What to Watch This Weekend: I Met a Girl, The Devil All The Time, Sword of God, Trolls World Tour, Queen & Slim, Burnt Orange Heresy, #Alive, Fighting With My Family

For The Hopeless Romantic -  I Met A Girl (Digital)

I Met A Girl has a moving performance by its charismatic lead, a wonderful bright style, and plenty of highs and lows in this story about love and mental illness.  For more information, check out our review!

For The Religious Fan of Great Actors - The Devil All The Time (Netflix)

The Devil All The Time has amazing performances, deep characters, and tempts you with its exploration of faith, religion, and choice.  For more information, check out our review!

For Devout Horror Fan - Sword of God

Sword of God is a devoutly atmospheric masterpiece, with an amazing setting, wonderful, immersive effects and costumes, and an otherworldly aesthetic that will have you praying for more.  For more information, check out our review!

For The Horror Survival Fan - #Alive (Netflix)

This Korean zombie drama offers a refreshing take on the zombie isolation horror.  As a lot of people are isolating for other reasons, this film is a sign of life in the genre.

 

For The Wrestling Fan - Fighting With My Family (Amazon)

Fighting With My Family gives you a heartwarming story, filled with thoroughly enjoyable characters and action, that takes some creative liberties but still tells a solid tale.  For more information, check out our review!

For The Kids - Trolls World Tour (Hulu)

Trolls World Tour keeps the same style and characters that made the first movie a surprise hit, and adds a bunch of new and interesting music trolls and locations to the band, while also providing an avenue to talk to your kids about diversity and tolerance.  For more information, check out our review!

For The Dramatic Art Student - The Burnt Orange Heresy (Redbox)

The Burnt Orange Heresy paints an interesting picture, with fantastic performances and some very good writing, but the overall experience is hurt by a story that goes off the rails.  For more information, check out our review!

For A Realistic Take On The Black Experience - Queen & Slim (HBO)

Queen & Slim gives a window into racial injustice in America, told through stellar performances, strong writing, and a commitment to realism that preaches a powerful message.  For more information, check out our review!

What to Watch This Weekend: January 31, 2020

In Theaters: Gretel and Hansel

Gretel and Hansel tells a grim, dark fairy tale with a deliberate style and an electronic, otherworldy soundtrack.  For more information, check out our review!

At Redbox: Terminator: Dark Fate

A movie that was critically acclaimed, but a box office flop, Terminator: Dark Fate is a fun return to form for the Terminator franchise, with jaw dropping special effects, tons of nostalgia, and cameos by everyone you would want to see!  For more information, check out our review!

At Redbox: Harriet

Check out this Oscar hopeful, which tells a Hollywood-ized story of the famous historical freedom fighter, fueled by Cynthia Erivo's strong, Oscar-worthy performance.

Streaming (HBO): The Curse of La Llorona

The second attempt to expand the conjuring universe, the Curse of La Llorona is not up to the level of the Conjuring or Annabelle, but it still has enough jump scares to entertain you for a night.  It is by no means a good movie, but if you're looking for something scary, check this out.  

Streaming (Showtime): Green Book

Green Book has strong performances by Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, good lessons to be learned from this surprising friendship, and an interesting, if safe, take on traveling to the south at a time when a guide had to be published to tell black travelers what establishments were safe to go to.  

Streaming (Amazon): Fighting With My Family

Fighting With My Family gives you a heartwarming story, filled with thoroughly enjoyable characters and action, that takes some creative liberties but still tells a solid tale.  For more information, check out our review!

Screening: Fighting With My Family

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY is a heartwarming comedy based on the incredible true story of WWE Superstar Paige™. Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her family and face this new, cut-throat world alone. Paige’s journey pushes her to dig deep, fight for her family, and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.

DIRECTOR &

 WRITER

Stephen Merchant   

PRODUCERS

Kevin Misher, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Stephen Merchant, Michael J. Luisi 

EXECUTIVE

PRODUCERS

Andy Berman, Hiram Garcia, Daniel Battsek, Tracey Josephs, David Kosse, Rhodri Thomas

CAST

Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Jack Lowden, with Vince Vaughn and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson 

Website: www.fightingwithmyfamily.movie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FightingWithMyFamily/

Twitter: @FightingWMyFam

Instagram: @FightingWMyFam

#FightingWithMyFamily

Screening Details:

AMC Mazza Gallerie

2/20/2019

7:00 PM

CLICK HERE 

to Download Passes NOW!

Review: Fighting With My Family

Release date: February 14, 2019
Running time: 108 minutes
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh 

What would you do to achieve your dream?  And what would it take to actually realize that dream once you were given the opportunity?  Fighting With My Family is a WWE produced movie based on the true story of WWE Divas phenom Paige.  The story follows Paige's unlikely journey wrestling in an obscure English amateur wrestling league to the largest wrestling federation in the world.  There was much more drama than I had thought there would be, which I enjoyed seeing.  Although wrestling is a key focus of the movie, a lot of the film deals with Paige's own personal struggles going from her tight knit, familiar family setting to the more ruthless process of trying to become a wrestling professional.  

And to complement the drama (and as is instantly clear from the trailer), there is a surprising amount of humor thrown in.  As with any good WWE event, there is plenty of fighting, dramatic performances, and a good amount of humor thrown in to keep the audience entertained.  The characters are all quirky and entertaining; the story is fun to follow; and the overall effort put in by Paige to fulfill her dream is great to see.  Pugh is believable as a young Paige and has you rooting for her from the start.  The Rock and Vince Vaughn are both perfect in their roles, with the Rock adding his trademark humor and wrestling authenticity to the film.  

The movie is not without its flaws.  The character progression is made for Hollywood, with too convenient character changes and epiphanies at just the right times.  Also, the movie takes some liberties with the time line that makes the last part of the movie seem too convenient to be true.  The compressed timeline also cheapens the effort that Paige put forth to fulfill her dream, making it seem like she worked hard, but that it wasn't as difficult as the real life story.

Despite these minor flaws, Fighting With My Family gives you a heartwarming story, filled with thoroughly enjoyable characters and action, that takes some creative liberties but still tells a solid tale.  I haven't watched wrestling in years (I used to sneak downstairs to watch WCW on Saturday morning before my parents woke up) but I loved this film; fans of wrestling, both old and new, will enjoy watching this.

Watch it