mamamia126

Sure You Again isn't Oscar-material, but I don't think it was intended to be. But if you watch it keeping in mind that is a light-hearted, fun summer comedy for the family, you will appreciate it, mainly because of the strong and hilarious female cast. Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristen Bell and Odette Yustman all shine on-screen in their own ways, yet complement each other so well. The chemistry of the cast contributes to the film's charm. I was especially impressed with Kristen Bell because this is the first comedy/chick-flick I've personally seen her in, and she was really cute and funny! She had a lot of charm, great comedic timing, and I kept thinking in my head how gorgeous she is all throughout the movie. She's a really versatile actress. The veterans, Sigourney, Jamie Lee, and Betty White were all hilarious as well. If you're looking for a fun, positive family film with lots of laughs, you've found your movie.

As a huge Ntozake Shange fan, I was not skeptical, but rather CURIOUS as to how her work would be translated on-screen, especially when I found out Tyler Perry was the director. I have nothing against Tyler Perry and actually find most of his movies pretty enjoyable, but they're definitely a bit cookie-cutter, stereotypical, and trite. That's why I give him kudos for this film, as it was certainly a pleasant departure from his previous work. I was pleased with his direction and the realistic portrayal of most of the characters in the film. (A couple were overdone, but I shall get to that in a moment.) There was definitely a slight fluidity issue, but nothing that overshadowed the overall success of the film. When I talk about fluidity, I mean the cohesion of scenes, but I definitely liked the way that Shange's actual poems were incorporated into the film. It didn't seemed forced or like Perry just stuck in the recitals because he knew they needed to fit in somewhere, but well thought-out and fitting with the dialogue.

The cast was pretty strong over-all. Kimberly Elise, by far, led the pack with her amazing skill. Every time she graced the screen, the emotion and sorrow in her eyes pierced through my heart. She was absolutely PHENOMENAL and I expect her to be well recognized come award season. Thandie Newton was GORGEOUS as always, and did great, but seemed slightly overdone at times, especially when she tried to speak ebonics. (But that is expected, as she has a natural foreign accent.) I've noticed a lot of people criticize Kerry Washington's character as "overdone," but I really liked Kerry in this film and believed her completely. Anika Noni Rose, Tessa Thompson, and especially Phylicia Rashad also stood out to me, though they had some of the lesser roles. All three did wonderfully with what they were given. Janet Jackson...eh. I don't know what it is about her, but I have never been impressed with her acting. I don't know if she's not digging enough or if screen just isn't her forte, but she never feels believable to me and I feel uncomfortable watching her. I would definitely call her the weakness in the film.

A controversial topic regarding this movie is its "theme" (many label it a Sisters movie) and the message it portrays. A male friend of mine who was dragged along to see this movie with his cousin found it highly offensive to black men. I'm not going to lie---it certainly does label black men as "douches." All black men, with the exception of Kerry Washington's husband in the film, are portrayed as either emotionally, verbally, sexually, or physically abusive, selfish, and heartless---which as we all know is NOT true in real-life. There are plenty of great black men in this world that are educated, good providers, loving, respectful, honest, and that know how to treat women like princesses. I don't think was a man-bashing movie, but more-so a film that highlights many issues women experience that come hand-in-hand with broken families, absent fathers, violent men, rape/sexual abuse. I would recommend this to not just all black women, but to women of all races, as we ALL know someone---whether it be ourselves, our moms, our daughter, our sisters, our aunts, our cousins, our friends---who can relate to the struggles shown For Colored Girls.

As a die-hard HP fan, (meaning I've read every on of the books, some multiple times), I was more than satisfied with the this film. After being slightly disappointed and longing for something after the last couple of films, David Yates has brought the initial "magic" to the movie franchise that I haven't completely felt since the second film, The Chamber of Secrets. The ironic thing, however, is that this film was a MAJOR departure from the first few. As I'm sure any fan has noticed, the movies have gotten increasingly darker and darker, and this was no exception. Because the series has reached its highest point of intensity, this movie is exempt from familiar screen-shots of Hogwarts, jolly trips to Diagon Alley, Quidditch, the Great Hall, and even the familiar, "cute and magical" melodies often heard at the beginning of the films. The Hogwarts "crew," (Neville, Cho, Seamus, Dean, etc.) are only shown once in the whole film, and only for a brief scene in which they chased off Death Eaters. The whole movie chronicled Harry, Ron, and Hermione's search for horcruxes, enlightenment of the tale of the Deathly Hallows, and evasion from the Death Eaters, who are now stronger and more than ever, having taken over the Ministry of Magic.

One thing I really liked about this film is the audience involvement with the Death Eaters as we "sit in" on their meetings and watch intense interaction between the members. I commend the cinematographers and visual effects artists for awesome "action scenes," but I have never been disappointed by the animation in any of the HP films.

One of my biggest complaints is that it definitely seemed to be dragging towards the middle while Harry, Ron, and Hermione camped out at different sites and tried to figure out their next moves in the conquest for the horcruxes. For about 45 minutes, it seemed like the film wasn't going ANYWHERE, but that could probably attributed to the fact that Harry wasn't getting anywhere in his search.

The ending action was satisfactory, but kind of abrupt. As much as I am eager to watch the conclusion to the series, I couldn't be happier that the film was broken up into two parts. It just seems virtually impossible to fit the last book into one film without leaving out crucial elements to the plot. And in this book, even the details that SEEM minor initially are essentially crucial to the end.

The acting was stellar. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have grown, matured, and improved on-screen incredibly over the last ten years and it is especially visible in this film. Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix LeStrange was fabulous as usual.

All in all, I loved the film and am impressed with David Yates' adaptation of such a genius storyline!