TYLER PERRY’S MADEA GOES TO JAIL
**1/2 out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. Tyler Perry is at it again, making another film starring himself in a fat suit. Like his other Madea movies, “Madea Goes to Jail” features the acerbic grandmother getting herself into trouble.
The main story follows a young assistant D.A. who takes it upon himself to help a prostitute with whom he has a past, much to the dismay of his finance. Eventually, the two stories cross and lead to a contrived and predictable end.
The best parts of this movie come from Madea’s antics. It’s too bad that even though she’s the title character, she’s only about thirty percent of the film. The main storyline is the weak link, tugging too obviously at heart strings, often preaching and relying on coincidence and cheesy revelations to further the plot.
Still, that Madea does make me laugh.
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FIRED UP
***1/2 out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. I’m your typical red-blooded American male, so if Hollywood puts some cheerleaders in a movie, I’ll be happy to watch it. That’s why I enjoyed “Bring It On” to a certain degree, and why I thought “Fired Up” was at least watchable.
“Fired Up” tells the story of two football jocks who forego a hot and sweaty football camp to go to cheer camp with 300 hot girls. Think of it as “Wedding Crashers” joining the cheerleading squad.
With a slightly raunchier bent than “Bring It On,” “Fired Up” is your typical PG-13 teen sex comedy. It does have some funny moments, and the angle works for both sexes. Forget the fact that 30-year-olds are playing high school students. It’s fun to watch the cheerleaders, and I found the movie funny on a sophomoric level.
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FANBOYS
*** out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. “Star Wars” geeks and internet fanboys can breathe a collective sigh of relief now that “Fanboys” the movie has gotten a proper release.
The film, which tells the story of a group of friends who break into Skywalker Ranch to watch a rough cut of Episode I before their buddy dies of cancer, has been embroiled in controversy with a shuffling release date and rumored reshoots.
As much as I enjoyed the geek status of this film and reveled at the fact that I got all the sci-fi geek references, “Fanboys” mirrors Episode I a little too much. It has been so surrounded by hype that it simply can’t live up to the anticipation. It’s a cute indie flick with geek culture at its heart, but the buzz surrounding it made me expect a little more.
