Ed's Review Dot Com

Tommy 2.0 LLC, Codeblack Entertainment, Forest Whitaker’s Significant Productions,

Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie, Mike Epps, Sanaa Lathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Ariana Neal

Tommy Carter is a life coach/spiritual adviser as well as a popular author, but he is harboring some deep secrets that are eating away at him. When he takes on a new client, Angel Sanchez (Forest Whitaker) who is very troubled seeing his recently deceased mother all over the place. Tommy is not a careful as he ought to be, and when he decides not to see Angel anymore, things go way off the rails and it might cost him and those he loves their lives.

A lot of people did not like this movie. I thought it was really good. I enjoyed Whitaker’s skills as an actor to portray the guy who is slowly (or not so slowly maybe) losing it. But Mackie had the best part, as a somewhat self righteous guy who wants to be successful regardless of the secret he is harboring. His brother Ben is brilliantly played by Mike Epps who really shows some powerful emotions. When these people all get together, it’s magic. This is certainly a dark movie, and it’s frightening, and I mean Saw frightening. It’s not for sissies, that’s for sure. If you remember some of the scenes in “Misery” that made you turn away and not look, well, there’s many of those moments here as well. It’s suspenseful and terrifying, but it’s also thought provoking. There’s a lot going on here, and though we never really know about Angel and how cognizant he was of what actions he took, in the end, it doesn’t really matter. The point is that you will think about this movie long after it’s over and the choices the main characters made and the consequences of those actions. I think it’s a really decent script, and the level of acting is very good. It’s not over the top, no one is over-acting here, but it’s powerful stuff. This comes to you as a highly recommended suspense film which could almost be classified as horror, with a warning that if you don’t like graphic violence, stay away. Otherwise if you like to be challenged and frightened, this is one that will do it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Universal Pictures, Blackmaled Productions, Sean Daniel Company,

Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Harold Perrineau, Monica Calhoun, Melissa De Sousa

“The Best Man” of 1999 introduced us to a gang of college friends in a bit of a crisis. Well now it’s 15 years later (really) and they are getting together to celebrate the holidays. Everyone is here with the same jealousies, hangups, grudges, and problems. This is a reunion of sorts, and a time to catch up on all the changes in their lives. A funny, and tragic Christmas story.

This is a fairly decent sequel to the original film, bringing us back to the characters we originally knew. This is one of those films that make you laugh one minute and cry a minute later. There’s a lot of drama and conflict going on here, but a lot of love and caring too. Basically this is not an extremely original story, as there have been lots of these college friends all grown up and seeing each other again after a long absence movies. But it’s got the added plus of being a really decent holiday film. Released around the holidays, this is one that won’t be nearly as enjoyable in the middle of the summer as it would be in December, that is unless you are in the mood for a little Christmas in July fun. All in all, the characters are familiar, and there is some really good humor here, and a lot of heart, and some really good performances. This is not a great movie, but it’s a good one.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Warner Bros. Pictures, Participant Media, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ

Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, Sanaa Lathan

Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) is an executive on a business trip to Hong Kong. Coming home, she feels a bit under the weather, but within a day she is dead along with her young son who also caught the bug and died. Meanwhile, people from all around the world are getting sick, and it appears to be an epidemic. The World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control have their top people on it, trying to figure out what it is and where it started, but it looks like a pandemic is inevitable which could wipe out a quarter of the planet.

This exciting thrill ride of a movie has some great stars in it. From Paltrow, to Laurence Fishburn, to Matt Damon, to Kate Winslett. Even the rest of the cast it pretty good. It’s fast paced and they give us the medical jargon in a way not to lose the layman. We get to learn a lot about how it works, and how quickly the Homeland Security guys can figure it must be a terrorist attack. Very suspenseful, this deals with the aftermath of such a panic, from fires and quarantines, to looting and rioting. Part science and medicine, and part action and adventure, it’s a wild ride from start to finish.

I saw this film on IMAX and it was nice to see it bright and clear with a wonderful sound system on a huge screen. IMAX was not wasted on this film, although it’s certainly not critical to enjoying it. This will be just as good on DVD later, as it’s a good strong story. Yes, it’s been done before, but it’s a fresh approach to telling the story, with a little surprise at the end, just before the credits to make it worth waiting for. It was lots of bang for the buck, and not a bad, “end of the summer” film. It’s good it didn’t have to compete with the huge blockbusters this summer, because it would have been lost. But now, with not so very much to choose from, it’s a good escape from the real world. Or could this be our future after all? Time will tell.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog