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.