TRUE BLOOD – My rating: 8/10

Every time I sit down to watch this HBO series, I brace myself for the introduction theme which I think is totally evil.  I tell myself once I get past the start up, things will get better.  I really enjoy True Blood even though I don’t like the lead in.  I think I like the series because of some of the hot characters and because it’s written so you’ll have some compassion for their situation due to no fault of their own.

Vampires, werewolves, fairies, change shifters, Satan, corruption, evil, good, bad, sex, nudity, murderers, you name it, True Blood has it.  They seem to introduce new species every season.  If it were not make believe, I would be very upset over the foul characters and their stories every week.  What a crazy show of freaks.  Still, despite the dark side, it’s quite entertaining.  I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone under 21 or anyone who is trying to live a clean lifestyle.  The consistent bloody mouths of this freak show’s characters are bound to upset the faint of heart and delight the strong willed.  I won’t say I recommend this show but I will say, if you can get past all that corruption, go for it.

IRON MAN 3 — My rating: 8/10

Every critique of a movie is actually the opinion of the “critiquer” or the person doing the critiquing.  Having said that, I feel it’s okay to further interject with a personal opinion about certain actors portraying a character.  Iron Man 3 is the subject of this critique.

For a long while, I had given up on one of my favorite actors.  Writing him off to the wilds of drugs and too much partying.  Just when it looked as though he was about to cancel out of society, a remarkable thing happened.  As he had fallen, he got back up for the umpteen time.  Only this time, he stood tall and continues to do so.  Even though I don’t know Robert Downing, Jr. personally, I am so proud of his achievements.  In a strange way, he reminds me of Johnny Depp.  His larger than life personality and aura brings a uniqueness to every character he plays.  I believe he is up there on genius status.  He is brilliant to watch and quite pleasing to the eyes.

Iron Man 1 and 2 were so good, I didn’t want either to end.  I gave each a 10 out or 10 rating.  Iron Man 3 was also good, however I felt there was much to much destruction.  Too many scenes had us witnessing building after building being destroyed.  It really became tiresome.  The “one man’s revenge” thing has also been overdone.  Somebody has run out of fresh ideas on how to come up with a scenario that renders a good plot for evil vs. pretty good.  I know the Iron Man idea is a fantasy, however there are a select number of  folks who sometimes convince themselves that this might be possible somewhere down the line.  Therefore, some semblance of normalcy would be appreciated.  Suffice to say, I didn’t like this third sequel as much as the first and second films but I liked it enough to rate it 8 out of 10.

[IRON MAN 3 is nominated for Achievement in Visual Effects]

SPARKLE (2012) – My rating: 8/10

A Good Modern Musical!                                                                                            Sparkle was a pretty decent movie/musical. I was saddened watching Whitney Houston perform for the last time. Her voice sounded pretty good, not nearly as bad as the press reported it. Had she lived, I believe Whitney’s talent for acting was good enough to sustain her while she worked to bring her voice up to speed or not.

I have been a fan of Jordan Sparks and have followed her career since she won American Idol. I must say, she is a pretty good actress. I waited with baited breath for her to belt out a couple of songs, as it turns out, it was a long wait but well worth it when she finally did. The performance was not “Dream Girls” status, but was excellent given the script, songs and story Jordan had to work with.

The movie was about 3 sisters, veering for stardom, trying to follow in the footsteps of the Supremes, only bigger. Sister played by Carmen Ejogo was the lead singer and Dee played by Tika Sumpter was studying to be a doctor. Both actresses brought good singing and acting to the movie. Some of their costumes were eye opening. I was a little disappointed however, when stories of 2 character’s (levi, played by Omari Hardwick and Black, played by Celo Green) fell a little short. I definitely wanted more.

I was impressed with the performance of Mike Epps as he played a bully and comedian looking for acceptance from his audience. Sparkle is full of talent and tells a pretty good story. The Choir was fantastic as was the performance of Derek Luke who played Stix, a love interest for Sparkle. I recommend this movie — you won’t be bored. If you are a Whitney fan, you’ll be pleased with her performance as well — REST IN PEACE WHITNEY HOUSTON!!!!!