Rantings of a Creole Princess

"Love Actually" - HotNESS or HotMESS? (SM)

Who is your FAVORITE...

...actress?

Mine?  Meryl Streep HANDS.DOWN!

GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS!!!!!

CONGRATS GABOUREY SIDIBE, SANDRA BULLOCK AND MERYL STREEP ON YOUR GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS!!!!!

Helena Andrews: "Bitch is the New Black" - My Thoughts

I guess I stand alone in that I think it's FABULOUS that this young lady is having her story told in Hollywood. Folks bemoan the fact there aren't any movies about REAL Black people and here comes one with the direction of Shonda Rhimes and the voice of an actual young, Black woman.

I guess something is wrong with my way of thinking yet again. Folks would rather a man dressed like a woman tell a Black woman's story.

I've been an angry woman before.  Hell...I was angry last night.  And I'm Black.  Because I'm sometimes angry AND Black it seems that I can't catch a break.  Like I can't be angry because I'm Black cuz angry AND Black is a bad, bad thing.

I read Ms. Andrews' story and saw myself in her during some periods of my life and I'm really glad I knew the people I knew then.  I'm glad God saw fit to send the people he DID send my way to me because he knew I needed them and I'm glad that with those people and with my belief that I COULD be better and do better.

I BECAME better.

Ms. Andrews' is only 29 years old.  I was 28 when I decided I needed to stop showing my azz and figure out who and what I wanted to be.  Before I stopped running from the foundation laid out for me by my parents.  Before I stopped turning my back on the hard truths and figured out that if I didn't get my shit together I was going to be alone, lonely and unhappy because no one would want to be around me.

I'm holding out that Ms. Andrews' is going to get her come to Jesus soon and maybe she has already.  From what I understood...she wrote the essays for this book a while ago.

I said all that to say...I thought yall were too hard on her.  If WE can't see ourselves in her and realize how blessed we are to have come through to the other side and be able to empathize with her then hey...who else is going to? 

She represents the young and it's our responsibility to be there for them and lead by example.  That's all I'm saying.

Monica Mingo

"The Princess and the Frog"

Are you going to see it?  If not...why not?  Are you taking any kiddies to see it?  Did you know Oprah was in it?

Helena Andrews: "Bitch is the New Black"

Single-minded Success

Angelina Jolie Hates President Obama

 

Angelina Jolie 'hates' President Barack Obama: 'She thinks he is really a socialist in disguise'

TEAM JACOB!

 

TEAM JACOB!

DON'T JUDGE ME.

Per Courtland Milloy, White people like to see Black people suffer...

What say you?  A film as lost as the girl it glorifies

"Precious" Review

I've had love all of my life so it's hard for me to understand what NOT having love will do to you life.

I bought "Push" over ten years ago and couldn't finish it.  I tried three times...but I just couldn't.

It was too horrific for me.  I NEEDED to see the movie because I just HAD o see how Mr. Daniels was going to make it bearable.  How he was going to find the redeeming quality that we all crave when we go to the movies.

Was the movie good?  Yes.

Is the award buzz around Mo'Nique valid?  Yes.

Will you cry?  Yes.  

Was it hard to watch?  Yes.

Should you go see it?  Yes.  Hell yes.  ALL of you.

And...if you're like me you're going to need to go buy yourself something petty afterwards.  

Which I did.

Goodness?  Her classmates.  LOVED.THEM!  They were the balance of humor the movie needed.  There is no way in hell this movie would have been so good if not for them.

I don't wanna say much about the movie because I want you to go see it.  It's worth it.  I promise.

Is America ready for "Precious?"

Yes.

Go see this movie.

Did you watch "School Daze" in the Theater?

Cynde Williams: "Harlem Blues"

Question...

Are YOU going to see "Precious?"  Please say yes.  PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!  How else will Hollywood understand that you WILL go see a Black drama unless you don't go see one?  PLEASE SAY YES!  PLEASE!

"Skin"

The award-winning drama Skin tells one of the most unusual and moving true stories to emerge from apartheid South Africa. Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo, The Secret Life of Bees) is a black child born in the 1950s to white Afrikaners (Sam Neill, Alice Krige) who are unaware of their black ancestry. Her parents are rural shopkeepers serving the local black community, who lovingly bring her up as their 'white' little girl. But at the age of ten, Sandra is driven out of white society. The film follows Sandra's thirty-year journey from rejection to acceptance, betrayal to reconciliation, as she struggles to define her place in a changing world. Official Web Site

It's showing in the DMV at the E Street Theater which is cool because I LURVE, LURVE, LURVE Landmark Theaters! 

Pissed About "Precious" Movie

I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOO PISSED!  THE ONLY THEATER THAT WAS SHOWING THE MOVIE IN THE DMV IS NOW NO LONGER SHOWING IT UNTIL NEXT WEEK!  GOT.DAMMIT.ALL.TO.HELL!  I'M ALL UP EARLY GETTING READY TO GET ON THE ROAD TO DRIVE THE 61 MILES TO GO SEE IT AND WENT ONLINE TO BUY MY TICKET SO I WOULDN'T BE AZZED OUT IF IT SOLD OUT AND *POOF*!  NO MORE!

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KILL.ME.NOW!  HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO ME???????????????????

MAD ABOUT THIS ISH! 

Angela is a BOSS!

I can watch "Boomerang" every.single.day.  It's really SUCH a good romantic dramady.  If there IS such a category.

I specifically like Halle Berry's character, Angela.  Angela was sweet and funny.  Warm and loving.  But when ya boy played her dirty...she flipped that switch into overdrive immediately.

Let's think back shall we?

"Precious" Notebook

Look what Mr. UPS just delivered to me.  I won a contest because I knew Sapphire's real name and this is what they sent me.

On another note I just found out that the only theater in the DMV showing "Precious" is waaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy.ooooooouuuuuuttttt.theeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrreeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

SHIT. 

Color me NOT.PLEASED.AT.ALL.

Question...

Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago.

That's the synopsis of the musical "Chicago."

Would you have a problem if your child's high school decided to do this musical?  Would you have a problem with your child being in the musical?

Tyler Perry on "60 Minutes"

I watched...did you?  What do you think about his response to what Mr. Lee said about his body of work? 

Tyler Perry responds to Spike Lee's claim that his work is comparable to 'Amos 'n' Andy'

BEST.DINNER.TABLE.SCENE.EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris Rock's "Good Hair" Review

I thought the movie was entertaining and funny as hell.  I love documentaries that have a human interest element part to it where you're really looking forward to the outcome.  They did this effectively by using the hair show.  I've never attended a hair show before and it looked pretty darn interesting even as I know I'd only attend one if I got some free tickets and didn't have anything else going on that I wanted to do.

I was fascinated by the weave storyline and it was really cool learning about where the hair comes from and I was blown away by how much weaves actually cost.  And units?  Wow...chicks were spending $1,000 - $3,500 on one and one chicks unit was so dusty looking in cut AND color that I almost fell out my chair.

Chris Rock always does something that makes me laugh my azz off and when he was riding on the "cab" in India...that was my part in this movie that broke me down.

I loved how tongue-in-cheek it was and it was funny as hell to me.  It showed that hair really shouldn't be all that serious...do what you do with your own hair and embrace and rock your own style. 

Who won't like this movie?  Hair High Priestesses and women who are PRIVATELY embarrassed they wear a weave.  LOL!  IN MY OPINION.  Dude...it's just REALLY not that serious.  Hair grows.  If you're going to watch this movie thinking it's going to showcase your "Blackness" you're going to be disappointed.  If you're going to see this movie because Chris Rock is a fool and you feel like laughing...yup...this movie is for you.

Now...lemme go moisturize my Dooby Don't (Dallas Pen 2009) and go to sleep.

I'm old.

Oh...and I like my hair just as it is (cept for the front layers).  :)

Chris Rock's "Good Hair"

Are YOU going to see it?

R. Kelly Can't Read

...and he's telling kids about it.  What say you about R. Kelly speaking to kids about anything?  Does he get a pass for past transgressions because he didn't get convicted?  Is this the beginning of the R. Kelly public relations tour to garner public sympathy and make a way for a new album to get success?  "Hey...I MAY have been a perv but it's because I can't read and yall should be sorry for me cuz that's what happens when you can't read good?????"

What say you?

From Coop regarding Tyler Perry:

I just saw the movie (thanks to free passes and a classmate) and I remembered some of your Twitter posts about it. I was at a complete loss for words when it was over. I mean, I knew exactly what was gonna happen 20 minutes into it. The good news? MJB looked amazing and, I agree, Taraji's makeup was absolutely on point. It's soooooo crystal clear that TP has issues with Black men. MAJOR issues that a few preachy scenes in drag are not gonna cure. smh

Hmmmmmmm...I never thought about it like that.  What do YOU think about TP having issues with Black men?

Nobody likes a showoff Halle!

(Gonna hafta step it up at the gym.  She's making getting old look too easy.  Humph.)

People Are FUN-TAY!

Patrick Swayze has left us...

Did Wood get a bad rap?

I just finished watching "Love Jones" for the umpteenth time and I'm sitting here wondering if Wood was hating on Darius  or if he really liked Nina?

What's the protocol for asking a chick out that your boy is no longer seeing?

Did Wood get a bad rap?

This song was the best thing about that damn movie...

Tyler Perry "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" Movie Review

Words can't describe just how terrible Tyler Perry's movie was. Instead of getting better he went South of the border past horrid and took a left at unbelievable. How can it NOT get better????? I blame Oprah for this let down. All that hanging she been doing with him and she hasn't brought this ish up NOT ONCE?????????

This ish was worse than...hell...I can't even THINK of anything as bad as it was worse than. It was the WORST.MOVIE.EVER! IT.WAS.THE.WORST.MOVIE.EVER.

DAMN IT ALL TO HELL. WHY IN THE HELL SHOULD ANYONE ASPIRE TO MAKING MOVIES IF THIS IS THE CURRENT LITMUS TEST FOR SUCCESS WITH BLACK PEOPLE. DAMMIT ALL TO HELL. I HATE THIS FEELING. JUST...WOW.

Fug this ish man. Imma be a damn ice skater. YA HEAR THAT WORLD! IMMA BE AN ICE SKATER!

IT WAS THE WORST MOVIE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD OF WORST MOVIES.

IT INSULTED ME AS A BLACK WOMAN.

IT INSULTED ME AS A MOVIEGOER.

IT INSULTED ME AS A WOMAN WHO WRITES HERSELF SICK TRYING TO GET SOMETHING ON PAPER THAT WOULD INTEREST PEOPLE.

IT INSULTED MY SENSE OF REALISM.

IT INSULTED MY SENSE OF FAIRNESS.

IT INSULTED MY SENSE OF FAMILY.

IT INSULTED THE DEPTH OF MY CHARACTER.

ICE SKATING FOLKS! YA HEAR THAT? MONICA MINGO IS GONNA TAKE UP ICE SKATING!

THE MOTHERFUGGER EVEN INSULTED "THE COLOR PURPLE." I...I...I JUST CAN'T.

"Black Dynamite" - Will YOU go see?

Remember this?

Sexual Chocolate

Hmmmm...

Do YOU think Mel Gibson's career as an actor is over?

"500 Days of Summer"

I'd been hearing a lot about "500 Days of Summer" on the Indy circuit and decided that I needed to see it.  Robby was watching the PGA Tournament this afternoon so I headed out to see it solo. 

Yall...it was AMAZINGLY good.  The story, the actors, the cinematography...ALL OF IT.

The tag line is exactly as it should be.  It's not a love story...but it is a story about love.

If this is in your area...go see it.  It was soooooooooooooo good and REAL.

I am TOTALLY a Joseph Gordon-Levitt fan after this movie.  He was soooooooooo perfect in this role! 

This movie was good yall.  Like...you will enjoy it fully.  Excellent entertainment.

"Legally Blonde" HotNESS or HotMESS? (SM)

This is how I WUZ feeling! "I was feelin' real down...I was feelin' mighty bad..."

BUT GUESS WHAT? I'M BACK BIATCHES!

Um...yeah...whatever...

There are two actors in Hollywood that I just really can't stand.  Any time I see either of them in something I really just pass.

The two actors?

Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman. 

Of course they both got a pass each.  Angelina Jolie for "The Changeling" and Morgan Freeman for "Shawshank Redemption."

But that's it.

I tried to stomach through a movie last night called "Wanted."  In it Angelina and Morgan were the worst of what I dislike so much about them.  Angelina was the SUPER annoying sexy-come-hither-but-don't-cuz-I'm-the-sexy-with-a-secret-kind -so-I'll-just-purse-my lips-even-tighter and Morgan was the SUPER annoying older-Black-guy-who-knows-everything-by-osmosis-but-tells-you-nothing- because-his-silence-makes-him-appear-more-omnipotent.

Just...ew.

Who are the actors that are sooooooooo good supposedly that you just can't STAND?

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" Movie Review - NOT for Kids!

I'm going to be brief cuz I'm not trying to ruin the movie for anyone but I didn't care for the new Transformer movie.  I think it was only because I was looking at it through the eyes of Myles' aunt that pretty much soured it for me.

See...my nephew loves the Transformers and he was allowed to see the first one.  The first one had a good story and it was tame enough to make you continue to respect the Hasbro brand.

The second one however?  As SOON as I left the theater I called Dr. Punkin and told her it was NOT for the eyes of my precious nephew.  She saw it this weekend and agreed 100% with me.  I thought about it some more and realized that I would have been PISSED as hell if I'd taken him to see the second one based on my opinion of the first one.

Seriously.

There was too much going on by way of sexual innuendos.  Too much violence. Too much cussing and them damn twin Transformers got some SERIOUS side eye from me with their brand of vernacular. 

The kid was NOT pleased.

There were so many kids in the theater when we went and I just couldn't get over just how wrong it was for them to see this movie.  I'm talking kids Myles' age and YOUNGER.  IDDA.BEEN.SOOOOOOOOOO.PISSED!

It made me wonder whether or not it was irresponsible movie making on the part of Michael Bey, irresponsible policing of their brand by Hasbro, or irresponsible parenting that children were watching this movie.

Because of this...I couldn't enjoy it much. 

Yall know I'm odd.

Did YOU see the movie?  What did YOU think?  Who do YOU think is at fault for this APPEARING to be kid friendlier?

"Mississippi Damned" Movie Review

Another movie I was able to fit in during ABFF was "Mississippi Damned."  Unlike "Pastor Brown" I'm not going to tell yall that you should see this movie as it was played at the festival. 

Why?

THIS SHIT WAS THE MOST DEPRESSING MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN.

If you're depressed you will slit your wrists DURING this movie and folks around you will borrow your blade and do the same.  It's just TOO.MUCH. 

Period.

It's a story based on three sisters and their family life and the continued cycle of abuse that seems to touch EVERYONE.  ALL.FORMS.OF.ABUSE.  Every.single.one.  You think it...they dealt with it.  It was uncomfortable to watch and it makes you want to walk out which plenty of people did.  I stayed because I just HAD to see the redeeming quality of the movie.  

And the redeeming quality was lacking.

I was sitting there thinking to myself that this mess was so unrealistic because all this couldn't EVER happen to one family and then at the end...the writer/director, Tina Mabry spoke and we found that yup...it's a true story that happened to her family.

WOW.

But I still don't wanna know about all of that.  Seriously.

If they took this movie back to the cutting board and took out two or three of the abuse tragedies then it would be a movie worthy of watching.  Why?  THE SUPERB ACTING!  Them people was ACKIN yall!  SERIOUSLY.  They did that.  The acting was so good that I expect the actors to all be in some huge stuff soon cuz MAN!  THEY.WERE.SOOOOOOOOO...GOOD!  And if you have good actors...it's almost a shoe in that you had a good dang director.  For real, for sure.  Ms. Mabry is on top of her game cuz she knows how to get it OUT the actors man.

But that movie needs to be cut down.  Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction I know...too strange. 

And tragic.

Not entertaining...at.all. 

"Pastor Brown" Movie Review

While in Miami at ABFF, I attended the viewing of "Pastor Brown."  It was the Centerpiece Premiere of the festival and I was pretty excited to see it.

As you guys know I'm pretty addicted to seeing people that look like me on television.  I believe we are ridiculously under-represented and I hope to do something about it soon.  With this type of resolve I sat in the theatre and watched this movie.

My verdict?  If you see it at Blockbuster or OnDemand...get it.  If you remember to...put it in your Netflix queue.  What you SHOULDN'T do?  Expect too much from the film.  It's the same story you've seen a dozen of times but with prettier people.  Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Nicole Ari Parker, Rockmond Dunbar, Keith David, Tasha Smith, Keith David, Michael Beech, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Mari Marrow, Monica Arnold and Angie Stone made it such that you wanted to see it but once you do...within fifteen minutes...you know where this movie is going.

I predict this movie is going to be the HotNESS on the church circuit and you will be able to view it at a mega church near you soon.  Especially as Creflo Dollar was in it too.

There is nothing bad to say about this movie just as there is nothing monumentally groundbreaking to say about it either.  It is what it is.  A movie about Black people that you can stomach without changing the channel because it's too "hood" or ri-damn-diculously stoopit that you will forget about pretty immediately afterwards.

But again...if you're an addict as I am...check it out.

P.S. Tasha Brown?  She's the same chick you know her to be in this movie.  Just with church clothes on.  I want her to be challenged as an actress real soon cuz I think she'll be able to DO.IT.

"You can act like a man!" - "The Godfather"

"Star Trek" was EVERY.SINGLE.THING!

I was so geeked to see "Star Trek" but had to promise not to go see it without The Robinator since he wanted to see it too.  We weren't able to go the first weekend and subsequent weekends since our schedules didn't permit us to.

I have steered clear of every reference to the movie because I wanted to see it soooooooooooo bad!

Did I ever tell yall I went to a Trekkie Convention?  Yessiree Bob!

Robby:  I wouldn't tell anyone that if I were you.

I was 19 years old and living in California at the time.  Three days before the convention I found out it was going on.  I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo there!  (Undrea, do you remember this?  You didn't go with us...but you laughed at us fo sho!  LOL!)

N E WAY!

Me and "Star Trek" be good friends man.  GOOD.DAMN.FRIENDS.

And I'll be damned if they didn't let me down!

Tom Hanks

What's your FAVORITE Tom Hanks movie?

"Angels and Demons"

Are you going to go see it?

From oneblackman: What say you about Halle's annoyance with the Paparazzi?

CUT! THAT'S A WRAP!

What movie do you find yourself wondering about what happened AFTER the end of the movie?  For me it's "Love Jones."  I always wonder if Darius and Nina made it.  What about you?

PLEASE go see "American Violet!"

` If you HAVE seen it...what did YOU think about it?

The Script or the Actress?

Do you think that "Obsessed" would have made as much money with the same script if ANY OTHER Black female celebrity would have played the wife?