Month: March 2021

‘Coming 2 America’ is a more of a nostalgic celebration than a winning comedy

Jeff Mitchell

“Coming 2 America” – It’s been 33 years since we last saw Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his best friend Semmi (Arsenio Hall) travel from The Kingdom of Zamunda to Queens, NY.  Why Queens?  By name alone, it must be the locale where Akeem can find a worthy match for a royal wedding, right? “Coming to America” arrived in theatres in June 1988, and Murphy and Hall’s buddy flick quickly became one of the most memorable comedies of the decade, at least to me, a Gen Xer, who was on…

The narrow, orderly focus trips up ‘Chaos Walking’

Jeff Mitchell

Tom Holland is rightfully enjoying massive success in the movie biz these days. Hear!  Hear! Holland, 24, easily fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-man, but he’s not just a red-and-blue superhero.  He’s starred in other big-studio films, like “In the Heart of the Sea” (2015), “The Lost City of Z” (2016), “Onward” (2020), and “The Devil All the Time” (2020). His characters handle themselves just fine when saving humanity or diving into a one-on-one scrap, and his friendly bravado translates into real-life. Holland is a certified star, but no…

Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina make a delightful and dynamic duo in ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

Jeff Mitchell

“Raya and the Last Dragon” – “At its core, it’s an action movie.” – screenwriter Qui Nguyen, March 2, 2021 “Note to self, don’t die.” – Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) And how…and please don’t! In Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon”, Raya (Tran) – an early-20-something – and her trusty companion Tuk Tuk – a 10-foot long, pill bug/armadillo-like, four-legged friend, who best resembles an organic Fiat 500 – carry us on a dazzling animated journey.  Their quest is to search for the last remaining dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), and find…