Red Tails Movie Review

RED TAILS is a movie inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen who flew combat during World War II.  Since the late 80s early 90s, I have heard reports that George Lucas the creator of Star Wars wanted to create a movie based on these heroic fighter pilots.  I waited and waited and never heard anything. In the late 90s, HBO produced a movie entitled the Tuskegee Airmen and it became one of my favorite historically inspired movies.  Over the past year, I finally heard reports that George Lucas’s Red Tails movie was coming out.   I was excited about seeing the film, especially after seeing the trailer, which was filled with awesome action sequences.

What motivated me to see the film even more, was the appalling discovery that Lucas, the creator of two of the most popular franchise in the history of cinema, Star Wars and Indiana Jones was having difficulties getting his movie Red Tails produced and distributed because studios didn’t want to take a big financial gamble on a “black film” that cost 100 million dollars to make.  George Lucas, who has always gone against the establishment, financed this film out of his own pocket, and carried out the production and wrangled a distribution deal for Red Tails.  This movie became more than just a film to me, it became a movement to try to prove the studios wrong and show that Americans want to see and learn about their heroes. Hopefully this weekend will prove that Lucas is right and that America will support films with a predominately black cast.

Red Tails is a good movie that is worth the price of admission. It focuses on the Tuskegee Airmen towards the end of World War II,  as the 332 Air Combat Group slowly gains increasingly dangerous missions due to the bravery of its pilots and the tenacity of their commander who fights a political battle on their behalf at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. to keep the “Tuskegee Experiment” going.  The stars of the Red Tails are two pilots Julian “Easy” Martin and Joe “Lightening” Little.  These two men are best friends who are the heroes of this film and the leaders of their flight squadron.  I couldn’t help but compare “Easy” to Luke Skywalker and “Lightening” to Han Solo.  The thing that made these two characters so memorable, were that they were heroes with real human flaws. Easy was a great pilot who cared about his men, but he was an alcoholic.  Lightening was the best pilot in the entire combat group, but he was a loose cannon who was focused on glory.  In the end, both of these characters despite their flaws were able to carry out their missions and overcome adversity.  The relationship and struggles between these two signified the greater struggle that the African American pilots faced when dealing with the racism from their own Army during World War II.  All of the characters in the film had good roles and were very memorable.  There were many moments throughout the film where the crowd including myself and Kameron laughed, oohhed or aahhed.  Usually in some films, you leave the movie trying to remember who the extras were, but I left remembering each one. Everyone had time to shine.  I asked Kameron who is favorite character was and he said Lightening. My favorite was Easy because I related to his leadership struggles and attempts to balance friendship and command, but I also liked Ray Gun because he reminded me of my young adult life.

Red Tails is a war movie and with war movies, you have to have action.  The air combat sequences in Red Tails are the best fighting scenes I have ever seen in a non-science fiction war movie. The visuals and details that you see in this film are literally stunning.  The battles that take place over the beaches ofItalyand the skies ofGermanyare breathtaking. It was evident that the filmmakers painstakingly researched the physics and style of combat during World War II.  My favorite sequences occurred when the Tuskegee Airmen were protecting the bomber groups, especially from the jet fighters.  Although this is a good film, there was one thing that bothered me, which kind of detached me from the film.  I am not sure if it was because I was over-hyped or what, but the music in the movie did not move me at all.  George Lucas said he wanted to “make a patriotic film for black teenagers”, and he did.  However, the music didn’t feel my spirit with the emotion and swelling of pride that I usually feel when I see movies that are intended to tug on your heart strings or have your chest bursting with patriotism.  I came away from the movie with no recollection of any of the music, although right now the music from the original Tuskegee Airmen and Top Gun are flowing through my head.

Despite the fact that the music took me out of the film some, this is a solid movie that has met expectations. I am so tempted to make this review a history lesson because theTuskegeeAirmen aka Red Tails aka Spookwaffe were my passion of study as a young man and the core of my African American Studies course.

Regardless, see Red Tails, it is a great film for young people that will teach them some history along the way. I asked my son Kameron what he learned from the film, and he said “Color doesn’t matter it is all about the skill.” Kameron is right; Red Tails has some skill, which is evident by the applause the movie received in our mixed crowd, packed movie theater at 1:20 pm today.

Grade: B+

Kameron: A

My Dad called and gave it an A+, and said it was one of the best World War II movies he has ever seen.

 

 

 

My Top 15 Anticipated Movies for 2012!

With the New Year upon us, I have decided to let you all see the movies I anticipate seeing for the 2012 year.  These are my top 15 movies that are ranked according to the interest I have that was generated by movie trailers or prior personal interest.

1. The Avengers: After seeing the build up in Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America, the big payoff of seeing the Earth’s Mightiest Super Heroes together on-screen is upon us.  This was my favorite comic book hero team in the 80s.

2. John Carter: This is the character that got me into reading books back when I was 12 years old. The 11 book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs chronicling the adventures of John Carter on Mars was my favorite set of novels as a teenager. Although the first book is actually called “A Princess of Mars” and not John Carter doesn’t bother me much. I have been waiting for this for 30 years!

3. Batman: The Dark Knight Rises- The third and final film in the trilogy of Batman movies that redefined the super hero genre in the 21st century.

4. Red Tails- I know George Lucas has been talking about making this film about the Tuskegee Airmen, Black fighter pilots that  fought in WWII since the 80s. I thought he had waited to long to do the film, especially when HBO released their movie the Tuskegee Airmen, but after seeing the trailer he may be right on time. The trailer gave me goosebumps.  I did a detailed study about the Tuskegee Airmen and Benjamin O’Davis back in 1992, so I am really looking forward to the movie.

5. The Hobbit- Actually the first book in the series of books entitled Lord of the Rings. I hope this is just as good as the original three movies.

6. The Amazing Spiderman- I said to myself a reboot already? But the comics have 3 or more different versions of Spiderman going at the same time.  What can I say I am a sucker for Spiderman.  The Avengers were my favorite hero team as a kid, but Spiderman was my favorite hero.

7. Chronicle- This was an interesting trailer filmed in the vein of Blair Witch and Cloverfield. A trio of young men come across a meteor and gain superpowers. They start off pulling pranks using their powers, but then one of the kids goes on a power trip and all hell breaks loose. The tone of the trailer really got me excited.

8. Battleship- A movie based on a board game? Please! That is what I thought until I saw the trailer and they were battling aliens at sea. Hey you know me. I am a sci-fi geek.

9. GI Joe: Retaliation- Hey I liked the first GI JOE movie. I grew up with the Joes and had the toys. Yo Joe! The Real American Heroes!

10. Coriolanus- Never heard of it until I saw the trailer of this modern-day military style film based on a ruler who feels betrayed by his people. I looked it up and its based on work of Shakespeare. Looks good.

11. Haywire- An action packed CIA thriller in the vein of SALT.  Its action scenes caught my attention. We shall see.

12. Safehouse- Another CIA action film with Denzel Washington as a rogue CIA agent.  Looked pretty interesting.

13. James Bond: Skyfall- I haven’t seen the trailer yet, but you can’t go wrong with James Bond, especially Daniel Craig’s Bond.

14 Wrath of the Titans- sequel to the revamped Clash of the Titans. I wasn’t thrilled with the first one. I may give this one a chance.

15. The Raven- A movie based on a serial killer who kills people using the deaths that take place in Edgar Allen Poe’s stories. Edgar Allen Poe is hired by the police to help with the investigation since he wrote the stories. This seems like a very intriguing film.

I have posted a link that shows a number of trailers for the upcoming year, for not only the movies on my top 15, but others as well that you may find interesting.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/52409

Sherlock Holmes: The Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes: The Game of Shadows is the sequel to the first Sherlock Holmes movie that stars Robert Downing Jr. and Jude Law.  This film is not as mesmerizing as the first film, but it is very witty, and whimsical in its telling of Sherlock Holmes’s battle with his evil nemesis Professor Moriarty.  This time Sherlock Holmes is investigating a series of bombings that could potentially be laying the seeds for World War I. Although the story is grand and the characters are fun, the one thing I expect from Sherlock Holmes is awesome powers of deduction.  While watching the film, Sherlock’s power of deduction seemed more like convenient discoveries rather than logical reasoning centered on extreme genius. However, towards the end of the film when Sherlock is facing off against Professor Moriarty, you truly get to see his genius as he and Moriarty battle over a game of chess, but also the culminating events of the movie.  That final scene on the castle veranda between Holmes and Moriarty was awesome!

Jude Law continues to play a splendid role as Dr. Watson, Sherlock’s side kick, confidant, body guard and fellow investigator.  Robert Downey and Jude Law were able to save this film to me because they make their characters so entertaining and fun that I was willing to overlook some of the other issues I had with the film.  I was initially thinking a C+ for the film, which is a serious downgrade from the first movie, which was an A, however, as the movie progressed, it got better.  If you are in the mood for some laughs, hijinks and some quality action check out Sherlock Holmes.

Grade: B-

The Immortals Movie Review

The IMMORTALS is an epic with threads of Greek mythology
that provides a rousing story of action, violence and mayhem between man and
the Greek gods.  This tale follows the
life of a bastard peasant named Theseus, who is trying to protect his mother
from the Mad King Hyperion and his evil army, which is laying waste to the
Greek mainland in search of the legendary Epirus
bow, so he can release the Titans.
Theseus although a peasant has been trained by an old mentor to be a
warrior of unmatched skill, but his skills don’t allow him to save his mother
from being slain by Hyperion’s minions.
During Theseus’s journey to secure the Epirus
bow before Hyperion, he interacts with the Greek gods, and at times they
intervene to defend him although with unfortunate results for one of the
gods.  Ultimately there is a battle
between Theseus and Hyperion, and the Greek gods and the Titans and the earth
shakes and trembles with the victors having sole power and control of the
planet and mankind.

This movie shares much of its ideas from Conan, 300 and
Clash of the Titans. If you liked any of those movies, then you will definitely
enjoy this film.  The IMMORTALS ratchets
up the battles and violence to a level that hasn’t been seen since 300, and it
is truly enjoyable.  The filming of the
action sequences were sleek, cool and filled with slow motion.  The final battle between Theseus and Hyperion
and the Greek gods and the Titans was one of the most brutal, but memorable
combat scenes I have ever witnessed in sword and sandal films.  There were some weakness in story and pacing
in the movie, but not enough to ruin it for me.
I also had a problem with Zeus who killed one of his own godly sons for
breaking his rules about defending humans, even when the son did it to protect
Zeus’s hero Theseus.  Zeus seemed a
little too extreme in that case, maybe banishment, or cleaning outhouses, but
death?  You could tell he regretted it
later, especially when they were battling the Titans.  Either way, the movie worked for me.

Grade: B

Courageous Movie Review

I am sure many of you may not have heard of the movie called
Courageous, and based on the attendance at the viewing my family and I
attended, I don’t think too many people have heard of it, and what a shame that
is.  Courageous is a powerful Christian film about 4 police
officers and a working man, who struggle with life, tragedy and family while
trying to keep God in their lives.  Many  of you right now are probably going “ugghhhh a Christian themed movie”.  I too had similar thoughts of a film that was going to be slow, plodding and boring. This movie is filled with action,
morals, sadness and tools for being not only a role model, but a good father.

While my mom and dad visited, they saw the film and insisted
I take my family to see it at the first opportunity.  My mom wanted us to see it so bad, that
before she left she gave me $50 and said I will pay for you all to see it.  Well today, I took my family to see the movie,
with them kicking and screaming all the way to the theater. I too had some
reservations because I thought it would be sappy and have poor production
values.  Boy am I glad my mom insisted on
seeing this film!  This movie was fantastic! Not only was this a well made film, but the actors
who were all no names to me played great roles.  The film goes very easy on the Christian
themes in the beginning, but once you are hooked, the characters true natures
are revealed and they give their messages without taking away from the story.
Everything blends so well, that if you were not pre-warned, you wouldn’t know
this was a Christian movie.  The story was moving and had me laughing at times and admittedly fighting back tears at
others.  Rahesha, Roshawn and Kameron also liked the film.  Roshawn and Kameron
who were both opposed to seeing the film initially,  grudgingly gave the film an
A.  Rahesha also gave the film an A.  This is a must see film for families,
children, fathers, mothers, women and men. This film will let you see the trials and tribulations that people face
and show you (not tell you) how to face them.  This film was refreshing and is a must see. I am not just promoting this
film as a Christian, but as a movie buff. This is film is a classic!

Take your families to see this film BEFORE THEY TAKE IT OUT
THE THEATERS!

GRADE: A

Ron Porter’s Movie Spring/Summer Movie Round Up of 2011

Well the spring/summer movie season has officially ended for me.  I have seen thirteen movies, and I shall provide you with the final all inclusive movie rankings, from best to worst.

1. Battle Los Angeles- This movie fulfilled ever expectation that I had for a summer film.
2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes- This was an unexpected movie that cries for
   sequels! This movie was a pleasant surprise.
3. Harry Potter- The final movie of the franchise hit all of the right notes
   and had a satisfying conclusion.
4. X-Men: First Class- This movie had me thinking weeks after it was over, which
   has given it the edge over the other superhero films of the summer.
5. Thor- This was a fun superhero film that I enjoyed immensely despite my initial
   misgivings.
6. Captain America- Another solid superhero film that exceeded expectations.
7. Cowboys & Aliens- From what I hear, many people didn’t buy into the film.
   I completely disagree. I loved the concept and serious tone of the movie.
8. Hanna- A remarkable action film that had a unique story idea even if somewhat
   flawed.
9. Transformers: Darkside of the Moon- Many people hate the Transformers movies, but I
   love’em! Action, Robot Mayhem and Robotic Transformations. Enough said!
10. Super 8- A wonderful nostalgia film that brought back memories of my
    childhood, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET & Poltergeist.
11. Green Lantern- Not as bad as I thought it would be, but they really missed
    some opportunity with this film.
12. I AM NUMBER  4- This should have
    been reserved for Saturday morning teen shows.
13. Sucker Punch- The most disappointing film of the summer that should win one
    of those Razzy awards. Some much potential wasted.

 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a prequel to the historic
Planet of the Apes films and shows that graced the screens of theaters and
televisions in the 60s and 70s.  The
movie basically gives us the background on how the “Apes” gain their
intelligence and speaking ability, which eventually leads to their conquest and
enslavement of mankind.  For fans of the “Apes”
and newcomers, this movie will be a great introduction to the Planet of the
Apes franchise.  Rise of the Planet of
the Apes follows a young chimpanzee named “Caesar”, whose mother was exposed to
an experimental drug, which was passed down to him genetically giving him an
enhanced mental capacity that rivals and even exceeds human intelligence.  As Caesar grows under the care of his adopted
human father, actor James Franco, his experiences and intelligence makes him
question his life as a pseudo pet.
Amazingly, this is all done without Caesar speaking, but just displaying
emotion and mannerisms, which convey his thoughts and feelings to the
viewers.  What is also stunning is the
fact that Caesar is 100% computer generated.
Whoever, animated Caesar did an outstanding job of creating a realistic
chimpanzee. As I watched the film, Caesar’s plight brought back memories of
“Roots” and the depression and hopelessness that Kunta Kinta initially
experienced when being held in captivity.
When Caesar and his “Apes” make their escape from imprisonment, I was
pushing for them to make it even though I knew in the end it would not be
beneficial for mankind.  Caesar teaching
his “Apes” and preparing them to escape reminded me of the rebellion on Kunta’s
slave ship and the movie Amistad.

Although Rise of the Planet of the Apes has a
straightforward story that has very little secrets if you saw the trailer, this
is an exciting movie that should entertain the masses.  This is of course plenty of action later on
in the movie, but the first half is actually very touching and I ended up
feeling very sorry for Caesar.

The creators of this movie did a great job of blending this
story into the mythos of the previous films and television shows.  There were also a number of “Easter Eggs” in
the film that will give true Ape fans a chuckle.  Although I am a fan of the show, the modern
day audience won’t accept that a group of escaped “Apes” could take over the
world when we have machine guns, jets and bombs, and I was thinking the same
thing.  However, they created a simple
solution to the problem, which will give the “Apes” an easier time accomplishing
this task.  I hope this movie is
successful because I can already see the arc of the movies. Movie one: Escape,
Movie two: Survival: and Movie three: Conquest!

Grade: A-

Cowboys & Aliens Movie Review

“You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” This was the famous
phrase heard around the world as the rallying cry for Reeses peanut butter
cups. In another vein, mixing Cowboys and Aliens, who would think something
like this could work, but not only does it work, it tastes great! Take your old
gritty Clint Eastwood, John Wayne western and combine it with an alien
abduction movie and Battle Los Angeles, and you have one heck of a movie
premise. The movie begins with a cowboy (Daniel Craig, the latest James Bond)
who wakes up in the middle of a desert with no shoes, or memory of who he
is.  He also has a strange metal bracelet
strapped to his forearm. After dealing brutally with a team of father and sons
bounty hunters, the unknown cowboy makes his way into the nearest town to try
and figure out who he is.  After an
encounter with the sheriff, he realizes he is a big time outlaw with a bounty
on his head.  Along the way he makes
enemies with a local bully whose father (Harrison Ford) is a big time cattle
rancher.  When the “Colonel” hears that
the outlaw Jake (Daniel Craig) has been captured, he rides into town to get
revenge.  Why? We learn that Jake had
stolen his gold.  When the two get ready
to have their showdown, strange flying machines appear in the air and begin
abducting the townspeople. Jake discovers that his bracelet is some form of
energy weapon and he shoots down one of the flying machines.  Jake and the Colonel set aside their
differences, so they can embark on a quest to unravel the mystery of the flying
machines and save the townspeople. From there the movie just takes off!

This movie is so good on so many levels to me.  Harrison Ford’s character initially seemed as
if he was going to be a typical villain, but there was an added dimension to
his character, which made him come alive on screen.  His love for his son, regrets and demons from
his past make him a very human and likeable character in my opinion.  Daniel Craig also played his role well, and I
would put him up against the “Man with No Name” any day, although Clint
Eastwood’s character would still take him.
Oh yea, although there was great character development, this was a
straight up action movie with revolvers, shotguns, arrows and energy weapons
blazing away!

I loved the blending of these two genres!  This movie takes itself very seriously and is
down right brutal at times.  Star Wars
and Independence Day this ain’t!  The
creators of the film pushed the PG13 rating for this film.  If your child is under twelve, I would hesitate
to take them.  You won’t see any cartoon
violence here.  This is a straight up old
school shoot’em up!

Grade: A

Kameron: A+

Captain America: The First Avenger Movie Review

Captain America: The First Avenger, is a film based on the Marvel comic Captain America.
This film was made as a link with Iron Man, Thor & the Incredible Hulk to
build towards the upcoming Avengers film, which is Marvel’s version of D.C.s
Justice League. The Avengers in the Marvel Universe are “Earth Mightiest
Heroes!”  Captain America actually takes place during World War II, where a scrawny young man named Steve
Rogers, attempts to enlist in the United States military, but is denied because he is too small.  He joins with a scientist who allows him to enlist as long as he tries out a super soldier serum. The serum works and Steve
Rogers turns from a skinny wimp into a “Man’s Man!” my words lol.  Steve Rogers is eventually dubbed Captain America
and he leads America’s forces against Hitler’s Nazis and a special science branch of Hitler’s military
dubbed Hydra, which is led by the Red Skull.  The movie hits all of the right notes, and fits in well with the Marvel
Universe that Marvel Movie Studios has created.

My only drawback with the film is that most of the battle scenes were
action montages and it was hard to feel any sense of danger.  It almost felt as if we were watching a
patriotic historical film reel at times, which ironically was the role Captain America
plays in the beginning of his career.  When Steve Rogers first becomes Captain America, he is more like Uncle Sam going around selling war bonds before getting the opportunity to take the war to the Fuhrer’s secret organization Hydra.

Captain America should do good business.  If you liked the other Marvel Superhero movies like Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Incredible Hulk and Thor, then this one will be right up your alley.

Grade: B+

Roshawn: B+/A-

Kameron: B+/A-

Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows 2 Movie Review

Well folks it’s all done. The Harry Potter films have come
to an epic conclusion and boy was it worth the wait.  The final showdown between Harry Potter and
Lord Voldermort finally arrived with action, mystery and surprisingly a heavy
dose of emotion at least in my case.  The
film begins pretty much where the last one left of, at least from what I can
remember.  Harry Potter and friends are
still reeling from the death of Dumbledore and they are organizing and preparing
to continue their search for Voldermort’s Horcruxes, where he stores pieces of
his soul.  The movie started just a
little too slow for my taste, but after about 20 minutes the film was moving
right along at a good pace.

This film should have been called the War of Hogwarts
because a good portion of the film takes place in Hogwarts where Potter and
friends duel it out with Voldemort and his lackeys.  The film is fun and full of familiar faces
from throughout the Potter movies, and there is still some mystery, which when
unraveled lets you eventually realize that a few characters were not
necessarily who you thought they were.  This
film is by far the darkest of all the Potter films and many heroes, friends and
foes pay the ultimate price for their participation in this magical
conflict.   As I said earlier, there are
some touching scenes sprinkled throughout the movie, one of which touched me
emotionally as we learned the secrets of this character.  Fans of the novels and films will be pleased
with this grand conclusion, which is evident by the fact that my11:40 viewing was packed.

This film series was a great ride and it was almost magical
in the way it was able to capture the characters and stories of the Harry
Potter books and turn them into filming masterpieces.  It was fun to watch our heroes and heroines
grow before us from children into adults and see how they absorbed the aura of
their characters and make them come alive.
Harry Potter is now a legend, in print, film and the checkbooks of film
studios.

Well done Harry Potter, your peace, rest and happiness are
well deserved.

Grade: A-