robwicks Reviews

This Christmas (2007)

Good movie for grown-ups

[7/10 · 23 November 2007]

This was a pretty good movie, though it is certainly not a conservative family movie. The members of the family have some significant flaws, and not all of those flaws are identified as flaws. This is a very secular Christmas movie, so be forewarned. The moral values depicted sympathetically are not the ones which some might find appropriate, and there is too much sexual content for young children. Some of the issues brought forth are very real, though some of the subplots get too little time. The issue of racial tension with the surprise white daughter-in-law amidst a black family is only touched on for a short time, and the issue of a church deacon living with his girlfriend is not touched on at all. Also, I personally have always found it disturbing when a film intimates that a casual sexual fling is a good way to start a successful relationship, which is suggested somewhat in this film.

Confessions (I) (2006)

Stunningly bad

[2/10 · 7 September 2007]

I expected this DVD to be at least decent, since it had a far better cast than many direct to video movies. This film, however, never failed to disappoint. There are more holes than plot here. The acting is so bad that the lines seem to have been ad-libbed. It is an amazing feat to have a cast so good in a movie so bad.

The initial premise is decent enough, but there is almost no character development. All the characters seem wooden, and little connection is made to any of them. The facial expressions and mannerisms of the characters is more annoying than anything else. Lynn Whitfield's character is more than a little creepy. Woodbine seems to have been ad-libbing his lines, and sounds unnatural in the role.

As I watched this movie, I found myself wishing grisly ends upon every character. This is truly a wretched effort at film-making.

Idlewild (2006)

Entertaining anachronism

[7/10 · 26 August 2006]

Considering the fact that this was a movie starring two rappers, I wasn't expecting much. I was very pleasantly surprised. Outkast aren't just any old rappers, as their fans could no doubt inform you. Most of their material, even though much of it is anachronistic for a film set in the 1930s, nonetheless, fit the movie quite well. Some of the pieces, of course, aren't rap. Indeed, Andre 3000 might as well no longer be called a rapper, considering the breadth of his material. The plot was surprisingly well thought out. It had a certain symmetry, yet was not completely predictable. I enjoyed the whole thing, and didn't have to close my eyes thinking "this is so stupid" all through the film.

Fat Albert (2004)

Good family fun

[7/10 · 29 December 2004]

This is clearly a children's movie. It is fun for adults, if you have a good sense for nostalgia and can appreciate a farce. The movie is all about tongue in cheek humor. It does not take itself seriously, and some of the acting is on par with an episode of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, so don't expect Sir Lawrence Olivier here. I am particularly thinking of Omarion (of B2K fame). His acting, intentionally or not is akin to a cartoon villain. I half expected him to say "Drat! Foiled again!" at any moment. Still, it is a movie which everyone can enjoy, so long as they are prepared to suspend your disbelief, which is de rigueur for these types of films. I think the wide standard deviation with the voting is a fair indicator that it's a movie you will either love or hate. The middle ground is basically untrod territory. If you think you might not like it, you are probably right, and if you think you will like it a lot, you are still probably right.

Roscoe's House of Chicken n Waffles (2004 Video)

Dreadful

[1/10 · 12 November 2004]

This is perhaps the worst movie I've seen this century. Of course, this statement does not carry the same meaning as if I had uttered it 4 years ago, but the sentiment is there. The gist of the movie could have made a workable small film, but the writing is absolutely abhorrent. The jokes mostly miss, the plot flows like a glacier; very slowly, then it collapses entirely. There are some decent actors. I cannot blame them. The problem lies in the writing and directing. I would have expected better from any film student, quite frankly. There are useless subplots, and characters which would have added to the movie by their subtraction from it.

Cooley High (1975)

The first movie I cried seeing

[8/10 · 14 February 2002]

Now, I am not prone to much emotion, but I cried seeing this movie. It certainly has more appeal among blacks than other ethnic groups, but there is something here for everyone. The classic song "It's so Hard to Say Goodbye" really makes this one worth watching at least once.