What to Watch This Weekend: July 24, 2020

The Social Justice Drama With Tough Issues And Amazing Acting: Clemency (Digital, Redbox)
An outstanding cast led by Alfre Woodard, Clemency brings tough social issues to the big screen.  Woodard plays a state sanctioned executioner who must confront her own demons that connect her to the men she is authorized to execute. Clemency is available for free at pretty much all major digital retailers so make sure to check this one out!  For more information, check out our story!

The Star Studded Animation Documentary: Spike & Mike: Animation Outlaws (Digital)

Spike & Mike: Animation Outlaws is an animated documentary that highlights some amazing animators and animation, and what these two did for the overall community.  For more information, check out our review!

The Unconventional Musical Drama: Fisherman's Friends (Digital)
Fisherman's Friends reels you in and hits the right notes, with its great music, relatable and likable characters, and heartwarming story.  For more information, check out our review!

The Young Adult Light-Hearted Nostalgia Trip: The Kissing Booth 2 (Netflix)
expect exactly what you expect for all teenage love drama and the two hour runtime will just breeze by.  And even if you are punching your first ticket to the kissing booth and going in blind-folded, you will find an enjoyable teenage romantic dramady.  For more information, check out our review!

The Irreverent Soon To Be Parenting Comedy: The Babysplitters (Digital)

The Babysplitters delivers a hilarious, unconventional comedy with a fantastic cast, frank dialogue, and laugh-out-loud situations.  For more information, check out our review!

The Gritty, Stylish Chinese Crime Noir: The Wild Goose Lake (Digital)

The Wild Goose Lake is a gritty, stylish Chinese crime drama with some beautiful cinematography, strong characters, and a slow burning story.  It won't be for everyone because of this, but there is plenty to admire about this film.  For more information, check out our review!

For The Martial Arts Enthusiast: Ip Man 4: The Finale (Netflix)

Ip Man 4 finishes the epic story of Master Ip Man, with a wonderful love letter to classic martial arts film, with the exaggerated scenarios and amazing fights that you would expect from the Wing Chun master.  For more information, check out our review!

The Historical Action Film About An Important and Fearless Woman: Harriet (HBO, Redbox)

Harriet tells the compelling story of an influential woman with Oscar-worthy acting, an exciting and heartbreaking script, and a stellar score.  For more information, check out our review!

What to Watch This Weekend: June 19, 2020

In honor of Juneteenth, we are highlighting movies from strong black voices or with strong black leads.

Harriet (Redbox, Digital Rental / Purchase)
Harriet tells the compelling story of an influential black woman who refused to abide by the status quo, with Oscar-worthy acting, an exciting and heartbreaking script, and a stellar score.  For more information, check out our review!

Just Mercy (Redbox, Free Digital Rental, or Purchase, TNT, TBS, TruTV)
Just Mercy is an inspiring, timely, and sadly appropriate movie for our times.  It has Oscar-worthy acting, amazing cinematography, and tells an important story about injustice and the disparity in the criminal justice system that that doesn't leave a heart untouched or an eye dry at its conclusion.

Black Panther (Disney+, TNT, TBS, TruTV)
The film is essential watching for the MCU but also has a fantastic blend of super hero themes with African-inspired culture and visuals.  It is truly a celebration of all things super!

The 13th (Netflix)
This thought-provoking documentary has scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.  It is a wonderfully crafted documentary that balances insights from talking heads with painful archival footage.

Creed II (Hulu)
The follow-up to the surprisingly good Creed, this movie manages to make the tried-and-true Rocky formula feel fresh thanks to some fantastic performances and the introduction of characters from Rocky's past.

BlackkKlansman (HBO / HBOMAX)
Spike Lee has been one of the most outspoken and influential black movie voices of our time.  BlackkKlansman is a lighter movie than some of his other works, but it still tells a compelling historical story with an amazing cast, biting commentary, and a lot of humor.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Amazon)
This powerful film that tells the tale of a man dreaming to reclaim his grandfather's victorian home in a rapidly changing city.

Deal: June 4, 2020 Movie Deals

Get some classic Spider-Man movies in 4K for $5, or some recent Spider-Man and other hit movies including Queen & Slim or Harriet in 4K for $8. All movies are Movies Anywhere so they will port to your linked accounts.

Digital Movie Deals (Movies Anywhere)

• Downton Abbey (4K) - $7.99
• FandangoNOW
• iTunes
• Harriet (4K) - $7.99
• FandangoNOW
• iTunes
• Queen and Slim (4K) - $7.99
• FandangoNOW
• iTunes
• Spider-Man Movies and Bundles [microsoft.com]
• Spider-Man (4K) - $4.99 [microsoft.com]
• Spider-Man 2 (4K) - $4.99 [microsoft.com]
• Spider-Man 3 (4K) - $4.99 [microsoft.com]
• Amazing Spider-Man (4K) - $4.99 [microsoft.com]
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (4K) - $7.99 [microsoft.com]
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (4K) - $8.99 [microsoft.com]
• Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (4K) - $8.99 [microsoft.com]
• Venom (4K) - $7.99 [microsoft.com]
• Venom + Spider-Man: Homecoming (4K) - $12.99 [microsoft.com]
• Spider-Man: Homecoming + Spider-Man: Far From Home (4K) - $14.99 [microsoft.com]

This site contains affiliate links. //Commerce or this site may be compensated when you click through links on our site.

Review: Harriet

Release date: November 1, 2019
Running time: 125 minutes
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn 

Harriet is a slightly Hollywood-ized biopic of the famous Harriet Tubman.  However, unlike many of the tales we learned growing up, this movie portrays Harriet (Erivo) as a devoutly religious, strong willed, and steely resolved woman who was hell bent on freeing as many slaves as possible.  And amazingly, this is the more accurate version of the historical figure.  Although some characters and events were created for the movie, a lot of the more remarkable aspects of Tubman's life are portrayed accurately and should provide a new take on this woman that everyone has learned about. 

Harriet is portrayed by Cynthia Erivo in an Oscar-worthy performance.  She portrays Tubman as a fierce, driven, and fearless woman who ventures many times to the south to free slaves.  She frees so many slaves that a bounty is placed on her head and she is given the nickname "Moses."  Erivo's performance is strong and according to some quick research, fairly accurate.  One aspect of this film that I appreciated was that it portrayed Tubman's visions, which she believed were from God.  I did not realize that she had this, nor how deeply religious she was, and seeing this on screen was a nice lesson for me.  The acting is strong across the board in this movie, but Erivo is really the star of the show.

And the story of Harriet, despite having a few Hollywood changes, is riveting and will keep you engaged throughout the relatively long film.  And that is helped along by a stellar score that makes the action scenes more exciting and the serious scenes that much more emotional.  It really is a testament to this film that everything is done right.  And that includes portraying the United States at the time.  The movie does a good job of portraying just how hopeless life was for African Americans, slave or free, at the time.  It doesn't portray it as brutally as other movies have (such as in 12 Years a Slave), but it also doesn't pull any punches.  There are descriptions of the treatment, scars on the current and former slaves, and just a general disregard for human life that come across vividly in the film. 

Harriet tells the compelling story of an influential woman with Oscar-worthy acting, an exciting and heartbreaking script, and a stellar score.   

Watch it.

Deal: 29% off at FandangoNOW including 1917 in 4K for $14 Today (2/29) Only

FandangoNOW has a leap day sale featuring 29% off rentals and purchases.  Use the code LEAP29 at checkout for the discount.  Some of these movies are MoviesAnywhere compatible, so they will port to Google Play, iTunes, VUDU, Amazon, and Microsoft if you have them linked.  Some highlights inlclude:

MoviesAnywhere Movies:

• 1917 4K: $14.20
• Don't Let Go 4K: $7.10
• Downton Abbey 4K: $7.10
• Harriet 4K: $10.64
• Parasite 4K: $10.64

NOT MoviesAnywhere (Will Only Play In FandangoNOW) Movies:

• Bombshell 4K: $10.64
• First Love HD: $9.22
• Gemini Man 4K: $10.64
• Knives Out 4K: $14.20
• Moonlight 4K: $5.64
• Uncut Gems 4K: $10.64

Don't forget to enter code LEAP29!

Thanks to Slickdeals for the original deal info!

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!