The Reader

Yes this is one of those last minute Oscar movies. Yes it’s from the Weinstein’s, yes it’s another Holocaust movie but I liked it.
Prepare for a 3 hankie tearjerker with great performances from Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, and newcomer David Kross. The movie is about illiteracy and how pride and guilt can keep you from love. Does that sound corny? Sorry but that’s what it’s about. Ralph has perfected the tormented man in so many movies yet he still has not won an Oscar. He is perfectly cast for this movie and always makes everyone else in the movie look good. Anthony Minghella (The English Patient & The Talented Mr. Ripley) and Sydney Pollack, who are both deceased, are two of the various producers involved with this movie. Lena Olin, who you will remember her from 1989’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, shows up in a cameo role but you will barely recognize her due to all the surgery she has had. For Winslet this is her best performance to date as Hanna Schmitz however I expect many more greater performances to come from her.

Verdict: This movie should not be missed. Kate will win the Oscar even though Meryl & Angelina give better performances in Doubt and The Changeling. Why? Because it’s Kate’s time in Hollywood, similar to when Nicole Kidman won the Oscar for her boring performance in 2002 The Hours, it was her time. This is not Kate’s prime performance; I felt she was holding back at times. I look forward to more exciting performances from her. This is Ralph Finnes best performance since Shindler’s List and David Kross gives an amazing performance as the young Michael Berg. Viewers will have various takes on why situations turned out the way they did in the movie which will provide stimulating conversation after a viewing.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

I have never seen a single episode of The King of Queens but it was a hit for many years on CBS. I became a Kevin James fan by watching his performance in the movie Hitch. He had me in tears from laughter. In his role as Albert Brennaman he was a great 2nd banana to Will Smith. He also worked well with Adam Sandler in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.
In Paul Blart: Mall Cop James tires it alone and the results are disastrous. The story is weak and so are the bad guys who James goes up against in the mall. Keir O’Donnell is the main antagonist who you will remember as the family geek in Wedding Crashers.
Mall Cop could be James's movie franchise based on the applause I heard when the movie ended from the very young audience.

Verdict: For kids and diehard fans ONLY.
I pray that Kevin James finds better material and passes on Mall Cop 2.

Notorious

I didn’t have high expectations for this movie because there has not been any good mainstream hip hop movies made except for maybe Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow.
Notorious surprised me and may well be the best movie made about a hip hop artist to date.
Not only does this movie review the rise and fall of Biggie Smalls but you also see how Puffy was able to rise from the ashes after making big bank for Andre Harrell and then getting fired. P Diddy, Puffy or Diddy was portrayed very well by Derek Luke who does not look anything like Diddy but gets all of his early, off the wall, dance moves down and shows the passion Diddy had for succeeding it in the music business.
The story is about a talented boy from Brooklyn who went from slinging crack to selling millions of albums. The story is true for those of you who don’t know about Biggie. Having grown up in Brooklyn I knew every part of his story, which is now legend and it was good to see that it was captured well with very good acting. This is a breakout role for Jamal Woolard who did an amazing job playing Biggie considering he has not been in prior movies. Newcomers Antonique Smith and Naturi Naughton are mesmerizing as Faith Evans and Lil Kim.
At a premiere for the movie in Brooklyn four people were stabbed and in Greensboro NC a 32 yr. old man was shot. The theater I attended, in suburbia, had a Mall Cops standing in front of the theater room to ensure children would not sneak in and attend the screening. I could think of a dozen other R rated movies that should have had real cops to keep kids from seeing due to violence, sex, and foul language.
Angela Basset's stock goes down like 2008. She portrays Biggie’s mom but does not take the time to learn a Jamaican accent. One minute in the movie she has somewhat of an accent and then when she appears again in another scene it’s gone. Angela lost MAJOR points with me for being lazy. Next time Angela, take a trip to Jamaica and practice your craft. Angela really wasn’t needed because the newcomers were able to pull it off. Angela plays the same strong matronly role that she portrays in every other movie that she’s in.
The director did a great job of capturing Brooklyn landmarks such as Junior’s Restaurant and the Brooklyn Bridge and various well known sections of NYC in grainy vivid colors. He also included actual footage of Biggie's final ride through Do or Die Bed-Stuy.
Some people think Biggie was the biggest, baddest, bestest rapper ever to have graced the hip hop universe in the history of, like, ever. Others may not agree with this however he is the first rapper that has been portrayed in a mainstream movie about hip hop.

Verdict: I enjoyed it with a group of people in the suburbs. If you know his songs you will love it. Best scene was Biggie’s first performance at Howard University. Good acting by all involved except for Angela Bassett.

Slumdog Millionaire

This weekend I was watching an old Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach. I wanted to see Tilda Swinton in an earlier role, who I was very much impressed with in the movie Michael Clayton. I fast forwarded through The Beach because I couldn't’ wait for it to end. It was really bad but I was surprised to see that the movie was directed by Danny Boyle. Danny also directed Slumdog Millionaire.
One of my friends in the industry advised me not to see Slumdog, he said it does not live up to its hype. He is usually right and I usually don’t believe him. Slumdog is a good movie however my friend was right again, it does NOT live up to its hype.
If you believe in reincarnation you better pray you are not reborn in the slums represented in this movie. The film centers around 3 kids from the slums and their involvement in various adventures and relationships with nefarious characters. One of the boys, Jamal, ends up on the UK version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
The director Danny Boyle’s talents have matured over the years since The Beach. He also directed 28 Days Later which was an excellent update on Dawn of the Dead. With Slumdog Danny gives viewers a visual treat and a movie that has great performances from the younger cast in their portrayal of the main characters. Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, as the youngest Jamal, is captivating and pretty much steals the movie. M.I.A.'s hit hip hop song Paper Planes tracks brilliantly in one of the scenes in the movie.

Verdict: Worth seeing. If it’s not at the top of your list then see it when it’s released on Blue Ray for its visuals.

Obessed movie trailer staring Beyonce 2009

The 70's: Frost/Nixon

Where were you when Nixon resigned? Some of you were not even born yet. This is a question that is asked in the movie and how this monumental event affected America. Gerald Ford, the President that took over after Nixon left gave Nixon a pardon and most of America felt Nixon got off easy. David Frost wanted to interrogate him on television. This movie is about how it was pulled together and the results. Ron Howard does a good job flashing forward and showing the parties involved present day as they look back and discuss what took place. Frank Langella who’s breakthrough role was Dracula 1979, and Whoopi Goldberg’s ex-boyfriend does the best job of any actor that has taken on the Nixon role. He has the voice and all of Nixon’s mannerisms down pat. How do I know? Rent PBS’s Nixon from their series on The Presidents to see an excellent bio. on Nixon. I really didn’t think Langella could pull it off but he does in spades. The actor who plays Frost, Michael Sheen who played Tony Blair in The Queen, does it with great exuberance and we should see him in many future films.

Verdict: This film is Oscar worthy and keeps you engaged until the end. Langella has been around for a while and gives a great performance so he may beat out Brad Pitt for an Oscar.

The 60's: Doubt

Meryl Streep seems to get better with age. She gives an amazing performance as Sister Aloysius Beauvier.
The movie is set a year after JFK was assassinated which sets the tone for the nation and the movie. Academy Award winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman is good as always and he is a master of expressing his feelings without uttering a word.
I have always enjoyed Viola Davis. You have seen Ms. Davis in damn near everything but this is her breakthrough role and it will send chills down your spine. She will win a supporting actress Oscar. This breakthrough role is similar to Morgan Freeman’s in 1987’s Street Smart as a pimp named Fast Black. Go to Netflick and rent this movie to see Morgan when he was hungry.

Verdict: Definitely see this movie for the acting and two great performances from Meryl and Viola. Viola will beat out Taraji P. Henson for Best Supporting Actress.

The 50's: Revolutionary Road

The title is appropriate for this movie and Sam Mendes does a great job of showing a couple in turmoil during the the fifties. The Wheelers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) are a young couple who end up in suburbia and wonder if this is all there is to life. Leo ends up working in a job he detests and Kate ends up doing bad plays in school auditoriums.
The Director comes close to matching his masterpiece American Beauty. In Revolutionary Road he has quirky characters similar to American Beauty but the narrative is missed and the end is predictable. The Revolutionary Road script is however very entertaining.

Verdict: Kate is not happy. Happy wife equals happy life? Not in this movie. Rent American Beauty again and wait until this hits HBO. For a really good show that captures the essence of the 50’s rent Season One of AMC’s Mad Men. You will not be disappointed.

The Wrestler

Ok, what is your favorite Micky Rourke movie? Can’t name one, I can’t either. Maybe if you go waaayyyy back to 1986 you could say “9 ½ Weeks” but even that performance was just okay.
Mickey was given the opportunity to work in the film industry as an actor and he BLEW IT. He became a boxer in the prime of his career, losing pretty much most of his fights, and busting up his grill to the point of having a face that needed major plastic surgery.
America likes a comeback and Hollywood is positioning this movie similar to John Travolta’s comeback in Pulp Fiction. Nicolas Cage was given the role and right before they started filming the director felt that Rourke was a better choice. I agree, Cage has not let himself go as much as Rourke however Rourke is in incredible shape in the movie for his age.
Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei (remember My Cousin Vinny, yeah she got an Oscar for that) gives a great performance and is also in incredible shape.
The Wrestler is a heavy drama and is a good movie however this is not a chick flick and is very depressing.

Verdict: See it only if you want to see all the Oscar nominated movies before the award show. Rourke will probably get the Oscar for this due to Hollywood politics however I feel Pitt gives a better performance in Benjamin Button.