War Room: My Review

Christian movies have gotten a bad rap over the years, but the latest film by the Kendrick Brothers, War Room is doing big business at the box office and the reasons are simple: it's well written and the actors, although not household names do an amazing job. The film's message of grace and forgiveness is centered around a marital relationship, but overall that message can translate to any type of relationship, and it causes you to think about how we prioritize jobs and success over a relationship with God.

Secular critics have ripped this film in the press, and if it's not your cup of tea then I respect that. Sometimes a good message can be wrapped up in an entertaining way so if you need a dose of inspiration and a break from the sex and violence that a lot of other movies promote, see this with family or friends. It doesn't disappoint!  

Devil's Due-My Review

Every now and again I get a taste for a horror movie. Today was the day I happened upon Devil's Due on HBONow. Even though the movie was a flop at the box office, I actually enjoyed it. The "found footage" film centers around newlyweds Samantha and Zach McCall who go to the Dominican Republic for their honeymoon, and upon returning home Samantha finds out she's preggers. Well for most this would be a blessed event, but for the McCalls, Sam's pregnancy turns out to be a nightmare of epic proportions. Let's just say if you ever go to a foreign country on your honeymoon, beware of charming cabdrivers who take you to underground clubs in seedy areas of town, because you may leave with more than what you came in with.

The Perfect Guy: My Review

The Perfect Guy opened on 9/11 and from the looks of things the box office is going to be ridiculous. I went to an early screening on opening day, and the theatre was pretty full. The film which stars Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy, and Morris Chestnut is about a lobbyist who breaks up with her boyfriend of two years and takes up with a charming and (unfortunately for her) tech savvy psycho. Now I know this sounds like Lifetime movie fare, but the film hit all the right notes suspense wise, and the acting was top notch.

 Lathan and Ealy executive produced the movie so I didn't expect it to be unwatchable but was skeptical about how good it would actually be. I was not disappointed in the least. Make this movie # 1 this weekend folks by going out and supporting it with your coins. It's worth the price of admission!

P.S. Shonda Rhimes please recruit Sanaa for a Shondaland production. #justsayin

Southpaw: My Review

The screening for the new Jake Gyllenhaal movie was tonight and from the number of people that showed up it was a hot ticket.  If any of you have seen the zillion commercials for the film, you pretty much know what goes down in the movie: Billy Pope, a boxer at the top of his game, loses his wife, home, and his daughter and fights his way back to the top with the help of a tough trainer played by Forest Whitaker.

Is the movie worth the price of admission? Sure. Gyllenhaal and Whitaker give great performances and Rachel McAdams and young Oona Laurence are exceptional in the roles of Maureen and Leila Pope, but I don't see it being Jake's Oscar winning role. That in my opinion should have been Nightcrawler, a film that was a tour de force for the actor.

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Naomie Harris also appear in the film and 50 brings the right amount of smarminess to his role of Billy' manager Jordon. I would have liked to see more from Naomie's character as a social worker which was originally offered to Lupita Nyong'o who smartly turned it down. The role had no depth and someone of Lupita's talents would have been wasted in the role. Naomie certainly was.

The film opens this Friday nationwide so check it out in your local theater.

Lila & Eve: My Review

A vigilante movie starring Oscar nominee/SAG winner Viola Davis and triple threat Jennifer Lopez had me intrigued ever since the first moment I heard the news that it was being made. Viola is a power house actress so I was curious as to how her and Jennifer would complement one another in a movie. Not that I find Jennifer's acting bad, but Viola is a Master at what she does, and she is deserving of a strong co star. Just peep her scenes with the incomparable Cicely Tyson on her hit show How To Get Away With Murder to see what I'm talking about.

Back to the movie. I thought it was pretty good and the two leads do an excellent job as grieving mothers out for revenge. I must admit I wasn't prepared for the "twist" that came in the latter part of the movie, but there were Easter eggs throughout the film clueing the viewer in as to not everything being what it seemed. Needless to say I was still shocked at the big reveal and didn't know whether to be pissed or impressed with the scriptwriter for pulling the rug out from under me. I decided on the latter, because the twist did not keep me from enjoying the film.

The cast also includes Andre Royo, Yolonda Ross, and Julius Tennon (Viola's hubby) as her love interest.

You can watch Lila and Eve On Demand or in your local theatre.

Being Mary Jane: Season 2 Review

Tuesday night's return of the BET blockbuster hit Being Mary Jane pretty much took up where the finale ended. Mary Jane Paul, the super successful anchorwoman protagonist of the series is still in her feelings over her ex David and breaking things off with her married ex Dre. She's drinking, being extremely obnoxious, stalkerish, and downright rude but one thing's for sure, Gabrielle Union looks good even at her worst: throwing aquariums out of windows, heaving up in toilets, showing up at David's best friend's home to get the scoop on the new chick, and confronting David over an abortion she had when they were still coupled up, Gabrielle's style is on FLEEK! I love seeing my people styled to the nines and our faces beat to perfection. Kudos to the show's costume and makeup departments.

From the looks of things, this season is going to be amazing. Between Mary Jane hopefully dealing with what I hope is an increasing dependence on all things alcoholic, continued issues with her family, a love affair with Gary Dourdan, (my dreadlocked crush from A Different World), and a hot love scene with a nice piece of chocolate in some tight skivvies, I'm all in for this new season of Being Mary Jane.

American Sniper: My Review

American Sniper has been the number one movie in the country for the past three weeks and many have come out against it saying the film glorifies violence and has made Chris Kyle, the subject of the film, an undeserving hero who in some people's opinion was just a cold blooded murderer.

Despite where one stands in the debate,Sniper is a vivid account of Kyle's four tours of war and the effect what he saw and did over there had on him and his family. Under the direction of Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper gave the best performance of his career. Cooper threw himself completely into the role by putting on 40 lbs. of
muscle and adopting a Texas dialect. His portrayal
totally made you forget this guy played Phil in
The Hangover franchise.

The war scenes were frighteningly realistic, and
Eastwood did not hesitate to show the horrors of
war and the toll it takes on Kyle's psyche and on
his marriage to his long suffering wife Taya who
stood by him as he became a shell of his former
self after each tour. Sienna Miller did as much as
she could with the role of long suffering wife, but
this was Cooper's movie and he owned it.

Regardless of where you stand on the war or on the
subject of Chris Kyle the deadliest sniper in  U.S.
history, American Sniper is definitely a must see!