Good Deeds

Spike Lee and Tyler Perry disagree on what is appropriate entertainment for Blacks. Lee thinks Tyler's shows are derogatory. Tyler however does take from Spike and sticks with most of the same actors in his movies.

Tyler is starting to venture into new territory with this flick. There is no Madea, and God is not the answer to all problems. In Good Deeds Tyler plays businessman Wesley Deeds, and is jolted out of his scripted life when he meets Lindsey, a single mother who works on the cleaning crew in his office building.

Throughout the movie you get a feeling that Perry is trying to be Sidney Poitier with the way he speaks and his mannerisms but it does not work. Lindsey is played by Thandie Newton who is now the angry Black woman in movies. In fact she starred in The Pursuit of Happyness as Will Smith angry wife and now in Good Deeds she is homeless similar to the Will Smith character.

Good Deeds does not work because there is no chemistry between Perry and Newton. I give Perry props however for moving away from Madea.

Verdict:

There is nothing groundbreaking like Tyler's best picture to date For Colored Girls. I still can't understand why it was not nominated for any Oscars.

This Means War

This movie is OK considering McG is the Director and it also stars Chelsea Handler. The story is about two top CIA operatives played by Chris Pine from the Star Trek reboot and Tom Hardy from Warrior who wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman who is played by Reese Witherspoon.
Now if you don't know what a McG is it's a guy who screwed up Terminator with the failed Terminator Salvation flick. He has had more failures as a Director when he should stick to being an Executive Producer. He also should change his name so that we don't avoid his movies in the future. Chelsea Handler I don't get??!!? I'm sorry but she is not funny and I find it hard to believe that she would be a friend of Reese Witherspoon which she is in the movie. She is a poor supporting comic actor but Chelsea Handler fans will probably love it.
McG creeps everyone out by having a scene where cameras are planted in Witherspoon's apartment so that the guys can watch her every move. REALLY??!

Verdict:
Witherspoon, Pine, and Hardy make a good trio.

Marvel's The Avengers- Trailer (OFFICIAL)

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3D

If you didn't like Ghost Rider #1 you are going to hate GH #2. Even if you like Nicholas Cage you will have a problem trying sit thru this until the end. As the story goes Johnny Blaze, Nicolas Cage, hides out in Eastern Europe when he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.
The film has some cool special effects but there is no heart or soul and there is no story.
Recent Golden Globe winner Idris Elba makes an appearance and you wonder why he wanted to be in this Marvel film after doing such a good job in Thor.
Believe me that there is absolutely nothing more to say about this movie. It is not a true 3D movie so skip paying extra to see a couple of scenes of items coming at you from the screen.
I used to read Ghost Rider comic books and this franchise does not do it justice. Let's call it a day and please don't make a 3rd Ghost Rider.

Verdict:
Cage walked thru this flick as if he was doing it only to get out of debt.

Rampart

Let me start by saying I am a huge Woody Harrelson fan and I was looking forward to seeing this movie due to all the positive buzz.

Well even fans of Woody will find this movie to be one of his misses.

The movie is set in 1999 Los Angeles. Woody plays veteran police officer Dave Brown, the last of the dirty renegade cops. He works to take care of his family and struggles for his own survival. In the movie he is known as Date Rape Dave which relates back to a case he handled.

Director Oren Moverman shoots the movie in a dark, yellowish filter in which he is trying to make the film fit the urban grit of the locations. Filming it this way (which has been done countless times before) only wants to make you go to sleep. Actor Ben Foster shows up again (he has been in many action movies of late: Contraband, The Mechanic, etc.) and tries to act again but Ben needs to go back to acting school. Every time I see him appear in a movie I know that the movie is going to suck.

Several good "Brand" name actors make cameo appearances throughout the movie and since the editing and pacing is off you end up trying to entertain yourself by figuring out what was the last movie these cameo actors were in.

Verdict:

This movie will DEFINITELY put you to sleep.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

The Rock is the new action hero and if you have an existing franchise (like Fast and the Furious) insert him and ticket sales soar. Brendan Fraser was in the 1st Journey movie. In this version
Josh Hutcherson returns as Sean Anderson and partners with his mom's husband, The Rock, on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
Michael Caine plays the grandfather and constantly reminds you of the old man from Jurassic Park.
OK, so when has The Rock been in a good movie? (don't include Fast Five) There's your answer. This flick is not good. You will know this when you take your kids to it and the only thing they will remember when it's over is The Rock bouncing cherries off his chest.
Kristen Davis, from Sex and the City, also stars but if you blink you will miss her.
Luis Guzmán, who has been in countless movies, provides comic relief and is the best thing about the movie.

Verdict:
There is absolutely no need to see this in 3D because the effects are limited and 90% of the time I was able to watch the movie without it. In fact there is no need to see this movie at all.

The Amazing Spider-Man - International Trailer (HD)

Safe House

One thing you can expect from a Denzel Washington movie is an "A List" script.

Safe House has a good script however you would have to suspend believe and realize that CIA agents are buffoons to buy into what happens.

The movie is about a young CIA agent who is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.

Throughout the movie bullets are flying all over the place and what happens at the end is ridiculous due to the fact of how intelligent Denzel Washington character is in the movie.

The always interesting Vera Farmiga makes an appearance as a House agent in a role reminiscent of her performance in the movie Source Code. She is not very smart in this movie so don't expect to see her usual wit and savvy which she has exuded in other flicks.

Verdict:

Very predictable but solid performances from Denzel and Reynolds.

The Bourne Legacy - Official Trailer 2012 - Movie Trailer - HD

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter - Official Trailer (HD)

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D

Yes George Lucas got my money and I want to warn everyone that this is NOT true 3D.

Think of when they decided to Colorize popular Black and White movies. It didn't work and the only true 3D you will see in this movie is the credits at the end. If you don't believe me then take your 3D glasses that you have at home (from not returning at the end of a movie) go see another movie and then sneak in to see the 3D effects of this movie. During my showing many people did this and walked out disappointed.

The other problem with seeing this on the big screen again is that the 1999 Special Effects seem dated already. After seeing the Effects on the Transformer series and Avatar the Effects on this movie seem stale.

Verdict:

The only reason to see this movie is if your kids have never seen it on the big screen and / or if you have never seen it on the big screen. If you have then save your time and money and remember that Lucas plans to re release the remaining Star Wars films in 3D.

My Week With Marilyn

Director Simon Curtis has done a good job of casting Michelle Williams to portray Marilyn Monroe. This is a true story about Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier's, who documents the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl. Many actresses have played Marilyn from Mira Sorvino to Poppy Montgomery, even Angelina Jolie is up next to play the tragic star.

Williams is nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal and my guess is because she has done the best job of portraying her to date. Other than that it's an ok movie.

Kenneth Branagh and an unrecognizable Julia Ormond play Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh (who was Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind). With everything I have read about Vivian Leigh it's hard to believe that there were zero fireworks between her and Marilyn during the filming of The Prince and The Showgirl. Vivian comes off as a pathetic figure and it's documented that she could throw a tantrum just as good as Marilyn however it's not captured in the flick. Kenneth Branagh at times steals the spotlight from Michelle Williams however this is her showcase and her best movie to date.

Verdict:

Worth seeing only if you are a Marilyn or Michelle Williams fan. Everyone else should wait for Ms. Angelina Jolie. I can't wait!

Prometheus - Official Trailer [TRUE HD]

Red Tails

I can't believe that the Studios turned down George Lucas when he approached them about this movie?!
Shades of Steven Spielberg and The Color Purple!
Red Tails is not as good as the Color Purple but it is far better then a slew of Hollywood movies that have been released in the last 4 months.
This is a true story about a crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty.
Lucas hired all new young actors as the pilots. One looks and sounds like a young Denzel Washington and gives a solid performance. The actor that steals the show from veterans Cuba Gooding and Terrance Howard is newcomer David Oyelowo in the role of
Joe 'Lightning' Little. He gives an Oscar worthy performance however he is not nominated?? Now take a look at Jonah Hill's performance in Moneyball (which was good and earned him an Oscar nomination) then compare it to Oyelowo performance in Red Tails. Oyelowo wins hands down.
Kudos to George Lucas for making a solid action movie. Yes it's slow in spots and there was a sup plot that was not needed that was reminiscent of The Great Escape but the movie is well made and should be seen on the big screen with it's excellent booming soundtrack.

Verdict:
Perfect movie for Black History month as well as any other month especially when you have rubbish like The Devil Inside robbing people at the Box Office.
It's REDUNKCULOUS why this movie was not nominated for anything especially since George Lucas continues to make billions for Hollywood. In conclusion Lucas's game shows no shame, other than Tyler Perry he is one of the few people in the game that bet on black.