MOVIES: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The THING - Creepy Sneak Peek

2011-10-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

I really, REALLY, enjoy good science fiction and horror films. So that's why I'm ecstatic about this moving called The Thing that'll be out in theaters Oct 14th. It combines both genres together. This movie gave me chills from just the trailer. Watch it and see for yourself!

The HELP Movie Review

2011-10-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

So my beau took me to see The Help last week. I was a laggard when it came to watching the movie everyone was raving about, because I wasn't easily convinced that Hollywood could or would authentically capture the experiences of black women in the Jim Crow era who worked as domestic help. I was ultrasensitive about this topic, because my great grandmother worked as a maid (quite a common thing). However, I was somewhat impressed with the film, but GBU must still rate it:

THE GBU RATING

GOOD..............[.........]...BAD...............................UGLY

It's just okay for me, because it was a cliche, kaleidoscope film, meaning "The Help's" lives were shown through a white lens. The film is largely about a white woman writing a polyvocal narrative about the experiences of black maids. But rarely do we see the maids' lives beyond the employer's home. I would've loved to see how being "The Help" intersected with the other roles these black women took on (i.e. black community members, mothers, wives, etc). We primarily heard about these other roles through the expository dialogue between the black women and Skeeter (the white female character who writes the book). Or a black eye, church scene vignette etc. captured just a glimpse of their character multidimensionality. Perhaps the actually book by Kathryn Stockett provides the dynamism and sensory description I desperately wanted to see in the film. So often I find that there's way more visceral imagery in books than movies. Or perhaps I'm terribly biased, because I'm a writer.

The Last Exorcism Review

2011-09-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

I love watching horror films. I repeat, I LOVE WATCHING HORROR FILMS! However, since I watch them so often, I'll often find the same plot line being told over and over and over again. With that said, The Last Exorcism is not your typical cliche horror film. I won't give away the gory details. But I will tell you that the protagonist is a minister, who spent years exorcising demons, only to create a documentary that would prove he is a fraud, or that's the plan.

THE GBU RATING

GOOD......[.........]...........BAD...............................UGLY

So why doesn't this innovative film receive a perfect score? Simple. The ending. A major disappointment. I won't tell you why. Watch it for yourself.

Beastly Movie Review

2011-09-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

For you tweenies (or parents looking for a pretty good movie to show your kids) Beastly is that movie. In a society that is constantly inundated with sex, violence, and greed gracing movie and television screens, it’s always great to find a movie that doesn’t require all the generic gimmicks to pull off a good story.

Beauty starts from within is the major theme here, and when someone forgets that, its shows….LITERALLY. I don’t want to give away anymore than that. GBU rating gives this movie:

THE GBU RATING

GOOD...[.........].....................BAD....................................UGLY

I couldn’t give this film a perfect score, not because the plot was an unoriginal makeover of Beauty and the Beast—after all, I don’t believe any plot is 100% original. Rather, the plot’s pace was slow in some critical moments, and the ending could’ve been a bit more realistic (the girl didn’t seem surprised enough, I’ll just leave it at that).

Either way, I think its definitely worth a watch. It’s wholesome, and delivers a good moral. Check out the trailer, and pick it up from Redbox if you’re interested.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Movie

2011-08-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

So, minus the excessive prepositions in the title, this was an awesome prequel to the Planet of the Apes franchise. I found the digital artwork on the primates was absolutely phenomenal. The plot line (i.e. baby animal taken in by human, because mommy animal dies a gruesome death, grows up to realize "Hey, I don't walk, talk, eat, or pee like my human family," blah blah blah) although a bit cliche, certainly gives a major action punch. Not to mention you find yourself rooting for the abused primates to kick some major butt. Tangent: Does anyone else wonder if Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy) will ever top his bad guy persona in good guy role? Anywho, how does this movie fare on the GBU rating system?

THE GBU RATING

GOOD..................................BAD....................................UGLY

As if you really had to ask! Looking forward to that sequel.

ABDUCTION MOVIE minus the little grey ETs

2011-08-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

So, this week I've stumbled across a trailer that actually had a pretty good storyline. Teen heart throb, Taylor Lautner, from Twilight (Go Team Jacob) is the main protagonist. The central theme is about how all his life he thought the folks he was living with were his parents, until he finds his face on a Missing Kids ad. Yeah, it gets better. Based on the trailer, I expect this movie is gonna be good.

THE GBU RATING

GOOD........................................BAD.........................................UGLY

Watch the trailer to find out for yourself.