RIDE ALONG (2014) – My rating: 6/10

I’m not a fan of Kevin Hart however, my favorable feelings towards Ice Cube is the saving grace for Ride Along.  I deem most movies Kevin Hart plays in slap stick and I don’t like most slap stick comedy.  Take out all the ranting and high pitched whining Kevin does in Ride Along and you might have a descent movie.  Ice Cube’s character (James Payton) is a detective with a foxy sister name Angelia Payton, played by (Tika Sumpter.  James can’t figure what Angelia sees in Kevin Harts character (Ben Barber) who has recently joined the police academy.  James decides to take Ben on a ride along to show his sister what Ben is not made of.  Of course Ben starts botching up the investigation and street relationships immediately.  Thank goodness for  John Leguizamo’s character, Santiago who really gives this story some flavor.  Since Ride Along is a fantasy, anything goes.  The craziness being generated from Keven Hart dominates the film however, there are some heart felt lessons from Ride Along that can’t be ignored.  If you like this sort of thing or even if you’re a fan of Kevin Hart, see Ride Along which is now on DVD.  It’s not bad, just not my cup of tea.  I understand a sequel is in the works (Ride Along 2) which is scheduled to be released some time in 2016.

THE GIVER (2014) – My rating: 8/10

This is a strange but enjoyable movie.  Meryl Streep as the head elder, certainly sparked things up a bit.  The Given is based on a book written by Lois Lowry.  This fantasy/sci-fi focuses on a concept that gives new meaning to life.  What if we could live in a complacent world where there are no wars, no killings, no deformed mines, no indecision?  A world where your life is decided for you, down to your occupation.  To achieve such a paradise, we would have to give up something.  If you think about it, you’ll know right away that we couldn’t really be our selves.  There would be no emotions or feelings and much more of our selves would have to be controlled somehow.  This movie delves into a colorless world without love and emotions.  Jeff bridges plays The Receiver of Memory and then the Giver.  The new Receiver is played by Brenton Thwaites, who is bound to change the world.   The concept is wonderful but the reality is more than man can stand.  Because of who we are and our curious nature, we must have reality.  The Giver is nicely done.  A little slow at times but very interesting.  However, you wouldn’t be missing anything if you wait to see it on DVD.