What Do John Krasinski, Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, John Cena, Emily Blunt, and Vin Diesel Have In Common With A Baby And A Rabbit?

After a long year of everything going straight to streaming Hollywood is finally starting to get back to normal. This weekend there are several big-name and big-budget movies at the theaters to enjoy. So, grab the kids, the wife, husband, significant other, or just a good friend, and head out to the movies this weekend.

F9 The Fast Saga

Our favorite heroes are back in action again as the Fast And The Furious franchise returns for its' 9th outing. I know that a lot of people have really lost faith in these movies and I'm certainly one that has made his fair share of jokes about the last few, but the stellar cast of attractive street thugs and tough girls keeps us coming back for more, no matter how ridiculous the movie gets. There are more stunts, more action sequences, more crazy hijinks than ever in this newest installment, including a new face and the return of a few old faces. If you haven't had your head in the sand, then you've certainly heard about the return of actor Sung Kang to the series, as fan-favorite Han returns from the grave. I won't spoil it for you but the story is actually pretty solid and Sung Kang is a welcome addition to any action movie as he plays the role of cool tough guy exceptionally well.

After the events of Fast 8-The Fate Of The Furious, we find Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) living the quiet life on a farm with Dom's son, little Brian. An unexpected visit from old friends Tej (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) will come with news that their old friend Mr. Nobody has sent an S.O.S. to the group. After all this team and family have been through they are needed for one more high octane mission as Mr. Nobody has gone down in a remote jungle while transporting some very precious cargo. From there the story becomes a crazy romp around the globe as Dom must deal with his nefarious bad guy brother Jakob, played by series newcomer John Cena and stop a plot that would give complete control of every piece of electronic tech on the planet, including nuclear weapons, to the bad guys. Whoever said street racers aren't capable of saving the world, again and then again, and again. In Fast 11, I completely expect that we will see the return of our favorite crew of criminal types all suited up and officially racing around Mars on the first-ever off-world race track. Maybe, by then, they'll have locked up Cypher (Charlize Theron), or will she end one of the redeemed like Jason Statham's character. For a purely fun movie with some great action, some decent sub-plots, some attractive people, and more John Cena muscles than you can fit into a tee-shirt get out there and check out F9 The Fast Saga. Check out the extended trailer below.

Black Widow

Scarlett Johansson's long-awaited solo movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally coming to theaters and the U.S. opening is this Friday. Marvel Fans all know that this is going to be set somewhere in time before the events of Infinity War and Endgame, the finale to Marvel's phase 3 long-term plans. After years of fans clambering to know more about Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, and her early years before becoming an Avenger, on Friday we'll see more about her younger years, get to know some of the family she left behind including the character of her sister, and find out about where she came from before being saved by Clint Barton and becoming the superhero and right hand of Nick Fury. I know little about this other than what I've seen in the trailers that have been released, and it doesn't appear we will see what happened in Budapest, the way she and Clint joked about it, but I for one can't wait. If you haven't watched it, check it out, and with any luck, this will be the first billion-dollar movie since the pandemic and maybe we'll get at least one more outing from Marvel and Scarlett Johansson.

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is a hilarious, fun, action-packed romp that stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, and Salma Hayek in the second installment of this oddball comedy. This time around they've added two of my all-time favorite stars, Antonio Banderas and Morgan Freeman.

We return to find our hero, Michael Bryce, without a license as an AAA-rated bodyguard who's lost in the world, trying to find himself, and seeing a counselor. After taking some advice from his therapist, Bryce (Ryan Reynolds), goes off to a getaway and is almost immediately found by Sonia (Salma Hayek) and drawn back into the crazy world of hitman Darius Kincaid. Bryce agrees to help out after a team of shooters sends him and Sonia on the run. For fans of this series, there's a lot of big reveals about our characters that get squeezed in between hilarious action sequences, crazy chases, and gun battles galore. Antonio Banderas plays the role of bad guy Aristotle Papdopolous with the flamboyance we've come to love from him and we get to meet Michael Bryce's father, played by the always loved Morgan Freeman. Check it out folks, I laughed so hard at times my eyes watered. This one will be a must-own on digital or DVD.

A Quiet Place Part II

The sequel to 2018's A Quiet Place hit theaters and we were treated to the opening sequence, the only part that Krasinski appears, that showed the day it all started. For those of you that haven't seen the first one, unlike most sequels, this made A Quiet Place II almost capable of standing alone. Helmed by John Krasinski under Paramount Pictures studios the movie shows us a post-post-apocalyptic situation. In a very small amount of time, cringing, cowed humanity has evolved into a completely beat up and colonized life form and the de-evolved one step further down, inter feral animalistic beings that easily, effortlessly, and soundlessly turn on each other. Starring Emily Blunt the film portrays her as a fiercely protective and loving mother and her story becomes the center of the film but deaf actress Millicent Simmonds's portrayal of Regan Abbott is amazing and worthy of award consideration. Check out the preview if you haven't seen it yet, and then head out to a theater and check out some great story-telling, a bit of old-fashioned suspense and horror, and a few "jump" scares that got even my heart beating.

The Forever Purge

The Purge films are eerily reminiscent of the nightly news in some cities like Chicago and yet we continue to watch them, allowing for Hollywood to line their pockets more by appealing to the thirst for violence in America. That said, I for some reason love the Purge series and the Forever Purge doesn't disappoint when it comes to movies that come with gratuitous violence and blood scenes. This purge finds us watching a Texas backdrop with a family of ranchers. Josh Lucas is a second-generation rancher who has his own beliefs that are subtle, yet needing a little bit of modernizing in the new world. The Purge is over, but the less affluent, spurred on by a nationwide movement, have decided that it is time to bring America to its' knees as the new founding fathers have brought back the purge to line their pockets and unleash their apparent lust for purification. The rebels have chosen to purge out everyone that doesn't fit their image. Getting past the racial undertones of the movie, there is a lesson to be learned from the subtle message that you never know who you might have to depend on. Lucas and his pregnant wife make a run for the Mexican border as Mexico is now open to Americans fleeing the anarchy and chaos, depending on help from one of his ranch hands that he never really warmed up to, and racing against endless roadblocks on the way as they only have a few hours to get out of the US or face being stuck behind the border, with certain doom their only futures.

The only downfall of the forever purge is the obvious attempt by the writers to tap into some of the racial discord that currently exists in America. For another round of Purge fun at the theater, and to see racially oppressing rednecks find out they're messing with the wrong people, it's worth a watch.

If movie night for you involves younger children then perhaps some lighter fare is what you need. This weekend also includes The Boss Baby: Family Business and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. I haven't had a chance to see either one but the Boss Baby Franchise is on its' third release so they must be pretty good. As I haven't seen the first one and don't have any little ones around I think I'll look for it on Netflix or one of the other streaming services before deciding.

The theaters are back and open, with safer service, and cleanliness standards to survive in a hopefully post-covid world.

And to answer my original question, what did they all have in common? They're playing this weekend at a local theater new you.

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