Just sharing with you all my end of the month April youtube reviews. If you aren’t subscribed to my channel please do. I try to improve with each video and I particularly have been working on my thumbnails lately which I think turned out nicely on all 3.
I occasionally will mention things I don’t include on posts for this blog so if you like the blog I think you will want to subscribe to the channel. . For instance, there are several reviews in these videos I have not had on the blog yet. If you like any of the videos a thumbs up would be great as well. Thank you!
My review on the blog and channel for Avengers should be up on Friday (I see it Thursday).
Last week I set up a poll asking you my readers to vote for the next series of reviews you would like me to do. Thank you to all who voted and I must say the responses surprised me a little bit.
The top 5 are
5. with 5% of vote- The Best of Simpsons Series
4. with 5.75% of vote- Studio Ghibli Series
3. with 8.05% of vote- Hitchcock Series
2. with 10.34% of vote- Disney Nature Documentary Series
and the clear winner
1. with 18.39% of vote- Pixar Films and Shorts Series
Any surprises for you? I’m not surprised by Pixar winning especially with Inside Out coming out in June. But I was surprised with Disney Nature getting the second spot. I think it should be pretty easy for me to do both as there are only 14 Pixar films and 8 Disney nature and it will be perfect as both have releases in the next 2 months. I’m excited!
I’m not sure how to structure the Pixar reviews because I am a huge fangirl. Honestly I would give all but 3 an A. How interesting is that to read about me gush about movie after movie? If you guys have any guidance or suggestions about how I could make them interesting I would love to hear.
So Pixar and Disney Nature it is. Thanks again and I look forward to some fun blogging in the future.
When I tell you that Furious 7 is one of the most ridiculous movies I’ve ever seen I mean it. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing but it is completely absurd. So let me try to explain why it might be worth your seeing…
First of all, there is a friend of the blog who I had a recent discussion with about Guardians of the Galaxy being a ‘turn off your brain popcorn movie’. I disagreed with that conclusion; however, my friend Guardians should win a Pulitzer prize compared to this nonsense. I guarantee you will not like Furious 7. It is not the movie for you.
I kept trying to decide why such insanity is better than the explosions and over the top antics of a Michael Bay movie. Why are his films so nauseating but something like this still feels fun? I honestly don’t know if I can explain it. If any of you have insight I’d love to hear it. The best I can determine is Michael Bay movies attempt at humor distances the audience from the characters and then he tries too hard to create a reverence around characters instead of just being an over the top action film.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was probably the best he’s done (I know not technically directed by Bay but having his stamp) in a long time. The problem with turtles is it was edited so poorly I had no idea who they were fighting and where they were so it was just confusing when it should have been fun. The villain was also muddled and confusing when it should have been awesome Shredder.
Furious 7 has over the top set pieces but I always knew who they were fighting, who the bad guy was and what they were after. It isn’t as coherent and exciting as 5 and 6 which were basically heist pictures but it ups the anty on the insanity. Plus, the actors sell the crazy scenes in a way that Bay’s films never do. It feels like they are having a blast
Anyway, the plot to Furious 7 (not that it matters) is Owen Shaw’s brother played by Jason Statham is out to get revenge for his brother. He attacks Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs and they fight (The Rock against Statham not much of a fair fight but it works). Statham ends up getting information about where the team are and how he can hurt them.
Then Kurt Russel’s Mr Nobody makes a deal with Dom, Brian and the team if they get a macguffin known as the God’s Eye away from terrorists played by Djimon Hounsou he will help them deal with Shaw. The rest of the movie ends up being a search for the hacker who created God’s Eye and then all over the world to find the actual device.
I wish that the trailer didn’t spoil a couple of the over the top scenes. It would be more fun for the audience if they didn’t know a car was going to jump from one skyscraper to another but when it is actually happening my theater was laughing and I don’t think that is a bad thing. It’s so over the top they are asking for that kind of response. Plus, the actors play it like it is no big deal. There is no Kate Capshaw type character screaming at all the antics . They are all tough guys and girls with tough guy one liners that made me laugh every time.
Maybe it helps I went into this with extremely low expectations, just wanting to be entertained and I was. As far as flaws it’s a little too long. By the end I was starting to grow less amused with the antics. The quick cuts and shaky cam in some of the fight scenes is a little nauseating and got old and some of them go on a little bit too long. They also don’t use The Rock very much. He’s in the movie for about 15 minutes which seems like a shame with his charisma. Although when he rips his own cast off and says something like ‘it’s go time…’ I was on the floor laughing. Still, he could have been used more. They also love the booty shots of the women which got a little old after a while but at least the women actually did something unlike a Michael Bay movie where they are only gratuitous eye candy.
They did a flawless job dealing with the death of Paul Walker. Evidently some of him was added in CGI, some was using past movies, film he had shot and his brothers standing in. I certainly couldn’t tell. It all looked like him from beginning to end to me. They also have a lovely tribute to him and a very nice sign off.
With certain movies you have to look at what it is trying to do and then ask ‘did it do it well?’. With Furious 7 they were trying to make an over the top action film and they do a great job with it. I’m normally not a big fan of those type of movies but I was entertained by it. I had a good time. Take that for what you will. It’s kind of a hard movie to give a grade too because its so absurd but entertaining.
I will go with…
Overall Grade- B-
Content Grade- C for violence, fighting and gratuitous booty shots.
My youtube review. If you could watch it and give it a thumbs up that would be amazing.
Happy April Fools! I’m honestly not a big fan of practical jokes but I do enjoy a good laugh. I thought given the day I would share with all of you 10 of my favorite comedies.
For these 10 I tried to pick all out comedies, not romantic comedies, dark comedies or movies like the Apartment that have comedic elements. These are roll on the ground, laugh out loud, make me laugh every time films. Humor is completely subjective (all films are but especially comedies) so these are just what I find most funny. You may not and that’s cool. Instead of just critiquing my list (easy to do) share with me your favorites and what makes you laugh.
1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail- Almost everyone I know thinks this is funny. There are so many jokes and the script is so well written. Some highlights are the Sir Bevedere and King Arthur debating about the witch, the knights that say ni, the black knight with no arms and legs screaming ‘Come on ya pansy!’, The Castle of Aaaauuuggghhhh (he must have died while carving it), “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!”… So funny.
2. Napoleon Dynamite- A somewhat polarizing movie that some either think is hilarious or it drives them nuts. I’m in the hilarious camp. Maybe partly because everyone involved is from my alma mater (for the most part) and I really relate to the rural Idaho setting? Who knows? It’s so likable and has one of the most endearing lead characters in modern movies so I love it.
If you haven’t read my character profile on Napoleon please do. When you really think about it he has a sad life. They are obviously poor, his parents are nowhere to be seen, his brother and uncle are a mess, his grandma has just been injured and he get’s rejected by the girl he asks out. But you’d never know about it from watching Napoleon. He’s walking around, looking at things and happy with his life.
There are so many great lines like “I told you! I spent it with my uncle in Alaska hunting wolverines!”, “A liger…It’s pretty much my favorite animal. It’s like a lion and a tiger mixed”, “How was school? The worst day of my life, what do you think?”, “You know, there’s like a boat-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I’m pretty good with a bo staff”, “No, but who would? I don’t even have any good skills…You know, like numchuk skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills… Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.”
When he dances and shows the ultimate confidence it is hilarious and such a great victory.
3.It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – The dream cast that will never be beat and the ultimate cat and mouse chase story that has every kind of humor. It’s a mad cap race to find the treasure and hilarious all the way through it. Jonathan Winters , Ethel Merman and Buddy Hackett are particular favorites.
It’s the kind of movie that could never be made today because the studios would be so lazy. Movies like New Years Eve, Movie 43, and Grown Ups figure all we have to do is have a bunch of famous people and it will get folks in the theater. They don’t have a good script or funny setups. It’s just disgusting crass and vulgar and not funny! It’s a Mad Mad World did it right.
4. What About Bob- What makes What About Bob one of the funniest movies ever made is it is a classic example of someone driving another human being nuts and being completely oblivious. Bob is having a great time. He’s happy as a clam, and he isn’t intentionally annoying, but just trying to be loving and his shrink’s biggest fan. But the shrink played by Richard Dryfuss lets one thing get to him and then another and another until it is this huge volcano. So often in life do we allow someone to get under our skin and they are completely unaware. That is funny and totally rings true. Bill Murray is so likable in the role and has an innocence that makes you root for him all the while he is making Dryfuss crazy.
It is so well written with great scenes like the dinner ‘um, this corn is delicious. Is this hand shucked?’ or “There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t. My ex-wife loves him”. “It reminds me of my favorite poem, which is, “Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m a schizophrenic… and so am I!”
5. Clueless- My favorite comedy for many years. Based on Jane Austen’s Emma it tells the story of rich socialite Cher and her best friend Dion as they try to do a little matchmaking with their friends in high school. I love scenes like the Haitians and the dinner party or Cher’s description of her diet- “I feel like such a heifer. I had two bowls of Special K, 3 pieces of turkey bacon, a handful of popcorn, 5 peanut butter M&M’s and like 3 pieces of licorice”. Ha.
Almost every line of this movie makes me laugh and yes I think it is funnier than Mean Girls although that is also great. Amy Heckerling does such a brilliant job making Cher and Dion, who would be the mean girls, into likable endearing characters.
My favorite scene by far is when Dion ends up on the highway for the first time. I love his scene because I remember when a similar event actually happened to me in high school and I freaked out.
6. Better Off Dead- this is an admittedly stupid movie but it makes me laugh every time. It’s about this kid named Lane Meyers played by John Cusack who obsesses over his girlfriend. When she dumps him he doesn’t think it is worth living until he challenges her boyfriend to ski the K12.
The plot is really just an excuse for a lot of hilarious gags like the newspaper boy who menaces Lane for his $2, the taxi drivers who learned English from Howard Cossell, Lane’s stoner best friend who says ‘this is pure snow. Do you realize the street value of this stuff?’, his brother who collects coupons before the cereal is done, his neighbor who is teaching a foreign exchange student ‘the international language’, his mother who is such a bad cook it walks off the plate. It’s hilarious and I love it.
7. Bringing Up Baby- This movie starring Kathrine Hepburn and Cary Grant taking care of a Leopard named Baby is hilarious from start to finish. Grant is the uptight paleontoglist professor and Hepburn is a rich doner’s daughter who is a massive klutz. They have to transport this leopard and all hell breaks loose and it has great dialogue, slapstick, hijinks, and mistaken identities. It’s one you could watch with the entire family and all have a hearty laugh.
8. The General- A movie that has to be seen to be believed. What Buster Keaton does with physical stunts is unbelievable. Most of this movie is shot on a moving train and all to get the gags. It’s an adventure and incredibly funny at the same time. Very few title cards are needed because Buster Keaton is so expressive in his eyes and face. It’s brilliant and hard to believe they could make a movie that holds up so well with action comedies of today, if not even slicker and more polished because it is actual people risking their lives instead of CGI.
Keaton can make picking up a log and putting it on the train hilarious It’s without a doubt one of the best movies ever made and that’s not just nostalgia. I’m telling you it still holds up today in every way. Trust me on this one. If you think you will never like a silent movie give The General a shot.
9. Office Space- I love movies about work and that includes laughing about work. I so related to this movie when I was stuck in the stupefying nothingness of cubicle life. (Cubicle Hell as I like to call it). The useless company protocol like TPS reports, the cheap attempt to replicate family celebrations like birthdays, having 5 different bosses who have no idea what your actual job is, the worst boss in movie history, the ridiculous employee reviews, and wanting to smash the tar out of the office copier. All of that rings true. I watch it and thank the Lord for a job I love. Thank you, thank you. At least this movie made me laugh when it was rough.
I love the ridiculousness of the plan they come up with ‘Isn’t that in Superman 4…” and when they get the magazine guy to tell them about money laundering or the flare at the chain restaurant ‘I want you to want to wear more flare’. It’s hilarious but it is the only R rated movie on this list and it earns the R so be forewarned.
10. Best in Show- My favorite of the Christopher Guest troop films although they are all hilarious. Using the mockumentary style to cover a dog show and their owners it is funny from start to finish. The entire team is at the top of their game including Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy (literally has 2 left feet), Catherine O’Hara from Home Alone (which I could have put on this list but I already profiled it), Jane Lynch and more. I especially love Fred Williard as the commentator who has me in near tears laughing at his frequently improvised lines.
I have yet to show this movie to someone who didn’t laugh. (I’m sure there will be a barrage of comments saying they didn’t laugh but in my real life everyone loves it).
I got some new videos up on the channel I think you will enjoy. Definitely check them out. If you haven’t already please subscribe to my channel and give me some thumbs up if you think they are any good. Thanks!
Here’s one on movies I like to watch when I am sick.
Here’s the end of my blu-ray review series
Movies that I watched in theaters in March
Here’s one on why I think critics are particularly tough on Christian films but it would apply to any film with a narrow audience
Here’s my youtube review of Dreamworks Home
And finally here are the movies I watched at home in March. Not my greatest viewing month but Akira was pretty cool. I have to watch it a couple more times before doing a written review.
Again, thanks for giving them a watch and thumbs up. I really appreciate it. On to April!
I’m very excited to tell you about an exciting collaboration over on my youtube channel. My friend and fellow youtuber LondonCityTVGirl and I have done a collaboration on our five favorite musicals! It was so hard for me to narrow my list down to my top 5 and I don’t know if it really is my top 5 or just 5 that I like. I love her 5 choices also.
My Top 5 Musicals
Simantha’s Top 5 Musicals
If you have an account it would be awesome for you to like both of our videos and subscribe to our channels. You will enjoy both of our content I am sure of that.
What are your favorite musicals? There were so many I could have picked and I honestly debated it for about a month but I am happy with my list. I would love to hear from you. Thanks!
My friend over at the Lawn Gnome has just posted a neat tag based on the Hunger Games with different movies/books for each of the 13 Districts. I’m actually not a big Hunger Games fan (yes I know you can all be shocked…) but you don’t really need to be to have fun with this tag. So, I thought I would bring it over to the blogging world and give you my picks for both movies and books.
First here is his video:
So here is the tag-
District 1 Luxury: Pick a (BOOK/MOVIE) with lots of opulence.
For movie I will pick Citizen Kane based on the life of William Randolph Hearst, one of the richest men in American history. It’s wildly regarded as the greatest movie ever made and literally every shot can be studied for its lighting, subject matter, cinematography and everything else.
I had a hard time thinking about a book about opulence but decided on Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. In it a girl falls in love with a rich mysterious man and when she marries him she becomes the new head of an equally mysterious large grand mansion
District 2 Masonry/ weaponry: pick a (BOOK/MOVIE)with a great war or conflict.
There are a lot of good war movies but I’m going to go with a recent great movie, American Sniper. In Sniper I felt like I was down with the marines going house to house looking for people. It was a totally different kind of war than I have ever seen before and I was really moved by it.
As far as books about war in thinking about it I realized most of the books I have read about war are about prisoners or civilians during a war. As far as actual battle, soldier books the one that came to mind is Shiloh by Shelby Foote. Some people would probably find this book boring because it methodically takes you through one single battle in the Civil War that in Foote’s opinion changed everything. It isn’t the Antietam or Gettysburg that we know more about but the Battle of Shiloh. It’s fascinating, gripping, tragic and will make you feel immersed in history like few other books.
District 3 Technology: Pick a(BOOK/MOVIE) with a technological twist.
A movie with a technological twist I will go with Gattaca. A science fiction film with tremendous heart and great performances about a society who has created genetically perfect people known as valids who are considered superior to traditionally conceived people who are invalids. Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law are great in it.
I’m going to give a little shout out to The Giver by Lois Lowry which is such a moving book that turned into a rather pedestrian movie. Kind of like Gattaca a perfect society has been created where all the best choices have been determined and diversity in the slightest is eliminated. People’s senses are lulled except for a man named The Giver who knows all that has been forgotten about human experience. Jonas, our hero, becomes the apprentice to the Giver and as he see’s the world in a whole new way it makes you think about your own world and the choices you have made. Great book.
District 4 Fishing: Pick a water based (BOOK/MOVIE)
I love to swim so movies in and around water are some of my favorites. Since you all know I love Finding Nemo, Little Mermaid and Song of the Sea let me dive a little deeper (excuse the pun…) and pick something more obscure. I love the little British movie On a Clear Day about a man who decides he is stuck in his life and is going to swim the English Channel. As an open water swimmer I relate to his story but on a slightly smaller scale
For my swimming books I will do another obscure read that I think would make a great movie- The Great Swim by Gavin Mortimer. This tells the true story of Gertrude Ederle, Mille Gade, Lillian Cannon, and Clarabelle Barrette who were the first women to swim the English Channel. It is fascinating for the stories of the 4 women, their personalities and histories, but also the differences in the press and celebrity then and now. A great read!
District 5 Electricity: Pick a powerful (BOOK/MOVIE) .
The first film that came to my mind when I thought of powerful movies is Hoop Dreams. This is an amazing documentary by Steve James where he follows the lives of 2 inner city boys who dream of becoming professional basketball players. It is heart wrenching and it goes places fiction couldn’t go. It’s so profound about how our dreams are our inspiration and also our undoing at times. It’s about everything that makes up a life. It’s without question one of the best movies ever made.
One of the most powerful books I’ve ever read is The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. It tells the true story of Dutch old maid Corrie and her sister Betsie who are sent to Auschwitz for hiding Jews from the Nazis. Her sister is unflappable in her determination to be grateful and positive in the absolute worst of situations while Corrie is a bit more of a realist, a little more sarcastic. In the end her message of courage, faith and forgiveness is one I will never forget.
District 6 Transportation: Pick a(BOOK/MOVIE) that takes place in many locations.
A movie that takes place in many locations I will go with the movie that has a map showing the characters zip around the globe- Raiders of the Lost Ark. Just in the first few minutes he goes from Boston, to Nepal, to Cairo.
There are a lot of travel narratives I love so I could have picked any of those but I will pick Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose about the Lewis and Clarke expedition. Kind of like Shiloh, Undaunted Courage is a historical narrative without any fiction. Just the history but it is gripping, well researched and gives you a new appreciation for America in its raw form.
District 7 Lumber: Pick a(BOOK/MOVIE) with manual labor.
This isn’t farming but if you consider cooking manual labor then I love Babette’s Feast. It’s a Danish film about a woman who is a refuge and is welcomed in by 2 women and their friends who abstain from luxuries and eat very bland food. She wins the lottery and gets a chance to cook the way she has dreamed of. It’s a beautiful movie about work and how when we find out what we are supposed to contribute to the world that is when we are really fulfilled even if it is just cooking one meal.
I could have picked Grapes of Wrath for my movie as well but thought I’d have a little variety. Nobody does a setting like John Steinbeck. You can feel the dust and sun pounding down on the Joads family. It is a book that is depressing in a way but it is also very unpredictable with a complicated notion of right and wrong and characters who wish they could work more than the land allows them too
District 8 Textiles: Pick a(BOOK/MOVIE) with amazing clothes!
The movie with amazing clothes I thought of is Anna Karenina with Oscar winning costumes by Jacqueline Durran. The entire visual style of this movie is so inventive and different. Joe Wright with his amazing cast and production values elevate it beyond the typical costume drama. A lot of that goes back to the amazing costumes.
The best book about clothes I am going to go with Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisenberg (I love the movie too) which is a great book/movie about work. Andy must learn to work with the devilish Miranda Priestly. It’s a story about what you will sacrifice for work and how little choices bit by bit you can lose your soul to the office. It’s also very funny with a lot of satire about the fashion world and everything else.
District 9 Grain: Pick a(BOOK/MOVIE) where food is hard to come by.
Interestellar is a really good choice but since The Lawn Gnome chose that I am going to go with Cast Away. Tom Hanks is brilliant as the man who is shipwrecked on an island and must learn to survive. When he gets fire it is a triumphant moment and the depth of feeling we get for a volleyball is profound. The film is weakened when he returns back to civilization and becomes more trite but the hungry part is great.
I couldn’t really think of a good hunger book so I will go with the oldest of standby’s The Bible. When the Children of Israel are starving and God sends them manna in the wilderness which was sweet as milk and honey. This kept them alive for 40 years but only if used within the guidelines set out by God. If those rules were broken it became rotten and bug infested. A great reminder that God will bless us if we are obedient and seek to follow Him.
District 10 Livestock: Pick a(BOOK/MOVIE) with an animal in it.
Got to go with Babe, one of the best family movies ever made IMO. A sweet simple story with real heart and humor about the pig that wants to be a sheepdog.
For books I will pick Black Beauty by Anna Sewell which is a simple book about a horse’s life as he passes from one master to another. Some are cruel, some kind but always engrossing. She really does pack a ton of story into the life of a horse.
District 11 Agriculture: Pick a(BOOK/MOVIE) where a character comes to a harsh gritty reality.
I will say Les Miserables. Fantine realizes the lowliness she will stoop in order to save her daughter. It is only a last gesture by a kind man that saves her story from being 100% tragic but it is a harsh gritty reality for sure.
For a book I will go with a play, A Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. It’s a gut wrenching story of a man who realizes his life is a failure, his son is mediocre and it is his fault. I normally don’t like downers but since it is a brief play and its characters are so vivid I have always been drawn to it. I love movies, books, plays about work and this is certainly one of the most sobering. I guess you could call it a cautionary tale. District 12 Mining: Pick a dark and sinister(BOOK/MOVIE) !
Well there aren’t many dark and sinister movies I like as you all know. There’s a few ghost stories I like and some funny scary movies like Ghostbusters but all of those have a certain lightness about them. Maybe since I haven’t talked about it yet on the blog I will go with Strangers on a Train. It’s a Hitchcock about two men who decide to murder for the other person. It’s creepy and weird and one of his less well known films.
As few dark and creepy movies I like, there are even fewer books. I could pick the old Grimm’s Fairytales but I will pick a very creepy scary children’s book called Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace about a girl who is orphaned and sent to live at the home she remembers fondly of her aunt and uncle. Now it is a strange home for the elderly but everyone is controlled by the evil Mrs.Meeching. Any of you read it?
I forgot about District 13 which is appropriate because it’s The Forgotten District: Pick a(BOOK/MOVIE) that’s “under ground” that not many people know about.
I will go with a film I bet none of you have heard of it is Lili starring Leslie Caron and Mel Ferrar. It is a lovely story about a girl who can’t seem to relate to anyone except for some puppets but she forgets the man behind the puppets a brooding ex-dancer who lost his moment in the spotlight. It’s got stunning dance sequences, Caron is at her best, Oscar winning music and a surrealist art direction.
As far as underrated books there are a lot but I love a little book called The Delicacy and Strength of Lace by James Wright and Leslie Marmon Silko. It is the correspondence between these two poets as they became friends through writing to each other. I love letter writing and love poetry so it is the hat trick of things Rachel likes. I also love that it isn’t romantic but merely a friendship over words. It’s out of print but if you can find a lovely little read.
Beyond the Lights is a tough movie to review because I can’t really defend it and yet I want to. I don’t know if any of you can relate to that feeling when watching a movie? You know it isn’t great and yet the performers or some other aspects just seem to work for you and you like it.
The sole reason Beyond the Lights works is the magnetism, warmth and believability of the two lead actors, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nate Parker. Despite her unwieldy name I predict Gugu is going to be a huge star. She is so great in this case playing a Rihanna-like star on the rise named Noni Jean. She is sexy, beautiful and seemingly confident but in our opening scenes she is sitting on a balcony edge contemplating suicide.
Her mother is played by Minnie Driver as a fairly cliched ‘manager Mom’ but I did like that she was smarter than nearly everyone else in the room and she thinks she is advocating for her daughter while completely failing at it. This is kind of an interesting dynamic; although not all that original. Still, the performers elevate it to be quite compelling.
Noni’s Mother tries to talk her daughter off of the balcony ledge but is unsuccessful. (Again completely not getting what Noni is really saying). Now steps on to the scene our hero Kaz Nicol, Noni’s bodyguard for the night who saves her life and tells her ‘I see you’. Corny line but I’m telling you it works.
Her Mom, the label, fans, don’t see her but this good man does. This begins our romance and basically the movie plays out exactly like you might think but that’s not a bad thing. These are two very likable people who are trying to be their best self and love the other. They have great chemistry together and I at least enjoyed seeing their romance play out.
Gugu also does her own singing in Beyond the Lights and it great. Everything from the hip-hop tracks with a guy known in the movie as Kid Culprit to the softer moments of Nina Simone’s Blackbird, are wonderful. Not just an adequate movie soundtrack but a CD I would be interested in buying even without the movie.
They try to throw in a political track for Koz led by his father played by Danny Glover and that doesn’t work very well. It feels too cute with how closely it mirrors Noni and her mother’s relationship. Luckily it isn’t in the movie that much.
Most of the movie is just Noni and Koz getting to know each other and since I liked both of them that was fine with me.
There is also a nice message of being your authentic self and that weaves and images do not give the popularity that lasts or provide any kind of real self worth. For a movie with a suicide attempt and a fairly conventional romance the messaging is actually kind of subtle and effective. Again probably because we like the lead characters so much we don’t mind them teaching us something rather ordinary but important.
If you hate it I totally get it. Like I said I can’t really defend the movie except that I loved the performances, music and the two lead characters. I liked their romance together. It felt believable and it had a heart to it which I enjoyed. All together it is a film where the parts are better than the sum and most of that praise goes to Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker and the music. For what it is I liked it.
When I think of what the movie would be in the typical hands of Tyler Perry I especially like it. There are very few African American female filmmakers and Gina Prince-Blythewood does a good job writing and directing the movie. The dialogue feels real and believable even if a little corny. It just works.
As far as content there is some sensuality but its pretty tame. The more explicit segments are probably in the photo shoots and dance numbers but they probably aren’t much worse than an episode of Top Model or the Grammys. There is a scene of domestic violence but very minimal language. I’d say its fine for teens and up.
Can you relate to what I’m saying about a movie which you know isn’t great but you still enjoy because of the performances or some other aspect? I’d love to hear what some of yours are.
I thought I would share with all of you my latest videos on my channel. I would be grateful if you gave the videos a watch, give them a thumbs up if you find them valuable at all and subscribe to my channel. That would be amazing. Thanks!
