Her REEL Review - 'Cause Girls Watch Movies, Too

There is a certain generation—older millennials and boomers—who may find it unthinkable that someone has reached adulthood without seeing Planes, Trains, and Automobiles . I was one of those uninitiated viewers until this week, when I finally watched it with my high school film club. What surprised me most wasn’t that the film is beloved, but how instantly I understood why it earned that place. With a screenplay written, produced, and directed by John Hughes, and starring Steve Martin and John Candy, the film has all the makings of an American comedy classic. I simply don’t know how I let it pass me by for so long. I’ve always been a John Hughes fan— The Breakfast Club sits comfortably among my favorite films of all time—and even his lesser-discussed works like Curly Sue are staples in my home. Hughes had an unmistakable pen and an undeniable eye, and his collaborations with John Candy produced characters whose warmth and humor feel singular to 1980s cinema. Just days before watchi...

Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a film that somehow eluded me for decades. Despite being a lifelong movie lover—and someone who talks about films on the internet for a living—I had never sat down to watch this beloved 1982 classic from start to finish. I'd seen clips, cultural references, and iconic moments, but never the full emotional journey. That changed this week, and I’m honestly moved that it finally did. Released the year I was born, E.T. became the highest-grossing film of its time, dethroning Star Wars until Spielberg’s own Jurassic Park took the crown in 1993. It’s incredible to think this film was made for just $11 million and went on to gross over $700 million worldwide. The legacy it left behind speaks for itself, but watching it now, in 2025, reveals just how timeless its emotional core truly is. Written by Melissa Mathison and inspired by Spielberg’s own imaginary childhood friend following his parents' divorce, E.T. is often framed as a ...

  Madea’s Destination Wedding ★½ Review by Shaquanna Stevens I really didn’t want to be here again, talking about another Tyler Perry movie in a negative light. But here we are. Let’s talk about Madea’s Destination Wedding , the latest Netflix collaboration written, directed by, produced by, and starring Tyler Perry. I believe this is the 29th installment in the Madea Cinematic Universe—give or take a few wigs and stage plays. The plot (loosely) follows Brian, Madea’s nephew, as he’s guilted into paying for his daughter Tiffany’s destination wedding in the Bahamas. Tiffany’s mother—his ex-wife, who’s suddenly rich and slightly evil—pressures him into footing the bill, and next thing you know, the whole crew (Madea, Bam, Joe, Brown, and Cora) is on a plane, spending Brian’s money, and dragging chaos with them like carry-ons. Sounds like a good setup for a comedy, right? It could’ve been. But the film makes a critical error: it’s not about Madea. Despite the title, the protagoni...

In 2010, while on a trip to Atlantic City, I saw How to Train Your Dragon in IMAX with my husband. We were floored. The animation, the flight sequences, the story of Hiccup and Toothless—it was beautiful. DreamWorks had created something truly magical, and for me, it became an instant top-10 animated film. Maybe it's because I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s loving Disney, but this was one of the first DreamWorks films that made me feel something real . It became even more special when my daughter fell in love with dragons. We went all in—bedroom sets, multiple rewatches, spin-offs. This franchise became a staple in our house. So when I got invited to an early IMAX screening—and got seats for my entire family (a rarity)—I was thrilled. But I was also nervous. Live-action adaptations of beloved animated films don’t always go well, and honestly, studios can sometimes treat them like easy money grabs. Still, I’ve always believed remakes can have value when done right—when they respect...

  courtesy Netflix By Shaquanna Stevens | Her Reel Review Tyler Perry’s latest Netflix release, Straw , starring Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, and Teyana Taylor, arrives with high expectations given its talented cast and Perry’s established presence in contemporary Black cinema. However, while the film aims to tell a gritty story of loss, trauma, and maternal struggle, it ultimately falters in its execution, resulting in an emotionally exhausting experience that struggles to connect. A Promising Cast, A Confounding Story The film centers on Taraji P. Henson’s character, a mother grappling with life’s harsh realities and her young daughter’s wellbeing. Yet, despite Henson’s commanding screen presence and undeniable talent, the character’s development feels uneven and often unrelatable. Early scenes present her as harsh and confrontational in ways that make it difficult for the audience to empathize or understand her motivations. This lack of clear emotional grounding undermi...

poster for Ryan Coogler's Sinners (2025) Recently, I saw Ryan Coogler’s Sinners for the third time in the theater, and at the end of the movie there’s a beautiful montage of the main character Sammy’s experiences on what he calls the best day of his life. He asks his cousin Stack, played by Michael B. Jordan, if he felt the same way. Stack replies, “Yes. That’s the last day I had my brother. It’s the last day I saw the sun.” As we dive into Sammy’s memories, and Stack’s memories of that day, the song “Last Time I Seen the Sun,” performed by Miles Caton and Alice Smith, plays. Now, I mention that this was the third time I’ve seen the movie because it was the first time I cried during it. Both the song and the images created such a beautiful, bittersweet montage of joy—and therefore loss—that I was completely overcome. And it dawned on me why this film has been resonating with me so much, and perhaps why it’s resonated with audiences. My hypothesis might also explain why some people...