Fun with Dick and Jane

"We're all just cavemen, Trying to protect our little patch of land. Well now I've got a club, and I'm gonna take what I need."

I first saw this movie in theaters in 2005 and thought it was hilarious.
But when I saw it again when I was out of work a few months ago, it took on a whole new kind of funny.
Starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni, Fun follows the survival antics of a blue collar suburban couple who find themselves out of work after his company tanks. Devastated and at a loss for what to do, they concoct one plan after another (sometimes legal, sometimes not, but always funny to watch) to get their lives back on track again.
I'm not normally a big Jim Carrey fan, but I found myself laughing hysterically at him and Tea Leoni's desperate attempts and the douchebag remarks of Alec Baldwin, who plays Carrey's former boss.
If you are one of the many out of work right now, try this movie for a good laugh.

My rating: B

The Informers

Greed is good. Sex is easy. Youth is forever.

I'd been waiting to see this movie for a few weeks and convinced my friend to see it while I was in Connecticut for the weekend....and I felt horrible for that afterwards. The movie should have been better than it was. Set in 1980s Hollywood, The Informers captures vignettes of several stories influenced by sex, drugs and rock & roll. The Informers is the name of the rock band idolized by a group of oversexed teenagers, including a male prostitute and a drug dealer.
Billy Bob Thornton and Kim Basinger star as a married couple on the brink of divorce after an illicit affair, and Mickey Rourke stars as a sadistic uncle to a wannabe actor who will do whatever it takes for fame. That was the more interesting plotline. Too bad it led nowhere.
The various plotlines were all mangled and disjointed. It was a series of randomness that don't really offer much information or contribute to the overall point. The acting was decent, but I was left confused and underwhelmed.

My rating: C

Something New

"You know what, I'm never gonna be on the right side of the war going on inside your head, because I'm not black. So maybe this isn't what you want."

So most people who know me know that I'm not a romantic at heart. But this movie has found its way onto my TV screen more times than I care to admit. Perhaps it's the intrigue of trying something outside your comfort level, or trying something new on for size. Or perhaps it's the story of a cynic-turn-believer that I can relate to. Whatever it is, I find myself going back to this movie. Don't tell anyone.
Starring Sanna Lathan (who's in just about every movie just like this) and Simon Baker, Something New is the sappy (yeah I said it) story of a strong Black businesswoman and a white landscaper who fall in love and learn that when you're truly in love, no one and nothing else matters.
But the film is not absent of the natural friction that often occurs in interracial relationships--our hair (it truly is unlike any other), the difference between black and white in corporate America, and the pressure of what your friends and family will think.
The film is what it is. Nothing you wouldn't expect from the typical romantic comedy. But it's one of the few romantic movies that center around an interracial relationship and keeps it real.

My rating: B

Leaving Las Vegas

"I'll tell you, right now... I'm in love with you. But, be that as it may, i am not here to force my twisted soul into your life."

If you ever want to see a self-loathing man self destruct before your eyes, Leaving Las Vegas is the movie for you. Nicolas Cage plays an alcoholic Hollywood A-lister who gets fired shortly after his wife files for divorce. At this low point in his life he decides to move to Las Vegas and drink himself to death. He meets a charming but equally depressed stripper who falls in love with him enough to want to take care of him and try to talk him off the ledge. These two souls are hopeless together and without each other. They're not exactly a joy to watch.
It's interesting to see just what it takes to push someone over the edge, make them want to disappear entirely. Especially during these tough times, breaking points are put to the test and through it all you learn how to truly survive. Cage's character reached his breaking point, and there wasn't anything Elisabeth Shue, who plays the stripper, could do about it.
This movie was like watching a car crash in slow motion. You knew there was going to be a crash, but I just wished it would just happen already, and not have spent two hours getting to the impact.

My rating: B+

State of Play

"It's not a story, it's a case!"

It's been a while since I reviewed a major film in theaters. Truth is, I haven't really been pressed to see anything out lately. But I've been waiting for the release of this movie ever since I heard about it a few weeks ago so I took myself to the theaters to see it this afternoon and was really impressed.
As we leave behind one of the most controversial and talked about political regimes in our country's history, it seems like the perfect time to see a film about a corrupt political scheme. State of Play is the political thriller that follows investigative journalists played by Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams who link a string a murders to one of the biggest news stories to ever rock the city--the sudden murder of a Congressman's mistress. As the pair sink deeper and deeper into the case, they find themselves competing with the police to find the killer and smack in the middle of a dangerous investigation where their own lives are at stake. No one is who they say they are and the facts change from person to person.
I'm not going to give away all the twists and turns in this movie (you'll be guessing 'til the very end!), but I can tell you I really enjoyed it. It was good to see Ben Affleck, who played the Congressman, back on top again. He was convincing as the heartbroken yet tough Congressman with a dark side, reminiscent of his character in Hollywoodland. Russell Crowe is great as the news hungry wise-talking journalist, and Helen Mirren kills it as the no-nonsense matron of the newspaper. This film was well worth the wait.

My rating: A

Kill Bill Vol. 1

"Those of you lucky enough to have your lives, take them with you. However, leave the limbs you've lost. They belong to me now."

Has this movie ran on TNT every single night this week (including right now) or is it just me? I figure I should talk about it:
A Quentin Tarantino joint, Kill Bill is the modern twist on groovy 70s flicks like Pam Grier's Foxy Brown. Dynamic martial arts coupled with clever wit make this movie about a jilted bride who goes on a killing spree to avenge her attempted death after finding herself unceremoniously lying on the floor with a bullet in her head wildly entertaining and fun to watch. There's nothing like a good 'ole revenge heist (complete with a hit list) to make this film one of Tarantino's best.
Also starring Vivica Fox, Lucy Liu, Darryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and David Carradine, Kill Bill is baaaad to the bone.

My rating: A-

The 'Burbs

"I think the message to, uh, psychos, fanatics, murderers, nutcases all over the world is, uh, 'do not mess with suburbanites.' Because, uh, frankly we're just not gonna take it any more."

I was watching this movie on HBO this morning as I got ready for work and was laughing out loud at it. Why doesn't Tom Hanks return to comedy? He was so funny! Don't even get me started on The Money Pit. His drama roles are good too, but he was hilarious in this comedy about life in the suburbs for three bored househusbands with too much time on their hands. They are easily intrigued when a suspicious family with creepy pasttimes moves into the neighborhood and involuntarily stirs up trouble.
This 1989 film teams Hanks with Bruce Dern, Corey Feldman and Rick Ducommun as they "investigate" the oddity of the new folks on the block and scare themselves silly in the process.
Also starring Carrie Fisher, 'Burbs is a hilarious look at suburban mischief pre-Desperate Housewives. Check it out.

My rating: B

Moonstruck

"When you love them they drive you crazy because they know they can."

Tonight was the first time I saw this academy award nominated movie (I know I'm late with this one, but it was never really high n the priority list). I like Cher and was interested to see her act in a movie, since I only knew her from her music. So when I saw that this movie was coming on TV tonight, I wanted to finally catch it.
Cher's actually a pretty decent actress. Now I'm not sure who was nominated with her at the 1988 Academy Awards, but I am surprised she won. I mean, she was pretty solid in the movie, but I didn't think comedic female-empowered roles like this, especially during that time, would score any Oscar gold.
Taking place in New York City in the 80s, the movie is about a fiery 38-year-old Italian woman who, after her first husband is hit by a bus, gets a second chance of love with another man. But when he rushes to his mother's deathbed in Italy, she falls for his jaded brother (played by Nicolas Cage) after an attempt to mend the relationship between the two. The result? A wild and brutish yet whimsical love affair that induces questions of fidelity, true love and second chances for not only the two involved, but the people around them.
This is the movie that flicks like My Big Fat Greek Wedding was trying to accomplish. At times funny and clever, Moonstruck asks the questions: what does it mean to be in love? and is it ever okay to settle?

My rating: B+

Seven Pounds

"It is within my power to drastically change his cirumstances, but I don't want to give that man a gift he doesn't deserve."

I'm going to try my best to explain this one because the plot is very unclear, as well as the "moral" and the point of the story (if there even was one). Here goes:
Will Smith stars as a man whose name is not Ben Thomas even though he introduces himself as such throughout the whole movie and who does not work for the IRS even though he, you guessed it, says he is throughout the whole movie. He is somehow well off financially and has the means to give back. Grief-stricken after his fiancee dies in a devastating car crash, he goes on a mission to improve the lives of seven people who....okay I'm a little fuzzy here..were affected or somehow involved in the crash...I don't know. But I do know he goes out of his way to improve their lives as they all suffer from either a fatal illness (as in the case of Rosario Dawson, who plays his love interest), impediment (Woody Harrelson suffers from blindness), or domestic violence (as in the case of the single mother of two stuck in an abusive relationship with a boyfriend).
I just assumed that these seven characters are somehow connected to his fiance's crash but I'm really not sure. Smith falls for Dawson who is dying of heart failure and desperately seeking a donor. Just when Smith starts to feel love again as he falls for Dawson, he gives himself an out and disappears from her life forever.
Ugh, I'm so annoyed at this movie. Because I honestly do think it had potential to be something decent, but failed miserably. It was poorly written and took me on an unnecessary whirlwind that had no breaks and no exit.
The ending was bad too. How can you go two hours and still not explain yourself? I thought the ending was going to run the explanation and details quickly, which still would have been bad, but instead the ending just raised another question: what the hell was that?

My rating: C-

Jerusalema

"As the winds of change shift internationally and the world confronts new realities, Africa is taking center stage."--New York African Film Festival Founder Mahen Bonetti

Earlier this evening I attended a screening for this movie, as part of the 16th Annual New York African Film Festival. As I settled into my chair at the Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center, I instantly noticed the number of folks in the room dressed to the nines in beautiful dashikis.
As the lights dimmed, audience members were instantly taken to the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, where the two main characters grew up poverty-stricken "in the slums" and were lured into a life of crime as a means to an end. Loosely based on actual events, the film tells the story of Lucky who, after he gets accepted to a university without a scholarship, loses hope in seeking higher education. He, along with his best friend and partner in crime, decide to enroll in "the university of life" instead, foregoing school and earning an A+ in street smarts 101. They start off simple--stealing cars for a crime boss--and later earn enough money for food for their families and other luxuries for them to quit the business. But, just like in the case of many others, they were enticed back in.
After years of making a number of bad decisions, both illegal and legal, Lucky later takes his street smarts and decides, with the help of his friend, to live his life as a full-fledged crime boss, making it his mission to take back what he said white Afrikaans had stolen from Africa--their homes, their land and their culture.
The film addresses the all to familiar themes of political and racial strife in the country. Lucky gets a white Jewish girlfriend who, when asked why she came to the slums, says something like "there's something about poverty that is glamorous to me." It almost seemed like Lucky found a white woman right at the height of his success to almost validate it. Then there's the issue of racism; between the white Afrikaans and the Black Africans; and the Black Africans against other Black Africans. It comes down to an all out war between everyone in the country.
The film captures the strife tearing the city apart, and how one man fought against the system and won in his own way, on his terms.
After the movie, we got a chance to ask the director questions. An audience member asked the director whether he was influence by the movie Scarface. He took the questions right out of my mouth because I too thought the story glorified a life of crime, but also blurred the lines between hero and villain. The director hadn't even seen the Al Pacino movie. He simply stated he was trying to capture what was going on in South Africa and bring one man's story to light, no matter what debate it would cause.
For more info on the African Film Festival and to check out the other featured films, visit www.africanfilmny.org.
Click here to check out the trailer.

My rating: B+

Blow

"Life passes most people by while they're making grand plans for it."

Watching movies like this makes me wonder why Johnny Depp doesn't have an Oscar yet. This is one of the few drug movies where you actually feel a little sorry for the drug-dealing coke-infested lead character. Depp plays a good kid-turned-drug dealer, who learns there's more money in the drug business than there is sitting behind a desk. He ends up building a pretty successful drug empire, surrounding himself with the best dealers in the business with the best connections, and making more money than he knows what to do with. Trouble is, the players he surrounds himself with, end up being the cause of his inevitable demise. As many other things in his life, this is another dream deferred.
What's touching is his sincere love for his daughter with Penelope Cruz (who, by the way, plays a tragically convincing drug-addicted wife in the flick). After years of chasing the American Dream, he finds all he needs in his daughter. But his drug escapades draws a wider and wider gap in their relationship until there's nothing left of it.
Based on the true story of drug lord George Jung, Blow is realistic, sometimes funny, and ultimately ironic. It shows that sometimes it's worth it to take the long road. Because more times than not, you spend the rest of your life regretting the short cuts you took.

My rating: A

Knocked Up

"Marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only it doesn't last 22 minutes. It lasts forever."

I did not want to see this movie. My friends used to quote lines from it when it first came out and raved about how much they loved it. But I didn't think the pothead comedy was really my kind of thing. But then my mom highly recommended it. I was like, Mom? I was shocked because, believe it or not, she's a harsher critic than I am.
So last year, when it debuted on HBO (because I certainly wasn't going to pay for it), I gave it a try and watched it...and was rolling on the floor laughing. I've seen it countless times since then, including today. The whole pothead thing was kinda kooky (but the uncut version gets even crazier), but Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl have great chemistry onscreen and they are hysterical together. Heigl plays the twenty-something woman who celebrates her job promotion by wilin' out at a club and later winds up having a drunken one-night stand with pothead deadbeat Seth Rogen. What later follows is a hilarious descent into a reluctant yet surprisingly good relationship between two unlikely people. Leslie Mann, who plays Heigl's sister, and Paul Rudd stole the show as the straight-laced married couple. Rudd's deadpan humor is hysterical. Check it out.

My rating: B+

Devil in a Blue Dress

"A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not?"

Before I landed my current job in book publishing, I used to write book reviews for a magazine. One of the reviews I wrote was for Walter Mosley's 2007 book Blonde Faith. Though it was the last book in the popular Easy Rawlins series, it was the first one I had read. I quickly became intrigued with the character.
So fast forward to earlier this afternoon I saw for the first time ever Devil in a Blue Dress, the first in the thrilling Rawlins series. Lemme just say first that when Denzel flashed his pearly whites, smoking-hot body and killer smile on the screen, I almost melted into my couch. He perfectly fit into the role of the smooth-talking reluctant detective with a chip on his shoulder and a case of bad luck. A classic whodunit, Devil takes place in the 1940s before the civil rights movement and in the height of segregation in Los Angeles. Rawlins gets pulled into a case involving a missing white woman by a shady man he doesn't know and can't seem to trust, rightfully so. The case gets dicey when a woman close to him is murdered and he stumbles onto another dead body trying to track down her killer. As more and more bodies drop in front of him, all fingers start pointing at him as the main suspect in his own case.
It's a great mystery, filled suspense and doesn't fail to highlight the relationship between cops and Black folks, especially men, during this era. But in the midst of all that comes a smart, fast talking Black man who's got the drop on the real crime solving in town. Bravo to that.

My rating: A

The Soloist

"I've never loved anything the way that he loves music."

Remember Wanda from In Living Color? She was hysterical with her cross eyes and red lipstick and crazy hair. I never thought I could ever see Jamie Foxx in any other role outside of that.Even when I saw him in a suit and bringing his A-game on the red carpet I thought Wanda was cross-dressing.
But needless to say, after his Oscar-winning turn in Ray, I snapped right out of that. He was fantastic in the role, but I was interested to see what else he could do. Countless roles and CDs later, I still wasn't convinced of his range. But after seeing his newest movie The Soloist, I'm a finally aboard the Jamie train. In this new flick, in theaters April 24, Foxx plays a mentally ill homeless man in Los Angeles who's been blessed with the gift of music. He meets journalist Steve Lopez played by Robert Downey, Jr. who befriends him and tries to help him find his way back to his first love--the cello. Meanwhile, upon getting to know more about Foxx's character and where he comes from and the true talent he possesses, Lopez's own faith in love is restored. Based on a true story, the book is the conclusion of several columns the journalist wrote about this man--from how he met him, to his talent, his family, and ultimately how the gifted artist revived his own heart.
It's an amazing story. You know, most people see a homeless person on the street and try their best to avoid him at all costs. Though the journalist saw the story as a way to refresh his own byline, he got more out of it than that--he felt alive again. He finally finds something to fill the void in his own heart, by healing someone else's.
Both performances are spectacular. I won't say anything more. Just go see it.

My rating: A