Into the Woods Movie Review

Movie: Into the Woods
Release Date: December 2014
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine

Into the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales in a musical format that follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel-all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

So here’s what I actually liked about Into the Woods:

1. The Music- I was entirely unaware that the film was a musical. I was like, “Word, Meryl and Johnny finna sing?” Lol, I didn’t really say that, in fact I sound weird even talking in such manner. With that said here’s a toast to Stephen Sondheim (music composer); I was tremendously impressed by his work.

2. The Cast- Even though I thought Emily Blunt and James Corden were a quirky pair, (as I did Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman were in Identity Thief), they were actually pretty amazing. Can we have three cheers for Tracey Ullman? I haven’t seen Ullman played a role in forever, and to see her portray a grumpy old farmer got me even more pumped to watch.

3. The storyline- Yes! It was drawn out at times, for instance Red’s rant after she was rescued by the Baker and Prince Charming’s constant search for Cindy, but if you follow the movie pretty well there is a hint of dark humor.

I would recommend the film, however to a high-teen audience. I gave it a 6/10

Black or White Movie Review

Movie: Black or White

Release Date: January 2015

Starring: Kevin Costner Octavia Spencer, Gillian Jacobs

Black or White stars Kevin Costner playing Elliot Anderson, a grieving widower who is suddenly left to care for his biracial granddaughter (Jilian Estell). The drama begins when her paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer) seeks custody, causing the little girl to be torn between two families who no doubt loves her deeply. The root cause of this custody battle is that Rowena wants Elosie to explore the other side of her heritage by spending time with her African-American relatives.


Because its a racially inclined theme, I was a bit skeptical to watch. But, it's clearly coming from a sincere and honest place and not to mention it has an all-star cast.

With the best intentions at heart, both families fight for what they feel is right and are soon forced to confront their true feelings about race, forgiveness, and understanding (Relativity).

The cast did an exceptional job, but the story line rubbed me the wrong way, mainly because I knew Binder (Director) really wanted to touch on the race matter however, was somewhat fearful. Really Binder? We can take it! I think. Honestly, I was irritated at every scene, I kept saying “Are they gonna elaborate on the issue here? Oh, maybe here!...No?”

Black or White is the kind of failure that makes you frustrated and sad rather than angry. Its heart is in the right place, but its mind is confused (MZ). The movie failed to explore and took too many shortcuts, it lost sight of what actually is taking place.

I can’t take away the fact that this film is a decent family movie. I gave it a 6.7/10