Seraphim Films Inc., Windy Hill Pictures,

Danny Aiello, Tom Berenger, Lauren Cohan, Kevin Connolly, Terry Crews, Cary Elwes, Kelsey Grammer, Omari Hardwick, Elizabeth Henstridge, Thomas Jane, Ryan Kwanten, Nelly, David O’Hara, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, Sylvester Stallone, Danny Trejo

This story is about a mysterious unknown stranger who wrote a self-help book called “REACH ME” that is the hit of town. This little book has helped SO many people overcome obstacles and change their lives. Everyone wants to find out who the author is to follow him like a sort of Dali Lama figure. There are many different stories going on, most of which criss-cross in one way or another as everyone looks for the man. But he’s not up to the challenge, and has troubles of his own in this tale of many stories within a story.

This was a horrible movie. None of the stories made much sense, and the whole thing was a mish-mash of nonsense. I really am not sure how they got all these people involved in a script, and to agree to make this. Perhaps in reading it wasn’t so obvious of all the flaws in the story. There are some big names here. The premise is okay to start with, but things go awry pretty quickly. When we do find out how the book was written, we soon come to realize that it’s not based on anything worthwhile. More than anything, it reminded me of the excellent Bob Newhart skit on SNL a few years ago where he was a psychiatrist with a foolproof method of getting people to end serious bad habits. He would just scream at them “Just STOP IT” every time they would try to explain their problem. This 10 minute skit has more substance than this whole film. There are some actions in this movie that are just insane. There are some actions that are dangerous as well as illegal, but they are treated as simply normal behavior. This was dumb from the opening until the end, and I really have not found many movies I can’t make something decent out of, but this one was just bad. Avoid this one for sure. Don’t waste your time. Netflix categorizes this as a “drama” so I guess that’s what I will check too, but I’m tempted to categorize this movie as “uncategorized”.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.

** A Christmas Blessing

Swirl Films, UpToParr Productions LLC,

Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Omari Hardwick, David Banner


Pamela (Lisa Arrindell Anderson) is a single mom with her 4 children struggling to make sense of their first Christmas without their father who was killed in action in the military the previous year. Things are really hard for them, and they are trying their best to get along. They bump into Earl (Omari Hardwick), a lonely guy, surviving Christmas without his children whom he lost custody of when they moved away with their Mom and her new husband. They form an alliance when Pamela’s children run into some issues that they can’t deal with very well, and Early steps in to help them out.

This premier movie on the TV One network doesn’t get the same splash and bravado that Lifetime, ABC Family, and Hallmark get, but it’s a really good film. TV One is an African American oriented cable network that was started in 2004 and has grown very rapidly. This film is a really good example of the quality stuff that they put out. This movie is real life, and is darker than most Christmas films, but with the hopefulness and uplifting feel by the end that a good Christmas story should have. The kids are suffering, each in a different way, but still the suffering in their own way. But the adults, though trying to do the best for the kids, are both suffering through their own pain. This movie is especially about loss, but also about redemption, and other qualities such as courage, compassion, and love and how they can overshadow the pain. It’s a great urban Christmas story of people trying to do the best they can under their difficult circumstances. It may be tough to track this one down, but it’s well worth watching, and I hope in the future it can get a wider release and distribution.

[Here is the location of the TV One page for the film]
[This is an informational page from The Examiner about this movie]

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently No Comments »on this post.

Kandoo Films, Forward Movement

Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tracie Thoms, Omari Hardwick, Michole Briana White, Beverly Todd, Dijon Talton, Damone Roberts, Phalana Tiller, Royale Watkins, Owen Smith, Blair Underwood


Maye (Sally Richardson) is devastated after her beloved aunt, Amanda (Beverly Todd), dies of breast cancer. Maye (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) has moved out of her home and put her career on hold (She is a very successful make-up artist in Hollywood) and moved into her aunt’s house to spend her aunts last days and to take care of her, but now she must move everything out of the home they shared, move back into her own home, and resume her career while still coping with her grief. Maye’s life is touched by other mourners, giving her the strength to carry on. Yet Maye’s healing is complicated by the jealousy of Amanda’s estranged daughter, Fran (Michole White), who resents Maye’s close relationship with her very unusual mother.

This is an independent Black film, but race has very, very little to do with the story. It is a slow moving and thought provoking film that examines the relationships that Maye has with the people who either hate her or support her. She has a boyfriend who does not support her and cannot face death in the least. He was completely absent through the whole ordeal. The friction between Maye and Fran is very fascinating too. Neither is right, and neither is wrong. Fran wants what Maye has, but is completely unable to face it. She wants to be close to her mother without putting the effort because she can’t understand. She blames Maye for taking her place, and doesn’t hesitate to point that out, but yet everyone knows she couldn’t have done what Maye did anyway.

This is a very intellectual film, and there’s very little action or heavy drama, but it is a relationship film. Much like “Soul Food” this is a good look inside a Black family giving us a feel for some of the dynamics of the families involved. The characters are very well developed, and though the cast is not extremely well known, they are very good and do a great job bringing the look and feel to the film. This is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like good family relationship films, this is one of the best I have seen in a long time.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rate this movie:
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Author: EdG

There are currently 1 Comment »on this post.