Change Your Image
lolalavie
Hunter College-City University of New York, Undergrad, English major class of 2008
Future plans: Graduate School, Special Education
Focus issues: Black/Third World Feminism/ Education of Deaf and Blind Children
Reviews
The Feast of All Saints (2001)
Get A Grip
Some bitter wannabe critics will definitely try to make this movie out to be a lot worse than it is but it's not bad. I absolutely love the way the actors who played Marcel (Ri'chard), Marie (??), Jean Jacques (?? the dark Haitian man who made furniture) and Dolly Rose (Beals) bring the characters to life. They're amazing. I absolutely could not stand the role of Cecile (Marcel's mom). So indifferent and lacking in depth, it's just awful. That goes for Peter Gallagher's character as well. Don't you just love how he brings his dying behind to their home and leaves them with nothing? I also could have dealt without that rape scene, I mean I'm the most liberal of people but even I think it's too much. Other than that it was okay, lots of perpetuating social issues addressed in the film.
Thirteen (2003)
Don't Think So
I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. For one thing I noticed, like in so many "good girl turned bad" movies is that there's this hidden message that somehow hip hop subculture contributes, at least partly, to the girls' downfall (pay attention whenever the girls are around guys, and they're either listening to hip hop music or something relative to that). I never pierced my tongue, slept around, smoked marijuana in my adolescent life and I grew up with hip hop so I didn't even make that connection until watching it a 3rd time. Secondly, there seems to be a blame placed on everything and everyone except Tracy. Fingers pointing at her mother, (who has absolutely no backbone btw, I can't imagine a real mother putting up with that crap for as long as she did), at Evie, her social environment but never Tracy herself. She went after Evie, not the other way around and made a choice to behave the way she did. So I would've liked to have seen her character developed a little bit more.
Monster-in-Law (2005)
A small step for J.Lo
J. Lo isn't the greatest actress to have ever roamed the earth. I still think she's overrated and overpaid, however, she did better than I expected. You gotta give it to her, the girl works hard.
There were some points in the movie that gave me a chuckle, thanks to Sykes humor and J.Lo's little attempts at turning the attempts on Fonda's character. But some scenes just totally annoyed me. The slapping match was a little over the top and that cheesy truce at the end made my stomach turn just a little.
Not a total bomb, but if you haven't seen it, wait until it comes on one of the 7 HBO channels.
Waiting to Exhale (1995)
Decent
Those of you who ranted and raved about how horrible this film was really tickle my funny bone. I love to see miserable people hate a movie just because...well, they have nothing to better to do.
Not saying this was the best movie I've ever seen. But I agree with others who say that Bassett and Levine are the ones to save this film from drowning with all the other horrible movies.
I love Angela Bassett, I'm a huge fan of hers. The scene which depicts the morning after her husband leaves her for his secretary, which would've otherwise been too cliché for my taste had it not been for the way Bernie (Bassett) burned up that BMW! I mean that was classic. Sorry if any of you testosterone-fueled men out there will accuse me of man hating, but I love that scene and will watch it over and over again. Three cheers for Angie.
And Devine's character, Gloria seems sort of weak and unable to stand up to even her teenage son, but I love how she bends a little and confesses how she feels to the late Gregory Hines' character. You'll notice Devine's Gloria and Bassett's Bernie are slightly juxtaposed but their chemistry is excellent. If you haven't seen it, check it out, if not for anything but the performance of these two gifted actors.
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
Not Great
Okay 1, for the fool who called Salli Richardson a Latina wannabe J-Lo. They should probably know that she isn't even Latina to begin with. (Black/Native). Secondly, I'm once again not shocked at all by the racist comments...it's getting a little old now, guys. Do you think for once you could post a message that didn't bash everyone on screen who ISN'T white? For once? Huh? Could ya? Anyways, yes, I've definitely seen better movies. Yes, that punk Cole character was incredibly annoying but this isn't the first annoying character in the history of films...it's not that serious, people. You can thank your bad writers, directors and producers for that.