Acrimony shows you what UNHINGED looks like

Movie Title:      Tyler Perry's Acrimony

Grade:  C

Rating: R, 2 hours

In a Nutshell:  This is a Tyler Perry drama that’s being touted as a psychological thriller.  What they mean is that it features a total psycho.  

The movie trailer is misleading, probably intentionally, to make you think the film is going to go in one direction, but there’s a little switcheroo.

For what it’s worth, the more I thought about the movie, the more I liked it.  There’s a huge paradigm shift that’s pretty clever.  Maybe I’m giving Tyler Perry more credit than he deserves.  Maybe that’s just how I interpreted his intention for the movie.  Either way, it’s not that great of a movie, but it’s an interesting journey.

                            

Tips for parents: 

• Lots of profanity, including MANY F-bombs.
• You see the naked rear of a man several times.
• Sex scene with some skin.   
• You’ll read the definitions of words like acrimony, bewail, deranged, and nexorable.  The best word to describe what you see is UNHINGED.
• Infidelity, adultery, pre-marital relations.
• Serious anger management issues.                                                  

Uplifting theme: 

• Love and infidelity
• Revenge
• Forgiveness, Trust
• Persistence in reaching your dream.

Things I liked:

• Music of Nina Simone Her Greatest Hits.  Robert (Antonio Madison) says, “Her music is like going to church.”
• I like that you don’t know exactly what happens after the movie ends.
• A lot of reviewers on IMDB loved this movie.  A lot of YouTubers hated it.  It goes to show you that movie critics only give THEIR opinion and it should only be taken with a grain a salt.
• I really like Taraji P. Henson.  Unfortunately, she could only do so much with the material she was given in this movie, but she still did a great job.
  
• The film was shot in only 8 days.  Wow, that's impressive.
• Ajiona Alexus played the younger version of Taraji's character, just like in the TV show "Empire."  If you missed it, click here to see the Pilot of that award-winning TV drama.
• Maybe this movie will help young people look for the red flags that often show up in relationships.  When you see them, RUN!

Things I didn’t like:

• I didn’t like either of the main characters.  They both lacked integrity and had anger management issues.
• The acting was over-the-top and mediocre at the same time.
• Lots of screaming, fighting, and profanity.  It was like watching crazy people on Jerry Springer.  I can’t stand that.
• There were some really dumb things that happened.
• The dialogue is often completely ridiculous.
• Sometimes outdoor scenes are filmed on an obvious green screen.  Why wouldn’t the director just film outside?  
• Below is another version of the movie poster.  It came out first and was later replaced by the one above of Taraji Henson.  Maybe Tyler Perry thought it would give away the story too much?

                              

Interesting lines:

• “Have you ever asked me what I wanted?” – Melinda (Taraji P. Henson)
• “You cannot negotiate with crazy.” –  Diana (Crystle Stewart)  Ain't that the truth?!

                                   

              

                                            @trinaboice

The Whole Truth offers adult themes with intrique

NOW ON DVD


Movie Title:   The Whole Truth

  

Grade:   B-

Rating:  R, 1 hour 33 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This courtroom drama based on David Baldacci’s novel was first released in Japan as early as Spring 2016, and then in other countries, but didn’t hit the  Big Screen in the USA until late August 2016, so it has been difficult to find a movie poster written in English.

Themes: 

• Everyone lies.
•  Integrity
• Choices and consequences

Things I liked:

• I've always gotten a kick out of watching Keanu Reeves in anything ever since Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
• I love the image of the snake at the very beginning.  It suggested deceit, temptation, and the first sin from the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.  Clever.
• You really hate Boone Lassiter (James Belushi)
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw is somehow mesmerizing to watch.
• It feels like a mixture between Alfred Hitchcock and film Noir.
• Good, but expected twist.

Things I didn’t like:

• Keanu Reeves’ voice sounds too forced and low.
• Rene Zellweger looked so odd.  I recognized her voice before I recognized her face.  She has lost a lot of weight and rumor has it that she recently had some plastic surgery, although she denies it.
• It is pretty slow-moving. 

Interesting lines:       

• “A wife doesn’t have to testify against her husband, but she does against her own child as if the bond is somehow less?” – wife  (Rene Zellweger) 

Tips for parents:   

• 1 F-bomb in the first 2 seconds.  More F-bombs and other profanity.
• Prostitution, adultery and other adult topics.
• Children and most teens will be bored.
• You see a side shot of a naked Rene Zellweger.
• Some inappropriate sexual images and conversations.
• Discussion of violence, domestic abuse, and rape.

The Other Woman offers estrogen-filled gal pal laughs

Movie Title:  The Other Woman

Grade:  B

PG-13, 1 hour 49 minutes

In a Nutshell:   

A woman’s guilty pleasure is to see a two-timing, adulterous scumbag get what’s coming to him.  It kind of gives “screwball comedy” another meaning.  This movie is all about revenge, girl power and the unconditional friendships that women crave and need.  The target audience is truly the stiletto crowd on a Girls Night Out.

Uplifting theme:   

• No woman deserves to be lied to and cheated on.
• A woman needs to be happy with herself and not rely on a man to do it for her.

Things I liked:

• Kate (Leslie Mann) brings Boston Market take-out to Carly (Cameron Diaz).  I haven’t eaten that since I lived on the east coast.  Yum.
• The audience loved it when Kate took off her bathrobe, revealing a black spy suit accompanied by the Mission: Impossible theme music.
• There is a lot of silly physical comedy featuring Leslie Mann and Cameron Diaz.  They have some great chemistry together and who doesn’t want to see them chest-bump in an ode to female empowerment?
• Guys just can’t truly appreciate the estrogen meltdown scenes like when Carly puts on her old wedding dress and gets drunk in a pity party, while squirting whip cream into her mouth through her toile veil.

Things I didn’t like:

• Watching a Great Dane poop.  Ick.  The slobbery giant’s name is Thunder and is really a handsome creature.  The audience howled with laughter.
• How nice that all of the parties involved were super rich and had amazing cars and houses.  I suppose it wouldn’t have been a comedy if they were all living in low-income housing.
• It’s strange to see Miami Vice: The Complete Series leading man, Don Johnson, as such an old guy now.  Of course, his character is still a romancer.
• Sure, there are messy problems with the movie, but you won’t mind too much if you’re watching it with your gal pals and eager to laugh at a silly chick flick.
• You don't realize Leslie Mann and Cameron Diaz are aging until you see Kate Upton.

Interesting lines:

• “Cheaters don’t change.” – Carly     Do you think that’s true?
• “Cry on the inside like winners.”  - Carly tries to teach Kate how to show strength during sorrow, but instead, Kate comically grimaces while attempting her brave face.

Funny lines:

• “If we find anymore mistresses, I’m going to have to send her to rehab.” – Carly
• “She makes me look like I’m wearing a diaper.” – Carly when she sees Amber for the first time.
• “I’m like Martha Stewart, but with big underpants.” - Kate
• “It’s a light recon day.” – Kate    Her brother Phil (Taylor Kinney) looks at her bag on the table and says “A grappling hook?  Really?”
• Kate says to Carly “No, you can’t have my husband AND my brother.  No! That’s just…no…greedy.”
• “My situation is pretty well situated, it’s true.” – Carly

Interesting references:

• Carly’s dad mentions eating Pho in Vietnam, a reference I wouldn’t have even understood before last weekend when my family went to a Vietnamese restaurant to try it for the first time.  It was delicious!  Find out if there is a Vietnamese restaurant in your town that serves it.  It’s kind of a soup with noodles and meat of various kinds.  They bring you a plate with bean sprouts, cilantro, lemon, pepper and sauces to add to taste.
• Carly says “I had a little Edith Piaf moment.”   Edith was a French singer who had quite a dramatic life.  Some of her songs have been featured in recent movies such as in Saving Private Ryan , , Bull Durham , and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted .

Tips for parents:   The subject matter of this film is really not appropriate for children.  There was quite a bit of profanity, although no F-bombs, which allowed it to be rated PG-13.  Although girl power is a theme, I would not recommend taking your daughters to see this.  There is a lot of discussion about sex and the many sordid aspects of it, not to mention adultery and fornication.