Perfect World Pictures (Beijing), Universal Pictures, Will Packer Productions,,
Kimberly Elise, Danny Glover, John Michael Higgins, Romany Malco, Mo’Nique, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Omar Epps, Nicole Ari Parker, Jessie Usher, DC Young Fly
Walter (Danny Glover) is the father of a big family who are all grown-up and moved away, and he’s suffering the loss of his wife and it’s 5 days until Christmas. Walter has asked everyone to come together and his only wish is for the whole family to get together for 5 days without it all blowing up. Of course that’s a lot to ask of this bunch, and though Walter’s obsessed with getting his wife’s Sweet Potato Pie just right, the rest of the gang from Aunt May (Mo’nique) all the way down to the grandchildren are all about to kill each other. This is a typical dysfunctional family survives Christmas films.
Almost Christmas is certainly a well covered topic, with the frustrated Dad trying to keep his kids from tearing each other apart story line, but due to the excellent acting from Glover and Mo’Nique through JB Smoove, Gabriel Union, and right on down the line, the talent helps to make the story come alive. There are some hysterical moments that are really well done including one of the best dining room table bits that I’ve ever seen. This film is not going to be classic enough to gain cult status, but it’s really pretty well done and though it does jump from sad to silly and back quite fast, still it’s a highly enjoyable film and one that makes us feel good because our families are not near as bad as this clan. Or are they? That’s something you’ll be wondering about as you enjoy this charming Christmas Movie.
Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Russell Crowe, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, Marwan Kenzari, Stephen Thompson
Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is a treasure hunter who stumbles upon an ancient tomb. He accidentally releases the spirit of Ahmanet, an ancient demon, and brings her back to conquer the earth. Though Nick is frightened for his life, he is the chosen one who is to sacrifice himself to make her rule the Earth again.
This was a bit of a dud for me. The Mummy movies with Brandan Fraser were surprisingly rather decent. There was lots of suspense, lots of action, and it was a roller coaster ride. I place the blame for this one directly on Mr. Cruise though. I guess he was trying to play some kind of character under the power of this evil woman, but the delivery was just awful. The beginning of the film where he’s trying to be a grave robber type guy who is looking for treasure buried under the sand, the dialog was simply awful. It seemed like a high school drama production or something. I mean it was really badly delivered. The rest of the movie, he just couldn’t pull off the character in the least. The action scenes weren’t too bad, but they were kind of choppy as well, and started and stopped pretty much at will. The whole thing was kind of hard to follow even though it seemed really simple. Annabelle Wallis and Russell Crowe weren’t bad. They were the only normal characters in the movie, since Tom Cruise was all over the place. One shining star in the movie which garners the most credit is Sofia Boutella who plays Ahmanet. She definitely put in an interesting performance, and she was able to best deal with Tom as he ran around from place to place. I found the whole experience to be underwhelming, and this is another of those movies that didn’t need a remake. I would suggest that you skip this one.
Perfect World Pictures (Beijing), Universal Pictures, Will Packer Productions,
Kimberly Elise, Danny Glover, John Michael Higgins, Romany Malco, Mo’Nique, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Omar Epps, Nicole Ari Parker, Jessie Usher, DC Young Fly
Walter (Danny Glover) is the father of a big family who are all grown-up and moved away, and he’s suffering the loss of his wife and it’s 5 days until Christmas. Walter has asked everyone to come together and his only wish is for the whole family to get together for 5 days without it all blowing up. Of course that’s a lot to ask of this bunch, and though Walter’s obsessed with getting his wife’s Sweet Potato Pie just right, the rest of the gang from Aunt May (Mo’nique) all the way down to the grandchildren are all about to kill each other. This is a typical dysfunctional family survives Christmas films.
Almost Christmas is certainly a well covered topic, with the frustrated Dad trying to keep his kids from tearing each other apart story line, but due to the excellent acting from Glover and Mo’Nique through JB Smoove, Gabriel Union, and right on down the line, the talent helps to make the story come alive. There are some hysterical moments that are really well done including one of the best dining room table bits that I’ve ever seen. This film is not going to be classic enough to gain cult status, but it’s really pretty well done and though it does jump from sad to silly and back quite fast, still it’s a highly enjoyable film and one that makes us feel good because our families are not near as bad as this clan. Or are they? That’s something you’ll be wondering about as you enjoy this charming Christmas Movie.
This film is a recorded stand-up performance by Kevin Hart in front of 50,000 screaming fans at Philideplhia’s Lincoln Financial Field, an outdoor arena. Kevin is from Philly and so it’s a homecoming for him. This film broke records as the first time a stand-up comedian filled an NFL stadium to capacity. It was an amazing night!
There is a little wrap-around story of Kevin as a James Bond style super spy that features a lot of cameo appearances. But essentially this film is really just a stand up show, but certainly a very funny one. Kevin is very funny, and his tales of current events and human nature really rock the house. Everyone appeared to have a really good time, and I don’t think this performance was any less than the classics by Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy. If you enjoy stand-up comedy and Kevin Hart, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this film. It was an incredible show.
Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Tori Kelly, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson
Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) is the owner of a failing theater in the city. He has an idea to host a talent show and pay the owners 1000.00 which is the last of his money, but a clerical error prints the flyers at $100,000. Hundreds of animals line up for a chance to audition to win the grand prize including a misunderstood gorilla son, a very shy elephant, and a fun mixture of musical animals. Buster needs help to try to save the theater or it’s all lost.
On the day after Christmas 5 of my grandchildren and their parents, and my wife and I saw Sing in 3D. I have been waiting for this one for quite some time. I was not disappointed. This was a beautiful little film. The music is really good and the comedy was non-stop. Everyone from the smallest 6 year old to the oldest 65 (myself) and every one in between thought it was really good. The animation is top notch and the picture is great. There are some great voices in there, and the characters were very well played. I must say, “Very Well Done”. If you get a chance to catch this one in the theater, don’t miss the opportunity. Give yourself one more Christmas present this year!
