BLACKISH REVIEW:

Blackish continues its slow phase with another predictable ‘shaky, at best’ BLACK MATH (Season 4, Episode 18)

GRADE: C-

As we all know and respect the show for, it tries to use every episode as a platform to voice its take on real life social and political issues and situations while exposing the viewers to the varied components of African American culture. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its lighter and purely comedic moments.

 

This week, it takes on the issues and perceptions of ‘white’ universities (Stanford University case in point here) and ‘Black’ universities (Howard University Case in point here). Its efforts were…shaky, at best. 

 

It starts with Bo (Tracee Ellis Ross) and Dre (Anthony Anderson) worried about Junior (Marcus Scribner) not getting any replies from the colleges he applied to. Junior then comes in, with two mail packages in hand, berated by Dre (what else is new?) for using ‘snail mail’ instead of e-mail. The first mail is a full scholarship to Howard University which of course Dre is ecstatic about; the second mail is an admission to Stanford University which comes with a not so good financial aid. The decision to Bo and Junior is obvious: Stanford University, because I mean, it’s Stanford, right? This doesn’t go down well with Dre who begins to go on and on about how black universities are not held in high regard as white universities just because white people say so. So of course he ensures that he and an unwilling junior go on a campus trip to HU, maybe he could get this one shot at ‘real blackening’. 

 

Dre and Junior go on a trip to a snowy black utopia that is HU, however ended up meeting a black on black protest and a weirdo nerd culture, in Dre’s perspective, making the trip an apparent disaster.

 

Bo then reminds Dre of how hard it was for him, as a HU graduate, to integrate black into society and how much catching up on white culture he had to do before he could relate with his co-workers. This finally softens Dre towards Stanford, to her delight, however Junior had other plans. Apparently the trip gave him a positive vibe of the university, reminding him of why he should be proud to be black and how he has probably met his future wife (who threatened to punch him in the face if he continued staring). One can only guess how Dre and Bo reacted to this. 

 

The subplot involving Jack (Miles Brown), Diane (Marsai Martin) and Ruby (Jenifer Lewis) were boring; at some points it was downright bad. Diane was right; Jack is not funny (at least in this episode). None of his ‘apparent comedic bits’ worked for me. At least one thing was achieved from this: we got introduced to one of Ruby’s many past lives - as a showbiz manager. 

 

She turns Jack into an Instagram star and despite her best efforts, Diane flops and she gets dumped by Ruby as a client at midnight while wearing her pajamas. Apparently there is Michael Jackson evidence that you’ll be taken seriously as an entertainer if you sleep in show clothes, ready at any time.

 

However, Diane soon creates a new punch line ‘what? I’m just saying’ (which was as flat as a pancake), soon ousting jack as the new comedy supreme. Diane, you aren’t funny either (at least in this episode). We all know you as the dark and twisty one, which is ironically the funny bit about you. Stay in that lane.

 

The episode as a whole was full of predictable plot lines, paucity of laughs and I doubt members of the HU alumni will be happy about their representation in this episode. It seems Blackish is in its slow phase at the moment. Last week’s North Star, centered on Easter with multicultural food recipes was also a bit wobbly and predictable, albeit better than the latest installments. No need to worry. They’ll bounce back. They always do. 

 

SIDE NOTES:

 

• Honorable mention: Junior. If you look at the episode as a Junior-centric episode, it wasn’t half bad. The best scenes were with him in it and it showcases a more mature Junior who makes informed decisions.

 

• Blackish is sending off Junior to college kinda like the way Zoey (Yara Shahidi) was sent off to college in season 3, all the way to a spin off series of her own, Grown-ish. Could there be a Junior-centered spin off in the works? I wonder what it’ll be called…

 

• Earl Johnson (Laurence Fishburne) was sadly missing from this episode. Perhaps he’s in Vegas. He might have given us some laughs

 

 

Blackish airs every Tuesday night on ABC.

LA LA LAND MOVIE REVIEW: The train to fantasy land you'll want to be on.

La la land, a musical set in the old Hollywood era of Los Angeles, gives us a glimpse into the lives of two inhabitants of the city of stars. The story follows an aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone), who crosses paths with an aspiring jazz musician, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling). Just like any other aspiring star in Los Angeles, they both have to deal with countless rejections and that wedge called a career that gets right in the middle of any relationship during the journey to the top. Written and directed magnificently by Damien Chazelle, the same guy that gave us Whiplash, La la land offers its viewers a chance to dive into a true cinematic experience in the form of a marvelously crafted dream sequence, aided by top notch choreography, cinematography and sound. Amazing music is delivered by Justin Hurwitz, who is worthy of every accolade that comes his way via this movie. Both Justin and Damien tap into that unspoken formula all old Hollywood musicals are made of (Singin in the rain and The Sound of Music are honorable mentions), creating an unexpected feeling of nostalgia and emotional content. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling not only recreate that great chemistry they exuded in Crazy, Stupid, love, they improve on it and let it flow in abundance to be felt by any living creature who sees this picture. They don't even seem to be seriously acting; they make it look so easy, just having fun in front of the camera, making it easy for them to carry the audience along and make us share in their hopes and dreams. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone excel triumphantly in this film, exuding graces of a young Gene Kelly and a young Audrey Hepburn respectively. La la land is a gift from Retro-Hollywood to the 21st century, wrapped with a perfect bow of artistry and creativity and offering us a perfectly timed form of escapism in times of political discordance and global meltdown. Here's to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem.

67th primetime Emmy awards

once again, the Emmys are here an here are the nominations. My predictions will be posted later. Stay tuned. See also: 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners, when announced on September 20, will be listed first and highlighted in bold. Programs Outstanding Comedy Series Louie (FX) Modern Family (ABC) Parks and Recreation (NBC) Silicon Valley (HBO) Transparent (Amazon) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix) Veep (HBO) OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES Better Call Saul (AMC) Downton Abbey (PBS) Game of Thrones (HBO) Homeland (Showtime) House of Cards (Netflix) Mad Men (AMC) Orange Is the New Black (Netflix) Outstanding Variety Talk Series The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) OUTSTANDING VARIETY SKETCH SERIES Drunk History (Comedy Central) Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central) Key & Peele (Comedy Central) Portlandia (IFC) Saturday Night Live (NBC) Outstanding Limited Series American Crime (ABC) American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) The Honorable Woman (SundanceTV) Olive Kitteridge (HBO) Wolf Hall (PBS) OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case (Acorn TV) Bessie (HBO) Grace of Monaco (Lifetime) Hello Ladies: The Movie (HBO) Killing Jesus (Nat Geo) Nightingale (HBO) Outstanding Reality - Competition Program The Amazing Race (CBS) Dancing with the Stars (ABC) Project Runway (Lifetime) So You Think You Can Dance (Fox) Top Chef (Bravo) The Voice (NBC) Acting Lead performanceS Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Anthony Anderson as Andre “Dre” Johnson, Sr. on blackish (Episode: "Sex, Lies, and Vasectomies") (ABC) Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan on House of Lies (Episode: "It’s a Box Inside a Box Inside a Box, Dipshit") (Showtime) Louis C.K. as Louie on Louie (Episode: "Bobby’s House") (FX) Will Forte as Phil “Tandy” Miller on The Last Man on Earth (Episode: "") (Fox) Matt LeBlanc as Himself on Episodes (Episode: "Episode Five") (Showtime) William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher on Shameless (Episode: "A Night to Remem... Wait, What?") (Showtime) Jeffrey Tambor as Morton “Maura” Pfefferman on Transparent (Episode: "") (Amazon) OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton on Nurse Jackie (Episode: "I Say a Little Prayer") (Showtime) Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish on The Comeback (Episode: "Valerie Is Taken Seriously") (HBO) Julia Louis-Dreyfus as President Selina Meyer on Veep (Episode: "Election Night") (HBO) Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation (Episode: "One Last Ride") (NBC) Amy Schumer as Amy on Inside Amy Schumer (Episode: "") (Comedy Central) Lily Tomlin as Frankie Bergstein on Grace and Frankie (Episode: "") (Netflix) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Kyle Chandler as John Rayburn on Bloodline (Episode: "") (Netflix) Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy on The Newsroom (Episode: "What Kind of Day Has It Been") (HBO) Jon Hamm as Don Draper on Mad Men (Episode: "Person to Person") (AMC) Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill on Better Call Saul (Episode: "Pimento") (AMC) Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan on Ray Donovan (Episode: "Walk This Way") (Showtime) Kevin Spacey as President Frank Underwood on House of Cards (Episode: "") (Netflix) OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison on Homeland (Episode: "From A to B and Back Again") (Showtime) Viola Davis as Annalise Keating on How to Get Away with Murder (Episode: "Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole") (ABC) Taraji P. Henson as Loretha “Cookie” Lyon on Empire (Episode: "Unto the Breach") (Fox) Tatiana Maslany as Various Characters on Orphan Black (Episode: "Certain Agony of the Battlefield") (BBC America) Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on Mad Men (Episode: "Person to Person") (AMC) Robin Wright as First Lady Claire Underwood on House of Cards (Episode: "") (Netflix) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie Adrien Brody as Harry Houdini on Houdini (History Ricky Gervais as Derek Noakes on Derek: The Special (Netflix) Timothy Hutton as Russ Skokie on American Crime (ABC) Richard Jenkins as Henry Kitteridge on Olive Kitteridge (HBO) David Oyelowo as Peter Snowden on Nightingale (HBO) Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell on Wolf Hall (PBS) OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE Maggie Gyllenhaal as Nessa Stein on The Honorable Woman (SundanceTV) Felicity Huffman as Barbara “Barb” Hanlon on American Crime (ABC) Jessica Lange as Elsa Mars on American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith on Bessie (HBO) Frances McDormand as Olive Kitteridge on Olive Kitteridge (HBO) Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lovett on Sweeney Todd: Live at the Lincoln Center (PBS) Supporting performances Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy SerIES Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Episode: "The Jimmy Jab Games") (Fox) Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Episode: "Kimmy Goes to School!") (Netflix) Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy on Modern Family (Episode: "") (ABC) Adam Driver as Adam Sackler on Girls (Episode: "Close-Up") (HBO) Tony Hale as Gary Walsh on Veep (Episode: "East Wing") (HBO) Keegan-Michael Key as Various Characters on Key & Peele (Episode: "Sex Detective") (Comedy Central) OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES Mayim Bialik as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory (Episode: "The Prom Equivalency") (CBS) Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy on Modern Family (Episode: "Connection Lost") (ABC) Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer on Veep (Episode: "Convention") (HBO) Gaby Hoffmann as Ali Pfefferman on Transparent (Episode: "") (Amazon) Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett on Mom (Episode: "Dropped Soap and a Big Guy on a Throne") (CBS) Jane Krakowski as Jacqueline Voorhees on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Episode: "Kimmy Gets a Job") (Netflix) Kate McKinnon as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (Episode: "") (NBC) Niecy Nash as Denise “DiDi” Ortley on Getting On (Episode: "The 7th Annual Christmas Card Competition") (HBO) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut on Better Call Saul (Episode: "Five-O") (AMC) Jim Carter as Charles Carson on Downton Abbey (Episode: "Episode Nine") (PBS) Alan Cumming as Eli Gold on The Good Wife (Episode: "Undisclosed Recipients") (CBS) Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones (Episode: "Hardhome") (HBO) Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper on House of Cards (Episode: "") (Netflix) Ben Mendelsohn as Danny Rayburn on Bloodline (Episode: "") (Netflix) Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series Uzo Aduba as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on Orange Is the New Black (Episode: "Hugs Can Be Deceiving") (Netflix) Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart on The Good Wife (Episode: "Loser Edit") (CBS) Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones (Episode: "The Dance of Dragons") (HBO) Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates on Downton Abbey (Episode: "Episode Eight") (PBS) Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones (Episode: "Mother’s Mercy") (HBO) Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris on Mad Men (Episode: "Lost Horizon") (AMC) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie Richard Cabral as Hector Tonz on American Crime (ABC) Damian Lewis as Henry VIII of England on Wolf Hall (PBS) Bill Murray as Jack Kennison on Olive Kitteridge (HBO) Denis O’Hare as Stanley Oats on American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) Michael Kenneth Williams as Jack Gee on Bessie (HBO) Finn Wittrock as Daniel “Dandy” Mott on American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or a movie Angela Bassett as Desiree Dupree on American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) Kathy Bates as Ethel Darling on American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau on Olive Kitteridge (HBO) Regina King as Aliyah Shadeed on American Crime (ABC) Mo’Nique as Ma Rainey on Bessie (HBO) Sarah Paulson as Bette and Dot Tattler on American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) Directing Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series The Last Man on Earth (Episode: "Alive in Tucson"), Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Fox) Louie (Episode: "Sleepover"), Directed by Louis C.K. (FX) Silicon Valley (Episode: "Sand Hill Shuffle"), Directed by Mike Judge (HBO) Transparent (Episode: "Best New Girl"), Directed by Jill Soloway (Amazon) Veep (Episode: "Testimony"), Directed by Armando Iannucci (HBO) Outstanding directing for a drama series B oardwalk Empire (Episode: "Eldorado"), Directed by Tim Van Patten (HBO) Game of Thrones (Episode: "Mother’s Mercy"), Directed by David Nutter (HBO) Game of Thrones (Episode: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"), Directed by Jeremy Podeswa (HBO) Homeland (Episode: "From A to B and Back Again"), Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter (Showtime) The Knick (Episode: "Method and Madness"), Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Cinema Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special Hamish Hamilton for The 87th Academy Awards (ABC) Louis J. Horvitz for The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS) Natalie Johns for Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert (PBS) Don Roy King for Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special (NBC) Glenn Weiss for The 68th Tony Awards (CBS) Outstanding directing for a limited series, movie or dramatic special American Horror Story: Freak Show (Episode: "Monsters Among Us"), Directed by Ryan Murphy (FX) Bessie, Directed by Dee Rees (HBO) The Honorable Woman, Directed by Hugo Blick (SundanceTV) Houdini, Directed by Uli Edel (History) The Missing, Directed by Tom Shankland (Starz) Olive Kitteridge, Directed by Lisa Cholodenko (HBO) Wolf Hall, Directed by Peter Kosminsky (PBS) Writing Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Episodes (Episode: "Episode Nine"), Written by David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik (Showtime) The Last Man on Earth (Episode: "Alive in Tucson"), Written by Will Forte (Fox) Louie (Episode: "Bobby’s House"), Written by Louis C.K. (FX) Silicon Valley (Episode: "Two Days of the Condor"), Written by Alec Berg (HBO) Transparent (Episode: "Pilot"), Written by Jill Soloway (Amazon) Veep (Episode: "Election Night"), Written by Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, and Tony Roche (HBO) Outstanding writing for a drama series The Americans (Episode: "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?"), Written by Joshua Brand (FX) Better Call Saul (Episode: "Five-O"), Written by Gordon Smith (AMC) Game of Thrones (Episode: "Mother’s Mercy"), Written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss (HBO) Mad Men (Episode: "Lost Horizon"), Written by Matthew Weiner & Semi Chellas (AMC) Mad Men (Episode: "Person to Person"), Written by Matthew Weiner (AMC) Outstanding Writing for a Variety special The 72nd Golden Globe Awards (NBC) Key & Peele’s Super Bowl Special, Written by Brendan Hunt, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, and Rich Talarico (Comedy Central) Louis C.K.: Live at the Comedy Store, Written by Louis C.K. (LouisCK.net) Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen, Written by Mel Brooks (HBO) Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special (NBC) Outstanding writing for a limited series, movie or dramatic special American Crime (Episode: "Episode One"), Written by John Ridley (ABC) Bessie, Written by Dee Rees, Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois, and Horton Foote (HBO) Hello Ladies: The Movie, Written by Stephen Merchant, Gene Stupnitsky, and Lee Eisenberg (HBO) The Honorable Woman, Written by Hugo Blick (SundanceTV) Olive Kitteridge, Written by Jane Anderson (HBO) Wolf Hall, Written by Peter Straughan (PBS)

movie review: Stoker

stoker tells the story of a girl, India stoker (Mia wasikowska)who just lost her father (dermout mulroney) in sort of a mysterious way. suddenly, an uncle, charlie stoker (Matthew Goode), whom she has never heard of before, appears and somehow convinces her mother, Evelyn stoker (Nicole kidman) to stay in the house for some time. his stay brings about a string of mysterious occurrences in the long run. when i first watched the trailer of this movie, i thought, 'wow. quite thrilling. wentworth miller is quite the writer. cant wait'. but, the movie as it turns out, ended up being bland. i even thought that other critics comparing this movie to the Hitchcock genre was unnecessary. it started very slow and ended even slower. one would think that from the trailer, the movie would contain enough spine chilling moments. as for the acting, i was thoroughly disappointed with Matthew Goode. he didn't even convincing as the mysterious and villainous uncle charlie. his gazes that i think were suppose to be probing and spellbinding were just eye itching and i just grew tired of them.

Nicole kidman was the only one who managed to give an okay performance, especially in the last scene. even Jacki weaver's brief cameo as aunty Gwendolyn 'gin' stoker, was boring and frankly made the character seem even unnecessary. wentworth miller's screenplay, as for me, had a lot of spaces that just made the whole thing look half done. there weren't enough 'oh my God' moments to make his scripts comparable to Hitchcock's. all in all, stoker was a tiring thriller that just made me wonder 'what was nicole kidman thinking in choosing this script?'. although i applaud her desire to be versatile, given her appearance in last year's the paperboy, i think she is just choosing the wrong scripts.

 my rating: 4.1/10

Movie review:The dark knight rises

The dark knight rises continues with the story of billionaire Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale after the death of Harvey dent. It also introduces characters Bane, played by Tom Hardy and Selina Kyle alias Catwoman, played b Anne Hathaway. Let me not waste time giving the movie's storyline and go straight to the review. The movie had a slow start at first but my adrenaline started to pump when Selina Kyle stole Wayne's mother's pearls from a highly protected secret compartment, unveiling her as one interesting character instead of a normal waitress we all thought she was initially. Christian Bale, once again, delivers a heart warming performance in this last installment of the highly successful series. Tom Hardy, gave an interesting performance as Bane, this movie's main villain, with a personality as strong as steel and a voice that sends chills down the spines of the movie's viewers.but the best part part of the movie came at the end when Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) unveils as the Batman's nemesis, making it one of the best cliffhangers I have seen in a while. Marion Cotillard oozes grace as the movie's silent poison, the green snake under the green grass, lying in wait until she is in the best position to strike. Tom Hardy gave an impressive performance as Bane, and made sure Bane came across as a ruthless villian, but I feel Heath ledger's the Joker was a much more interesting villain to watch.

Though Hardy tried to bring forth Bane as the franchise's best villain, Ledger's the Joker still stands as the best villain of the franchise. The sound effects, as usual, were exceptional. Christopher Nolan surely has the ability to assemble a remarkable team that anastomoses beautifully to make sure the final installment of the series is a masterpiece, which it turned out to be. But, the most interesting character turned out to be Selina Kyle, played Marvellously by Hathaway, with such sleekness and sexiness that any female superhero should embody. She works the cat woman suit much better than her predecessors Halle Berry and Michelle Pfieffer while at the same time, giving smooth dialogue and mesmerizing the audience with her smart and quick humorous thinking. All in all, the movie turned out to be a perfect ending to a perfect series with a perfect cast and an extremely perfect crew.

Movie review: Hope Springs

Hope springs is about a couple, Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy lee Jones)in their 60s. One day, Kay wakes up and finds out that her she is bored of her marriage and decides that her and her husband need therapy so, she schedules an appointment with the eccentric Dr.Bernie Field (Steve Carrell), much to Arnold's chagrin, though he goes anyway. While there, Dr. Field tells them to try new things, new sexual things like oral sex and the rest and you can imagine how hard that will be for the couple in their 60s to carry out. Anyway, the whole experience seemed like a flop when they flew back home to Omaha and Kay decides to pack and leave, only for them to reignite the dwindling fire in their relationship right before she leaves. Which of course leads them to renewing their vows and promising to be there and more considerate of each other. I don't know about anyone else, but when I first heard about this movie, I thought it would be like a spinoff of Streep's 2009 film It's complicated as both seem to have the same theme surrounding the love story of an old couple, but in the end, it turned out to be a different package. The movie offers reasonable comic relief momentarily while at the same time, taking us on a journey about the lives of an old couple who seem to have lost their spark. Of course, it so helps that the main cast includes a talented trio of veterans in the movie business.

Tommy lee Jones was excellent as the cynical and the continuously skeptical Arnold and he was diligently able to express the feelings and thoughts of this character onscreen, convincing the audience about Arnold's situation as a husband who feels everything is fine just the way it is. Meryl Streep, of course, is known for her wide range of versatility and her ability to embody any type or form of character and she does so excellently as Kay, a woman who is well aware of the inertia in her marriage and despite her husband's objections, is determined to fix that. I therefore say, Meryl Streep is one hell of an actress. It is performances like this that makes Meryl Streep the best actress in this generation. She goes deep into the character, holding nothing back,and exudes grace and oozes talent. Fresh off The Iron Lady, nobody follows an Oscar win with a brilliant performance, quite like Meryl Streep. In overall, the movie turned out to be a fascinating look about the lives of old couples today who might have lost that spark in their marriage and somehow offers a solution to that situation.

My rating: 8.6/10.

Movie review: Sparkle

Sparkle is a musical set in the 1960s about a singing group. Yeah, I know, cliche. Wthe cast includes Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Carmen Ejogo, Mike Epps,Tika Sumpter..... Whitney plays a mother of three who tries to keep her three daughters away from the music business, but they do the best they can to get into the music business. Sister, the eldest, played by Ejogo, is the lead singer in the group, and tries her best to push the group to stardom, while engaging in a relationship with a comedian called Satin (Epps), who, at the ends, turns out to be detrimental to Sister and the girls' future as a singing group. Here, Derek Luke plays a Gordy/ Curtis Taylor Jr kind of character here. In general, I think the movie is good, a little cliche, and deemed as the inferior look-alike of Bill Condon's Dreamgirls. Granted, the movie is about Sparkle (Spark's character), and everyone is going to see this movie because of the legendary Whitney Houston, but Carmen Ejogo managed to carved a niche for herself with her electrifying and magnificent performance as Sister. She lights every scene she is in with her mesmerizing performance and disarming voice, so mesmerizing that when you leave the theater, you forget about Houston and Sparks and start thinking about Carmen Ejogo. She might be in for a serious treat in the forthcoming awards season. Truly Oscar worthy. Mike Epps is another actor that managed to surprise me in this movie. The normally comedic actor, decided to take a dramatic and quite a villainous turn in Sparkle, and he gave a surprisingly great non-comedic performance as the movie's main antagonist, making him one to consider seriously.

 As for miss Houston, I must say, she gave quite an amazing performance, what I would term an amazing goodbye. Even her voice, definitely not as good as before, was till spellbinding, especially when she rendered 'his eyes is on the sparrow' sending me chills down my spine. As for Jordin, her acting wasn't as good as her co-stars, perhaps she didn't use an acting coach for this movie. My advice, she should sharpen her acting skills, get more acting roles, and of course, have an acting coach. But she needs no vocal coach, as she sang amazingly in the movie. In general, my rating for this movie is 5.8/10.