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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".
Swing Vote
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - PG 13
1 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
SHAWN EDWARDS SAYS:
MOVIE REVIEW
Rated - PG 13
1 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
SHAWN EDWARDS SAYS:
Paula Patton sporadically appears in this cinematic civics lesson as a TV reporter stuck in a small
New Mexico town. A sistah reporting in New Mexico? What, is this flick science fiction? Actually it's a
voting. Talk about a snoozer.
Costner, who also produced this comedy, cast himself as a clueless good ol' boy who due to a
voting booth error must cast the final vote to determine the winner of the presidential election which
has ended in a tie. The entire premise is ridiculous and preposterous, but I did enjoy watching
Patton who seems to be hitting her stride as a potential A-list actress. She lightens up every scene
in this heavy-handed bore that assumes the audience is as dumb as the lead character.
The main problem with "Swing Vote" is Costner. He isn't believable for a second as an aw-shucks
slacker. The movie would have been better with Billy Bob Thorton or Larry the Cable Guy in the lead
role. Now those are two country boys who you would believe in this below average movie.
I may vote for John McCain in November, or I may be down with Barack Obama. One thing is for
certain, I'm not casting my vote for this movie. "Swing Vote" is a cinematic hanging chad.
New Mexico town. A sistah reporting in New Mexico? What, is this flick science fiction? Actually it's a
voting. Talk about a snoozer.
Costner, who also produced this comedy, cast himself as a clueless good ol' boy who due to a
voting booth error must cast the final vote to determine the winner of the presidential election which
has ended in a tie. The entire premise is ridiculous and preposterous, but I did enjoy watching
Patton who seems to be hitting her stride as a potential A-list actress. She lightens up every scene
in this heavy-handed bore that assumes the audience is as dumb as the lead character.
The main problem with "Swing Vote" is Costner. He isn't believable for a second as an aw-shucks
slacker. The movie would have been better with Billy Bob Thorton or Larry the Cable Guy in the lead
role. Now those are two country boys who you would believe in this below average movie.
I may vote for John McCain in November, or I may be down with Barack Obama. One thing is for
certain, I'm not casting my vote for this movie. "Swing Vote" is a cinematic hanging chad.
Paula Patton and Kevin Costner in Swing Vote.
SEX AND THE CITY
2 OUT OF 5 POPCORN BAGS
SHAWN EDWARDS SAYS:
2 OUT OF 5 POPCORN BAGS
SHAWN EDWARDS SAYS:
What made “Sex and the City” such a great television series was its freshness and
playfulness. It was a well-written show about four women exploring the coolest aspects of
New York and their sexuality. Sure it was nothing more than an urban fairy tale, but it was
fun. The movie is a drab, man-hating downer that’s neither fun nor sexy. It’s a plotless and
(Charlotte has a bad case of gas while vacationing in Mexico) than clever one-liners and
keen sexual observations on relationships and love.
As the movie starts you get a quick recap. Perhaps for those new to the proceedings. After
the quick fast-paced update, the rest of the movie slowly drags out about Carrie Bradshaw
(Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mr. Big's (Chris Noth) relationship woes interspersed with
extremely weak subplots that involve the other three characters.
“Sex and the City” plays like an average wedding movie. There are some funny lines but
very few clever moments. Even the elements of high fashion feel forced and contrived. The
girls go to a fashion show during fashion week! Wow now that’s ingenious - an original.
In the series Carrie Bradshaw was a fashionista super hero. She was an underdog who
struggled to obtain high-end clothing and shoes and the perfect man by any means
necessary. Now she’s a superstar published author who rocks the best in designer gear
and has finally landed the perfect gentleman. Not quite as interesting is it?
“Sex and the City” feels more like a lost episode and never feels quite like a “real” movie.
The series was like a razor sharp Ginsu. The movie is more like an old dull butter knife.
The movie is plagued with hiccups. Its major problems are its uneven tone and
ridiculously predictable storylines.
The movie’s worst sin is wasting the talent of Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson.
Hudson doesn’t appear in the movie until the one hour fifteen minute point and all she
gets to do is hang out with Carrie Bradshaw as her "deer in head lights" assistant and
sing the song over the final credits. Thank you very much Mr. Oscar! Admittedly Miss
Hudson adds a bit of spunk but she eerily comes across as a 2008 version of Mammy
from “Gone with the Wind” handing out free advice with no reward. Oh, she does get a
pretty nifty gift from Carrie during a key scene. But the Bagger Vance character never gets
old in Hollywood huh?
Overall “Sex and the City” the movie is way too serious. Way too mean. Way too long (2
hours and 28 minutes). Unlike the innovative HBO TV series that went off the air four years
ago this urban fairy tale is a dud. Check out the series on DVD if you’re looking for a little
good sex.
playfulness. It was a well-written show about four women exploring the coolest aspects of
New York and their sexuality. Sure it was nothing more than an urban fairy tale, but it was
fun. The movie is a drab, man-hating downer that’s neither fun nor sexy. It’s a plotless and
(Charlotte has a bad case of gas while vacationing in Mexico) than clever one-liners and
keen sexual observations on relationships and love.
As the movie starts you get a quick recap. Perhaps for those new to the proceedings. After
the quick fast-paced update, the rest of the movie slowly drags out about Carrie Bradshaw
(Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mr. Big's (Chris Noth) relationship woes interspersed with
extremely weak subplots that involve the other three characters.
“Sex and the City” plays like an average wedding movie. There are some funny lines but
very few clever moments. Even the elements of high fashion feel forced and contrived. The
girls go to a fashion show during fashion week! Wow now that’s ingenious - an original.
In the series Carrie Bradshaw was a fashionista super hero. She was an underdog who
struggled to obtain high-end clothing and shoes and the perfect man by any means
necessary. Now she’s a superstar published author who rocks the best in designer gear
and has finally landed the perfect gentleman. Not quite as interesting is it?
“Sex and the City” feels more like a lost episode and never feels quite like a “real” movie.
The series was like a razor sharp Ginsu. The movie is more like an old dull butter knife.
The movie is plagued with hiccups. Its major problems are its uneven tone and
ridiculously predictable storylines.
The movie’s worst sin is wasting the talent of Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson.
Hudson doesn’t appear in the movie until the one hour fifteen minute point and all she
gets to do is hang out with Carrie Bradshaw as her "deer in head lights" assistant and
sing the song over the final credits. Thank you very much Mr. Oscar! Admittedly Miss
Hudson adds a bit of spunk but she eerily comes across as a 2008 version of Mammy
from “Gone with the Wind” handing out free advice with no reward. Oh, she does get a
pretty nifty gift from Carrie during a key scene. But the Bagger Vance character never gets
old in Hollywood huh?
Overall “Sex and the City” the movie is way too serious. Way too mean. Way too long (2
hours and 28 minutes). Unlike the innovative HBO TV series that went off the air four years
ago this urban fairy tale is a dud. Check out the series on DVD if you’re looking for a little
good sex.
Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and Charlize
Theron star in "Hancock."
Theron star in "Hancock."
Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and Charlize
Theron star in "Hancock."
Theron star in "Hancock."
and the little girl was too young to understand the consequences of her innocent attempt to intervene
with the pistol that had fallen right in front of her.
Unfortunately, her father T. Ray’s (Paul Bettany) subsequent unwillingness to talk about the incident
has only left Lily so confused that she grew up blaming herself for the tragedy. Everything comes to a
head on her 14th birthday, when the only present she asks him for is the truth about whether the
mother she resembles but only vaguely remembers really loved her. When her alcoholic dad’s
response is to punish her for even broaching the subject, she finds comfort crying on the lap of her
nanny, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson).
Not long thereafter, Rosaleen is beaten to a pulp for trying to register to vote, for she is African-
American and this is South Carolina in the Sixties, during the waning days of Jim Crow segregation.
Then, after T. Ray sides with the whites seeking to keep blacks in their place, Lily calls her father a
coward and talks Rosaleen into running away to the town of Tiburon, the only clue she has of a link to
her mother’s past.
Once there, it’s not long before the pair find themselves deposited off the beaten track in front of the
Pepto Bismol-colored home of the eccentric Boatwright sisters: simple-minded May (Sophie
Okonedo), cello savant June (Alicia Keys) and family matriarch August (Queen Latifah). The
beekeeping siblings run a thriving business bottling a popular brand of honey called Black Madonna.
Lily and Rosaleen find themselves welcomed with open arms, and nourished by a supportive
environment neither has experience before. More importantly, the spiritual oasis is able to answers
the questions long nagging Lily like who her mother was and what could possibly have been her
connection to this modest farm.
So unfolds The Secret Life of Bees, an optimistic tale of female empowerment set against the
backdrop the Civil Rights Movement. The film is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Sue
Mark Kidd, a white woman who grew up in the South surrounded by black women and bees. As
adapted to the screen by director Gina Prince-Blythewood (Love & Basketball), the story explores a
treasure trove of themes ranging from racism to religion to sisterhood to loneliness to love and loss of
innocence. But mostly Bees is about the individual urge for self-fulfillment, whether that be found in
May’s constructing a Wailing Wall for her late twin, April; in June’s declining the proposal of an ardent
admirer (Nate Parker) in order to pursue her dreams of a musical career; Lily’s daring to date a black
boy (Tristan Wilds), or in Rosaleen’s determination to exercise her right to vote for the first time.
Heavily-laden with both symbolism and spiritualism, the picture relies on an array of evocative images
such as queen bees and the Virgin Mary to deliver a series of subtle, yet very effective feminist
messages. Particularly powerful is the silent scene where a piece of paper stuck in May’s wall of woe
is unfolded to reveal a prayer for the four little girls blown up in a Birmingham church by the Ku Klux
Klan.
Smart and sentimental but not syrupy, with a well-executed script guaranteed to leave you in tears.
with the pistol that had fallen right in front of her.
Unfortunately, her father T. Ray’s (Paul Bettany) subsequent unwillingness to talk about the incident
has only left Lily so confused that she grew up blaming herself for the tragedy. Everything comes to a
head on her 14th birthday, when the only present she asks him for is the truth about whether the
mother she resembles but only vaguely remembers really loved her. When her alcoholic dad’s
response is to punish her for even broaching the subject, she finds comfort crying on the lap of her
nanny, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson).
Not long thereafter, Rosaleen is beaten to a pulp for trying to register to vote, for she is African-
American and this is South Carolina in the Sixties, during the waning days of Jim Crow segregation.
Then, after T. Ray sides with the whites seeking to keep blacks in their place, Lily calls her father a
coward and talks Rosaleen into running away to the town of Tiburon, the only clue she has of a link to
her mother’s past.
Once there, it’s not long before the pair find themselves deposited off the beaten track in front of the
Pepto Bismol-colored home of the eccentric Boatwright sisters: simple-minded May (Sophie
Okonedo), cello savant June (Alicia Keys) and family matriarch August (Queen Latifah). The
beekeeping siblings run a thriving business bottling a popular brand of honey called Black Madonna.
Lily and Rosaleen find themselves welcomed with open arms, and nourished by a supportive
environment neither has experience before. More importantly, the spiritual oasis is able to answers
the questions long nagging Lily like who her mother was and what could possibly have been her
connection to this modest farm.
So unfolds The Secret Life of Bees, an optimistic tale of female empowerment set against the
backdrop the Civil Rights Movement. The film is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Sue
Mark Kidd, a white woman who grew up in the South surrounded by black women and bees. As
adapted to the screen by director Gina Prince-Blythewood (Love & Basketball), the story explores a
treasure trove of themes ranging from racism to religion to sisterhood to loneliness to love and loss of
innocence. But mostly Bees is about the individual urge for self-fulfillment, whether that be found in
May’s constructing a Wailing Wall for her late twin, April; in June’s declining the proposal of an ardent
admirer (Nate Parker) in order to pursue her dreams of a musical career; Lily’s daring to date a black
boy (Tristan Wilds), or in Rosaleen’s determination to exercise her right to vote for the first time.
Heavily-laden with both symbolism and spiritualism, the picture relies on an array of evocative images
such as queen bees and the Virgin Mary to deliver a series of subtle, yet very effective feminist
messages. Particularly powerful is the silent scene where a piece of paper stuck in May’s wall of woe
is unfolded to reveal a prayer for the four little girls blown up in a Birmingham church by the Ku Klux
Klan.
Smart and sentimental but not syrupy, with a well-executed script guaranteed to leave you in tears.
Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning. Nate Parker and Alicia Keys.
Rated - 13
4 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
SHAWN EDWARDS SAYS: