Available On DVD - Trouble the Water

August 29, 2005 a Category 5 hurricane devastated Southeast Louisiana. We all know this as Hurricane Katrina. We all saw the devastation on television. We all read about the woes in the newspapers. We all heard the stories of what the people of New Orleans had to deal with. But up until this documentary was made, we did not know the true degree of hardships really entailed. Aspiring rap artist Kimberly Rivers-Roberts (aka Black Kold Madina) and her husband Scott Michael Roberts, residents of the 9th Ward of New Orleans, could not afford to evacuate their home. Being self proclaimed hustlers, they decide to use their Hi8 camcorder to record as much footage during the storm as possible in hopes to be able to sell the tape to the news media. But I am sure that when they set out to endure the storm, that they had NO IDEA what they were in store for.

The documentary opens about two weeks after Katrina hit New Orleans. Scott and Kim are approaching Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (the directors of the film) because the couple sees the camera equipment that they have. Kim informs the filmmakers about the footage that she has of her family and some of her neighbors fighting for their lives through Katrina. Deal and Lessin have worked on several documentaries before with famed film maker Michael Moore. They each had a hand in 'Fahrenheit 9/11', 'Bowling for Columbine' and 'Capitalism: A Love Story', but this is their first directorial effort. Once the couple meets the filmmakers the film goes back two weeks and begins to show the story of Kim and Scott.

Kim's footage includes her going through the streets of the 9th Ward talking to folks that can't afford to evacuate. It really looks like they had no idea how terrible the storm was going to be. Her footage shows the couple retreat to the higher ground of their attic trying to escape the floods. She is able to catch a shot of a Stop sign which is nearly submerged with water. As the storm worsens, the attic of their home does not appear to be high enough. The following morning they witness another 9th Ward resident braving the flood in order to move people to a house that has higher ground. The lone person trying to help anyone was a man by the name of Larry. All he had to help him attempt to save lives was a punching bag that he was using as a flotation device. By the following day the couple is in the same house with SEVERAL other residents, including elderly and children.

Kim was not able to capture her entire week because of her lack of battery power. But once she gets together with Deal and Lessin her and Scott, as well as another resident Brian, walk through the streets and explain their ordeal over the last week and a half. Their footage is integrated with the documentary footage. I apologize, because I usually do not give away this many details of a film that I have seen, but the circumstances and conditions that I witnessed in this film are hard not to speak about. As American citizens go DAYS without food, water and support... as people die in the living rooms of their homes because they aren't able to make it to higher ground... as families make 911 calls only to hear "There are no rescue teams available right now."... it's just TOUGH for me not to comment. But rest assured, I am only touching on certain aspects of the film. There is still PLENTY of footage that will shock you to your soul.

Both the filmmakers and the "actors" (its so hard to call them actors when this is REAL LIFE that they are showing us on screen) did an amazing job of showing us the real story of what happened in New Orleans and how the people were neglected. It was equally as enjoyable for me to watch the Bonus features of the documentary. It showed the couple and the directors in a couple of Q&A sessions. They all were able to speak on the lack of government support, the obvious racial connections with the lack of support as well as the conditions of New Orleans even before the storm. The story behind the story is almost as gripping as the hardships they had to endure during Katrina. I found myself asking a question: What's worse, sitting through a category 5 hurricane and hanging on for dear life... or being forgotten and forsaken by your country and government for nearly a week after a disaster strikes while millions are being spent and your armed forces are overseas fighting a war for oil??? To be honest, I can't say that I'm sure which is worse.

I encourage each and every one of you to see this film. It is an eye opener no matter how much you already know about Katrina. This documentary was nominated for over a dozen awards from various film societies, including an Oscar for Best Documentary. This film was shown at the Democratic National Convention and also featured in The Roger Ebert Annual Film Festival. Danny Glover got behind the film and was present at the New Orleans community premiere. The NAACP also awarded the film for Outstanding Documentary. I watched it twice back to back. I cannot stress enough how powerful this film was to me. I first heard about this film several months ago but I am just now getting the opportunity to see it. I also encourage you to visit www.troublethewaterfilm.com and learn more about the story and how you can help support the families of New Orleans... who to this day have not received all of the aid and support needed to rebuild their homes and city.

Now In Theaters - Avatar

A quick video review of the new James Cameron film... 'Avatar'. A must see, especially if you have an IMax theater in your area.

Now In Theaters - Ninja Assassin

Action, Action, Action!!! From the opening scene to the closing credits this one gives you some WONDERFULLY choreographed fight sequences. The director of this film, James McTeigue, was involved with 'Speed Racer', 'Attack of the Clones', 'The Matrix Trilogy' and also directed 'V for Vendetta'. So to say he's been around the block once or twice could be a gross understatement. I had not had the pleasure of seeing any work for the star of this one, Rain, who plays the character Raizo. But one thing I will guarantee going forward, he will be seen a lot more often on American screens.

The story line behind this one is pretty interesting. It leads us to believe that there are ancient clans that still practice the art of the ninja. These clans take in orphan children and raise them from a very young age to ignore pain, and to have no remorse. These clans boast some of the deadliest assassins the world has ever known. Raizu grows to become one of the best students in one of the most feared clans. But as he gets older, his love for one of the female students in the clan causes him to begin to question what he believes is right. He soon begins to rebel against his clansmen and the idea of committing murders for hire. As police agencies begin to investigate some of these bizarre murders, signs start to point to the idea that age old ninja clans may actually exist. A researcher by the name of Mika, played by Naomie Harris ('Street Kings', 'Miami Vice', '28 Days Later'), digs deeper and deeper until she gets a little too close. It is up to Raizu to protect Mika and help her expose the clan.

I can not comment enough on the amazing action sequences in this film. Rain in my mind is going to be the new Jet Li. His martial arts ability is simply amazing. The fight scenes and choreography with the weapons was nothing short of spectacular. Hopefully you don't mind a little blood and guts, because this movie has PLENTY. I would describe this one as 'Kill Bill' on CRACK. If you are the type of person that doesn't want to see half of someone's face splatter on the ground in front of the camera... you might want to stay home from this one. But if you can stomach it, and you enjoy some great, fast paced, high flying martial arts action... look no further.

I am going to rate this one pretty high because I feel like it is the best martial arts film I have seen since 'Crouching Tiger'. I'm going to go 8.75 out of 10. I can't quite go 9 just because there wasn't enough actual acting to put it that high. Don't get me wrong, the lack of dialogue and such does not hurt the movie at all. You don't go see a movie like this because you want to find out "the moral of the story". You go see this one purely because you want to see a guy walk into a room of 8 guys with nothing but a sword and a few throwing stars and walk out with a couple of severed limbs. Go check it out action junkies. You'll love it.

Now In Theaters - The Princess and the Frog

The long awaited arrival of Princess Tiana is finally upon us. Disney's first Black Princess comes to our big screens in the heart of the Big Easy during Mardi Gras. The voice of Tiana comes from a Tony Award winning actress, Anika Noni Rose. A good number of Hollywood big names brought their talent to this project. John Goodman, Keith David, Jennifer Lewis, Terrence Howard and even Oprah Winfrey lend their voices to help bring the adventure of Tianna to the screen. We also have a VERY accomplished writer/director in Ron Clements. He was also the writer/director of 'Aladdin', 'The Little Mermaid', 'Treasure Planet' and 'Hercules'.

As a young girl Tiana has always dreamed of opening her own restaurant. Her father and her would sit in the kitchen whipping up delicious meals and making plans for the future. While her best friend, Charlotte (or "Lotty" as Tiana often refers to her) who is the daughter of a very wealthy man, sits back and dreams of one day being one of those lucky fairy tale girls who gets to marry the Prince. As time goes on, Tiana's father is no longer around and she is working two jobs to save money for her still lifelong dream. Those around her often tease her and are quick to point out that all of her hard work will never pay off. Charlotte, on the other hand, is close to landing her dream when Big Daddy (Goodman) hosts Prince Naveen at his annual masquerade ball. Lotty plans to woo the Prince and be married by the end of the week! On the other hand, The Shadow Man (David) has his own sneaky plans. (FYI: The Shadow Man is the equivalent of the Wicked Witch in other Disney films.)

The story and antics that Tiana and Naveen find themselves into are very cute little situations that you would expect of Disney. The songs are fun and the animation is very true to a typical Princess film. I enjoyed the jokes and I laughed at the character's situations. It was a lot of fun. If I had a daughter, as a Black man I would be happy to have a movie to take her to in which the Princess finally looks like her. But with that said, there is a bit to this film that does make me scratch my head. LOL, but what is a Disney movie that doesn't have a bit of controversy right?

The most obvious head scratcher is the fact that Prince Naveen is NOT Black. While I am impressed with Disney's effort to show children that interracial relationships are okay, I am a bit put off by the fact that they chose to use the Black Princess to show this. Our little girls finally have a face like their own on Disney screens as a Princess, but what about our little boys? They don't deserve to see a Black Princess falling in love with a Black Prince? I was also slightly disturbed by the setting and backdrop of this movie. Is it just me, or does it seem as though Belle, Jasmine and others were off in some enchanted kingdom far, far away... while little Tiana here gets the N.O.? Is Juvi going to drive by in old school cutlass? And during Mardi Gras??? Is Joe Francis going to stop by and offer Tianna some beads and a GGW tee shirt? Maybe I am looking into things too deep, but I just don't feel that Mardi Gras is a proper backdrop for a children's film. (And I am not going to talk about the fact that our Black Princess didn't actually get much "face" time in this film. You will understand what I mean once you have seen it.)

But despite those things, the film was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. I most definitely suggest it for anyone wanting to take their child out for a good time. Black, White, Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern, whatever... your child will be happy to see this one. And I am sure they will be singing along with the songs in no time. I loved the voice of Tiana (Rose) and look forward to seeing more of her. Overall I will rate this movie a 7.5 out of 10. I really, really want to give this an 8 or an 8.5 just because it is the first Black Princess, but the reality is that this movie isn't top notch Disney. By no means am I saying it was bad, it was very enjoyable. But I can't compare this film to the likes of 'The Lion King', 'Beauty and the Beast' or 'Aladdin'. Very good, very funny and very cute. So I do suggest your get your children out to see it. And if you don't have any children, try to con your sister into letting you take her child! You won't be disappointed.

Now In Theaters - Armored

Every once in a while comes a movie so packed with star power you can't wait to get out and see it... only to see it and say to yourself it really wasn't what you thought it would be. This movie boasts a star studded cast featuring the likes of Matt Dillon, Laurence Fishburne, Columbus Short, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich and Amaury Nolasco. Too bad none of them were really needed to make this film. Me and 5 or 6 of my buddies could have made this movie and it would have had the exact same effect.

The story is about a group of guards that work for an armored car company. Ty Hackett, played by Short, is a war veteran who comes home to a little brother that he has to raise on his own due to his father passing away. With the help of a good friend, Mike who is played by Dillon, Ty lands a job with the security guards. Ty is very hard up for cash because he is on the verge of losing his father's house and could possibly lose custody of his brother if this happens. All of the answers to Ty's problems can be solved when Mike approaches Ty with a scheme to split $42 million bucks between 6 guards. Mike assures Ty that the plan can go off without a hitch, and without anyone getting hurt. After all "there are no bad guys." So what could go wrong? You guessed it... EVERYTHING!!!

The story actually wasn't all that bad. It's just that the action wasn't all that great, the character development wasn't there... and the movie spent too much time in one area. Now it's not necessarily a bad thing to be in one area for a long time. It worked great in 'Saw', 'Cast Away' and 'Phonebooth'. But this one reminded me of the movie 'Trespass' more than anything else. And for those of you that remember that terrible movie, I'm sure you will understand that is NOT a good thing. Plus, it's not that the acting was bad... it was just very, very average. There were no characters that could not have been replaced with small names and the performance been hurt in any way. For example... only Laurence Fishburne could be Morpheus. Only Jean Reno could be Leon (from 'The Professional') Only Russell Crowe could be Maximus. You swap out one of those guys for a mediocre actor and the movie suffers dramatically. You could swap out this entire cast and we still would have seen the same film. The big names were good for the box office draw... but not so much for the quality of the film.

I am going to give this one a 6 out of 10. The movie wasn't that bad per se, but it was a HUGE let down considering the cast. A cast like this should get you a 'Usual Suspects' type of results. When you instead get 'The Air I Breathe'... there is a problem. The movie is worth watching, just not worth spending 10 bucks to go see. When it comes to Redbox or Netflix, check it out... but no need to rush out and see this one.

Now In Theaters - The Blind Side

In the 2009 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Offensive Tackle Michael Oher from the University of Mississippi. In 2006, Michael's life was the subject of a book 'The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game' written by Michael Lewis. In November of 2009 a movie based on that book was brought to theaters. 'The Blind Side' is a reference to the area that a Left Tackle has to protect in terms of his Quarterback. The movie boasts a nice cast with Sandra Bullock, country music star Tim McGraw as well as Kathy Bates. There are also a number of guest appearances from college football coaches. The role of Michael is played by Quinton Aaron, who is a newcomer on the scene.

Michael, or "Big Mike" as he's referred to in most of the film, is the son of a drug addict mother and barely knows his father. His mother barely cares for him at all and he ends up basically homeless once the family he is staying with puts him out. He attends a Christian private school and the parents of a couple students attending the school notice him walking around from time to time. One of the children, Sean "SJ" Tuohy begins to talk to Big Mike one day. Michael is a very sheltered and very quiet young man. Despite being 6'6" and 300+ pounds, he is not as commanding of your attention as his appearance would seem. One day, after the daughter's basketball game, Mrs. Leigh Anne Tuohy, played by Bullock, notices Mike walking around in the cold wearing a pair of shorts and a short sleeve shirt. She approaches him and insists he come along with the family and stay with them for the night.

Reluctantly, Michael comes along. And of course, that one night turns into 2 and turns into 3 and so on. Mrs. Tuohy begins to take an interest in his academics and quickly learns that that if his GPA was an amount in dollars... that he wouldn't even be able to get a McDouble off the 99 cent menu. Off course the football coach takes his own special interest in Big Mike. (I did mention that he's 6'6" and 300+??? LOL) But of course he would have to get his grades up in order to get on the gridiron. Most of Michael's teachers do not give him so much as a chance. They just chalk him up as not being able to do the work. It is not until one of his teachers realizes that he is taking in the information better than they all could expect, he is just having trouble communicating it onto his test forms.

With plenty of hard work Michael is able to get his grade together and get onto the football field. Which is yet another struggle for him. Again, despite his ridiculous size for a 17 year old... he is VERY non- confrontational. Not to mention the fact that he has never played football in his life. He is having a lot of trouble following the rules and ideas of the game. But once Michael does get the hang of things. His sheer size coupled with his motivation make him a serious force on the field. Scouts come from all over... Louisiana State, Southern Carolina, Auburn... and of course Tennessee. Now with both Mr. and Mrs. Tuohy being Ole Miss alums, they aren't too pleased with the thought of Tennessee, LOL.

The movie is a lot of fun. It had a good amount of laughs, a lot of feel good moments, and a fun story. My only complaint was that they put a little more Hollywood in there and weren't entirely true to Oher's story. I won't spoil some of the differences between his real life and the life portrayed on screen, but I will share that it doesn't take a lot from the overall fun feeling of the movie. All in all I would put this one as about 7.5 out of 10. Bullock and McGraw were very believable in their respective roles. Actor Jae Head stole the show for me in the role of SJ. He was a very fun little character. This is a nice feel good movie that you can take the whole family to go see. And I wouldn't surprised to see Bullock get a few nominations thrown her way either.

Now In Theaters - Precious

I had a lot of excitement going in to see this one. From hearing about Mo'Nique's performance all the way to seeing the couple trailers almost a year ago... I was convinced that her performance would be memorable. I was also a bit anxious to see what Mariah Carey was going to bring to her role. I have never been impressed by her acting, and also somewhat put off by her snobby attitude in general. The director, Lee Daniels, is relatively new to the scene, so I didn't know what to expect from him.

The story 'Precious' is about a 16 year old girl that has had to endure just about every hardship you could imagine. Our lead heroine is played by newcomer Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe. And unless good ol' IMDB.com has failed me (which it NEVER has), this is her very first role. I for one was amazed by her ability to capture the pain and the anguish of Precious, who in this role... was the mother of two children. Her lack of on screen experience did not show one bit. i can assume that being born in Bedford-Stuyvensant and being raised in Harlem was a huge asset for her in this role since the movie itself was based on an inner city New York family. Mo'Nique plays the role of her mother... and I use the word "mother" very, VERY loosely. I tell you, this woman would have made Faye Dunaway shudder in fear. (In case you don't know who Faye Dunaway is, just make sure you don't hang your closthes up on any "wire hangers" LOL.) I have been hearing a lot of Oscar talk for her in this role and I don't disagree one bit.

Paula Patton ('Idlewild' and 'Deja Vu') plays the role of her teacher and is one of the driving forces in worlking toward some change in Precious' life. Another person who shows concern for Precious is a social worker by the name of Mrs. Weiss. This is the role that Mariah Carey was cast for. Now as I said before, I have never been impressed by her acting career. So it was quite a shock to see the emotion and the feelings that she put into this role. She was instructed that she would not be allowed any make up artists or hair stylist to accompany her on set. Everything that she was going to give us on screen was going to be 100% her... and I was impressed with her performance. The supporting cast as a whole was very well put together.

It's hard to talk too much about the storyline without giving away key plot points. All I can say that this was definitely very well put together. The direction, the acting, the writing... all very well done. I will tell you, this is not a movie for the faint of heart. You will be SHOCKED at some of the things young Precious has to endure. Correction, you will be shocked at MOST of the things she has to endure. It is a very sad and compelling story. At times I fear that the writer and director almost may have went too far to remain believable to the movie going audience. Although I know that situations like this are really out there in the world, there is a LOT of America that is blind to this side of the tracks. So even though I do think they went a tad bit too far, I am happy they did so. People need to see this kind of thing. I will caution you before going in... it's not "easy" to watch. You may want to judge for yourself before taking a child to see it. The language is extremely rough and the violence and abuse is plain off the hook.

Overall, I was very impressed with this movie as a whole. I am going to give this one a very solid 9 out 0f 10. I do think that this is the type of movie that rush out to go see. Just keep in mind, this is not the typical movie that you are used to. There is not much "feel good" going on in this one. It is a bonafide tearjerker. But if you are a fan of good acting, and compelling story lines, then it's a must see.

Now In Theaters - This Is It

Earlier this year we lost one of the most influential performers of the past three or four generations when Michael Jackson passed away. You know a guy is meaningful when both your grandparents AND your teenage cousins idolize him. I have to admit when MJ passed, I was pretty torn up about it. My father grew up on young MJ and I grew up to the MJ that became a GLOBAL icon. Beyonce, Brittney, Timberlake, Chris Brown, Omarion, Usher... you name the pop star and they will tell you that Michael was a huge influence on them wanting to become musicians.

Before Michael's unfortunate passing, he was planning one final worldwide tour. The rehearsals and various other aspects of the planning phase of the tour were recorded at his request. He had hoped to have this as something to remember his final tour with. This film was made instead, and it is a WONDERFUL tribute to the legend. It opens up with some of the dancers giving their account on MJ and why they wanted to audition. Dancers flew from all over in order to have the opportunity to just be in front of the man they idolize so much. The emotion in there voices and how many of them were on the verge of tears when expressing their admiration for him was a very, very moving opening to a very emotional film.

Being a fan of MJ it was a pleasure to see the behind the scenes on how he creates his shows that have sold out arenas in so many different countries. he had no problem stopping things and letting everyone know that there needs to be just a small change here. In watching this film, it becomes so obvious that the man was a perfectionist. He demanded perfection of himself, so of course it would trickle down on those around him. From the dancers, to the musicians, to the backup singer all the way to the lighting crew!! And despite his desire for perfection and nothing less, he was not without praise when they got it right. He was quick to throw out a "God bless you" LOL. I especially loved how he wanted his performers to all be recognized. At various times throughout the show he wanted his supporting cast to really "ham it up" so to speak. There are a few times when he outright stops them and tells them, "this is your moment."

I cannot tell you how many times I sat there and said to myself, "This man is 50???" I am 30 and I can't imagine myself doing half the things that MJ was doing. And what is really impressive is that he wasn't even really going 100%. Often he wouldn't do all the moves or hit all the notes, but it was obvious that he wouldn't miss a beat when it came to show time. It was a few times that he went all out (and to be honest, I wouldn't be shocked if he still could have gone harder) and I was blown away. Even the other performers were looking at him with that "WOW" expression. You could read their minds. You just knew they were thinking "I'm 25 and having trouble keeping up with this 50 year old!!" It is just plain amazing how this man still glides across a stage.

There are several video cut sequences that were to be incorporated into show as well. Very impressive CG scenes and even a few 3D sequences were going to be used. I found myself wondering how much was the budget on this thing? They were doing green screen and CG that you see in big major motion pictures. I was thoroughly impressed!! It's hard for me to give this one a true rating. For one, this is my first time reviewing a documentary. Another reason is because I am just a huge fan of the artist. I mean, MJ could come out on stage and stand there for 10 minutes, do a spin move and leave and I would probably lose my mind. Anyone out there that is a fan of MJ should RUN out and see this. As a fan, I give this one a 9.75 out 10 easily. But if I try to put my MJ biased to the side and look at this from purely an artistic aspect I would still give it a very solid 8.5 out of 10. It was very well put together.

Now In Theaters - Couples Retreat

Here we go again with another "save my relationship" couples movie. Will these things ever get old? Well I guess not. Let me see if I can guess the plot... couple is having slight problems in relationship, he's not being sensitive to her needs, she isn't understanding his side of things, hour and a half of antics, both realize how much they love the other and want to start doing what it takes to make them happy. Do I have it? Well this one was pretty much the same type of thing... multiplied by four. The good thing is, Vince Vaughn is in it. Can't go wrong with this guy.

This one has an amazing cast. Both with the core members and as well as the supporting members at the island. Jean Reno gives a good performance as usual and Carlos Ponce steals the show as the Latin yoga instructor. Anyone in this cast is capable of making you laugh instantly. Only bad thing is, they really didn't do so as much as they should.

This movie comes to us with good ol' Jason Bateman, playing the role of Jason, asks his buddies to join he and his wife on a marriage saving getaway. After begging he convinces three other couples to tag along for a weekend in paradise. But of course, once they get to the island, it's not quite what they all expected. And of course, this is when the crazy antics begin. Everything from 6am relationship building classes, married men attempting to sneak over to the singles side of the island and of course Faizon Love doesn't wear underwear.

My only knock on this one is that there wasn't quite enough laughs. There were some laughs, and the funny parts they had were really funny. But with a cast like this I expected it to be a riot. It just seemed to leave me hanging a bit on the laughs. It wasn't a bad movie by any means, just not all it could've (and should've) been. Overall I would give this one a pretty solid 7 out of 10. Not something you need to rush out and see, but it's worthwhile.

Now In Theaters - The Box

I wasn't very excited to see this one, but there just isn't a lot of choices out there right now. This one definitely had the necessary star power to make good things happen. With a cast boasting Cameron Diaz, James Marsden (Cyclops from the 'X-Men' franchise) and Frank Langella (most recently Richard Nixon in 'Frost/Nixon') and directed/written by the man who gave us 'Donnie Darko'... you would think you have a formula for success on your hands. Well sadly, the cast was the only thing exciting about this one.

The story centers around a married couple in the mid 1970's. Both husband and wife are working full time, yet the couple is still making it. The husband, Arthur, is working at NASA and aspiring to be an astronaut. While the wife, Norma, is a teacher at the school their son attends. Amidst their financial struggles, the family receives a very peculiar package one morning. The package contains a box with a large red button. Later in our story, a very mysterious visitor (Langella) explains that the the couple will be paid a sum of one million dollars if one of them pushes the red button. The bad news... someone on earth, will die.

An interesting dilemma for the family that is living check to check. And this is where our movie turns drastically downhill. The entire film drug on very slowly. There was never a high point, or "climax" so to speak. There are more "what the heck is going on right now?" moments and often times the movie never connects loose ends. I remember being a young boy and watching 'The Pelican Brief' for the first time. I knew that after I watched it the first time that I would have see it again in order to fully understand it. After seeing this, I know for a 100% fact that I could watch it 5 more times and still not quite get it. And I know I'm not alone... as I stood outside the theater looking over the poster for the upcoming 'Shutter Island' an older gentleman walked by me shaking his head and said, "I have no idea what I just saw."

I honestly don't have a single good thing to say about this movie. It was slow, boring and just did not close the book on too many open subjects once the credits began to roll. There was no laughter, there was no action... why do we spend our hard earned dollars to be entertained? Oh I know, we are also entertained by suspense and mystery. I guess you would have to file this one under mystery, but I'm sorry, it just does NOT capture your interest. I got a mystery for you... how is it that a couple that is supposed to be struggling check to check has a nice new shiny Corvette and springs for a sitter to watch their son as they are out on the town catching shows and such? I have to give this one about a 4 out of 10. If this is your only choice of something to watch in the theaters, make it a Redbox night instead. Instead of spending 20+ bucks on this, buy 'Star Trek' when it comes out on DVD next week. LOL

Now In Theaters - Law Abiding Citizen

I'm going to get right to the point on this one... if 'Star Trek' was the movie of this summer, this is most definitely my pick for movie of the fall. (lol, if there is such a thing.) This movie boasts two very big stars in Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. But we also have a nice name behind the scenes in director F. Gary Gray. You may remember him from such classics as 'Friday', 'Be Cool', 'A Man Apart' and 'The Italian Job'. (and looking over that resume, it really shows a lot of versatility on his part!) I love seeing movies with a lot of star power like this, but I also always fear them not living up to the hype of the talent involved. Well I am happy to report that this lived up to every bit of hype it had.

Butler plays the part of Clyde Shelton, a man who's wife and daughter are brutally taken away from him in front of his eyes. Foxx gives us the role of the prosecuting attorney Nick Rice who is responsible for putting away the two individuals responsible for the crime. When Rice does not handle the case in the way that Shelton approves of... our story begins. The more we delve into this film, the more and more we learn about Shelton.

The story line in this one is VERY well put together. It is very believable and easy for the typical movie watcher to identify with both Shelton and Rice. Foxx does a wonderful job of portraying an aspiring attorney who is caught in between trying to do the right thing and trying to maintain a successful career. Gray did a very good job taking us inside the mind of the legal system and showing us the flaws in the system. But it is my opinion that Butler really steals the show in this one. On a personal level, I absolutely love watching an actor who I will always remember for a certain role shows me another side of themselves. I was impressed when "Maximus" was 'The Insider'. I loved watching "John McClane" play a psychiatrist to a trouble kid. And I was just as impressed watching "King Leonidas" portray a regular guy who has lost his family.

The supporting cast did a wonderful job of keeping the storyline very precise and believable as well. There was one pretty sketchy part of the plot that was a bit hard to believe {once you have seen the film you will know what I mean. The whole "tunneling" thing, lol}, but outside of that I find it hard to spot a flaw in this one. Great acting + great story + great director = Success. I'm going to rate this one a 9 out of 10. Very, very well put together. I suggest you go check this one out. you won't be disappointed.

Now In Theaters - Zombieland

I will have to admit that I was pretty eager to see this one. 'Zombieland' stars one of my all time favorite guys to watch, Woody Harrelson. I just flat out love watching this guy. On top of that, the trailers really made this one look like it had potential to be pretty funny. But now that I have seen it, I am sorry to say I was pretty much let down. It wasn't so much the acting that let me down, but more so the extremely dull story line. Now of course, I didn't go into a zombie flick expecting plot and storyline... but this one was just left a lot to be desired.

Woody and co-star Jessie Eisenberg gave pretty good performances. And as silly as this will sound given the nature of the film, both gave very believable performances. This film pits us in the midst of a post apocalyptic America that has been over run by mindless, flesh eating zombies that used to be regular Joe and Susie 6 packs just like me and you. One thing that seems to be catching on, that I really like, is that the zombies can actually run. Woody plays a zombie's worst nightmare in the character "Tallahassee". The reson behind his name is because he doesn't want to know real names. I guess it's too personal to really get to know someone who more than likely is going to be dead soon. Hence, his co-star Eisenberg is dubbed "Columbus" from the hometown that he hopes to get back to in Ohio.

Now usually, with a zombie flick you either want 'Dawn of the Dead' or 'Shaun of the Dead'. This one leaned toward 'Shaun', but just wasn't as funny. You can easily overlook the ridiculous storyline and lack of serious action when you are laughing your socks off. But this one just didn't give us the laughs that we need in order to sustain us from the fact that this is a lame love story about twinkies and an infatuation with brushing a girl;s hair over her ear.

Overall, the movie isn't terrible per se` but it left a lot to be desired. I did enjoy Woody's character very much (as I pretty much enjoyed all of the characters, just didn't really enjoy the movie itself) and feel as though there was a good idea here. I just feel it fell remarkably short. I am going to rate this one about a 6.8 out of 10. I can't quite give it a 7, but it's close. Maybe I will have to take a second look at this one, but upon first look... I'm not impressed.

Now In Theaters - I Can Do Bad All By Myself

Tyler Perry's string of after school special movie that have enough star power to make it to the big screen continue with his latest effort. 'I Can Do Bad' gives you just what you would expect in any of his movies as far as the cast goes... big name leading lady (Tarji P. Henson), heart throb black male (Brian J. White), nice cameo's (Gladys Knight and Mary J. Blige) and some adorable little bad kids! Oh and of course Madea and Joe (both played by writer/director Perry) poke their heads in for a piece of the action.

This story finds three young children roaming around hungry and end up crossing paths with Madea. She discovers that the children live with their grandmother but have not seen her for several days. They in turn go to their aunt April's house (Henson) who is ADMITTEDLY against the thought of having children. Partially for her own reasons and partially due to her live in boyfriend (White).

And also in traditional Perry fashion there is some preaching and some singing! Both Gladys and Mary J. flex their golden pipes. (shout out to the eTrade babies, lol) The Pastor of the church that the children attends attempts to reach out to April in various ways. I will assume that you have seen a Tyler Perry movie and/or play before and think you already know how this one is going to end.

The acting outside of Henson is nothing spectacular. It is on par for other Perry movies. The story line is cute, but the kids are cuter. Overall it is a fun movie to watch but not a must see by any means. If you want to feel better about yourself and have that "feel good" movie experience, by all means check it out. You will get some laughs and there will be something to take away from the whole thing. Overall I am going to give this one a 6.5 out of 10. I guess I would rate it higher if all of his movies weren't so similar. I guess it's just a bit tiring to pay 10 bucks to go watch yet ANOTHER after school special, lol.

Now In Theaters - Surrogates

As a long time fan of Bruce Willis I went into this one with high hopes. Once I saw that Jon Mostow was the director... I started to feel a bit leary about the film. (For those of you wondering why... Mostow was the director of 'Terminator 3'. {shudders in horror} Alright... I think I'm okay now.) I am happy to say that Willis proves again that he is still one of Hollywood's most versatile actors. Quite often we as movie goers can lock in on an actor being John McClane and forget that he was also Dr. Malcolm Crowe (of 'The Sixth Sense').

'Surrogates' has a very Matrix-like feel to it. Now I am not comparing the two movies by any means, in my humble opinion 'The Matrix' was one of the most groundbreaking movies of its time period. However, there are a few similarities in the two. And after thinking about it a bit... this film is very 'I, Robot'-ish as well. Man creates something... Man falls in love with creation... Man cannot live without creation.

I loved the storyline and plot here. Officer Tom Greer (Willis) embarks on an intriguing task of having to solve the first murder in several years. The "surrogates" are robot versions of genuine human life that can be controlled by any person young or old. The surrogates then go out and interact in the world while the person remains in the safety, and seclusion, of their own homes. Surrogates are so common that violent crime no longer exists. Violence against a surrogate is considered vandalism since no real human being is harmed. But once a surrogate is destroyed and it causes the death of its human user... Greer has to hunt down the culprit.

The cast did a wonderful job in this one. I was mostly impressed with Rosamund Pike who plays Greer's wife. Her portrayal of both his wife and the surrogate version was very interesting to watch. Her battle against who she really was and her surrogate self was quit an interesting side plot.

Overall I would recommend this movie. It's not necessarily something that you need to rush out and see, but it was put together very well. A buddy of mine brought up an interesting thought... this would have made a very interesting story for an HBO TV series. The movie alone was almost too short. There could have been more story both before and after. I would give this a solid 7 out of 10.

Now In Theaters - Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen

A quick video review of the Transformers sequel.

New On Video This Week

A quick video review of the video releases for this week. Check it out and LMK what you think!!

Now In Theaters - Angels and Demons

The crew that gave us 'The Da Vinci Code' is back one more time to give us another adventure with Robert Langdon. Of course Tom Hanks is back to reprise his role and Ron Howard is back in the drivers seat. I have never really been a huge fan of good ol' Opie myself, but I am a HUGE fan of Hanks. But even still, he wasn't enough for me to enjoy this film. You know how they say that some sequels shouldn't have been made? And you know how they also say some books just shouldn't be made into movies? Yeah... let's just say that I can see why that was said.

Once again Langdon is contacted to try to help uncover some "church conspiracy" centuries years old. I will assume that you have already seen 'Da Vinci' before reading about 'Angels'. This time around, we learn that the old secret society known as Illuminati was resurfaced and planning on making the church pay for wrongs they committed years and years ago. Now, in 'Da Vinci' there was at least an interesting story that kind of made you think. (Despite the fact that the entire story was completely untrue.) But I can't say that about this one. I hate to be the one to spoil the film for you, but the entire film is just waiting for Tom Hanks to read something, ponder a few moments, and then figure out the next piece of the puzzle. Yaaaaaawwwwwn.

Seriously, I could have sat and watched Tom Hanks fill out a crossword puzzle book for an hour and a half and would have gotten the exact same level of enjoyment as this film. There was a decent amount action... but overall the movie was very, very slow. It just drug on so much. I hate to just down this movie so much, but there are just weren't very many high points.

This is definitely not one that I would suggest for the movie theaters. LOL, depending on how your day has gone you just might fall asleep during that first 45 minute span. I would give this one about a 4 out of 10. I wouldn't even use a free Redbox rental on this one.

New On Video This Week

A quick video review of the video releases for this week. Check it out and LMK what you think!!

Now In Theaters - The Hangover

Can someone PLEASE tell me when will movies about buddies going to Vegas and having wild and crazy adventures get old??? LOL, well as long as they are half as funny as this one probably NEVER!! Todd Phillips has done it to us one more time. I think we can officially put him up there with the great comedic directors of all time after this one. Besides 'Hangover' he was also the man behind 'School For Scoundrels', 'Starsky and Hutch' and 'Road Trip'. Oh and how about 'Old School' and 'Road Trip'. Speaking of 'Old School', IMDB shows me that a part "dos" is in the making. I don't know about you movie watchers, but I for one am very excited to hear that.

Okay, let's get back to this film. The chemistry that the cast had together was brilliant. Any guy out there can see just a little bit of one of his buddies in each of these guys. The way they interacted together really made you feel that they were lifelong buddies. Sometimes you get the "buddy" type of movie where the camaraderie just isn't there. I did not have that problem here.

Secondly, the writing and directing was brilliant to put it mildly. I was joking with a friend of mine and was saying there is NO way one person wrote this thing. The absolute randomness that adds to the films creative value seems too much for one person. I would not have been surprised had there been about four writers, LOL. Come to find out there are two writers, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, and they have worked together quite often. In watching this it almost seems like someone wrote it and then someone else came back over it and threw in more randomness. How else does a missing tooth, a tiger, a naked Asian man with a crow bar, a hooker, a baby, a black jack table and Mike Tyson all end up in the same film? Just when you think the film can get no weirder... **SPOILER ALERT** a guy pops out of the trunk butt naked and beats the crap out of three guys!! LOL **END SPOILER** It is literally one laugh after another.

I definitely recommend this one for anyone looking for a good laugh this week. If you are into guy buddy movies like say a 'Road Trip' or 'Knocked Up' you will enjoy this one. Overall I give it about an 8.5 out of 10. Go check it out... and bring a friend! LOL

** An orange spoiler alert means it is slight and not detrimental to the story, but could possibly spoil a minor surprise in the film.

New On Video This Week

A quick video review of the video releases for this week. Check it out and LMK what you think!!

In Theaters - Drag Me To Hell

Horror films are always unpredictable. You can never know really what to expect. Now you add in the fact that the director of 'Drag Me', Sam Raimi, is most notably known for directing the 'Spiderman' franchise. Now how will a writer/director of a huge comic book super hero movie transition into the horror/thriller type of genre? Going into this one I figured that it could easily go either way, but I was optimistic because the trailer seemed interesting. (The people who make trailers really should be paid more, LOL)

Now I will be the first to admit, I am NOT a huge fan of horror movies. So I probably will be a bit overly critical when reviewing them. But I do feel that the criticism I have for this one is well warranted. I was actually very impressed with the writing and the story line in this one. It was a pretty imaginative idea. One thing that I enjoyed about this is the fact that I prefer a supernatural enemy as opposed to some guy with a big ol' knife running around hacking up people in horror films. We get introduced to the "villain" in the opening sequence of the film. And we very quickly learn that it is completely without remorse or any type of sorrow whatsoever.

The biggest downfall of this film is the ridiculously over animated violence scenes. **SPOILER ALERT** I severely hate to give away actual scenes from the movie, but there is a scene where the woman attacking our lead actress sticks her entire arm down her throat. Yaaaaaaawn. **END SPOILER** There are quite a few scenes kind of like this. I don't mind gore, I don't mind excessive violence... but I do mind sillieness. (The whole hair pulling thing became really old and really stupid after the second time. And i think it happened about 5 times. LOL)

I was not overly impressed with the skill of our lead, Alison Lohman, by any means. She was standard at best. I enjoyed the job that Justin Long (the Mac guy) gave us in that film. He was the one small dose of reality as he played our hero's other half. Most impressive is a relative unknown by the name of Dileep Rao. I have never seen him before and IMDB.com has him as only being in a couple of random TV show episodes before this. But I am confident that we will see more of him. His somewhat eerie demeanor mixed with his genuine emotion really stood out to me.

Overall, the film was not bad. To be honest, if Lohman was replaced and the comedic silly violent scenes were redirected to go another direction, the film would've be fairly high on my charts. But as it is, I'd give it about a 6 out of 10. If you like horror films, check it out. But if you aren't a big fan of the genre... you can definitely wait until this one is in the NetFlix cue.


** A light yellow spoiler alert means it is very slight and not detrimental to the story.

In Theaters - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Ben Stiller brings us back to the museum that comes to life at night... only this time it is the LARGEST museum in the world. Stiller and crew this time take on the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Heavyweights Robin Williams and Owen Wilson are back along for the ride and this story also adds the likes of Hank Azaria, Bill Hader and Amy Adams. Even funnymen Craig Robinson and Jonah Hill peek in for a piece of the action. Well, the casting director did a great job, so what about the writers and the director?

This story starts us off with the lovable museum night watchmen making it big with inventions that he came up with in order to ease his transition into the museum. Personally, I thought this aspect of the new film was incredibly silly. LOL, how odd is it to call something silly in a movie about inanimate items coming to life and taking over a museum? But really, the entire opening scene comes off as though it should be a dream sequence more so than a segment filling us in on what has happened since the last movie. We then continue to find out that all his buddies at the museum are being shipped off to the archives of the famous Smithsonian Museum where the fun loving antics pick right up. Napoleon, Al Capone and Ivan the Terrible are among the mischievous characters involved. While Amelia Earhart, General Custer and even the 16th President of the United States of America Abraham Lincoln. And I would be remiss to not mention that the Tuskegee Airmen showed their faces as well.

The story is very cute and the jokes are quite quirky. This is where the film really loses its appeal. The film's comedic value is more geared toward children, yet it doesn't really have the appearance of a children's film. I do not feel that adults will enjoy the film that much, and I also do not think that children will bug mom and dad to go see the new Ben Stiller movie. I'm sorry to say, but the film just isn't as entertaining as it could and should be. I also have a personal gripe with the film in that I wish that it would have given just a tad bit more educational value. Since it is set in a museum and somewhat geared toward children, I would have appreciated it a bit if there had been more educational gems randomly dropped in there. But as I said, that is just a personal opinion. Does it hurt the credibility of the film? Not so much.

Overall the film is not necessarily bad, it's just that it is not necessarily good either. A lot of the same recycled jokes from the first film, and not enough fresh material for a sequel. In my opinion, this one is about a 6 out of 10. It may sound a bit harsh, but this is one sequel that really did not need to be made.

In Theaters - Terminator Salvation

Here we have the next installment in the 'Terminator' series and we have finally made it to the war that Sarah Connor tried so hard to prevent. The original 'Terminator' and 'T2: Judgment Day' were instant classics given to us by James Cameron. The third installment in the series was pretty much a disastrous project and I mostly blamed the lack of having Cameron on board as the downfall. So of course trying to do yet another without the original mastermind behind the series left me a bit worried. But I did feel as though it would take a monumental fail in order to be as bad as 'T4'.

Personally, I am a huge fan of Christian Bale so I was glad to see him on board with the project. (Certainly a major upgrade from Nick Stahl to play John Connor!!) I'm not all that big on McG, but I will give credit that he did a pretty good job here. I always enjoy seeing writers connect story lines and show us how it all unfolds on the big screen.

This film takes us through and shows us how Connor is emerging into the great military leader that he has been prophesied to be. It also gives us the origins of the T800 program. (For those of you unfamiliar, the T800 was the Terminator that Arnold was in the original movie.) Bale did a decent job of portraying Connor as a tough gritty general. I definitely enjoyed him more so in the 'Batman' movies and even in 'The Prestige', but I was still happy with his performance here. The supporting cast also provided overall good performances. Most notably in my opinion was that of Sam Worthington in the role of Marcus Wright. He was a very believable character that was manipulated by Skynet and forced to aid in the the research of the T800. I really look forward to seeing this guy in the 2010 film 'Clash of the Titans'. With the aid of heavyweights Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, it should be a pretty good film.

Overall 'Salvation' was an above average film. Much, much better than 'T3' (but that isn't saying much) but definitely not on par with the original nor 'T2'. But those movies are classics and hard to keep up with. I feel McG did a decent job with what he was given. I say 7.5 out of 10. Not the best movie of the summer, but far far far away from the worst. If you are a fan of the franchise you should definitely go see it. You'll be in for a treat when Connor finds himself in Skynet. ;)

In Theaters - Crank 2: High Voltage

Ever go see a movie and think to yourself, "man that's 2 hours of my life I wish I could get back."? Well that about sums up my thoughts on this terribleness that I sat through. (and yes... I did just say terribleness.) I guess it should be my own fault for expecting anything much after seeing the first 'Crank'. I guess I hoped that Jason Statham would get sick and tired of playing the exact same role in every single movie he has ever acted in. Honestly, is the Chev from this any different from the Frank in 'The Transporter' films? Or Handsome Rob from the 'Job' movies? Or who the heck ever he was in 'Death Race'? I mean how many times can one actor play the exact same guy across a barrage of different films before we get tired of it? (Please refrain from throwing Sly Stallone out there at me. I could watch 'Rambo' and 'Rocky' flicks all day long!! lol)

So back to the original terribleness... I don't think there was a 5 minute period that I enjoyed what I was watching. The action was decent, but mostly ridiculously over the top. The random manners in which he tried to keep his "heart pumping" I guess we would say were just plain ridiculous. The soft core porn scenes along with the stops by Asian brothels and strip clubs were just stupid attempts at getting some boobs on the screen. Now, I am not necessarily against on screen boobs... but there has to be a reason. And enough is enough. This movie had more random sex and boobs than gun fights. Am I watching Cinemax late at night or am I watching a box office action movie??? I can't tell.

I don't really have much to say about this one. I thought it was pretty terrible all the way around. It is now to the point that if Jason Statham is the leading man, I am in NO rush to see it. He is much more easily tolerated as Handsome Rob or Turkish ('Snatch'). Heck, i can even tolerate him better as video game voices. This was terrible. I'd say 3 out of 10.

In Theaters - Star Trek

Well well well. What can I say about the new 'Star Trek' movie? Well for starters I will say very, VERY impressive. With movies like this it is a tough job for the writers and the director to appease the original fan base while still remaining relevant to the movie goer in today's day and age. A difficult task indeed. One that director J.J. Abrams was ready for.

Another thing that bothered me going into this film was wondering what this was actually going to be. A remake? A sequel? Prequel maybe? Because to be honest, I am not really a huge fan of remakes of already great things. But when you see this film, you will be impressed with how this film is not really any of the above... but more of a blend of all three. It may not make sense now, but it will once you've had the pleasure to sit down and enjoy it.

I hardly know where to begin with this film. i would like to preference everything with the fact that I have NEVER been a big Trekkie kinda guy. I am a 'Star Wars' fan boy without a shadow of a doubt. And that fact is what impressed me so much about this film. This is definitely the type of film that anyone can enjoy, regardless of personal background. It has everything that we want in a good movie. The action, the story line, the humor, the overly talented yet underachieving cocky hero, the extremely by the book straight laced friend... and we even have a bit of a love story in there.

If you are a 'Trek' fan you will be impressed with the back story and the development of the characters. Abrams was very respectful to the original roots of the franchise. And there is definitely some good writing involving Spock that will make you darn near start applauding in your seat. (I won't let too much out of the bag, but if you saw 'The Hulk' and recognized the security officer that Norton (Banner) bribed with a pizza, you'll have a good idea what I may be eluding to. :D) If you were not a big "Trekkie" you will still be impressed with the well written story line, the amazingly well job done by the actors and the decent action scenes. I was blown away by the performances of Chris Pine who gave us young James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto who was the actor behind young Spock. Quinto has been scattered amongst a variety of television programs, but Pine is a relative unknown. Regardless of the different experience levels, both are primed to be launched into stardom following these respective roles. Oh, and yes... Kirk did sleep with some random green chick. If that doesn't say old school 'Star Trek' I don't know what does.

Overall, a VERY well put together film. It's the movie of the summer so far for me... easily topping 'Origins' and 'Salvation'. This is a good one for pretty much anyone. For the most part it is even pretty kid safe. I would give this one about a 9 out of 10. Not the absolute best thing I have ever seen, but a whole heckuva lot better than most. Rush out and see it.

In Theaters - Wolverine: X-Men Origins

One of the summer's most anticipated movies delivered with big action and big stars. Hugh Jackman returns to continue his portrayal of the most famous X-Man, Wolverine. Returning for another go round is Liev Shreiber who continues his role of Victor Creed. Better known to movie goers and comic lovers alike as Sabertooth. Jumping on board for the first time are names like Ryans Reynolds, Will I. Am and Taylor Kitsch. Longtime lovers of the comic have been waiting for Gambit (aka Remy LeBeau) to make an appearance on the big screen and with 'Origins' not only do they get him but they also get John Wraith and crowd favorite Deadpool.

Movie goers and regular Joe's alike will probably be impressed with the film as a whole. The story line flows well, the acting is very well done all the way around and the action sequences were not too shabby. Now the bad news is that the good majority of the target audience for this film are more than just typical movie goers. Most of us know the story of Wolverine fairly well. At least well enough to know that he and Sabertooth were not brothers. And don't get me wrong, I actually thought that it was a well played twist. Most enthusiasts would prefer that the writers/directors/etc. all remain true to the actual facts of the original story (I know people that are still upset about Spiderman having natural webbing, lol), and do not understand (or maybe don't care) that adapting a story from print to film is very difficult. With all of the similarities that Logan and Victor share in both mutant abilities and character traits... is it really all that far fetched to believe that they were brothers? Of course not. Who among us has never seen a brotherly rivalry grow into a feud?

Regardless of whether you are a typical movie goer or a die hard comic fan you will be happily impressed with Reynolds role of Deadpool. The only thing that will disappoint you is his lack of camera time. (I am not counting the absolute train wreck that they tried to pass off as Weapon XI) Luckily for us all, the 'Deadpool' spin off is pretty much full steam ahead. I was also very impressed with the long awaited debut of Gambit. I think Kitsch did a pretty darn good job portraying our beloved Ragin' Cajun. And in my humble opinion, I'd love to see a spin off on this one as well. Oh, and Will I. Am... well, he was in the movie also. That's about all I can say that was good about his performance.

Overall, it was in no way a bad movie. I enjoyed it and feel that the majority of movie goers will as well. As long as you do NOT go into it expected to see the movie of the summer. Don't get your hopes up too much thinking this is the film we have all been waiting a couple years to see. Because it definitely does not live up to the hype. (Let's hope 'G.I. Joe' doesn't let us down like this.) All in all, I would give this about a 7 out of 10. Go see it? Sure. Must see? uhhhhhh... not so much.