POMS Brings on the Cheer

Jeri Jacquin

Now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from writer/director Zara Hayes and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment are ladies that are ready to shake their POMS.

Martha (Diane Keaton) is down-sizing and simplifying her life by packing up and moving to a retirement community. Hoping to find peace and quiet, instead she discovers anything but. Neighbor Sheryl (Jacki Weaver) is running illegal poker parties out of her house and breaking more rules by having grandson Ben (Charlie Tahan) staying.

After a check in visit, Sheryl tries to motivate Martha to do anything to get her out of the house. Martha decides she can go one better and do what she missed in her younger years – become a cheerleader. The problem is getting past a very controlling Vicki (Celia Weston) who doesn’t like being challenged.

Martha finds other members with Alice (Rhea Perlman), Helen (Phyllis Somerville), Olive (Pam Grier), Phyllis (Patricia French), Evelyn (Ginny MacColl) and Ruby (Carol Sutton). Fun for the ladies makes Vicki turn on the group and deny them club status when an accident happens during a practice performance.

One person at that performance is Chloe (Alisha Boe) who is on the high school squad and her recording goes viral which doesn’t help the ladies cause. Martha and Sheryl meet Chloe and convince her to help them become better as the group comes together again.

This time they are going full on entering a cheer contest. Practicing takes every bit of time and a toll on Martha who has been keeping her own secret. Yet, when the day arrives, the women along with Ben and Chloe know this is their time to shine and nothing or no one is going to stand in their way!

Keaton as Martha is a woman feeling that there is only one way to deal with the last phase of her life and embraces it a little too deeply. It takes someone as flamboyant as neighbor Sheryl to change it. Keaton is fun, encouraging and looks like she is thoroughly enjoying this role. Weaver is absolutely hilarious with her way of living and taking no guff from anyone. She is the yin to Keaton’s yang that’s for sure!

Tahan as Ben is a young man caught in two different worlds and doing his best not to become too embarrassed. When he realizes that his grandmother and friends aren’t anywhere near that, he is all in. Boe as Chloe begins as a mean girl but me thinks it’s because she is hanging with mean girls. Being a part of what Martha and the girls are trying to accomplish changes to who her character truly is.

Perlman as Alice is hilarious and I’ll never look at golf stuff the same again. Grier as Olive is embracing her cheer side and her hubby doesn’t mind it either. French as Phyllis lets her red hair crazy fly. Somerville as Helen is the zen influence on the group. Sutton as Ruby just wants to have fun with the girls and MacColl as Evelyn has to sadly deal with family who don’t support her life but rather want to control it.

Other cast include Alexandra Ficken as Paige, David Maldonado as Tom, Karen Beyer as Barbara and Bruce McGill as Chief Carl.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

STX Films and Entertainment is a global next-generation company who has taken on the mission to unlock the value of direct connection stars have with their fans through the development, production and distribution of film, television, VR, digital video, music and live entertainment content. To experience more please visit www.stxfilms.com.

POMS on Blu-ray unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture solution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality and surround sound. Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

This is a heartwarming film about senior community living and the possibilities. For Martha it might not be too apparent as she has a plan of her own. Keaton gives her character all the emotion we have come to expect from this fine an iconic actress.

The film is very funny but at the same time very poignant in that sometimes we forget that being a senior citizen isn’t a reason to stop living. Instead it is a reason to live every moment doing what ever we’ve all wanted to do but maybe life got in the way along the line.

In the end – it is never to late to chase a dream!

HBO Brings an Amazing Series with THE YOUNG POPE to Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

Coming in June on Bluray and Digital HD from HBO Home Entertainment is a mind blowing limited series from creator/director Paolo Sorrentino and THE YOUNG POPE.

Lenny Belardo (Jude Law) is now the first American Pope choosing the name Pius XIII. Immediately he begins making changes the likes of which the Vatican and its priests have never seen. Upset that he was not chosen as Pope is Archbishop Spencer (James Cromwell), his angers extends to Lenny by cutting him off.

Bringing in the big guns, Lenny chooses Sister Mary (Diane Keaton), the nun who took care of him when his parents left him at the orphanage. Knowing no one would get to him without dealing with Sister Mary, Cardinal Secretary of State Vioello (Silvio Orlando) immediately knows choosing Lenny Belardo as Pope could cost them all.

From his first speech however, everyone within ear shot knows that this is a Pope who isn’t going to be controlled by anyone. Immediately Lenny wants to know who is with him and more importantly, who is against him. That’s when Vioello tries to call in those who would want to control Lenny.

Of course when it all is brought to Lenny’s attention, he calmly tells Vioello that excommunication is a card he has no problem playing. But the games are not over as a woman named Esther (Ludivine Sagnier) is brought in to work closely with the Pope as they all watch to see if a sex scandal can be created to rock the Vatican.

It is clear quickly that Vioello is out of ideas as Lenny also makes it clear that he knows what everyone is up to and every dirty little secret they each have. Playing another dangerous game, Lenny makes demands of the Italian Prime Minister that could bring problems for the politician.

But closer to Lenny is his friend Cardinal Dussollier (Scott Shepherd) and in one fell swoop, the new Pope asks in a demanding way that he point out all those incoming priests who do not follow the rules both in celibacy and homosexuality. In those rules come shocks that will cause a surprising agreement between two enemies.

A trip to Africa the Pope wants to see the works of a Sister Antonia only to discover secrets and a confession that goes haywire. In New York, Archbishop Kurtwell (Guy Boyd) has agreed to provide letters written by Lenny that end up only helping the new Pope’s cause sending the blackmailer to a colder place than he could have imagined.

In San Marco as the Basilica, after spending his time staying out of the limelight, Pope Pius XIII makes a grand gesture showing his face to followers. Believing his sees the face of the parents he has longed to find in the crowd, it leads to a finale that is spectacular!

Law as Pope Pius XIII is jaw dropping in every scene and in every frame. I have to say that I was completely riveted by everything about his performance. Seriously, this series just sends one wtf moment after another and I couldn’t be more pleased about that. It is difficult to find a storyline that is completely original and mind blowing AND get an actor to carry it but with Law as Lenny – epicness complete! This character is intense and doesn’t apologize for any of it, how can you not love that?

Keaton as Sister Mary is just a blast to watch as well. She is a no-nonsense and ‘don’t let this habit fool you’ kind of nun who I would hang out with in a heart beat. Keaton continues to surprise me in her role choices and as Sister Mary I cheered every time someone came up against her.

Orlando as Vioello puts the slap on trying to get Lenny removed and being totally creative about it. Keeping calm to his face, it is when those robes are swaying down the halls of the Vatican that you can see the wheels turning. Always appearing humble, Orlando is always on his toes and looking for any way to crack the Pope.

Cromwell as Archbishop Spencer stands tall and defiant against Lenny being chosen as the Pope. Trying to keep his divine composure, he makes it clear that a mistake has been made and he isn’t about to help make Lenny’s new post easier. I love this role for Cromwell but then again I pretty much love every role he has played. This is a role filled with bitterness and even rage of the highest kind.

Other cast include Cecile de France as Sofia, Toni Bertorelli as Cardinal Caltanissetta, Andre Gregory as Elmore Coen, Rayna Tharani as Maribeth, Tony Plana as Carlos Garcia, Gianluca Guidi as Father Federico Amatucci, Ignazio Oliva as Father Valente, Biagio Forestieri as Peter, Ramon Garcia as Cardinal Aguirre and Monica Cetti as Contessa Meraviglia.

HBO Home Entertainment has an extensive array of critically-acclaimed and groundbreaking programs found on Bluray, DVD and Digital HD. They have provided viewers with some of the most amazing programs with huge fan bases that include the shows True Blood, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Detectives, The Wire, Entourage and Game of Thrones. Launched in 1984, HBO is world wide in viewed entertainment in more than 70 territories around the world! For more of what they have to offer please visit www.hbo.com.

THE YOUNG POPE is one of the most original series I have seen in a long time. What is even more amazing is that originality is only the tip of what this series brings. The storyline is fused with twists and turns that only Lenny sees coming which means all eyes are on him.

Another fascination I had with the series is the stunning visuals that are mixed with an ethereal feeling and moments where I could not imagine where it all would lead. Between the visuals and Law, Keaton, Orlando and Cromwell not missing a beat it is clear that THE POPE is heavenly perfection.

The Bluray includes the Special Features of The Making of THE YOUNG POPE, An Invitation to the Set and Inside the Episodes. The three disc set includes six hundred minutes of what I am calling total epicness of a series that brings shock and awe to another level.

In the end – his religion is revolution!