Movies in Review: "Creed"

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I honestly raised an eyebrow with interest. I haven't watched a Rocky film since Rocky IV, and from what I heard I didn't miss anything. After 3 failed movies since IV, this is the Rocky franchises 7th installment, and I think they finally got it right *Nods head...Michael B. Jordan as Apollo Creed's son? Yeah I could see that. Now that's a great direction to take this movie. I was just hoping it worked.

Pleasantly surprised and pleased with this one. I enjoyed where they took this story. But what made this movie work so well was Stallone and Jordan's chemistry. It was really entertaining to watch, and I think I should credit that mostly to Jordan. There is a beautiful love story that involved Creed and Bianca, wonderfully played by Tessa Thompson. I honestly enjoyed their love story the most, and would have enjoyed that to be more of the focus with the boxing secondary. But I guess there is still time for that. I think the only complaint I had about this movie was that Jordan was just too damn pretty for this role. It was kinda hard for me to take him seriously as a boxer because the dude never broke a sweat...like hardly ever...lol. He'd work out and not have one scratch on his fresh Jordan's or wrinkle in his sweats...lol. They could have made him look not so fresh and clean ALL the time...smh.

A breathe of life has finally been put back into this franchise...thank goodness. This is a good direction for the film, and I'm looking forward to what else they have in-store...A-

Movies in Review: "The Good Dinosaur"

Omg...how cute was the trailer for this movie when you watched it? Ok...maybe it was just me who smiled with anticipation to see this new Pixar production. Well just me and my kid, who always stopped in his tracks whenever the commercial for this movie would show. He would ask me every week about going to see this movie, and I was ready to put this in the books as another one of our date movies.

The movie was just as cute as I hoped it would be. The animation was absolutely beautiful, the story was cute, and filled with fun and interesting characters. You know a movie is good when it gets your kid emotional...lol. I was in the theater and heard a few parents getting some belly laughs in, so there's entertainment for all. The movie was a bit slower than I expected but was definitely funnier than I had anticipated. The character Spot was my favorite, and I loved his and Arlo's bond, which made for a fun adventure home.

This movie rates high on the cute and humor scale. Beautifully animated to keep the little one's entertained too. I enjoyed it and left the theater with a smile on my face. It's not the best Pixar film, but it's definitely one that you'd wanna take the kids to see...B+

Movies in Review: "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2"

This was definitely the movie everyone was trying to see this weekend. The final Hunger Games movie...the excitement is just too much to hold in right!?...Kidding...lol. Like everyone else I was looking forward to seeing how this movie was going to end. They have been marketing the finale of this movie for almost a year, building high expectations for me. But perhaps a little too high...

The movie started out where it had left off at the end of Part 1 so it was easy to follow the story from the beginning. The quest to bring down President Snow was now on it's way. I must admit I enjoyed the action sequences, especially the scene with the black oil...wow that sequence was phenomenal. I enjoyed the movie for the most part which centered heavily around Katniss and Peta. However I wish Harrelson's character, who is always great, had more shine, as well as the character Johanna Mason. I thought Johanna would have definitely had a deeper role, and they could have used her to give the movie some kick. Elizabeth Banks has always been my favorite character in this franchise because of her beautiful costumes, but unfortunately even she only makes an appearance in 2 scenes. Even Snow wasn't as present as I hope he would be, only behind a camera, or news broadcast. There are scenes that gripped at my heart, but the ending was a little weak for me and definitely predictable. I enjoyed the message, but I guess I was expecting a little more.

I wasn't disappointed by this finale, but it seemed to climax in the middle and dwindle into little at the end. However it was still fun to watch. It's hard to make a finale that will satisfy everyone, so I'm not gonna fault it for that. It has great entertainment value, and many will find it to be a satisfactory end...B+

Movies in Review: "The Night Before"

As much as I enjoy Seth Rogen in a comedy, I had little interest in seeing The Night Before with it's band of unlikely cast mates. It was hard to take these guys seriously as real friends. Well no, it was hard for me to see how Anthony Mackie fit into this bunch. I think Mackie is a good actor, but this role...ummmmmmm...No. However I needed a some humor in my life, and I had the time, so I went to see it anyway, and found myself pleasantly surprised.

Ok so Anthony Mackie still looked like the odd man out to me, but the trio still worked. I expected to laugh, but the laughter definitely went beyond that. As I sit here writing this review I'm cracking up thinking about some of those scenes...Omg...freaking hilarious. These guys are fools. Rogen was absolutely amazing as you would expect, but Gordon-Levitt and Mackie did their thing too. As fun as the main cast was, my favorite character was Michael Shannon who plays Mr. Green. Shannon is an amazing actor who doesn't get the credit he deserves. When the movie just felt like nonsense, Shannon gave it life. You will see what I'm talking about when you see it...lol.

Absolutely hilarious is all I have to say. On the verge of being straight nonsense, but came out shining like a star. There are comedies that you can watch over and over, I would have to add this one to the list...A-

Movies in Review: "Secret in their Eyes"

Not too many people had their eyes set to watch this film with it being released the same weekend as the final movie for The Hunger Games, but I did. The cast alone had me sold on this movie. I honestly can't say I was too intrigued by the trailer, but the performances from the cast definitely made the movie seem worth while as a fan of thriller films.

So this is a remake, which I never watch the original film, but I'm definitely interested in seeing the original now. This movie started out at a decent pace as we get introduced to all of the characters, and story. I enjoyed most of the beginning, but I have to admit, I expected a little more. I enjoyed the performances from the cast, especially Roberts and Ejiofor, but the story felt like it had a few holes and left me with some unanswered questions. However the movie did thrill and I was a bit surprised by the ending, but I needed just a little more and I would have totally been won over. With that being said though, I still left the theater pleased, mostly because my emotions were drawn in.

I hear this remake is no comparison to the original. But if you're like me and never saw the original, this one will still do the job. Although the story didn't have enough beef, it still satisfies with great performances, and interesting ending...B+

Movies in Review: "Our Brand is Crisis"

I love a good political movie, and this movie sparked all of my interests. Sandra Bullock is always a hit of miss for me in films, but I am still a fan of her work. I liked how she looked in the trailer and felt this would be a role that was a hit. The cast looked great, so I was expecting the movie to be just as good.

I liked it, although it didn't really pack the punch that I hoped it would. Some scenes that captured my interest in the trailer kinda fell flat in the movie. Thornton was great, but I wish there were more scenes with him and Bullock because their on-screen chemistry made for some interesting dialogue. I enjoyed Bullock, although it took a minute for her character to get rolling. The best scene in the movie was the bus scene. That scene packed the energy that I wish the rest of the movie had.

The movie was cool, and the performances were good, but the movie lacked power and energy. I wasn't bored, but I have to admit, I was expecting a bit more. It wasn't as fun or funny as the trailer...shrugs...B-

Movie in Review: "Burnt"

The trailer for this movie didn't really look that exciting. To be quite honest I didn't really get the story from the trailer either. However I am kinda partial to movies about food, says my inner fat girl...smh. I also have a thing for Bradley Cooper, and his gorgeous baby blues. I wasn't expecting much from this one, but I was ok with going along for the ride...

The movie wasn't great, but also not a complete waste of time...sorta. The story was a little all over the place and erratic. I think if it had more focus, it might have been a better film. There were too many characters but no real background or character development. I kinda think the film would have been better if some of the characters had been trimmed down. Adam Jones played by Bradley Cooper had way too much going on, and most of it made little sense. I enjoyed the food scenes and the sequences with Sienna Miller, and Daniel Bruhl, but the movie didn't feel as if it had much purpose, except for the one powerful scene with the character Michel. It was one of the only scenes that sparked any emotion from me.

The only real thing this movie did was make me hungry. My eyes enjoyed the sight of Bradley Cooper, but other than that...eh. It wasn't a horrible movie. It's just not one you'd race to the movie theater to see. I might recommend it for a matinee, or even an evening in with RedBox...C