ALMOST CHRISTMAS (2016) – My rating: 8.5/10

Almost Christmas is funny but sad. You might be cheered up on one hand but if you’ve ever lost a loved one, especially during the holidays, memories will come flooding back. After loosing his wife, Walter Meyers (Danny Glover) still living in the house where he and his wife raised their children, decides to have the traditional Christmas dinner with all the family, as usual. However, Walter knows if his daughters Rachel (Gabrielle Union) and Cheryl (Kimberly Elise) and sons Christian (Romany Malco) and Evan (Jessie Usher) can spend five days together under the same roof, it will truly be a Christmas miracle. As the family begins to gather, Walter realizes this reunion, without his wife, is easier said than done. The first family member to arrive is Aunt May, (Mo’Nique) who is a no nonsense tell-it-like-it-is kind of gal with lots of spunk.  Cheryl, a doctor and the eldest daughter, arrives for the holidays with her husband Lonnie (J. B. Smoove), a former basketball player who was famous when he played overseas in Croatia.  Rachel struggles to financially support herself and her daughter due to her recent divorce and is studying to become a lawyer.  Walter’s eldest son, Christian, struggles with balancing his campaign to become a congressman and his desire to spend time with his family. Christian even invites his campaign manager,  Brooks (John Michael Higgins) along, to get more work done.  Evan is a successful football player recovering from a shoulder injury, however when his coach tells him his arm is completely healed, Evan struggles to give up his pain medication.

The dysfunction and laughs started the moment Aunt May arrived.  Walter remained melancholy throughout the movie.  It was uplifting to see the family come together at the end and Walter come to gripes with his loss.  Almost Christmas was heart warming and gave a profound message to all at a time when we really need some comfort.  I think this movie is a refreshing change from the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life.

 

BIRTH OF A NATION (2016) – My rating: 8.5/10

Birth of a Nation is a history lesson that can leave you pretty emotionally drained.  This version of Nat Turner’s rebellion against White slave owners is based on a true story and takes place between 1800 and 1831.  While there is much controversy surrounding the facts in this movie, one thing is certain, there is lots of blood shed, hate and injustice.  Nat Turner (Nate Parker) was a legendary slave because he was perceived as special among his people with special traits and markings that he was expected to live up to.  How much truth there is to that perception is anyone’s guess but there was no denying that Nat had above average intelligence and skills.  He learned to read and studied the Bible at an early age, taught by his master’s mother,  Elizabeth Turner (Penelope Ann Miller) for the purpose of becoming a preacher.

As the movie progresses, one gets the impression that the master, Samuel “Sam” Turner (Armie Hammer) owner of the plantation where Nat Turner lived as a slave, was somewhat liberal and a better master to his slaves than most.  There comes a point in the film that you will learn differently.  Sam was not as financially lucrative as most plantation owners and began slowly losing his position in society.  After accepting an offer from the local preacher, Rev. Walthall (Mark Boone Junior) to get paid for taking Nat around to other plantations to preach to unsettled slaves, it became clear  Sam and Nat’s relationship started to change.  In the meantime, Nat married a slave girl he had urged Sam to purchase named Cherry Turner, (Aja Naomi King) who eventually ended up residing at a nearby plantation along with Nat’s mother, Bridget Turner (Esther Scott) and their baby girl.  Hark Turner (Coleman Domingo), Nat’s closest friend, was first to engage in a  marriage celebration to a slave girl named Esther (Gabrielle Union).  Esther was also first to experience a violent rape, leaving the biter taste of rage with Hark for which there was nothing he could do anything about.  Soon after, Nat’s wife experienced the same fate, only this time it was a gang rape and a beating so severe, Cherry was practically unrecognizable.  This is what has caused controversy since history bears no proof Cherry was ever raped.  Because Nate Parker wrote, produced and directed this version of Birth of A Nation, critics feel he based Nat Turner’s attack against White slave owners on a rape that never happened.  Also, according to history, Nat Turner’s confessions were significantly relevant but was left out of the movie.

As usual, I must stop here because I don’t want to divulge any more spoilers.  In my opinion, you need a strong constitution to see Birth of a Nation, it’s not for the weak at heart.  There is excessive violence, injustices, murders, graphic slanderers and more.  Despite any embellishments, the ugly, horrible, racist, truths are shown and go down as a part of history that cannot be undone.  Perhaps the knowledge of Birth of a Nation will resonate with those who bother to go and see it.  Learning from our mistakes will keep us from repeating them.  Nat’s mother spoke about Nat’s father in the movie saying “I’m glad he didn’t live to see a grown man broke down — it’s a terrible thing to see!”  I think Birth of a Nation is a must see, especially in these times of unrest.

 

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TOP FIVE (2014) – My rating: 8/10

Has anyone noticed when Chris Rock makes a movie, he always seems to narrate as though it’s a documentary.  While I don’t see a problem with this, I just wonder why he does it that way.  I guess he can make more jokes and probably give the film a more humorous aura.  Having said that, I thought Top Five was pretty funny.  The story has a nice ring to it as well as an enormous cast of  comedians.  Expect to see Tracey Morgan, Sherri Shepherd, Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart, Cedric the Entertainer, J.B. Smoove,  Jerry Sienfeld and Whoopi Goldberg, to name a few.    However, the story centers around Chris Rock, who plays Andre Allen and Rosario Dawson, who plays Chelsea Brown, a reporter for the NY Times.  Despite Andre and Chelsea’s endless conversations, they manage to withhold secrets from each other that make Top Five a little suspenseful and interesting.  Gabrielle Union plays the ultimate reality diva in the throws of an up and coming wedding to Andre, who is simply trying to become a serious actor, but failing miserably.   There’s lots of sex and profanity in Top Five but it’s still funny enough to take you to the end without putting too much emphasis on the “x” rated scenes.  There are a couple of twist and surprises that make this movie worth seeing.  You can’t go wrong if it causes you a laugh or two.

THINK LIKE A MAN TOO (2014) – My rating: 7/10

I was disappointed in Think Like A Man Too!  It was too slap stick for me.  Kevin Hart’s rantings really got on my nerves.  If he had toned his character down some, it would have been a different ballgame.  It seems like the director tried to steal a page from” Hang Over 3″ and “Last Vegas” with an over the top chain of funny events in “Sin City”.  Both movies were better than Think Like a Man Too.  There were some funny parts, but not funny enough to spend the price of a movie ticket to see it.  The plot was okay but the craziness that followed was just plain stupid.  What a waste of talent.  You would think with this star studded cast, you’d get a pretty good movie, NOT!  I even resented some of the insinuations because Think Like a Man Too crossed the line in ethic jokes.  I don’t like any race of people to be the brunt of  bad jokes or bad dialogue.

One of the couples from Think Like a Man Too is getting married.  Kevin Hart is (erroneously) the best man.  While he thinks he’s the best man for the job, he ends up being the worse.  5 couples make up the wedding party accompanied by an over bearing, control freak mom who doesn’t think the bride is good enough for her son.  The problems begin with each gender’s expectations of the bachelor and bachelorette parties, respectively.  Other problems include a reservation misunderstanding, the grooms mother and one couple’s dedication to their jobs.  If you can get through Kevin Hart’s rantings, you might enjoy the rest of the cast that includes: Michael Ealy (Dominic), Jerry Ferrara (Jeremy), Meagan Good (Mya), Regina Hall (Candace), Dennis Haysbert (Uncle Eddie), Taraji P. Henson (Lauren), Terrence Jenkins (Michael), Jenifer Lewis (Loretta), Romany Malco (Zeke), Gabrielle Union (Kristen), Kevin Hart (Cedric), Gary Owen (Bennett) and Caleel Harris (Duke).  My recommendation is wait for the DVD which releases on 9/16/14.