Charlie’s Angels (2019) Review

A beloved IP that lasts multiple generations has a certain something that keeps appealing to audiences. It also has the ability to adapt to the times.

The 2019 version is the second big-screen reboot of the 1970’s television series, Charlie’s Angels. The previous revival hit theaters in 2000. The Angels in this movie are Kristen Stewart (Sabina), Naomi Scott (Elena), and Ella Balinksa (Jane). When Bosley (Sir Patrick Stewart) decides that it is time to retire, his role is taken over by another Bosley (Elizabeth Banks, who also directed the film). The action starts when Elena, who works as a systems engineer, reveals that the technology her company is about to release has the potential to be used for less than honorable motives. Changing careers, Elena becomes part of the team and fights to save the world.

I tried to watch it, but I could only get through the first hour. The best way to describe it is that it has “potential”. This means that it is not good. On the surface, this movie has the hallmarks of both of its predecessors. But whatever “it” is that made both the television program and the 2000 adaptation successful, that certain something is either lacking or non-existent.

Do I recommend it? Not really.

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The Little Girl Singing “Let It Go” in Ukraine Gives Me Hope

It is easy to go down a dark rabbit hole when war is knocking at your door.

The war in Ukraine has been going on for more than two weeks. The images of death, destruction, and millions of refugees leaving the country are enough to make one believe that the future is bleak.

Then hope arrived in the most unlikely of ways.

Earlier this week, a video was released of a young girl in an air raid shelter singing “Let It Go” from the Disney movie Frozen.

Her innocence is the light in the darkness that we all need right now. There is obviously no way to know when this war will end. But even with all of the heaviness, there is something to fight for and someone who believes in the possibilities that the future holds.

Flashback Friday: Men in Black II (2002)

When a writer sits down to create a fictional world and decides to mix genres that seem to be opposite from one another, it requires a certain amount of skill. While being true to each category, there also has to be a way for them to co-mingle successfully.

Men in Black II (2002) is the sequel to Men in Black (1997). Its been four years since Kay (Will Smith) and Jay (Tommy Lee Jones) have been in the same room. Jay has since retired from the job and has erased his memories of his previous work experience. When Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) and her henchman Scrad (Johnny Knoxville) sets her sights on Earth and MiB, Jay has two seemingly impossible tasks on his hand. He has to save the world (again) and somehow remind Kay of his past.

I remember liking this film. It has the charm and the comic sensibilities of its predecessor while building on the previous narrative. The only issue that I have is that the two female characters are built on stereotypes. Serleena is a temptress whose main weapon is her sexuality. Laura Vasquez (Rosario Dawson) is the princess/love interest who has to be rescued. Unfortunately, this is not the first, nor is this the last story in which women are not just limited in number, but forced into boxes while the men are given wings to figuratively fly.

Do I recommend it? Yes.