Co-writers Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs have pushed the boundaries of questionable behavior in this R-rated comedy that has been described as the bastard child of Bridesmaids and The Hangover.

Or in some circles as the first post-Hillary movie.

Scarlett Johansson stars as bride-to-be Jessica, a budding politician running for State Senate. Her posse includes over-the-top kindergarten teacher Alice (Jillian Bell), activist Frankie (Ilana Glazer), wealthy divorcee Blair (Zoë Kravitz), and Aussie flower child Pippa (Kate McKinnon).

The women meet in Miami for a weekend bachelorette party that has been meticulously organized—everything from baskets of “favors” to tequila shots to cocaine to a male stripper. Standard party girl fare until Alice accidentally kills the stripper and sets in motion a series of wacky scenes.

After quick deliberation—Jess can’t compromise her political career, Frankie can’t risk a third offense on her record, Blair can’t put her custody battle at risk—the women decide to dispose of the body instead of calling the police.

As the women plot and execute different disposal strategies, they must also deal with old rivalries and grudges that have festered for the past decade. To further complicate matters, aging neighborhood swingers (Demi Moore and Ty Burrell) hover and put the moves on Blair.

Frantic with worry, fiancé Peter (Paul W. Downs) decides to drive down to Miami, cranked on expired uppers and clad in adult diapers.

Definitely a manic pace but with great chemistry and not-so-subtle hints of dark humor.

It was definitely worth the wait—76 years to be exact.

Wonder Woman debuted in 1941 but didn’t get her own live-action film until 2017. Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot as the Amazonian warrior princess, the film has surpassed all industry expectations, delivering over $300 million worldwide in box office receipts during the opening weekend.

Having grown up watching Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, I wondered if Gadot could capture the essence of the demigoddess aka Diana Prince.

I needn’t have worried.

From powerful acrobatics to rescuing spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) to tearing into the battlefields of the First World War—Gadot’s Diana displays strength, determination, and compassion. And she looks the part with her tiara, warrior costume, god-killing sword, bullet-deflecting bracelets, and Lasso of Truth.

After rescuing Steve when he crashes off the idyllic island of Themyscira (home of the Amazons), Diana learns of the global war that has been raging for years. Convinced that the war is the evil work of the god Ares, Diana stands up to her mother (Connie Nielsen) and follows Steve to London.

Conversations about sexual practices and Diana’s visit to a London dress shop provide comedic relief as the pair makes their way to the Front. Steve’s SWAT team—a Scottish marksman (Ewen Bremmer), a con artist (Said Taghmaoui), an Indigenous tracker (Eugene Brave Rock)—and his secretary (Lucy Davis) add eccentric charm and more humor.

I was also impressed by Robin Wright’s portrayal of Diana’s aunt, General Antiope. Unfortunately, she only appears in a few scenes.

I highly recommend this impressive and empowering movie about a superhero who continues to inspire women of all ages. Gal Godot said it best in a recent interview: “Wonder Woman, most of all, she stands for love and accepting all people for who they are…If each of us had a little bit more of Wonder Woman, of these qualities, in us, we’d have a better world.”

The title of this biopic is a misnomer, one brilliantly crafted and promoted by Ray Kroc (played by Michael Keaton). Kroc was not the founder of McDonalds, the billion-dollar food empire that revolutionized free enterprise. That honor belongs to Mac and Dick McDonald (John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman), two brothers who were determined to keep their inexpensive fast-food restaurant a small, local operation in San Bernadino, California.

But the two brothers were no match for the ambitious, fast-talking, traveling salesman who saw the franchise potential of their innovative concept. At age 52, Ray Kroc needed and craved a get-rich-quick scheme that would end his days on the road and nights in seedy motels.

Slowly but steadily, Kroc manipulated and connived his way into the lives and finances of the McDonald brothers. I was fascinated–and often repelled–by Kroc’s relentless search for more effective branding and cost reduction strategies. Nothing was off limits from powdered milk shakes to frozen French fries to nefarious real estate deals. After driving Dick McDonald into a stress-induced diabetes attack, Kroc visited him at the hospital and offered to buy him out. In the end, the two brothers could not even use their own name in the original restaurant they founded.

Kroc’s ruthlessness extended into his personal life. I was shocked by how callously he asked his wife Ethel (Laura Dern) for a divorce and how determined he was not to share any of the McDonalds bounty with her.

A thought-provoking movie about an anti-hero, who lived and promoted his version of the American Dream: If you want something, go out and take it–even if it belongs to someone else.

Set in the late 1970s and early 1980s, “The Case for Christ” is the film version of Lee Strobel’s best-selling book about his transition from outspoken atheist to devout Christian.

Mike Vogel delivers an excellent performance as the award-winning journalist (Strobel), who prides himself on a facts-only approach to life. That approach is challenged when his wife Leslie (Erika Christensen) responds to the friendly overtures of Alfie (L. Scott Caldwell), the nurse who saved their daughter from choking. After visiting Alfie’s church, Leslie starts reading the Bible and attending more services.

Alarmed at his wife’s “cult” involvement, Lee launches an investigation into Christianity, determined to disprove one of the main tenets of the faith: the resurrection of Christ. He consults with historians, theologians, archaeologists and medical experts throughout the country, hoping to find evidence that will support his hypothesis. While engrossed in his theological research, Lee becomes careless and loses objectivity while reporting a police shooting incident.

Lee’s personal life also suffers. Conversations become heated, and tensions escalate as Leslie takes distance from Lee. While visiting an out-of-town expert, Lee misses the birth of his second child. When his estranged parents visit, Lee picks a fight with his father (Robert Forster), who appears wounded and frustrated as he leaves his son’s home.

I would have liked to have seen more of Faye Dunaway. She played a cameo role as a psychologist who provides the perfect quip to Lee’s argument that 500 eyewitnesses could have been delusional when they claimed to see Jesus after his death. She replied, “That would have been an even bigger miracle than the Resurrection.”

A thought-provoking movie that addresses the existence of God.

Working from real-life source material, director Garth Davis masterfully lays out the story of Saroo, a five-year-old Indian child who experienced the unimaginable when he was separated from his brother and ended up on a 1000-mile train ride that carried him from rural India to Calcutta.

In the first half of the film, Saroo (beautifully played by Sunny Pawar) wanders aimlessly through the streets of Calcutta, frantically searching for his brother while struggling to make himself understood and fleeing from unscrupulous adults. Fortunately, the trajectory of his life changes when he is adopted by a childless white couple (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham) and moves to Tasmania.

In the second half, Saroo (Dev Patel) appears as a charming, twenty-something man who appears to have adapted well to his privileged environment. But all that changes when he attends a party in Melbourne and recognizes a favorite food from his childhood. Encouraged by his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) and other friends, Saroo uses Google Earth to search for his birthplace. What follows is a lengthy and frustrating journey as Saroo deals with fragmented childhood memories and an ever-widening radius of possibilities.

As Saroo becomes more and more obsessed with his search, he encounters increasing friction in his relationships with his mother, girlfriend, and troubled adoptive brother (Divian Ladwa). I would have liked more scenes with these characters and flashbacks to his formative years in Melbourne.

It’s not surprising that Lion has been nominated for six Oscars–Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Music Score, Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography. Definitely a major contender and worth seeing.

7 Nominations → 7 Wins → Golden Globes Record!

While watching the Golden Globes Awards Ceremony, I got caught up in La La Land fever and knew I had to see this movie…to see if it merited all the hype.

I wasn’t disappointed.

From start to finish, the movie entertains and engages us. The music is simply delightful—not surprising that awards were given for Best Song and Best Musical Score—and the acting is superb—Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have extraordinary screen chemistry.

Set against the backdrop of modern-day Hollywood, this is an old-fashioned story of an aspiring actress who falls for a piano-playing jazz pianist. While much of the movie is grounded in reality, the musical numbers remind us of the razzle-dazzle days of old Hollywood. My favorites include the opening scene where people exit their cars and start dancing on a traffic-clogged freeway in Los Angeles and a later scene where the young lovers take a metaphorical flight up into the stairs of the Rialto Cinema.

I believe it’s impossible to watch this movie and not be uplifted by its inspiring message. Emma Stone said it best: “These have been really rough times. To have something so transporting that brings you joy and nostalgia and hope and heartbreak for two hours is really needed now.” (Interview–Closer Magazine)