean guy Janson (Aiden Gillen) who is up to something, but before we can find out any answers as to why kids are being "harvested" and what the purpose of the maze was and Thomas's role in it, poof!! they're out into 'The Scorch', a desolate wasteland and busted-up city that uses must have used the leftover sets from Insurgent – hey..I'm all for budget saving. :)

As noted in my review of the original Maze Runner, this one too borrows heavily from not only other popular YA films (think Twilight, Insurgent etc), but also every other popular trope lying around. Suddenly we've got Walking Dead type zombies – we've got running up buildings – we've got a political resistance with no clear aim – And we've got more questions asked than a 3 year old at the playground. Despite the bum- numbing (ouch!) running time, as again with all this type of genre film they could easily cut out 30-40 minutes from each one, every new character Thomas and his nameless mates encounter exclaim, "There's no time to explain, we have to go!" to the point of where you just want to scream "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

There's also little time given to reintroducing some of the characters that barely made it from the first film. We know Thomas and Teresa, and that guy from Game Of Thrones, but the supporting cast are essentially just there to be dispensed with to provide some sense of jeopardy. At one point, the boys reminisce about their fallen numbers; "Aww, do you remember Chuck? And Winston? They were definitely here." No, I do not remember them; I don't even remember what my life was like before I started watching this film. At one point, Theresa tells Thomas a story about her mother slowly turning mad to the point she plucked out her own eyeballs. After two hours and 11 minutes, I think I felt her pain..

Which is a huge shame because the first installment was so promising I truly thought that the second would be better. And it almost was for a bit..sadly it didn't remain moving in that right direction. Though I will cough up to the fact that O'Brien is a fairly charismatic lead when all he had to do was jump around the maze, but now he's given precious little to do other than run around with that chicken head cut- off syndrome.

Teresa who when in the maze, set the whole chain of events into motion, is literally carried throughout by the boys and her relationship with Thomas, both before and after the maze, is not ever really touched on. A brief flirtation between Thomas and resistance fighter/soon-to-be- zombie Brenda (Rosa Salazar) has little consequence; same with what her father figure Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) who I'm still not sure if he is the 'Right Arm' they were so desperately trying to find or not. Throw in Vince (Barry Pepper) or Mary (Lili Taylor) as possible Right Arm leaders also and truthfully I was just a bit confused or maybe tired by that point. The whole film, while not bad, made me wonder if you would be any the wiser if you read the books as early on director Wes Ball dispenses with the original story and gives us a sadly DSAPPNTNG ending to this second installment of the sage.

Grade: D @pegsatthemovies

Screening: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 – Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Nationwide release: Friday, September 18, 2015

REVIEW "PAWN SACRIFICE" Q & A W/TOBEY MAGUIRE

The story of chess great Bobby Fisher is definitely a complex one as we watch Bobby as a young child (Young actors Aiden Lovekamp and Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, who play Fischer as a boy and teenager, are respectively completely convincing) growing up in the Washington Square area of Brooklyn already showing chess greatness but also showing how his paranoia builds with his mother Regina Fisher (Robin Weigert) holding secret communist party get togethers in their small apartment.

Director Ed Zwick does well making this tense and gripping story which is for the most part set during the Cold War era between the U.S. & U.S.S.R. (aka Russia), Pawn Sacrifice is a very well acted and quite accurate portrayal of the oft demanding, arrogant, completely unstable and preening chess player Bobby Fisher, as it puts Tobey Maguire in the main role of Fisher when he was in his twenties. pawn sacrifice 2

The film opens on Fischer in a state of disarray, panting and pacing around a hotel room, ripping open telephones to check if there are microphones inside. He is going slightly mad, and Fischer will not leave his room. He is paranoid from what is happening outside as the Cold War paranoia that is getting to the American chess grandmaster will be his downfall from life as we know it. As you watch his crazy decline of mental cognizance with Maguire truly inhabiting and embodying this character showing how he had a mind both incredible and dangerous as on the one hand he loved gloating to the public, on the other was a nuisance and nut in private.

With the aid of two companions, lawyer Paul Marshall (Michael Stuhlbarg) and Father William Lombardy (Peter Sarsgaard), Fischer plans a trip to Iceland to play against the Soviets.

Out of fear and apparent madness, Fischer does not show up for a world title match against his Russian foe, Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber), who is effortlessly cool in his portrayal here mostly just with looks as he doesn't have much dialogue. The fact that this film is quite historically accurate and with spectacular locations perfectly welded together, the scenes in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills being some of my favourite as they got the essence of the era down perfectly and beautifully, showing how these two guys were somewhat the rock stars of their respective countries in such a time of turmoil between the two countries.. along with the fact they make chess almost exciting makes the title perfectly fit with the reference to the sacrifice Bobby Fischer had to make, but because of his almost sheer genius, had the game going and ending how he wanted.

Although the physical resemblance with the real chess players isn't spot on, that fact proves to be almost a moot point and unnoticeable with these hands down enveloping performances and truly, once the movie gets a hold of you, just sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

Grade: B @pegsatthemovies peggyatthemovies.com

POST Q & A WITH TOBEY MAGUIRE & PRODUCER GAIL KATZ: Tobey noted what interested him most and attracted him to the role was seeing what Fisher's childhood had been about.. Noting that by age 15 he was already at the top of his game, but mentally, what he was doing was telling people his hotel room wasn't perfect or making crazy demands for quiet. It was mostly this that attracted him to the role. He & Gail delved into many long and lengthy stories about how the film got to be made most notably that they first had director David Fincher attached when they first started putting the picture together 9 yrs. ago and then when it became clear he wouldn't be able to do it when Tobey was ready to do it, he had a conversation with Ed Zwick who stepped in and did a fine job. He noted that it is somewhat a sports story but more a life story time capsule of what was going on in the world at the time.

A Walk in the Woods is essentially a two-hander piece between Robert Redford's Bill Bryson, a traveling writer who teams up with his old companion Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte) for a hike along the 2,000 mile- plus Appalachian Trail. Bryson is a sarcastically funny cynic who has his life in a certain order that has become mundane for him, whereas Katz is a grumpy recovering alcoholic who still tries to re-live and remain in his more youthful days. Their contrasts can appear a tad caricature like, but their acting ability, charm, and on-screen chemistry binds the film together well.

Its a nice witty, little jaunt of a film and while some could be of the opinion that Redford might have wanted to make a bit of an environmental statement here (I disagree), Nolte keeps us entertained all through till the end. Seeing Emma Thompson is always a delight as Redford's wife Catherine Bryson, but it's truly Kristen Schaal as Mary Ellen, the annoying, obnoxious fellow traveler whom talks endlessly and knows all, that brings the most to her small, albeit scene stealing role.

As you might expect, yes there are a few lullsy moments throughout the film but A Walk in the Woods is no Wild nor does it try to be.. it's more 'The Odd Couple' on a roadtrip – buddy type film with Redford as Felix and Nolte as Oscar. It's a safe bet that will appeal to a older audience, though they might be a bit surprised with some of the language by these two wonderful actors and while very sweet..I would definitely put it in the category of "sweet & nice" which is a perfectly okay way to spend a few hours!!

Grade: C

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The stunning Rupert Friend explodes onto the screen here as "Agent 47" – one of a numbered group of genetically DNA engineered 'Hitman' from the popular video game giving a second try at a film franchise here. Hannah Ware plays Katia van Dees, the daughter of a missing scientist Dr. Litvenko (Ciarán Hinds) who back in the 1960's was responsible for creating a super-soldier program that brought Agent 47, and at least 46 other deadly assassins into the world. Syndicate International, one of those typical diabolical organizations that always seem to exist, run by Le Clerq (Thomas Kretschmann) wants Katia's father as they think he holds the secrets to making more. Agent 47's employers want her dead.

Zachary Quinto's aptly named character John Smith – who's name pun you will understand when watching.. seems not to really fit his part in the beginning..after a few decent plot twists in his favour he turns it around and pulls his character off. He after all is also an 'agent' in a sense with a pretty neat change up of DNA in him.

Along with a bland storyline and too many plot holes to count or even care about, the films plus side is in if there is one demographic that it would try to please, it's obvious that aim is for 15-20 yr olds video-gamers who live for hours stepping into this world of CGI-done assassins killing off his enemies while wreaking maximum havoc in the process. And oh..the blood looks good. I'm serious it really does.

Friend as Agent 47, is a killing machine fighting other killing machines with whom I'd thought that we'd seen every imaginable killing stunt – but this film truly does become imaginative in that area and comes up with some doozies I'd think the likes of us haven't even dreamed up.

In the end, we do have a few surprise twists but there is no spark of life is to be found in a few of the characters most disappointingly in Ware, whose Katia is meant to be the supposed emotional linchpin of the enterprise. We've seen Friend do the cold and calculating before as Peter Quinn on Homeland where he actually scares us at times. The same goes here, American accent included. They have a few moments of mild playfulness mostly that Friend tries half heartedly to inject in their partnership without much success.

And of course what would the ending be if not to give us a little after name credits roll – scene of what is to come. And for the third time in a month, I'm seeing in that teaser scene what will probably be a better sequel than original.

End note: Paul Walker was scheduled to play Agent 47 and due to his untimely and tragic passing, Rupert Friend stepped in. RIP Paul

Grade: C- @pegsatthemovies peggyatthemovies.com

Director Guy Ritchie starts off with a wonderful, very highly stylized car chase. From that moment on I pinned my hopes that the whole film would be just as good as this sequence. It ends up turning into rather a bumpy ride between plot highs..and plot lows..making it an overall fun, but uneven film.

Henry Cavill as 'Napoleon Solo' and Armie Hammer as 'Illya Kuryakin' are the dymanic spy duo coming from differing enemy camps – Solo being from the CIA and Kuryakin respectively, the KGB, who must work together along with help from German/car whiz girl mechanic/possible double agent (maybe even triple we're not sure) 'Gaby Teller' (Alicia Vikander) to battle the forces of mysterious and evil criminal organization – The Vinciguerra Empire – a rogue Italian group of ex- Nazi loyalists ran by "Victoria Vinciguerra" (Elizabeth Delbecki) & her husband "Alexander" (Luca Calvani). The goal is to uncover the plot to stop them from obtaining and detonating a nuclear bomb.

Following a fairly standard formula for spy plots that involves good guys vs. bad guys to save the world, here Ritchie throws intrigue to the back burner and instead ramps up the charm and personality of his characters. Each one has their own unique set of traits which set them apart, yet it also brings them perfectly together to create the type of "spy team" with palpable chemistry that works all the way around and delivers to us a most entertaining ride.

Add in the always witty and charming delivery of Hugh Grant, Jared Harris and Misha Kuznetsov in their respective roles as head of differing agencies and you can't beat the overall fun that they dish out. As with any film of this genre, my motto of 'your only as good as your villains' once again applies as I did find those being the only characters the lacking the charm and chemistry of their counterparts, though still stylish, just missing what is truly needed to a baddie, the ability to still like them even though they are the villains.

Ending with the perfect setup for a sequel, I do hope the wonderful stylization remains as do the characters, though with a bit better plot and new villains as it could prove that a sequel might even turn out to be better than an original.

Grade: C @pegsatthemovies peggyatthemovies.com

Art comes in many forms. A Masterpiece for instance is usually a word used in the art world as a painting or portrait that is brilliantly done and is usually invoked by inner thoughts and feelings of so many emotions. That could sum up the feeling of this story and what a story it is. This film has everything you see invoked in a masterpiece painting. Love, war, death, money, drugs, power, sadness, happiness and most of all, music. It's a story about art in the truest sense of the word. These 5 young men – Andre 'Dr Dre' Young, Eric 'Eazy-E' Wright, O'Shea 'Ice Cube' Jackson, Lorenzo 'MC Ren' Patterson, & Antoine 'DJ YELLA' Carraby changed the world with what they did and this more or less, is their story.

Director F. Gary Gray takes us through the years from the group's origin in 1986 to Dr. Dre's founding of Aftermath Records in 1996 and while it's the N.W.A. story..it's mostly a three-man show focusing on Dre, Cube & most especially Eazy-E. It does justice in recreating a Compton from back in the day so perfectly and dare I say it, beautifully, as if the time & place and what the street life of the city truly was like, came straight out of a time machine. This is a big plus throughout the film.

Opening with a drug deal gone bad for Eric 'Eazy-E' might seem somewhat clichéd way to enter the story but is actually quite fitting especially since Eazy is the truly the main focus of the first half of film. He was the money, albeit it was from those deals, that enabled them to get studio time to record "Boyz in the Hood" and it was that song that attracted and brought manager 'Jerry Heller' (Paul Giamatti) to them. Heller knocks on the doors and pounds the pavement to connects them to their 1st label, Priority Records and we all get a laugh when we find out from that the only group 'Bryan Turner' (Tate Ellington) and the company had ever recorded before signing N.W.A was the California Raisins. Yep..you have dig real deep and go way back to remember that one!! But cash those checks from that Turner did, enough to land the company N.W.A. As we watch the group go from playing skating rinks to huge massive arenas across the nation. Meanwhile, Jerry also manages to finagle himself into part of starting up Eazy-E's Ruthless Records where we see everyone but E get underpaid & overlooked.

This leads to acrimony between the guys and while on tour Ice Cube, reminding everyone that he is the one who has written most of the music, departs the group. But before he leaves though we do get the anthem that penned the groups title as 'the world's most dangerous group' mainly because they scared the bejesus out of middle America with their anthem "F**K the Police" which comes straight from Cube after we witness multiple scenes of humiliation and harassment of not only him, but the group, their friends, their neighbors for just basically being.

The movie clearly focuses on the big three of the group, 'Dr. Dre' (Corey Hawkins) and 'Ice Cube' (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) with 'Eazy-E' (Jason Mitchell) taking the lead, with 'DJ Yella' (Neil Brown Jr.) & 'MC Ren' (Aldis Hodge) getting only minor attention. They easily brush right over their misogynistic lyrics as women here are barely given the time of day and only the wives or girlfriends of the moment get a few lines at best. Though as with most bio-pics, while we might not be getting the complete story here – it's still a very good story.

We see bits of the infamous East Coast/West Coast rivalry that started up. And once Cube is gone we get right in the middle of his lyrical riffs with the remaining members of the group badmouthing each other back n forth through their music giving us surely what is only a glimpse into this and then with Dre also going his own way with the ever and still unscrupulous 'Suge Knight' (R. Marcos Taylor) – showing the forming of and his subsequent abandonment of Death Row Records.

We catch beginning snippets of 'Tupac Shakur' (Marcc Rose), 'Snoop Dogg' (Keith Stanfield) (or as his character notes – that's Snoop D. O. double G.), 'Jimmy Iovine' (Mark Sherman) & the beginnings of Interscope Records. Along with this, we get clever allusions to what is to come – Everything from Cube's films 'Boyz N The Hood', 'Friday' and it's sequels, to Dre when walking out on Knight, almost cheesily referencing Aftermath. The film closes with updates on the band members careers post-1996 with various interview clips in large focusing on Dre and Cube's successes, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and 50 Cent, among others, paying homage to Dre showing the fruition of what both his and Cube's visions came to be. Also, the sad and untimely passing of Eazy-E from AIDS. Noticeably absent are updates on DJ Yella and MC Ren.

For all it's small flaws here and there, this is still a hellava story to be told. N.W.A helped to change the musical culture of the time because they actually told the world what was happening in their own backyard through their music. And in doing so they succeeded in making themselves one of the most powerful groups of the time. Oscar buzz? Probably not. But fan favorite (and one of mine) – definitely. RIP Eazy-E.

Grade: B+ @pegsatthemovies

With so many superhero/comic books films coming out over past decade at this point you really need to 'dress to impress' if you're going to put one out there. With this being a well known fact – the question looming on most everyone's mind regarding this film: 'Is Fantastic Four..well..Fantastic?' With only a few ups and many downs, the answer sadly is no. How you ask can this happen? Well oddly enough it's the sheer lack of an exciting story.

We open on brilliant child scientist Reed Richards, (Miles Teller) who is on the verge of discovering how to both transport matter to another dimension and then bring it back though they don't know where it goes or comes back from. Jump to a few years later at his high school science fair and he and the project while being dis-qualified from the fair are being recruited by Professor Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey).

With this Reed is given the resources and help by Storm's children, the brother & sister team of Sue Storm (Kate Mara) and Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) along with Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell), to finish what he started all those years ago in his garage. When they finally crack inter-dimensional travel, Reed invites his childhood friend Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) to travel to the other dimension/world along with him and the team. An accident causes their physical form to drastically change. Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must learn to harness and use their powers and work as a team to stop Von Doom who is now hell bent on destroying Earth.

You would think this could all be exciting right? Well it's actually a rather dull and plodding affair which was surprising as with most of the cast here notably Teller, Jordan, Bell and especially Toby Kebbell are all actors who have had some damned notable roles in their perspective careers.

While I could have used more Von Doom, it probably still wouldn't have saved this lifeless movie as the whole storyline is just weak with a finale that will impress no one. I expected so much more.

Grade: C- peggyatthemovies.com @pegsatthemovies

Screening: Wednesday, August 5, 2015 courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Yes.. yes.. yes.. The Missions are back on!! To say the continuing saga of Ethan Hunt carries on with a bang – would be putting it lightly.

A few things to note right off in this latest boot-up of the Mission Impossible franchise – 1. We are going rogue.. 2. Tom Cruise at 53 is the new 33 – I'm telling you – watching him doing these stunts is truly eye popping and 3. Rebecca Ferguson is a fantastic femme fatale bad ass – Hands down – no questions asked – she knocks it out of the park here.

I'm not going to go into full detail here as with all action films, as not only do you need to see it for yourself, but they don't go for a big emotional point to the storyline..they go for the action and action you shall receive. In abundance.

Rogue Nation opens on "Ethan Hunt" (Tom Cruise) hanging off the side of a plane, which has been notably played up as the holy-shite-Tom-Cruise- actually-did-that-himself stunt moment. And play up they should as once you hear the familiar theme music – whooosh…you fall right in step with the action.

This time round the IMF team is on the track of 'The Syndicate' an evil group of agents whom are all listed as supposedly dead or MIA along with the fact that no one seems to believe they exist, leads us to understand quickly enough who the bad guys are and who the good guys are..or in the case of one character..it might beg the question..do we?

Simon Pegg back again as "Benji Dunn" adds the expected comic relief at the right intervals and is a fun watch here. Alec Baldwin as CIA naysayer "Alan Hunley" who believes The Syndicate might just be a figment of Ethan's imagination, and who begs the question if the IMF is really relevant any longer as he feels they've more or less just been 'lucky' so far. Jeremy Renner "William Brandt" & Ving Rhames "Luther Sitckell" are both back and here to stay. Rebecca Ferguson as "Ilsa Faust" is truly the one who takes it all here. She is a breath of fresh air for the franchise, the right blend of strong and sexy – not knowing if she is friend or foe makes her all the more mysterious and carries in the movie well. My motto of 'you're only as good as your villain' also comes across well with a notably beardless Sean Harris as baddie "Solomon Lane".

While Rogue Nation is most definitely an adrenaline ride fueled by high octane action sequences, it's also wittier than past M.I. films with Cruise facial reactions to some of what's going on let's you in on the secret that yes..he knows how impractical it all seems.. but yet makes you feel as it's not. There are great moments of comic relief mixed with suspense and a wonderful cast that has great chemistry with one another.

Cruise might have been under-appreciated in Edge of Tomorrow but it's clearer than ever that Ethan Hunt is one of Cruise's better signature roles and to that extent, just might be back. And to answer Baldwin's character's meta-question: Can Mission Impossible stay relevant in this new era of bigger and better-let's outdo the next guy film? The answer is decidedly maybe. OK..Definitely maybe. ;)

Grade: B- @pegsatthemovies

And your comedy-date movie for the summer is…(drum roll please) "Trainwreck"!!

Written by and starring this year's comedic 'it-girl' Amy Schumer as "Amy" it chronicles the misadventures of its leading character as she runs through boyfriends, numerous sexual encounters acting all the while as a chronically commitment-challenged career woman, is some serious comedic gold. When her boss "Dianna" (an unrecognizable and hilarious Tilda Swinton) assigns her a story to feature a young sports surgeon "Aaron" (Bill Hader) something happens to Amy she didn't know was possible…she falls in love.

The film romantic-comedy side solely rests on the perfectly imperfect character of Amy who I think we can all relate to – as either being it at some point in our own lives or in someone we know. I mean let's be truthful here … who of us ladies hasn't walked into a room inappropriately dressed or sat at a baby shower giving a big eye-roll at the "my life is perfect" banalities and so wanting to shut it down. Amy is that girl, the friend we love to have around because she isn't afraid to do or say what we wish we had the guts to do or say…though she pretty much goes overboard every time and that goes double here and yes, that's why we love her.

Schumer is a force here, knocking every gag out of the park but also displaying some quite impressive dramatic skills that one doesn't expect from a stand-up comedian. Bill Hader is finally given and masters the lead role he deserves perfectly. He is lovable, relatable in every way and is the perfect match for Amy on the big screen. Their chemistry here is undeniable.

The supporting cast of the film is absolutely solid. Brie Larson is wonderful as "Kim" – Amy's sister, Colin Quinn is "Gordon" Amy & Kim's dad, Mike Birbiglia is "Tom" Kim's husband, and the little scene- stealer child Evan Brinkman as "Allister" rounds off the family. Vanessa Bayer's "Nikki" is Amy's co-worker and just as on SNL, she holds her own here. But perhaps the biggest surprise of the film is are the 2 big name athletes of the film in LeBron James playing himself and John Cena as "Steven" one of Amy's flings that you just can't help but love while grabbing a scene your eyes won't soon forget. And while I don't know or follow basketball much (just like Amy in the film I might add) I do know who LeBron is and as it turns out the basketball superstar's comedic timing is might just be as good as his game. The plethora of SNL cast, athlete and musician cameos were a welcome bonus to the movie.

By now we know that with a Judd Apatow films you'll get a nice blend of raunchy humor and heart. It is a tried and true formula – and it works again here but with something different and that's Amy Schumer. Sure there might be a few uneven moments..but the duo here help create one of the funniest romantic comedies I have seen in a long time with one of the most fun finale scenes I've had the pleasure of seeing all year long. Most of all – I think we can all say a big HELLO to Amy Schumer – 'Moviestar' when this hits theaters..

This film is fantastically fun, full of laughs, new one-liners for you to memorize and a sweet story to prove that yes, my friends, there is someone for everyone in this world.

Grade: B @pegsatthemovies check out all my reviews at peggyatthemovies.com