Category: Series 27 – Focus On – Viola Davis

Alas, we have come to the end of our “Focus On – Viola Davis” series; farewell, Ms. Davis and thank you for making us laugh at love . . . again. Well, maybe not so much laugh as stare open-mouthed at your ability. And lest you think that Viola Davis only appears in gritty, serious, deeply moving films, this week’s entry proves that she really, really doesn’t. Directed by James Gunn, 2021’s “The Suicide Squad” is both a sequel and a sorta-kinda-maybe reboot of the 2016 original comic book movie, based on a concept that stretches back to 1959 but didn’t really come into its own until writer John Ostrander revived it and made it his own in the late 80’s. The comic deals with a black ops team made up of second- (often third- or fourth-) string super villains who are offered a reduced sentence in exchange for doing insanely dangerous, dare I say, “suicidal”, missions for The Government.  Viola Davis plays the cold-hearted end-justifies-ANY-means head of the team Amanda “The Wall” Waller and she clearly demonstrates that she doesn’t need to plant a micro-explosive in someone’s head to get them to do what she wants. So, does this version surpass the rather messy, studio-meddled-with 2016 version? Do we end up rooting for the bad guys? Are we just happy that Viola Davis is part of a big-budget franchise (spoiler alert: we are!) Join us and find out!

Poll question: what’s your favorite cinematic car chase sequence?

George Floyd Memorial Fund:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/

Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Southern Poverty Law Center: https://donate.splcenter.org/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Widows. A tragic word. There are so many kinds of widows. Black widows. Grass widows. Golf widows. But this week we’re interested only in movies called “Widows” starring Viola Davis. Yes, we are nothing if not highly specific here at Max, Mike; Movies as we continue with our highly specific series “Focus On – Viola Davis.” And this week, highly specifically, we’ve got Ms. Davis in an actual lead role (‘bout bloody time)! With no wig, no body suit, just all Davis, all the time and that’s what we crave. Be warned: this is a heist movie (in part) but it’s no light-hearted quip-heavy “Ocean’s 11” sort of thing. It’s tough, unflinching, and gritty . . . just like Mike and me. We’ve seen it all and we’ve got nothing but lumps of old iron where our hearts ought to be and BAAAASSSHH! WHY? WHY DID BASH HAVE TO {collapses sobbing}. ‘scuse me, I need a weighted blanket and an emotional support possum . . .

Poll question: is there a movie that’s ever made you want to get INTO show business, whether it be acting, directing or some other aspect?

George Floyd Memorial Fund:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/

Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Southern Poverty Law Center: https://donate.splcenter.org/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

We’ve got the blues here at Max, Mike; Movies. Not because of our series “Focus On: Viola Davis,” because Ms. Davis could never give us the blues. No, we’ve got that movie-podcasting blues, the kind where you’ve got the blues so bad, you just want to find the most annoying pony you can find and shave your initials in his hair a foot high, that’s the kind of blues we’ve got. Those Bumpy Shavin’ Blues . . . but this week we’re checking out a movie about a REAL blues singer, as seen through a film adapted from an August Wilson play starring Ms. Davis and Chadwick Boseman. August Wilson . . . well, it’s not like a movie about the blues could be depressing or unhappy, right? I mean, that’s just silly talk . . . join and and see just how silly!

Poll question: if you could project yourself to live in the actual world of one movie, what would it be and what would your place in it be? Would you want to be an elf in Elrond’s hall or work in Rick’s Café American? You’d have to be your own character, not take the place of an existing one!

George Floyd Memorial Fund:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/

Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019 Southern Poverty Law Center: https://donate.splcenter.org/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Well, we’ve been focusing on specific actors for the last couple of series . . . so we’re going to do it again! It’s so predictable, they’ll never expect it! This time we’re focusing on the multiple Oscar-nominated performer Viola Davis (who is NOT, I just found out, the inventor of the stringed instrument of the same name. I thought I’d better mention that as there’s no way I’m the only person who thought that, no matter what Mike keeps screaming at me). Ms. Davis is a remarkable actor with range, subtlety and class . . . which gives her nothing at all in common with Mike and me but we’re going to talk about her anyway. We’re starting off with a film that garnered her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, Tate Taylor’s “The Help,” based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett. This movie has an amazing cast. Yup, great cast, and not just Viola Davis. Very nice pacing, too. The story? Um . . . did I mention how great the cast is? This movie is . . . difficult. What do I mean by that? Well, what do I EVER mean? Give a listen and find out in this instance.

Poll question: was there ever a film that you left at the end feeling angry and what about it made you angry?

George Floyd Memorial Fund:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/

Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Southern Poverty Law Center: https://donate.splcenter.org/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS