“Everything, Everywhere”: Review
“Blue Bayou” Review
"Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood" Review
“First Purge” REVIEW
It’s time to go back to the beginning and see just how the yearly ritual got started in the Universal Film that is becoming a anthem for its Halloween Horror Nights.
The First Purge stars nearly a predominant African American cast as it shows typical stereotypes for the race as well as anger that the government seeks to control through its purging ritual. Using relative unknown actors is a challenge but for the film sake of it, it showcases the fact that anyone can “purge” so to speak and it doesn’t take big name actors to drive people to see this film. That aside, let’s talk about a few break out stars including Rotimi Paul who played Skelter, the individual who all throughout the story followed as one understands the anger and frustration that he feels as the President first announces the experiment. Over all Paul has a way of using his nonverbal acting skills to portray his feelings emotionally leading up to the “12 hour purging” and although I’m not a huge fan of killing for the sake of killing, I must say his acting captivated my attention and made me want to watch to see just how he was going to retaliate.
The other break out star was the subtle romance of Isaiah (Joivan Wade) with his girlfriend Nya (Lex Scott Davis) which ultimately helped drive the need for survival as everyone else is trying to just kill mercilessly. The dynamic of the characters made the audience grab on to someone for fear that the next moment would be their last as the couple tried desperately to get to the safe haven of the church. In the end, only time would tell if they made it or not.
Overall, at an hour 38 minute run time and with a “R” rating, The First Purge is not a movie for all but for those select few who have a urge to see a good old fashioned blood bath, then perhaps, this is the movie for you. It allows everyone to “witness the birth of an American Tradition” and fully understand just where the annual “purging” came from.
The First Purge came out in theaters July 4 and is currently playing in a theater near you. See it and get ready for the “purging” happening at Universal Studios this year.
“Fantastic Beasts” Top Box Office
The highly anticipated prequel to the Harry Potter Franchise is bringing out all sorts of creatures to the big screen as fans flock the theaters opening weekend and help the movie take number one at the box office with 75 million domestically, as last week’s front-runners, Dr. Strange and Trolls, barely held on to the second and third places with 17 million each.
The latest film produced by J.K Rowling, delves into one of the many textbooks that Harry Potter and his friends study at Hogwarts and explores the journey to put together the manuscript as Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, comes to America with his briefcase of many monsters. While in America, Scamander discovers that the witches and wizards are underground from their muggle or as they call them nonmaj residents who fear magic and seek actively to find and kill them in a second Salem act. Meanwhile, the children who possess magic are punished for it and so are turned into the monsters that are making the Witches Council of the United States of America scared of discovery especially when Scamander arrives and some of his creatures escape through a chance encounter with a nonmaj, Kowalski, played by Dan Fogler.
Now it’s up to Scamander and Kowalski to track down all of his creatures before the council gets a hold of them and destroys them. At two hours and thirteen minutes, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them brings audiences even deeper into the Wizarding World with an up close and personal looking into the mysterious creatures that Harry Potter has only read about. Set in the 1920’s America, it’s a movie that truly stands on its own. The imagery of the creatures and the land inside Scamander’s briefcase will have audiences wishing they could be there to as Scamander introduces for the first time a nonmaj to his creatures in order to help him truly understand that they are not dangerous.
Fantastic Beats and Where To Find Them opened with nearly all theaters sold out at the Thursday night showings on November 17th and is currently playing in a theater near you. See it and let the magic transform you.
5th Annual Native American Festival in Long Beach
On Saturday March 15, 2014 from 1 to 6, Long Beach residents experienced everything Native American at Shoreline Village in a Free Festival. With music, storytelling and arts and crafts, people were able to learn a little about the Native culture.
Watch below to see the beautiful dances that were being displayed just off the coast of the port of Long Beach.