What makes Halle Berry such a great actress is that regardless of the role, lead or supporting, good or bad, you never doubt her commitment to giving it everything that she’s got, and that commitment is more than evident in her latest film, ‘Bruised’, which debuted in theaters yesterday (11/17) and will hit Netflix a week later (11/24).

In the film, she plays Jackie Justice, a disgraced MMA fighter looking for redemption after her last fight left her crawling out the cage. It’s the classic fight story, but in this instance, Jackie is also fighting to be a mom to the son that she abandoned years ago.

For the role, Berry dives in headfirst (literally headbutting her opponent in the early moments of the film) by putting herself through grueling training for nearly three years and helping reimagine the story that was originally written for a young white woman, and had Blake Lively attached as its star. It’s a familiar fight that Berry has faced for most of her career and one that she, for the most part, wins here as she also steps behind the camera for the first time.

Berry is fearless as Jackie providing both the physically needed to believe that she is a fighter and the emotional awareness to deliver in the dramatic scenes. There are few actresses as gifted at displaying the strength of a broken woman, and if anyone needed a reminder, she shows that she is far greater than the material that she has been rewarded by delivering her best performance since her powerfully understated work in ‘Things We Lost in the Fire’.

She also shows potential as a director and despite some choppy shots here and there that lack fluidity, you can tell Berry cares about each and every character as she frames their faces in ways that bring the best out of them. Danny Boyd Jr., who plays Manny, says so much with his eyes without saying a thing at all, Sheila Atim is revelation as her trainer turned lover Buddhakan, Adriane Lenox is great as her mom and Stephen McKinley Henderson feels at ease as Pops despite his presence being severely underused until the final stretch.

Still, ‘Bruised’ does take quite a beating in the grand scheme of things as the script by first-time screenwriter Michelle Rosenfarb is a laundry list of cliches that are often put out there without any true resolution. The characters feel undeveloped and with the story being so familiar there needed to be something that separates it from the pack besides a black female protagonist.

There isn’t and as a result, the only thing that leaves a mark are the performances.

3 OUT OF 5

Set in circus era, during the Great Depression, ‘Water for Elephants’ depicts the life of fictional character Jacob Jankowski and how joining the Benzini Brothers’ Most Spectacular Show on Earth, forever changed his life.

“It All Begins… With A Choice”, reads the official promotional poster for ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’, the story of an average teenage girl trapped between two abnormal guys, one a vampire and the other a werewolf.

Throughout the history of television, hundreds of female ensemble shows have come and gone, some of them were great and some of them should have never made it on air, but few (if any) of them have connected with viewers in the vain of 'Sex and the City', which ended its run on HBO in 2004.

Women loved that these women were fearless and dealt with real-life situations in ways that a bulk of them could only dream, and men were given a glimpse into the heads of four totally different women and how each of these women reacted to different things regarding the opposite sex.

Unfortunately, for those die hard fans, that magical allure has failed to transition from the television screen onto the big screen, as the once slick writing and intelligent character development have all hit the door to make room for the sparkly and at times, hideous fashion.

Led by writer Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her gal pals Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), the film picks up approximately two years after the original, which saw Carrie finally wed the love of her life Big (Chris Noth).

Fast forward two years and the ending is still not very happy for Bradshaw, as she feels the two have become a little too settled in the traditional bounds of marriage. She desires some sense of spontaneity, but he would prefer to order in takeout and sit in the bed and watch old black and white movies.

Samantha is engaged in a fight against menopause, Miranda quits her job after having her voice silenced and Charlotte deals with pressures of motherhood.

A luxurious escape is provided for the ladies when Samantha gets an all expenses paid publicity trip to an Abu Dhabi resort and brings her pals along for the ride.

It is there that Bradshaw runs into the counterpart of her second most significant relationship on the show, Aidan (John Corbett), and what was marketed as the year's biggest secret turned out to be nothing more than a dull kiss, that fails to ignite any sparks into the already bland script.

That along with their blatant disrespect for the culture of the foreign land, can almost make the film unbearable and the two and half hour run doesn't help.

By the sagas end, the ladies are exactly where they were before, Carrie in the arms of Big, Miranda successful at work, Charlotte enjoying her family life and Samantha on her back screaming at the mercy of her latest conquest, Rikard (Max Ryan).

The ladies have not lost an ounce of the chemistry they shared during the show's run and furthermore, each and every one of them brings something significant to their characters. They are over the top and annoying (at different times), but no matter how it plays out, they always provide a sense of believability.

Michael Patrick King, who wrote and directed the flick, once again proves to be mediocre (at both jobs) as the transitions lack fluidity or a sense of true skill. That said, he is very conscious of the aging women and does his best to paint them in a positive light, which works for the most part.

In parts, 'Sex and the City 2' is exactly what you want it to be glamorous, fun and flashy, but when all the spectacular and grand sparkle finally wears off, the film is clearly missing the primary ingredient of substance.

Gathering for their annual couples retreat, where they ask the question 'Why Did I Get Married?', four couples take a trip to the Bahamas, where the problems and secrets within their marriages are revealed and brought to the light.

For Terry (Tyler Perry) and Dianne (Sharon Leal), this means facing the hurdle of the emotional affair that she is having with a co-worker, while Angela (Tasha Smith) struggles with trusting her husband Marcus (Michael Jai White), a task that is only heighten by his refusal to provide her with the password to his phone.

Affected by the move from Colorado to Atlanta, as well as, a new baby, Troy (Lamman Rucker) and Shelia (Jill Scott) are conquering the burden of managing their finances, and Troy begins to question his manhood and place the blame on his wife for not being able to find a job. Matters are only made worse for the couple when her ex-husband Mike (Richard T. Jones), who is battling cancer, crashes the trip and aims to win back the woman he lost.

Like most Perry productions, these are issues that you can safely assume will eventually work themselves out and end happily, but when Patricia (Janet Jackson) and Gavin (Malik Yoba), who always have the solution for everyone else, use the getaway to announce they are getting a divorce, the two are embroiled a messy divorce that comes to a destructive conclusion.

The film's strongest asset comes into play with the cast, who are completely believable as group of friends. In fact, the interaction shared between them feels so genuine, that you are taken back to similar gatherings with your friends.

Still, the obvious highlight is Janet Jackson, who turns in an emotionally-charged performance that surprises you in more ways than one. Filmed in the months surrounding her brother's death, you feel her pain and grief pouring through the screen, a feat that not only touches your heart, but also makes you realize that you may have given Jackson less credit than she deserved as an actress.

Tasha Smith, who plays Angela and was an immense delight in the first feature, is quite the opposite in this film as she becomes nothing more than a continuation of the stereotypical black woman that she played in the first film.

It's not the fact that Perry places a character of this magnitude in every one of his productions or the lack of growth displayed within her character that are the issues here, but rather the fact that none of her jokes seem natural and that it all comes across as Smith grabbing for laughs as oppose to them being handed to her.

Aside from that, Perry is also unbelievable as Terry, given his delivery in movies where he plays any character other than his alter-ego Madea, always seems to take a path reminiscent of the gun-shooting diva.

Directed by Perry, who has directed all of his films expect 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman', he struggles with making transitions and things don't flow as smoothly as they would if he invested in a director with the proper experience.

He deserves credit for shouldering so many duties (actor, writer, producer and director), but by delivering such mediocre performances with each task, one has to point out that maybe Perry should limit the number of caps he wears.

With the original film in 2007, Perry delivered what still stands as his best work, the script and characters were well-developed, and it relied less on his wild writing antics and more on trying to get its point across.

Here, however, Perry erases all of the personal growth the characters acquired throughout the first feature and they relapse back into their old patterns, only to leave the audience feeling cheated, which is the consistent result of his films.

Ending with a cliffhanger that leads you to believe a third film may surface, he plays it safe and even when he tries to stir the pot, it's a move that you already saw coming and to put it simply, 'Married Too' is worth watching for one reason only, the incredible performance supplied by Janet Jackson.

The story begins in 1991 with a young Ally witnessing her mom being robbed and killed at gunpoint by two men at the subway station. It then transfers to ten years later, where she is now a college student played by Emilie de Ravin that lives with her police officer father Sgt. Neil Craig (played by Chris Cooper).

Robert Pattinson enters the film as Tyler Hawkins, a rebellious young man, who is still grieving the death of his brother Michael and houses resentment towards his business focused father, who is portrayed spot-on by Pierce Brosnan.

After getting into a late-night altercation with Sgt. Craig that leads to the arrest of him and his best friend Aidan Hall (Tate Ellington), Aidan devices a plan to have Tyler date Ally as a tactic to seek revenge over Craig, but when Tyler and Ally unexpectedly find solace through the sadness that has affected each of their lives, the plan completely loses its ground.

Tyler and Ally fight hard for the love they share with each other and even though it doesn't get to fully run its course (a fact that makes the title all the more significant), it is capped off by a powerful ending that occurs on a historic date.

While the film has placed many tests before Pattinson as to whether he can truly be referred to as a leading man, the main question was could he convincingly play a character other than Edward Cullen. Truth be told, in the beginning stages it's hard to picture him as anyone other than his cold-blooded alter ego, but as the film progresses, Pattinson (who also executive-produces the film) wins you over with his charm and believability as Tyler.

He showcases a perfect blend of anger towards his father, love for his sister Caroline (Ruby Jerins) and Ally, while still abundantly revealing the depth and regret he feels for his brother Michael.

Rounded out by nice performance from his co-stars Ravin, Brosnan, Cooper and the lovable Jerins, acting is one of the film's strongest assets.

Directed by Allen Coulter, who has mostly worked in television, he relies on Pattinson's pretty face by upping the number of close-up shots, yet still manages to effectively let the story unfold in a clean-cut and polished manner.

Accompanied by a poignant score courtesy of Marcelo Zarvos and nice cinematography work from Jonathan Freeman , the film is extremely earnest.

'Remember Me' is a story that you very much want to like, if for no other reason than to witness the mesmerizing glare of its star Robert Pattinson, but at times, its a story that plays it too safe and almost becomes forgettable until the shocking turn of events at the closing.

Still, it very much resonates with you and the ending proves to be just enough fire to bring you to tears and leave the cinemas without feeling shortchanged.

Trailing a minor incident that results in Bella almost being attacked by Jasper, Edward and the rest of the Cullens make the decision to leave Forks, Washington, which sends her into a downward spiraling depression that is only escapable through recklessly living on the edge or the figurative solace of Jacob.

Entangled in the world of human and vampire love, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) reluctantly celebrates her 18th birthday after an added push and a game of mind control from the Cullens. Unfortunately, things fail to go as planned when Bella unintentionally pricks her finger while opening a gift and fuels the least-controlled family vampire Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) with the desire of her blood.

Save once again by Edward (Robert Pattinson), the actions of Jasper doesn’t outrage Bella as much as they reassert to Edward that him being with Bella only puts her in constant danger. With that in mind, he makes the decision to up root and leave, which isn’t met with understanding or acceptance from Bella, even after he breaks her heart by telling her he doesn’t want her.

The heartbreak of losing the love of her life sends Bella in a deep depression, which sees her abandoning her friends and screaming from horrific and unfathomable dreams in the middle of the night. It is only through the company of her friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) or the act of living dangerous, which allows her to see Edward through hallucinations, that Bella finds any sense of relief or atonement.

Jacob, who is harboring a secret life as a wolf, has a depth of love for Bella that is denied vocally in return, but often teasingly displayed in return by her actions, and it is only through her leaving to save Edward that officially lays to rest the notion of her completely feeling the same way. Something that is sure to be heavily played with in the upcoming third installment, Eclipse.

Barely managing to save Edward from exposing himself as a vampire, they must face the Volturi (the vampires that enforce the laws), who are amazed with Bella’s ability to remain obsolete to their powers and grants them a waiver with the condition that Bella must be turned into a vampire, which is essentially what she already desired.

Edward rejects this notion in his mind and upon vocalizing this thought to Bella, she takes it upon herself to arrange a vote that is granted from everyone except Edward and Roslie, who rejects because she knows she wouldn’t want to be subjected to life as a vampire (if it was a choice).

Backed into a corner, Edward agrees to be the one that transforms Bella into a vampire, but only if she does him the honor of becoming his wife, a question that will remain unanswered until Eclipse in June 2010.

The acting is much better this time around and the three stars seem to have really found the connective thread that makes their character click. Kristen Stewart nicely portrays the emotions Bella goes through with a sense of vulnerability and the lust of a girl deeply in love. Robert Pattinson, who is missing for a heavy portion of the movie, does the best he can with the minimal depth that lays within the script for him and Taylor Lautner firmly steps in as eye candy with actual range. Much improved.

Stepping in for Catherine Hardwicke, director Chris Weitz gives the film a polished and refined look, although he occasionally evoked some questionable effects and the action sequences often seemed a little too spur of the moment and not done in transitions to effectively create a momentum. He captures the emotions really well, which is evident in the scenes circling Bella as she deals with the months of her depression. By no means free of glitches, but definitely elevated from the original.

New Moon overlaps Twilight not because it is a better book, but simply because it stays true to the book. It captures the unknown intensity of the connection between Bella and Jacob, and doesn’t default on crucial scenes needed to be visualized for fans of the book, which was done on more than one account with the first installment.

Derek Charles, a successful asset manager who has just received a huge promotion, is blissfully happy in his career and in his marriage to the beautiful Beth. But when Lisa, a temp worker, starts stalking Derek, everything he's worked so hard for, are placed in jeopardy.

Scripted by David Loughery, who also penned "Lakeview Terrance", "Obsessed" takes you down the road of extreme predictability and leaves very little to the imagination of what's to come at the finish line.

Obviously, an updated version of the 1987 classic thriller, "Fatal Attraction", which has lived in the minds of moviegoers for over two decades, as we examined Glenn Close, as the woman disdained that let her frustration evoke an emotion that caught moviegoers, especially women, by the heart.

With that said, "Obsessed", is just the opposite, as the movie fails to establish a real connection between Derek, played by Idris Elba, and Lisa, played by Ali Larter. Furthermore, unlike the original thriller, there isn't any actual adultery, but with just an office flirtation that sends Lisa into overdrive.

Beth, played by Beyonce Knowles, who also met Derek when she was his assistant, comes across insecure and, at times, a little stupid. She is immediately jealous at thought her husband's new female assistant and fails to completely evoke the positive, strong woman image, that I'm sure the creators and Beyonce were shooting for.

Temptation after temptation, incident after incident, the movie finally draws to a close with Beth and Lisa sparring it out in a much buzz about cat fight, which although lackluster, at best, ends with the already anticipated death of Lisa.

The acting definitely plays a huge role in making the movie almost unwatchable, as the three leads all fail to deliver significant pieces to the puzzle. Idris Elba portrays his character solidly, but all in all, he just lacks a charisma and likability, which was indubitably needed to take his character to the next level. Ali Larter, blunders on every account to take her acting from the realms of bitchy teen movies into the bounds of sexy thriller.

With that said, both Idris and Ali have proven their talent on many accounts, so the biggest test arises in a non-musical Beyonce finally trying to show off her acting chops. Unfortunately, she continued to prove she has very little to offer in that field, given she never quite establishes solid footing. Sometimes she gives too much and other times she fails to give enough, and she continuously brings the words 'awkward', 'wooden', and 'forced' to the surface.

Direction and Visual:

This is definitely not the movie's downfall, but the director never quite gives you the sexy thriller that the trailer promised, and it fails to bring on a sense of seduction, and, put simply, is just extremely to tame.

Overall:

In conclusion, the movie does entertain to a certain extent, but it's biggest flaw is that its billed a 'thriller', but is unsuccessful in the art of suspense. There just isn't enough done with the storyline and it lacks of sense of depth and just all around realness.

At long last, Madea returns to the big screen in Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail. This time America's favorite irreverent, pistol-packin' grandmomma is raising hell behind bars and lobbying for her freedom...Hallelujer!

After a high-speed freeway chase puts Madea in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and land her in jail. A gleeful Joe couldn't be happier at Madea's misfortune. But Madea's eccentric family members the Browns rally behind her, lending their special "country" brand of support.

Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway is on the fast track to career success. But Hardaway lands a case too personal to handle - defending young prostitute and former drug addict Candace Washington and asks his fiancée and fellow ADA Linda Holmes to fill in on his behalf. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a "motherly" way as only Madea can.

After a hard child life in the ghetto, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway (Derek Luke) finally seems to have everything in place. He's successful at his job and engaged to his beautiful co-worker Linda (Ion Overman). Even he couldn't have assumed that his lifelong friend Candy's appearance would not only make him reevaluate his relationship, but his life all together.

Struggling from a life of addiction and prostitution Candy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) reemerges in court and out of a sense of guilt and obligation for what happened in college, Josh stands by her to lend a helping hand. A task that doesn't sit well with his fiancee Linda and prompts her to get dirty in the handling of Candy's case, which you know will come back to haunt before the movie comes to an end.

In the mean time, Madea, as always, has once again found herself on the wrong side of the law, after the destruction of a lady's car in a K-Mart parking lot, puts her back in front of the judge, after catching a break at the beginning of the movie. Unfortunately, this time she's out of chances and forced to take a vacation behind bars.

The problem with the storyline is Perry wants the story to be intense, comedic, and heartfelt, at the same time, which is something his writing skills just aren't capable of doing. At least not, at this point in his career. The story also doesn't put enough emphasis on the star, Madea, instead writing her off as nothing more than a supporting role, to make room for Josh and Candy, which leaves you feeling shortchanged.

That said, failure surfaces the most in Perry's ability to keep you guessing, because from Candy's past incident to how the ending would unfold is never truly a mystery. Its predictable and you know the answers to everything before he ever gives them to you. As always, the fairy tale ending never ceases to be left out in a Tyler Perry film, which not only insult the audience's intelligence, but his writing skills as well.

The acting is just what you've come to expect from a Perry production, which can range from good to terribly bad. Derek Luke and Viola Davis, have both given better performance, but in their defense, they've also had better material to work with. Tyler Perry, as Madea, Joe, and Bryan is just what you want him to be, while Keshia Knight Pulliam seems to have lost all natural acting ability since her Cosby days, and David Mann and Tamela Mann, continue to be their usual annoying selves. Luckily, Brown and Cora's screen time is limited.

Aside from writing and staring in the production, Tyler Perry was also the main man behind the camera and he does a solid job. Sadly, he doesn't keep up the progression from The Family That Preys until now.

The film has its ups and down and the good, bad, and ugly parts are all included. On a positive note, Perry does continue his trend of lining his movies with a life lessons, this one being forgiveness.

That said, when it comes to his movies, it's not a question of which of Perry's seven films is best, as Why Did I Get Married?, The Family That Preys, and Daddy's Little Girls, remain atop that list and trust me its not a conscience that Madea's relevance doesn't take place in either.

"I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be.

Storyline:

Scripted by Eric Roth, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", takes you on a magical ride with Benjamin (Brad Pitt), as he conquers the life as a elderly man in looks, but not at heart, until he parishes well into his eighties as a baby.

Eric Roth takes an similar approached used in "Forrest Gump", which he also penned, but also does enough to give Benjamin has own sense of identity and fortunately he doesn't stop there. The supporting characters, who are all full of range and completeness, as they all teach Benjamin something about life, taking the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child.", to another level.

Roth, unveils the premise quickly, by tying in a grieving inventor, who after losing his son in the Great War, contrives a massive clock that spins in reverse.

Shortly after his birth, his mother parishes, which leaves his father horrified, and plays a part in him deciding to leave the ancient looking newborn on the doorsteps of a retirement home, where he is raised by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson).

Daisy, the love of his life, played by the dynamic Cate Blanchett, are the bookends for the story, as a brittle Daisy is read to by her grown daughter (Julia Ormond) from the diary of her beloved Benjamin.

Benjamin's journey also pushes forward as he learns from each of the people that come into his life, including a tugboat captain (Jared Harris) who shows him the world, Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), the wife of a British spy who falls in love with Benjamin in Russia and engages in an discreet affair.

The middle part focuses on his life with Daisy, who eventually bears his child, which is ultimately why Benjamin makes the decision to leave. Besides the fears of the baby being like him, he knows he's getting younger in thoughts and that he can't properly raise a baby, furthermore, he doesn't want to put Daisy in the position to have to care for both him and the baby. To which Daisy insists, "Sugar, we all end up in diapers."

The storyline was a winner all the way, for me, I loved how they let Benjamin and Daisy meet in the middle, as far as ages are concerned, and I also love how they let Daisy come back and take care of Benjamin from his youth years until he takes his final breathe.

Acting:

The acting in this movie was simply superb, as both Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson give the best performances of their careers. Pitt, effortlessly, lets loose on the emotion, but not in an over dramatic way, its very low key and straight to the point. That said, he convinces you so immensely that your heart feels for Benjamin during the difficult times and is made lighter when he experiences success or gratification as a human being.

As previously stated, Henson gives her best performance and her most believable, in fact, having seen this performance I can't reaffirm my initial comments on her acting skills, but I can say that I hope she carefully selects her next role, as it could make or break her. As for her nomination, it was well deserved, same with Pitt.

Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, both already Academy Award winners, also deliver great performances, but Tilda's role didn't have enough depth to warrant a nomination, and given the stiff competition this year, I'm not surprised Cate was left out. That said, both delivered on the performance front, aside from both being a little vague at times.

Direction & Visual:

Visually, the collaboration of David Fincher (director), Claudio Miranda (cinematography), Donald Graham Burt (production design), Eric Barba (visual effects), as well as, music by Alexandre Desplat, all blend together to create a uniquely enjoyable journey that looks as good as it plays out.

Overall:

Given the nominations, I went into the theatre with mixed emotions, but I knew it would either be a really good picture or a really boring one. Luckily, it wasn't the ladder. The movie was full of heart from beginning to end and the nearly three hour run time failed to bother me, as the movie never seemed to get uninteresting or condescending, but instead held its own from start to finish.

I really enjoyed it, and since Brad Pitt or the movie have yet to collect a prize, I really have to go see Sean Penn, in "Milk", and "Slumdog Millionaire", because both have to be two extremely well put together performances and pictures to continuously take the cake.

In just a few short years, Notorious B.I.G. rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller; his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. His stories were universal and gave a voice to his generation.

Storyline:

Producer Sean "Diddy" Combs, enthralls in the story of Notorious B.I.G, which demonstrates the typical story of one's rise to fame ending in tragedy.

In the eighties, he's a chubby boy from Brooklyn, played by his own real life son Christopher Jr., raised by his single mother, after his father proves to be more of a sperm donor than anything. As a teen, now played by Jamal Woodward, Chris turns to street corner drug dealing for the money, which quickly finds him behinds bars.

Discovering his talent of crafting rhymes and branding himself the Notorious B.I.G., a.k.a. Biggie, lands him a deal with music mogul Sean (then-Puffy) Combs at age twenty. Four years later, he's murder.

Though, the storyline sticks to basics you already knew, it does very little to fill in the gaps, and it creates storylines that quickly disappear without truly being resolved. As with Biggie's mother, who's battle cancer could have been a potentially nice sub plot, but gets the boot just as quickly as it gets introduces. Even the rivalry with Tupac, isn't explored deep enough, in fact, you still remain in the dark about what really went down between the two. One minute their friends, the next, their rivals, and the whole effect and unrealistic change of it all, just seems too rushed.

That said, it was nice that they had an underlying message to the picture, but at times, it seems they were trying to push the message across too erratically. I also didn't like how they had Biggie narrating the story, since its clear nobody actually knows what he was thinking, in fact, this takes away from the quality and creditability of the movie.

Acting:

The heart of this movie lays in the casting, as Angela Bassett and Derek Luke give commendable performances, as Biggie's mother and Sean "Diddy" Combs, respectively. The problem with Angela, who always captures the screen with emotional highs and lows, is that she's extremely under used. Still, in her scenes she captures a rare essence that shows just how great of an actress she really is.

The highlight was definitely in the casting of Jamal Woodward, a Brooklyn born rapper called Gravy, who not only boasts an uncanny resemblance to Biggie, but also brilliantly portrays all the ores Biggie was known for. Given he has no previous acting experience, I was highly impressed.

The acting isn't a complete slam dunk, mainly because of Naturi Naughton and Antonique Smith, who portray his lover Lil' Kim and wife Faith Evans, respectively. Naturi's performance comes across extremely too forced and Antonique's, like she isn't trying enough, but they both look the part. That said, I now understand why Lil' Kim didn't like the way the film portrayed her, because both women are reduced to nothing more than common whores, which may be the case or just an attempt to boost the movie's interest. I put my money on the first for both ladies.

In addition, the movie lets Biggie take sole credit for Lil' Kim style, from the way she raps to the way she dresses, which is probably what Lil Kim had a problem with the most. As for Naturi, I find it questionable as to why she would take on a movie like this that has her doing nudity straight out the gate, not a smart decision, in fact, I always say if you're going to do nudity follow Halle Berry's route, and build your resume as a respectable actress first.

Direction & Visual:

Visually, the movie goes the traditional Hip-Hop route of capturing the life of the industry, but does very little to break the mold. Still, not a bad switch of transitions and lanes.

I'll be the first to admit, I'd written this project off before it even begin production, but it was actually a enjoyable effort, by no means groundbreaking and you won't see it on the awards front come award season, but still solid.

Chronicling the story of one couple’s love, loss and ultimate faith in one another, Not Easily Broken follows the lives of Dave (Morris Chestnut) and Clarice (Taraji P. Henson) Johnson in their second decade of marriage.

Dave’s dreams of major league baseball success were dashed by an injury in college, leading him to a steady but unfulfilling career as the head of a small construction firm. Clarice is basking in the glow of real estate stardom, creating a life that revolves around her rise to the top. She has become blind to Dave’s needs, the most important being his desire to become a father and start a family with her.

Soon Dave and Clarice must face a married couple’s most serious questions: are we really meant to be together, and if we are, how do we fight to keep what we have built as man and wife?

Within moments of being introduced to Dave, its crystal clear that he's not happy, his wife's career is going better than his, his dream of playing professional ball has died, and Clarice has solely killed his other dream of having kids. Clarice, on the other hand, realizes the problems of her marriage, but with her career in full force, she doesn't really seem to mind the sacrifice, though its clear that the tension is building.

It isn't until Dave is late to pick her up for the ceremony, that would crown her "Salesperson of the Year", that Clarice reaches her breaking point, but before the fire can completely ignite in the heat of the argument, a car wreck puts Clarice in a wheelchair, and she's forced to turn to Julie, a physical therapist, to help her recuperate. Unfortunately, matters are taken to the extreme, when Clarice's mother, Mary blames Dave for the accident, and to an even higher extent, when he takes a liking to Julie and her son, Bryson.

The problem with the storyline, is it always manages to fall short in some aspect, like for instance, Clarice's accident isn't used enough to add depth to the script. One minutes she's in a wheelchair and then five minutes later, she walking like nothing ever happened, which leaves the whole situation with very little meaning. The writer's could have used the instance to further drive the tension between Clarice and Dave, which they do to a certain point, but its never quite enough. Another example, is the lingering of Julie and Dave's feelings towards each other are extremely downplayed, their moments between each other just aren't eye catching or eluding enough, but just simply there.

It all seems rather thrown together and feels like the writers didn't make an attempt to adequately think out the story. That said, Clarice does the heavy lifting of the story, as she goes through a range of emotions and ultimately makes the choice to save her marriage, which doesn't sit well with her mom.

The end is a little more enticing than the beginning, given it involves a unseen death and Dave claims his dream, however, none of that isn't enough to save the story.

Acting:

Occasionally, a sub par storyline is given a boost by it's cast performances, but this isn't one of those films. The acting is rather bland, and at times bad, especially in the seriously miscast Clarice, who is portrayed by Taraji P. Henson. Like I previously stated, Clarice is a large part of the movie's fountain and Taraji just doesn't bring enough to the character. No Depth. No Emotion. Nothing.

The standout is definitely Jenifer Lewis, who portrays Clarice's overbearing mother, and its easy to see why she's the standout, because this is a role she's played a thousand times before. Whether you look back at her days on 'The Fresh Prince' and 'A Different World' or judge her most recent turn in Tyler Perry's 'Meet the Browns', she has always played the loud mouth, at times, ignorant woman that brings a few laughs and this role is no exception.

Direction & Visual:

Bill Duke, who helms the film, has done directing work before mostly sticking to television and straight to DVD movies, and though he does a pretty decent job, you can tell its not a task that comes easy, especially in the transitions.

That said, direction is the film's least problem.

Overall:

The movie isn't horrible, but it could have been loads better, in fact, if it had a better cast and a better crafted script, it would have, but wouldn't every film? In addition, I mentioned earlier about Bill Duke's work mostly being limited to television and straight to DVD movies, well this one should have followed suit.

In 'Seven Pounds', Will Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with a fateful secret that embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.

Will Smith's character, Ben Thomas, embarks on the journey to change the lives of seven strangers, at first, his reasons are unclear, in fact, for the better part of the movie you don't even know if Ben is a good guy or bad guy, but its very clear that he has a secret.

The movie continues to turn the tables on you, just when you've made up in your mind that Ben is a good guy, the roles reverse, when you find out he's not only lied about his profession, but also his name.

Towards the end, is where it is revealed that Ben is on this mission to help these people, in honor of an accident at his hands that cost seven lives, furthermore, Ben doesn't want to just help anyone, he's very forceful that their good people.

The latter part of the movie, does tend to become a little predictable, in fact, I knew how and why he would take his own life before any of the events occurred.

As always, Will Smith delivers big time, as his character goes through an array of emotions, Smith brilliantly conquers them all. Rosario Dawson, also brings a raw emotion, vulnerability, and realism to her character, Emily Posa, and easily delivers the performance of her career.

Ben and Emily's relationship, is the heart of the movie, as Ben reluctantly falls in love with her though it was obviously not in the plans for him, made very clear by his attempt to distance his affection for her.

You root for Ben and Emily, and just when your dreams finally become a reality, Ben does the ultimate sacrifice and gives up his life to save hers.

That's not to say the movie doesn't end with an happy ending, because it proves to be just that as Emily and Ezra (Woody Harrelson), a blind man that had trouble talking to women, end with an emotional hug, leading you to believe they will end up together.

That along with the six other lives Ben change, make it evidently clear, that he's not the bad guy that you might originally think, in fact, he's almost like an angel saving lives and mending fences.

Gabriele Muccino, who previously directed Smith in 'A Pursuit to Happyness', does a good job of actively capturing and displaying the wide range of emotions in a way that doesn't take away from the project or make you feel, in the least bit, shortchanged.

The movie was panned by critics, which really doesn't mean anything because they tend to pan a lot of good movies and praise a bulk of the boring ones, but I found the movie extremely enjoyable and entertaining. Smith charms from the time he graces the screen until he makes his dramatic exit, proving why audiences flock to his movies continuously.

'Cadillac Records', gets the honor of being Celebrity Bug's first movie review. In this tale of sex, violence, race, and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, 'Cadillac Records' follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

The storyline seemed extremely rushed and I personally felt like it cheated the actual artists, being that, each of their individual story lines were kind of crammed together and not given the time to genuinely develop and accurately unfold. In fact, most of the characters, in some aspect, deserved a movie of their own.

Most of the acting was completely top-notch, as Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, and even the often campy Gabrielle Union, who connects with her character in a raw emotion that she had yet to do before, all deliver stellar performances.

However, the real question on every one's mind is: Does Beyonce actually pull it off?

Surprisingly, she kind of does, as Mrs. Knowles-Carter delivers the performance of her career, connecting to her character in a way she's never displayed before, however, though the emotional scenes comes with ease, its actually the scenes where she wasn't forced to tap into that emotion, that subtracts from her performance. Its kind of weird to say, but she fails on the easy scenes, and delivers on the hard ones. Still, her name being withheld from the supporting categories at Golden Globes and SAG awards, was no fluke, because her performance pales in comparison to her peers, especially Adrien Brody, who is just incomparable as the gutsy Leonard Chess.

Direction & Visual:

The direction isn't overly keen, but Darnell Martin, does do a great job of depicting and giving you the old school feel and vibe of the old days.

I can't say the movie was great, nor can I say its horrific, but I can say I felt extremely shortchanged on the characters, in fact, it was like before you got to know one character good, another one was being shoved down your throat.

In all honesty, this isn't the kind of movie you go to the theatre to see, but instead wait for its release on DVD.