MOVIE PREVIEWS
THE TWO POPES
Rated: PG-13
Release Date: 12/20/2019
Production Company: Netflix

Cast:
Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce.

Crew:
Director: Fernando Meirelles. Producers: Jonathan Eirich, Marcelo La Torre, Dan Lin, James Joseph McDonald, Tracey Seaward and Enzo Sisti. Executive Producer: Mark Bauch. Screenwriter: Anthony McCarten. Cinematography: Cesar Charlone.
Plot:
By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs

Netflix?s new movie ?The Two Popes? might sound like a real yawner, but it?s not. This is one movie you don?t want to sleep on.

Directed by Fernando Meirelles (?City of God? and TV?s "City of Men"), ?The Two Popes? is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins, TV?s ?Westworld?) and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio/Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce, ?The Man Who Killed Don Quixote?). The movie focuses on when Benedict chose Bergoglio to succeed him after he relinquished the throne in 2013.

Both men are opposite in their staunch religious beliefs. They are tested through various circumstances and forge an unlikely and heartwarming friendship.

From the start you see that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio/Pope Francis (Pryce) isn?t your average pope. He?s a fan of ABBA, The Beatles, loves to dance and is an avid soccer fan. Of course, this is shocking to the conservative traditionalist Pope Benedict (Hopkins) who is at a crossroads when the Catholic Church is confronted with sex abuse scandals and the push for gay rights. Both men must somehow find common ground for the Catholic Church to move forward.

Screenwriter Anthony McCarten (?Bohemian Rhapsody,? ?Darkest Hour?) adds warmth, compassion and humor to this dramatic story which also details Pope Francis? darkest moment when accusations arose from his fellow clergymen that he didn?t react and protect the Argentinian people during a military junta.

At times ?The Two Popes? plays like a clever buddy dramedy. It?s enlightening, informative funny and inspiring.

Hopkins and Pryce?s performances are simply divine and make ?The Two Popes? one of the best films of the year.

?The Two Popes? arrived in select theaters in November and will stream via Netflix on Dec. 20.


Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 1530 AM and 93.1 FM.

Check Out This Trailer For "THE TWO POPES"

Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics? Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.

OLD SCHOOL VIDEO PICK OF THE MONTH

<b>MAHOGANY</b> Title: MAHOGANY
Year Released: 1975
Running Time: 109
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Director: Berry Gordy, Tony Richardson and Jack Wormser
Director of Photography: David Watkin
Screenwriter: John Byrum and Toni Amber
Author: Lana K. Wilson-Combs

REVIEW: DIANA ROSS AND BILLY DEE WILLIAMS DAZZLE IN "MAHOGANY"

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to?
Do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for? When you look behind you, there's no open doors. What are you hoping for? Do you know? "Theme from Mahogany...
  MOVIE TRIVIA
 
The "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" was sung by Diana Ross in the 1975 movie "Mahogany." But, who initially recorded the song in 1973?
"Roberta Flack"
"Natalie Cole"
"Deniece Williams"
"Thelma Houston"