Bohemian Rhapsody

Ever heard of this band called Queen?  Apparently they had a few hits in the 70's and 80's?  Well the movie is about some flamboyant dude who thinks he is straight, then bi, then full on gay with a capital G!  His band gives him a shot before they get big and before you know it they are performing in front of thousands.  I guess its what they call rock and roll?  Okay, seriously if you haven't seen this movie yet, get to the theater now!  This was one of the greatest rock biopics ever made with incredible and outstanding acting done by all!  Rami Malik brings the amazing Freddie Mercury back to life and should win an Oscar for his performance.  The story of how Queen broke barriers with not only their music but the portrayal of a lead singers sexuality and presentation was spot on.  The back story of the music and who the band was always evolving and seemed to hit on all popular accounts, even if being long before its time.  There were a few faults in the film such as needing a little more backstory of the band itself, and the struggles to become famous but otherwise very well directed.  I left wanting more and feeling overwhelmed with emotion of how awesome everything I just saw was.  The grand finale is "Live Aid" which I remember watching as a kid and a better ending to the film couldn't have been written.

FYI:  Sacha Baron Cohen was almost the part of Freddie!

*****

Papillon

I would say 99% of the time after seeing a remake the first remark is that is isn't as good as the original.  Very few exceptions in my book and unfortunately this one also falls into that category.  Now don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and was extremely happy with the films outcome.  Outstanding performances by all actors with big shoes to fill (Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman), but they held their own.  Another "true story" of a French thief who is framed for murder and sent to what many may call the worst hell of a prison.  He creates an unusual friendship with the runt of the litter in order to gain his money for an escape.  There you have it, a prison break movie, we all love those, right?  I do, and they all have their own similarities with a bit of a twist to each story.  The way this film portrays the actors mind diving into madness and the atmosphere is done with excellence.  The prisoners are authentic creations of who you would think of when imagining a foreign prison.  A great story and will worth the watch.  I would suggest watching the original as well to give yourself a reference of where this all comes from.

FYI:  Papillon means Butterfly-His nickname due to the butterfly tattoo on his chest for thief's.

****

The Outlaw King

Brave WHO?  Step aside Gibson, Captn. Kirk is here as the new king with a greasy mullet to scare off the English!  Oh, you don't know this story?  Nobody does, until now so thank you Netflix!  So you have your basic Scottish outlaw group who is tired of the tyranny from the English king and his army.  So they form a much smaller band of psychopaths and one by one try to take down the English!  This "true" story takes place just after William Wallace has been killed.  Trying to maintain peace throughout the boarder lands, Robert Bruce is titles "King of Scotts" where he is sent away to piddle around on an inadequate piece of land.  Well the fiesty little band of Scotts decide to play dirty and take out each castle until the big battle with the newly appointed king.  Of course he is a weasel and brings on a huge army for the final battle.  The grand finale of a battle was outstanding!  The Battle was certainly Big Screen worthy and the blood was really cool.  Overall I really liked this movie and thought it was very well made with great acting.  There was a bit of "Made for TV" feel to it at times but definitely worth the watch.  Check it out on Netflix now!

FYI:  2 scenes were filmed in the town that Robert the Bruce lived.

***1/2