iloveblackmovies
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THE BUCKET LIST
Rated - PG 13
4 OUT OF 5 POPCORN BAGS
Shawn Edwards Says:
"The Bucket List," new on DVD June 10, is an entertaining tear jerker that will have you reevaluating
your life. Neither Jack Nicholson or Morgan Freeman or at the top of their game but man do they have
chemistry. And besides, who cares? Don't we love the two aging Oscar-winner no matter what they
do? Yes we do! The extras include a making-of documentary and a bland music video by John Mayer.
Rated - PG 13
4 OUT OF 5 POPCORN BAGS
Shawn Edwards Says:
"The Bucket List," new on DVD June 10, is an entertaining tear jerker that will have you reevaluating
your life. Neither Jack Nicholson or Morgan Freeman or at the top of their game but man do they have
chemistry. And besides, who cares? Don't we love the two aging Oscar-winner no matter what they
do? Yes we do! The extras include a making-of documentary and a bland music video by John Mayer.
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The Wackness
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - R
2 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
VALERIE FREEMAN SAYS:
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - R
2 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
VALERIE FREEMAN SAYS:
Clifford "Method Man" Smith in "The Wackness".
Babylon A.D.
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - PG 13
2 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
SHAWN EDWARDS SAYS:
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - PG 13
2 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
SHAWN EDWARDS SAYS:
and the Furious” Diesel’s movies are all pretty ridiculous but at least they are extremely entertaining.
like an old school type of guilty pleasure flick you could catch at the local drive-in back in the day.
The main problem with “Babylon A.D.” is Diesel is taking things pretty seriously as he lazily throw
bows and drops corny second-rate one-liners as he travels from Eastern Europe to New York City in
this post-apocalyptic thriller.
Diesel is a mercenary who must escort a package in the midst of a crumbling world, but the
package is more than it appears. It’s actually French actress Melane Thierry whose character
apparently has special powers that can save the world. Haven’t seen that before have you?
Yes, the story is predictable, the plot is messy and the execution is sporadic in this Euro-Noir
wannabe. Diesel tries his best at delivering action hero swagger in this movie that’s probably more
suitable for the Sci-Fi channel than the big screen. At least Diesel is in “Pitch Black” form. It just isn’t
enough. That’s exactly why you will see Diesel next in “The Fast and the Furious 4.”
like an old school type of guilty pleasure flick you could catch at the local drive-in back in the day.
The main problem with “Babylon A.D.” is Diesel is taking things pretty seriously as he lazily throw
bows and drops corny second-rate one-liners as he travels from Eastern Europe to New York City in
this post-apocalyptic thriller.
Diesel is a mercenary who must escort a package in the midst of a crumbling world, but the
package is more than it appears. It’s actually French actress Melane Thierry whose character
apparently has special powers that can save the world. Haven’t seen that before have you?
Yes, the story is predictable, the plot is messy and the execution is sporadic in this Euro-Noir
wannabe. Diesel tries his best at delivering action hero swagger in this movie that’s probably more
suitable for the Sci-Fi channel than the big screen. At least Diesel is in “Pitch Black” form. It just isn’t
enough. That’s exactly why you will see Diesel next in “The Fast and the Furious 4.”
The Wackness
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - R
2 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
VALERIE FREEMAN SAYS:
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - R
2 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
VALERIE FREEMAN SAYS:
Clifford "Method Man" Smith in "The Wackness".
Ballast
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - PG 13
3 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
KAM WILLIAMS SAYS:
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - PG 13
3 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
KAM WILLIAMS SAYS:
JimMyron Ross and Tarra Riggs in "Ballast."
rural region of the Mississippi Delta.
At the point of departure, we meet Lawrence (Michael J. Smith, Sr.), a middle-aged black man
despondent over news of the death of his identical twin, Darius, by drug overdose. Larry is then
caught in the midst of his own suicide attempt by a kindly neighbor (Johnny McPhail) who has no idea
he’s distraught enough to shoot himself in the chest.
Also grieving Darius’ demise are his monosyllabic-bordering-on-mute son, James, and his ex,
Marlee (Tarra Riggs) a former substance abuser. Larry survives his self-inflicted gunshot wound, and
returns form the hospital only to have his nephew darken his doorstep, literally and figuratively. For
James’ unique means of mourning involves asking to hear all the gory details about how his daddy
died before robbing Uncle Larry at gunpoint.
The felonious-intentioned kid then hops on his moped and uses his ill-gotten gains to kickstart a
career dealing drugs. This doesn’t sit well with Marlee, even though she’s been fired from her job as
a maid, which means she’s now free to wonder where she went wrong raising a son who doesn’t
have a lick of sense or compassion.
As preposterous as this plot probably sounds, Ballast is actually a perverse pleasure to watch
because it morphs into this ethereal mood piece with virtually no dialogue. Mostly, we’re treated to the
specter of James buzzing about on his motorbike against the stark backdrop of acre after acre of
sparse winter farmland. Otherwise, the picture is punctuated by his mom and uncle working out their
issues, and bursts of terrifying violence, like when a couple of teenage gangstas run a car off the road
to teach a lesson via a drive-by beatdown in a backwoods version of a bloody turf war.
In sum, Ballast is one of those slice-of-life adventures featuring a principal cast of non-professionals
whose gritty naivete manage to imbue the production with a palpable sense of super-realism that
allows an audience to forget it’s watching actors. That amounts to movie magic in my book, even if it
is in service of a Bill Cosby-infuriating display of black on black dysfunction.
At the point of departure, we meet Lawrence (Michael J. Smith, Sr.), a middle-aged black man
despondent over news of the death of his identical twin, Darius, by drug overdose. Larry is then
caught in the midst of his own suicide attempt by a kindly neighbor (Johnny McPhail) who has no idea
he’s distraught enough to shoot himself in the chest.
Also grieving Darius’ demise are his monosyllabic-bordering-on-mute son, James, and his ex,
Marlee (Tarra Riggs) a former substance abuser. Larry survives his self-inflicted gunshot wound, and
returns form the hospital only to have his nephew darken his doorstep, literally and figuratively. For
James’ unique means of mourning involves asking to hear all the gory details about how his daddy
died before robbing Uncle Larry at gunpoint.
The felonious-intentioned kid then hops on his moped and uses his ill-gotten gains to kickstart a
career dealing drugs. This doesn’t sit well with Marlee, even though she’s been fired from her job as
a maid, which means she’s now free to wonder where she went wrong raising a son who doesn’t
have a lick of sense or compassion.
As preposterous as this plot probably sounds, Ballast is actually a perverse pleasure to watch
because it morphs into this ethereal mood piece with virtually no dialogue. Mostly, we’re treated to the
specter of James buzzing about on his motorbike against the stark backdrop of acre after acre of
sparse winter farmland. Otherwise, the picture is punctuated by his mom and uncle working out their
issues, and bursts of terrifying violence, like when a couple of teenage gangstas run a car off the road
to teach a lesson via a drive-by beatdown in a backwoods version of a bloody turf war.
In sum, Ballast is one of those slice-of-life adventures featuring a principal cast of non-professionals
whose gritty naivete manage to imbue the production with a palpable sense of super-realism that
allows an audience to forget it’s watching actors. That amounts to movie magic in my book, even if it
is in service of a Bill Cosby-infuriating display of black on black dysfunction.
