Movies in Review: "If I stay"

This movie probably won't move most of you, and I'm sure many of you have very little interest in seeing it. I'm a fan of a good "chick flick", and I found the trailer and theatrical poster to my liking, which intrigued my interest to see this film. I also heard it was a bit of a tear jerker, and this weekend I was in need of a good cry...

This movie was all Chloe Grace Moretz...wow. I'm not the biggest fan of hers, but I do always find respect for her performances, but her performance in this film set me on a different level with her. She was absolutely perfect as Mia Hall. It was said Dakota Fanning was also up for this role, but as much as I love Fanning, I don't think she would have done Mia the justice. Moretz was so soft, beautiful and sweet. And don't get me started on the music in the film. She had me thinking she was really playing that beautiful cello...nicely done. Besides Moretz, I loved the story and the other characters involved. Mia and her best friend played by Liana Liberato felt like a genuine friendship. Mia's family will have you laughing, and falling in love with their family dynamic. Then there is the love story, which did a great job of being overkill in the story.

This movie is super sweet, moving, and may have a few of you wiping some tears away. This movie was beautifully directed and had great acting performances. It will hold your attention until the credits roll, that is if you're in to movies like these...lol. I enjoyed it...B

Movies in Review: "Expendables 3"

Really? Another one? After the disappointing second installment of this franchise, I had little desire to see this one. It seems that everyone else felt the same way I did, because this movie was an epic fail at the box office with only $16 million in ticket sales its opening weekend. Even worse, it placed behind that abysmal of a comedy "Let's Be Cops"...smh. Well after seeing this one, let's just hope Stallone got the picture and doesn't waste his time with a fourth.

There is just too much going on in this movie, with the Expendables finding themselves in situations you know there is no possible way for them to survive. But with all that being said, it's still entertaining to watch...lol. What I enjoyed most about this movie were some of the new character additions, including Snipes, whose performance was way better than I expected, Banderas, Grammar, Gibson and Ford. They each brought life into a movie that probably would have been a mess. What I didn't like was the introduction of the younger characters. The new recruits were far less interesting and took away too much screen time that use to be filled with the humorous and entertaining banter among the older crew. Besides the over-the-top action scenes, I found myself mostly bored.

The 3 testosterone filled action scenes in the movie were great to watch, but everything else besides that was a bore. This movie had better actors, who got very little screen time, but this movie lost a lot of its comedic value which made the first one so great. I would wait for RedBox for this one...D+

Movies in Review: "Let's Be Cops"

Ok let me first be honest and say that the main reason I went to see this movie is because I have a serious crush on Damon Wayans Jr. I thought the trailer was ok and looked funny, but Wayans looked HOT, so I went just so my eyes could enjoy the scenery. If the movie also happened to be funny, it would just be an added bonus. Unfortunately, the bonus was not achieved...

Talk about lame and you would be referring to this movie. Ugh! Straight non-sense. To make it so bad, this movie could have really been funny, but nothing about it worked. I'm sorry I have to say this, but as cute as Wayans is...not the best on-screen comedic actor. His deliverance seemed contrived. He and Jake Johnson's chemistry was off. Honestly, Johnson was great, and the movie probably would have been better with another co-star...smh. I snoozed through most of this movie, but I'm sure I didn't miss much. This is one of those movies who's entertainment value would be boosted if you went to see it high...ijs...

This filmed rocked at the box office it's opening weekend, but was far from being a rockin movie. This is one you should download for free, it doesn't even deserve RedBox...F :/

Movies in Review: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

I think I was the only one who wasn't excited to see this movie. As a matter of fact, I was this close to letting this pass me by. The only reason I went to see it was because I was pissed about paying to see Into the Storm...lol, and also everyone else seemed to think it was going to be good...surprisingly...they were right.

The trailer for this movie did not appeal to me at all. The motion-action characters looked sooooo creepy, especially Splinter. Omg...Splinter looked so gross. I wanted to Shredder to kill him immediately just so I wouldn't have to look at him for the rest of the movie...lol. The turtles looked creepy also, and it was hard to see them as Teenagers, they looked like grown ass man turtles...smh. It took me a while to get use to their voices too. Was it me, or did all their voices just seem wrong for each character, well except for Michelangelo, he was pretty awesome. Megan Fox wouldn't have been my choice for April O'Neill, and was another reason I wasn't interested in seeing movie. Megan wasn't great, but her performance was better than I expected...so kudos to her for not ruining this movie for me...lol.

Although the characters were creepy to look at, everything else about the movie was pretty great, especially the action scenes, although sometimes corny, still very entertaining. The scene that did it for me was the car chase down the mountain...that was amazing. I also enjoyed the humor. I found myself laughing a lot, which added to the movie's entertainment value.

I was expecting this movie to flop, and found myself surprised when it didn't. The adults in the theater enjoyed it, and I think you and your family will too...B+

Movies in Review: "The Hundred-Foot Journey"

I'm sure this movie isn't on most of your radars, but I was really looking forward to seeing this one. The trailer reminded me of the film "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", which I absolutely adored (btw they are coming out with a sequel...Yay!) Then let's add that this film was about food...Hot Damn! I love food...lol! Helen Mirren starring in the film only sealed the deal for me :)

The movie was just as I expected, and I left with a smile on my face. This is such a cute movie with a decent story, entertaining characters and delicious food. There is nothing extraordinary about the movie, but I enjoyed the subtle humor, beautifully shot scenes, and the light-weight feel of the story. It had a very sweet taste (pun intended). Not to mention it stars Manish Dayal, whose name I did not know before this movie, and left me swooning. See below...HOTT

Manish was enough to keep this story on fire for me. You guys know how I like eye candy...Yaaassssss! Ok I'm finished...lol.

If you love food, and stories that are quaint and performed well, I think you will find some fun in this one. It was visually entertaining, humorous, and put me in a good mood. Gotta love a movie that can do that...B-

Movies in Review: "Into the Storm"

Uuuggghhhh! So pissed I paid money to see this movie, even when I knew it was going to be awful. This movie made it on my do not see list after watching the trailer, but because I had time to waste and it was showing at a workable time, I paid for a ticket...smh. Now I'm not really mad I went to see it, I'm more pissed because I paid to see it...Uuuggghhh! I am still SMH now, just as I did when I walked out after watching it.

This review is going to be short, because the movie had nothing to it. It was a movie about a storm with characters sprinkled in it to give some "story", but there really wasn't any. This movie was seriously about a storm that came from nowhere, in a town that probably doesn't exist on a map. Ummmmm...sooooo...what was the reason behind the storm...weird. The storyline was so weak, I'm having a hard time saying that their actually was one. To make things worse, the storm scenes were beautifully done and exciting, but everything else about the movie fell flat.

If you are interested in seeing a storm on the big screen, then this movie is for you. If you are interested in a theatrical production about a storm, this one totally missed the mark. The running time for this film is a short 1.5hrs, but that's 1.5hrs wasted and never get back...smh...D-

Movies in Review: "Guardians of the Galaxy"

I was on the fence with this movie. I don't follow comic books, so this story and the characters, to me just looked like a weird bunch. Besides that, as much as I like Chris Pratt, I couldn't really picture him as a comic book hero. But I am a marvel hero movie fan, regardless of what I thought, there was no way I was going to miss it...lol

I am shocked at how much fun this movie was, and how much I enjoyed it. This movie was kinda freakin awesome...lol. Nothing made this movie more fun than the characters and the actors performances. I loved each character, who all brought their own dynamic that made for a very entertaining movie. I usually have a favorite character, but I enjoyed them all. Pratt was so cute and entertaining to watch as Starlord. Saldana as Gamora was so badass. I do wish her make-up was a little more interesting instead of being so green, but whatever, that would probably be my only complaint. Drax, Groot, and Rocket played by Bautista, Diesel, and Cooper, round out the this wonderful band of Guardians.

The action sequences and visual effects were great, but the best part about this movie for me was the humor. This movie had me laughing almost non-stop, especially at the end...lol...Groot! I enjoyed the the humor was subtle and not forced. This is a movie I would definitely add to my collection for repeated viewing. So much entertainment the family will enjoy it...A!

Movies in Review: "Get on Up"

Critics have said great things about this movie, and Chadwick Boseman's performance in the film. I thought I might have been missed something because I watched the theatrical trailer months ago and the movie looked like it would be a hot mess to me. However I decided to give this film a chance because I like Boseman and want him to see him doing well...unfortunately, this wasn't it...smh.

There is no other place for me to start but on hair and make-up. I mean wth was going on with the hair and make-up!? The hair and make-up was so distracting it was hard to really enjoy anything else about the movie. Boseman as an aged Brown looked like his face was plastered and melting. Everyone was wearing lace front looking wigs...awful. What was that opening scene about? I tried my best not to walk out of this movie but when a movie starts out that bad, I'm not expecting much else. It felt like Boseman was doing a comedic impression of James Brown, was I really suppose to take him seriously? Not to mention James Brown was 5'6", and Boseman stands well over 6'0", it just looked odd.

The story was weird, with a directing style that felt a bit all over the place. Was Tika Sumpter really necessary? I didn't understand the performance scene with her and Jill Scott in it. Jill Scott was beautiful, but definitely not one of her best performances. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were great, but really didn't have enough screen time to be mentioned...smh. The music was good, but there was only one dance move for each Brown performance...it got boring quick.

I don't understand where the acclaim from critics is coming from. You know a movie is bad when you see people walking out before the movie has ended. I even walked out myself. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't take that make-up and Boseman's crazy imitation of James Brown. This movie may make you Get on Up, but likely so you can walk on out...D