Red Tails (2012)

World War II – Italy 1944.

Due to overwhelming pressure from Civil Rights Organizations and the black press concerning blacks barred from flying in the military, the US Army Air Corps had for the first time in American War history added an African-American aircraft combat and pursuit squadron to their military forces in Europe. This squadron was a military experiment aimed to stifle and appease protest in the United States: the Air Corps selected and trained a group of all-black soldiers compiled of instructors, maintenance and support staff, navigators and all other personnel needed to keep combat planes in the air, including pilots. These black soldiers were known as the Tuskegee Airmen, they were never actually intended to be a part of any true combat operation therefore were merely supplied with old cast-off aircraft and equipment and only allowed to fly basic clean-up missions many miles far behind enemy lines.

As the war rages on, top military officials in Washington are planning to terminate the Tuskegee experiment due to negative media leaks. Colonel Bullard (Terrence Howard) goes to the Pentagon to defend the Tuskegee Airmen by announcing their valuable potential if given the opportunity of actual combat missions. Within days back at the airbase in Italy, Major Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr.) receives and shares new Frag-Orders with the squadron’s flight leaders; they have been given a combat mission to provide air coverage for a full assault marine beach landing.

Later back at the Pentagon, Lieutenant General Luntz (Gerald McRaney) is very impressed with the action report upon confirmation of the Airmen’s successful mission. He summons Colonel Bullard to discuss the heavy casualty losses his bombers are suffering under their current air support, Bullard assures him that with new planes and a new flight method the Tuskegee Airmen will reduce the bomber losses and help the Air Corps fulfill their target missions. Soon after, Colonel Bullard returns to the airbase in Italy, he instructs his pilots on a new strategy and informs them of the brand new fighter planes they will soon be flying in their new combat missions to provide air support coverage to various bomber fleets. Their planes will all bear the same red painted tail markings to make it easier for their escorts to identify them in the air. And so through the remainder of the war, as proud Red Tails, the Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation, prejudice, and personnel loss as they became one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. 

This is an excellent movie that stands as a perfect example of true human value and the pursuit of equality for all.  

Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Mankind has finally discovered that they have been sharing this world and coexisting beside two separate non-human species, Vampires and Lycans. This revelation comes in the wake of a new virus that ravages the human genetic code; it gives the infected immortality and causes them to morph into monstrous creatures incapable of controlling their own actions. Although governmental studies have yet to yield a cure they have at least confirmed a fatal sensitivity to ultra-violet light and silver. And so, with the development of new methods and weapons they have deployed a mass cleansing of society to identify and exterminate the non-humans.

Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is a notorious vampire who for many centuries had emerged victoriously from battles against the Lycan clan, she had been forever revered until she met and fell in love with a hybrid named Michael. Their union enraged her elders and she was condemned by her clan when she refused to kill him. Together the two have fought to protect each other from all species ever since, and now with this new purging they have decided to seek safety somewhere faraway from humans and their own kind. However the humans have sabotaged their escape and surrendered their remains as the governmental property of Antigen Laboratory so Dr. Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea) can continue his research in trying to develop an antidote for the disease that still threatens the human race.

Twelve years later Selene suddenly awakens from a suspended cryogenic sleep, she escapes the laboratory and is chasing the visions she believes are coming from Michael. These visions lead her into tunnels underground where the Lycans have been hiding, and then she meets David (Theo James) he’s another vampire who helps her to rescue a young girl Eve (India Eisley); Eve calls herself “subject #2” and tells Selene that she is “subject #1”.

Elsewhere aboveground, Detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy) has been investigating a string of strange recent events that have led him to Dr. Lane who denies allegations of a test subject’s escape and has deceivingly assured him that “all is fine and well” at the laboratory. Later, all h3ll brakes out after Selene learns that Eve is actually her and Michael’s daughter; Eve is unaware of her potential powers so Selene must risk everything to protect her. The humans and vampires both want Eve dead while the Lycans want to use her body to protect them against silver.  

21 Jump Street (2012)

Seven years after high school, two misfits get together when they each join the same police academy; Jenko (Channing Tatum) is still a jock; he has physique, but he lacks brains and common-sense. Schmidt (Jonah Hill) is still a nerd; he has book-smarts, but he lacks coordination and common-sense. They become friends as they decide to help each other through training and upon graduation they become partners as well. Their first assignment is Bike Patrol in a local park; but they muck up their first arrest on a group of pot smoking bikers by failing to properly Mirandize the perp. (Jenko doesn’t even know how to recite the Miranda-Rights.) But that’s okay, Chief Hardy explains that the department is reviving an old canceled program and one of the projects involves the use of young immature seeming officers and “You idiots are perfect. You’re officially transferred.”

Our two cops are then sent to a church on 21 Jump Street where they will report to Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) and receive their new assignment. During the initial briefing Dickson calls his new squad “some Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus lookin motherF’ers”, he’s teaching them to “embrace their stereotypes”; the unit will be working undercover as high school students and he orders them to “Teenage the F#&K-up!” and then he explains the restrictions leading up to the “GOLDEN RULE”, Do Not Get Expelled from school! HA!

There’s a new synthetic drug that kids call “HFS”; Dickson explains that right now HFS is confined to one high school, and then he shows an internet video of a student that overdosed on the shyt a few days ago, now the kid is dead. Jenko and Schmidt’s job will be to infiltrate the dealers and find the supplier so they can eradicate this drug before it reaches the general public and contaminates other schools. As undercover students our cops will also pretend to be brothers, Dickson has cleverly created their new identities and enrolled them both in courses based on their original past academic history. Nevertheless, they manage to get confused on the first day of school, so now Jenko becomes the nerd and Schmidt is the jock. Together they have a lot of fun violating many restrictions through their investigation as they try to fit in with these kids to get closer to their targets, but everything goes awry after Schmidt gets carried away with being popular and Jenko gets caught up trying to prove he’s not stupid. They wind up braking the Golden Rule which gets them fired off the squad, but they have infiltrated the dealer AND their case is just about to come to a head. And since they already missed out on Prom Night seven years ago, and they already screwed up their first arrest in the park; they plan on going to prom to meet the supplier and carry out their big drug bust.

This is a hilarious action comedy that has definitely earned its ‘R’ rating!