Think Like a Man- 2012
Length: Approx. 2 hr. 2 min.
Genre: Comedy
Cast:
Kevin Hart Meagan Good
Michael Ealy Gabrielle Union
Jerry Ferrara Regina Hall
Romany Malco Taraji P. Henson
Terrence Jenkins Jennifer Lewis
Steve Harvey
Grade: B+
Would I buy: Yes
Review:
Based on Steve Harvey's book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" the story of this film intertwines the story of multiple friends experiencing the trials of dating. There are 6 main men in the story who fit many different stereotypes of men: the happily married, the divorced, the dreamer, the mother's boy, the slacker, and the player. For the opposite the opposite team there is the single mother, the superficial woman, the accustomed to hurt, and the woman who is tired of complacently. Once an airing of an interview with Steve Harvey is made public about his new book, women have the power of the man's mind at their fingertips while reading this book. This book gives women insight to the way men think, what they really mean, their desires, and ultimately what they expect. The book gives women tips and advice on how to make their relationships more effective and to sort out the right guys from the fakes. This makes for a hilarious movie that kicks off the summer in the right directions for all comedies to come!
As well all are well aware, Kevin Hart is a comedic genius and in this film he does not disappoint. However what was truly surprising about this film was that the supporting cast was very funny as well. This made this film much more pleasurable knowing that it could stand on it's own two feet without the presence of Kevin Hart on the screen. The character development in this movie was spot on as well making it very easy to relate to the characters and want them to succeed. Every character had about as much screen time as needed to tell their story and I felt that the script was very well written for the most part. What was very refreshing about this movie was that it was actually a comedy. So many times now a days we are seeing films portrayed as comedies in the trailer only to find out that we really payed to see a drama with spurts of laughs. This film stuck to what it said it was going to do and delivered many laughs while making you feel for the characters too which is something not many films recently have pulled off!
As stated earlier I felt the acting and the script were great for the most part, however one thing I thought that could have been better was the fact that at many times all of the stories were experiencing the same problems at the same time. It truly was like the same dialogue being spoken four times in a row and it got a little repetitive at times hearing the women asking the same questions and the men having the same answers. As different as all of the problems were in the movie, I felt that maybe the success should have been divided more and that the problems could have been slightly more diverse. Every movie is pretty predictable to an extent (except for a few recently that we have seen like...Inception), but it wasn't just the end that was predictable in this movie it was the negativity of ALL of the relationships after you found out ONE was having a problem.
Other than that I had a great time and I felt like it was a great way to start the summer! I recommend everyone to go see this movie soon!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows-2012
Length: Approx. 1 hr. 53 min.
Genre: Comedy/Horror
Cast:
Johnny Depp Gulliver McGrath
Michelle Phiefer
Chloe Moretz
Helena Bonham Carter
Eva Green
Grade: C
Would I buy: No
Review:
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton together usually make a great combonation whenever it comes to works of cinema, however here the effort is for naught. Dark Shadows is about a man named Barnabas Collins (Depp) who practically owns the town of Collinsport in his hands due to the family business. He has everything he has ever wanted, money, power, and the love of his life. Unfortunately, this power attracts those with wicken intentions, one of those being a woman named Angelique (Green). After denying her confession of love Angelique is set upon making Barnabas pay for what he has donce, hence killing both of his parents and casting the love of his life under a spell to spiral into her doom. Barnabas' attempt to join his parents and his love are vanquished after he is put under a spell to be a vampire and is eternally doomed to a life of solitude until two centuries later he is found where he has to adjust to the new world and right what was done wrong to him!
The whole problem with this film to me was what plaques many films now a days, the trailer. The trailer for this film (in my eyes at least) seemed to give off a vibe that this film would be pretty funny. The whole problem here though is that the film seemed indecisive on which route it wanted to take. The tone of this film was very dark, and with a dark film such as this it is very difficult to strike a median of comedic elements while keeping the tone still dark and spooky. The dialoque was witty and funny at points but there were just no laugh out loud moments to be able to correctly label this film as funny.
As far as the acting is concerned, I thought it was firing on all cylinders. My only other gripe about this film was that the pacing seemed to be very off. The first 20 or so minutes of this film felt extremely rushed to me. An important concept in a film like this is wanting to feel for the main characters struggle and rooting for them, however here it was just hard to decide who Barnabas was at first. Later on in the film you develope a sense of wanting him to succeed, but it just took to long to decide.
A film of this genre isn't typically my cup of tea however this film did nothing to boost my opinion of it in anyway. I would say that it was a very average film that is honestly pretty forgetable. If you enjoy Johnny Depp's work then by all means go see this movie but do not expect to be blown away.
Length: Approx. 1 hr. 53 min.
Genre: Comedy/Horror
Cast:
Johnny Depp Gulliver McGrath
Michelle Phiefer
Chloe Moretz
Helena Bonham Carter
Eva Green
Grade: C
Would I buy: No
Review:
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton together usually make a great combonation whenever it comes to works of cinema, however here the effort is for naught. Dark Shadows is about a man named Barnabas Collins (Depp) who practically owns the town of Collinsport in his hands due to the family business. He has everything he has ever wanted, money, power, and the love of his life. Unfortunately, this power attracts those with wicken intentions, one of those being a woman named Angelique (Green). After denying her confession of love Angelique is set upon making Barnabas pay for what he has donce, hence killing both of his parents and casting the love of his life under a spell to spiral into her doom. Barnabas' attempt to join his parents and his love are vanquished after he is put under a spell to be a vampire and is eternally doomed to a life of solitude until two centuries later he is found where he has to adjust to the new world and right what was done wrong to him!
The whole problem with this film to me was what plaques many films now a days, the trailer. The trailer for this film (in my eyes at least) seemed to give off a vibe that this film would be pretty funny. The whole problem here though is that the film seemed indecisive on which route it wanted to take. The tone of this film was very dark, and with a dark film such as this it is very difficult to strike a median of comedic elements while keeping the tone still dark and spooky. The dialoque was witty and funny at points but there were just no laugh out loud moments to be able to correctly label this film as funny.
As far as the acting is concerned, I thought it was firing on all cylinders. My only other gripe about this film was that the pacing seemed to be very off. The first 20 or so minutes of this film felt extremely rushed to me. An important concept in a film like this is wanting to feel for the main characters struggle and rooting for them, however here it was just hard to decide who Barnabas was at first. Later on in the film you develope a sense of wanting him to succeed, but it just took to long to decide.
A film of this genre isn't typically my cup of tea however this film did nothing to boost my opinion of it in anyway. I would say that it was a very average film that is honestly pretty forgetable. If you enjoy Johnny Depp's work then by all means go see this movie but do not expect to be blown away.
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Avengers movie review
The Avengers- 2012
Length: Approx. 2 hr. 12 min.
Genre: Action
Cast:
Samuel L. Jackson Scarlett Johanson
Chris Hemsworth Jeremy Renner
Mark Ruffalo Chris Evans
Robert Downey Jr. Tom Hiddleston
Grade: A+
Would I buy: Absolutely
Review:
To sum up this film in one word I think the word I would choose is "chaos". From the moment this film starts until the second it finishes it is a mood of simply chaos, and I mean that in a positive light. The plot of this movie is basically that Loki (Hidleston) comes to Earth in an effort to obtain an energy source that will ultimately make him ruler of all worlds, and give him what he rightfully is owed and what was taken from him by his "brother" Thor, power. Once chaos ensues the Director of international peacekeeping, Nick Fury (Jackson), then goes on a search to assemble a team powerful enough to stop this corruption from ending our world as we know it. This team is called the Avengers.
Let me start by saying that any expectations I had about this movie prior to it's commencement were completely and utterly smashed (pun intended on the Hulk's behalf). This movie not only had some of the best action sequences in a movie that I have ever seen, but it also had me crying laughing at many points in the movie. The script of this movie was spot on and perfectly blended the contrasting characters with nothing in common but good in their hearts to work together to achieve one goal. Every hero in this movie was just as important as the next, all though in some cases I felt some were robbed of screen time. The acting was great, the plot was great, for a superhero movie that is, and the action sequences were phenomenal. Now as we all know Robert Downey Jr. has comedic timing on lock, however half of the funniest things in this movie were non verbal. There were so many parts of this movie where the crowd was in hysterics but not because something was said, just things that were done. I loved how the writers of this movie gave Captain America the reigns and allowed him to instruct because that is honestly true to the comics. However, of all the characters in this movie the true standout to me was Mark Ruffalo as the Bruce Banner/The Hulk; I mean the guy is just phenomenal. He had so many mannerisms that fit the character of the Hulk so well that when I think back on the Incredible Hulk (2007), I feel that these mannerisms definitely should have been implemented there as well. Mark Ruffalo has a tremendous track record already as far as works of cinema, and this film will definitely add to that stature. Not only were the scenes just awesome whenever Bruce turned into the Hulk, but at sometimes they were some of the funniest scenes of the movie as you work towards the end.
I really enjoyed Hawkeye's (Renner) and Black Widows (Johanson) chemistry as well. They really worked well together and made an awesome duo when the situation called for it. Overall this film was a perfect blend of everything you want to see in a movie. Of course, Samuel L. Jackson did amazing as Nick Fury because number one it's Samuel L. Jackson, and number two because Nick Fury is Samuel L. Jackson. That is his character. Unfortunately I did not stay after the credits and even if I would have I wouldn't have told you what I saw. Just go see the movie I promise you will not regret it.
*It is crucial that you see Thor in order to understand what is going on, so if you haven't seen that, well may God have mercy on you as you are watching this and not understanding why anything is happening.
Suggestions:
Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk (2007), Iron Man, and Iron Man 2.
Length: Approx. 2 hr. 12 min.
Genre: Action
Cast:
Samuel L. Jackson Scarlett Johanson
Chris Hemsworth Jeremy Renner
Mark Ruffalo Chris Evans
Robert Downey Jr. Tom Hiddleston
Grade: A+
Would I buy: Absolutely
Review:
To sum up this film in one word I think the word I would choose is "chaos". From the moment this film starts until the second it finishes it is a mood of simply chaos, and I mean that in a positive light. The plot of this movie is basically that Loki (Hidleston) comes to Earth in an effort to obtain an energy source that will ultimately make him ruler of all worlds, and give him what he rightfully is owed and what was taken from him by his "brother" Thor, power. Once chaos ensues the Director of international peacekeeping, Nick Fury (Jackson), then goes on a search to assemble a team powerful enough to stop this corruption from ending our world as we know it. This team is called the Avengers.
Let me start by saying that any expectations I had about this movie prior to it's commencement were completely and utterly smashed (pun intended on the Hulk's behalf). This movie not only had some of the best action sequences in a movie that I have ever seen, but it also had me crying laughing at many points in the movie. The script of this movie was spot on and perfectly blended the contrasting characters with nothing in common but good in their hearts to work together to achieve one goal. Every hero in this movie was just as important as the next, all though in some cases I felt some were robbed of screen time. The acting was great, the plot was great, for a superhero movie that is, and the action sequences were phenomenal. Now as we all know Robert Downey Jr. has comedic timing on lock, however half of the funniest things in this movie were non verbal. There were so many parts of this movie where the crowd was in hysterics but not because something was said, just things that were done. I loved how the writers of this movie gave Captain America the reigns and allowed him to instruct because that is honestly true to the comics. However, of all the characters in this movie the true standout to me was Mark Ruffalo as the Bruce Banner/The Hulk; I mean the guy is just phenomenal. He had so many mannerisms that fit the character of the Hulk so well that when I think back on the Incredible Hulk (2007), I feel that these mannerisms definitely should have been implemented there as well. Mark Ruffalo has a tremendous track record already as far as works of cinema, and this film will definitely add to that stature. Not only were the scenes just awesome whenever Bruce turned into the Hulk, but at sometimes they were some of the funniest scenes of the movie as you work towards the end.
I really enjoyed Hawkeye's (Renner) and Black Widows (Johanson) chemistry as well. They really worked well together and made an awesome duo when the situation called for it. Overall this film was a perfect blend of everything you want to see in a movie. Of course, Samuel L. Jackson did amazing as Nick Fury because number one it's Samuel L. Jackson, and number two because Nick Fury is Samuel L. Jackson. That is his character. Unfortunately I did not stay after the credits and even if I would have I wouldn't have told you what I saw. Just go see the movie I promise you will not regret it.
*It is crucial that you see Thor in order to understand what is going on, so if you haven't seen that, well may God have mercy on you as you are watching this and not understanding why anything is happening.
Suggestions:
Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk (2007), Iron Man, and Iron Man 2.
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