The new movie “Boy Erased” that stars Russel Crowe, Nicole Kidman and rising star Lucas Hedges is about the practice of “Conversion Therapy” that is still being used today in most states. This therapy tries to change someone from being gay into being straight. The results of this therapy can be very harmful to whoever is forced to go through the program, and the story of Boy Erased is about the events that precede, follow and during the therapy of the main character Jared Eamons played by Hedges.

The solution to all of hatred and abuse of gay people for so many years in this world is to simply live and let live. Most simply, people minding their own business or having some level of tolerance towards the life choices of other people would alleviate so many problems that include violence against gay people. Only God can judge another person, other people should never judge who another person chooses to be. Trying to change someone into being what they are not, is absurd and barbaric and at they end of this movie, they announce that 700,000 people have been forced to go through Conversion Therapy and it is sill legal is 36 states.

This is s story that needed to be told and several of the scenes in this movie were hard to watch. The acting is outstanding throughout this film, and Lucas Hedges will probably receive an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Russel Crowe gained a great deal of weight for this role and you have to admire his dedication to a relatively small role and gaining what looked to be at least 30 pounds.

The Rotten Tomatoes ratings for Boy Erased are a high 85% and I agree with this rating and recommend this movie.

The best thing about the new movie “Instant Family” is that it is based on a true story. If this story were not true, it would not be believable enough and lack of believe-ability for this story would result in a lesser movie. A couple in their 40’s who collaborate to flip houses, decide that their lives are not fulfilling enough and after being inspired to adopt a foster child, wind up adopting 3 children, who were abandoned by their mother because of her drug addiction.

The instinct for any couple like this would be to want to save these 3 kids who have had a very difficult time surviving and being shipped around to different foster homes. What makes this movie good is that it shows the reality of taking on the huge responsibility of living with 3 emotionally damaged children. The couple, played by Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne volunteer to become foster parents for these 3 children, so that eventually they would be able to adopt them. This is not always easy considering the court systems in this country and the possibility of their mother wanting them back after she leaves prison and rehab. This very well written story points out the harsh realities of foster care and how dire the lives of so many children who have no family, and no real future because of parents who either abandoned them or died. There are so many children that need homes but not nearly enough parents to adopt them, but the huge responsibilities and cost of taking on foster children are overwhelming.

The cast of this film includes Tig Notaro, Octavia Spencer and the excellent stand-up comedian Iliza Shlesinger in what is her first movie role, playing a woman who wants to adopt a football player. This is a reference to the very good movie “The Blind Side” that was released in 2009 starring Sandra Bullock. This sub-story is played for laughs during the entire movie and for the most part works very well. The acting in this film is also very good, as is the message and the attempts at humor. The highlight of this movie is actress Isabela Moner who has both looks and acting ability that should give her a very long career in Hollywood. This movie has also reviewed very well receiving a very solid 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and I both agree with this rating and recommend this very solid family film.

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The new movie “Widows” is highly unusual for several reasons. The story is told in a very original way, filling in the blanks of the story in unexpected areas of the film. I have also rarely scene such a high number of named actors all in the same movie – including Colin Farrell, Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Michelle Rodriguez, Daniel Kaluuya, Lukas Haas and even Robert Duvall. There were several new ideas in movie making that I have not seen before, including once scene where a car was in motion and there was a conversation going on inside, and all that was shown was the darkened windshield of the car. New ideas are the cornerstone of a good movie, and Widows is a very high quality production. There is a good deal of violence in this movie and the message of this story is that when you get involved with crime and associate with very bad people, you are putting not only yourself but also your family in grave danger.

It all starts with a great screenplay and the screenplay for Widows was written by the director Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the screenplay for Gone Girl. This is one of the very rare times in movie history where two major celebrities have had the same name – Steve McQueen. Based on this new movie Widows and “12 Years a Slave”, released in 2013, McQueen is becoming known as highly respected director in Hollywood.

The Rotten Tomatoes ratings for Widows is an extremely high 91% and based on the complex and well told story and great cast, I agree with this rating. I highly recommend Widows.