Q-Tips Reviews

Ride like a GIRL – As a little girl, Michelle Payne (Teresa Palmer) dreams of the impossible: winning the Melbourne Cup – horse-racing’s toughest two-mile race. The youngest of 10 children, Michelle is raised by single father Paddy (Sam Neill). She leaves school at 15 to become a jockey and after early failures she finds her feet, but a family tragedy, followed by her own near fatal horse fall all but ends the dream. But with the love of her dad and her brother Stevie, Michelle will not give up. Against all the medical advice, and the protests of her siblings, she rides on, and meets the Prince of Penzance. Together they overcome impossible odds for a shot at the dream: a ride in the 2015 Melbourne Cup, at odds of 100 to 1. The rest is history. Ride Like A Girl is the incredible true story of Michelle Payne.

Q-tips say: Yes, see it. Great feel good movie.  Yes, the road might be difficult at times but she overcomes it all.

The Hustlers –  Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.

Q-tips say: The strippers turn the tables on their clients? Really? What they do is to end up drugging them, robbing them by using the credit cards of the clients – sometimes to the max & then go out and spend, spend, and live the high life.  Many famous names & bodies.

Mrs. Q says:  There are plenty of pole dances, bump & grinding and way too much skin but probably less than what sometimes we see nowadays. The second part of the movie is better but that does not mean you should watch this movie. Did they get caught? Yes. But the sentence of approx. “a slap on the hand.”  One might see what these women did as anything other than petty crime(?) while still being sympathetic to their economic situations- REALLY?????—-I think NOT.

Ladies, Stop feeling sorry for yourself  about your economic situation & past — ———-GET A REAL JOB and don’t rob the stupid wall street clients who feel they need/or want to spend their hard earned money on this type of venue.

RED JOAN – In a picturesque village in England, Joan Stanley (Academy Award (R) winner Dame Judi Dench), lives in contented retirement. Then suddenly her tranquil existence is shattered as she’s shockingly arrested by MI5. For Joan has been hiding an incredible past; she is one of the most influential spies in living history… Cambridge University in the 1930s, and the young Joan (Sophie Cookson), a demure physics student, falls intensely in love with a seductively attractive Russian saboteur, Leo. Through him, she begins to see that the world is on a knife-edge and perhaps must be saved from itself in the race to military supremacy. Post-war and now working at a top secret nuclear research facility, Joan is confronted with the impossible: Would you betray your country and your loved ones, if it meant saving them? What price would you pay for peace? Inspired by an extraordinary true story, Red Joan is an emotional discovery of one woman’s sacrifice in the face of incredible circumstances. A woman to whom we perhaps all owe our freedom.

Q-tips say: We liked it. Probably not for everyone but we did find it interesting.

Inspired by true events, BAD EDUCATION follows Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney) who reign over a popular Long Island school district on the verge of the nation’s top spot, spurring record college admissions and soaring property values. But when an embezzlement scheme surfaces that threatens to destroy all they’ve built, Frank is forced to maintain order and secrecy — by whatever means necessary.

Q-tips say: Yes, see it. Mrs. Q says:  I think it should be titled: BAD ADMINISTRATORS/BAD TEACHERS. A  drama about how just a little bit of power can do a whole lot of wrong.  A movie dramatizing bad behavior in school administrative offices can make for a good movie, especially performances from Jackman and Janney. See it.

FINDING GRACE  –  After losing her mom as a young girl, eighteen year old Alaska Rose finds herself in front of a judge in adult court for some out-of-control behavior. In lieu of a jail sentence, Alaska is ordered to do community service in an assisted living facility where she is assigned to Mrs. Foster, an elderly resident who is unapproachable at best and hostile at her worst. As Alaska tries to minimally fulfill her court obligation and dodge actual jail time, she deals with peer pressure, static from her family, outside influences and demons from her past. Endeavoring to navigate the tumult, she is forced to choose between re-discovering a relationship with God and her family or remaining caught in the cycle of bad choices, losing what little of either is left.

Q-tips say:  Yes, we enjoyed this movie. See it. A nice change from killing/violence, etc.

The Invisible Man –  Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer, NBC’s The In Between), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid, HBO’s Euphoria). But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

Q-tips say:  Liked it.  A interesting take on the Invisible Man concept. A bit slow and predictable at times, but some nice effects. Have to like Moss, an excellent actress.

TURN OVER – When café owner Peter, leaves his disgruntled manager Henry, to take care of business, Henry instead hires a crew of misfits, including his replacement. Peter returns to an unrecognizable business but soon learns the value of camaraderie and bonds with the new team. Only through their help is he able to save his business, his life, and find love.

Q-tips say:  We did enjoy the movie.  Mrs. Q says:  Turnover is a story about accepting others for who they are and not trying to mold them into someone else. This theme runs through the relationship of Peter and his new “misfit” employees, between he and his wife,  and also between he and his manager.

The Battle of MIDWAY – The historical documentary Battle of Midway travels back to 1942 to investigate the reasons for the United States’ ill-prepared entrance into the Pacific front of World War II. It explores how and why the United States became victors in The Battle of Midway, a naval endeavor that somehow, despite the U.S. possessing a fraction of the artillery, gunships, fighter planes and naval carriers that the Japanese carroed, and despite scores of inexperienced pilots, enabled the United States to turn the tide against Japan. A combination of interviews with veterans and rare and precious archival footage establish the historical backdrop of this event, while computer-generated animated maps trace the location, strategies, and progress of the battle itself.

Q-tips say: We did enjoy The Battle of Midway just before Memorial Day.

WAVES –  Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family–led by a well-intention ed but domineering father–as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. From acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults, Waves is a heartrending story about the universal capacity for compassion and growth even in the darkest of times.

Q-tips say: We did like it.  Mrs. Q says: If you are a parent, it is heartbreaking – if you are a young adult it can be terrifying. But as filmmaking goes, it feels vital.

Extra Ordinary –  Rose, a sweet, small town driving instructor, is gifted with supernatural abilities, “The Talents”, which mean she can talk to the spirit world. Rose has a love hate relationship with her abilities, after seeing what they did to her Dad, Vincent, and tries to ignore the constant small-time spiritual requests from locals — haunted rubbish bins, tractors, children’s bikes, frying pans etc, etc. Yet when her help is requested by Sarah, a teenager whose father, Martin, is being haunted by his deceased nagging wife, she is very tempted… Martin seems like a very nice man! Meanwhile, in a large castle outside town, Christian Winter, a washed up rockstar, has a sinister plan to sell his soul for renewed success. He needs to sacrifice a virgin and puts a spell on Sarah, leaving her in a levitating catatonic state. Martin, bewildered, asks Rose to help him save his daughter. Martin and Rose set about trying to break the spell which requires the speedy exorcism of many ghosts before the spell is complete and Sarah will be dragged into hell. Despite the weird situations they find themselves in — haunted traffic lights; possessed electric eggbeaters — they find out they work really well together. There’s also a building sense of attraction between the two of them, but neither have the confidence to act on it. Christian, aware of their plan to thwart him, finds a way to block Rose’s talents. Rose and Martin must now work together to save the girl, stop a hell hole opening, thwart Christian’s evil plan, deliver a baby, save a dying magpie, get rid of Martin’s ex-wife so maybe they can fall in love a bit before the whole world collapses before their very eyes….

Q-tips say: We did enjoy it.  Different  – but in a good sense.  Not for children.