Perry Does It Again in Too

ASSI - Tyler Perry is back with a follow-up to his movie, Why Did I Get Married, regarding four couples who get away for a weekend retreat, and learn more about each other than they wanted to know. In "Why Did I Get Married, Too" the entire cast: Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba, Sharon Leal, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Richard T. Jones, Jill Scott, Lamman Rucker, and Tyler Perry return to deal with all of the unresolved issues from one. Tyler is a good director, screen writer and producer who knows what resonates with Black movie goers. "Why Did I Get Married, Too is reminiscence to opening Pandora's box. The couples are harboring relationship issues that are manifesting in an unhealthy ways.

Would we be interested in Perry movies if they were without DRAMA and more DRAMA,? Is DRAMA the key ingredient to a successful movie? The rumor mill circulating the film tauted it as Perry's best film. I beg-to-differ it was about the same as his other movies. Is it worth seeing on the big screen? No! You can wait for it to come out on DVD where it will probably do better in sells than the box office. Perry claims that other directors are going to take note of Janet's performance and book her for other films, I disagree, she was alright but it was not an Oscar winning performance. I liked the movie for the eye candy. My eyes love what it sees when looking at Lamman Rucker, Richard T. Jones, and Michael Jai White who I had the pleasure of meeting at a restaurant in Seattle, Washington was worth it for me.

Tasha Smith connects a little too well with her character, I know she had a blast playing Angela the none trusting wife of Marcus, played by White. Patricia, played by Jackson, is tormented over the lost of her son and simply cannot find her way back to her husband, Gavin. Terry who is Perry's character loves his wife but does not feel the love in return until her little secret is revealed. Scott plays, Sheila who is newly married and dealing with a new addition, new husband, a new home, and a old husband who just want go away. It is all too much for her husband Troy, played by Rucker, who is struggling with finding employment. There relationship is early similar or should I say exactly like Bird and Lem's situation in Soul Food the movie. I thought that Louis Gasset, Jr. and Cicely Tyson's characters, were going to be insightful, and be the positive influence the couples needed to rekindle their relationships. What was I thinking? It's a movie things are not supposed to make sense, just entertain.

As I see it, Why Did I Get Married, Too is an entertaining movie that tackles the same issues that couples, in the real world, face daily. It's how we deal with these issues that makes a difference in our lives. In the movies, there is a script that actors follow; therefore, we should not get ourselves all wrapped up in their on screen lives. If you see yourself or your relationship in any of these couples, get some help. I give "Why Did I Get Married, Too two and half blinks.

Madea Should Stay In Jail

ASSI - Based on the trailers and the fact that I believe Tyler Perry has formula movies that are cut from the same premise, mellow drama. I was content on waiting for the DVD release. Madea Goes to Jail has funny moments but is not a funny movie...the story line was contrived to make a film, although not far featched. You can see the artistic/creative license used at-its-best. Extreme measures were taken for a laugh. There are pockets of the film that lacks the realism needed for me to care about the characters or the situations. The acting was mediocre, there were no standout scenes, and Keisha Knight Pullium who plays Candy a prostitute is a small stretch for the onetime child actresss, according to Perry this is her break out role. We will see, I am unsure that her portrayl was the best; however, Perry plays three parts: Madea, her brother Joe, and his son Brian, the attorney. He also wrote, produced, and directed the film. The movie also stars Dereck Lucas from Antwane Fisher and N.O.T.O.R.I.U.S. BIG and to round out the cast. As I see it, if you simply want to see Madea Goes to Jail to support Perry make it matinee otherwise wait for it to come out on Blue Ray or DVD. It was entertaining but not a film that I highly recommend or a must see on the big screen. I give Madea Goes to Jail 3 blinks.

Pray for the Family that Preys

ASSI - The Family that Preys is currently in theaters and a must see movie. Tyler Perry is the producer, writer, director, and plays Ben a married, construction worker, who has finally achieved the American dream, but is constantly pressured by his brother-in-law to start their own construction company. Perry is equivalent to James Patterson, he puts out a new film once or twice a year. It is as if, Perry had movies written and were on the shelf waiting for his break, which has finally came to a much deserving writer and director; however, just like Spike Lee when he first started making films, feel a need to have an acting role in each film that he has written and directed. The Family that Preys also stars Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates as the matriarchs of their families, and in spite of their race and social status they formulate a friendship that endures the test of time. This film deals with issues that generally makes people uncomfortable, but how the issues are dealt with provides the realism of all the situations covered in the film. Some life lessons are hard to deal, especially if you are ashamed of your past and will do anything to escape it. The entire cast consist of everyone featured in this poster, all of the actors assumed the role of their characters, and brought them to life. You were in each scene with them and felt their joys and pain. As I see it, the Family that Preys is dramedy that is the best work that Perry has written and directed to date. I give The Family that Preys 4.5 blinks.

AHSI - Tyler Perry opened up this weekend at #2 according to the Top Box Office as of 9/14/08. This movie tells the story of two women Charlotte and Alice (Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard) with very different lifestyles. Charlotte and Alice have been best friends for years and their children have grown up knowing each other. William (Cole Hauser), Charlotte's son, and Andrea (Sanaan Lathan), Alice's daughter work together and are both married. Pam (Taraji Henson) works with her mother and her husband Ben (Tyler Perry) works with Chris (Rockmond Dunbar) who is also Andrea's husband. The Family That Preys paints a picture about everyday family life that we all can relate to. AHSI give the movie 4 eyeballs.

Meet The Browns

ASSI - Tyler Perry who is an phenomenal writer, producer, and director, who has is riding the film wave. Meet the Browns is an adaptation of his stage play "Meet the Browns" a formula that has worked for Perry. He has turned all his plays into blockbuster movies for the masses, if you enjoy his plays, you probably will enjoy the movies too. I laughed so much during the movie that I was gasping for air. My natural instinct was to hoot and holler out loud, but I would have embarrassed myself had I fully enjoyed myself in the theater. David Mann who plays Leroy Brown is an outstanding actor and I am pleased that more people will have an opportunity to see his work. His wife Tamela Mann plays his daughter Cora Brown, and the Mann's seem to have a friendship and working relationship with Perry. I appreciate the realism of his films that are relevant to America's stories. Meet the Brown's is comedy that delivers the laughs and will have you shedding joyful and sad tears. Jennifer Lewis who is a wonderful actress delivered her lines and played her character's as Vera Pop Brown's oldest daughter. Angela Bassett is the illegitimate daughter of Pop Brown, a pimp who loved his hoes, and as a result of sleeping with girls produced Angela who inherits a house from her late father and gains a colorful family and a new surrounding for her three children. As I see it "Meet the Browns" is a delightful comedy and I give it 4 blinks.

At The Movies - Why Did I Get Married?

ASSI – Why did I get married? A Tyler Perry film that explores the unspoken truths of four married couples who met while in college, reunite for a couples retreat with unresolved issues, which are revealed during the most inopportune time--dinner. Perry writes scripts that afford him an opportunity to work with actors and entertainers who he admired as a child and while a struggling artist. As a writer, he writes each character with an actor already in mind, hence Janet Jackson’s character Patricia a well organized therapist who has everything together until too many task proves fatal. Tyler wanted to work with Jackson, so he made it possible, and he has Janet to thank for his new love interest. No name at this time, but supposedly he met her at one Jermaine Dupri’s parties. I am a Tasha Smith fan. Therefore, I was pleased with her performance, as Angela the overzealous alcoholic, who loves to put others in their place until she is put in her place. Smith owns an acting studio where she teaches acting. Jill Scott, plays Sheila is an overweight woman verbally abused by her cheating husband who is truly hating on her. Diane is an attorney married to the firm and family life is impeding her progress, is played by Sharon Leal. Tyler does an equal job of casting great eye candy opposite the attractive female cast. Perry plays Terry a dentist who is craving for a son; Richard T. Jones (Mike) is the verbally abuse husband who is truly a tall glass of chocolate milk; Michael Jai White (Marcus) is the former athlete, turned hair stylist with baby mama drama, who is married to Angela; and Malik Yoba (Gavin) is a successful architect who is sensitive and carrying husband to Patricia. Perry has a formula for producing quality films on a low budget. Why Did I Get Married? Is an entertaining short film that could have been better, Perry is better behind the scene, Janet’s character could have displayed more depth, and each story could have been embellished a bit more. As I see it, comic relief is good for the sole, and “Why Did I Get Married?” is worth seeing on the big screen with a box of pop corn and a date. I give it 3.5 blinks.

AHSI.... Gives Tyler Perry's new movie Why Did I Get Married? 4 eyeballs. This movie is based on the trials and tribulations of adult relationships, and the emotional toll it takes on each couple. I was pulled into the story because it deals with real life issues that you can relate to. It does not focus on the visual expect of sex but about four different successful couples that have known each other for years. You come away feeling like you know someone that acts like or resembles someone in the movie. The characters are your friends who you went to high school and/or college with, that are now married with a totally different lifestyles. It deals with the various issues of weight, loss of a close relative, children and parent drama, sex, alcohol abuse, cheating spouses and mental cruelty. I would recommend this movie for the grown and sexy. It provides a wide range of emotions from laughter to tears.