Movie talk

So half of the year is already gone and with the frenzy to make meaning of our lives before the year ends, many of us have become too busy to kick off our shoes, relax on our couches and have ourselves a nice movie time. Yeah, some of you especially those in Lagos have visited the cinema different weekends but with the speed at which hit movies are being released coupled with our stagnant incomes and steep budget, you may not get the chance to watch certain entertaining movies. So here’s my bit in making your choice a lot easier.

1. White House Down – Besides the fact that Jamie Foxx played the president plus some of Channing Tatum’s character's choices were 'so Hollywood', this movie was an absolute delight to watch. It brought back a bit of the feeling I had watching Air force One (where Harrison Ford played the president hijacked in mid air). It had a perfect blend of emotional moments, comedy and action sequences. Unlike Olympus has Fallen which failed to capture my heart with its first scene (with the death of Ashley Judd), the realistically built white house set made this movie believable and Emily's bravery (played by Joey King) reminded me of why Journalists deserve respect.

2. The Purge – Sounds like a horror movie right? Well, it might not be freaky or paranormal in a horror sense but it redefined the definition of horror by posing a probable scenario – the dedication of 12 hours of one day in a whole year to legalize crime so as to ensure the society remains peaceful in the long run. It kinda reminds me of 30 Days of Night (starring Josh Hartnett) not necessarily in it's execution but in making me wonder what would happen if that scenario really did happen in modern times. Now whenever a movie seems plausible I’m going to be truly horrified. What really scared me about this movie was not the level of violence (because I didn’t consider it violent at all, just a bit too clichéd especially with Ethan Hawk as one of the lead character) but the thought that the heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it? If all human beings were allowed to ‘cleanse’ their souls by acting out every negative imagination in their heart towards those who have hurt them one way or another, the world will truly be an inhabitable place to live. Thank God the actually possibility of legalized crime does not exist.

3. A Thousand Words – Eddie Murphy is back y’all but not in the capacity you remember him. He’s known for being a funny blabber mouth (remember he's the voice of Donkey in Shrek) and for the first time, he had to shut up and be funny. The idea alone made me want to watch this movie. This just reminds me of how flat Chris Tucker’s jokes were at the 2013 BET Awards, he and Chris Rock should be grateful to the likes of Eddie who paved the way for them in the movie industry. In the end the movie was all about learning to value your words, being deliberate about the choice of words you speak because in the multitude of words, sin is not far off.

4. Chasing Mavericks – In Nigeria surfing isn’t really a sport majority of the populace care about so it’s easy to understand if this movie holds no appeal. Just like Coach Carter, this movie is an inspirational tale based on the true story of Jay Moriarity, a young surfer, who achieved a historic milestone at the age of 16 and drowned in the Maldives 7 years later while free diving. This biographical drama released in 2012 shows the importance of mentorship; starring Gerald Butler as the mentor, Frosty, and Jonny Weston who played Jay in the movie. This film shows how through hard work and commitment, despite personal tragedy, dreams can be achieved.

5. Odd Thomas - I have never heard of Stephen Sommers before this movie but when I saw the sentence, ‘based on a novel by Dean Koontz’ I just knew this would be a great movie. Ever read the book or watched the movie, The Sphere? Yeah, he - Dean - did that. Back to Stephen Sommers, apparently he not only directed the movie, he also wrote the screenplay. The emotional ending was the most endearing part of this movie for me. The storyline was fantastic and for a paranormal freak like myself, I couldn’t help sitting at the edge of my seat with a big toothed grin as light hearted humour and narration kept the movie from being too dark and gloomy.

6. The Croods - This animation felt like a waste of time to me despite the fact that I understand they were trying a new angle; unlike Happy Feet 2 which was once again delightful though not as attention grabbing as its first installment. Yes, the Croods is visually stunning and the variation of species indicative of evolution has the hallmark of a true Dreamworks production. However, my beef was with the modern day American attitude and feel the characters had which to me made the whole primitive concept look weak, even though lots of critics praised it highly. Summary of my thoughts: Lovely message of adaptability, overcoming fear and letting go but not worth raving about.

There are so many more movies I've watched recently that i would have loved to talk about like Evil Dead, Red, Incerdible Burt Wonderstone, Looper, Lone Ranger, Justice League(The Flashpoint Paradox), oblivion, Man of Steel and Iron Man 3 just to name a few. Maybe my next review would simply be a couple of lines on each of these movies so I can cover much more. For more on my reviews, you can check me out on Rotten Tomatoes. Until then, do take out time to relax on weekends by watching a good movie. Chao!

Trendy Eyeglasses

Everyone’s rocking fashionable eye glasses which go very well with the semi-corporate trend showcased by musicians and celebrities like D’banj and Justin Timberlake. You probably know these retro glasses as Ray Ban but that’s actual a brand like your Gucci or Prada. To get in on the trend, you need one of the three distinct types of trendy glasses out there:

Aviator glasses – this sunshade’s dark & reflective convex lens with thin metal straps has been around for ages and still remains stylish. Not all aviators have dark shades, these days they come with a variety of coloured lenses as well as non-coloured lenses. Check out the likes of Angelina Jolie, Kanye West or even Huge Jackman.

Cat eye glasses - this sunglass has so many colourful versions, that it can range from playful to austere. It’s mostly sported by ladies like Katty Perry, Rihanna, Scarlet Johansson, etc. The most popular is the type worn by Kourtney Kardashian (hers is designed by Tom Ford).

Geek chick glasses – these glasses can make you look nerdy but in reality, it actually actuates your cheek bone structure. The lens can be transparent like the one used by Tinie Tempah, Ann Hathaway and other celebrities. the good thing about these types of glasses is they can embody both aviator and cateye frames just asl long as they make you look nerdy.