17 | July | 2015 | Fights & Film

The new trailer for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is finally out and it looks amazing!!! Unlike a lot of people I’m actually a big fan of the original Man of Steel movie. I’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t perfect by any means, and it was definitely a little too cheesy at times, but I still loved it. I think what I liked the most about it was the main villain General Zod (played by the great Michael Shannon) and his clash against Superman who I consider to be greatest hero of all time.

To me what makes Batman V Superman so exciting is the fact that it has so many iconic and legendary characters in it. I’ll watch anything with Superman or Batman in it, so a movie with both of them (not to mention fighting each other!!) is almost like a dream come true.

From what the trailer shows, the film is definitely going to address all the rampant destruction that Superman caused in the last movie during his final fight with Zod, and I really like that. I like that there are consequences and real life situations in the DC universe, I appreciate that Zach Snyder is attempting to tell a more realistic story (well as realistic as you can get with superheros). Plus I’m very interested to see Ben Afflecks performance as Batman as well as where this film leads us in the greater DC universe.

I already know that 2016 is going to be an amazing year in film with so many great movies coming out (Captain America 3: Civil War, X-Men Apocalypse, Deadpool, Suicide Squad, etc), but if I had to pick 1 movie that I’m most looking forward to it has to be Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. I can’t wait for it to be March already!!

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to come out in theaters on March 25th

Dope (2015)

This review is a few weeks late since I saw the movie back in June, but better late than never! This movie is so good it deserves to be talked about more. Dope has a mostly unknown group of actors but it is such a great movie. It has an excellent performances by the cast, a fantastic soundtrack, and a a hilarious yet thought provoking plot.

The film’s story is very original, it does gets a little too far fetched sometimes with the character’s schemes and their use of technology, but the film is so enjoyable to watch that I give the filmmakers a pass.Even though its technically a high-school movie, Dope is very different from any other “high school movie” that I’ve ever seen been before. For one the film takes place in Inglewood, California in a neighborhood referred to as “the bottoms”. It’s not often that you see major motion pictures set in the hood, where the main characters aren’t gangsters, rappers, or thugs. What makes Dope unique is that the 3 main characters are all nerdy kids that want to go to college. Dope is both a hilarious and dramatic film that pays attention to an often ignored side of our society, and does an excellent job at telling an original story.

There are plenty of things to like about this film. It’s beautifully shot, and edited. The film has a fantastic soundtrack, great visuals and very well made montages. The dialogue is very funny and witty too. What made the movie for me though had to be the performances by all the main characters. Shameik Moore (who plays the main character Malcolm) in particular gave a superb performance, I see a bright future in the movie business for him. There is one scene in particular where he finally stands up to his tormentor that was so good it gave me chills. Tony Revolori & Kiersey Clemons were excellent as well, they both did great jobs at making their characters funny and relate-able at the same time. I also enjoyed the supporting role performances by Blake Anderson (of Workaholics fame) as well as rapper A$AP Rocky‘s first big role in a motion picture.

Another great thing about the Dope is all the questions that it raises. There aren’t too many films out there that focus on high school kids that go to school in the ghetto, Dope does an excellent job at telling a unique story that focuses on an ofter ignored minority in our country. The film deals with themes like drugs, violence, bullying, gang mentality, pressure from society, and what it means to be black nowadays.

Dope is a far from perfect film, but it’s refreshingly original and it breaks the mold of what a high-school/coming of age movie is supposed to be like. Dope isn’t scared to ask hard questions, and shine a light at some ugly aspects of our society. It is a very thought provoking film, but it is also very funny and so enjoyable to watch. I don’t know much about director Rick Famuyiwa‘s work but I’ll be sure to check out his future projects. Dope is an amazing movie and it deserves all the praise it gets. if you haven’t already done so, go see it! 4/5