The Street Preacher has been watching many movies, many, many movies...
Since I've been in L.A., I've managed to make the most out of my movie-watching opportunitites, and frankly, it's been a blast. Below, I've listed some the non-reviewed movies I've caught up with (most of them non-action titles) and my thoughts on each of them. Check it out:
Yes, that's Mariah Carey, and yes, she looks better this way.
An Education
Overrated to the Nth degree, it's got niche market written all over it. Old/white/male critics hailed it. I don't. And yes, I will admit that Carey Mulligan displays some acting chops and comes out of the gates kickin,' but she's no Audrey Hepburn and can't save the whole picture. Fact is, I have little interest in 1960s U.K. and the film doesn't succeed in persuading me otherwise. First, it was The Hurt Locker, and now An Education: pretentious overrated bullsheezy thank you very much!
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Easily a contender for best picture, Precious effectively tiptoes the line between being too sappy and too grim; director Lee Daniels somehow holds it all together—really, it's a sight to see. From the over-stylized dream sequences to moments of genuine audience horror (dropping a baby, for one), the rollercoaster is kept within reason and kept within our interest, as well. Newcomer Gabby Sidibe will no doubt be cast off to thankless supporting roles given her weight and appearance, but she definitely made her mark here—a truly 'career' performance. Everything just worked. Even '90s-holdover musicians Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravtiz were perfect, and I mean perfect. Though I would still hold District 9 in higher regard, Precious nonetheless has a better chance of taking home the gold and man, I hope it does. And I must say, Paula Patton should take home the 'most-fine-ass-woman-of-the-year' award for her work here (not to mention Salli Richardson-Whitfield in Black Dynamite - Damn!). She was too hot for the part! Sorry but it's true! ...and I haven't even mentioned Mo'Nique yet! Too much to talk about!
Love Hurts
Terrible. Walked out. The only reason I saw this is because I'm a big fan of Janeane Garofalo. She was wasted, my time and money were wasted, and so was theirs. Love Hurts, but this one kills! Yes, even the jokes about it are bad!
The Blind Side
It was essentially a beefed-up TV movie with some inspired moments and a rock-solid lead performance by Sandra Bullock. Great beginning and end, as well as the end credits, and it more or less knew its foozball. But there were few things The Blind Side just couldn't overcome—one, the racism: even after straight-up mentioning it ("white guilt") and doing its best to nobly approach the material, the basic white-helps-black story couldn't be shaken. There were good blacks and bad blacks, good whites and bad whites, but in the end it was the good whites who helped the good blacks and told all the bad ones off, resulting in one too many cringeworthy moments. Two, the creampuff script: Why not try a little harder, Ms. Bullock (and co.)? Why not try a little harder and write a script that's actually deserving of its source material? One with some grit, one with some questionable morality, and one with the guts to tell it like it is (or was, considering it's based on a true story). And three, the religious aspect: not only was it a near-TV movie, but a Christian one as well. At least Lawrence Taylor was thanked too. Still recommended.
The Road
Bleak for bleak's sake, I honestly felt cold after walking out of the theater—in L.A., after an afternoon showing. This is the accumulation of bleakness that this decade has heaped up, now in its concentrated form. However good the writing, acting, or source material (and of course those post-apoc landscapes), none of it can overcome the fact that the film is simply not entertaining, and is too depressing to be emotionally resonant. A pitiless pit of despair...no thanks.
DTD action releases:
The definition of badass. No, really, look it up.
The Tournament
By no means as 'mean' as Mean Guns, nor as revolutionary as Battle Royale, but still a fun time, The Tournament boasts some inspired moments and ridiculous, nonstop action. Ving Rhames and Robert Carlyle bring the acting cred, Scott Adkins and Sebastien Foucan bring the stunts, and Kelly Hu holds down the fort in the lead role. It's definitely DTD material and won't disappoint the people putting their money towards it. Worth a look for the pictured-above sequence alone.
Blood and Bone
A refreshing surprise, Blood and Bone is the more serious Lionheart we've all been waiting for (i.e. where Fighting failed tremendously). Michael Jai White continues to prove he's the best in the biz when it comes to martial arts cinema, this time bringing gritty, no-frills kinds of fights in a modern urban environment that keeps itself firmly in check (and far away from self-parody). Eamonn Walker delivers a legitimate performance as the film's main villain, and appearances by Julian Sands, Ron Yuan, and especially Gina Carano are a lot of fun. If not for its simplistic title and advertising, I think this could've had a decent theatrical run, at least in bigger cities. With The Dark Knight, Black Dynamite and Bone under his belt, Michael Jai White is making a push to rise above the genre, hopefully pulling it up along with him. More power to him.
That's all for now, and now for all.
~Street Preach out!
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