Category: Comedy

Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween

Halloween is approaching and the movies that usually open about Halloween fall into one of two categories, either the movie is scary or stupid. Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween falls in the stupid category.

There was a small amount of comic relief, but not enough and what did appear was a bit insulting. I like Tyler Perry and think he is very talented, but this is the worst “Madea” movie he has produced.

It’s Halloween night and Madea receives a call from Brian (Perry) to come over and “Baby sit” her teenage granddaughter, Leah (Lexy Panterra). Madea arrives with her husband Joe (Perry), Hattie (Patrice Lovely) and Aunt Bam (Cassie Davis). Brian needs to return to work and he does not want Leah to go to a Halloween Party at a nearby Frat house. Leah has other plans and eventually sneaks out of the house without anyone knowing she’s gone, but soon Madea discovers Leah is not in the house. All hell breaks loose…The story unfolds from there…

Without Madea and her antics this movie would be a total waste. The acting for the most part was horrible. The comedy relief wasn’t what it needed to be. I laughed briefly, but found most of the movie to be stupid, rude and insulting.

Tyler Perry should go back to the drawing board and make a “Madea” movie that is really funny and has some good acting. “Boo! A Madea Halloween” was not on par with any other Madea movie to date!!

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Florence Foster Jenkins

I absolutely love Meryl Streep! She makes any movie she is in better!
Meryl gives an absolutely awesome performance in “Florence Foster Jenkins”.

“Florence Foster Jenkins” is a dramedy about a woman in 1944 who has a love of music and the arts. In the face of war Florence (Meryl Streep) does everything she can to encourage music all around. Florence cannot really carry a tune, but that hardly keeps her from hiring a pianist, voice coach and then proceeding to practice singing opera. She then gives a small performance, makes a recording and then gets a gig in Carnegie Hall.

Florence is totally unaware of her singing deficiencies and the people around her don’t tell her. They coddle her and this leads to other issues. The story unfolds from there…

“Florence Foster Jenkins” is a delightfully entertaining movie. As I stated earlier, Meryl Streep is awesome. Hugh Grant gives a stellar performance as Florence’s music enabler and companion, St. Clair Bayfield, who happens to be a former Shakespearean actor.

There is another part of Florence’s history that is only broached briefly. Florence is ill and it stems from a problem with her first husband. This should have been expanded a bit more.

“Florence Foster Jenkins” is definitely worth the ticket!

This is a 4 1/2 Star Movie!

The Secret Life of Pets: The IMAX 3D Experience

Do you have a pet? Maybe a Dog, Cat, Bird, Fish, Hamster, Bunny or even a Snake. Do you know what your pet does all day while you are at work? Well “The Secret Life of Pets” is going to show you exactly what type of shenanigans your pet gets into the moment you leave for work or school.

Max the dog has a cushy life with his owner. She spoils him rotten. One day Max’s owner comes home with another dog that she picked up from the pound. The new dog is introduced as Duke. Duke is HUGH. When the owner isn’t looking Max is not very nice to Duke and this causes Duke to misbehave. The next morning after the owner has left for work, Max, Duke and the other Dogs in their neighborhood are taken for a walk to Central Park. Duke wants to get back at Max, so he lures Max away from everyone and suddenly they are on the run from Animal Control. The story unfolds from there…

“The Secret Life of Pets” is absolutely hilarious!! I laughed out loud many times. The 3D Aspects are awesome. I found myself ducking a lot. There are so many fun scenes from the Poodle who throws a Heavy-Metal Party, the Dachshund who uses the Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer Beater as a Massage Tool, to the Cat who eats a whole chicken that is sitting in the refrigerator. The Poodle is so interesting that the movie circles back to the Poodle’s Heavy-Metal party a second time. There are so many crazy things going on that all you can do is shake your head.

“The Secret Life of Pets” is definitely worth the ticket.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Central Intelligence

I am not a Kevin Hart fan and “Central Intelligence” wasn’t on my original watch list, but I decided to give it a look anyway.

Kevin Hart is Calvin Joyner the guy in High School who was the most likely to succeed. Dwayne Johnson is Bob Stone the guy in High School who was the butt of fat jokes and pranks.
Fast forward 20 years…Calvin Joyner married his High School sweet-heart and is an accountant in a prestigious firm. Bob Stone has lost 200 pounds and is a field Agent in the CIA. Bob contacts Calvin because Calvin always came to his rescue in High School.

After Bob and Calvin meet for drinks things start to unravel with a case that Bob is involved with. He needs Calvin’s help. The story unfolds from there…

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart actually make a good comedy duo. They feed off of each other pretty well. “Central Intelligence” is funny with some slap-stick thrown in, serious at times, but also entertaining with a decent amount of action.

The movie is better than I thought it would be. It’s not all jokes for Kevin Hart’s character Calvin Joyner. “Central Intelligence” is probably the best movie I have seen that stars Kevin Hart.

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

Mother’s Day

“Mother’s Day” is a star-studded Dramedy that doesn’t quite meet the mark.

There are five different dramedies going on simultaneously in “Mother’s Day”. Each drama all boils down to the Mother or lack thereof in each person’s life.
The movie definitely has its hilarious moments. At least three of the dramedies are down-right silly, but at the end of the day the movie is unfulfilling.

From a Comedic stand-point Jennifer Aniston holds her own. From a more serious stand-point Julia Roberts holds her own. The script seems flat and everyone else in the movie is running in place.

There have been other star-studded holiday movies such as “Valentine’s Day” and “New Year’s Eve”. “Mother’s Day” is the worst of the lot.

This is a 1 Star Movie!

Barbershop: The Next Cut

After 10 years we get a fresh new appointment at Calvin’s Barbershop on the South-side of Chicago.

The crew that we came to love is still there, but the shop has undergone a major change. Calvin’s is no longer a male only Barbershop. Calvin has a female partner and there are several chairs rented to female hair stylists.
The female hair stylists bring their own brand of hair fashion, drama and gossip.
All in all the shop is very lively. The conversations flow and the quips keep coming and are just enough to keep the customers coming in.

Calvin’s Barbershop becomes more than just a place to get a hair-cut, shave or shampoo. There is real crime and gang problems on the South-side of Chicago and Calvin is tired of the youth dying before they have a chance to grow up.

Calvin’s Barbershop devises a plan to orchestrate a cease-fire for 48 hours. The story unfolds from there…

“Barbershop: The Next Cut” is entertaining, funny, hilarious and at times preachy, but the movie does raise important questions after race, violence and sex.

“Barbershop: The Next Cut” is worth a look if for no other reason than the entertainment factor.

This is a 4 ½ Star Movie!

Hello, My Name is Doris

“Hello, My Name is Doris” is another one of those movies that wasn’t on my original “Watch List”. I did not know Sally Field had recently made a movie.

“Hello, My Name is Doris” is cute, light-hearted and entertaining. Sally Field makes this movie. If it had been anyone else, I don’t think they could have pulled it off.

Doris Miller (Sally Field) works as an account at a NY City firm. She meets the company’s new art director, John Freeman (Max Greenfield) and sparks fly-at least for Doris. Doris wants to impress John and get his attention.

Mean-while in Doris’s cluttered house she shared with her now deceased Mother, Doris searches the internet for a way to get John to notice her as a woman and not a co-worker. Not finding what she is looking for, Doris gets some “Dating Advice” from her 13 year old granddaughter. Soon Doris wins over John’s friends and she finds a new perspective on life. Her family and close friends are worried about her and this causes a rift between them.
The story unfolds from there…

“Hello, My Name is Doris” is a very entertaining comedy-drama. Academy Award winning actress Sally Field plays the role of Doris Miller wonderfully.

“Hello, My Name is Doris” is open in limited-release around the country. Check it out!

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Zootopia in 3D

I am enjoying a couple of days off so I decided to see the animated hit “Zootopia”!!

We should all be so lucky to live in a place like “Zootopia”. It’s a metropolis with neighborhoods like “Ritzy Sahara Square” and “Frigid Tundratown”. Animals from every environment live together and co-habitat without issues. Whether you are a HUGH Elephant to a small tiny mouse, you can be and do anything you like.

Rookie Office Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) wanted to be a police officer ever since she was a little bunny in school. She passes the police academy training at the top of her class. Judy is excited to get her assignment upon graduation day, but when she arrives at her newly assigned police precinct Judy discovers she is the first Bunny to become a police officer. She is not sure about this. There are HUGH animals as policemen. Judy is determined to prove her worth though, but she is assigned to Parking Meter Duty…The story unfolds from there…

“Zootopia” is entertaining, light-hearted and fun. While it’s potentially billed as a movie for the younger set. Adults can definitely enjoy “Zootopia”. There is a lesson in this movie for everyone!

The animation and cinematography are awesome! There is a story, plot and intrigue. If you are interested in something “Light-Hearted and Fun” I suggest “Zootopia”.

This is a 5 Star Movie!

Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot

Comedian Tina Fey turns a bit serious on us for her role as News Journalist Kim Barker.

“Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot” is an adaptation of Kim Barker’s Memoir titled “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan”. The story details Kim Barker’s days as a reporter in the middle-east during the 2002 thru 2006 time frame.

Tina Fey does a nice job portraying a Kim Barker. The movie attempts to strike a balance between comedy and drama. You do get more drama than comedy. The movie gives you a bit of “Girl Power” portrayed in a male dominated environment.

“Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot” was executed very well. You get to see Tina Fey operate an AK-47 with ease.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Hail Caesar!

“Hail Caesar!” was not on my original watch list but, I decided to give it a look.

The Oscar winning filmmakers the Coen Brothers are back with a Star-Studded Golden Aged Comedy. Unfortunately I did not find anything golden about the movie.

The story is centered-around a typical day in the life of a “Studio Fixer”, but what you see is anything but typical and I can’t imagine that everything that goes on could have possibly happened in 24 hours. There are so many problems that even Olivia Pope from the ABC hit Scandal couldn’t possibly fix them all without a cast of thousands.

The movie starts off ok, but goes down-hill fast. There were too many stories and sub plots, so the movie is all over the place and no place. At one point I was bored out of my mind. I sat there thinking how could they have this many heavy weight actors and the movie be so boring. Don’t get me wrong there were some funny scenes, but not enough to be entertaining. I did not find George Clooney funny at all.

The paid critics said that “Hail Caesar!” was “Fresh”. I say its “Stale”.

This is a 2 Star Movie!