Friday, August 16, 2013

In Case of a Raining Day

I don't know about your heck of the woods but over here in the Garden State it was raining cats and dogs. It got me thinking, what a perfect day to watch a movie. If you ever get stuck in a rain storm I have some picks to get you through them.
1. The Intouchables

I loved this movie. It was funny and extremely heartfelt. Make sure to bring you tissues, you eyes will well up by the end.

2. The House I Live In

I admit that this is not light film for a raining day but you will not find a more educational documentary than this. A must see but you will be pissed.

3. The Conjuring

If you a brave enough to face the elements, check out this film at your local cinemas. One of the best films that came out this year. One of the best horror films to come out in a long time. I was scared sh**less.

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Friday, August 9, 2013

Drop Everything

In the Shadow of the Sun is having its US Network premiere this Sunday at 10:00 PM. Check out this link click me for more information on the broadcast. You can find  out what station will be broadcasting this magnificent film.If you can't watch it live, make sure to set your DVR. This film is not to be missed. 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Mid-Term Box Office Update

It has happened, summer is beginning to wind down. I want to wish a happy belated Independence Day for all my visitors from Liberia, United States and Canada.  If you need to know what movies are coming out for the remainder of the summer check out my Summer Movie Guide. Now that it is August is upon us, we are almost through the summer movie season. Like each season there are hits and misses. Bare with me as I breakdown what has been hot and what has not been this summer.

The summer box office started off with a bang with the highly anticipated  Iron Man 3. Iron Man 3 is the highest grossing film of the summer and has surpassed the grosses of its predecessors with a red hot gross of $407 million at the US box office. Third highest grossing film of the summer is the Superman reboot  Man of Steel which has grossed a spectacular $286 million at the box office. I don't think anyone is surprised that two superhero movies are two of the highest grossing films of the summer.. The Wolverine opened over the weekend and grossed over $55 million at the box office. It was not a spectacular opening but I feel that it may still have life in it.

Besides superheroes this summer has belonged to the kids. Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University are bona fide hits at the box-office. Despicable Me 2 has surpassed  Man of Steel over the weekend and is the second highest grossing film of the summer with an outstanding $306 million. Monsters University was another solid hit for Pixar, grossing $255 million at the US box office. The other animated films Epic  and Turbo may not have been huge blockbusters but they have performed solidly at the box office.  It will be interesting to see how Planes and Smurfs 2 pane out next month. 

Sequels and adaptations also had an incredible summer. The sixth installment of the Fast & Furious grossed $237 million at the US box office. Rounding out the top ten films of the summer are Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z, The Great Gatsby and The Heat. One of the biggest surprises of the summer was  the success of the film Now You See Me. That film surpassed all predictions and has grossed $114 million to date. After two weekends I am certain the horror hit The Conjuring will end its run in the top ten highest grossing films of the summer. Not surprising Adam Sandler earned another his 14th $100 million grossing film with Grown Ups 2. Interestingly, there was no indie hit this summer. There have been a few pictures that have done well at the box office but no runaway hit. It will be interesting to see if Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine becomes the first indie hit of the summer.

Not everything has come up smelling like roses this summer. The summer has belong to the superheroes and the kids, a lot of summer blockbusters have been left to the wolves. One of the biggest misfires this summer was the Will Smith vehicle After Earth. The film crashed and burnt at the box office, collecting an underwhelming $60 million. I don't think this film's performance has anything to do with a dimming star power of Will Smith. I am positive with the right material people will pay big bucks to see him on the big screen. This summer has also seen Johnny Depp have a box office disappointment with the big budgeted The Lone Ranger. Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx struck out with White House Down and much to my despair Pacific Rim did not draw the big bucks(don't know why, it was amazing).Then there was the final installment of Hangover that grossed a disappointing $111 million. I wished that they had never made Hangover into a series. They should have left it as a comedic classic. Another misfire this summer was Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn vehicle The Internship.


Disclaimer: All of my figures come from Box Office Mojo. These figures only take into consideration how much the films grossed as of this past weekend. 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Fruitvale Station

I am so excited that this movie got made. I remember when this happened and I was completely heartbroken. I will be bringing my tissues and stress ball when I catch this. It is opening this weekend in limited release. Check out their website http://www.fruitvalefilm.com to see when it will be playing in your heck of the woods.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

In the Shadow of the Sun

Sunday evening I attended my first film festival, Human Rights Watch Festival. My heart was beating a million beats per second because of my excitement. I was honored to watch the US premiere of the incredible documentary In The Shadow of The Sun directed by the lovely Harry Freeland. There was even a Q &A that followed afterwards and we got to learn more about how the film came to be. The model Shaun Ross was in attendance and I was a little star struck.  

In The Shadow of The Sun was filmed over the course of six years in Tanzania. It documents the lives of two men( Josephat Torner and Vedastus) living with albinism who are trying to pursue their dreams despite prejudice. This topic matter is something that is very dear to my heart. I grew up in Africa and it was not uncommon for me to see people with albinism. I was never aware about the discrimination they faced until it was reported a few years ago about the killings taking place in East Africa. There is a belief that if you kill someone with albinism good fortune will come to you. This belief is perpetuated by a few witch doctors. This film was an eye opening experience and should be watched by all. It was one of the best films I have ever seen. It was a  powerful and beautifully filmed documentary. I loved that it showed how Tanzanians were working to educate their population about this human rights issue. Usually documentaries of this nature come from an outsider perspective and never show Africans  trying to help themselves.  It is always an excuse to throw money without giving you much awareness about the real issue at hand. I have to give a huge congratulations to the team behind the film for this accomplishment.

I believe that it will be airing on PBS in August. To learn more about the film make sure to check out their Website and follow them on Twitter and Facebook for more up to date information.  To learn more about the Human Rights Watch Festival make sure to click this link. They have more incredible films on their roster. The film production have created an organization to promote social inclusion and to stop human rights violations against marginalized groups. It is called Standing Voice make sure to check out the website here. 


In The Shadow Of The Sun Trailer - Harry Freeland from Hunter Gather on Vimeo.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Cheat Sheet

If you love my top three picks post then you are in for a treat. Here is my first cheat sheet. A list of films to catch at your local cinemas and films to rent from home. Let me know of any films that are worthy of the cheat sheet.
Rent This:

  • The Impossible


This movie is a cinematic feat. I was crying within ten minutes of watching the film. Naomi Watts was incredible in this film, her performance was criminally overlooked during award season. She should have picked up at least one award for her memorizing performance. who played her son gave a spectacular performance. What a wonderful film. Just remember to keep your Kleenexes handy.


  • Wreck-It Ralph

One of the most original computer animated films I have ever seen. This movie made me feel warm and fuzzy. 

  • Seven Psychopaths


I just loved this movie. The dialogue was sharp and the characters were fascinating. It will definitely become a cult hit.

Watch this:

  • Iron Man 3



The perfect conclusion to a great trilogy. It's a rollicking good time. We have a great villain, which always makes a great action flick.  Robert Downey Jr is the perfect Tony Stark. We get to see more layers of Iron Man and its fantastic. One of the highlights for me was Pepper Potts. Now that is one kick-ass chick.
  • 42



This movie is an emotional roller-coaster.  There will be moments that make you hate humanity but most of time you feel incredible about the strength of this man. You will laugh and you will cry. Hands down the best sports movie since Remember the Titans. 

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Summer Movie Guide

It's becoming a bit of  tradition  for me to unveil my summer movie guide around this time. Now that the first summer movie blockbuster is playing why not know what the summer has in store. Let me know what movies you are most looking forward to. 

May

  • Iron Man 3- Now Playing
  • The Iceman (Limited Release)- Now Playing
  • The Great Gatsby- May 10

  • Tyler Perry Presents Peeples- May 10
  • Star Trek: Into Darkness- May 17
  • Epic- May 24
  • Now You See Me- May 31
  • Fast and the Furious 6- May 24
  • Hangover 3- May 24
  • Before Midnight (Limited Release)-May 24
  • The Kings of Summer (Limited Release)-May 31
  • The East ( Limited Release)- May 31
  • After Earth- May 31
June
  • The Internship- June 7
  • The Purge- June 7
  • Much Ado About Nothing( Limited Release)- June 7
  • Man of Steel- June 14
  • This is the End- June 12
  • The Bling Ring( Limited Release)- June 14
  • Monsters University- June 21
  • World War Z- June 21
  • The Heat- June 28
  • White House Down- June 28
July
  • Despicable Me 2- July 3
  • The Lone Ranger- July 3
  • The Way, Way Back( Limited Release)- July 5
  • Grown Ups 2- July 12
  • Pacific Rim- July 12  :)
  • Turbo- July 17
  • The Conjuring- July 19
  • R.I.P.D- July 19
  • Red 2- July 19
  • The Wolverine- July 26
  • Blue Jasmine( Limited Release)- July 26
  • Fruitvale Station( Limited Release)- July 26
  • The Smurfs 2- July 31
August
  • 300: Rise of An Empire- August 2
  • The Spectacular Now( Limited Release)- August 2
  • 2 Guns- August 2
  • Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters- August 7
  • Elysium- August 9
  • We're the Millers- August 9
  • I Give it a Year( Limited Release)- August 9
  • Lovelace( Limited Release)- August 9
  • Planes- August 9
  • Kick-Ass 2- August 16
  • Paranoia- August 16
  • The To Do List- August 16
  • Austenland (Limited Release)- August 23
  • The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones- August 23
  • The World's End- August 23
  • Drinking Buddies( Limited Release)- August 23
  • One Direction: This is Us- August 30