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tapharoahelliott
Reviews
All the Queen's Men (2021)
PROS & CONS (more cons than pros)
PROS:
- It was entertaining enough to get me through a patch of boredom.
- Eva Marcille was aesthetically perfect for the lead character.
- The most well executed part of the series are the scenes announcing the dancers and Christian Keyes performance in his role.
CONS:
- Poor studio lighting and shaky camera frames. It makes the production look very low budget from a credible producer with the largest filming studio in the country. It's filmed like a daytime soap opera from the 90s.
- The scene changes and camera angles are very basic and don't have any creativity put into the editing.
- The delivery from the actors came across as practice or a rehearsal for the final taping as if they still had the script in their hands, reading aloud, rehearsing the scenes. Christian Keyes, quit naturally, was the strongest actor.
- Very weak dialogue with an excessive amount of unnecessary profanity and racial slurs. It's also very monotone and doesn't give a balanced ranges of emotions. It's very aggressive and dense in every episode.
- I don't mind the massive amount sexual expression in the plot but theirs absolutely no creativity or originality put into the portrayal.
- It comes across more as improv and as libs than it does a written series.
- The story isn't cohesive nor does it have an organic flow and it's very predictable.
- The adult rated scenes don't have any passion and don't really give you that sense of arousal that they should. It almost comes across of a parody of what a adult rated scene is suppose to look like.
- Unnecessary background music dilutes a lot of the (acting) performances in certain scenes and it's excessively used in every single scene.
- There's absolutely no character development. Just an ongoing plot drawn out plot with no foundation.
- It's unbelievably dramatic.
- The work that went into making this series relatable to a designated demographic could went into creating something next level and evolutionizing for that designated demographic.
The Reading (2023)
Holes in the storyline but entertaining!
The plot twist throws the storyline completely off but at the same time, heats the film up. I did like the supernatural element that the co-lead female actress portrayed but...I also don't think she was suited for a role like that. Her performance was bland. Most of the stunts performed didn't look real at all, mainly referring to the punches and stabbings. They didn't land. Even with the production budget being low, the stunts could've been better executed in my opinion. Overall though, the film was entertaining and it was intriguing to see Monique embody that type of character on film. I just wish that the plot was better explained so that I could've connected with the film more vs. Just being entertained by it.
Wicked City (2022)
I rate this show a 10 because....
I'm entertained! In later seasons, hopefully they explore more African magic practices and really authenticate the tone. Like another review said, it sort of feels like "actors trying to act". In example: Casting a black actor/actress for a role that's been predominantly portrayed by white actors and the actor tries to add their essence to a character that was written for someone white. It kind of feels like the tone of this show, only because of the type/tone of magic that's being depicted. I'm in love with the idea! I won't be petty over production quality or graphics because I understand the business side. But also like someone else said, I would love to see the story go really deep and give the characters more of an authentic definition. But outside of my honest opinion, I really am entertained and will continue to watch because it's the only series featuring an all black cast of witches (to my knowledge) and I'm supporting. Witchcraft is something typically frowned upon in the black community. So, the series is definitely ground-breaking regardless. And that's all that really matters.
Blue Beetle (2023)
It's a fun movie!
The dialogue or backstory isn't the strongest but it's a great movie to watch with your children. For adults? Maybe not. It doesn't really dive into the mental of the characters like Marvel films do. I feel like they wanted to take it in that direction with the story (like when the showed the scene of the villain's childhood) but was moreso in favor of keeping it PG for the younger viewers. But to be honest, seeing the glimpse of the villain's backstory was probably the strongest scene in the movie. I definitely would've given this another star or two though had they not censored Xolo Maridueña's nude scenes.