Elysium Movie Review (2013)

The Good: The action scenes were nicely done and Matt Damon does his job. Fight scenes were shot really well and made good use of the slow motion, rotational camera shots. (Something Man of Steel could've benefited from using) Surprisingly enough, this was more graphic than expected. There quite a few body parts flying around and "explosive" scenes that keep you engaged. Also the futuristic weapons were pretty interesting, cool to watch, and believable. Finally, the overall theme of the movie, the rich class vs the poor class, is a very intriguing one since this movie ventures to visually demonstrate a potential glimpse of the future.

The Bad: The character development seems weak. Outside of childhood relationships, the "love interest" just doesn't seem very strong. That weak development causes a good amount of slow parts in the movie. (Luckily the action scenes wake you right back up) Lastly, many characters come from different backgrounds, which means they tend to speak different languages, and have heavier accents. There are a few times when characters get a little too excited and their strong accents make it difficult to understand what they are saying. Granted you'll still get the gist of what they are saying, but I could see that being annoying for some people.

The Reason: The director gives you an authentic, gritty, futuristic atmosphere from beginning to end. This film is like District 9 + Oblivion...just minus the aliens. If you enjoyed either of those movies, then you'll more than likely enjoy Elysium as well. This wasn't regrettable to watch, but this isn't going to really stand out compared to other movies released this year. So-So theater watch, or a good rental.

The Rating: 7.5/10

Fruitvale Station Movie Review (2013)

The Good:The director and Forrest Whitaker, one of the producers, do exactly what they intended to do with this. Their goal was to make you feel for the main character Oscar Grant, and it's very difficult not to empathize with him. The portrayal of the character seems fair and balanced. He wasn't made out to be a purely innocent guy who happened to run into a tragic situation. Instead he had his pros and definite cons. Michael B. Jordan does a stand up job because throughout the entire film, you didn't see Michael playing the character Oscar...you just saw Oscar Grant. The supporting cast also came across as "real" people. From the loving mom, to the girlfriend, to Oscar's friends, to even the aggressive police officer in the station...each of them made you believe in their characters and helped the movie appear authentic.

The Bad: N/A (See "The Why")

The Reason: After leaving the theater, I was pissed, sad, and almost a little teary eyed. The rest of the audience left the theater in a solemn silence, as if it was funeral. It's difficult for me say anything "bad" about this movie because it's based on a true story. I can't say that Michael's portrayal of Oscar was corny or off because, well we don't know who Oscar was as a person. For all we know maybe he was a loving father, and son. We just have to go with what's given to us. Besides that, this movie really hit close to home with me on a personal level. As a black man, with locs, I couldn't help but think that I could have easily been in a similar, and unavoidable, situation just like Oscar. Having a daughter also didn't make it any easier for me either. This film comes out at a possibly convenient time after the Trayvon Martin vs George Zimmerman trial, and definitely brings to light what many would consider a major injustice in our judicial system. Should this be seen in the theaters? I will say that if the trailer seemed even remotely interesting in any way, then yes, go see this. I didn't regret paying a dime for it, and I'm sure this would be a good rental too. Prepare for an emotional ride. This is a movie that will be hard not to talk about without some emotions arising.

The Rating: 8.5/10 (with bias)

2Guns Movie Review (2013)

The Good: Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington make an excellent duo. Their banter throughout the movie is witty, funny, sarcastic and charming. The best part about their interactions is that they make you (the audience) feel involved in on their own inside jokes. ("Wink") <--- You'll get that when you watch the movie. The action in the film is just enough where it doesn't go overboard. The story line had just enough minor twists to keep you engaged. Oh and fellas... Paula Patton.... Blurred Lines...and I'll leave it at that. ("Wink")

The Bad: Despite Paula Patton's beauty I think she suffers from the same thing Halle Berry does. She's ridiculously beautiful but her acting ability is highly questionable. She makes these faces that seem a bit disturbing because you can't tell if she's depressed or just constipated. But the previous "good" I mentioned before quickly makes up for that. Despite the watered down twists in the plot, it still doesn't keep the movie from being pretty predictable.

The Reason: This is basically an action-comedy. It was actually a bit funnier than expected. It's not a summer blockbuster. It's not the deepest story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's more so just a "sit back and be entertained" type of light-hearted film. Go in with low expectations and I think you'll have fun with this movie. I think this is an enjoyable watch in the theaters, and more than likely a great rental to enjoy at home.

The Rating: 7.5/10

The Wolverine Movie Review (2013)

The Good: Unlike in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, we finally get a rich, deep sense of the struggles of the WOLVERINE character. The character development, for him alone, really separates the Wolverine character/movie away from the traditional comic book hero movies we've been seeing lately. Hugh Jackman has earned the role of Wolverine just as much as Robert Downey Jr has solidified the role of Iron Man. He makes you empathize with Wolverine's suffering so that you can finally understand the man behind the claws. There's a big twist that most people won't see coming towards the end, and it'll leave you semi-shocked.

The Bad: A lot of the supporting characters seem to be just thrown into the story without much depth to them. For example, that snake lady you see in the trailers, she raises way more questions than answers. While you really want the action to reach it's potential level, it never gets there due to the movie's rating. The movie feels like it was originally rated R, but then watered down to being only PG-13. That kind of leaves the audience in a type of limbo, so to speak, because you'll see really violent fights...with tiny amounts of blood. Another instance of that limbo would be the fact that even though it's PG-13, Wolverine swears like he's in a R-rated film. The action scenes only happen in a few pockets throughout the scene. Seeing that it's 2hrs long, one's expectation that this will be an action packed movie may not be met. Finally, the movie's ending falls flat as the highly anticipated fight scene leaves you with a big surprise, but mild action at best.

The Reason: Bottom line is that this movie was better than any of the previous movies that the Wolverine has appeared in. It's not an action packed, comic book movie. It's more of an actual movie that happens to feature a comic book hero. Parents may need to be advised though, because the PG-13 rating does seem very misleading due to the intense violence and the adult language used. Do not bother watching this in 3D because you'll only see one or two scenes that have it, and it won't be worth it.  Even though the movie's ending seemed lackluster, the mid-ending credit scene more than makes up for it. So please don't walk out too soon. Go see this movie. Good theater watch, EXCELLENT rental.

The Rating: 7.5/10

The Conjuring Movie Review (2013)

The Good: From beginning to end, you really feel like you're watching a movie from the 1970's. The retro feel horror/suspense was done quite well. The camera work is excellent and the director puts you in various points of view that almost make you feel like you're literally in the house. (The bedroom scene for example) There were some really suspenseful scenes that may spook you a bit as well.

The Bad: The "scare factor" just didn't live up to the hype. There were indeed many scary moments but it just seemed like it never reached a "Scary climax". You know, when they pull out all the bells and whistles to give you nightmares for days. That didn't happen. There seemed to be a few holes in the story line...which may have been intentional. Without giving anything away, you may find the plot hole in how a particular event causes both families in the movie to share something in common. Besides that the ending was a little anti-climatic because it left you with very little to think about afterwards. A true horror, in my opinion, always leaves you wondering about something scary.

The Reason: This movie was supposedly the scariest movie of the year, but honestly it doesn't live up to that title. If they wanted to say it was the creepiest movie of the year, then maybe. (Even that isn't saying much) The trailers do a great job, and in all honesty this wasn't a bad movie at all. I still think that Insidious or even Mama as scarier than this was. By the way, if you've seen Insidious, this was pretty much a 1970's version of the same thing. If you're a fan of horror movies and exorcist films, go see this. Otherwise I'd wait for the rental.

The Rating: 7/10