I, Tonya (2017)

Who would have thought they could make a movie sympathetic to Tonya Harding? She had a rough life. The odds were stacked against her. The world of ice skating was against her. The country, the world was against her. The movie tells her side of the story mockumentary-style. It features talking head interviews. This tragic story is actually quite funny. It's so ridiculous that it's funny. Maybe it wasn't her fault after all.

Spy (2015)

Melissa McCarthy is in fine form in her latest film after a string of subpar films. Her performance reminds us why she is an Emmy winner and Oscar nominee.  She is self deprecating and fully adept at physical comedy.  A spoof on the classic 007-type spy movies, Spy is raucously funny. The audience is constantly reminded that McCarthy does not look like your stereotypical secret agent, and in actuality that is to her benefit as an undercover spy.  McCarthy's performance is only one in a movie full of excellent performances.  Jason Statham turns up his intensity factor to play a satirical version of himself.  British comedian Miranda Hart is hilarious as is Rose Byrne, who puts on a pretentious British accent to play a villain. This is a solid, worthwhile comedy.

Get On Up (2014)

The James Brown biopic is helmed by Chadwick Boseman who plays the Godfather of Soul convincingly.  He nails the huge ego and personality, the at-times-unintelligible speech, the dance moves, and the unforgettable singing voice.  However, a good performance can only carry the movie so far.  There is a lot of unnecessary time jumping and I think it would have been more appropriate for such a biopic to go through his life chronologically, to simply follow time linearly.  The movie is mostly about Brown's ego and how it affected his personal relationships.  I think we had enough of that; instead we were shorted on music in a movie about one of the greatest musicians of all time.        

Tammy (2014)

Tammy is Melissa McCarthy's latest reincarnation of the same old character she always plays.  She typecast herself in a role that does not really let her talents shine.  She is a very funny comedian but I fear that in the future she will continue to be typecast.  The character is great in Bridesmaids,  but I think the audience has tired of it.  Susan Sarandon makes for a great crazy grandmother character.   The dynamic between her and McCarthy,  however, does not work nearly as well as with McCarthy and Sandra Bullock in The Heat.   Sarandon really gives it her all given subpar script.  It is amazing how many big names this script attracted and really goes to show the power and popularity of McCarthy.