VIDEO: Mark Wahlberg does the weather - Boffo on Variety.com

In Philly to Promote Broken City, 

Mark Wahlberg and Allen Hughes

 do the Weather and Traffic on 

WTXF FOX 29!

VIDEO: Mark Wahlberg does the weather - Boffo on Variety.com

Red Dawn and Similar Movies

The Original 1984 Red Dawn was entertaining for its nostalgia value. Seeing stars like Patrick Swayse, Charlie Sheen, and Lea Thomson when they were young was an OMG Coolness moment, but when that wore off the movie was slow. I hated that it took so long to get to the moment of where they fought back.

 The Remake of Red Dawn (2012) was left on a shelf for three year before it finally made it to theaters. It had the potential to be a pretty great movie. The action started and it didn’t stop. There was an extra storyline of the girl friend. The plan to fight back started sooner and there were a few comedic moments, which were great! ‘Subway’ anyone?? LOL. I mean I really enjoyed it, but it felt like a step back for so many of the recently popular star of such movies as ‘Thor’ and ‘Hunger Games’. It just failed overall in the Box Office. It would have done a great deal better in 2009, when it was supposed to come out and would have given Josh Peck(the younger brother) a boost in his movie career. Unfortunately, this was a stalemate.

I came across a similar Red Dawn movie, on Netflix Instant, called, Tomorrow When the War Began. Set in a small town in Australia, seven teenagers go on a camping trip and when they come home World War III is happening in town! Left on the outside they try fight back. See: Red Dawn Aussie Style! :) It’s slightly campy for its stereotypical characters: the Badboy, two best friends, the Jerk Jock, the Bible Thumper, the Asian Immigrant, and the Super Insecure, Rich Girl… You even get the Stoner Dude later on. This movie starts and gives a big emphasis on being innocent, then it’s ripped away, and they have to grow up and think fast. By the time the ending comes up, you sit there and say, “No! I Want More!!”

I’m not sure if it’s the campy characters, the beautiful scenery, or the Aussie accent, but Tomorrow When the War Began is rated Number One out of these three, and a 6 out of 10 stars for an Overall Score! Red Dawn (2012) comes in Second for its star power and ‘Subway Scene,’ and a total of 5 out of 10 stars. Red Dawn (1984) comes in third and 2 out of 10 Stars.

My Movie Week... 9/8-9/15

In Theaters:
@ Cinemark Paradise 24

 

@ UM's Cosford Cinema

@ AMC Aventura 24

ON DVD

  

Sparkle

This is from my first movie blog
(Triple Threat Review Crew), which 
I deleted, but the post were still 
good! So here you are!

(8/19/2012)

This movie showed High Promise. It was next Dream Girls! American Idol Star and all! Sparkle Was Fabulous by everything the previews told us, and how could we deny it with big names like Cee-Lo Green, Whitney Houston, Mike Epps, and of course Jordin Sparks!

Sadly, it was not as fabulous as I thought. 

Cee-Lo Green is NOT a main character, but rather a short cameo. He was entertaining for the short time he was on screen and I truly wish I could have seen more of him! 

Then there was Whitney Houston, as Emma, it a plainly obvious she was high/on drugs throughout the movie. Sometimes she was a strong and beautiful woman and other times it did not matter how much make up you put on her, she looked awful! Her solo was rather confusing, one minute you're one place and the next she's wearing a purple cape singing a song that seems to go on forever. Then you realize she's at church... okay... The lyrics say, 'don't be discourage, sing for jesus, be happy, be free'... And yet, when Sparkle comes home and tells her she made it BIG! Houston ignores her completely, which is discouraging, sad, and once again she is trying to trap her daughter into a life Sparkle does not want... So what was the point of the song??

Mike Epps(Satin) was, as always, a charismatic presence within the movie. Entertaining and villainous, he raise the bar in both his acting career and this movie's status. Omari Hardwick(Levi) another strong male figure in the movie, if only for a few minutes. His quick wit at Epps debut of comedy with a solely black crowd was very entertaining and enjoyable! Last of the main male figures is Derek Luke as Stix. Luke, while sweet at times, also used Sparkle, and then got a little lost in the mix. He has a great smile!

All three sisters got their BIG Break in this film! It was obvious the dynamic Tika Sumpters(Dolores) and the sensual Carmen Ejodo(Sister) had more acting experience. They were large personalities in perfect roles for each of them.

Jordin Sparks' break out role, as Sparkle, in this major motion picture was just a little bigger than she was. It's obvious she is a novice to acting, but as a novice she did wonderfully!! Unfortunately, most believed this movie would excel her acting career as Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls did, but it won't. At least not as much...

I think the most disappointing part of the movie was the lack of staying in the times. The music was back and forth from the 60s/70s to now. The long ending were not common back then as they are not and was very distracting... Looking at the original's (Sparkle-1976) soundtrack compared to the current one, I wish they used more of the original music. Also the timeline after Stix left was confusing... Apparently, she moves out, but whether she's in Cali or Detroit, we don't know and eight years pass in a blink of an eye.

I don't know... In the end it was... just a movie, with music. Nothing all that special...

4 out of 10 stars

 

The Change-Up

This is from my first movie blog
(Triple Threat Review Crew), which 
I deleted, but the post were still 
good! So here you are!

(8/5/2011)...

For the first time in the last several years I had a Friday off, so my mom and I decided to see the Change-Up! The preview showed two good actors, relatively clean cut in everything they've done before, in a cute family friendly movie. Well, it is not. This is definitely rated R and for good reason. Not only is there nudity, which is alright and I figured it was in there and that's why it was rated R, but the consistent spewing of curse words non-stop for two hours was just a bit much.

We were really looking forward to this movie. After seeing Ryan Reynolds in the 'Green Lantern', 'Definitely, Maybe', and 'The Proposal' I was expecting a little better than this. As for Jason Bateman, he's done a lot of borderline movies like, 'Horrible Bosses' and 'Paul' which were both very funny movie that barely dabbed into inappropriateness. Bateman also did 'Couples Retreat' which was clean cut and funny. So between these two actors I was expecting a decent movie with a little crude humor, since it was advertised in the preview with them peeing in a fountain, and the chicks Mitch slept with. I was not prepared for the verbal assault that attacked my ears.

This movie would have been a lot better had they taken out the scene at Mitch's job, and half of the cursing throughout the movie.

So if you wanted a family friendly movie with slight Inappropriateness you will not enjoy this movie, but if you're a fan of 'Knocked Up' and 'Superbad' go you'll like it...