FreLi77 Reviews

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

It was just ok...

[6/10 · 24 April 2023]

First let me start with what was good about this movie. Of course the music was nostalgic and enjoyable. I think the casting was spot on for the most part however the cast can only work with the script they are given. To make it plain, it was a great cast but a poorly constructed storyline.

This movie was very choppy and disconnected. It felt like a bunch of scenes that were haphazardly thrown together. The movie lacked charachter development. Whitney Houston had a larger then life personality. There were so many missed opportunities for us to really get to know the "who, what and even possibly why" of WH.

Honestly, it felt like an extended music video. Everything was very "surface level". I really wanted to like this movie but it was so disappointing. The only saving grace was the "essence" of Whitney Houston herself - -which was respectfully memorialized through performance of Naomi Ackie.

We will always love Whitney Houston, The Voice. She deserves a better Biopic.

Westworld (2016–2022)

Masterful....just hear me out.

[9/10 · 2 September 2022]

Initially, the series began to feel disjointed to me by season 4, however I decided to give it another chance. I'm so glad I did!!!

I binged watch all 4 seasons and gained an appreciation for just how masterful this storyline is. There are so many clues and Easter eggs leading up to season 4. I highly recommend those who claim to love season 1 so much to go back and watch it all again.

In my opinion, I think part of the problem is that many viewers overly romanticized about the world/game of Westworld. They wanted the show to "park" right there, but this show is not about the game. The game is just the beginning of something bigger and darker. And yet at the same time as the world gets darker we also see the oppressed, the abused and misused rise to the top.

It may be messy but it's beautiful. "There is beauty in this world" I think it was mastetfullh done! I hope they get the green light for season 5.

Motel Makeover (2021)

Romy and Michele's Motel Makeover

[6/10 · 6 September 2021]

So...I enjoyed seeing the transformations but I felt like I was watching a "Where are they now" type show for Romy & Michele - - -which is one of my favorite movies by the way, but it doesn't really work for this show.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Not Really Good

[6/10 · 26 December 2020]

I really wanted to like this movie. The story had "good pieces" but it just wasn't put together well. It was also too long for this storyline. The first 20-30 mins started off with great potential. After that, the story never gained momentum. I enjoyed Kristen Wiig as Cheetah. I wished they would have explored the dynamics between her and Diana a little more vs the Maxwell Lord storyline. Pedro Pascal's version of this character seemed a little too "forced". Again, I really wanted to like this movie but it never came through.

The Gospel (2005)

It's not awful

[9/10 · 12 October 2005]

I thought the film was a good family faith-based film. No, it wasn't jaw-dropping awesome, however considering the circumstances of trying to create a movie that would attract the black church community but still NOT be too preachy to attract non-church goers as well...I think they did a decent job. The characters were real......I really enjoyed Nona Gaye. The biggest flaw may have been Boris Kodjoe. Although he is GREAT to look at on screen, he just didn't seem believable. He didn't really look like a secular artist...but then again, maybe that was the point (He didn't belong) AND he didn't look like he can sing (OR SAAANG, like they say in church). Otherwise, I enjoyed the film. The music was OK. The title track is banging but the rest of the songs weren't that Hot. Kirk Franklin could've hooked the movie up a little better than that!