Movies in Review: "White House Down"

What is every one's infatuation with the take over of the White House? This movie looks just like that horrible movie Olympus Has Fallen, except in the place of Gerard Butler we now have the incomparable Channing Tatum. Needless to say I had no interest to see this movie at all, but it is being marketed as a huge summer blockbuster, so I felt it necessary that I give it a chance.

I can honestly admit that I enjoy how comfortable Tatum is in almost any role he takes on. It makes him more fun to watch. Unfortunately he seemed miscast as John Cale, a Capital Police Officer who is also the father of a 10yr old daughter. Honestly it was the daughter situation that didn't fit. Tatum looked more like his daughter's older brother than father. But he wasn't the only one who felt miscast. I also disliked Foxx in the role as The President. He didn't sound like a politician, didn't look like a politician. Honestly it felt like Foxx was doing a skit, and I was waiting for the punch line...smh. I was hoping this would be the end of my complaints, but unfortunately not. I usually enjoy the young actors that are cast in most films but the young lady who played Tatum's daughter was absolutely horrible. There wasn't a believable ounce of emotion coming from her. Needless to say, the acting performances were weak, with the exception of Gyllenhaal.

There were still parts of the movie I did enjoy, like the action. The action was decent, although not a thrilling as it needed to be. Some of the action sequences were too unbelievable, like that they made Tatum's character run faster than a speeding bullet...smh. I also enjoyed the lawn chase scene, but it dragged on longer than it needed to. And was it just me, or was that the longest 8min ever...Oh and one last complaint...this movie is way too long...

My advise for this one is to wait to see it on DVD or catch it on TV. I wouldn't give up 2+ hrs of my life to pay to see this one...C-

Movies in Review: "The Heat"

Although I disliked McCarthy in Identity Thief, her performance wasn't bad enough to keep me from going to see this one. There wasn't much to the trailer, but it was entertaining enough to spark at least a little interest in the comedic duo of Bullock and McCarthy. My expectations weren't high, I was just hoping to maybe get a few laughs.

To my surprise this movie delivered more than a few chuckles. Thanks to McCarthy, I was cracking the hell up. McCarthy was on her A game. She delivered the best performance I have seen from her so far. I loved her in Bridesmaids like everyone else, but with more screen time her starred shined even brighter with this performance. Most of her performance felt as if she was improvising, making her delivery even more hilarious. Bullock and McCarthy made a decent team, although Bullock's performance didn't differ much from many of her other comedic roles. In my opinion, Bullock didn't add much to the movie, but she didn't take anything away from it either.

The story is predictable, but if you want a good laugh, this movie isn't a bad watch. It's a great matinee pick, or fun date movie...B-

Movies in Review: "World War Z"

I must first admit that I am not the biggest fan of horror/zombie movies. It's been a while since I have seen a movie in this genre with any substance. Also the trailer for this movie didn't move me at all. The only thing I found interesting in the trailer was Brad Pitt, who I haven't seen in a movie in a while, so I may have been going through a little withdrawal...lol. Needless to say I likely would have passed on this one, but it was either World War Z or Monsters University. The horror flick won because I wasn't a fan of Monster's Inc., so there was now way I wanted to see Monster's University...

Kudos to me for giving this one a chance because I really enjoyed it. The outbreak spread like wildfire, and if it wasn't a movie, it would have been impossible to control in real life. It would have been nice to know exactly how things got started, and I could have used more background on Pitt's character Gerry. Character development was about the only thing this movie was missing. Because there was so much movement, action and suspense, I gave character development a pass.

This movie had great suspense. I was on the edge of my seat throughout most of the film. This movie kind of had an "I Am Legend" feel, but with more characters. I enjoyed Pitt and the secondary characters. I entered the theatre expecting to be put to sleep, but walked out with a chill. Finally a zombie movie that delivers, and is well worth watching...B+

Movies in Review: "Man of Steel"

I am not a fan of the same stories continuously being rebooted, including this one. The first theatrical trailer for this film did not capture my interest at all. As a matter of fact I think I rolled my eyes and said "OMG another Superman movie...smh". However, it was the second theatrical trailer for this film that changed my mind. The newest theatrical trailer looked amazing, and looked like there would be more to the film making it worthy of the reboot. So was it worth it...Kinda...Sorta...eh...

I enjoyed the beginning of the film the best. I loved getting a more in-depth view of Superman's original home and mother and father. Russell Crowe, although his part was small, was amazing. The opening captured my attention, but that soon turned into boredom as the story follows Clark on a quest to find out where he comes from, while we also receive flashbacks of him growing up. I appreciated getting a more in-depth view of the man we call Superman, but this part of the story dragged. Things didn't really pick up until General Zod came back into the picture. Faora was my favorite character, she is Zod's sub-commander, and she is a Bad women...wow.

I was disappointed to find nothing special about Superman. He seemed no more super than in previous movies, which was a bummer. Once the action got started it didn't stop. However I found little excitement in the action scenes. The action scenes were overpowering and were mostly filled with building being smashed up...boring. I was expecting great action sequences, but the scenes had so much CGI the characters involved in the scenes sometimes looked like cartoon characters. Also any suspense the movie tried to portray, played out less suspenseful and was too melodramatic and predictable. Case in point, the scene with the family at Grande Central Station. Can someone say "RUN FOOLS"!...smh

There were scenes that I enjoyed, but I also found myself dosing off on this movie too. With a running time of 2.5hrs, I would recommend you rest up before seeing this one. There is plenty of action to keep most people entertained, I just happened to find most of those sequences to be underwhelming. Henry Cavill is great to look at as Superman...that's a plus. I was really hoping Man of Steel would be solid, but it had way too many weak spots for me...C+

Movies in Review: "This is the End"

Ok so I had absolutely no expectations for this movie. The theatrical trailer looked like a joke, so I was really expecting a bunch of humorless nonsense. I'm surprised I took the time to even go see it. If it wasn't for the free movie ticket I received, I probably would have definitely passed on this one, especially since I'm not the biggest fan of Rogen or Franco lately.

This movie was stupid from the word ACTION...but I can't front, it was also hella funny...lol. All of the characters in the movie are playing fictional versions of themselves. This film is packed full of comedic actors/actresses who make special appearances, including Kevin Hart. Don't get too excited about that though, Kevin's role in the film made no kind of significant mark. However Michael Cera was absolutely hilarious, and I wish he had a bigger role. Rogen was his same annoying self, and as the director, he should have just killed himself just so I wouldn't have to sit through his lame antics...smh. Luckily the other main characters saved me from being focused on Rogen. McBride was my favorite, and the scene with Franco and McBride had me pissing in my pants...lol. This movie is full of nonsense, but all of it was fun to watch. I especially enjoyed the ending...very cute.

The men would definitely love this one, mainly because its full of stupid ish that men do or would find funny. Females if you have an easy going sense of humor, there is some enjoyment in it for you too. I will say this again, this movie is funny nonsense, but it's funny so what else do you want from a comedy...B-

Movies in Review: "The Internship"

I think it's always wise to remind my followers that I am not a Vince Vaughn fan, and even less a fan of Owen Wilson. It's not that I hate them, I often find their comedic styles to be flighty...if you know what I mean. It was only because I enjoyed these two in Wedding Crashers that I even gave The Internship any interest, although I was still expecting to far from overwhelmed. Well you know what? I am happy to say that I found myself to be pleasantly surprised.

As in Wedding Crashers, Vaughn and Wilson made an excellent team. Neither outshining the other, but providing the best compliment. The writing was decent, and was cute and funny. The comedy is far from reaching hilarious (although the dinner scene with Rose Byrne had me laughing out loud), it was funny enough and I enjoyed the movie. I would have to say that Graham was my favorite character as Vaughn and Wilson's nemesis. There were parts of the story that were a little predictable and far-fetched, but nothing that ruined my totally ruined my enjoyment for the movie.

Cute and funny is how I would describe this one. If you enjoy Vaughn and Wilson in Wedding Crashers, you won't be disappointed with giving this one a go. Its a great date movie, cute matinee, and enjoyable breezy movie to watch...B-

FYI...Due to a very busy weekend I was unable to see and review "The Purge":(.

Movies in Review: "Now You See Me"

This movie had one of the most interesting trailers I have seen this summer. Anyone who watched the trailer gets caught up in the wonder of how the tricks were executed. For this reason, this was the hottest movie ticket for this weekend. So were the tricks as dazzling as the trailer made the appear...

Yes, and even better in the movie. The magical performances were absolutely amazing and so much fun to watch. All of the "four Horseman" were excellent in their roles and made magic look effortless and real. This film had some of the best tricks I have ever seen, making it that much fun to watch. However, although entertaining, it still lacked in areas that are hard to ignore.

There was little to no character development. I could not understand why these four magicians were picked, and how they worked on a plan from  person they never met. I also found whole plan to be inconceivable. It is highly unlikely that everything that happened would have happened so perfectly. And was I the only one who also found the ending to be predictable...smh. But seriously, other than these minor issues, which most may not care about, this movie was very entertaining to watch.

This movie is full of family fun and excitement. Everyone will be amazed by the tricks you will see on screen. This movie gets lame at the end, but the rest of the film is a really cute adventure...B-

Movies in Review: "After Earth"

I can't say I was overly excited to see this movie. The theatrical trailer was just ok, I think I was more so looking forward to seeing Will Smith in another film. Smith has yet to disappoint me, so although it seemed there was very little interest by movie goers to see this film, I knew I would find myself making a ticket purchase. Word is that Smith developed the concept to give his son the opportunity to take on the leading role in a film. Now that's a loving father...Unfortunately Jaden doesn't have the acting chops yet to take on such a role.

I have enjoyed Jaden in all of his earlier movies. I felt like he has a natural acting talent that didn't take much effort. So I was very surprised to be disappointed in his performance in After Earth. It seemed that the direction from Shyamalan did not bring forth Jaden's best efforts. It also didn't help that it sounded like he was also in that awkward stage boys go through when their voices change from soprano to tenor...smh.

The trailer was way more interesting than the actual film was. The wasn't great, and lacked strong character development. It seemed as though the movie was rushed just to get to Jaden Smith taking his place as lead in the film. Will appeared to downplay his abilities to let his son shine, which was uber disappointing. The only acting I did enjoy came from Zoe Kravitz. They should have shortened Jaden's ship adventure and made Kravitz's storyline a bigger part of the movie. This movie had great potential, but that's about it.

I never thought I could say anything bad about Will Smith, but today I can't say that I enjoyed this movie. The story was weak, the action boring, and the acting lack luster. If you miss seeing Will Smith in a movie, then my recommendation is that you sneak in to see this one. You will be pissed spending your money on it...D+ :(