Scheme Queens – Review

Scheme Queens – BET Her – 2 hours and 30 minutes

Sam leaves her home after thugs come looking for her to get their money. She walks the streets calling family for help when a man tells Sam to get off his car. In an attempt to flirt, the man reveals that Trip will sell stolen diamonds at a party. Sam gets an idea and goes to visit her friends. Audra creates NFTs for a local gallery and cares for her grandmother, GiGi, with cancer. She works diligently to maintain her job because GiGi is on her insurance. Audra freezes in place at the sight of Sam at the gallery. Sam admits she needs money. Audra agrees to listen and call their friends Zoe and Lauryn. Zoe resides with her famous rapper boyfriend, Smoke. She is happy to let him take care of her because she wants to get pregnant and build a life with Smoke. Influencer Lauryn got a brand deal to be the face of an international makeup brand. Zoe, Lauryn, and Audra listen to Sam’s plan to rob Trip and sell the diamonds. They immediately say no because they have too much to lose. Although they did it in the past, they are different women today. 

Lauryn gets on Instagram Live to promote her new brand deal. Her niece notices the company tests its product on animals. Lauryn says it’s no big deal and killing bunnies is helping the population because they breed too much. Soon, fans create a hashtag canceling Lauryn and calling her a bunny killer. Audra goes to the gallery to find an FBI notice on the door and a chain lock preventing access to the building. A homeless man tells her the FBI raided the gallery and arrested her bosses. Audra goes to Zoe’s home and panics. Her bosses stole her savings. And without the job, she doesn’t have insurance to cover GiGi’s chemo. Then, Zoe tells Audra about the world canceling Lauryn. Zoe takes a pregnancy test amid Audra’s panic, and it’s positive. Zoe waits until 4 a.m. for Smoke to come home. She questions his whereabouts and discovers he is cheating. He won’t stop, but he will make Zoe his number-one woman. Zoe threatens to leave, and Smoke laughs. He thinks she will return because she doesn’t have a job or skills. She leaves without telling Smoke she’s pregnant with his child. 

Zoe, Audra, and Lauryn meet with Sam again. They like her plan but see issues with it. If they steal Trip’s jewels and sell them, he could find and kill them. Instead, they will find a man on the inside and convince him to let them see the jewels. Next, they will make copies of them and replace them with Trip’s authentic diamonds. Trip won’t know they are fake and never come after them. And they can sell them and split the money four ways. Zoe can move on with her baby, Lauryn plans to start an independent makeup brand, Audra can save her grandmother, and Sam will get out of trouble. Seems easy enough, right?

This movie starts like Set It Off with four friends falling on hard times (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). They use a get-rich-quick scheme to get the money they need to start over. But there is no honor among thieves. And the more people they pull into the plan, they lose control of it. Schemers within and outside the group start making independent plans to look out for number one. Then the film mixes Den of Thieves and Ocean’s Eight. Viewers never know who’s in control, the master plan, or the outcome. This movie is equally funny as it is suspenseful, but you need to give it your full attention. And it ends with the possibility of part two.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars

Y’all some dumb a$$ bougie bitches – Sam

The only person that can cancel you is God – Audra

We’re already married – Zoe

Y’all can’t do this s**t without me – Lauryn

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Christmas in Wolf Creek – Review

Christmas in Wolf Creek – UPtv – 2 hours and 0 minutes

Austin splits time between Wolf Creek and Jason’s ranch. But giving them part-time attention is not easy for him. Jason informs Austin that Jason needs a full-time ranch hand. He wants Austin to take the job, but Jason puts an ad in the paper. Jason will give Austin until Christmas Eve at 5 pm. Or he will hire someone else without a definitive yes or no from Austin. Austin tells Sam, and she is not happy. She thinks Austin is using the job to pull away from their relationship.

Terry tells his father, Felix, that Felix should charge more for Christmas Town. Anything Terry can monetize should be. If not, the festival won’t be back next year. He wants to sell free items like candy canes, charge more for the booth rentals and put one marshmallow in the hot chocolate. Then, Terry tells Sam to charge for the play and the reindeer. Sam tells Terry that the play and petting zoo is at no cost for everyone. It entices them to come to the Wolf Creek Rescue booth and adopt a dog. Terry says no, demands she charges, and leaves.

Annie wishes her father could skip work and enjoy the Christmas Town Festival. Her grandfather, George, tells Annie not to worry because her dad loves working and caring for her. As Sam and her sister, Sunny, discuss the play with George, Annie walks outside. She sees the reindeer, Cupid, and asks the animal if it’s one of Santa’s magical reindeer. Annie asks Cupid to find her dad in New York and bring him back to Christmas town. She opens the enclosure, lets Cupid out, and follows him into the woods. As George runs outside for Annie, he notices Annie is gone. He catches a glimpse of her walking to the woods and follows. Sam, Austin, Sunny, and Terry go outside and discover Cupid is missing. Terry threatens that if Sam doesn’t bring back Cupid, he will cancel her play. Sam and Austin see tracks of Cupid and a child. Before they follow the animal’s path, Sam gets a static-filled call from George. He found Annie, but Cupid escaped when he tried to catch him. Now, Annie and George are lost and don’t know where to go. Sam and Austin jump on a snowmobile to find Annie, George, and Cupid while Sunny fearfully works on the play.

This sequel isn’t as exciting as the first but provides an animal chase through the woods. Fans of the series get new and returning characters for this Christmas special. The movie stretches the truth with Annie. It’s not easy to comprehend a kid her age would believe in magical reindeer and Santa. And the script didn’t state Annie’s age to make the plot more believable. In the previous movie, Austin understood, more than Sam, that the town is remote. So, it’s no surprise to Austin that he has work-life balance issues. The movie is an average conclusion to Up TV’s Merry Movie Christmas, but the real snow and reindeer chase help.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars

Spoken like a true cowboy – Sam

You know you can’t win Christmas by doing the most work – Austin

I know. You do all the hard work, and I make you look good – Sunny

Who’s this guy – Terry

Well, you have to adapt – Marianna

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