Posts by Jeremy Butler

The Love Section is not a very grabbing title if you ask me, but to each his own I suppose. The new film is the latest product coming out of One Village Entertainment; the film does have some things going for it: an absolutely gorgeous leading lady (hubba hubba), a unique pairing of leads, and a very funny supporting character. However, the plot is not swimming in uncharted waters. Ali (Lawrence B. Adisa, Grindin) is a 32-year-old real estate agent and a ladies’ man, bouncing from woman to woman with very little desire for a permanent commitment. His married and porn-addicted best friend, Joel (Brian Hooks, 3 Strikes) thinks it’s time for him to settle down before he becomes the old man in the club. As fate would have it (movie fate, that is) one night out at a comedy club, Ali meets someone: Sandrine (Davetta Sherwood, The Young and The Restless), a drop-dead gorgeous 20-year-old. Age does little to deter Ali, who decides to pursue her, simply for the reason of making her another conquest. However, the more time he spends with Sandrine, no more he finds himself falling deeper and deeper into a commitment with her; not even the news that she is a single mother with a five-year-old son is enough to send him running for the hills.

Despite deep feelings for Sandrine, Ali is still unwilling to dive in with both feet, continuing to see other women on the side. He rationalizes to himself that a complete future may not be possible with Sandrine given the many obstacles in their way such as their age difference and her status as a single mom. Will Ali let a fear that it won’t work out cost him the opportunity to have something he’s never had before, or will he finally ready to let someone into the love section of his heart?

A mouthful of a title but still quite a unique and clever title, if only the movie was that interesting. Is it just me, or does it seem like a parody film is worthless unless the Wayans family is making it? From Craig Moss, the guy that brought you The 41 year old Virgin Who Knocked up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad about it comes another pointless parody with no sense of direction. Parody films reached as far back as the 1940’s with Abbott and Costello; they were made famous with such films as Spaceballs and Monty Python, and with A Haunted House at the box office now, they look to be carving out a place for themselves in cinema. However it only takes one to ruin the crop, and this could be it.

From the title, you can assess that the main films referenced in this movie are 30 days of Night, Paranormal Activity, The Devil Inside, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This cross-breed of genres uses the found-footage technique from Paranormal Activity to detail the story of Dana Rosti, a recently married woman who with her new family moves back to her family home. Dana hasn’t been back to her childhood home since her father murdered several people (including the entire cast of The Artist including the dog) in the basement. Not long after their arrival, the family begins to experience strange occurrences that threaten to destroy the entire family. Other films and television series referenced: Ghost Hunters, Ghost, American Beauty, The Bachelor, The Dark Knight Rises, and many more.

Well, it’s not the Marvel version, but it’s still mildly entertaining. A clear attempt to capitalize on the popularity made by the Hemsworth live-action films about the hammer-wielding Norse God of Thunder and Lightning, but hey, isn’t that what filmmaking is all about, making something the audience will actually pay attention to? This time Thor is surrounded by an animated family-friendly shell. Well, though I am much older than this film’s targeted demographic, I still feel that I can objectively say: there are worst ways to kill 90 minutes. Trust me, I know.

In this animated retelling, Thor is the son of Odin, King of the Gods, and a human mother. Neglected by his father, Thor is raised by his mother alone and is pushed to follow in her footsteps and work as the village’s blacksmith. Thor longs for something more; he believes that he is destined for more. He believes that it is his destiny to become a warrior and fight side by side with his father.

The first time I really observed George Lopez was during his sitcom on ABC, The George Lopez Show. After that first episode, I was hooked and watched every episode religiously up until the departure of Masiela Lusha (the new storylines and the introduction of Aimee Garcia as Lusha’s  replacement caused the show to lose much of its original  appeal). From there I transitioned to his standups specials and his big screen movie appearances. If he was in it, I was there. His routine had a flair. When he talked about how he grew up, you could imagine it as if it was your own life. However, comedy has evolved, and a comedian’s material must evolve with it, something Lopez evidently hasn’t done.

It’s Not Me, It’s You marks Lopez’s third HBO standup special (his ninth standup overall). He kicks it off with a strong opening: driving down the road on his way to his to perform, during which he runs into some familiar faces such as Ray Romano, Eva Longoria, and Conan O’Brien, who all wish him good luck on his show. Also, the entire intro is backed up with his patented theme song, “Low Rider” by War. It is a good opening, always nice to see other celebrities lend a helping hand.

Just as I was starting to believe that the vampire movie genre was bankrupt of originality, I am gifted with a film unlike any other vampire film I’ve ever seen. Don’t you just love when that happens? I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t have reservations about this movie going in, especially with it being a sequel to The Hamiltons, a film I had not seen nor heard of before this film made it onto my docket. However all of my reservations subsided within fifteen minutes of pressing the play button. With a title like “The Thompsons” I was expecting it to be nothing more than vamp ripoff of Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, but this film has heart along with the appropriate amount of blood and gore to keep it from becoming too sappy.

 Narrated by Francis Hamilton, the middle child in a family of five, he along with his siblings David, Wendell, Darlene, and Lenny travel a lot. After death of their parents, the family became restless and for years have been on an endless journey to find a permanent place to call home. A place they can be their true selves, a place where they don’t have to hide their “disease” as Francis calls it. The entire family was born vampires, and as vampires they must consume blood to survive. As a result of their affliction, they are unable to settle in one place too long because it would only be a matter of time before they were discovered, hence their constant moving.

“78% of all professional football players are divorced, bankrupt, or unemployed two years after leaving the game.”

Now here’s a movie with quality subject matter. A film that addresses the consequences athletes face when they live for today’s instead of tomorrow’s satisfaction. Of course it is wrapped up in the bow of a romance theme, but the principle still holds. The idea of the two plots at first may be perceived as bad mixture like oil and water; however, after watching the two will be viewed more complementary like vanilla and chocolate swirl.

“Have you ever thought for maybe a second that -- that this is it? I mean people that sit at the same desk every day for eight to ten hours a day and then they sleep for nine hours day, and then they truly live their life for maybe I don’t know, five hours at the most. I bet those people would love being here.”

This movie caught me off guard like a right hook to the face, which coincidently is something the main character experiences himself. A directorial debut for Ryan O’Nan (he also wrote and starred), Brooklyn Brothers is an indie film that I had reservations about the moment I picked it up, and yet there was still something that intrigued me about it. Could have been that I recognized Ryan O’Nan from his stint of the short lived television series The Unusuals, or maybe it was his costar Michael Weston gleefully smiling on DVD cover art, holding a crate full of toy instruments. Either way I took a chance with this movie, and I am so glad that I did.