I'm gonna try not to bash Tyler Perry too much during this posting, so let me start with the positive. Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor stars the young Jurnee Smollett-Bell. She has grown up to be a beautiful young actress. She's always been a great actress to me even when younger. Now she's even more fantastic and did an excellent protrayl of a married woman who feels negelcted by her husband and subcomes to the advances of a young handsome millionaire.
Now, let's get into it. TP has woman issues. He always seems to write movies and plays about troubled women who fall for aggressive men and then need to be saved by some other man. All women aren't troubled, and all women don't need to be saved. TP writes the same movie over and over again. It's the same movie dressed up in different clothes. I'm over this concept. Why can't he write a movie about a strong black man living a powerful life, or what about a strong confident black woman living a colorful and exciting life. He can't because he doesn't want to or doesn't know how.
Don't get me wrong, the movie isn't bad. It's funny and entertaining. It's also extremely predictable. I was only somewhat surprised by one aspect of the story, and even that didn't help with the depth of the character. His characters are always one dimensional. They usually have some deep seeded issue that never ever really gets resolved. The woman is usally angry because of past relationships and is only finally content when some heroic man comes to save the day.
I am fine that the movie didn't really have a completely happy ending. Sometimes, life isn't perfect and doesn't always end happily. But, all the issues weren't really resolved, and I guess we're supposed to use our imaginations. He is getting better. In ten years, his movies may actally be good. Until then, I'll keephopefully watching.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
The Host - A decent book adaptation
Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight Saga, wrote a wonderful adult sci-fi book called The Host. It's about alien beings that inhabit planets by inserting souls in the creatures of the planet. These aliens come to Earth and take over humans. One alien, Wanderer, has inhabited many planets and comes to Earth and struggles with the being inside her head, Melanie. The host body belongs to Wanderer, aka Wanda, but the mind and its emotions still belongs to Melanie. They seek out Melanie's loved ones and so the struggle really begins.
The Host movie isn't much different from the book. The story is virtually the same. Only small insignificant details are changed. If you never read the book, those changes wouldn't be noticeable. What is missing and what may bother a reader or a non reader is the passion. Melanie and Wanda have such great passion and loyalty that they risk there lives numerous times for love. This was implied in the movie, but it wasn't felt throughout the movie. These actors (Saoirse Ronan as Melanie/Wanda and Max Irons as Jared Howe) aren't very well known although they have been in many movies. They need a few more years under they're belt to evoke more emotion from the audience.
Stephenie Meyer doesn't seem to have the ability to pick great screenplay writers and directors. They tend to butcher her books, and she seems to be ok with it. I'm still pissed at the outcome of Twilight the movie. Poorly done. The Host movie isn't as bad as Twilight, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. This movie may bring in the few who read the book, but it won't captivate those who didn't. It was a decent adaptation. I've seen movies that should have never been made. This isn't one of them; it just should have been made better. One thing that could have made it better other than better acting is the exploration of the planets the souls have inhabited. Wanda's stories of these planets are some of my favorite parts of the book. They are completely missing from the movie. I was really looking forward to seeing what a claw beast looked like. Maybe in 15 or 20 years, someone will remake it and get it right, until then....just read the book, if you haven't already.
The Host movie isn't much different from the book. The story is virtually the same. Only small insignificant details are changed. If you never read the book, those changes wouldn't be noticeable. What is missing and what may bother a reader or a non reader is the passion. Melanie and Wanda have such great passion and loyalty that they risk there lives numerous times for love. This was implied in the movie, but it wasn't felt throughout the movie. These actors (Saoirse Ronan as Melanie/Wanda and Max Irons as Jared Howe) aren't very well known although they have been in many movies. They need a few more years under they're belt to evoke more emotion from the audience.
Stephenie Meyer doesn't seem to have the ability to pick great screenplay writers and directors. They tend to butcher her books, and she seems to be ok with it. I'm still pissed at the outcome of Twilight the movie. Poorly done. The Host movie isn't as bad as Twilight, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. This movie may bring in the few who read the book, but it won't captivate those who didn't. It was a decent adaptation. I've seen movies that should have never been made. This isn't one of them; it just should have been made better. One thing that could have made it better other than better acting is the exploration of the planets the souls have inhabited. Wanda's stories of these planets are some of my favorite parts of the book. They are completely missing from the movie. I was really looking forward to seeing what a claw beast looked like. Maybe in 15 or 20 years, someone will remake it and get it right, until then....just read the book, if you haven't already.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
GI Joe: Retaliation - Olympus wins
Last week Olympus Has Fallen came out, and I thought it was fantastic! I knew GI Joe: Retaliation was coming out a week later, and it had a similar plot. So, I wondered which would be better and which would bring in the most money. GI Joe has a long standing history of tv shows, movies, toys, and comics to win on the financial end, but if I had to choose which action film was the best, I'd go with Olympus hands down.
GI Joe is the sequel to GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra. I enjoyed the first one much more than this movie. They brought back Channing Tatum as Duke. (SPOILER ALERT) He doesn't last long in the second movie, and he never takes off his shirt. Sorry ladies. We do get to look at Dwayne Johnson. The Rock is one of the things God got right. But, I must say that I was disappointed in his performance. He tended to overact, and I'm over him playing this big muscle-bound bad arse beating up and killing folks all the damn time. He definitely needs to try something else. I guess that'll have to wait until after the next Fast and Furious.
My other big issue with this movie is the storyline. It's not very plausible and the acting comes off kinda immature. Why is the Rza the Blind Master, an old kung-fu type guru? He looked ridiculous sitting there channeling his inner Master Shredder. Jonathan Price plays the POTUS and Zartan masked as the POTUS. His character had a lot of silly, cheesy lines which really dumb downed the movie. And then there's old arse Bruce Willis, who really needs to retire along with the Governator and Rocky. He may have been the best actor in the movie, but he really added nothing but a big name to the screen.
There was some great action and fight scenes. The mountain fight sequence was the awesomest! Lot's of high-flying action, literally. I tend to enjoy things blowing up, bullets flying, and good sword play. That always entertains me. This movie will entertain the average man, woman, and male child, but it didn't do it for me. But, what do I know? I didn't really like the Avengers either. GI Joe is the second installment in this franchise, and I'm sure there'll be another one, but I hope they get better writers and some new action blood because this one was stale and put up against Olympus Has Fallen is an epic fail.
GI Joe is the sequel to GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra. I enjoyed the first one much more than this movie. They brought back Channing Tatum as Duke. (SPOILER ALERT) He doesn't last long in the second movie, and he never takes off his shirt. Sorry ladies. We do get to look at Dwayne Johnson. The Rock is one of the things God got right. But, I must say that I was disappointed in his performance. He tended to overact, and I'm over him playing this big muscle-bound bad arse beating up and killing folks all the damn time. He definitely needs to try something else. I guess that'll have to wait until after the next Fast and Furious.
My other big issue with this movie is the storyline. It's not very plausible and the acting comes off kinda immature. Why is the Rza the Blind Master, an old kung-fu type guru? He looked ridiculous sitting there channeling his inner Master Shredder. Jonathan Price plays the POTUS and Zartan masked as the POTUS. His character had a lot of silly, cheesy lines which really dumb downed the movie. And then there's old arse Bruce Willis, who really needs to retire along with the Governator and Rocky. He may have been the best actor in the movie, but he really added nothing but a big name to the screen.
There was some great action and fight scenes. The mountain fight sequence was the awesomest! Lot's of high-flying action, literally. I tend to enjoy things blowing up, bullets flying, and good sword play. That always entertains me. This movie will entertain the average man, woman, and male child, but it didn't do it for me. But, what do I know? I didn't really like the Avengers either. GI Joe is the second installment in this franchise, and I'm sure there'll be another one, but I hope they get better writers and some new action blood because this one was stale and put up against Olympus Has Fallen is an epic fail.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Olympus Has Fallen - A Spring Blockbuster
The big name movie studios like to put their big blockbusters out in the summer. People seem to have more time in the summer with school being out, and the weather being nice to go to the movies. Spring is iffy since some places like NY still have snow and cold weather in the spring and may not want to venture out to see a movie, or they are at a beach somewhere enjoying spring break. Millennium Studios gambled with March to release Olympus Has Fallen, and I think they made a wise decision on this spring blockbuster.
Olympus Has Fallen has a lot of strong faces that star in this movie: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Cole Hauser, Morgan Freeman, Rick Yune, Angela Basset, and Dylan McCermott (ok he's more of pretty boy, but he does his strong-faced thing here). There was hardly ever any smiling in this movie, but why should there be when the White House is being attacked by North Korean terrorist. This movie plays on American fears of war with North Korea. Terrorist take over The White House with the help of a secret service trader in the hopes of getting American forces to withdraw from the South Korean borders. The plot is plausible and so is the action with the exception of the fact that while hundreds of people are shot in DC, one lone man makes out with barely a scrape for the first 90 minutes.
There is a lot of action and heart-stopping suspense. At one point everyone ison an Easter Egg Hunt looking for the president's son, bad guys and good. That had you holding your breath for a few moments. And, I can't forget the blood. If you are squeamish at the site of blood, this isn't the movie for you. It's not Quentin Tarentino bloody, but there is quite a lot of bullets and knives to the brain followed by blood splattered walls. Gerard Butler is one bad-arse ex-special forces/secret service agent. My other favorite character is the Secretary of Defense played by Melissa Leo. She was one tough cookie. I would love to have someone like her behind our defenses.
Olympus doesn't disappoint. I love a good action movie with a decent storyline. Those are hard to come by these days. I hear the next GI Joe movie has a similar plot. It better bring it because Olympus surely did, and it came out a week earlier to boot. Next week I'll try to get all 3 movies in, The Host, GI Joe, and TP's The Marriage Counselor. I might have to take a break from the theatre after that.
Olympus Has Fallen has a lot of strong faces that star in this movie: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Cole Hauser, Morgan Freeman, Rick Yune, Angela Basset, and Dylan McCermott (ok he's more of pretty boy, but he does his strong-faced thing here). There was hardly ever any smiling in this movie, but why should there be when the White House is being attacked by North Korean terrorist. This movie plays on American fears of war with North Korea. Terrorist take over The White House with the help of a secret service trader in the hopes of getting American forces to withdraw from the South Korean borders. The plot is plausible and so is the action with the exception of the fact that while hundreds of people are shot in DC, one lone man makes out with barely a scrape for the first 90 minutes.
There is a lot of action and heart-stopping suspense. At one point everyone is
Olympus doesn't disappoint. I love a good action movie with a decent storyline. Those are hard to come by these days. I hear the next GI Joe movie has a similar plot. It better bring it because Olympus surely did, and it came out a week earlier to boot. Next week I'll try to get all 3 movies in, The Host, GI Joe, and TP's The Marriage Counselor. I might have to take a break from the theatre after that.
Friday, March 15, 2013
The Call - 911 is a joke in your town
Ever go into a movie with such low expectations only to completely and utterly enjoy yourself? That was me this morning when I went to see The Call. I really didn't think it was going to be that great, mostly because of Halle's wig or weave. If they couldn't find her better hair, then I assumed they couldn't find her a good script either. I was wrong, well sort of.
The Call is a simple story about a 911 operator, Jordan, played by Berry who inadvertently causes the death of a young woman when she returns a disconnected call while her kidnapper/murderer is searching for her. This causes Jordan serious anxiety and questions if she should continue on the job. Six months later, during a training exercise, Jordan helps a frantic young girl played by Abigail Breslin who has been kidnapped outside a mall. All sorts of nail biting, breath holding, edge of seat action ensues. Now, I typically go to the movies in the hood, which means there was a lot of screaming at the screen which may or may not have added to the excitement. That usually bothers me, but today, it enhanced the thrill of the chase.
Morris "Dark and Lovely" Chestnut plays Halle's love interest and one of the police officers in on the hunt to track down the kidnapper. His partner is played by David Otunga (JHud's boo). David needs to stick with wrastling because he is not a very good actor, and although he's attractive, standing next to Chestnut, he just looks like a light skinned Mike Tyson (sorry Jennifer, not really). Abigail Breslin is fantastic in The Call. She doesn't annoy me as most little whining, sniveling girls in this type of movie can often do. She is strong, smart, and fiery. After I got past (barely) Halle's horrible hair, I enjoyed her strength as well. There's no doubt that she is a fantastic actress, but she hasn't really been in any good movies lately. This is the best one since...well...since maybe Swordfish although I liked her in Cloud Atlas.
I do have one complaint about this movie and that is the ending. I really think it could have ended a little better with more power and justice. There was really no closure. It just kinda ended, but other than that I really enjoyed my time at the theater today even with all the screaming and yelling at the screen. Go see The Call. You may be yelling at the screen too.
The Call is a simple story about a 911 operator, Jordan, played by Berry who inadvertently causes the death of a young woman when she returns a disconnected call while her kidnapper/murderer is searching for her. This causes Jordan serious anxiety and questions if she should continue on the job. Six months later, during a training exercise, Jordan helps a frantic young girl played by Abigail Breslin who has been kidnapped outside a mall. All sorts of nail biting, breath holding, edge of seat action ensues. Now, I typically go to the movies in the hood, which means there was a lot of screaming at the screen which may or may not have added to the excitement. That usually bothers me, but today, it enhanced the thrill of the chase.
Morris "Dark and Lovely" Chestnut plays Halle's love interest and one of the police officers in on the hunt to track down the kidnapper. His partner is played by David Otunga (JHud's boo). David needs to stick with wrastling because he is not a very good actor, and although he's attractive, standing next to Chestnut, he just looks like a light skinned Mike Tyson (sorry Jennifer, not really). Abigail Breslin is fantastic in The Call. She doesn't annoy me as most little whining, sniveling girls in this type of movie can often do. She is strong, smart, and fiery. After I got past (barely) Halle's horrible hair, I enjoyed her strength as well. There's no doubt that she is a fantastic actress, but she hasn't really been in any good movies lately. This is the best one since...well...since maybe Swordfish although I liked her in Cloud Atlas.
I do have one complaint about this movie and that is the ending. I really think it could have ended a little better with more power and justice. There was really no closure. It just kinda ended, but other than that I really enjoyed my time at the theater today even with all the screaming and yelling at the screen. Go see The Call. You may be yelling at the screen too.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Oz the Great and Powerful - The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My!
Wicked is one of my favorite broadway musicals. I love the songs, the set design, and the spin on the classic Wizard of Oz tale. One of these days, I'm going to read the books. Because The Wizard of Oz is such and classic and because I love Wicked, I was extremely eager to see Oz the Great and Powerful. Too bad my eagerness wasn't enough to help me enjoy this movie. As of now, I think I've found the worst movie of 2013.
Let me start with the good part of this movie: due to my busy weekend schedule, I had to watch it in 3D because that was the only time that fit. I don't usually like 3D movies mostly because I feel it doesn't add much to the movie, and it's a waste of money. I got to see this for free because of my "frequent flyers" card for movie goers. The 3D aspect of the movie went really well with the visually appeal of the set design and color scheme. I'm sorta interested to see if the movie was as stunning in 2D. The director, Sam Raimi, did a great job bringing the magical land of OZ to life. The other aspect of the movie I enjoyed was the storyline. We learn how Oscar Diggs, played by James Franco, becomes the Wizard of Oz, and why he tricks people into believing he's so powerful when he's really not. We also learn why the wicked witch, played by Mila Kunis, is so wicked and how she becomes green. The movie is based on the book by the same name, so I'm assuming if I'd read the book I'd known that already. (It's on my Kindle. I just haven't gotten to it yet.) You would think with such a good storyline, great cast (Michelle Williams is Glenda the Good), and great visuals this movie would be great, but to no avail.
What really makes this movie so terrible is the acting. Someone told these seasoned actors to act like idiots and be cheesy like the original movie starring Judy Garland. It felt like I was watching a flashier version of the 1939 film. Any second, I thought someone was gonna say, "...lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!" Cheesy is the best way I can describe the acting. They were all way over the top, and it came off silly instead of entertaining. Mind you, this is a PG rated movie so I guess they were trying to appeal to the kids, but kids aren't idiots. You don't have to act so horribly to keep their attention. I guess the movie did it's job. The children in the movie theater laughed and the older gentleman in front of me chuckled quite a few times. I smiled ONCE!
If you are going to see this movie, please know that with previews it's about 2.5 hours long. When a movie isn't very good, that's hella long! I wouldn't watch this again even if it was on ABC or NBC and nothing else was on tv. It was definitely a waste of life and I'd be even more pissed if I actually paid $10 to see it. Oz the Great and Powerful was more like Oz the over-the-top and too long.
Let me start with the good part of this movie: due to my busy weekend schedule, I had to watch it in 3D because that was the only time that fit. I don't usually like 3D movies mostly because I feel it doesn't add much to the movie, and it's a waste of money. I got to see this for free because of my "frequent flyers" card for movie goers. The 3D aspect of the movie went really well with the visually appeal of the set design and color scheme. I'm sorta interested to see if the movie was as stunning in 2D. The director, Sam Raimi, did a great job bringing the magical land of OZ to life. The other aspect of the movie I enjoyed was the storyline. We learn how Oscar Diggs, played by James Franco, becomes the Wizard of Oz, and why he tricks people into believing he's so powerful when he's really not. We also learn why the wicked witch, played by Mila Kunis, is so wicked and how she becomes green. The movie is based on the book by the same name, so I'm assuming if I'd read the book I'd known that already. (It's on my Kindle. I just haven't gotten to it yet.) You would think with such a good storyline, great cast (Michelle Williams is Glenda the Good), and great visuals this movie would be great, but to no avail.
What really makes this movie so terrible is the acting. Someone told these seasoned actors to act like idiots and be cheesy like the original movie starring Judy Garland. It felt like I was watching a flashier version of the 1939 film. Any second, I thought someone was gonna say, "...lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!" Cheesy is the best way I can describe the acting. They were all way over the top, and it came off silly instead of entertaining. Mind you, this is a PG rated movie so I guess they were trying to appeal to the kids, but kids aren't idiots. You don't have to act so horribly to keep their attention. I guess the movie did it's job. The children in the movie theater laughed and the older gentleman in front of me chuckled quite a few times. I smiled ONCE!
If you are going to see this movie, please know that with previews it's about 2.5 hours long. When a movie isn't very good, that's hella long! I wouldn't watch this again even if it was on ABC or NBC and nothing else was on tv. It was definitely a waste of life and I'd be even more pissed if I actually paid $10 to see it. Oz the Great and Powerful was more like Oz the over-the-top and too long.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Jack the Giant Slayer - Another twisted classic
Everyone knows the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk: Jack is sent to sale goods to get money for food for his hungry family. He trades his items for magical beans. His family doesn't believe the beans are magical and that Jack has caused his family to now be poor and hungry. The beans are thrown out the window and a beanstalk grows into the clouds. A curious Jack, climbs up the beanstalk, finds and kills a giant, takes some treasure back to his family, and everyone lives happily ever after. Probably not, but whatever.
Jack the Giant Slayer is a twist on this classic tale. Jack, played by Nicholas Hoult, goes through very similar beginnings as the classic Jack, but he decides to climb up the beanstalk to rescue Princess Isabelle, played by Eleanor Tomlinson, whom has accidentally been caught up into the beanstalk as it grows while on an excursion outside the castle. Isabelle's story is a classic as well: betrothed to a man she doesn't love and feels trapped in the castle so she seeks adventures like the ones her now deceased mom use to read to her as a child. Once at the top of the beanstalk, the real excitement begins.
Nicholas Hoult and Eleanor Tomlinson aren't huge names, although Holt starred in Warm Bodies late last year, but one name and face you will recognize is Stanley Tucci. He plays Lord Roderick, the man Isabelle is supposed to marry unbeknownst to the king that he has evil plans to be the King of the Giants. This isn't much of a spoiler since in movies like this, the guy betrothed to the princess is always the bad guy. Ewan McGregor is another big name. He plays the leader of the Kings' guard, and is a very integral part of saving the kingdom.
The kids in the movie theater seemed entertain. That may have something to do with the constant potty humor brought on by the giants. I found the movie to be rather lengthy, overly dramatic, and somewhat violent. The giants were constantly eating humans, passing gas, and throwing things. I don't think I'd watch it again, well maybe if there was nothing else on tv and I didn't have any dvds to watch. I'd honestly rather read the classic fairytale, and maybe so would you.
Jack the Giant Slayer is a twist on this classic tale. Jack, played by Nicholas Hoult, goes through very similar beginnings as the classic Jack, but he decides to climb up the beanstalk to rescue Princess Isabelle, played by Eleanor Tomlinson, whom has accidentally been caught up into the beanstalk as it grows while on an excursion outside the castle. Isabelle's story is a classic as well: betrothed to a man she doesn't love and feels trapped in the castle so she seeks adventures like the ones her now deceased mom use to read to her as a child. Once at the top of the beanstalk, the real excitement begins.
Nicholas Hoult and Eleanor Tomlinson aren't huge names, although Holt starred in Warm Bodies late last year, but one name and face you will recognize is Stanley Tucci. He plays Lord Roderick, the man Isabelle is supposed to marry unbeknownst to the king that he has evil plans to be the King of the Giants. This isn't much of a spoiler since in movies like this, the guy betrothed to the princess is always the bad guy. Ewan McGregor is another big name. He plays the leader of the Kings' guard, and is a very integral part of saving the kingdom.
The kids in the movie theater seemed entertain. That may have something to do with the constant potty humor brought on by the giants. I found the movie to be rather lengthy, overly dramatic, and somewhat violent. The giants were constantly eating humans, passing gas, and throwing things. I don't think I'd watch it again, well maybe if there was nothing else on tv and I didn't have any dvds to watch. I'd honestly rather read the classic fairytale, and maybe so would you.
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