Temptation

Being a supporter of both Spike Lee & Tyler Perry, I would have to say the main problem I've had with Tyler's films is the constant need to mix serious drama or tragedy with farce/comedy. That's what bothered me the most about "Madea Goes to Jail" - Tyler's most commercially successful film grossing over $90 Million at the box office. The scene in which two powerful actors - future Oscar Nominee Viola Davis (The Help) talks to Derek Luke's (Antwone Fisher) character about the guilt he has carried for years due to the past rape of his friend brought laughter from the audience when it should have brought tears with Derek Luke's tears. The laughter came from Madea being thrown into the mix. Serious, heart wrenching moments are constantly interrupted by Madea. 
 
Now, with "Tyler Perry's Temptation" mockery, farce, & Madea have been completely removed, replaced by compelling story making with a thought provoking message. The quality of this film is on the level of "The Family That Preys" which was a great film whose only weakness was one dimensional characters that should have been fleshed out more. "Temptation" is better than that film because Tyler has done a great job with this script featuring three dimensional well rounded characters. The 3 primary characters of the film, the husband, the wife, & the guy who brings the temptation, are neither all good nor all bad, but a mixture of both. 
 
"Scandal" is one of the best shows on tv, but it has almost glamorized adultery & seduction. In conversations with some of my peers and my generation, I have come to realize that adultery is much more common than we think. It is not frowned upon, but some think that it's nothing wrong to sleep with someone's husband or someone's wife. When I mentioned to one of my friends about my attraction to a married woman, they were like, you should get that. I mentioned that I would never disrespect this woman, I respect her marriage, I'm a Christian. My friend was like, so what. "Temptation" is not as exaggerated as Idris Elba's "Obsessed" or "Fatal Attraction"; it's actually more realistic than those films, and I'm sure many of us can relate to it. This film deals with how powerful & how destructive seduction can really be. Hopefully, "Temptation" will be a warning to those faced with adultery that choices have consequences, now or later.

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The Hangover 3

 

So being the loving boyfriend that I am, I decided to take my girlfriend out on a movie and lunch date. We both have a great sense of humour, so choosing a movie was a mutual thing. So we chose to watch the much anticipated Hangover 3.

This movie ditches the formula setup of the first two installments, in favor of a more boring story revolving around Alan (Zach Galifianakis) who has been in a downward spiral since the sudden death of his father, Sid (Jeffrey Tambor). Alan’s dutiful brother-in-law Doug (Justin Bartha) recruits fellow “Wolfpack” members Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) to stage an intervention and convince Alan to seek treatment so that he can better himself, and his life.

Of course, what should be a simple road trip and drop-off is sidelined by the sudden appearance of a gangster named Marshall (John Goodman), who reveals to the Wolfpack that they have a mutual friend in one Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), who recently escaped from a Thai prison and is on the lamb. Marshall kidnaps Doug as ransom for the Wolfpack’s service in luring Chow out of hiding; however, the wily Chow is not so easily caged, as the Wolfpack quickly (and painfully) discovers that they have been scammed by Chow.

In all honesty I think it’s redundant, the jokes are over rated and also very cliché. They should have just left the legendary Hangover 1.Sequels are a hard act to follow, and this one was an epic fail. But Alan is a legend (haahahahahah) his just special.

Out of 10 well, because Alan and Chow are legends, I’ll give it a 5. But that’s just my thoughts, which are of paramount importance.

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What ya say?

Yours Sincerely

Mr Ndlazi

 

 

 

Lesson 2

Hi there boys and girls!!!
In case you were wondering what criteria I use to judge movies, then this might give a bit of insight, then maybe you can try it and become a world renowned movie blogger like myself (i wish LOL)


1, A well written-script with active characters who make decisiosn that lead them down a path.
2. Well-written dialogue that sounds natural.
3. Good actors and actresses that add their own touch to th emovie.
4. A great story. A simple story told in the right way is better than an intricate story with a million plots that don't connect. It's about connecting with the audience, not a million special effects and explosions.
5. Evokes emotiones--after all, if we want to watch a comedy, then we should be laughing. If we are watching a horror movie, we should feel scared. If we are watching a drama, we should feel for the characters. You never want to have an audience sympathize with your characters, but rather emphasize.
6. An invigorating climax.
7. All loose ends in the movie come together at the end for a powerful ending, even if it's simple. (unless the purpose is to set it up for a sequel).
8. Good setting that parallells the story.
9. Good transitions between scenes that are both efficient and creative. As a screenwriter, you always want to enter a scene as late as possible and exit a scene as soon as possible. Don't bore the audience with stuff that isn't important.
10. Good production that makes the story believable.

That"s how it done boys and girls. Now get your movie tickets and start judging.( excuse the pun)

Yours Sincerly
Mr Ndlazi

The Genius Great Gatsby

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 After this post I should actually stop blogging, because in my humble opinioin I doubt Im ever going to see such an exceptional movie in 2013. WOW is an understatement, this film is brilliant. So as mentioned in my previous blog, im very familiar with the Great Gatsby as i studied it in matric. But in matric I had no choice because it was part of the learning curriculum, so I was forced to oblige or fail dismally. Though this time around it was from my own free will to go watch the movie, and boy was it worth every cent. I walked in the cinema Sakhile Ndlazi and I came out a different man. Its so much better with 3D, theres something about three dimensional viewing that makes you become part of the story and almost an extra character. For a moment I felt like I touch and even kiss some of the characters, its so real in 3D. The cinematography is also very stunning it indicates that a lot of work and effort went in to it,it colourful, bright and alluring. The costumes are also very exceptional, although it is set in the old jazz times, it feels so modern. The plot is as follows in the novel (if you've read the novel) but witha few altercations. In the end we dont see Gatsby's father like the novel suggest, But who cares,LOL. And if di Carprio is not getting an Oscar for this, Im not ever setting my foot in a cinema.


And if u planning on taking ur boyfriend or girfriend (or both LOL) this is the perfecrt ideal love and romance film.

As I mentioned before, I walked in the cinema Sakhile Ndlazi and came out a different man.

Your sincerly.
MR Ndlazi

Lemme school you first!!

So I know i promise to talk about Gatsby this week, but to my detriment, its only going to to in cinemas this coming friday 17th May. But fear not my chilren, this gives me more time to school all those who dont have a cooking clue what The Great Gasby is all about.

 

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American  author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. Generally considered author Fitzgerald's magnum opus and best-known work, The Great Gatsby explores themes of decadence, idealism and excess, creating a portrait of the Jazz Age that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.
Visiting Long Island's north shore and attending lavish parties at mansions is said to have inspired Fitzgerald's setting for The Great Gatsby. He first began planning the novel in 1923, desiring to produce, in his words, "something new — something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." Progress was slow, however, and Fitzgerald completed his first draft following a move to the French Riviera in 1924. His editor, Maxwell Perkins, felt the book was too vague and convinced the author to revise over the next winter. Fitzgerald was ambivalent about the book's title, at various times wishing to re-title the novel Trimalchio in West Egg.
First published by Scribner's in April 1925, The Great Gatsby received mixed reviews and sold poorly; in its first year, the book only sold 20,000 copies. Fitzgerald died in 1940, believing himself to be a failure and his work forgotten. His work, spearheaded by The Great Gatsby, experienced a revival during World War II, and the novel became a part of high school curriculum in the following decades. The book has remained popular since, leading to numerous stage and film adaptions. The Great Gatsby is widely considered to be a literary classic and a contender for the title "Great American Novel The book is consistently ranked among the greatest works of American literature and of all-time.

Now that we got that out of the way,lets go watch the movie.

Mr. Ndlazi

Parental advise.LOL

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Okay ladies and gents, I know there's a big hooha about Iron man 3, and I have no problem with that (rolling eyes) So since i plan on being a responsible parent one day, I dedicate this blog to all the loving Parents out there(who smoke and drinking in front of there kids) here goes:

Parents need to know that Iron Man 3 is another big-budget entry in the Marvel universe, and after the immense popularity of 2012's The avengers, it will have huge appeal for tweens, teens, and adults alike. The violence is as explosive, large-scale, and pulse-quickening as you'd expect from this franchise, but the body count and mass destruction aren't as high as The Avengers -- though scenes of both big public bombings and casual shootings could be disturbing. There's less sexuality (aside from a mention of a one-night stand, and shots of women in bikinis or bra and panties) than in Robert Downey's jnr past Iron Man movies, and language is on the milder side (one "s--t," plus "damn," "jerk," "hell," "ass," etc.). Expect some drinking and product placement. Iron Man 3 is as much about Tony figuring out who he is without the suit as he is with it, and there are some mature themes about identity, anxiety, the dangers of unchecked power, and the necessity of a moral compass.

I wasnt really that impressed, okay maybe a little but it's nothing I have'nt seen before, and the fact that my girlfriend has a huge crush on Robert Downey didn't sit well with me.

A great watch should be Gatsby, and thats next on my blog, cant wait for the premier.

Yours truly

Mr.Ndlazi

The Family

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The new R-rated action comedy, The Family is out this week with Robert DeNiro, Michelle Phieffer, and Tommy Lee Jones.  Nice cast, for a move that needed a little dressing up.

This movie is a good example of how comedies have to be today. For now, long gone are the PG-13 well written, relatively tame comedies with snappy dialogue and relatable story lines.  Comedies  today are action based, with plenty of violence, with big stars to try to carry the day.  That is what we have here.

Oh don't get me wrong, there are some funny moments in this movie, with a story that will get many originality points here.  This is a funny idea of a former Mafia hit man who ratted out his former Mafia family and is now in the witness protection program and is more than likely the biggest pain the neck that the program has.  He and his family are having a very difficult time giving up the mob life and because of their determination to not stay low-profile, they have to be relocated every 3 months or so.  The mob is trying to find them to kill the entire family including the two teenagers, and the U.S. Government is trying to protect them. 

Although the premise for the most part is one that is fresh, there isn't a great deal of story to go with it.  This really drags at times, and not a little.  There are number of dead spots in this movie that do make it tough to focus in on it.  And it's a bit predictable.  You know the whole time where this will go and what eventually will transpire at the climax.   This movie starts out as a R-rated comedy, and as it goes on, it becomes a bit more dark, and way more violent.  There are also a few very questionable decisions made especially how they handle the teen kids and their role near the end.  The area where the movie is transitioning from comedy, to violent comedy is the dead zone.  What was funny, ironic fun at the beginning loses its charm, and just becomes violent and quite frankly, average.

One of the real observations I came away with is its desperate attempt to be formula.  It is a shame that movies like this in the end all end up looking exactly the same, and have about the same level of average box office success.  This is a good example of a nice premise take the easy way out.  Hire big stars that can legitimize a very average script. Truth is, no DeNiro, no movie or moderate success. 

The Family. Add it to the list of good idea, with a cheap price tag that sells itself out to be average, when it had the potential to be very good