By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic In years past Black films from the U.S. were prominent at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Secret Live Of Bees, in 2008. Precious…, in 2009. In 2010, Black American films were noticeably absent. However, films about black life in Africa shined bright. These dispatches from the motherland, along […]
Salt (***)
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Whatever Angelina Jolie was paid for starring in this nail-biting action thriller, she deserved each and every million. She’s the first woman to command an action movie, on this level, since Sigourney Weaver in Aliens or Anne Parillaud in La Femme Nikita. The script by “Tomas Crown Affair” scribe […]
Inception (***1/2)
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic “The seed we plant in this man’s mind will come to define him.” Deep sleep leaves us all vulnerable. That weakened altered subconscious state is where Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a thought thief, does his dirty work. He insinuates himself into the dreams of CEOs, extracting secrets, committing new […]
Death at a Funeral (***)
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic There are certainties in life. We live. We die. All of us experience the loss of a loved one, and what better setting for a laugh-out-loud comedy than a funeral? Everyone can relate to the universal stress of this end-of-life ritual, which is only compounded by the tension in […]
Mother and Child (***1/2)
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child…” The gift of life is examined through the eyes of three women. Three disparate souls haunted by their past, living life today teetering on emotional eggshells and apprehensive about their future. History binds them. Destiny sets them on a precarious course, falling […]
The Karate Kid (*1/2)
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Sometimes it’s best just to leave a classic film alone… 26 years have passed since Ralph Macchio played a transplanted teen from New Jersey who relocated to California with his single mom, encountered some bullies, was taught how to fight and win a karate competition by a noble handyman/martial […]
Get Him To The Greek (**1/2)
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic “The artist is the worst person on earth. Turn your back on him at your own peril.” Rock stars have a bad rep. Temperamental. Self-absorbed. Reckless. Sex-crazed. Addicted to anything that isn’t tied down. So what was junior record executive Aaron Hall (Jonah Hill, “Superbad”) thinking when he agreed […]
Brooklyn’s Finest (***1/2)
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic There are only a few authentic, high-quality New York City cop films: “Serpico,” “French Connection,” “Prince of the City,” “Narc,” “Training Day.” Now “Brooklyn’s Finest,” a thoroughly engaging, nerve-fraying ode to wayward cops, can be added to that rarefied list. Graphic script, instinctive direction, engaging acting, superior production quality, […]
The Book of Eli (* 1/2)
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic It’s the end of the world, as we know it… Road Warrior, Waterworld, The Postman, The Road, I Am Legend… Post-apocalypse films are a dime a dozen, so what makes The Book of Eli so different? Not much, except an evangelical subplot that is not strong enough to be […]
Ten Best Films of 2009
By Dwight Brown Film Critic NNPA In this sweeping year of change, good films have remained a constant. Looking back on the high-quality movies of 2009, there are memorable stories, outstanding performances, high-drama, romance, lots of laughs and wild thrills. Certain films stand out and will vie for OscarÆ awards. Some may never win a […]