In the early 1960s, Bumpy returns from Alcatraz to find the neighbourhood he once ruled in a shambles. With the streets controlled by Vincent ‘Chin’ Gigante (Emmy nominee Vincent D’Onofrio from Daredevil and Jurassic World) and the Italian mob, Bumpy takes on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an unlikely alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X (Nigél Thatch, reprising his role from Selma), who wants to get heroin off the streets of Harlem. Godfather of Harlem is the remarkable true story of how the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement collided during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

In case it couldn’t get better, it turns out it does…the series is from the creators of Narcos (one of our all time faves) with John Ridley (12 Years A Slave, American Crime) directing. Furthermore, Godfather of Harlem’s official soundtrack was curated by Swiss Beatz and described as “the television soundtrack of the year,” according to The Los Angeles Times. Currently fresh at a 96% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes you would really be missing a trick if you didn’t watch this one. If you are a serious TV and/or movie person then you would know how much of a big deal this is and why it’s already fantastic TV way before even watching. 

You can stream Godfather of Harlem on Showmax here or watch it on 1Magic (channel 103) every Tuesday at 9:30pm. 

By far one of our favorite TV shows to have ever come out in recent years, season 3 looks to have more than upped the ante and packs even more of a punch. It picks up from where season 1 left off with Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) being released from prison leaving Murdock having to decide between hiding from the world or embracing his life as a hero vigilante. We are definitely binge watching this one as soon as it officially lands on our Netflix screens on 19 October 2018.

Never mind the script itself, the question of who to cast was one decision that could either make or break the whole thing. Despite this though, who decided to put their hand up and do it anyway? A certain Antoine Fuqua that’s who. By now you are probably asking yourself, did it work out and was the decision to have a remake of the classic a good one? Let’s find out.

The premise of the movie is set in the 1870s shortly after the Civil War, as the town Rose Creek is put under the siege of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue. In light of this the residents enlist the help of seven outlaws, a bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Washington), a gambler Josh Faraday (Pratt), a sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Hawke), a tracker Jack Horne (D’Onofrio), an assassin Billy Rocks (Lee), a Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Garcia-Rulfo), and a Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Sarsgaard), to protect them while they prepare for the anticipated violent confrontation. However, upon meeting the town’s residents, the Seven find themselves fighting for much more than money.

The above tells you all you need to know about it, and honestly, the simplistic nature of the plot more than works and Fuqua was spot on. Judging from what I’ve seen before, it’s easy to mess about and try to include a modern twist and be over-elaborate, this is not the case in this instance. And what of the cast? After all I did make mention in the beginning that this would be one of the most crucial elements of the whole project.

At first glance looking at the cast on paper you would automatically figure that there might be something to it with no way could the movie disappoint. You would be correct in that assumption. In Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, the movie boasts two of the most bankable actors who are hot property in the business. When you include the rest of the cast, that also include the brilliant Ethan Hawke and Vincent D’Onofrio, you would have to say that this was very well thought out. There’s a perfect mix of wittiness, charm, seriousness and solidity throughout the whole ensemble.

Cast – Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard

Genre – Autobiography, Drama

Director – Antoine Fuqua

Running Time – 133 minutes

Without spoiling it too much, all I will say is The Magnificent Seven is a great remake. It also doesn’t matter if you have some recollection of it based on the original movies that came before, the plot is pretty easy to follow and both old and new will enjoy it, I know both myself and the old timer did! An old Western (something we need to see more of by the way) that you can’t help and enjoy.

Befitting of a solid and magnificent 3.5 rating from me.

Genre – Autobiography, Drama

Director – Jeff Zimbalist & Michael Zimbalist

Running Time – 107 minutes

I was, once again, fortunate to be able to see the new Pele movie a day before its launch in cinemas today, thanks to the Ster Kinekor folks. Watching it in what is one of the best ways complete with good food and very comfy seats, Prestige is a great way to watch any movie I’m convinced. An avid and mad soccer fan for as long as I could make sense of anything, I was always intrigued by this flick ever since I saw the trailer. It being based on what is one of the greats in the game is the cherry on top. Anyway, enough of that, let’s get to the good stuff.

The premise

Pelé. Even if you are not a soccer fan, you probably have heard the name before and are familiar with who it’s associated with. A true sports legend who changed soccer forever, Pele is a national hero who carried the hopes and dreams of a country on his back. But before he was an icon, he was a kid from the slums of São Paulo, Brazil, so poor that he couldn’t afford a real soccer ball. Charting his meteoric rise from scrubbing floors to support his family to honing his electrifying playing style on the streets to leading Brazil’s national team to its first World Cup victory at the age of 17, Pelé vividly brings to life the greatest sports story of the 20th century. If that’s not enough to capture your imagination, then I don’t know what is.

What we liked

The movie is a tribute to a man who changed the beautiful game and in that sense is a great concept which probably should have been done a long time ago, better late than never. It doesn’t require you to be a soccer fan specifically and the scenery is also pretty cool. The movie shows the power of sports and what it can do to change one’s life forever, a story which many top athletes today can relate to I’m sure.

What we didn’t like

With all that said, I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed by the movie. I felt like the storytelling could have been better and the sequence of the movie was a bit rushed with everything being squeezed together in under two hours or so. I would have preferred they made it longer to tell the story of the great man better. Also heading into it I was expecting something different especially on the back of what was being said prior, but I guess I have no one to blame except myself for that.

The movie Pele gets a 2.5 out of 5 rating from me. It’s good enough for you to go and see but not a must see. Despite the criticism above though I found myself learning some great facts and more about the great man off the field. A decent attempt by the Zimbalist brothers, it just fell a little short for me.