Category: Movies

Tyler Perry’s Madea on the Run: The Play – Blu-ray Review

Hilarious. Powerful. Fun. These, and many more adjectives, describe the events that transpire over the course of Tyler Perry’s latest Madea outing, Madea on the Run: The Play. I really, really enjoyed this production. It is laugh-out-loud funny, has some amazing singing performances, and is a real treat from start to finish. Perry once again delivers a solid narrative with both a message and his own unique comedic tone with Madea at the center of familial chaos.

On the run from the law, Madea ducks into the home of her best friend and neighbor Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) who lives with her daughter, son-in-law, and grand-daughter. It’s a home filled with tension and an undercurrent of discord that elevates to the nth degree as secrets are revealed, truths are exposed, and lives are ripped apart.

And while all that’s going on, Madea delivers her patented advice, wisdom, and plenty of physical comedy. Throw in her fourth-wall-breaking antics (it is a play with an audience, after all), and you’ve got a solid mix of entertainment that’s as engaging as it is funny!

Needless to say, I really enjoyed Madea on the Run. It made me want to check out all the other Madea-based plays that Tyler Perry has written over the years along with the seven Madea movies that have been produced.

Tyler Perry’s Madea on the Run: The Play is available January 31, 2017 on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digitial Download.

What’s your favorite Tyler Perry creation? Leave a comment and let us know!

Tyler Perry’s Boo! Madea’s Halloween – Blu-ray Review

The year 2016 will be remembered for many things, but one of the oddest events was the strange clown epidemic that seemed to sweep the nation during the latter half of the year. I, like most people, am not a huge fan of clowns, but I am far from being terrified of them. My good friend is terrified of clowns to the point that even a photo of one makes him uncomfortable. Madea (Tyler Perry) has similar feelings when it comes to clowns and her thoughts are also made perfectly clear about them (and many, many other things) in Boo! Madea’s Halloween.

Boo! is the seventh big-screen outing for everyone’s favorite loudmouthed, opinionated, gun-toting woman who doesn’t take any lip, and definitely doesn’t take things lying down. When she’s tasked to babysit on Halloween night, it’s a battle of wits, child rearing tactics, and scares as Madea does her best to keep things under control in the only chaotic way she knows how. From punching clowns to confronting a sketchy frat house, Madea is a woman who takes no prisoners and always has the last word.

Boo! Madea’s Halloween has some very funny moments, especially when Madea is paired with Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) and her friend Hattie (Patrice Lovely). Tyler Perry has been able to create a very expanded universe in which Madea exists both on film and on stage where she originated. It’s a testament to his talents as a writer and as an actor that Madea has grown and flourished as a comedic character for over a decade.

Along with the Halloween hijinks, the films also touches on more serious topics about family, the importance of raising children with boundaries and limits, and the value of honesty. Like all Tyler Perry productions, there’s always a message woven into the narrative even with Madea is at her wackiest (and she gets pretty wacky in this one!).

The Blu-ray includes the featurette Why We Love Madea!, a look at the character over the years with comments by her creator, Tyler Perry. It also includes Boo! From the Crew with the cast and crew delivering their best “Boos!” to try and scare the audience.

If you enjoyed the previous six Madea films, you will definitely enjoy Boo! Madea’s Halloween. And even if you haven’t seen them, it’s still worth a look!

Boo! Madea’s Halloween is available January 31, 2017 on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Download!

What’s your favorite Madea movie? Leave a comment and let us know!

The Light Between Oceans – Blu-ray Review

My late grandmother loved lighthouses. She had lighthouse calendars, lighthouse pillows, lighthouse coffee mugs, and even lighthouse miniatures. When she passed away, I was given several of her lighthouse miniatures. I have them out as a reminder of her and also of her love of lighthouses. After watching The Light Between Oceans, I know that she would have enjoyed the film as much as I did.

The Light Between Oceans is a historical drama about love, lies, and the lengths some will go to create their own reality. It’s a story fraught with passion and tragedy. And at its heart is a lighthouse and the island on which it resides.

Michael Fassbender plays Tom, a stoic, well-mannered World War I vet who seeks refuge as the caretaker of a lighthouse on off the coast of Australia. It’s an isolated, lonely existence for Tom, but all that changes when a chance meeting with a young woman, Isabel (Alicia Vikander), end in a quick courtship and marriage. As the two enjoy their time together on the secluded island, Isabel comes to realization that she is unable to carry a child to term and provide Tom with the family they both want. When all seems bleak and hope ripped from their lives, a lifeboat appears. Inside: a dead man with a living, breathing baby.

Suddenly, it appears that their prayers have been answered. Or have they? On a return trip to the mainland, Tom happens across a woman (Rachel Weisz) in mourning for her lost husband and child. Is their found daughter really hers?

Brilliantly acted, The Light Between Oceans features stunning cinematography, a beautiful score, and carries an emotional weight few films these days possess. Fassbender (the X-Men films, Prometheus) and Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl) are amazing, and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, The Deep Blue Sea) also delivers a stellar performance.

The Blu-ray special features include Bringing The Light To Life, which looks at the making of the film; Lighthouse Keeper explores how a film’s setting can be just as important a character as the human cast; and an Audio Commentary with the filmmakers.

I highly recommend The Light Between Oceans. It’s a tear-jerker for sure, but a wonderful film nevertheless.

The Light Between Oceans is available January 24 on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Download.

Come and Find Me – Blu-ray Review

David and Claire are a young couple with a promising future. All seems right with the world until one morning David wakes up and discovers that Claire is gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Where is she? What happened to her? It’s up to her devoted boyfriend to find the answers to those questions – and a whole lot more – in the mystery-thriller, Come and Find Me.

Come and Find Me is a labyrinth filled with mysterious characters, crazy twists and turns, and plenty of surprises that will have you guessing until the very last frame. Intermixed within the mystery are flashbacks that give us insight into David and Claire’s relationship from inception to the present. Do the flashbacks hold clues that can help David discover where Claire has gone?

Featuring the amazing talents of Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, The Path, Central Intelligence), Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle, Peaky Blinders), and Garret Dillahunt (No Country for Old Men, Deadwood), Come and Find Me is an exciting and engaging thriller from first-time director Zach Whedon. It’s a solid debut film from Whedon whose writing credits include Halt and Catch Fire, Southland, and Deadwood, along with this film.

The Blu-ray includes the Unraveling the Mysteries of Come and Find Me featurette that gives you and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film.

I highly recommend Come and Find Me. It’s solid, suspenseful, and sharp.

Come and Find Me is available January 17, 2017 on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download.

What’s your favorite mystery-thriller? Leave a comment and let us know!

Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love – Movie Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

Without question, Dolly Parton is one of the most prolific and iconic country-music and pop culture icons of our time. Her massive body of work spans decades, ranging from film, TV, and, of course, music. Parton’s life story is as interesting and engaging as the songs she writes and performs and one such story from her childhood is told in Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.

A follow-up to the film Coat of Many Colors, Circle of Love joins Dolly (Alyvia Alyn Lind) and her family during another Christmas season filled with laughter, heartache, and miracles. All young Dolly wants is a white Christmas…and shiny red shoes…and sing on the road with her Uncle…and to play the Virgin Mary in the school Christmas pageant. It’s a big list for a girl who dreams big, but sometimes her dreams – and her mouth – cause more chaos than expected.

Circle of Love is a wonderful, enchanting, and touching Christmas film that is definitely for the whole family. Dolly Parton appears and the beginning and end of the film from Dollywood and even makes a special guest appearance in the film. Along with the talented child cast, Rick Schroder (24, NYPD Blue), Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland, CMA Country Christmas), Gerald McRaney (Major Dad, Mike & Molly), and Cameron Jones (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) do a fantastic job delivering humor and heart that is quality viewing for the whole family. I will definitely add Coat of Many Colors to my Christmas movie viewing list!

Directed by Stephen Herek, whose impressive directing credits include Coat of Many Colors, 101 Dalmatians, Mr. Holland’s Opus, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the film is a compelling narrative that brings sorrow and joy in just the right doses. Did I cry while watching this film? Yes. Yes, I did. And you will, too, so don’t even deny it!

And, of course, the film offers up plenty of great Dolly Parton music throughout! It’s fantastic!

I highly, highly recommend Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love! It’s quality viewing for the whole family!

Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love is available NOW on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download.

Decommissioned – DVD Review

There’s plenty of action, explosions, and firepower to be found in the latest revenge flick from Lionsgate, Decommissioned. This is the fifth revenge-based movie I have reviewed for the studio this year, and all of them have been action-packed perfection. Decommissioned delivers over and over again with an entertaining story and patriotic message.

All is well for John Niles (Johnny Messner), a retired CIA agent as he lives out his life with his wife and son. When he finds himself kidnapped and his family held captive, he discovers that he may not be out of the CIA for good after all. Will he be able to figure out what the CIA and his kidnappers are up to, save his family, and safe the United States from falling into chaos?

Also starring Vinnie Jones (X-Men: The Last Stand; Arrow), James Remar (State of Affairs; The Legend of Korra), and Estella Warren (Planet of the Apes; No Way Out), the film is directed by relative newcomer Timothy Woodward, Jr. who has also directed films starring Danny Trejo, Danny Glover, and Kris Kristofferson.

Decommissioned is a solid revenge flick that is a must for fans of the genre. I recommend it!

Decommissioned is available now on DVD!

What’s your favorite revenge movie? Leave a comment and let us know!