Movies in Review: "Noah"

Tell me the trailer for this movie didn't look amazing. This is the first biblical film that has ever caught my interest...ever. I can't say what it was about this movie that drew me in, but this was the only movie I have looked forward to seeing all month. To add more pressure, I was expecting this movie to be great. I don't know what any of you expected, but mine were met.

I was really pleased with this movie...really pleased. For any film, you expect there to be some embellishments just for the sake of drama, action, story, so that never bothers me. I thought they did an excellent job with this one. The visuals were amazing. Although most times very dark and grey, it still remained visually appealing. Kudos to Russell Crowe who does an amazing job as Noah. There was nothing cheesy about his portrayal of Noah, which is what I was afraid of. I'm not the biggest fan of Jennifer Connelly, and I thought she would be a disappointing factor, but on the contrary, Connelly pulled off one of the best performances I have seen from her. I loved her in this movie. Emma Watson has washed away her Harry Potter image in this role, and shows she is one actress to be reckoned with. I could go on and on with each performance, because they were all excellent.

Noah is definitely one of the best films released so far this year. Writing, acting, directing, cinematography, costumes, were all on point. Any complaints I have are small, and not worth talking about. If you are looking for a good movie, this is one to see...A!

Movies in Review: "Sabotage"

I wasn't expecting this movie to be great, but at least decent. I love a good action filled "bro" movie, and this one had enough testosterone in it to make any woman happy. I went into this movie not expecting excellence, but a great time...instead all I got was 1.5hrs worth of nonsense...smh

Who wrote this mess??? Let me first say that the movie started out pretty decent. The storyline was developing well, and the plot was thickening. There are some decent action scenes...I was getting everything I expected so far. But as the movie continued, the acting got worse, and the testosterone levels were in overload. The movie started to go wrong when Investigator Brentwood and her partner Jackson stepped on to the scene. Her investigating made no kind of sense, and her and her partner were an odd couple. The actress playing Brentwood needs to cool down on the drama classes. I felt like I was watching someone who had just completed her drama 101 course...smh. But she wasn't even the worse part of the movie. The twist must have come out of someone's butt because it made absolutely no sense. I would go in-depth with how stupid the twist is, but I would give too much of the story away. Concerning the last scene in the movie, all I can say is really!? That easy huh? Get out of here...smh

This movie has some fun characters, some decent action scenes, but as a movie, none of it really made enough sense for me to care. I wouldn't waste my time purchasing a ticket, unless you have something stuck in your teeth and want to suck it out by the end of this movie. Because sucking your teeth is all you are gonna be doing when the credits role on this one...D!

Movies in Review: "Cesar Chavez"

Finally Michael Pena in a lead movie role...yes! If it isn't clear, Pena happens to be one of my favorite underrated actors. When I watched the trailer for Cesar Chavez, there was a huge smile on my face seeing Pena as the lead. I couldn't wait for the release. The name Chavez sounds familiar to me, but I can't say I know anything about him, but I was looking forward to see what Pena would do with this role.

Well...for the most part I was satisfied with the performances. Pena was decent as Chavez, although his performance in some of the later scenes were a little shaky, namely the fasting scenes. He wasn't as great as I had hoped, and I've seen him with better performance.  However I loved America Ferrera as his wife. She was a great fit for this character. Rosario Dawson isn't one of my favorite actresses, but this was the first time I felt like she was more natural and relaxed, and I enjoyed this role for her. Unfortunately the performances were the highlight, because the story was a little dull and seemed a bit rushed. I felt like I needed more back story in the opening scenes. The first 15min felt very rushed. Chavez had a job where he worked in an office? Doing what again? Did I miss a huge part of that story? The scenes following were interesting enough, but quickly plateaued and fell flat. Thank goodness for John Malkovich who with his small role, outperformed everybody.

The movie was ok at best. I think they could have done a better job with the writing and directing of scenes for this movie to give it a stronger impact. It didn't pull at my emotions, which is what I was looking for. By the end of the film, I felt like the story wasn't strong enough to make into a movie production...B-

Movies in Review: "Divergent"

If you don't know, when I go to the movies, you can usually find me snapping shots of the latest theatrical posters, which I save in my phone to poster later on my twitter and FB accounts. The Divergent poster however was not stored in my phone because I had no intention of seeing this flick. Unfortunately this weekend wasn't a booming release weekend so between The Muppets (which I also had no interest in seeing) and Divergent, Divergent won. I went into the theater to see this movie with no joy in my heart, I was just there to complete my task for this review.

Uuuuuggghhhh...this movie was sooooooo long with a running time of over 2hrs. It really wasn't necessary for this movie to run this long. It started out pretty interesting enough, and I was vested in the story and characters. But by the end the movie plot really wasn't that deep, and who cares. As a matter of fact, it kind of had a Hunger Games feel, but with no heart. It was missing something to make it something that would leave an impression. I loved the character Tris, but her and Four's story was predictable and boring. Christina played by Zoe Kravitz was actually my favorite character. The pace of the movie was slowed by the extended initiation period the initiates went through. It took up all but 30min of the movie...smh. They could have done a better job with editing this, because it took everything in me not to fall asleep. The character Eric was interesting at first, but as the movie went on, he got more annoying.

This movie may have been a best-selling novel, but it had very little appeal as a blockbuster movie. I have not read the book, and after seeing this movie, I still have no interest. The movie failed with running time, causing the story to drag. If the movie would have been edited by 35min, it might have been more interesting...C

Movies in Review: "The Single Moms Club"

Writing a review for a Tyler Perry movie isn't one of my favorite things to do. It has a lot to do with the fact that people either hate him, or they like him. There usually isn't an in between with his audience. I feel like my reviews come off a little bias because I am on the side that "likes" him. Don't get me wrong, I don't enjoy everything he releases, but I understand his writing style, and I do enjoy most of his characters and stories. So take my review for this movie however you'd like. For those of you who don't care for Perry's movies, believe me Perry is not expecting you to pay for a ticket, nor does he care, so please give the bashing a rest (insert rolling eyes)...Back to my review...

I have to first say that I think Perry's movies are improving. The production for his films don't look as cheap as his earlier movies, and are more entertaining to watch. His characters are better (for the most part). But Perry has his own style, which doesn't bother me. The characters are usually overdone and exaggerated, and the story is usually unbelievable because he tries to build a story that gives something that his audience can relate to. This movie was no different. Point blank whats happening in the movie is unbelievable, but the stories of each character I find myself relating to in someway, so the movie was entertaining to me. I loved each of the female characters, although the character Lytia could have used a volume. Nia Long's son does a decent job for his first film, although that crying scene needed work. I never want to see Tyler Perry kiss on screen again...awkward...smh. The story is cute, and fun to watch, but it is no secret that Perry knows his target audience, because he packs the movie with more than enough eyes candy. Yeah I was swooning...

This movie is definitely for the ladies. If you are a Tyler Perry fan then I think you will enjoy this one. If you are a single mother, I think you will enjoy this one. The movie lacked here and there, but it was still ok to watch...B-

Movies in Review: "Bad Words"

Oh how I love me some Jason Bateman. He has always been one of my faves because he always does such a great job with his characters. With that being said, there was no way I was going to miss seeing Bad Words. When I watched the trailer I couldn't wait for it to be released. It looked like comical heaven, and I needed that. There was little doubt in my mind that I would be pleased with this movie...and I was.

I didn't know it was a black comedy, and you may not notice because the humor is on point. Black comedies can be great when the humor is done well, and this one was a success. Jason Bateman rules as a comedic actor. He hit his character Guy Tribly on the nail...hilarious. But Bateman didn't have to carry this movie on his own, his co-stars Kathryn Hahn and the young actor Rohan Chand were great additions to the story. Chand strongly held his own in every scene shot with Bateman. So much fun to watch.

I enjoyed this one, and would actually watch it again. The characters were on point, the story is decent, and the humor is excellent. Great movie for the adults who want something decent and funny to watch...A-

Movies in Review: "300 Rise of an Empire"

Booooooo!!! This is what I said when I first saw the movie poster and trailer for this movie. Really!? Your gonna wait this long to drop a sequel to a movie that was already solid? Why? Needless to say I was the least bit excited about this movie. I felt nothing good was going to come of this sequel...and I was right...

It's crazy I'm calling it a sequel, because it wasn't...kinda sorta. This part of the movie was actually supposed to be happening at the same time the original 300 went down...wth. That made no sense. I thought the movie was going to be more about King Xerxes, but unfortunately it wasn't, and instead centered around and angry Greek woman named Artemisia. Her character was cool, but also weak at the same time. I will give this movie props because the opening scene had me visually entertained, but that soon fell. Unlike the original 300, there was no character development, or story to keep you interested or involved in the movie. It felt as if they tried to imitate the first movie, but failed miserably. There is nothing but sword slinging, and blood gushing to fill the emptiness of this movie. The fabulous visuals that opened the first scene quickly fell to corny CGI sequences...womp womp.

Did we really need Rise of an Empire? I think not. Now I need to see the original 300 just so I can get the thoughts of this catastrophe out of my head...D

Movies in Review: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

I thought this movie looked like so much fun when I watched the theatrical trailer. How cute was the scenery, and costumes. Not to mention a cast full of great entertainers. Honestly, my main reason for going to see this is because of Adrian Brody. I love me some Brody...lol

I'm trying to write this review, and I'm kind of at a loss on what to say about it. Did I like it? Yes it was cool, cute and entertaining. But maybe my expectations were too high, because I still left the theater a little empty. I don't know, it's weird because I didn't feel completely satisfied, although I did enjoy it. I thought the scenery and costumes were fun, and I loved the way the movie was shot. The characters were so entertaining, with Ralph Fiennes as the concierge being my favorite. The humor was well done, as well as the writing. Maybe I felt a little empty because Brody was so horrible...lol. That may be the reason. Brody annoyed the mess out of me, and all I kept thinking was, "I thought he was a better actor than this"...smh. Damn you Brody! Anywho...Brody is a personal problem, and I shall not let it affect my overall review.

This movie is visually entertaining, and fun. It kind of has that Abbot and Costello feel, at least for me anyway. You haven't seen a movie done like this in a while, which also gives it more of an edge. It's a cool date movie, or matinee. When you go to see it, just go in to have fun. Try not to over think it...A-

Movies in Review: "Non-Stop"

A Liam Neeson thriller with a March release date...hmmmmm...that sounds like a disaster...lol. As thriller as the trailer was supposed to look, it did nothing to spark my interest. It actually looked kind of corny, and I was sad to see Neeson in another one of these films. I was this close to not seeing this one, but instead chose to miss Son of God instead.

Not that this movie was great, but it was definitely better than I expected. I didn't think there would be much a story that could be had on one plane, but I was wrong. This movie was kind of fun, and entertaining. The story wasn't the best, but it also wasn't as see through as I thought it would be. It took me a while to figure out the culprits, actually, it took the culprits to actually show themselves...lol. This movie has so many interesting characters that you think you have an idea of what's going on, and then you don't. I enjoyed this the most about the story. The movie fell off a little at the end, but for most of the movie it was a pretty exciting journey. Not bad at all...

This isn't an award winner, but the movie was pretty decent to watch. There is excitement, action, entertainment, everything you need to make you feel like you didn't just waste 2hrs of your time. If this means anything, I'm actually looking forward to seeing it again when it comes on TV...lol...B

Movies in Review: "Repentance"

Who saw the trailer for this movie? I did, and all I kept thinking was, damn this movie looks crazy (crazy good). A psycho thriller with Forest Whitaker at the helm...yeah I was on that. It was also nice to see Lathan on the big screen again. This was the only wide released movie this weekend I was looking forward to seeing.

This psycho thriller started out with a bang...well sort of. The writing, directing and editing at the beginning could have used a lot of work, well actually it needed work throughout the movie. The movie was thrilling, especially in the beginning, but it wasn't until the movie ended when you realized how stupid most of it was. This movie's saving grace was the performance by Whitaker, everything else could kick rocks...lol. Can you say "Dumb"? How many times was Mackie's character going to miss escaping? Who leaves a 5yr old girl in the house alone for hours at a time? Was Nicole Ari Parker's character necessary? Sanaa Lathan...not your best performance. Was I the only one who felt like there was no consistency with the time of day...smh. And don't get me started on that ending...Really!? You should have heard the audience sucking their teeth when the credits rolled. So need less to say, huge disappointment.

It is easy to get caught up in Whitaker's character and not realize all the other elements in the movie are failing. But your eyes will be wide open once this movie has ended and you wish you could get a refund...lol. I wouldn't waste the money or precious time on this one...D

Movies in Review: "The Lunchbox"

I saw no trailer for this movie, and actually I heard nothing about it until I read the paper on Friday morning and came across the ad for its theatrical poster. There was nothing special about the poster except that it had Irrfan Khan on it, the actor who played in Life of Pi (I like him). After then reading synopsis about film I decided to take my chances and go, especially since not too many of the new wide released movies interested me.

I love a good foreign film, and I am happy I decided to go see this one. It was really cute, and so simple. Who knew you could make such an interesting story from a lunchbox system and letters. It was fun to watch the characters evolve with each letter, and how each other's response helped them through their own personal situations. I looked forward to each lunch break. And although this is a romantic film, it also has great subtle comedy that will also keep you entertained. The conversations between Ila and her aunt, I found to be the most entertaining.

If you love foreign films, and subtitles do not bother you, I would definitely say give this a go. Although I did not find the ending to be satisfying, the rest of the film still made it worth seeing...A-