Movies in Review: "Cloud Atlas"

This movie is an adaption of a book of the same name. I thought the trailer was so weird that it was super intriguing. It was hard to even get an idea of what the story was about because it seemed all over the place in the trailer. I think this made the movie most interesting to me, not to mention the phenomenal ensemble cast.

I have to admit that the first 20min had me confused, but this confusion also kept me interested. This film has multiple story lines, 6 to be exact. Most films with multiple story lines usually don't play out well, but for some reason this was not the case for me with this film. The story lines blended easily in a way with each other. I loved how the cast played different characters in each storyline. It was fun to see them transformed into new characters. I also enjoyed how each storyline was its own, but still met at the end with a cohesive message. My favorite story was the one place in Neo Seoul 2014. To me the characters in this story were the most interesting. I know this may cause some of you to gasp, but this film is 3hrs long...Yikes!!!

No worries though...although the film has an extensive running time, I didn't find myself getting bored to the point of exhaustion or sleep. This movie was artfully, and beautifully done. I enjoyed the writing and direction of each story very much. By the end of the film, a great feeling came over me that is kind of hard to explain. This movie isn't for someone who can't handle complexity. There is nothing simple or straight forward about this movie. But to say that I was pleasantly pleased with this film would be an understatement. This movie, in my opinion, is weirdly amazing...A+!

Movies in Review: "Alex Cross"

I was not convinced with the trailer for this film. Every time I saw the trailer all I kept asking is "why the hell is Tyler Perry in this film". The fact that Tyler Perry was cast in the lead role, almost had me counting this movie out. It was Matthew Fox's character that kept me on board to give this movie a chance. However when opening papers Friday, critics had nothing good to say about the movie. Although I don't read critics reviews, but I do skim their ratings of a film, and those were not looking great at all. So needless to say, my expectations dropped even further...

I'm sorry, but after watching this movie I have come to the conclusion that critics do not like Tyler Perry. This movie wasn't as bad as the ratings that it was being given. I have seen worse films. The story was ok, I didn't hate what was going on. I thought Matthew Fox made a great villain, but I thought they would show more of his torture than they did. His torture scenes were a little too watered down for me. They showed the result, but his process would have added so much more to this movie, in my opinion. But don't get me wrong, there is no doubt that he is one ruthless character, but I still wanted more.

Tyler Perry as Alex Cross wasn't as bad to watch as I thought it would be. When I first saw the trailer, I was wondering why Perry instead of someone like Will Smith. But Perry did his thing. I think the problem most people have is separating him from his character Madea. There was only one point in the movie where he starts speaking so quickly that he starts to sound like Madea, I think you will notice. But other than that, Perry was decent.

My only issue with this movie is that it could have been pushed further, especially Fox's character. Other than that, it was a crime thriller that played out like most of them do, but it's not the worse film I've seen. It was actually better than I expected...C+

Movies in Review (INDEPENDENT FILM): "The Sessions"

Another independent film that I was able to take advantage of seeing this weekend. I wanted to see this one because of Helen Hunt, who I haven't seen in a film in a while, and William H Macy who is one of my top actors. After seeing the trailer for this movie it reminded me of The Intouchables, another independent film I thoroughly enjoyed, and was hoping to get the same feeling from this movie.

Well...it was good, but I enjoyed The Intouchables more. Don't get me wrong, it is a great story that plays out well. Maybe it was all the sex that made me uncomfortable at times...lol. Helen Hunt looked amazing, and is very comfortable with her body, but after seeing it more than I cared too, there is no reason she should be ashamed. William H. Macy was a great addition to the cast for more comedy relief. He was my favorite character, and I'm sure you will like what he brings to this film. Kudos to John Hawkes for  playing the lead Mark O'Brien. He was on his back throughout the entire movie, playing a man paralyzed from the neck down due to polio. The sex scenes between him and Hunt will having you cracking up, and feeling his pain...and pleasure.

This is another decent film that I would recommend you seeing if you can find it in your area. Its a feel good movie, that will have you smiling even at the end...B+                            

Movies in Review (INDEPENDENT FILM): "Middle of Nowhere"

When I watched the trailer for this film, there was something that truly captured me. It had a very smooth and interesting vibe that had me wanting to see this one. In addition to the fact that it starred Omari Hardwick and David Oyelowo, two of the best looking actors in the industry right now...oh and they are super talented too :). This movie is written, directed, and produced by Ava DuVernay, who won best director for this film at the Sundance Film Festival. The first African American female to win this honor...Kudos Ms. DuVernay!

I would have to say that I agree that this award was well deserved. I felt the directing for this film was excellent. There is a real solemn, and lonely feel that is portrayed with cool shades of grey. The scenery  plays a big part in telling the story, it is not all about the dialogue, which is something that I love about this film. I found the musical soundtrack to be the best part of the movie. The music in this film did more for the story than in any other film I've seen. If you're into underground music, you will like this movie for the musical soundtrack alone...

Hardwick and Oyelowo were not disappointments, but it was the female lead Emayatzy Corinealdi who stole the show. She has only been in a few short films, and had some appearances on a soap opera, and a few other television series. This is her first major lead role, and after what I saw in this film, I hope to see her in a lot more. She is a very natural actress. I love actresses like this, where it feels like they aren't playing a character, but instead ARE the character.

This movie is not a major release film, so you probably won't find it everywhere. If you are one of the lucky ones to have this film playing in a theatre near you, and appreciates the art of a good independent film, then I recommend this one. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and I think you will too...A-

Please Note: My apologies for the late posts. I was dealing with technical issues.

Movies in Review: "Argo"

The trailer really didn't have me convinced to see this film. It was Ben Affleck alone in the director's chair and lead that had me give this movie a go. I have enjoyed The Town and Gone Baby Gone, so although the trailer looked like a snoozer, I figured that there would be more to the film that wasn't easily seen in the trailer.

I was right to trust my gut with Ben. As with his earlier projects, this film was wonderfully written and directed. It's not the most theatrical film, but it is a pretty damn good movie. The story is very simple, but is directed so well you will find yourself caught up. There are some great suspense sequences that had me breathing sighs of relief. There is a wonderful cast that left me with no complaints. Argo has Oscar buzz surrounding it, and I can definitely see why.

This movie is simple, it is the writing, direction, and cast that make it extraordinary. This movie is 2hrs long, and in my opinion can only be appreciated by movie-goers who can appreciate a good film. If you're an action fanatic, and enjoy utter non-sense, this is not the movie for you. For everyone else, Argo is a good watch...A-

Movies in Review: "Seven Psychopaths"

I was looking forward to seeing this movie. From what I saw in the trailer, it had an amazing cast that includes Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, and Colin Farrell, all of whom I am fans of. The trailer made me laugh, and I anticipated even more from the movie. I was also looking forward to seeing Farrell in a hit movie (and I thought this was it), instead of the box office flops he's taken roles in lately. Although regardless of tickets sales, I very much enjoyed Total Recall...

But unfortunately I hated this comedic catastrophe...smh. Where do I begin? Should I start off by telling you that I hardly laughed? Or should I tell you the story is all over the place that there seems to be no rhyme or reason for anything happening. I will tell you that I enjoyed Sam Rockwell's and Christopher Walken's characters, but the story was so poorly written that they and the rest of the cast just appeared to be foolish. This hasn't happened in a while, but I seriously wanted to walk out of this film a half hour before it was slated to end...horrible

In my opinion you would have to be a teenage boy, or seriously crazy to sit in the theatre and act like you are enjoying this. There are 7 psychopaths in this film, but if you are stupid enough to buy a ticket for this one, I would definitely have to consider you the 8th!...D-

Movies in Review: "Here Comes the Boom"

I have not enjoyed all of Kevin James's comedies, but I am a huge fan of Kevin James to know that I have enjoyed enough of his movies to give this one a go. From what I saw in the trailer, I expected this one to be one of his better comedies. He looked amazing, Selma Hayek looked adorable, and the story seemed interesting enough...so I was in...

In my opinion the movie was alot better than critics were giving it credit for, and I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it. The ending was super predictable, but it was the cast that made the movie entertaining and fun to the end. Kevin James was in the best shape of his life, and was able to pull off his great comedic antics. I haven't seen Hayek in many/any comedic roles, but I enjoyed her. She was just naturally funny, and her and James were a great pair. Bas Rutten the ex MMA champion, and Henry Winkler were also great additions with Rutten being my favorite character. I enjoyed the way the film was written and directed in a way that made the cast seem natural and blend well together.

By no means is this the best comedy I have ever seen, but it did make the viewing audience, myself included, laugh. It is fun and cute, something I would consider a good date movie, or matinee. I enjoy comedies like this, so this one gets my recommedation...B!

Movies in Review: "Taken 2"

It seems that everyone has looked forward to this sequel since the sleeper success of the original. Unfortunately I can't say that I have been looking forward to it. I felt the first one started and ended so well, a sequel wasn't really necessary. Besides, we all know it's rare that a sequel ever adds up to the first movie...I'm just saying...

I sat down in a packed theatre as I expected, and prepared to be disappointed...and I was to a point. True to form the second was nowhere near as great as the first one. This version had more fists and gun fights, and lacked the story build-up of the first. The lack of dialogue made the story less interesting for me. I enjoyed how Neeson's character had to piece clues together in the first one, unfortunately there wasn't much of that in this one. Pietrel, the character from the first film was in the first scene being interrogated, but that was the extent of his role, and I missed the relevance of his part...smh. The car scene with his daughter should have been shortened, because it seemed to last 10min, and Neeson's character kept repeating the same sentence "Go Grace!"...boring.

In my opinion, the story wasn't nearly as strong as the first, and reminded me of other mediocre action flicks. It wasn't as special as the first one, so don't go in expecting the same thing. Maybe I shouldn't keep comparing the two, but it's really hard not to. If its any consolation, audience members seemed to enjoy it, as it received some applause as I was exiting. I was entertained to an extent, but overall...it was just ok to me...C+

Movies in Review: "Loopers"

As great as the trailer is for this film, I admit that I was still skeptical about how well the content was going to play out. I thought it was a great idea, but thought that I would be disappointed like I have been so many other times this year. I had all intentions of still seeing this movie, but wasn't expecting to be satisfied.

Loopers starts out cool, as we see the hired hit men in action. I thought they did a great job of making Joseph Gordon-Levitt look like Bruce Willis, who plays an older version of Levitt's character. Levitt also does an amazing job of capturing Willis's facial expressions, to make it easier to believe that they are the same character. I was surprised at how well the story was written, and how it left me satisfied with everything that was happening. The premise of the movie was so complex that you would have expected to be left with unresolved question, but not with this film, a definite plus in my opinion. I only had a problem with a few slow moments in the film, but the ending brought it back on a high note for me. The movie wrapped up great.

This movie had my heart racing by the end, that's how exhilarating it was. This is a time travel adventure that is well worth the ride. Be prepared to get the unexpected...A-

Movies in Review: "Hotel Transylvania"

I am guessing this will be the highest grossing movie coming out of this weekend. I was in the theatre for most of the day Sunday, and all showings for this movie were sold out, and had the theaters packed with excited kids. I have to admit, I was even looking forward to this animated film. It is filled with tons of actors/actresses who I adore providing voice overs for the characters. The trailer also looked fun. So I was ready for the enjoyment.

I wasn't filled with enjoyment, but I did catch a few Zzzzzzzz's....lol. This animated film wasn't as interesting as it appeared in the trailer. I haven't snoozed on an animated movie in a while, but this one didn't really capture me. Was it just me, or was this movie too long. I honestly couldn't wait until it ended. I'm sorry if it sounds like this movie was horrible, because it wasn't. But then again, it wasn't that great either. There was a lot going on in the movie, and too many characters. I think I liked Selena Gomez, and Adam Sandler the least, and that's unfortunate because they are the main characters...smh. My favorite characters were Steve Buscemi as the werewolf, and his huge wolf pack. They were very entertaining.

When the credits started rolling, audience members just left. There was no applause, and the excitement from the kids going in, wasn't the same coming out. You could tell that everyone was leaving with an "ok" feel about the movie...C

Movies in Review: "Won't Back Down"

I admit I would probably go see any movie that stars Viola Davis...love her, but it was Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance in the trailer that had me super interested in this movie. I don't think I can get enough of films based on our educational system. Its just unfortunate that the system is always shown in a negative light.

This movie was held together by great performances from the cast, especially Davis and Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal was my overall favorite because she seemed to melt into the character she was playing. A mother's love for her child is a strong bond, and Gyllenhaal played it excellently. The story was well written, but of course always disturbing to digest because you don't want to believe all the bureaucracy that goes into the education system. My only complaint is the length of the film. It seemed like they could have cut out 20min, and gotten to the end quicker.

You are in for a very well written, directed and cast film. It was a bit long for me, but it may not bother you as much, especially because the content of the movie will keep most audience members attention...B+

Movies in Review: "Pitch Perfect"

I couldn't wait for the release of this movie. I saw the theatrical poster before I saw the trailer, and even the trailer had my interests. Once I saw the trailer, my interest was sealed. I thought the trailer was hilarious, and it had my favorite girl at the moment in it, Rebel Wilson. It seem that I wasn't the only one anticipating this movie. With limited release this weekend, the movie theatre I went to see it was full. We were all anxious to get our laugh on...well I know I was. So did I laugh...

Unfortunately, not as much as I had hoped to. This movie suffered from most of the funny parts being shown in the trailer...smh. I hate when comedies have little to offer outside of the trailer. There really wasn't much that I laughed at that wasn't already shown in the trailer. This put a damper on my feeling for the film. I also wished the story would have moved a little quicker. It took too long to get to its predictable resolve. In my opinion, it shouldn't have taken so long for someone to step up to the character Aubrey. She was seriously getting on my nerves.

I know so far my comments sound really negative, but the movie wasn't all bad. The singing was the bomb. I really enjoyed all the musical routines. The story was also cute, but really nothing special. Rebel Wilson was hilarious, and the character Lilly also provided some laughs. I have grown fond of Anna Kendrick, but this wasn't my favorite role for her. It felt like she was trying to hard...eh.

Overall it didn't really meet my expectations, but then again, I may have expected too much. It's a musical, filled with plenty of great musical selections. If you are into that, than this will be a plus for you. You will laugh, but don't expect to laugh out loud. This movie is ok, but if you were like me and expecting something great, please lower your expectations...C+