Inside Man

Category: Drama, Thriller and Crime/Gangster Rating: R for language and some violent images. Run Time: 2hr. 08 min.

Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Directed by Spike Lee

Produced by Daniel Rosenberg, Brian Grazer

Written by Russell Gewirtz

Distributed by Lions Gates Films

Release Date: March 24th, 2006

Synopsis: Four people dressed in painters' outfits march into the busy lobby of Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street Branch of a worldwide financial institution. Within seconds, the costumed robbers place the bank under a surgically planned siege, and the 50 patrons and staff become unwitting pawns in an airtight heist. NYPD hostage negotiators Detectives Keith Frazier and Bill Mitchell are dispatched to the scene with orders to establish contact with the heist's ringleader, Dalton Russell, and ensure safe release of the hostages. Working alongside Emergency Services Unit (ESU) Captain John Darius, all are hopeful that the situation can be peacefully diffused and that control of the bank and release of those inside can be secured in short order. But Russell proves an unexpectedly canny opponent--clever, calm and totally in command--a puppet master with a meticulous plan to disorient and confuse not only the hostages, but also the authorities. Outside, the crowd of New Yorkers grows as the situation becomes increasingly intense tense, with Frazier's superiors becoming more concerned about his ability to keep the standoff from spiraling out of control. The robbers appear to consistently be one step ahead of the police, outwitting Frazier and Mitchell at every turn. Frazier's suspicions that more is at work than anyone perceives are justified with the entry of Madeline White, a power player with shadowy objectives, who requests a private meeting with Russell. The chairman of the bank's board of directors, controlling entrepreneur Arthur Case, is also uniquely interested in the moment-to-moment happenings inside the branch. But just what are the robbers after? Why has nothing worked to alleviate the standoff, which stretches on hour after hour? Frazier is convinced that invisible strings are being pulled and secret negotiations are taking place as the powder keg situation grows more unstable by the moment.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: B+

I anticipate that I am not the only on who thinks this film is a hit. If I had to guess I would say that V for Vendetta will be the second highest grossing movie this week and judging by the lines and the applause in the theater Inside Man is going to be number 1. As in V for Vendetta you have a situation where the bad guy is the sentimental favorite because some of or all of his activity is based in righteousness even if a few "innocent' people have to get inconvenienced in the process.

Since I really did enjoy this film so much, let me tell you what I didn't like about it first or rather what was really a stretch in the script. I will be sure not to give away any points. First the ending didn't tie up neatly. Second the one size fits all Uniform - you have to wonder how the crooks knew how many smalls, mediums and extra large uniforms to bring. Critics have raised the casting question about Christopher Plummer who is too young for this role as the Nazi sympathizer. The role was designed for somebody twenty years his senior, if he was a brotha' I would say "ok black don't crack" (lol) Consider critic Roger Ebert who said "if a man was old enough in the early 1940s to play an important wartime role, how old would he be now? Ninety-five? He might still be chairman of the bank he founded, but would he look like that young?" Possible not probable. Denzel's cop girlfriend the beautiful Cassandra Freeman is another example of Spike using sisters to take on these loutish roles, he is aware of the on going criticism of him when it comes to females, he should try to use his pen or lense in a more inspiring way.

Ok now here is why I liked it and you probably will also. This movie is vintage Spike Lee, an official Spike Lee Joint even without him making a cameo. The techniques he uses, with the moving or spinning backgrounds are reserved for Clive and Denzel the rival heroes on screen. The racially charged humor from a Black perspective. The ethnic and racial tensions in the plot are serious yet comfortably funny if that's possible. There is a scene where A Sikh is accused of being an Arab terrorist, and the dialogue which ensues shows that this country is so xenophobic, racist and they can't even see it unless we show them so Spike lets the character say his stuff and then Denzel lets him know that despite all of that shit you just said, its not as bad as being Black cause you can still get a cab in NYC. It's a punch-line that doesn't take away from the Sikh's points and even the movie goers are thinking I know he's not a terrorist but "the cops are correct". Eventually people might understand that a guy with a turban can be a Sikh - Not an Arab. As multi-ethnic as NY claims to be Spike shows how typically ignorant people are of each other's cultures. The episode where the hostage-takers use a foreign language that has to be identified by a construction worker and then translated by his ex-wife speaks volumes of people. It's not trying to tell a story but it's actually a identifiable point for many New Yorkers who see Europeans as all the same Albanian, Armenian, Yugoslavia, Bosnian etc it's another tidbit that stands by itself. It has an international outreach without being political and will make it a hit overseas.

No tidbit is quite as outstanding as Spike's not so subtle attack on Curtis Jackson aka "Fiddy Cent". There is a scene involving a little boy playing the new 50-Cent game and his perspective is an eloquent smack in the face and wake up call concerning the rise of the Black-male gangster particularly the philosophy and opinions which say "get rich or die trying". The actual video shots of the little boy's video game, show a shoot-'em-up sequence followed by a 9-year old rationalization so embarrassing that even Clive Owens's seemingly nasty bank robber character takes offense. Spike's in total control throughout and still focused on the main story unlike the ten stories he tried to tell in "She Hate me". Lee's filmmaking is playful yet intense and calm.

All the main characters you will either understand or like. Jodie Foster character is not wasted either, we see her in a way physically we have never seen her before , she is dressed in sexy tight business suits, sporting muscular legs with tight skin and finally tanned, she has never looked more expensive and Madison avenue. She is also playing the type of character we have never seen her play although she has been in over 70 films. Without giving away any substance to this great film Spike title is genius in the conclusion since most people will be thinking its an "inside job" and it suggest collusion to the bank robbery - Nuff Said.

The Invasion

Category: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Suspense/Horror and Remake Rating: PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and terror. Run Time: 1 hr. 36 min.

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jeffrey Wright, Jackson Bond

Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel

Produced by Roy Lee, Doug Davison, Susan Downey

Written by Dave Kajganich (Screenplay), Jack Finney (Source Material serial story: "Invasion of the Body Snatchers")

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Release Date: August 17th, 2007

Synopsis: The mysterious crash of the space shuttle leads to the terrifying discovery that there is something alien within the wreckage. Those who come in contact with it are changing in ominous and inexplicable ways. Soon Washington, DC psychiatrist Carol Bennell and her friend, Dr. Ben Driscoll, learn the shocking truth about the growing extraterrestrial epidemic: it attacks its victims while they sleep, leaving them physically unchanged but strangely unfeeling and inhuman. As the infection spreads, more and more people are altered and it becomes impossible to know who can be trusted. Now Carol's only hope is to stay awake long enough to find her young son, who may hold the key to stopping the devastating invasion.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: B-

The Invasion is the fourth of the movies made from Jack Finney's classic science fiction novel "The Body Snatchers", which I probably saw about 25 times. This film is updated to be stylish and smart but it cannot replace the original. It is an effective action thriller that only hints at the psychological complexity the film might have wanted to move toward. It does not try to do too much but it’s a moderately compelling sci-fi action movie with a handful of scary scenes and a few funny ones. You will find it an easier sell than its micro idea which is that Nicole Kidman is sexy in lingerie.

We seem doomed if we show emotion but some people are immune to the spores and if we can get a cure from their bodies, we can save us all. However we are left to ponder the idea of what the aliens want for us which is a "we are the world", war free world whereby we share the resources of the planet, or do we want our uniqueness? Somehow I think the aliens are not really the bad guys here.

I Think I Love My Wife

Category: Comedy and Remake Rating: R for pervasive language and some sexual content. Run Time: 1 hr. 34 min.

Starring: Chris Rock, Kerry Washington, Gina Torres, Eliza Coupe, Cassandra Freeman

Directed by Chris Rock

Produced by Adam Brightman, Ronnie Screwvala, Lisa Stewart

Written by Chris Rock, Louis C.K., Eric Rohmer (Source Material from screenplay: "Chole in the Afternoon")

Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures

Release Date: March 16th, 2007

Synopsis: Richard Cooper has it all. His wife, Brenda, is beautiful, intelligent and a fantastic mother to his children--but there's just one little problem: he's bored out of his suburban businessman's mind. Richard can't help but fantasize about having nearly every woman he sees. Still, it's only fantasy. Then, one fateful day, an alluring, free-spirited, not to mention stunning, old friend, Nikki, suddenly appears at his office door, putting him to the ultimate test. Just how much is Richard Cooper willing to risk when temptation comes after him? After all, he really does love his wife--at least he thinks he does.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C-

Rock plays Richard, a medium-successful Manhattan banker who has a beautiful wife Brenda (Gina Torres) and two adorable kids. His life is set if not in stone, in Play-Doh, from his morning wakeup rituals to his workday routine to his return home, where he plays with the kids, enjoys dinner with the family -- and is rebuffed in bed by his wife, who just never wants to sleep with him anymore. As Richard tells us in voice-over, he's bored out of his &;#@!$ mind.

But then there's the weirdness. At least three scenes seem as if they're from a different movie. There's a shocking burst of violence in which a main character gets pummeled and shots are fired; a slapstick piece about a Viagra mishap that's crass and obvious and unfunny, and a moment-of-truth confrontation between Richard and Brenda that seems inspired by "Magnolia," of all movies. Extra points to Rock for taking chances -- but in all three cases, the payoff isn't there.

Chris, Gina, and Kerry! All we can ask is – would it have been in any way problematic NOT to use the word, especially if it’s not used to reference its historical origins? It’s hard to believe that supposedly anti-N-word Oprah had Rock and his real-life family on her show for a half hour promoting this film. Since she’s so supportive of Rock and other proud N-word users such as Jamie Foxx and Fantasia Barrino, why bother interrogating Chris “Ludacris” Bridges or criticizing other rappers for using the word? There’s also a stereotypical reference made to having no side kids (i.e., only one mother), Rock’s character’s response to that is how “very White of me.” Overall I am no longer annoyed this film did not do well as was pointed out on the Hataboard this guy is just no good in a lead role.

Jackass: Number Two

Category: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Documentary, Adaptation and Sequel Rating: R for extremely crude and dangerous stunts throughout, sexual content, nudity and language. Run Time: 1 hr. 32 min.

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Stephen Glover, Jason Acuna

Directed by Jeff Tremaine

Produced by David Gale, Trip Taylor, John Miller (V)

Written by Sean Cliver, Preston Lacy

Distributed by Paramount Pictures

Release Date: September 22nd, 2006

Synopsis: After smearing the world with all sorts of ridiculous crap, the original creators and cast of the MTV series are back at it again: significantly raising the stakes and lowering the bar, this installment in the "jackass" and "jackass the movie" series unleashes a spirited mess of absurdity as the cast and crew gets even more ugly around the globe.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: B

The title “Jackass 2" seems like some sort of pun on those of us who went to see this film. Look, it's either you are extremely offended by such a violent and stupid film or you think it’s the funniest, most silly, most absurd and juvenile thing you have ever seen. It really depends on you, but one thing is for sure this is the most homo erotic comedy to come along in some time - no surprise since it’s produced by MTV. There are instances of men laying naked on men as humor, men putting each others penis hairs to the face mouth and lips of other actors and other sexually related pranks you have to be blind to miss it. 

Hopefully not many people are stupid enough to perform any of the stunts. "Jackass 2" features Johnny Knoxville, and his friends Steve-O, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Jason Acuña (Wee Man), Ryan Dunn, and the rest. The guys are daredevils. They spend their time performing dangerous, and idiotic stunts. The best adjustment made for this film was to move away from the pranks on-people-not-in-on-the-joke, because in urban America that stuff will get you beat down, although they stay away from urban America. Spike Jonze does mess with ordinary people in a funny recurring skit as an old woman whose boobs are constantly falling out of her blouse. For one of the stunts, Ryan Dunn branded (like they do to a cow) one of the other guys. The guy goes home and shows his mom. The brand looked infected. His mom was furious and took her anger out on Ryan. “WHY? Why would you do that to him?” She screamed. “Because…” Ryan said, “It’s funny.”

I read that during the movie, two of the guys came close to their own death or at least losing limbs. Steve-O, almost got his foot bitten off, when swimming with sharks. Johnny Knoxville had an even closer near-death experience. His rocket had a malfunction, and, if Johnny had been holding on to a different spot, a metal rod would have gone into him and he would have died. I enjoyed the outrageousness of "Jackass 2" and found the stunts were stupid and dangerous. I laughed but had anybody been killed during the making of the film I would not have shed a tear. These guys are what Jimi Izrael calls "habitual line steppers".

Jet Li's Fearless

Category: Action/Adventure, Art/Foreign and Biopic Rating: PG-13 for violence and martial arts action throughout. Run Time: 1 hr. 43 min.

Starring: Jet Li, Betty Sun, Dong Yong, Shido Nakamura, Collin Chou

Directed by Ronnie Yu

Produced by Bill Kong, Jet Li, Ronnie Yu

Written by Christine To, Chris Chow (II), Wang Bin, Li Feng

Distributed by Rogue Pictures (Focus)

Release Date: September 22nd, 2006

Synopsis: The son of a great fighter who did not wish for his child to follow in his footsteps, the bullied Huo Yuanjia resolves to teach himself how to fight--and win. Years of training enable him to ace match after match in his home region of Tianjin. But as his fame as a martial arts master grows, so does his pride. After an ill-advised fight leads to another master's death, members of Huo's family are slain in revenge. Grieving and ashamed, Huo wanders the country in shock. Near death, he is rescued by women from an idyllic village, and is offered simple kindness and generosity that help him heal and regain his equilibrium over a period of several years. Huo realizes that the future of martial arts lies in sportsmanship and not brutality, and he rejoins society to apply what he has learned. Returning to Tianjin, Huo takes steps to come to terms with his past and restore his family's name. His evolving, graceful Mizong (Missing) Fist method of fighting brings Huo renewed success, and he forms the progressive Jingwu Sports Federation. Taking note, duplicitous members of the Foreign Chamber of Commerce engineer a Shanghai tournament pitting Huo against four fighters, each representing the major foreign powers in China. Huo commits to the bout and faces off against, respectively, a British boxer, a Spanish swordsman, a Belgian soldier and a Japanese martial artist. What happened that day in 1910 has never been, and will never be, forgotten in China.

Huo, and his exploits as a master of wushu (the general Chinese term for martial arts) raised Chinese pride and the country’s morale during the period when beleaguered China was derided as “The Sick Man of the East.” Huo went from an apolitical pop culture figure in his country to a quiet political representative of Chinese manhood. In fact this is the greatest Chinese Nationalism film I have ever seen. It’s based on true events and the final Shanghai tournament, where Huo takes on four international champs, one by one. He fights 3 big Europeans, a huge British boxer, a Belgian soldier, and a Spaniard swordsman – whipping them all with honor and humility. The fourth fighter is a wise Japanese samurai sword master Shido Nakamura” who is being manipulated by a low self-esteemed Asian capitalist. Once Shido steps into the ring, the film goes 30 years into the past, to the beginning of our story. We go from a small pre-adolescent asthmatic Huo with a over protective father to young man Huo, who is a cocky success with a tendency to drink a lot of alcohol and hit first, explain later. He hangs out with more "yes men" than 50-Cent. This combination leads to sinister tragedy, as the film turns darker in its second act. Events that estrange him from his lifelong best friend, business man Nong Jinsun, and sending him into self-exile to the countryside. We never get sidetracked with romantic or family love scenarios which only serve as a sidebar. This film is focused as Jet Li and there is no doubt that the audiences will want more, and cheer for this little known hero. - Nuff Said.

Kickin' It Old School

Category: Comedy Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content and language. Run Time: 1 hr. 47 min.

Starring: Jamie Kennedy, Maria Menounos, Christopher McDonald, Miguel A. Nunez Jr, Bobby Lee

Directed by Harvey Glazer (II)

Produced by Jeff Cooper (II), Stuart Stone (II), Josh Etting

Written by Trace Slobotkin (II), Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan

Distributed by Yari Film Group

Release Date: April 27th, 2007

Synopsis: In 1985, 12-year old Justin Schumacher was hoping killer moves could help him dance into his dream girl's heart. So when Justin and his break dance posse--the Funky Fresh Boyz -- were challenged to a battle in the school talent show, Justin knew what he had to do. But after starting with a coffee grind, into a head spin and a freeze, Justin decided to go for a back flip that sent him flying off stage. One freak break dancing accident later, Justin is in a coma; leaving Jennifer, the Funky Fresh Boyz, and the world as he knows behind for 20 years. Awakening a thirty-something with a child's mind when '80s music hits his ears, Justin might have suddenly regained consciousness, but his world has changed. His parents are drowning in debt from medical costs, his boyz grew up and went lame, and his dream girl Jennifer is now engaged to current scumbag and former grade school nemesis Kip Unger. Lost in a high-tech time warp, the former break dancing phenom is determined to prove that old skool can still keep it real. And Justin's chance at redemption arrives in the form of a $100,000.00 dance competition hosted by his rival Kip. Getting his now older crew back together isn't easy but Can the Funky Fresh Boyz rise to the challenge, win the contest and put the groove back in their lives?

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C-

Please do not waste your money or time to go see Kickin' It Old School. It is an unfunny "Hip-hop exploitation" comedy that should have been shipped straight to video, if not recycled as a Viacom reality TV parody. If you know Jamie Kennedy's work then you know what to expect. If it’s not hidden camera Kennedy it’s just not funny. Poor script and jokes never stopped Hollywood from exploiting break dancers. The tired jokes run out of steam early.

Killa Season

Category: N/A Rating: R. N/A Run Time: N/A

Starring: Camron, Juelz Santana

Directed by N/A

Produced by N/A

Written by N/A

Distributed by N/A

Release Date: April 28th, 2006

Synopsis: Cameron Giles (also known as Cam'ron) takes on the grim realities of street violence with this urban thriller. Inspired by gang and drug-related bloodshed in the director's hometown of Harlem, KILLA SEASON stars rap artist Juelz Santana alongside Cam'ron himself.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: F

I should mention that I am annoyed with the Dipset self promotion and urban aggrandizement, and always have been, but what allows me to still rate this film without too much bias is the fact that I am friends with a person who worked to get this project delivered. Friendships aside, I've got to stay true to what I do. My aim is to view the DVD film as a separate entity from the mother goose nursery rhyme, "Cat In The Hat" lyrics that Cam lays out on his albums. In other words just because he sucks as an emcee does not mean his film has to be wack. Killa Season is when State Property meets Bamboozled. Camron builds his dialogue and story off of stereotypes and punch lines not character development or true effective story telling. It’s like a movie for thug Wannabee’s with ADD (attention deficit disorder). Usually people from the rough areas of Harlem that Camron Giles grew in up can give out more accurate assessments of life in the hood. Unfortunately, Killa Season is counterfeit, a perfect example of somebody trying too hard. Although the story does have a Harlem feel, the problem is that its told through the mindset of somebody trying to exploit the worst of Harlem, and expects all else to stay quiet as he tries. Outside of the shock value this film offers very little entertainment value. Cam might have had a little momentum after trying to come for the head of Jay-Z on records which increased his blip on the radar, while probably causing some overall fan resentment, but after such a lackluster and much hyped DVD failure, Killa Cam needs to go back to the drawing board.

Knocked Up

Category: Universal Pictures Distribution Rating: R for sexual content, drug use and language. Run Time: 2 hr. 09 min.

Starring: Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Katherine Heigl, Jason Segel

Directed by Judd Apatow

Produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Shauna Robertson

Written by Judd Apatow (Screenplay pitch)

Distributed by Shadow Distribution

Release Date: June 1st, 2007

Synopsis: Allison Scott is an up-and-coming entertainment journalist whose 24-year-old life is on the fast track. But it gets seriously derailed when a drunken one-nighter with slacker Ben Stone results in an unwanted pregnancy. Faced with the prospect of going it alone or getting to know the baby's father, Allison decides to give the lovable doof a chance.

Eyecalone Says: Overall: A-

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was an instant comedy classic and writer-director Judd Apatow’s latest release, "Knocked Up", appears headed down that same path. “Knocked Up” will make you laugh, cringe, laugh even harder, and somewhere in between make even make a few people cry. The humor is sometimes crude, but often hilarious and always sharp, witty, and influenced heavily by current pop culture. I don’t recall any punchlines in the film that missed their mark though there were a couple I might have missed due to people in the theater still laughing at the last joke. To be clear “Knocked Up” is not a slapstick, joke-after-joke, inane film. At over 2 hours it’s somehow manages to retain it’s humor throughout but underneath that humor is a very smart and relevant movie that manages to capture the confusion and conflict of today’s (and yesterday’s) social mores. 

Ben, played by Seth Rogen (TV's "Undeclared" and "Freaks and Geeks", both short-lived TV shows also created Apatow) who also played one of main character, Steve Carell’s best buddies in “The 40-year Old Virgin” is an chubby, average looking, 23-year old slacker. He and his 4 cohorts literally do nothing all day but smoke marijuana, play games, crack jokes at each other, and nominally work on a website whose claim to fame will be it can tell you when you favorite female celebrities will show their private parts in a film. The entire group’s existence seems dedicated wallowing in a life of no responsibilities and extending their teenage years indefinitely. Katherine Heigl (TV's "Grey's Anatomy") plays Alison, an attractive, twenty-something rising star at the E! channel who, while celebrating a job promotion at a bar, meets Ben. They get really drunk, have sex, and an unexpected pregnancy occurs. Of course neither initially realizes Alison’s character is pregnant, that takes about 8 week, but by the following morning’s post-one night stand breakfast conversion, Alison has fully realized how completely wrong these two are for each other.

Further adding to the friction and awkwardness of their relationship is the domineering presence of Alison’s older sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann) and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd), who verbally spar like the best TV sitcom couples. Minus the circumstance of Alison’s pregnancy Debbie and Pete’s antagonistic, dry, and love-hate relationship appears to be where Ben and Alison are inevitably headed, though it becomes so apparent to Alison’s character that she struggles with the prospect that she might be better off raising the child alone. Somewhere in all the newfound responsibility Ben’s character is compelled to get his life together though it’s a very gradual process and doesn’t quite involve him totally giving up old habits or friendships. Ben wants to “make an honest woman” out of Alison’s character though they only begin to get to know each other during her pregnancy and it does really seem they have any hope of making it work.

Lady In The Water

Category: Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller Rating: PG-13 for some frightening sequences. Run Time: 1 hr. 50 min.

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Freddy Rodriguez, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Produced by Samuel L. Mercer, M. Night Shyamalan, John Rusk

Written by Peter Seaman, Jeffrey Price Screenplay, J. B. Priesty, Tim Korn, Callie Khouri (rewrite), Marc Hyman (rewrite), Martin Starger, J.B. Priestley (Source)

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Release Date: July 21st, 2006

Synopsis: Cleveland Heep, a modest building manager, rescues a mysterious young woman from danger and discovers she is actually a narf--a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the treacherous journey from our world back to hers. Cleveland and his fellow tenants start to realize that they are also characters in this bedtime story. As Cleveland falls deeper and deeper in love with the woman, he works together with the tenants to protect his new fragile friend from the deadly creatures that reside in this fable and are determined to prevent her from returning home.

Eyecalone Says: Overall: D

M. Night Shyamalan's burst on to the scene with the classic film "The Sixth Sense". That film alone earned him a legion of followers, but it also set the bar pretty high for him with his subsequent films. Since that first film his movies have been received with mixed reviews as his cult following as a director-producer has been fractured into camps that either love his films or hate them. After sitting through a rather uneventful 110 minutes of Lady In The Water, there may be reason for a few more people to join that "Hate" camp as Lady In The Water caused me to leave the theater wishing she would just go ahead and drown, because this film clearly needed to be put out of it's misery. Lady In The Water is about as pointless and uneventful as movies come. I kept watching and waiting for that dramatic and suspense filled ending that would make the 90 minutes I watched prior, worth the sacrifice but alas it never came is it just meandered aimlessly through movie film. As usual Shyamalan employs the Spike Lee technique of working himself into the film as a character, whether it's a speaking part of just an extra but he probably would have done better to obscure his face in this stinker. Coming on the heels of "The Village", another Shyamalan film that received rather poor reviews it may be time for the director-producer to take a step away and re-evaluate some things; probably his worst film to date Lady In The Water would probably be a good place to start.

Last Holiday

Category: Comedy and Drama Rating: PG-13 for some sexual references Run Time: 1 hr. 52 min.

Starring: Queen Latifah, Alicia Witt, LL Cool J , Giancarlo Esposito, Gerard Depardieu

Directed by Wayne Wang

Produced by Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Richard Vane

Written by Peter Seaman, Jeffrey Price Screenplay, J. B. Priesty, Tim Korn, Callie Khouri (rewrite), Marc Hyman (rewrite), Martin Starger, J.B. Priestley (Source)

Distributed by PG-13 for some sexual references

Release Date: January 13th, 2006

Synopsis: After being diagnosed with a fatal disease, a shy sales clerk goes on a European vacation to live out the rest of her life. With nothing to lose--or so she thinks--her behavior becomes more irreverent and outrageous each day, only to find out later she was misdiagnosed.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C+

This film might as well have been an ad for the Cooking Channel and The European Tourism Bureau. There are countless chef appearances and significant cooking channel scenes. Personalities that we only learn of through from the cooking channel make their Hollywood debut here as if the channel partially subsidized this film. The other part must have been subsidized by the Tourism board for the Czech Republic because significant time was devoted to making the audience want to visit the Czech Republic. The audience may even think they can afford it, if they really want it after all Queen Latifah’s character did and her salary was a very modest 29,000 per year.

I must say although predictable, the film has a big heart never mind that it's a remake of the 1950 comedy starring Sir Alec Guinness. Last Holiday gets new life breathed into it by a respectable toned down performance from Latifah. She’s finally soft, bold and very appealing, infusing this otherwise predictable movie with a contagious charm. It was such a relief to see her in this very respectable role instead of that tiresome “bringing down the house humor”. Now she plays the shy, dutiful Georgia Byrd. Latifah is miles away from that tiring “brassy broad” persona, a departure that allows real sadness and sweetness to play across her expressive face.

Georgia, who is the unsung star salesperson at Kragen’s, a down-on-its-luck New Orleans department store, works hard and doesn’t do much else. She cooks great meals (accompanied by Emeril’s televised instructions), but feeds them to a young neighbor, limiting herself to frozen diet entrees. She is quietly but desperately infatuated with Sean (LL Cool J) even pasting his face over magazine wedding photos she has assembled in her “Book of Possibilities,” ( “Things or people she wants to “Do.”) .

Then, one day, everything changes when she is misdiagnosed with a terminal disease and told she has 3 weeks to live. Unfortunately she never does the obvious and gets a second opinion, and thus she begins her journey, after quitting her job at her awfully managed company. However we all can fairly assume from the TV commercials that she is not going to die.

All sorts of delights follow, including Georgia’s response to the indignities of coach class travel, her arrival at the Grandhotel Pupp (a real hotel set amid the Czech mountains), her various gastronomical adventures (Chef Didier, one of her heroes, is played with great comic verve by Gérard Depardieu), her base-jumping adventure. Other guests arrive, including the devious Matthew Kragen (of the department store, played by Timothy Hutton, ) and his haughty mistress (Alicia Witt ). Also in attendance: a crooked senator (Giancarlo Esposito) and a creepy, Mrs. Danvers-style valet (Susan Kellermann) who raises her pointy eyebrow at each of Georgia’s enthusiastic outbursts. The Czech backdrop is magical, starting with the effect of the snow and the glittering chandeliers and the plush decor is overwhelming: We feel like we’re taking part in Georgia’s fairy tale. While this is not exactly a profound film, and the message (”live every day as if it’s your last”) is hardly new; it’s testament to this movie’s joyous energy that it doesn’t matter in the least. All but the most peevish audience members will find it impossible to complain.

The Last King of Scotland

Category: Art/Foreign, Drama, Adaptation and Politics/Religion Rating: R for some strong violence and gruesome images, sexual content and language. Run Time: 2 hrs. 01 min.

Starring: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Simon McBurney

Directed by Kevin MacDonald

Produced by Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Tessa Ross

Written by Jeremy Brock (screenplay), Peter Morgan (III) (screenplay), Joe Penhall (adaptation), Giles Foden (source material from novel: "The Last King of Scotland")

Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures

Release Date: September 27th, 2006 (Limited)

Synopsis: A Scottish doctor on a Ugandan medical mission becomes irreversibly entangled with one of the world’s most barbaric figures: Idi Amin. Impressed by Dr. Garrigan’s brazen attitude in a moment of crisis, the newly self-appointed Ugandan President Amin hand picks him as his personal physician and closest confidante. Though Garrigan is at first flattered and fascinated by his new position, he soon awakens to Amin’s savagery--and his own complicity in it. Horror and betrayal ensue as Garrigan tries to right his wrongs and escape Uganda alive.

Eyecalone Says: Overall: B+

If nothing else Forest Whitaker is different; if it's not apparent in his acting credentials it should be apparent in some of the unique movies he's been responsible for, i.e. "The Crying Game" and "Ghost Dog". It's almost as if Whitaker is always searching for challenges in his own acting as well as movie making itself. Few roles could offer the challenge of playing the former Ugandan dictator and strongman, Idi Amin, and even fewer actors would be up to the challenge. Whitaker is commanding, charming, and thoroughly believable as Amin, while at the same time his character is unstable, menacing, paranoid, and borderline schizophrenic. Whitaker as Amin is a kaleidoscopic of moods and emotions. About the least believable thing in Whitaker's portrayal of Amin is the makeup, reminiscent of cake batter, that Whitaker wears in attempt to make his complexion look darker. It's no surprise this role has begun generating a small Oscar nomination buzz for Whitaker.

Taken from a novel by Giles Foden, "The Last King of Scotland", centers on a fictional Scottish protagonist, a unworldly young doctor (James McAvoy) Nicholas Garrigan who arrives in Uganda in 1971 just as Gen. Idi Amin is coming to power via military coup. McAvoy's character at times is quite annoying with his naiveté and often reckless sexual behavior, but it's rendered somewhat believable by the chance circumstances by which Dr. Garrigan finds himself in Uganda, and his apparent youth. Though Dr. Garrigan is a fictitious character Idi Amin was a real political figure who rose to power in Uganda in 1971 before eventually being deposed in 1979. During his rule Uganda was beset by sectarian violence, religious and ethnic persecution, and political repression primarily driven by Gen Amin as it's estimated he was responsible for more than 300,000 deaths during his rule. The film only alludes to it, but Amin who would later fall out of favor with "the West" (Western European, U.S. corporate and government interest) was very much a product of "The West's" meddling in Africa as he was supported and helped into power to be a counterbalance to what was thought to be Soviet, (Communist, Socialist) influence in East Africa, in neighboring countries like Kenya and Tanzania. During his rise and rule the real Amin employed numerous ploys and different flavors of rhetoric from the populist, to the African Nationalist, to Anti-Imperialists, to that of expressing kinship with the Muslim world, he himself being a Muslim. But as is born out in Whitaker's portrayal in the film, Amin turned out to be a quite unpredictable and hard to control for better or worse, though usually for worse. Most of his rhetoric was born of opportunism and a lack of political clarity or sincerity, as the record on his bloody and brutal regime would become clear near it's end. His erratic behavior and rhetoric eventually lead to the loss of sponsorship from the imperialist powers of the time, limiting the length of his tenure to the good fortune of the Ugandan people. 

Let's Go To Prison

Category: Comedy and Adaptation Rating: R for language, sexual content, some violence and drug material. Run Time: 1 hr. 24 min.

Starring: Dax Shepard, Will Arnett, David Koechner, Chi McBride, Dylan Baker

Directed by Bob Odenkirk

Produced by Marcy Carsey, Caryn Mandabach, Tom Werner

Written by Michael Patrick Jann, Thomas Lennon (adaptation), Robert Ben Garant, James Hogshire (Source Material from novel: "You Are Going to Prison")

Distributed by Universal Picture Distribution

Release Date: November 17th, 2006

Synopsis: Felon John Lyshitski has figured out the best way to get revenge on the now-dead judge who sent him to jail: watch the official's obnoxious son, Nelson Biederman IV, survive the clink. John strikes gold when Nelson is wrongly convicted of a crime and sent to the pen he used to call home. He gleefully gets sent back to become Nelson's cellmate and to ensure that his new buddy gets the "full treatment." Let the games begin. Lesson #1: the joint's a scary place, so you better make friends fast. Right away, Nelson offends the wrong cons and is sold--by John--to Barry for prison snuggling. But just as revenge starts tasting sweet, Nelson becomes Big Man in the Big House and turns the tables on John--changing the rules of his insane game.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: F

Let's Go To Prison is another one of those pseudo comedies that perpetuates the myth that Whites are supposed to be afraid of prison life, but that Black guys are tough and accept it with no fear, as if it’s a “cultural norm”. Statistics show Whites own, manage and maintain all the prisons in America, yet somehow we are led to perpetuate this stereotype that its Whites who fear for their safety the most and are in the most danger in prison. Violence is downplayed, justice is downplayed and homosexuality is overplayed. Interestingly enough there are a number of prisons related statistics offered in the first 5 minutes of the film, that are nonchalantly tossed out but don’t add any depth to this shallow film. Mix this in with a prison is no big deal sort of attitude and it’s the sort of film, which I would personally label as dangerous if it were targeted toward urban youth as opposed to the MTV generation. Chi McBride plays a homosexual, whom makes wine in the toilet and is infatuated with the prospect of getting some “White Boy Booty”. This homoerotic theme is constant throughout the film though much of it is through innuendo or indirect as the only actual homosexual contact we see is McBride and Will Arnett (who plays his love interest Nelson Biederman an obnoxious and spoiled rich adult) doing some “Eskimo kissing” (rubbing noses). There are very few laughs but the laughable parts are funny, too bad there are only three of them. - Nuff said

Letters From Iwo Jima

Category: Drama, Adaptation and War Rating: R for graphic war violence. Run Time: 2 hr. 21 min.

Starring: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, Shido Nakamura

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Produced by Redmond Morris, Scott Rudin, Robert Fox

Written by Iris Yamashita Screenplay (adaptation), Paul Haggis (story), Iris Yamashita (story)

Distributed by Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures International, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Release Date: December 20th, 2006

Synopsis: The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of two good friends serving in the Japanese forces, who watch helplessly throughout various battles as their comrades are killed.

Keith Johnson a.k.a. Tsarbernard Says: Overall: A

A soldier deserts in the night to surrender to the enemy, but is shot before he can escape. An officer, disgusted at his men’s cowardice, goes off alone on a glorious suicide mission. Convinced they’re defeated, several soldiers give defiant shouts before blowing themselves up. An officer of honor tries to hold the line against impossible odds. Throughout it all, men write letters: letters of love, letters of remembrance, letters of final goodbyes: letters from Iwo Jima.

Clint Eastwood’s companion piece to “Flags of Our Fathers” is the story of the Japanese soldiers defending Iwo Jima against the Americans. While “Flags” contained battle scenes, its primary focus was the war at home, and how the American “heroes” were used as propaganda tools. “Letters”, however, is all about the battle itself, told from the Japanese point of view.

As the movie begins we see a new leader take charge of the Japanese forces on the island, General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe). Kuribayashi immediately upsets many of his officers. He berates them for their poor defenses and harsh treatment of the soldiers, who are often worked without breaks and even beaten. But they also distrust him because he spent time in America, a country he respects in many ways. Some feel he might be too enamored of the Americans to fight them. “He belongs behind a desk, not running this battle”, one grouses.

Kuribayashi saves a soldier from a beating by his commanding officer. The soldier, Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) is a reluctant--and in truth not very good—soldier. Saigo just wants to be with his wife and the baby girl he’s never seen, working in his bakery. It is primarily through these two men—the officer and the baker—that the movie is told, and through them that it gets its emotional heart. Though separated by rank, they are united in wanting to go home, but having to do their duty.

For Kuribayashi, duty means preparing to meet a huge American invasion force despite an awful truth: the main Japanese naval fleet in the area has been destroyed. No reinforcements will be coming. He has to motivate his men to fight what will in all likelihood be their last battle, only offering the dubious reward of dying for the Empire as payment. Kuribayashi cares about his men, but there’s little he can do to save them. Struggling with his duty and his heart, he writes letters to his family, talking of happier times, telling them how much he loves them. Watanabe does a masterful job in conveying this honorable, conflicted man.

Baker too is dealing with grief: the grief of being separated from his wife in a forced draft, of knowing that he’ll soon die for a cause he never really embraced. He too writes letters to his family—letters they may never read, but which still make him feel connected. In Saigo, Ninomiya gives us the soldier as innocent, the man we really feel sorry for, he’s so out of place. His performance too is impressive.

Clint Eastwood is one of the best directors in the biz at conveying powerful emotion in a subtle manner. Much of the early going deals with the mundane aspects of a soldiers’ life: digging ditches in deadly heat, joking around during breaks, complaining about officers and the lousy food, worrying about family. It’s in this slow, methodical setup that Eastwood humanizes the Japanese. Rather than portray the evil American-hating attackers of Pearl Harbor, he shows grunts doing what grunts do. Sure, there are sides in this war, but the soldiers aren’t always true believers.

“War is hell”, the saying goes, and Letters from Iwo Jima supports that sentiment. But it also shows something else: as long as one man feels justified in picking up a weapon to kill another in the name of a cause or country, war is also stupid, wasteful, and just plain tragic--no matter which side you’re on. It’s a hard message to ignore.

License To Wed

Category: Comedy Rating: PG-13 for sexual humor and language. Run Time: 1 hr. 40 min.

Starring: Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, John Krasinski, Christine Taylor, Roxanne Hart

Directed by Ken Kwapis

Produced by Bradley Fischer, David Thwaites, Kim Zubick (II)

Written by Kim Barker (Screenplay), Vince Di Meglio (II) (Screenplay), Tim Rasmussen (II) (Screenplay), Elizabeth Chandler, Dan Fogelman, Kim Barker (Story By), Wayne Lloyd (Story By)

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Release Date: July 3rd, 2007

Synopsis: Newly engaged Ben Murphy and his fiancée, Sadie Jones, plan to live happily ever after. The problem is that Sadie's family church, St. Augustine's, is run by Reverend Frank, who won't bless Ben and Sadie's union until they pass his patented, "foolproof" marriage-prep course. Consisting of outrageous classes, outlandish homework assignments and some outright invasion of privacy, Reverend Frank's rigorous curriculum puts Ben and Sadie's relationship to the test. Forget happily ever after--do they even have what it takes to make it to the altar?

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: F

"License to Wed" is just plain stupid. It is the sort of comedy that makes you more annoyed than you actually are amused. License to Wed is tolerable for about ten minutes. Mandy Moore and John Krasinski play an engaged couple who want her priest (Robin Williams ) to preside over the ceremony. He agrees but recommends following his program designed to test their commitment to each other. What he does to them -- forbidding sex, bugging their apartment, provoking fights -- amounts to pre-conjugal terrorism. The moviemakers are going for the feel-good antagonism of "Meet the Parents " and "Meet the Fockers ." But at the very least that sort of abrasiveness needs a comic premise missing from this movie.

As for myself, I will confess that the only thing that kept me watching “License to Wed” until the end was the IDEA that it has to get better and that I would probably not see a worse movie this year. Come to think of it, the picture might be useful in certain circumstances, much in the way that Reverend Frank’s training program is supposed to be. If the beloved with whom you see “License to Wed” can’t stop talking about how great it was, you might want to cancel the nuptials. Or, if it’s too late for that, call a lawyer.

Little Man

Category: Comedy Rating: PG-13 for Crude and Sexual Humor Throughout, Language and Brief Drug References. Run Time: 1 hr. 30 min.

Starring: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Kerry Washington, Tracy Morgan, John Witherspoon

Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans

Produced by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans

Written by Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing

Release Date: July 14th, 2006

Synopsis: A man anxious to be a father mistakes an extremely short-statured, baby-faced criminal on the run as his newly adopted son.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: B-

If you watch cartoons you know the idea of Marlon Wayans as a 36-inch-tall ex-con pretending to be a toddler is stolen from midget thug, Baby Face Fenster in the old Bugs Bunny cartoons. I usually have a disdain for film’s with the lowest imaginable humor but not here, and not today. Marlon who I hate (even without personally knowing him) skillfully carries the part making laughs contagious. (His head has been digitally snapped on the lively little bodies of Linden Porco and Gabriel Pimental.-midget and dwarfs to my guess) So yes, I laughed at the Wayans’ movie, and I don’t even hate myself for it. They do go a lil overboard with the obligatory collection of breast-milk spit takes, toys to the groin, and urine and flatulence gags. This film is marketed to kids but it is more for adult audiences due to it's reliance on sexual innuendo, body function humor, etc.

Miami Vice

Category: Action/Adventure, Drama, Crime/Gangster and Adaptation Rating: R for strong violence, language and some sexual content. Run Time: 2hr. 15 min.

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Gong Li, Naomie Harris, Ciaràn Hinds

Directed by Michael Mann

Produced by Anthony Yerkovich, Michael Mann, Pieter Jan Brugge

Written by Michael Mann (screenplay), Anthony Yerkovich (Source Material from television series: "Miami Vice")

Distributed by Universal Pictures Distribution

Release Date: July 28th, 2006

Synopsis: Ricardo Tubbs is urbane and dead smart. He lives with Bronx-born intel analyst Trudy, as they work undercover transporting drug loads into South Florida to identify a group responsible for three murders. Sonny Crockett is charismatic and flirtatious until-while undercover working with the supplier of the South Florida group-he gets romantically entangled with Isabella, the Chinese-Cuban wife of an arms and drugs trafficker. The intensity of this case pushes Crockett and Tubbs out onto the edge where identity and fabrication become blurred, where cop and player become one-especially for Crockett in his romance with Isabella and for Tubbs in the provocation of an assault on those he loves.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: B+

I must confess I was a huge fan of the TV series Miami Vice and I automatically thought this film would not be able to hold up to my expectations.  However Miami Vice the movie totally seduced me. The visual architecture was very different from the TV shows and unique in its own right. I am not the type to jock any directors and say he "did this" or "that" film therefore this should be good but Michael Mann’s reupholstering of Crockett, Tubbs and the Miami Scene of classic 1980s outdoes Collateral and any of his other “acclaimed work”. The audio and visual is seriously sexy and intensely entertaining. Although they leave several things unexplained and they pay little attention to the current politics of the day as the duo move across the globe (I will come back to that.) This is a film I would see again. This film garnered applause, which is unusual for this type of genre.

Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, who plays “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs respectively, the Dade County detectives whom Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas made internationally famous do a great job. On the show Crockett (White man) was like Batman and Tubbs (Black man) like Robin (a lesser hero) but no doubt they are true partners in this film, with equal screen time. Many may not recall the dynamics of the show, only recalling the sporty outfits as they redefined menswear. However those aware of each cops personality will find this film accurate and true. They were friends and loners at the same time. Also recall as in the show Crockett gets pussy whipped easy and fast as Cam'ron might say “the way to hurt him is through them girls, that’s his weakness”. Well he falls in love with an Isabella, a Chinese Cuban drug runner of a Latin American trafficking syndicate with vast international reach, in about 6 minutes - nobody should be surprised. By the way she could use an English class, I just figured out some of the stuff she said this morning. Now I've been to Cuba and know there are a number of Chinese women there in fact Chinese are everywhere, but her cousin has some unexplained role in the government which allows them to come to Cuba and go quite easily and I was unsure if they were trying to imply Cuba has some insidious role in drug trafficking. I sure hope not but I pick up on ambiguous and subtle things. Don’t forget Miami Vice debuted on NBC in 1984, during the Reagan administration’s so called heightened crackdown on drug trafficking and it was all about the drug chasing not solving homicides per say. I recall not only Phil Collins hit song “In the Air at Night” that opened up the show but other songs that made up the shows soundtrack, but they remixed the Phil Collins song for the movie which was a huge mistake. And we only hear Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” over the closing credits. I guess they didn’t want to pay him - cheap film execs. Anyway they speedboat to Havana for Mojitos then Merengue and then of course some boning.

The calm has a two to 1 ratio with the chaos, but those calm moments could have been used to develop some of the side cops a little more instead of having them like props. However if you follow the 2 closely you might get a little bit confused but never lost. We see Crockett gets a call from a longtime informant, who’s been working for the FBI as the middleman in an overtly complicated drug deal involving everyone from South Florida White supremacists to ruthless Colombian crime lords to operatives working out of Ciudad del Este, nobody can find this place on a map and it exist. Truth be told, much of “Miami Vice” takes place outside of Miami, as the duo get deputized by the FBI so they can go to places like HAITI where drug lords and gun runners run rampant. This is what I mean about the film ignores politics cause right now Americans especially ones who look as expensive as these two are getting kidnapped by the hour. Mark Schneider, a Haiti expert at the International Crisis Group think tank, said the spate of kidnappings began last year when corrupt cops realized Haiti’s government and the UN weren’t going to get rid of them.” It just was another way to make money,” Schneider said. But I guess you try to kidnap Crockett and Tubbs and you're own risk, this duo packs plenty of  heat. - Nuff Said

Mission Impossible 3

Category: Action/Adventure, Sequel Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of frenetic violence & menace, disturbing images & some sensuality. Run Time: 2 hr. 06 min.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Produced by Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Stratton Leopold

Written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, J.J. Abrams, Bruce Geller (Source Material from television series)

Distributed by Paramount Pictures

Release Date: May 5th, 2006

Synopsis: Super-spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has retired from active duty to trains new IMF agents. But he is called back into action to confront the toughest villain he's ever faced - Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an international weapons and information provider with no remorse and no conscience. Hunt assembles his team - his old friend Luther Strickell (Ving Rhames), transportation expert Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), background operative Zhen (Maggie Q), and fresh recruit Lindsey (Keri Russell) - to travel the globe pursuing Davian and rescue Hunt's love, Julia (Michelle Monaghan).

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: B

Mission Impossible 3 (MI3) is the first Hollywood Blockbuster of the Spring-Summer movie season. It is phony as hell; however the action/drama factor is high. It’s a fast moving action flick with scenes taking place so fast it’s hard to notice our hero is 5’7 not 6’1, but his heroism can be sold because it’s not about Schwarzenegger brawn but technique, intelligence, and heart.  Being that Cruise does most of all his stunts ala Wesley snipes, his on screen persona comes off as pure adrenaline. Despite all of the media disses to him because of his Scientology faith, cruise confidence doesn’t appear to be shaken in the least and this swagger comes off on the screen. Maybe it comes from his new Hip-hop alliances with Kanye West and others junior hipsters or maybe it's from more senior hipsters like Ving Rhames and Lawrence Fishburne who have huge screen roles in the film, second only to cruise. Fishburne is very “Morpheus- like” as HNIC of the Impossible Mission outfit as we try to figure out if he is a bad guy or a good guy. Ving Rhames character was set a long time ago in MI1 and we know he’s loyal to Ethan Hawke. In fact his loyalty allows his character to be quite abrasive with him, as there are many disagreements between the two including the biggest one which is Hawke’s decision to get married a plot essential to the story line. Interestingly enough there is a lot of talk about The Da Vinci Code and its desecration of the Catholic Church but there is a series of events in MI3 where the film makers do some sacrilegious things inside the Vatican and treat Catholicism like a bit player in terms of the worlds major religions. However, I FOUND that the most significant line item, was that once again we see scripted that a person from inside the U.S. Government was doing shadowy work to ensure that a war and invasion of Middle Eastern/East Asian nation would occur. After the wrongful invasion to trumped up charges on WMD and biological agents, Halliburton and other U.S. constructions could clean up rebuilding the place and it would be very lucrative for the insider (which is what is really happening in the world) And it’s so obvious to all that Hollywood again puts that theme into one of its major films that is going to be distributed all over the world. In fact MI3 did 70 MILLION overseas its first weekend and only 48 million domestically. The fact that U.S. filmmakers are so comfortable writing this into their blockbusters storylines suggest that despite some of unbelievable mastery and utilization of technology and human escapism there is a very real component to MI3 – Nuff Said. 

A Mighty Heart

Category: Drama, Adaptation, Biopic and War Rating: R for language. Run Time: 1 hr. 48 min.

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan, Adnan Siddiqui, Alyy Khan

Directed by Michael Winterbottom

Produced by Andrew Eaton, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner

Written by John Orloff (Screenplay adaptation), Mariane Pearl (Source material from book: "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband, Daniel Pearl")

Distributed by Paramount Vantage

Release Date: June 22nd, 2007

Synopsis: On January 23, 2002, Mariane Pearl's world changed forever. Her husband Daniel, South Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, was researching a story on shoe bomber Richard Reid. The story drew them to Karachi where a go-between had promised access to an elusive source. As Danny left for the meeting, he told Mariane he might be late for dinner. He never returned. In the face of death, Danny's spirit of defiance and his unflinching belief in the power of journalism led Mariane to write about his disappearance, the intense effort to find him and his eventual murder in her memoir "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl." Six months pregnant when the ordeal began, she was carrying a son that Danny hoped to name Adam. She wrote the book to introduce Adam to the father he would never meet. Transcending religion, race and nationality, Mariane's courageous desire to rise above the bitterness and hatred that continues to plague this post 9/11 world, serves as the purest expression of the joy of life she and Danny shared.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: B+

The politics of Daniel Pearl’s murder is not the controversy of the film coming to the big screen, unfortunately the controversy lies in the fact that Angelie Jolie played a “ethnic woman of Afro Cuban descent” when so many other women of color are dying for these roles. But Jolie puts in an smart, compassionate, strong performance as Mariane Pearl and I might add she is Oscar nominee worthy. Validity would be for film makers to show the real life photos of both Daniel Pearl and Mariane Pearl in the end of the film but they don’t which is a shortcoming of the film studio.

The film is very slick as Chris Barsanti adds “It's a sign of filmmaking prowess, and occasionally genius, when a director can hand viewers a scenario with a foregone conclusion and make them get lost in the story anyway.” Not sure who the credit goes to since the film is based on the memoir by Mariane Pearl, which I have not read. It came to the screen after two of the biggest Hollywood stars in the world got on board, Brad Pitt, who served as one of its producers, and his partner and the film’s main star, Angelina Jolie.

Audiences will like its pseudo-documentary feel and should appreciate the Karachi that doesn’t even appear on The Discovery Channel. The films police procedural effect is bigger than COPS and the movie has the metabolism of a science fiction thriller.

What A Mighty Heart does is suggest terrorism is not random, something American films are not comfortable alluding to. The NY times admits “its assertion that politics and ideology play a part in poverty and terrorism, in the way some men exploit human misery in the name of God and righteousness. It’s the movie’s insistence that politics are integrated into the warp and woof of life, rather than something you wear like a campaign button, which gives pause. Unlike “United 93” and “World Trade Center,” in which terrorism is only a criminal act — without context, without history, without purpose — “A Mighty Heart” underscores the idea that Daniel Pearl’s murder was as much an act of political theater as a personal catastrophe.” I can't add anything more, but close with Nuff said!

Monster House

Category: Kids/Family and Animation Rating: PG for scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language. Run Time: 1 hr. 31 min.

Starring: Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Kevin James

Directed by N/A

Produced by Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, Jason Clark, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Heather Smith (II), Bennett Schneir

Written by Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab, Pamela Pettler, Gil Kenan, Dan Harmon

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing

Release Date: July 21st, 2006

Synopsis: Although no adults will believe them, three children realize a neighbor's house is really a monster. They must find a way to stop the house and save the neighborhood.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C-

When you have kids you have to take them to this stuff or risk having to buy it when it hits DVD. As suburban fairy tales go, this isn't horrible, but the animators could have spent a little less time working on the house itself (impressively lifelike) and a little more working on the humans who do battle with it (not so much). Monster House tries to straddle the line between childhood and puberty to little effect; it's adult enough to hint at consequence, but not enough to follow through. And despite the PG rating, the harmless jokes are bland and the scary parts ineffectual for anyone but the toddler set.

"Monster House" is more fun and a bit stranger than it looks from the trailer, and from the way its handlers make it sound. The film resembles "a fun house in an amusement park," according to co-executive producer Robert Zemeckis. The studio materials describe "Monster House" as a "comedy thrill-ride." Is that different from a thriller comedy-ride? The surprise here isn't in director Gil Kenan's canny attack on his target audience (not younger than 8 or 9, I'd say). Nor is it in the motion-capture animation technique. The not-quite-human, not-quite-drawn and entirely soulless computer-generated imagery of "The Polar Express," which Zemeckis directed, has been stylized further into something resembling an actual pictorial style rather than a freak of digital nature. There you have it and now they won't beg me to buy it in 4 months, beside this one can wait.

Mr. Brooks

Category: Drama, Thriller and Crime/Gangster Rating: R for strong bloody violence, some graphic sexual content, nudity and language. Run Time: 2 hr. 00 min.

Starring: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, Matt Schulze

Directed by Bruce Evans

Produced by Thomas Augsberger, Marc Schaberg, Adam Rosenfelt

Written by Bruce Evans, Raynold Gideon

Distributed by MGM Distribution Company

Release Date: June 1st, 2007

Synopsis: Consider Mr. Brooks: a successful businessman; a generous philanthropist; a loving father and devoted husband. Seemingly, he's perfect. But Mr. Brooks has a secret--he is an insatiable serial killer, so lethally clever that no one has ever suspected him--until now. Earl Brooks is a man who has managed to keep his two incompatible worlds from intersecting by controlling his cunning, wicked alter ego Marshall. But now, as Mr. Brooks succumbs to one last murderous urge, an amateur photographer witnesses the crime. Suddenly Brooks finds himself entangled in the dark agenda of an opportunistic bystander, as well as hunted by the unorthodox and tenacious detective Tracy Atwood. Can Mr. Brooks outsmart his adversaries and conceal his shocking double life from his wife and daughter--or will someone expose his crimes and his identity once and for all?

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C+

This adult thriller will become a DVD best seller, but when fans at movie theaters get a whiff of the anti-climatic end, the lines will tail off. I still wonder how you can have the films' 2 biggest stars, Demi Moore and Kevin Costner, in a film where they never meet at all? How the audience will embrace Mr. Brooks should be studied. Sometimes evildoers are the protagonists, in films ( "Godfather", Sopranos,") but they offer moral complexity amid the entertainment. You find yourself relating to the humanity in characters who nonetheless are killers. Not here, the film views the anti-hero's compulsion as an addiction. Brooks even attends AA meetings. This is one story that never bothers to dig beneath the surface in search of motives or insight. Audiences who see this film should think about the way that star compulsion is simply portrayed as an impulse to kill, or as an addiction. Why is Mr. Smith interested in coming along?

Here is the overall picture. We have Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner). He is a rich guy with a secret life and is Portland's Man of the Year in honor of his civic and philanthropic activities. We have detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore) who isn't just any ordinary cop but a $60 million heiress who undertakes police work as a hobby. And not just any detective/heiress but one with a nasty divorce that threatens her career. Tracy is not only being blackmailed by her younger ex-husband to be, she is being hunted down by "The Hangman", another serial killer who just escaped from prison. She is tough as nails, this may or may not explain why her face barely moves when she talks or it could be the more obvious Botox injections.

I have to give this film credit for embracing its craziness, but that does not mean it works. Mr. Brooks goes out on one last hit and makes one big mistake. This leads to a nasty encounter with one "Mr. Smith" (Dane Clark). He doesn't want money; he wants to come along on the next kill. Brooks has another problem, too. His daughter (Danielle Panabaker) has dropped out of school and isn't telling him the whole truth about why. And then there is the very determined detective Atwood who seems to be getting closer and closer to Mr. Brooks secret.

Parents should know that this is an extremely violent film with scenes of very graphic murders and shoot-outs with a lot of blood. The main character is a serial killer who kills because he enjoys it, because he is addicted to the thrill and sense of power. There are explicit sexual references and situations, including nudity but its rated R and you should know that already.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Category: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Romance and Science Fiction/Fantasy Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, crude humor, language and brief nudity. Run Time: 1 hr. 50 min.

Starring: Luke Wilson, Uma Thurman, Anna Faris, Eddie Izzard, Wanda Sykes

Directed by Ivan Reitman

Produced by Gavin Polone, Arnon Milchan

Written by Don Payne

Distributed by 20th Century Fox Distribution

Release Date: July 21st, 2006

Synopsis: Everyone's had a painful parting of the ways with a romantic partner. We pick up the pieces and move on. But for one New York guy, it's not going to be so easy. When he breaks up with his girlfriend, he discovers his ex is actually the reluctant superhero, G-Girl. A scorned woman, she unleashes her super powers to humiliate and torment him.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: C

My Super Ex –Girlfriend is a Sci-fi romantic comedy which is unique in its concept, however it doesn’t live up to its advertising and fully develop a story for us. Sometimes it’s just a little cheesy considering the special effects and CGI available in 2006. In terms of comparisons of special effects and footage it’s very comparable to Ghostbusters, if you like that you will like this. In fact Alas, Reitman who directs My Super Ex-Girlfriend also did the 1984 film, Ghostbusters. If you're big into that sort of nostalgia you may not mind that fact.

Some humor is delayed reaction type funny, for example the super villain, who is not really so evil is the hero’s ex best friend and is in love with her. They call him Professor Bedlam, (Eddie Izzard,) and he can be reached on his website - LOL. On the other hand home girl Wanda Sykes, is not funny in her goal of looking to charge Uma Thurman’s boyfriend with sexual harassment? Uma would have been a little bit funnier, if men like me weren’t thinking all the time while watching “thank god that my ex really doesn’t have super powers.” HUma is doing her evil, not evil thing again. Uma Thurman has been playing these types of good hero tragically flawed characters lately- first in “Pulp Fiction,” then in the “Kill Bill” movies — Thurman has officially become a distinctive screen presence, with a knack for odd characters. Even as a psycho rejected girlfriend, there is something to like in her. She’s not as bad as a rejected Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction who terrorized Michael Douglas but she could have been especially since this guy was weak and just doesn’t make you want to totally cheer for him. Then again maybe he only seemed weak because his girlfriend was a super heroine who goes by the name of G-Girl

There are some scenes that you won’t forget such as when Luke Wilson gets a splinter sucked out his thumb by his secretary (Ana Farris. It was done just to help him with the problem but I mean it was so sexual that his super hero ex-girlfriend should have been fuming. Although this was pre-Uma throwing shark into bed room after sex with the secretary scene. That set the stage for the catfight, which was kind of cool but reinforced the stereotype of strong women not being able to get along. Overall don’t expect too much more than the advertisement. - Nuff Said.

Nacho Libre

Category: Comedy Rating: PG for rough action, and crude humor including dialogue. Run Time: 1 hr. 31 min.

Starring: Jack Black, Hector Jimenez, Troy Gentile, Moises Arias, Lauro Chartrand

Directed by Jared Hess

Produced by Steven Nicolaides, Jack Black, Mike White

Written by Mike White, Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess

Distributed by Lions Gate Releasing

Release Date: June 16th, 2006

Synopsis: Nacho is a man without skills. After growing up in a Mexican monastery, he is now a grown man and the monastery's cook, but doesn't seem to fit in. Nacho cares deeply for the orphans he feeds, but his food is terrible--mostly, if you ask him, a result of his terrible ingredients. He realizes he must hatch a plan to make money to buy better food for "the young orphans, who have nothing" (and if in doing so Nacho can impress the lovely Sister Encarnacion, that would be a big plus). When Nacho is struck by the idea to earn money as a Lucha Libre wrestler, he finds that he has a natural, raw talent for wrestling. As he teams with his rail-thin, unconventional partner, Esqueleto (the Skeleton), Nacho feels for the first time in his life that he has something to fight for and a place where he belongs. As Lucha is strictly forbidden by the church elders at the monastery, Nacho is forced to lead a double life. Disguised by a sky blue mask, Nacho conceals his true identity as he takes on Mexico's most famous wrestlers and takes on a hilarious quest to make life a little sweeter at the orphanage.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: F

The premise of the movie is just fine in theory, and must have sounded great at the pitch meeting: Black plays Brother Ignacio, a monk who lives in a backwater of Mexico, cooks slop for orphans, and lusts after the beautiful Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera). Because he wants to be famous, make money, and buy better food to cook for the orphans, he begins a secret career as a masked wrestler, but this film is just awful and is not suited for anybody. I warn you to stay home.

Jack Black is essentially doing a "Brownface" routine as a low-level Mexican monk who dreams of being a masked wrestler. Black is not very funny in "Nacho Libre," and that requires some meditation since Black is instinctively a funny actor. I saw that the audience was not responding to the film at all and I can't really blame them as"Nacho Libre" just isn't worth the bother. Very broad and very silly, it's a doodle of a comedy -- a one-joke idea (fat guy goes luchador) padded out to feature length by Black's willingness to do anything.

The Namesake

Category: Drama and Adaptation Rating: PG-13 for sexuality/nudity, a scene of drug use, some disturbing images and brief language. Run Time: 2 hr. 02 min.

Starring: Kal Penn, Zuleikha Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Jacinda Barrett

Directed by Mira Nair

Produced by Yasushi Kotani, Taizo Son, Ronnie Screwvala

Written by PSooni Taraporevala (adaptation), Mira Nair (adaptation), Jhumpa Lahiri (Source Material from novel: "Namesake")

Distributed by 20th Century Fox International, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Release Date: March 9th, 2007 (limited)

Synopsis: When the the Ganguli family moves from Calcutta to New York, they embark upon a lifelong balancing act to meld into a new world without forgetting the old. Though parents Ashoke and Ashima long for the family and culture that enveloped them in India, they take great pride in the opportunities their sacrifices have afforded their children. Paradoxically, their son Gogol is torn between finding his own unique identity without losing his heritage. Even Gogol's name represents the family's journey into the unknown.

Eyecalone Says: Overall: B+

Adapted from Jhumpa Lahiri's 2003 novel of the same name, "The Namesake" is a sincere, heartfelt, and moving story of a Indian immigrant family and their journey to assimilate into American culture with all the conflict, sacrifice, and joy this journey may bring. Masterfully executed by Mira Nair's "The Namesake" instantly ranks with or above her best films, including "Salaam Bombay!" and "Monsoon Wedding,"

It's told over the course of approximately 25-30 years as it focuses on the Gogol (Kal Penn) Ganguli's journey from boy to man, beginning with his childhood and adolescent rejection of his parents traditional ways and his linkages to Indian culture, to him learning to appreciate and accept this lineage in adulthood. Born and raised in Queens, NY Gogul Ganguli is all too typical in his "American teenager-ness". From childhood we see he is teased about his name though ironically his first name is not culturally Indian, but stems from Ashoke Ganguli's (Gogul's father played by Irrfan Khan) fascination with the tragic 19th Century Russian writer Nikolai Gogol and a catastrophic train crash Ashoke experienced in India as a young adult.  

Gogul in fact was just a name his parents put on his birth certificate until his "good name" arrived from his family in India though it ends up sticking when as a child, young Gogul request that his friends and school administrators continue to call him by that name. Through his socialization he comes to detest that name and attempts to distance himself from his family and any notion of his Indian cultural ties, preferring to go by the nickname "Nick" and date "Waspy", privileged, Blonde girls like his girlfriend Maxine, and socialize in those same circles. Subtly the picture is painted primarily through Maxine that as much as she may like or even love Gogul their is a complete lack of understanding an appreciation for his background and culture as Gogul hardly understands or appreciates it himself. As an adult Penn's character attends Yale, moves to Manhattan, and becomes an architect. His only desire it seems is to just blend in though eventually he realizes this too is far from the best course for his life. For Kal Penn this film is a productive and successful move from comedy success as the main character in, " Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" to more serious roles. 

Although he is the central focus of the film, Penn is not the star and hardly seems to be the main character, at times. The most stellar performances are delivered by Khan and the acclaimed, singly-named, Bollywood actress, Tabu who plays Gogol's mother, Ashima. Tabu turns in a spirited performance as Ashima who makes you feel her love, loneliness, and longing all at the same time. When tragedy strikes the family her role seems even more forceful and compelling.  

The film's theme is building bridges, symbolically and in real life, as is illustrated by it's constant backdrop shots of the 59th Street Bridge in New York City and the Howrah Bridge in Calcutta and the fact that Gogul is in essence a bridge between India and the United States; a linkage between his family's cultural legacy and his undeniable American upbringing.  It's a subtle visual message but undoubtedly is not accident. Even with the bridges being built there were a few I was unable to cross judging by audience reactions, as the film featured at least a few inside jokes that one apparently had to be a little more intimately in touch with Indian culture than I am, in order to "get it".  

There are a few minor flaws in the film, such as it seems to drag slightly at times and a couple of events in the film seem to be placed in an unrealistic manner just to successfully transition to another part of the film. Then there is always the fact that people who read the book will predictably argue, it was better than the film, which very well may be the case. Admittedly unlike most people in this country, my stomach for "art-house", independent, small budget films is probably just a strong as it is for large budget blockbusters but The Namesake overall is a moving and thoughtful film that I think most viewers will thoroughly enjoy. 

Next	Category: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Documentary, Adaptation and Sequel Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, and some language. Run Time: 1 hr. 36 min.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Tory Kittles, Michael Trucco

Directed by Lee Tamahori

Produced by Gary Goldman, Jason Koornick (II), Ben Walsbren

Written by Paul Bernbaum, Jonathan Hensleigh, Gary Goldman (adaptation), Philip K. Dick (Source material from short story: "The Golden Man")

Distributed by Paramount Pictures

Release Date: April 27th, 2007

Synopsis: Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson has a secret which is a gift and a curse which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lies low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling "winnings." But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C+

In Next, Nicholas Cage plays a Las Vegas magician but this film is really about the supernatural. Next is at least Cage's third Vegas movie, but this one doesn’t stay there long. This film also represents Nicolas Cage's second superhero movie in the space of two months. To some this may seem like an absurd popcorn flick about a man who can see two minutes into the future to others its something to consider. Next starts with a sequence of scenes in a casino. These show how Cris is able to use his ability to get money, prevent a shooting, and evade a FBI dragnet. It starts off as compelling filmmaking and sets the bar high for the rest of the film. Unfortunately, the movie cannot stay there long but it moves along fast enough so that we never get bored, though they don’t explain enough of it. They don’t explain much at all in fact we have no idea why A Russian terrorist in the Los Angeles area (Thomas Kretschmann) is about to detonate a nuclear bomb? Sorry people everybody doesn’t hate America for its “freedoms”.

Cage’s character, Cris' powers are handled very lazy. There's no consistency. The film fails to play by a consistent set of rules and, while it's possible to justify that endgame twist, that doesn't mean it's a good idea At times, he seems both infallible and indestructible. On other occasions, he's neither. It's never explained why he can see far into Liz's future - this becomes a plot device without which the rest of the story cannot unfold. Its still fun to watch filmmakers deal with Cris’s premonitory powers. One foot chase in a casino is sublimely choreographed, with Cris knowing precisely when to bend over or turn a corner so the security guys on his trail keep missing him by a nanosecond. Meanwhile, his visions look like regular scenes until they stop and start again in the movie’s reality. Of course, this happens so often that you’re never entirely sure when you’re watching real action or Cris’s prediction of what’s to come.

Actually ‘‘Next’’ has been adapted from the 1954 Philip K. Dick story ‘‘The Golden Man,’’ to which the movie bears almost no resemblance. Cage plays Cris Johnson, a Las Vegas magician. Right away Cage hooks us. He wears a velvet tux with a ruffled sea foam-green shirt and does his magic tricks with a stoner’s deadpan. He’s not taking this seriously: There’s barely anyone in the audience, he’s playing to us.

Cris finds himself hounded by the FBI, represented here by tough Julianne Moore. The feds have learned of Cage’s gift and want to use it to save Los Angeles from being taken out by a nuclear bomb. But he fears exploitation and takes off to Arizona, setting off a wild chase that does produce chase sequences which are exciting and unnecessary. There's an anomaly to Cris' superpower, however - he can see more than two minutes ahead into the life of one other person: Liz (Jessica Biel), a young woman he has never met. Cris is on a quest to encounter her if only to determine why he's having visions of her future. Next starts out great but in the end some viewers may feel cheated by what Next does Next.

Night At The Museum

Category: Comedy Rating: PG for mild action, language and brief rude humor. Run Time: 1 hr. 48 min.

Starring: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Kim Raver, Mickey Rooney, Dick Van Dyke

Directed by Shawn Levy

Produced by Chris Columbus, Stephen Sommers, Bob Ducsay

Written by Joshua Goldin (screenplay), Daniel Goldin (screenplay), Scott Frank (screenplay), Dave Goetsch (screenplay), Ross Venokur (screenplay), Jason Venokur (screenplay), Milan Trenc (source material from novel: "The Night at the Museum")

Distributed by 20th Century Fox Distribution

Release Date: December 22nd, 2006

Synopsis: Good-hearted dreamer Larry Daley, despite being perpetually down on his luck, thinks he's destined for something big. But even he could never have imagined how big, when he accepts what appears to be a menial job as a graveyard-shift security guard at a museum of natural history. During Larry's watch, extraordinary things begin to occur: Mayans, Roman Gladiators, and cowboys emerge from their diorama to wage epic battles; in his quest for fire, a Neanderthal burns down his own display; Attila the Hun pillages his neighboring exhibits, and a T-Rex reminds everyone why he's history's fiercest predator. Amidst the chaos, the only person Larry can turn to for advice is a wax figure of President Teddy Roosevelt , who helps our hero harness the bedlam, stop a nefarious plot, and save the museum.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C

The plot unfolds when Ben Stiller's character, Larry, takes a job opens at a museum. The museum, which is losing money, is firing three aging guards, played by Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs. Van Dyke has ok moments but Rooney spouts unfunny, cantankerous lines, making you wish he hadn't taken the gig. Cobbs isn't given much to do. A subplot exposing them as villains doesn't work at all. The movie begins as a droopy family comedy about the divorced, unemployed Larry Daley who is so down and out he may have to move from "Money Making Manhattan" to Queens. It quickly builds to a C.G.I. extravaganza unleashed in the halls of the American Museum of Natural History in New York (where the movie wasn’t actually filmed, except for exteriors).

From the TV ads that bombarded us we know that no sooner than Larry is handed the keys to the museum with strict instructions that nothing leave the museum, the place stirs to life. In no time Larry is playing frightened ringmaster to a rampaging circus of exhibits that have come to life through the magic of a priceless Egyptian tablet.

Night at the Museum squeezes the most juice from its historical figures, some life-sized, others miniature, some in dioramas and others on pedestals. Of the historical figures, Robin Williams’s Teddy Roosevelt is the noisiest. Once this statue steps off his equestrian roost, he behaves like a bossy, slogan-dispensing drill instructor, whipping Larry into moral shape. But beneath his bluster, the facsimile of the 26th president is an emotional basket case, who admits in a weak moment that he is a synthetic product manufactured in Poughkeepsie. For most of the film, he pines silently after Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck), the famous Indian tracker locked inside the glass case of a Lewis and Clark diorama. They also use the film to mis-educate young kids and promote this white Egyptian concept that has been happening since Hollywood began.

Stiller is as wooden in many scenes as some of the museum figures during daylight hours. The fault lies mostly with the script, which requires him to be a drab Everyman rather than playing off his quirky persona. He has some lively moments. But overall it’s not money wisely spent. If only family comedies would evolve and not assume that a good concept, convincing special effects and a strong cast automatically add up to fun.

Norbit

Category: Comedy Rating: PG-13 for crude & sexual humor, some nudity, and language. Run Time: 1 hr. 35 min.

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Thandie Newton, Cuba Gooding Jr, Eddie Griffin, Terry Crews

Directed by Eddie Murphy, Thandie Newton, Cuba Gooding Jr, Eddie Griffin, Terry Crews

Produced by Michael Tollin, Brian Robbins, David Householter

Written by Eddie Murphy, Charles Q. Murphy, Jay Scherick, (rewrite), David Ronn (rewrite)

Distributed by DreamWorks SKG

Release Date: February 9th, 2007

Synopsis: Norbit has never had it easy. As a baby, he was abandoned on the steps of a Chinese restaurant/orphanage and raised by Mr. Wong. Things get worse when he's forced into marriage by the mean, junk food-chugging queen, Rasputia. Just when Norbit's hanging by his last thread, his childhood sweetheart, Kate, moves back to town.

Esther Iverem (Courtesy of SeeingBlack.com) Says: Overall: N/A

Perhaps the sensible thing is to ignore “Norbit,” Eddie Murphy’s latest salvo hurled at women who share his skin color. But as a Hollywood production with a big promotion budget, “Norbit” is hard to ignore.

Our forced exposure to this film and its ideas does not begin if and when we decide to see it. Rather, the story of Norbit begins at the mall, inside our cars, on the bus or as we walk down the street. We are accosted by the movie's promotion poster, which features a 300 pound-plus Black woman, really Eddie Murphy in a fat suit, wearing a hot pink negligee trimmed with feathers. The woman is captured in a side view that highlights her enormous right arm, thigh, hip and, we are left to imagine if she was photographed from the rear, her humongous bare buttocks.

She is a polished and sexualized freak show—(made even freakier because we know this is really a Black actor castrating himself onscreen.) Her short hair is “did.” Her flawless make-up does not mask a teethy, hideous smile. Her fingernails are manicured and claw-like as she sits atop her prey—a skinny, boyish and bookish man, also Eddie Murphy, who looks toward us with a terrified and pleading expression. This is what “Norbit” is about— the capture and captivity of a gentle and good-hearted Black man named Norbit by a morbidly obese, mean and nasty Black woman named Rasputia.

There are a few funny moments in the film, like when Rasputia’s enormity implodes the kiddie moonbounce but, all-in-all, Norbit is tasteless and filled with tired racial and woman-hating humor. The fact that Rasputia is fat is not so much the joke as the fact that she is a fat (and Black) woman. She is made into a monster and a beast—referred to as “a guerilla” and referenced by a piece of poultry fashioned to look like a naked Black butt (like the one hinted at in the movie poster). Her depiction is of course in contrast to the saint-like rendering of Norbit’s childhood sweetheart, played by bi-racial, light-skinned actress Thandie Newton.

An overweight man in society and in the movies is given a pass for obesity. He can be referred to admiringly as “a big man.” It is only when artists and celebrities such as Luther Vandross, Ruben Studdard, Biggie Smalls or Heavy D get too big or too heavy that tongues start wagging. Murphy’s rotund character Sherman Klump in both “The Nutty Professor and “The Klumps” was notable for his kindness and for the fact that, despite his size, he was loved by two hotties, played by Janet Jackson and Jada Pinkett.

Though “Norbit” is defended as comedy-as-usual, it is actually precedent-setting in its level Black obesity burlesque—even in these times when such burlesque is increasingly common. Martin Lawrence’s “Big Momma’s House” was repugnant, noted so at the time, for its stripping and mutilation of the tired but triumphant bodies of elderly Black women. Interestingly, in “Shallow Hal,” a comedy about a White man who sees a very obese White woman as thin and lovely, the large White woman’s body is not focused on in a manner that, unlike Rasputia’s depiction, graphically and repeatedly reveals rolls of her naked flesh.

The fat Black woman or even the average-sized Black woman’s body, has become such a standard joke in recent movies, TV shows and commercials that we are asked by the White filmmakers of “Norbit,” as well as the film's apologists, to accept it. This exploitation has been going on for a long time. Even Hattie McDaniel, the first Black actress to win an Academy Award, in 1939 for “Gone with the Wind, was forbidden by her mammy-centric studio contract to lose weight. Jennifer Hudson, an Oscar nominee this year for “Dreamgirls,” was forced to gain weight to play her part.

Coincidentally, a recent foul commercial featured Eddie Murphy’s brother, Charlie Murphy, who is credited with some writing for “Norbit.” The commercial, for Boost Mobile, features a Black woman with “bionic butt cheeks” who short-circuits her butt while dancing, falls down in an unconscious heap and is stepped over by a White woman on her way into a VIP lounge. (Read the comments by Tyechia Thompson on out letters channel.) The commercial ends when Murphy calls a maintenance crew to “clean all that butt up off the floor.”

It would be great to ignore films like “Norbit” but that would be like not reporting a rape. We can’t say it’s just a joke (but get all riled by Michael Richards using the N-word or Joe Biden calling Barack Obama “mainstream” and “clean”). We can’t stop ignoring films like “Norbit” until they stop ignoring us as human beings.

Esther Iverem’s forthcoming book is We Gotta Have It: Twenty Years of Seeing Black at the Movies, 1986-2006 (Thunder’s Mouth Press, April 2007).

Notes On A Scandal

Category: Drama, Thriller and Adaptation Rating: R for language and some aberrant sexual content. Run Time: 1 hr. 32 min.

Starring: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Alice Bird, Michael Maloney

Directed by Richard Eyre

Produced by Redmond Morris, Scott Rudin, Robert Fox

Written by Patrick Marber (screenplay adaptation), Zoe Heller Source Material (from novel: "What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal")

Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures

Release Date: December 27th, 2006

Synopsis: When Sheba Hart joins St. George's as the new art teacher, Barbara Covett senses a kindred spirit. But Barbara is not the only one drawn to her. Sheba begins an illicit affair and Barbara becomes the keeper of her secret.

Keith Johnson a.k.a. Tsarbernard Says: Overall: B-

Judi Dench is one of the finest actresses around. A strong--even majestic--presence, she commands the screen no matter the role. Cate Blanchett is perhaps the most versatile actress since Meryl Streep. Putting these two together should result in a really fine film, right? Well, not quite. As expected, the actresses give it their all, but at times the script for “Notes on a Scandal” itself lets them down.

Things start promisingly enough. We meet Dench’s Barbara Covett, a dour teacher who long ago lost any spark of excitement for the job. Part of that is due to Covett’s contempt for the changing makeup of the student body, as she informs us in the running narration consisting of readings from the diaries she keeps.

“The level and quality of the students continues to decline”, she sniffs dismissively as the camera shows us a diverse crowd of blacks, Arabs, and Asians.

Covett stalks the halls hurling snapped commands or withering looks to keep order. The students may not like her, but they certainly respect--or fear--her. The same can be said of her fellow teachers, who keep her at a distance, lest they too feel the sting of her ready sarcasm. Covett is a bitter, tightly wound person, neither giving nor asking for anything approaching warmth.

That is until she meets Sheba Hart (Blanchett), the hip new art teacher. Covett’s first sharp-eyed observations are typically scathing. “A pampered bohemian”, she writes. Hart is the essence of all she hates: a well off woman with nothing better to do than play at being a teacher, but one so incompetent she doesn’t have a clue how to discipline her own students.

But in time Covett finds her feelings changing. Hart’s game attempts to be a good teacher, her genuine niceness, even her lack of experience, all start to affect Covett. Soon her scowls turn to smiles at just being noticed by Hart. “We’re going to become friends” she later confesses in her diary.

But soon we see that what Covett means by “friends” is something disturbing. The diary tracks her growing fantasies of how the women need each other, how she can save Hart’s empty life. Covett’s not as cold as first thought--she just needs different fuel to stoke the fires.

Things proceed swimmingly (in Covett’s mind, at least) until she catches Hart in a decidedly compromising position with a young student. To Hart’s surprise, Covett understands. “Everyone makes mistakes”, she says. A grateful Hart soon learns the price of that understanding, as Covett uses the dark secret as blackmail: spend more time with her, being her “special friend”, or face the music when the secret of Hart’s torrid affair with a fifteen-year-old boy becomes public. And thus begins Hart’s nightmare: trapped between a lunatic who wants more than she’s willing to give, and her own uncontrollable desire for a boy younger than her own daughter.

It’s at this point that “Notes on a Scandal” starts to lose its way. Hart’s affair is shown in several scenes of secret tryst with the youngster in various locations, including a railroad yard. None of the scenes are overly graphic, but the actors do appear to really kiss more than once. It gives the movie a touch of salaciousness that I’m not sure is needed. And as a increasingly distrustful Covett watches and stalks Hart, it’s like something from a slasher flick. I almost expected Covett to come at Hart with a knife, or maybe leave a rabbit cooking in a pot in Hart’s kitchen.

And later when the secret is finally exposed, there’s an implausible roommate situation that seems calculated only to setup up a big confrontation. Add in hordes of press covering the scandal, shouting matches between Hart and her husband, and Covett’s continued lunatic pursuit, and things feel more like cable TV than the theatre.

This isn’t to the fault actors. Blanchett is believable as a young, basically good-hearted person who’s just so tired from years of being a “good, giving wife” that she does something reprehensible to most. We may not empathize with her affair, but we can at least sympathize with the mental state that drove her there. And despite sometimes camp writing, Dench steals the show. Her scowls and scolding actually had me wincing a few times in the early going, and even when the movie takes that veer toward TV melodrama, her portrayal of an impossibly deluded woman is still both amusing and unnerving. No surprise if an Oscar nomination comes her way.

The other actors are fine in their roles, if a bit one-dimensional. They seem more like sketch characters used as decorations to the set that is Dench and Blanchett. None of them seem all that real—but then, since disturbed Covett’s telling the story, maybe none of them outside Hart are real to her.

Overall, “Notes on A Scandal” feels more like a TV film. What starts out as a disturbing trip into the extreme passions that drives people ends up more like a guilty pleasure. But thanks to fine performances by Dench and Blanchett, it’s not the worse way to spend a couple of hours.

The Number 23

Category: Thriller Rating: R for violence, disturbing images, sexuality and language. Run Time: 1 hr. 35 min.

Starring: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Danny Huston, Rhona Mitra, Logan Lerman

Directed by Joel Schumacher, Eli Richbourg

Produced by Mike Drake, Eli Richbourg, Brooklyn Weaver

Written by Fernley Phillips

Distributed by New Line Cinema

Release Date: February 23rd, 2007

Synopsis: Spiraling into a dark obsession with the number 23, Walter Sparrow twists his once idyllic life into an inferno of psychological torture that could possibly lead to his death as well as the deaths of his loved ones. Spurred on by a mysterious novel, The Number 23, that he doesn’t dare put down, Walter is forced to unlock the secrets of his past before he can continue his future with his wife, Agatha, and teenage son, Robin. The novel, given to Walter by Agatha as a birthday gift, depicts a chilling murder mystery that seems to mirror Walter’s life in dark and uncontrollable ways. The life of the book’s main character, a brooding detective named Fingerling, is filled with moments that echo Walter’s own history. As the world of the book starts to come alive, Walter becomes infected by the most frightening and evocative part of it: Fingerling’s obsession with the hidden power of the number 23. This obsession permeates the book and begins to control Walter. He sees the number everywhere in his own life and becomes convinced that he is damned to commit the same horrific crime as Fingerling--murder. Nightmarish fantasies come to haunt Walter, ones that portend terrible fates for his wife as well as family friend Isaac French, placing him on a desperate quest to understand the mysteries of the book. If he can unlock the power behind the number 23, he may be able to change his future.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: D

I have liked Jim Carey ever since "Living Color" but his new film The Number 23 is a preposterous, conspiratorial, boring and silly film. Michael Jordan’s number will never be viewed the same. The Number 23 rests its entire "oogly-boogly" premise on the supposed alleged curse--or is it a blessing?--of the number 23 itself. During the opening credits for the new psychological thriller The Number 23 we're fed a lot of trivia that may or may not be true, I sure was not going to look it all up for accuracy. "Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times. Al Capone's prison number was 23. There are 23 letters in George Herbert Walker Bush's name. The time is now 2:23 as you read this. The connections that are drawn with 23 and everything else are ridiculous and the numerology tie in would make Lloyd Strayhorn puke. Nicole Simpson was stabbed 23 times and Ron Brown was stabbed 9 times that adds up to 32 which is O.J. Simpson’s number which proves he really killed the two ten years ago.” 

There’s no such thing as destiny. There are only different choices"—Jim Carrey plays Walter, an animal control officer married to a baker, Agatha, played by Virginia Madsen. They have a teenage son and a life full of happy normalcy. Then for Walter's birthday Agatha foolishly buys him a mysterious "novel of obsession" titled "The Number 23." To tell you why it’s foolish might spoil the film for you but then again you should not be going to see this anyway. If so I am wasting my damn time typing this to you. Anyway as Walter reads it, all sorts of parallels with his own troubled past emerge, and he becomes obsessed with murderous thoughts, numerical patterns, shadows on the wall. This is the films way of making us as numerically obsessed as this movie, in which everything from birth dates to secret addresses somehow add up to 23. The problem is, the picture itself never quite adds up and makes sense no matter how much of a conspiracy theory nut you are, trust me I should know.

Oceans Thirteen

Category: Action/Adventure, Thriller, Crime/Gangster and Sequel Rating: PG-13 for brief sensuality. Run Time: 1 hr. 56 min.

Starring: George Clooney, Ellen Barkin, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Produced by Susan Ekins, Gregory Jacobs, Frederic W. Brost

Written by Brian Koppelman (Screenplay), David Levien (Screenplay), George Clayton Johnson (Source Material from characters), Jack Golden Russell (Source Material from characters)

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Release Date: June 8th, 2007

Synopsis: What are the odds of getting even? Danny Ocean and the gang would have only one reason to pull off their most ambitious and riskiest casino heist--to defend one of their own. But they’re going to need more than luck on their side to break The Bank.Ruthless casino owner Willy Bank never imagined that the odds were against him when he double-crossed Danny Ocean’s friend and mentor Reuben Tishkoff, putting the distraught Reuben in a hospital bed in critical condition. But Bank miscalculated--badly. He may have taken down one of the original Ocean’s eleven, but he left the others standing and, worse for him, gave them a shared purpose: to take Bank down on the night of what should be his greatest triumph--the grand opening of his new casino, appropriately named The Bank. Their strategy is twofold. First they will ruin him financially by turning the tables on the precept that the house always wins. But that’s just money. The knockout punch will be to Bank’s personal pride and joy: his reputation as the only hotelier who has earned the Royal Review Board’s Five Diamond Award on every single one of his hotels. The plan is elaborate, dangerous and damn near impossible--but there are no limits when it comes to one of their own.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C+

Okay let me keep it real funky for you, I have paid little attention to Ocean’s 11 or Ocean’s 12 so Ocean's 13 was not going to have me running to the theatre. I figured that I would download it eventually and I did. Like its immediate predecessors and the original 1960 Rat Pack home movie, "Thirteen" is all about maintaining a barely perceptible smirk behind an “hip hop cool” ( I just made that phrase up). The line between cool and cold is a thin one, however. Cool isn't the word for "Thirteen"; it's just smug.

The film tries to get back to basics by getting back to Nevada. Al Pacino is the new adversary, a resort mogul who double-crosses Clooney's mentor, Elliott Gould (still a bright spot in the franchise), and puts him in the hospital. It's payback time. This time the casino heist involves a faked earthquake, which the FBI or geologist never suspect is fake as well as some imperceptibly loaded dice manufactured at a Mexican plastics factory and an adjunct theft of Pacino's coveted diamonds. To facilitate the latter, Matt Damon, sporting a prosthetic nose, puts the smash on Ellen Barkin, Pacino's up in age undersexed female sidekick. She’s bad and Pacino’s character is bad but even if they are good there is no drama in knowing that Clooney and crew will win out in the end and we don’t really care about the bad guys and that some parts are unclear, we sat for 2 hours because we have either never been to Vegas or we wanted to feel like we were in Vegas for 2 hours - at least this film accomplishes that much.

Perfect Stranger

Category: Drama, Thriller and Crime/Gangster Rating: R for sexual content, nudity, some disturbing violent images and language. Run Time: 1 hr. 49 min.

Starring: Halle Berry, Bruce Willis, Giovanni Ribisi, Gary Dourdan, Nicki Lynn Aycox

Directed by James Foley

Produced by Deborah Schindler, Ron Bozman, Charles Newirth

Written by Todd Komarnicki (4th rewrite), Suzanne Weinert (rewrite), Jon Bokenkamp

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing

Release Date: April 13th, 2007

Synopsis: When investigative reporter Rowena Price learns that her friend's murder might be connected to powerful ad executive Harrison Hill, she goes undercover with the help of her associate, Miles Hailey. Posing as Katherine, a 'temp' at Hill's ad agency, and Veronica, a girl Hill flirts with online, Rowena surrounds her prey from all sides, only to discover that she isn't the only one changing identities. The closer Rowena gets to finding the truth, the more we see how far people will go to protect it.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: B

Halle Berry may or may not be literate but she reminded us she could act in Perfect Stranger. This is her best showcase since "Losing Isiah". Her character capitalizes on her strengths and she owns the picture, from start to finish. At 40 years old, Berry has never looked better on screen, and "Perfect Stranger" finds her in a good place as an actress -- not only in complete control of her technique, but with a cultivated understanding of her own charm and appeal as a screen entity. With clothes made to fit perfectly, dresses that look like they were painted on there is much to ogle. Luckily this sexiness does not translate to actual sex, well not in the finished version of this film. Does the film contain the rumored nudity scene of Berry engaging in cybersex at the suspected killer's behest? Nope, it has been cut.." A second or two of this footage remains in the overseas trailers. But in its final American cut "Perfect Stranger" has been toned down.

The film’s overall look is great but it does become a problem as product placement gets crazy, Victoria's Secret bras, Vaio computers, Heineken beer, Reebok shoes, and more get mini commercials inside the film. I must say what do we expect with the suspected killer as the key suspect.

This is a genuine twister that will keep you guessing as to what happens next. Rumor has it director James Foley shot three different solutions, indicting three different killers in the story's central murder. The politics are very current and modern. The real life scandal involving Republican Mark Foley’s recent gay, pedophile controversy involving a 16-year-old male former congressional page is where we get the initial context to meet Halle’s character. Then again there could be many other gay republican scandals as the context but we see her rage in the first scene, in which she gains entry into a Republican senator's office, posing as a sympathetic supporter. Turns out the senator, who has been an enemy of gay rights, is himself gay, and she has the proof. She's a reporter, and she's about to run with the story and her newspaper kills it because he has friends in high places. The "gay boule" theory gets some legs until her boss tells her that this killing the story is typical of a good-old-boy network of men in government and media colluding to squash the truth often but do not give up. Another time will come and its coming sooner than we think.

Then we met her creepy and mysterious friend who she believes was killed by Bruce Willis' character, a hotshot ad executive and her creepy lusting homeboy (Haley) Giovanni Ribisi the computer nerd, oversexed and loved-starved secret admirer. The film tips us that this guy is creep early on when we see that he watches Halle have sex with Gary Dourdan who plays Camerron. One can’t say much more about this film without giving away the plot but I will say if you do not like it, then you either don’t like Halle Berry or intrigue.

Phat Girlz

Category: Comedy Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and language, including some crude sexual references. Run Time: 1 hr. 39 min.

Starring: Monique Imes, Godfrey Danchimah, Joyful M'Chelle Drake, Kendra C. Johnson, Jimmy Jean-Louis

Directed by Nnegest Likke

Produced by Monique Imes, Steven Imes, Robert Newmyer

Written by Nnegest Likke

Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures

Release Date: April 7th, 2006

Synopsis: A smart-mouthed aspiring fashion designer struggles to find love and acceptance in a world full of "hot bodied" babes.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: B+

I find it quite disgusting but only apropos that so called "Hollywood film critics" have for the most part panned a great film with a grade of D. However, its no surprise since the film is nothing short of an all out attack on the images and standards the Hollywood industry has set forth and which have made them billions of dollars. The Hollywood machine simply has too much invested to tell the truth about this film, which is that it is a very important "out of the box" type of film. E! Online, Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood Reporter and filmcritics.com were all "unusually highlighted" as the authorities on this film and gave it a D, while Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times and others simply skipped out on reviews of this film or hid them. Yet it seemed that every person who saw the movie appreciated it or simply loved it and the same can be said of independent online reviewers. The group Banthenword not to be confused with abolishthenword.com says this of Phatgirlz, “many critics (Black and White) just can’t accept an overweight, chunky-faced Black woman on the big screen and will never look beyond that physical aspect of this movie to realize the bigger purpose of this film. The chemistry of the kiss between the lead couple was unlike any you typically see in movies, but since it’s two Black characters (along with Hollywood’s standard downplay of Blacks falling in love), that aspect of the film will certainly get very little play.”  I advise you to Forget The Hollywood haters and go see this film whether skinny, medium, or obese especially if you are a "thick girl"!

The only thing wrong with this film is that the lighting is sometimes bad and you can see all of the makeup Monique has on her face at times but the mixture of comedy, drama and socio-political commentary is excellent and Monique has taken a break from playing the "coonish" type of character that Hollywood has reserved for her. Overall it’s a very touching story and even causes men like me, who don't normally look at plus size women to rethink my cultural definition of sexy. Ultimately its an uplifting story about learning to love yourself for who you are, not what people think (Hollywood) you should look like. You ever realize that being skinny can be just as unhealthy as being fat but nobody ever talks about that. Anyway this movie is about “Phat girls” not fat girls, and I think there is a difference.  If you're a big girl and got teased or you did the teasing and was one of those "skinny bitches" who has gotten fat, "Phat Girlz" is for you. – Nuff said!

What are your thoughts on this film? Click Here to here to enter the discussion.

Eyecalone Says: Overall: C+

I know what you probably thought when you saw the advertisements for Phat Girlz because I thought the same thing, "Not another grade-F Black comedy/'coonery'", this time lampooning overweight people, and judging by the ad campaign from the `cheesy' commercials to the goofy looking font in the movie poster, to the "ebonically" influenced title spelling, could anyone really blame you. As is turns out there is a little more substance in Phat Girlz than we've been led to believe and it's a shame that the studio mismanaged its' release and promotion so badly. Phat Girlz is marketed as a comedy but it is also part serious. It has its' funny moments but also misses badly in the comedy department at times, such as one inexplicable scene where comedian Monique Imes gets into a "your so ugly joke" runoff with a teenager at a fast food restaurant. This is symptomatic of another problem with the film where there seems to be some indecision about whether the filmmaker wants to go the complete slapstick route or take on a more serious comedic tone. The video quality and lighting on the film are also poor and somewhat grainy, almost like some documentaries, though this was a factor I was able to overlook.

If nothing else writer and director Nnegest Likke, attempts to paint a sympathetic picture of the lives and experiences of overweight women in American society, particularly overweight women of color, using some comedy and a little drama. The result is a film that makes some important points but misses just as many. Plus size, comedian Monique gets to try her hand at some somewhat serious acting, which she does a decent job at, as she recounts and relives all the every day suffering and low self-esteem caused by being overweight. Phat Girlz also attempts to take some aim at the unrealistic and often harmful body image standards forced on women via pop culture. Where it misses the mark badly is that even though being thin doesn't necessarily make one healthy and all women are not meant to be a size 6 or less, weight is NOT just a cosmetic issue. Obesity and lack of exercise has clear linkage with heart disease, high-blood pressure, diabetes, and other weight and lifestyle choice related illnesses. With the excessively high rates of diabetes and hyper-tension (high blood pressure) in the Black community, and diet related illnesses in America in general, it's irresponsible for this to be essentially left out of the movie. The film treats obesity as merely cosmetic and simply a matter of one's genetic makeup and not far more attributable to any number of choices a person makes in what they choose to eat, when they choose to eat it, and if they choose to exercise. Overall the film does have a good message of learning to love and accept oneself which is a definite positive, but it's unfortunate this message may come along with the message that obesity isn't something worth addressing.

The Pink Panther

Category: Action/Adventure, Comedy, and Thriller Rating: PG for occasional crude and suggestive humor and language. Run Time: 1 hr. 32 min.

Starring: Kevin Kline, Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Beyoncé Knowles

Directed by Shawn Levy

Produced by Joe Medjuck, Tom Pollock, Tracey Trench

Written by Len Blum, Steve Martin, Michael Saltzman

Distributed by MGM Distribution Company

Release Date: February 10th, 2006

Synopsis: A world-famous soccer coach has been murdered and his priceless, legendary ring has been stolen--a ring set with the stunning diamond known as the "Pink Panther." The French government needs a master detective to solve the crime and recover the gem--but he's not available, so they recruit none other than Inspector Jacques Clouseau. A stunning pop star, a soccer player, a Chinese assassin circles--but who committed the crime? And can anyone solve the case? Clouseau and his partner, Ponton, must unmask the murderer and keep their boss, Dreyfus, from taking credit for the victory, all without bringing the French legal system to a screeching halt.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C-

The new "Pink Panther" isn't a remake, but a kind of prequel set in today's time about the start of Clouseau's Parisian career, with Steve Martin as Clouseau, Kevin Kline replacing Herbert Lom as Clouseau's apoplectic superior Chief Inspector Dreyfus and Jean Reno, in a way, standing in for Burt Kwouk's Kato as Clouseau's new sidekick: deadpan, resourceful gendarme Gilbert Ponton. Their case includes the theft of a "Pink Panther" diamond ring and the televised murder of its owner. To me I can't help but frown on the plot dealing with the chasing of a rare diamond, which is plotted and calculated to make people obsess over. I already know where the hell this absurd obsession with diamond jewelry came from. I mean flossing' and frontin' have always played a part in pop culture but movies and music push it in a not so subtle way but we don't really notice this. You can no longer blame a industry or area because the obsession is everywhere, East, West, South, Midwest, and everywhere between. You can take notice when you see it thou and its in this movie cause its part of the plot.

Ok back to the movie, Team France soccer coach Yves Gluant (Jason Statham), is slain by a poison dart at a match between France and China. The suspects include Gluant's lover, Beyonce Knowles (Xania), team trainer Yuri (Henry Czerny), Chinese dignitaries and French soccer team celebs; the locales range from Paris to New York. But the mystery, as always, is relatively unimportant. Clouseau is assigned to the investigation by the devious Dreyfus--not yet driven to twitching, Lom-like distraction by his incompetent underling--because the junior inspector is already a famous idiot and Dreyfus wants someone sure to foul up the case so he can rescue things and win a Medal of Honor.

The original Clouseau, as Sellers and Edwards shaped him, was a French fool laboring under the delusion that he was a mix of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Inspector Maigret and Casanova. But Sellers' Clouseau had a contradictory appeal in those great sad eyes, a hint of self-awareness beneath his seemingly oblivious exterior. Martin's Clouseau, by contrast, shares Sellers' fantasies but often seems a little too self-confident. He has been made into a sweeter and even smarter guy, decked out in ill-fitting clothes--tight top, loose pants and a ridiculous Pepe Le Pew beret-- that emphasize his visual absurdity. Funny as Martin can be, though, he lacks some of Sellers' desperate edge. Instead, that zany smile of Martin's--the key mannerism of one of his own great characters, the Wild and Crazy Guy--almost suggests complacency. This "Pink Panther" really doesn't have to achieve the heights of the original; it just has to be funny on its own terms. But it pales there too. Kline, a master of comic hypocrisy, deserves more screen time, Emily Mortimer is wasted as Clouseau's adoring assistant Nicole and Beyonce is over indulged as Xania. As for Levy, he lacks Edwards' loony, impeccable style and slapstick panache.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Category: Action/Adventure, Adaptation and Sequel Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images. Run Time: 2 hr. 45 min.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Produced by Bruce Hendricks, Mike Stenson, Chad Oman

Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Jay Wolpert, Stuart Beattie

Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Release Date: May 24th, 2007

Synopsis: Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones' locker, while the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, they must forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Chinese Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now headed beyond the very ends of the earth, each must ultimately choose a side in a final, titanic battle, as not only their lives and fortunes, but the entire future of the freedom-loving Pirate way, hangs in the balance.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: D

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Category: Action/Adventure, Adaptation and Sequel Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images. Run Time: 2 hr. 25 min.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Bill Nighy

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Produced by Bruce Hendricks, Mike Stenson, Chad Oman

Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert

Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Release Date: July 7th, 2006

Synopsis: Captain Jack Sparrow is caught up in another tangled web of supernatural intrigue. Although the curse of the Black Pearl has been lifted, an even more terrifying threat looms over its captain and scurvy crew: it turns out that Jack owes a blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones, Ruler of the Ocean Depths, who captains the ghostly Flying Dutchman, which no other ship can match in speed and stealth. Unless the ever-crafty Jack figures a cunning way out of this Faustian pact, he will be cursed to an afterlife of eternal servitude and damnation in the service of Jones. This startling development interrupts the wedding plans of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who once again find themselves thrust into Jack's misadventures, leading to escalating confrontations with sea monsters, very unfriendly islanders, flamboyant soothsayer Tia Dalma and even the mysterious appearance of Will's long-lost father, Bootstrap Bill. Meanwhile, ruthless pirate hunter Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company sets his sights on retrieving the fabled "Dead Man's Chest." According to legend, whoever possesses the Dead Man's Chest gains control of Davy Jones, and Beckett intends to use this awesome power to destroy every last Pirate of the Caribbean once and for all. For times are changing on the high seas, with businessmen and bureaucrats becoming the true pirates--and freewheeling, fun-loving buccaneers like Jack and his crew threatened with extinction.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C

I'm not sure why this movie is killing'em at the box office but it is setting records, which makes me think - I was supposed to like this film. My kids may have enjoyed this movie at times but for me it went slow and 2 1/2 hours seemed like four. What’s missing is a plot, amusing dialogue, comic timing, and a reason to exist. Presumably these will come in the third installment, already filmed and due in theaters next May. For now, the abruptness with which “Dead Man’s Chest” leaves audiences hanging borders on contempt. The Hammerhead Shark sailor, the Hermit Crab sailor, the old salt with a face like a lionfish: This is high-calorie summer spectacle, as eye-popping as it is intermittent. (It’s also problematically scary for smaller children; in terms of all-around violence, gore, and fright factor, this may be one of the hardest PG-13s yet released. No nudity, though, since you know how that warps the kids.) The problem is that Verbinski and his writers haven’t written scenes — they’ve written ideas for scenes and then told Depp and the other actors to wing it. The dialogue sequences stall aimlessly 30 seconds in, and the jokes are booty (“Where’s that dog swimming to?” “He saw a catfish”). When in doubt, the cast falls down. It doesn’t help that there are too many characters to sensibly keep track of: In addition to the leads and the villains, there’s Mackenzie Crook and Lee Arenberg as two Mutt-and-Jeff sailors, Elizabeth’s father (Jonathan Pryce) and the disgraced Norrington (Jack Davenport) from the first film. Will it matter? Not…“Dead Man’s Chest” with sat stonily through most of the movie, laughed with relief when a solid gag came along, and walked out trying to convince themselves they’d had a good time and that the ridiculous ending — here’s your hat, see you next May! — . The third “Pirates” may come too late: With “Dead Man’s Chest,” the franchise is back to the rickety amusement-park ride it started as.

Preaching To The Choir

Category: N/A Rating: PG-13 for language, sex and drug references. Run Time: 1 hr. 40 min.

Starring: Billoah Greene, Darien Sills-Evans, Novella Nelson, Janine Green, Eartha Kitt

Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright

Produced by Richard Perello, Peter E. Lengyel, Chloe O'Connor

Written by Kevin Heffernan, Peter E. Lengyel

Distributed by Freestyle Releasing

Release Date: April 14th, 2006 (Limited)

Synopsis: Two twins, both raised in Harlem, N.Y., take divergent paths when they grow up. One becomes a minister - while the other becomes a gangster rapper.

Shiesty Says: Overall: D

There's money in the black church. It's a secret restaurants, clothiers, and funeral homes have known for years. That Hollywood is only just discovering this is a potentially lucrative audience of filmgoers just truly shows you how behind the times they are out in La La Land. And how short they are on creative new ideas once they do figure out a money making formula. The past few years have bought a proliferation of church themed movies: Kingdom Come, The Gospel, and about 78 Madea-related flicks. Alas, quantity doesn't equal quality. Except for Woman Thou Art Loosed, every movie seems to be a formulaic mix of B-List talent and hokey over-the-top "sangin'". I sincerely hoped for more with Preaching to the Choir. I am still waiting for more.

Preaching marks the first release for Distribution One, a subsidiary of broadcast giant Radio One (which also happens to own TV One. I'm guessing Movie One was already taken). It's an inauspicious debut, which probably would have been better served hitting the straight-to-DVD market instead. The movie, part drama, part comedy, entirely bad (not bad meaning good, but bad meaning bad) can't quite decide what it wants to be, and instead ends up as a case study in how NOT to make a movie.

The premise is the tried and true parable of the prodigal son with a modern twist. Preteen twins Teshawn and Wesley are whisked away from their native North Carolina after their father, a pastor, is mysteriously murdered, leaving them orphaned. Relocated to Harlem and living with their Aunt June, the boys begin to change as they adjust to their new environments. Fast-forward 15 years or so, and the brothers couldn't possibly be more different. Wesley (Darien Sills-Evans) is an uptight young preacher, leading the dying congregation at his Aunt's church. Teshawn (Billoah Greene) is now a multi-platinum rapper named Zulu, and has relocated to the Left Coast, forgetting his family in the process. When he gets into a contract related dispute with his Suge-like label owner (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, better known as "Abedisi" from HBO's Oz, in a rare comedic turn), Te steals his masters and skips town. But as the saying goes: you can't go home again. Te returns to Harlem to see that many things have changed, and he no longer fits in.

Chock full of unknown actors and sprinkled with cameos (Patti Labelle, Eartha Kitt, Nona Hendryx) Preaching never quite hits the mark because there are just too many chinks in the armor. The dialogue is predictable and underdeveloped, the characters one-dimensional and unlikable, and the musical numbers uninspiring. And yes, this is a PG-13 movie, but it’s also one being marketed to churches. It’s not unrealistic to expect it to be somewhat family friendly, as there were LOTS of kids in the theater when I saw it. The scriptwriters must not have considered this, because every curse word ever invented gets spouted off here. Repeatedly.

The cumulative effect is a few unintentional laughs interspersed with head scratching holes in the plot. And from an originality standpoint, try this one on for size: city slicker returns home and helps wayward church choir win competition that helps save the church from financial ruin. If that sounds exactly like 2003's Fighting Temptations, then hooray, one cookie for you. At least that movie had Beyonce to keep us mildly engaged. There's no Beyonce in this movie.

When leaving this movie, I couldn't help but think "this is the best they can give us?". Black audiences in general deserve a LOT better than what Hollywood constantly serves us as "family entertainment". Judging by Preaching, that message hasn't quite reached the right ears yet.

Premonition

Category: Thriller Rating: PG-13 for some violent content, disturbing images, thematic material and brief language. Run Time: 1 hr. 37 min.

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Julian McMahon, Mark Famiglietti, Kate Nelligan, Nia Long

Directed by Mennan Yapo

Produced by Andrew Sugerman, Lars Sylvest, Nick Hamson

Written by Bill Kelly

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing

Release Date: March 16th, 2007

Synopsis: Linda Hanson has a beautiful house, a loving husband and two adorable daughters. Her life is perfect, until the day she receives the devastating news that her husband Jim has died in a car accident. When she wakes up the next morning to find him alive and well, she assumes it was all a dream, but is shaken by how vivid it felt. She soon realizes it wasn't a dream, and her world is turned upside down as the surreal circumstances lead her to discover that her perfect life may not have been all that it appeared. Desperate to save her family, Linda begins a furious race against time and fate to try and preserve everything that she and Jim have built together.

Keith Johnson a.k.a. Tsarbernard Says: Overall: B

With the wintertime “important” films just behind us, and the summertime mega blockbusters just ahead of us, it’s nice to see a movie that’s not earth-shatteringly exciting or full of import, but that’s simply a decent little film. And that describes “Premonition”: a decent little film dealing with love and loss—and possibly time travel--made better by the always likeable Sandra Bullock.

The movie has a low-key tone from the start. A flashback shows a young Linda Hanson (Bullock), and her husband Jim (“Nip Tuck” star Julian McMahon) admiring their new home. The two are obviously very much in love and full of hope for the future. Several years and two children later, the Hansons have settled into a life of routine: breakfast, school, washing clothes, grocery shopping, business meetings--all the mundane aspects of typical American family life. Their life isn’t exactly bad, it’s just—settled. When Jim is killed in a car accident, however, the routine is cruelly interrupted.

What follows is a series of time loops as the harsh reality encroaches and recedes: one day Linda awakens to find Jim alive, the next morning she’s planning his funeral. At first thinking herself dreaming—or going crazy—Linda comes to believe that she really is moving through time. But why and how is this is happening? Can she change the past and save Jim? Adding to her confusion, each loop unveils strange events and clues: a brief and cryptic voicemail from Jim left just before his death…a strange blonde woman at Jim’s funeral…Jim having recently increased his life insurance policy’s payout…a Lithium prescription that Linda doesn’t remember filling. Each new clue points to something strange and possibly sinister going on—or does it?

As we loop with Linda, we’re as in the dark as she is about what’s happening. The increasingly detailed glimpses into her past and future come like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, but it’s not clear where the pieces fit or what sort of picture they’ll make. Is the underlying explanation of the loops supernatural, conspiratorial, or psychological?

If the time-travel angle were all the movie offered, it wouldn’t be very engaging. Fortunately, the real focus isn’t time travel, but the importance of appreciating what we have before it’s too late. In the past, we see that the Hanson’s marriage had become strained, and that the once passionate couple were in danger of drifting apart. But seeing that seemingly dull life from the future of Jim’s death, Linda realizes how much they really had, and how much she stands to lose. In a way, her mission to save Jim’s life becomes one to save her own as well.

The “appreciate what you have before it’s gone” message could have been clichéd, but Bullock—often faintly derided as capable of playing only girl-next-door types--brings a balance to Linda’s character. From slightly bored, to grief-stricken, confused, angry, and even hopeful, she keeps the plot moving with emotions that feel genuine and convincing. Bullock keeps the audience engaged even as wildly disparate clues pop up which threaten to throw the movie off course.

Actually helping is director Mennan Yapo’s slow pacing. There are no fancy special effects, no over-the-top car chases or the like, just a study of a fairly mundane life. Looking back, we see where “mundane” became “stagnant”: little spots of peeling paint on the walls, a porcelain bathroom sink that could use a good cleaning, a backyard with slightly overgrown grass, the kids’ creaky swing—all in retrospect become symbols of a life of boring sameness. Jim and Linda themselves are an attractive couple that likewise could use a shine: he with boring short-sleeve shirts and ties and slightly tousled hair, she with the frumpy-but-practical clothes. A boring life, perhaps, but one to which we can relate, and we root for Linda’s attempt to save it.

The supporting actors are competent in their jobs. McMahon, used as he is in quick flashback scenes, doesn’t have a lot of continuous screen time. Still, as the movie progresses, his short moments of interaction with Bullock become more charged with emotion and meaning. One could wish to see a bit more of Jim, but hey: he is dead after all. Isn’t he? The children are predictably preternaturally cute, straight from Central Casting. Nia Long, curiously, lends her considerable talent to a throwaway Black Best Friend role. She’s neither a hindrance nor a real help to the film. Ultimately the picture is carried by Bullock.

“Premonition” isn’t a great film, but despite a slow pace and a fairly abrupt ending, it is an engaging one. You won’t spend hours talking about any hidden meanings, but you will remember its bittersweet tone and gentle cautionary message. Sandra Bullock brings her likeability and charm to deliver a nice little movie. And in a cinema world bursting with man-spiders, daring warriors, assassins, big explosions, and action galore, there’s nothing wrong with taking a breather and enjoying a nice little movie.

The Prestige

Category: Drama, Thriller and Adaptation Rating: PG-13 for violence and disturbing images. Run Time: 2 hrs. 08 min.

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, David Bowie, Scarlett Johansson

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Produced by William Tyrer, Chris J. Ball, Valerie Dean

Written by Christopher Nolan (Screenplay adaptation), Jonathan Nolan (Screenplay adaptation), Christopher Priest (II) (Source Material from novel: "The Prestige")

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures International, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Release Date: October 20th, 2006 (Limited)

Synopsis: It all begins in rapidly changing, turn-of-the-century London. At a time when magicians are idols and celebrities of the highest order, two young magicians set out to carve their own paths to fame. The flashy, sophisticated Robert Angier is a consummate entertainer, while the rough-edged purist Alfred Borden is a creative genius who lacks the panache to showcase his magical ideas. They start out as admiring friends and partners. But when their biggest trick goes terribly awry, they become enemies for life--each intent on outdoing and upending the other. Trick by trick, show by show, their ferocious competition builds until it knows no bounds, even utilizing the fantastical new powers of electricity and the scientific brilliance of radical inventor Nikola Tesla--while the lives of everyone around them hang in the balance.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: B+

Adapted from the novel by Christopher Priest, the screenplay for "The Prestige" by Jonathan Nolan his brother, director Christopher Nolan, plays around with flashbacks and chronology. Manipulating time and chronology is becoming a bit of a signature for Christopher Nolan, who was behind the amnesic identity crisis thriller (Memento), the Alaskan noir (Insomnia), and the successful rebirth of the superhero (Batman Begins). The actual title "The Prestige" refers to the third act of a magic trick, the point when the performer reveals a sleight of hand before a befuddled crowd. Finding the grandest prestige is what drives turn-of-the-century magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). Jackman plays an bold and refined American magician with panache coming out of his ears. Bale plays Borden, a working-class Londoner not nearly as polished but every bit as driven. Bale and Jackman start out confidantes, and to some degree co-workers, until a risky trick goes tragically awry turning their uneasy relationship into a life threatening rivalry.

The story moves back and forth between London and Colorado Springs, where in his mountaintop laboratory, the mysterious Mr. Tesla (David Bowie) slaves away at his miracle invention, the early 20th Century version of the transporter machine from "Star Trek." This is the machine that is supposed to take one particular "magic" trick into the realm of reality. It's an interesting mixing of real and fictional characters as well as events. The real Nikola Tesla, Serbian born, discovered the rotating magnetic field and came up with the "Tesla Coil," used later in radio technology. He is also alleged to have come up with numerous theories, inventions, and discoveries they were either suppressed or co-opted due to the powers that be not being able to control or profit from them. This winds up being background noise in the music as Tesla's laboratory is stalked and sabotaged by "Thomas Edison's people".

The real magic in this film, or "The Prestige", is the tension created by the competitive back-and-forth between the two magicians, as well as all the twist and turns in the film I am going out of my way not to reveal, so as not to ruin the movie for those who haven't yet seen it. The rivalry keeps ramping up in intensity until it has consumed both men (or at least one of them), to the point where nothing else seems to matter. "The Prestige" weaves such an original story, that I honestly had no clue how it would conclude or be explained, and trust it will all be explained at the end. It's an above average film and the acting performances are outstanding across the board. I would definitely recommend seeing it, it's a magic trick all in itself.

Pride

Category: Drama, Biopic and Sports Rating: PG for thematic material, language including some racial epithets, and violence. Run Time: 1 hr. 48 min.

Starring: Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kevin Phillips, Evan Ross, Nate Parker

Directed by Sunu Gonera

Produced by Mike Elliott, John Sacchi, Michael Paseornek

Written by Michael Gozzard, K. Michael Smith, Mills Goodloe, Norman Vance Jr., Jim Ellis (Source Material from Life Rights)

Distributed by Lionsgate

Release Date: March 23rd, 2007

Synopsis: The year is 1973, and Jim Ellis, a college-educated African-American, can’t find a job. Driven by his love of competitive swimming, Jim converts an abandoned recreational pool hall in a Philadelphia slum with the help of Elston, a local janitor. But when city officials mark the new Philadelphia Department of Recreation for demolition, Jim fights back--by starting the city’s first African-American swim team. Recruiting troubled teens from the streets, Jim struggles to transform a motley team of novices into capable swimmers--all in time for the upcoming state championships. But as racism, violence and an unsympathetic city official threaten to tear the team apart, Jim must do everything he can to convince his swimmers that victory, both in and out of the pool, is within their reach.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: 

Pride is an extraordinarily positive movie that is inspirational. It’s the directorial debut of Sunu Gonera of South Africa. Pride makes the audience feel good at the same time it debunks the myth that black people don't swim. Now, as to why don’t more African Americans swim – that’s another story. It’s based on the true life story of Jim Ellis who stills teaches kids in Philly to swim; 33 years later he has created many world class swimmers. In Pride Ellis transforms the five immature boys and one already talented girl, into disciplined championship swimmers. As fun as this is to watch, "Pride" falls short at establishing the swimmers as more than emblems of upliftment. There characters are not developed and we don’t really know who they are outside of all the wise cracking they do to each other. 

Terrence Howard is again great in this role as swim teacher and guru, Jim Ellis, redeeming his script choices after “you know what”. One critic Matt Stevens noted in regard to his smart choice in this role “Yeah, it's hard out here for a pimp. But it's also hard out here for a college-educated African-American trying to get a teaching job in the '70s. “The film takes place in the early '70s. Ellis gets turned down for a job at a local White high school so he is forced to work in his own community and goes on to do great aquatic things, eventually founding the Philadelphia Department of Recreations swimming team at the practically condemned Marcus Foster recreation center in 1974 Philadelphia.

Race and bigotry is actually a backdrop to the story of overcoming odds and fear but racism is very important in how it shapes the story and certain motivations. For example Ellis is motivated to beat one of the White coaches (Tom Arnold), because he refused to hire Ellis to teach, his White swimmers and the White swimmers hurl insults at the Black swimmers for simply being Black. This is not motivation enough to get better in fact after the loss to the White swimmers; the Black kids from Philly make jokes on the bus ride home. "We just clowning," one of the kids says, everything is a joke to them, they are minstrels in training and don’t even realize it. Terrence Howard and his assistant, Bernie Mac are flabbergasted by the lack of Pride they have and are bewildered. As, Howard uses the occasion to give a tough but non preachy speech meant to shame his athletes into having some pride.

It works and that is really where the story begins, there are some other story backdrops that are key to keeping us watching. The kids have to survive the local drug dealer Gary Anthony Sturgis, who also played the drug dealer in "Daddies Little Girls" and the city's determination to close the recreation center because “black kids don’t swim”. - Nuff Said

 

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Primeval

Category: Suspense/Horror and Thriller Rating: R for strong graphic violence, brutality, terror and language. Run Time: 1 hr. 34 min.

Starring: Dominic Purcell, Orlando Jones, Brooke Langton, Jurgen Prochnow, Gideon Emery

Directed by Michael Katleman

Produced by Jamie Tarses, Gavin Polone

Written by John Brancato, Michael Ferris

Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Release Date: January 12th, 2007

Synopsis: In one of the most remote places on earth, a bloodthirsty serial killer has claimed over 300 victims, and is still at large to this day. The danger begins as producer Tim Freeman, cameraman Steven Johnson and their rag-tag team set out on a journey up-river in search of their subject. But the deeper they probe into the mystery of this elusive assassin, the deadlier their trip becomes.

Bruce Banter Says: Overall: F 

I HEARD THE CRITICS PANNED this film as American “Cinema at its worse” but I wanted to see for myself so I took my free movie passes and headed to the theatre. Lo and behold I have to confirm that the critics were right. Primeval easily the worst film of the year and by far the most racist, anti-black, anti-African film of 2007. In 2006 we saw some good scripts emerge with Africa as the focus; this is not one of them. Just when we thought that writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris could not make another movie as awful as Catwoman, here comes Primeval. At least its only 90 minutes of killing brain cells.

Primeval is being advertised as a story inspired by real events. But anybody who uses inspires and primeval in the same sentence must be a little loony. The only validity to it is that a crocodile was eating humans but to call it a killer croc is an oxymoron. A crocodile that kills is like a human who eats. During the near 300 years of the Middle Passage many enslaved Africans went overboard resisting slavery, they were eventually eaten by sharks. The sharks grew bigger as their diet became accustomed to human flesh and those sharks evolved into another more robust shark species. Primeval tells a story by which so many people were killed during the “ethnic slaughter” campaign in Rwanda and were buried in mass graves that a crocodile feasted on human flesh so much he grew to the size of a baby dinosaur; he is like a reptile on steroids and runs like a cheetah. Unfortunately it’s an awful CGI rendition when we see it. They call him Gustave which happens to be the same name as the local murderous warlord who is also killing people. However the story leaves out so much detail or meaning that you don’t even realize that a civil war is supposed to be happening, it’s a sidebar to illustrate African savagery.

Writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris use Orlando Jones the only African American character to spew the most vile, condescending and racist garbage that they can come up with. The trick being that since the character is black nobody will view it as racist pandering. Jones initially comes off as caring about Africa and then does a 180 degree turn later screaming how he hates Africa and even justifies slavery stating “I hate to say this in front of White people, but slavery was a good thing. Anything you got to do to get the f - - - out of Africa , is OK with me.” All of this dialogue is unchecked and presented as real talk the black people in the movie theatre got smaller in there seats while those scenes played out, whiles Whites laughed their asses off.

They even amplify the audio for Jones to diss Africa . It was disgusting racist dialogue that did not even belong in the film but Hollywood constantly employs these White writers that proceed to politicize and brainwash people and justify it as “entertainment”. They would never have Jewish characters justifying the holocaust but the transatlantic slave trade is always some Hollywood writers joke. Its not as subtle as the attempted rape scene of the White female journalist Brooke Langton who has to worry about being raped by an African soldier looking for video footage of a murder, but add up all these things in a 90 minute film and you have “Birth of a Nation Redux”. We hear tidbits of the cast debating the role of journalism in covering African strife. However it’s meaningless and incoherent. There is a crocodile running around eating and destroying everything and he can’t be stopped, I just hope this doesn’t mean they will do a Primeval 2. – Nuff Said

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The Pursuit of Happyness

Category: Drama and Biopic Rating: PG-13 for some language. Run Time: 1 hr. 56 min.

Starring: Will Smith, Thandie Newton, Jaden Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Zuhair Haddad

Directed by Gabriele Muccino

Produced by David Alper, Teddy Zee, Mark Clayman

Written by Steve Conrad (Screenplay adaptation)

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing

Release Date: December 15th, 2006

Synopsis: Chris Gardner is a bright and talented, but marginally employed salesman. Struggling to make ends meet, Gardner finds himself and his five-year-old son evicted from their San Francisco apartment with nowhere to go. When Gardner lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, he and his son endure many hardships, including living in shelters, in pursuit of his dream of a better life for the two of them.

Ooh Papi Says: Overall: C+ 

This is not the feel-good movie of the season. The advertising is very good for this film, so good I did not even realize happiness was spelled wrong until me and my family sat down in our seats and the main character pointed it out. I would not sit through The Pursuit of Happyness again but I might support the DVD just because it’s a love story about a black man and his son, which is super rare for Hollywood. Maybe I was disappointed overall because I am reading the book The Pursuit of Happyness: by Chris Gardner and Quincy Troupe which is much, much better. Downbeat plots are often powerful, but this one takes too long to uplift the viewer. “Happyness” is based on a true story about that all-American goal: to become rich. Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner, a struggling medical supplies salesman in San Francisco. His wife Thandie Newton is portrayed as a real “B”, she is frustrated and working double shifts, as their son languishes in a daycare where they barely speak English and watch channel zero all day, because it’s the cheapest daycare available - and they still can’t pay the bills. We got that much from the 20/20 interview which inspired Will Smith to want to do this film.

Chris is allegedly inspired by a seeing somebody driving a Ferrari and the happy faces streaming out of the financial district. Chris, a math whiz, decides to apply for a yearlong Dean Witter internship that eventually rewards only 1 of the 20 interns with an actual job. It’s like a lottery scam whereby the big wigs in corporate America get a whole lot of free labor from desperate people. I know many who have worked on Wall Street and other financial districts and they are only smiling during Christmas bonus time. Any other time they are miserable from the long hours and rarely smile at days end.

Anyway the twist is that the internship is unpaid. Disgusted, his wife leaves the family, and life only gets worse. She wants to take their son but Chris refuses although neither of them can care for the child. By day, Gardner walks into work in a neat suit and tie; at night, he and his son Christopher (adorable Smith progeny Jaden) sleep at a homeless shelter. I came across an internet interview with the co-author on whcr.org who revealed that the wife went on to attend medical school and become a successful dentist, and that Chris was homeless for more than a year not a few weeks like the movie leads us to believe.

Chris does a lot of running in this film most of it unnecessary and a result of dumb decisions he has made. In this film he runs as much as a “gangsta” rapper in a Hip-hop video. He runs to the shelter before the admittance cutoff, runs away from angry landlords, runs to a business appointment. Runs errands on the job as an errand boy. Runs to get his scanner from people who stole it thinking it was something else. Maybe he is running so much because it is called “Pursuit” of Happyness.

One thing we see in Chris is that he tries too hard to please his corporate bosses. He is a different type of “YES” Man. He never refuses anything even when it will hurt his personal interest. Men who do not know how to say No, disappoint me.

So much detail is left out of the film that those truly interested in the story will have to turn to the book. Despite the theme of the film we are treated to very few of Chris’ secrets of success. There are so many who would love some insight into how he broke in through the good ole’ boy network and outperformed the other 19 men who worked 3 hours more per day than he did. Also missing are those moments where the character realizes he or she can really do it, and those turning points scenes, when Chris starts signing clients, finishes the test first, and raises eyebrows. These highlights are so brief that we hardly recognize their importance. Chris is smart but we don’t see much of it, instead we see lots of his determination. In the end we can even talk about a lots of luck and fate but we feel a little too much gloom.

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