48 hrs.

before the rappers started getting all the good acting roles, black standup comedians were the movie stars. one such comedian was Eddie Murphy. i had a chance to watch the young Murphy in the 48 hrs. and there is on denying that Eddie Murphy was born to be a star. in 48 hrs. he plays a street wise convict who has to help a cop (Nick Nolte) catch a cop killing baddie in 48 hours. eddie's comedic timing and wise cracks over shadow the stiff Nolte. murphy's performance secured a sequel called... yes you guessed it, Another 48 hrs. (2 out 10 for title originality).

The Last Kiss is so so

I recently watched movie entitled the Last Kiss a 2006 American romantic comedy-drama film, which is based on the 2001 Italian film L'ultimo bacio, directed by Gabriele Muccino. The plot revolves around a young couple and their friends struggling with adulthood and issues of relationships and commitment.

All I can say is that the film is worth watching but I don’t see a lot of people including it on their must-watch lists.   It left me wishing that I had watched the Gabriele Muccino version as opposed to the American one. The Last Kiss does did not leave a lasting impression on me.

District 9 elevates SA cinema

IT took me a while to come around and watch District 9 or D9 as it has come to be known its many zealous fans. Right off the bat I am going to say that I did myself an injustice by not watching on the big screen because the movie is such a tour de force. D9 elevates South African filmmaking to a whole new level that has never been seen before and won’t be repeated any time soon. 

In a nutshell District 9 is a 2009 science fiction action/thriller film directed by Neill Blomkamp. It was written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James. The film won the 2010 Saturn Award for Best International Film presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, and was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2010: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Editing.

Dream Girls

i finally watched Dream Girls on tv over the weekend and i must say its an entertaining work of art. when the movie first came out i refused to join the band wagon of movie goers- i mean just because the movie got several Oscar nods and stars beyonce doesn't mean its a must. right? wrong! by not watching it on the big screen back then i was being 'pop culturally ignorant'especially for an aspiring film critic.

THE GOSPEL

There was once a man who had two sons, the younger said to his father ‘father, give me my share of the property’. So the father divided his estate between his two boys. A few days later the younger son turned his whole share into cash and left for a distant land where he squandered it in debauchery and reckless living. This timeless and unforgettable parable of the prodigal son was adapted into a movie in 2005. I had another chance to watch the movie again on TV yesterday and I must say it was pleasant viewing.

The Gospel is the film that tells this age old tale with a modern twist that is refreshing, compelling and full of powerful gospel tunes. The movie is about David (Boris Kodjoe) a successful R’n B star who turned his back on his father’s church and God after tragedy. David returns home after many years to find the once vibrant church in disarray. With his childhood friend Frank (Idriss Elba) as the new church leader, who has a grand vision for the expansion of the church there is bound to be drama. David has to deal with his family issues, romance, his secular music career, the egotistical Frank along with all the church politics. Faced with all of this David is either on the road to ruin or on the road to repentance and reconciliation.