Ozyre Cekda Reviews

The Big Valley: Turn of a Card (1967) Season 2, Episode 26

One of the most racist episodes ever written.

[1/10 · 4 March 2021]

You can tell that it was written by white men. Who else would write a story about a white man owning and beating a Polynesian woman only in the end to have her go back to him and take care of him? Throughout the entire episode he dehumanizes her and treats her like property. Even the way the character is written is racist. She's less concerned about her own well-being and more intent on being with the man who beats her and treats her like a slave. One of the worst episodes of The Big Valley.

Fort Apache (1948)

Typical racist whitewashed revisionist Hollywood movie about colonialism

[1/10 · 17 June 2019]

This movie glorified the US Calvary as noble when they were nothing but colonizers who stole land from Native Americans who were portrayed as savages, when in actuality they were well within their rights to defend themselves and their land, which was rightfully theirs. Also John Wayne was nothing but a racist.

Catwoman (2004)

It wasn't Halle's fault.

[26 July 2004]

Okay, I will admit it. This movie was a letdown, although enjoyable during certain scenes (i.e. the basketball game) and some obviously dull plot devices (the ferris wheel and the little boy). But you can't blame Halle. She had nothing to work with. The plot was lame. Some of the CG was laughable. I say just take the movie for what it is. A movie. Purely meant for entertainment. But I think Halle has gotten the superhero thing out of her system and hopefully she'll concentrate more on drama (which believe it or not) she is actually quite good at. And in any event, Halle got her 14 million and I ain't mad at her. I'll say this, Catwoman was a helluva lot better than Charlie's Angels Full Throttle. You talking about something that sucked.

Showgirls (1995)

This movie ain't that bad, ya'll!

[16 February 2004]

Say what you want, this movie is entertaining enough. It's stupid and totally gratuitous. You have to admit that's what makes it so funny to watch. The bad acting by Elizabeth Berkley is hilarious! Gina Gershon was the perfect uber bitch. Bad plot, bad acting, over-the-top sex scenes is pretty much what makes this movie entertaining. It's just basically your typical guilty pleasure movie. Rent it or watch it on cable, but this movie ain't all that bad.

Antwone Fisher (2002)

A real nice change from the typical romantic comedies.

[25 February 2003]

At last! A black movie that isn't a tired romantic comedy with the same black actors playing the same characters. Antwoine Fisher was definitely nice change of pace from all the crap that the studios are throwing black folk's way. Moving and very engaging. Denzel was great for his first time in the director's chair. Can't wait to see what else he comes up with.

Disappearing Acts (2000 TV Movie)

No where as good as the book.

[7 January 2003]

The book is way better and much more interesting. Of course most movies that are based on books are nearly as good as the book. The problem with Disappearing Acts is that it moved too fast. And there is hardly any chemistry between Sanaa Lathan and Wesley Snipes. Sanaa is great as Zora. But Wesley is hardly believable as Franklin. There were a gazillion other black actors out there that would've portrayed the character more true to life than Wesley Snipes. His acting in this movie was fake and if you go back and read the book and then watch this movie, you will see that he is not Franklin at all. Disappearing Acts is entertaining enough to watch, but the book is way better.

Brown Sugar (2002)

Disappointing and dull.

[3 January 2003]

I was hardly impressed with "Brown Sugar" for a lot of reasons. I've seen it before in the form of "The Wood", "The Best Man", "The Brothers", and "Two Can Play That Game". (Am I the only one who has noticed that every black movie that comes out is a romantic comedy with at least two or three or more actors from at least two or three or more previous black romantic comedies?) A tired romance wrapped up inside of a tired comedy. First off, the comparison between falling in love with hip hop and falling in love with your soulmate was lame and is not universal. Not everyone has had a love affair with hip hop. And although most movies have certain scenes that drag, almost every scene in "Brown Sugar" was tired and dragged for way too long. The premise is supposed to be the black folk's take on "When Harry Met Sally". Rick should've came up with something better because that storyline has been done over and over again and even though a rehashed storyline can oft times be better than the original, "Brown Sugar" failed miserably.

Taye Diggs was an exact duplicate of the two characters he played in "The Wood" and "The Best Man". Queen Latifah was good. Mos Def was okay, too. I liked him better in "Monster's Ball". Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker were stale and their acting looked forced. Like they were trying to pretend that they didn't know each other from "Soul Food". Sanaa Lathan was the only selling point for me because I happen to adore her and will pretty much see anything that she is in. Other than that, if you want to see "Brown Sugar", you'd be better off watching "The Wood", "The Best Man", "The Brothers", and "Two Can Play That Game". They're pretty much all the same and have the same actors virtually playing the same characters.

Brown Sugar (2002)

Tired and formulaic.

[2 January 2003]

Is it just me or have I seen this movie before? "The Best Man", "The Wood", "The Brothers", "Two Can Play That Game". I did not like "Brown Sugar" mostly because it was a clone of anyone of the afore mentioned movies. The script nor the plot was hardly original. Supposedly the black folk's version of "When Harry Met Sally" (didn't really care for that one either) but the real problem with the movie is that it is boring. The only reason I went to see this movie is because I happen to adore Sanaa Lathan. It's a shame that she was in this crap. She hardly had anything to work with. And Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker looked as though they were trying to act as if they didn't already know each other from "Soul Food".

I hate the fact that every black movie that comes out has to be a romantic comedy, has to have a wedding, and has to have at least two or three actors from at least two or three of the other romantic comedies.

The comparison between love and hip-hop was stupid. I definitely would not recommend this movie unless you're off work, don't have anything better to do and just bored as hell and you happen to adore Sanaa Lathan like I do.

Double Take (2001)

Very stupid!

[2 January 2003]

Whenever this movie comes on Starz, I try to watch it (you know, to be open-minded) and I always end up turning the channel. The plot: stupid (hell, was there ever one!). Eddie Griffin's character was so blatantly annoying and unnecessarily ignorant. He would've made a great understudy for either Amos and Andy or Steppin and Fetchin. Take your pick. His performance was a send up of the typical minstrel characters from the 30's and 40's. As bafoonish as he was in the movie, it's so incredibly hard to believe that his character is ***SPOILER*** actually some sort of FBI agent.

Orlando Jones was okay. He has the potential for greatness, he just needs to be more wise in choosing roles. But hey, for $500,000 I probably would've starred in this jackass of a movie too.

Signs (2002)

One Big ?

[8 August 2002]

This is one of those movies that's like a life-size birthday cake and you know a beautiful woman is going to pop out, but low and behold, some aged-withered, sagging breasted granny pops out instead. I saw this movie last night and I spent the majority of my time jumping out of my seat. Signs sets you up in such a way that you just know that there is going to be an awesome climax and all loose ends will be tied up.

GUESS AGAIN!

The ending was one of the most major disappointments of my entire movie-watching career. Even more worse than Unbreakable and you know that sucked.

M. Night Shyamalan (hope I spelled his name right) took a great idea and fumbled it on the forty yard line. He took a plot and wrapped it around a totally different plot. He started out with aliens and then ended up with self-rediscovery. Two of the most unlike themes ever.

The problem with Signs was that the premise is totally misleading. From aliens and crop circles to finding one's faith again?

*********SPOILERS**********

Too much set up and not enough clarity.

How did the aliens form the crop circles? Where did they come from? What was their intent? How did the reverend's son become so insightful as to what was happening? What did the aliens do to the water? How and why was it harmful to them? Why were the spaceships only visible at night (and only as spots of light), but invisible during the day?

The buildup of suspense is intense (sometimes frustratingly unnecessary) for instance, when the aliens finally show up at the house and family locks itself in the cellar. The fear and terror of the aliens is expressed through loud, thud-sounding pounds on the door. The son, who has asthma has an attack (they would leave his medicine upstairs) while they wait out the night as the aliens try to get in. And while all this is going on, you never see not one alien. What kind of $#!t is that! Obviously a plot device to move things along quickly to the disappointing climax.

Finally...the so called climax!

You finally see the alien (the same one who the good reverend maimed while it was trapped in the pantry in the house of the man who killed the good reverend's wife...it was an accident).

A rush job at best. No tidying up of loose ends...and there are quite a few.

Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, and Abigail Breslin give great performances. Too bad they weren't enough to overshadow such a dull movie.

Two Can Play That Game (2001)

Enjoyable...watchable...but hardly memorable.

[1 August 2002]

This movie had the potential to do something great, but failed. Vivica Fox was decent in her first starring role (was it a starring role?) as Shante. She is a great actress who doesn't get great roles (like most black actresses) but she put accurate effort into the character. The problem was that the movie relied too heavily on Shante's in-your-face-dialogue. And the game itself was a bit too farfetched. Of course women play games, but the lengths Shante went to just to teach Keith a lesson wasn't realistic. And is it just me or was practically everybody from The Brothers in this movie? (Morris Chestnut, Tamala Jones, Gabrielle Union). Good note - Monique was hilarious in her role as she should be. I did like this movie, but it would be nice to see a black movie that doesn't always rely on humor and battle of the sexes-type themes. What I would give to see a serious movie about African-Americans again. Another Soul Food-esque film would be excellent.

Baby Boy (2001)

Singleton Back In The Hood.

[24 July 2002]

When I first saw the advertisements for Baby Boy, I was less than pressed to see it. I felt as if the last thing the Black Experience needed was another typical, gangsta flick about life in the hood. That is so early 90's. Black folks have moved on. But upon watching it on DVD, I had to admit that I judged the book by the cover. This movie was very good, nothing that I expected. John Singleton has said for the longest that he was going to complete his Hood trilogy and I'm glad that he did. Tyrese did an more-than-average job in his starring debut as Jody. I thought Taraji P. Hensen was dead-on as Yvette. She was so real and honest in her portrayal. There are so many sistahs out there like Yvette and I think Taraji represented them well. The only flaws were Snoop Dogg and Omar Gooding. Not every rapper (if any) can act and Omar just wasn't very believable as a thug. And then the ending was a bit too neat for me.

****SPOILERS****

Jody has spent years as a selfish, cheating manipulator and now all of sudden he's ready to be a man for Yvette and himself. Sweetpea kills Rodney and then gets baptized and it's all good. Singleton should've took a little more time to tie up these loose ends.

But I give him much credit for churning out a remarkable movie about life in the present hood.

Real Genius (1985)

Real Entertaining!

[23 July 2002]

I've loved this movie ever since the first time I watched it on HBO or Cinemax way back in 1987. Ever since then, I've been hooked. It's just one of those movies that's thoroughly entertaining, plotwise, special fx wise, you name it. I especially like the ending of the movie. I'm almost embarrassed to admit, but I'll sit there and watch the end credits roll just so I can hear Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". Real Genius is a great Friday night movie or any other night for that matter.

The Score (2001)

Entertaining enough, I guess.

[12 July 2002]

Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton gave great performances in this movie although it was a bit slow-dragging at times. The plot wasn't hard to figure out but at the same time it was too simple. Marlon Brando was good as well for the amount of time he was in it. And can someone please explain to me why in hell was someone with Angela Bassett's acting skills in this movie? Her screen time was so miniscule that it was pathetic. The scenes she were in were forgettable. This was a role for some lesser known actress. I guess Angela just wanted to get that $3.5M paycheck.

Minority Report (2002)

As good as expected.

[9 July 2002]

Minority Report pretty much met my expectations. It wasn't great, but it was definitely worth the $7.50. The visuals were fantastic. And the hype about the Spielberg and Cruise collaboration was a great way to entice moviegoers. The story and concept itself was really intriguing. The idea of Pre-Cogs being suspended in a tank of milk-like fluid was a bit unnerving. Imagine living your entire life like that. Concepts like that make you really think. I suspect that Phillip K. Dick did some serious drugs when he wrote this short story.

But back to the movie, I thought that Tom Cruise did an awesome job. Colin Farrell was very convincing. I truly hope to read a USAToday that automatically recognizes me when I pick it up to read. I give this movie ***1/2 out of ****.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Attack of the Clones was awesome!

[8 July 2002]

Attack of the Clones was great fun. I've already seen it four times (it would've been five, but I wasted money on Men In Black II instead. Please forgive me!) and I plan on seeing it at least two more times and then I think I'll be satisfied. This movie was definitely better than TPM (not that TPM was bad). The action was all that and the effects went well into hyper-drive. I liked how George changed it up in the beginning by letting the camera pans up (instead of down like all the other movies) and revealing Coruscant. The chase scene through Coruscant was spectacular. The love story may have been a little on the corny side (it could've been better) but other than that, Clones was great! Can't wait for Episode III.

Men in Black II (2002)

This movie sucked major a$$!

[8 July 2002]

I can't believe I wasted $4.00 (matinee price) on this crap. The plot sucked. The special effects sucked. And Lara Flynn Bole's bony butt should be arrested for wearing lace panties and a push up bra on a movie screen. I didn't expect much from this movie and I damn sure wasn't disappointed! I didn't like the first one so I knew I wasn't going to like this one. The only reason they're making such a bid deal over this movie is because of Will Smith. But I guess $20M is a strong motivator. MIBII is 90 minutes worth of pure, unadulterated bulls#%t! It's rare that I agree with the critics on movies, but they ain't lying about this one. Save your $4.00 (matinee price).

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Best of the trilogy!

[16 August 2001]

I can remember seeing The Empire Strikes Back back in 1980 when I was about six years old. I went to see it with my family and they sat through it a second time because I wanted to see it twice. They were all asleep by then, but I was faithfully awake, being completely blown away by the heroics of Luke, Han, and Leia. The visual effects in this film were outstanding. Like the Millennium Falcon being chased through he asteroid field. The attack of the AT-ATs at Echo Station. And the Millennium Falcon flying towards Cloud City. As a child, I always wondered how they created that remarkable location. Cloud City was the highlight of the film for me and remains until this day. George Lucas has a brilliant mind and will undoubtedly make Attack of the Clones (still trying to get used to that title) a must-see film for next summer.

Pearl Harbor (2001)

Just because it worked once didn't mean it would again!

[1 June 2001]

The major problem with Pearl Harbor is that Bruckheimer and Bay used the same formula as Titanic. Big mistake! First of all, Titanic was a disaster flick interwoven with a love story. A big ship sinking would basically appeal to the general movie-going public. Throw in a romance for extra measure-BOOM! You got a hit!

With Pearl Harbor, Bruckheimer and Bay made a movie about love and centered it around war. Then they went after two different audiences: teenagers particularly girls-thus the weak and tired love triangle, and adults-mainly veterans and survivors of Pearl Harbor.

It didn't work because they focused too much on the love story where you only see 35 minutes of Pearl Harbor getting bombed. This movie shouldn't have been 3 hours and 20 minutes long. You spend 2 hours just waiting to see the bombing, which was supposed to be the selling point, judging from the trailer and the title.

Now what they should have done was make Pearl Harbor about Pearl Harbor. The movie should have focused on the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the actual bombing itself, and the results from it. Love could've played a small supporting role.

Because of this, the small (and I do mean small) focus on Dorrie Miller (adequately played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) just seemed totally irrelevant. As an African-American man, I applaud Bruckheimer and Bay for at least acknowledging that the brothas were actually there, which Saving Private Ryan conveniently forgot to do! But the plot contrivance with the love story and the bombing just made Cuba seem out of place. By the end of the movie, you're wondering why they even bothered putting the brotha in there.

And the love story itself... totally lacked realism and compassion. I would even go so far as to say that Kate Beckinsale's Evelyn was reduced to a common whore, having gotten herself in between two best friends.

Overall, Pearl Harbor was a disappointment!

What works for one movie won't work for another!

Peace!

The Golden Girls (1985–1992)

Pure Gold!

[20 October 2000]

I watch this show everyday on Lifetime. It is one of the few shows that has me laughing the entire 30 minutes. The chemistry between Bea, Betty, Rue, and Estelle is great. To choose a favorite character is impossible. Dorothy cracks me up when she becomes fed up with Rose's St. Olaf stories, which by the way are hilarious. Blanche and her sexual escapades have me laughing so hard, my eyes water. And last but not least, there's feisty, sharp-tongued Sophia. I just love the way she cracks on Dorothy and at the same time she's expressing love for her daughter. I especially like the way make-up folks were able to make Estelle look older than she actually was. The Golden Girls is one of those timeless sitcoms that never gets boring.

ER (1994–2009)

Same ole story!

[18 October 2000]

I am an "ER" fan, no doubt. I just don't understand why do the writers always focus on certain characters and leave others out. Case in point: Michael Michelle aka Cleo Finch. She's been on a whole season and we don't know a damn thing about her. I'm not even going to touch on her being African American, but it seems to me that all the other new characters have been fleshed out way more than hers. You know about Luca, who is somewhat annoying and boring. You know about Abby, who seemed to have the spotlight in the season premiere. Can we please have some storylines that revolve around Cleo Finch? It seems like she's nothing more than eye candy.

Bring It On (2000)

By far one of the best of 2000!

[9 October 2000]

At first, I wasn't pressed to go see this movie, but after seeing the fabulous Gabrielle Union and Blaque get down, I had to check it out. I'm glad I did. The movie was funny and very well directed. Kirsten Dunst was hilariously cute as Torrance and the cheers were da bomb! One of the best of 2000!

Love & Basketball (2000)

Sanaa Lathan's glorious debut!!!!

[9 October 2000]

Before I comment on this movie, I have to get this off my chest: Sanaa Lathan is by far one of the most beautiful black actresses out there! Her beauty is soft and otherworldly. I had to go out and find a picture of her to use as wallpaper for my desktop. Looking at her makes the day go by just a little bit faster. I can't wait to see her in "Disappearing Acts" on HBO.

Okay now about the movie . . . it was real good!

The story was real and I think Omar Epps did a great job opposite the magnetic Sanaa Lathan even though I had to admit Sanaa was the main reason for me going to see this movie. "Love and Basketball" gets *** out of ****. I highly recommend it for a date movie.

Supernova (I) (2000)

Angela Bassett is a magnet!

[5 September 2000]

It seems like whenever I hear Angela Bassett's name attached to a movie, I have to go see it. She was the only thing of interest in this movie to me. The plot was weak, the story was weak, and the acting (except for Angela) sucked much a$$! Angela Bassett was the only bright spot in this stank movie.

City of Angels (2000)

Great show depicting the talent of under used African-American actors!

[20 March 2000]

I watch this show every week and I will say it will be a great injustice if this show gets cancelled! For the entire hour, I am completely captivated! I find myself laughing, gasping, damn near crying sometimes because of the depth of the story! "ER" might want to take a few pointers! I just love the way the writers have put Lillian Price and Ron Harris in this powder keg! You can just tell in the upcoming episodes that there is going to be some s**t between those two! I'm rooting for my girl Lillian! Ron Harris needs to learn some humility! YOU SEE HOW CAUGHT UP I AM IN THIS SHOW! CBS better recognize and renew this show for the fall season! If CBS can keep a sorry and miserable show like "Chicago Hope" on for another long and boring season, then they have to come correct with "City of Angels"!