My Pontiac Solstice - Music On The Road

New Movie Reviews

Cook My Dinner Naked [Official Video]

Ladies, Christian Keyes leaves little to the imagination on this juicy track. Check out this video. This is bound to be one mouth-watering dinner to remember.

What Makes a Film Foreign?

After my review of Let The Right One In on IMDB, I got rebuffed by a few people who thought I sounded snob in saying that it can only be appreciated by those familiar with foreign films.

I wasn't being snob, just pragmatic. So, below is my response to one person who got especially sensitive.

*** A film is not good because it is foreign or bad because it was made in the USA. And a film is not foreign because it was filmed abroad!!! ***

What makes a film foreign is the distinct cultural elements portrayed in the film that are distinct to that country, region or people. Babel was not a foreign film. Nor was Inglorious Basterds. Those were American films shot abroad. A Single Man was shot in America but it had a distinct foreign film feel to it.

If you study film and/or watch a variety of films, you will soon realize that each culture brings different elements to their films (speech, religion, language, cultural/personal experiences, history, satire, blah blah blah.) There are strong distinctions between Russian films and Asian films and French films and Indian films and Swedish films etc..

Basically, European films tend to be SLOW PACED, Indian films often portray traditional dances and garments, American films tend to be FAST PACED... I don't mean to stereotype here. The distinctions are far greater but I hope you get the idea. What works for one audience, will not work for another.

Most foreigners have been exposed to American films and culture. Few Americans watch foreign films or travel abroad.

On another note, I have a versatile palate when it comes to food but I still do not like Asian or Eastern food. They are not bad. It's just not what I am used to.

Rave: Cover (2007)

Cover is a little known treat that is surprisingly suspenseful and enlightening.   It tackles the highly pervasive yet equally controversial materials like homosexuality and "down-low" in the Black American community.  Few movies have dared venture there and make a case for acceptance amongst Christians.

When her husband gets promoted, Valerie Mass's life begins to fall apart.  Aunjanue Ellis plays Valerie Mass, an unassuming "God-fearing" church woman, who relocates to a new city with her husband.  Razaaq Adoti is Dutch, Valerie's husband.  Dutch's social life goes on the fast lane.  He soon befriends Ryan Chambers (Leon from the movie Capers), a known womanizer, and starts acting more aloof.  Neglected by her husband, Valerie turns to a church prayer group where she meets a sickly woman.  The truth she will uncover is worse than anything she could have imagined.  When Ryan turns up dead on New Year's Eve, she becomes the most likely suspect.

Aside for Vivica Fox and Leon, the cast is low on the mainstream acting radar.  Nevertheless, it delivers decent performances.  Black American movies are not without the religious idiosyncrasies but none of that detract from the serious subject matter or a solid plot.

Producers Bill Duke and Kenneth Dixon teamed up to create a complex tale of faith and redemption.  The plot is quite simple but, somehow, they manage to keep a tight leash on it, keeping you guessing until the very end.

Leon delivers sex and edge without fail.  Few actors in Hollywood command the screen the way this man can.  Leon brings charisma and magneticism in every role he plays.  Vivica Fox plays her "trademark hood" affectation, which I find annoying.  Her role, essentially, brings nothing to this movie.  This is a movie with a lot of twists.  So, don't expect action.

This is a new recipe for Black films and I look forward to seeing more like it.  I definitely recommending renting the DVD and watching it on a girls' night-in.

Rave: Brooklyn's Finest (2009)

" Brooklyn's Finest" truly has the finest of everything: great actors, superb director, strong writers, phenomenal suspense and action sequence, steamy sex scenes, etc.. I can go on an on. This movie is so mind blowing and flawless that it is easily the best movie of 2009 and, possibly, 2010. Three brilliant cops. Three career paths. Tango is an undercover cop who wants the long-promised desk-job promotion but is forced into one more assignment. Sal is a corrupt cop who kills and steals to make up for the low police salary that keeps his family a tendril above poverty. Eddie is the oldest cop in the precinct who is days away from retirement.

Here, Director Antoine Fuqua uses the same multi-story technique as Crash but hightens the drama and the layers of social complexity. Fuqua takes no prisoners as every action has a consequence and every path converge into one explosive finale. And what a mind-bogging explosion!

Don Cheadle is in rare form, his best acting to date, which may prove him to be the best actor in Hollywood. Don Cheadle is charismatic, gritty, mesmerizing and satisfying in this role. Ethan Hawke really delivers superb acting, grit and edge. Shannon Kane, as a prostitute, is a sexy treat. Richard Gere as a washed-out cop delivers snug acting. Wesley Snipes... It is refreshing to see him back on the big screen.

I had the pleasure to see it on big screen. Those who didn't, go rent this DVD tonight!

Boys Like Girls - Two Is Better Than One

I have grown sweet on this song. Beautiful collaboration with Taylor Swift.