I wanted to see the movie a second time before I did this review but things came up and I wasn't able to. However, just from the fact I wanted to see it again let me say that if you haven't seen Deadpool yet....GO SEE IT NOW! And if you still need some reason to see it, check out my review below!



First, a little backstory on Deadpool and how the movie came to be. Ryan Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, who serves as superhero Deadpool, known as "The Merc With A Mouth" for his crass and foul mouth. Before he got his powers, Wade was a former Special Ops agent turned mercenary. He soon was diagnosed with cancer and underwent an experimental procedure that granted him accelerated healing powers similar to those of fellow X-Men character Wolverine. However, it also enhanced the cancer in his body which leaves his body looking very grotesque.

This movie came to be after Deadpool made a horrible debut in Fox's X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie in which Ryan played the character as well. After such dismal reviews and plans to already make a solo Deadpool movie in the works, Ryan worked relentlessly with Fox to basically "forget" about that version of Deadpool, and re-create his story to the greatness that's in theaters now.

What made this movie great was the perfect combination of comedy, foul language, and violence, as well Deadpool continuing to claim that he is not a hero, even though he's doing heroic things like saving people. He just does it in his own way with guns, knives and other weapons. Ryan's "love to hate" attitude in my opinion fits the character perfect as Wade goes through the movie in search of revenge for ruining his life and model worthy face. Deadpool's ability to break the fourth wall and talk to the audience is also a highlight that is rarely done in movies but has been done in the Deadpool comics for years and was transitioned to the big screen perfectly.

Promoted as a story of revenge and love, this movie is told through a series of flashbacks, action scenes and foul humor. If you've seen all the commercials and trailers, don't worry. All of those scenes were surprisingly (and to my liking), mostly at the beginning of the movie, with the rest of the film still being filled with tons of other funny scenes. I highly suggest everyone goes to see this movie and stays after for the post credits seen because there may be clues to a possible sequel!
I'm personally looking forward to the movie being released on DVD and Blu-Ray, so I can watch it over and over.

RATING: ★★★★ (four out of five stars)

Stay tuned into The Spotlight for more of our TV, music and movie reviews!


I give this movie 4/5 stars

1:20:00 PM

I was able to go check out an advanced screening of Ricki and the Flash this week, which stars Meryl Streep as the title character. I just had to see Meryl rocking out in a band for myself!

Read a brief synopsis of the film below:

"It's been a roller-coaster ride for Ricki Rendazzo (Meryl), a one-time wife and mother of three who left her family behind to follow her dreams of rock 'n' roll stardom. Now, the singer and guitarist must face the music when she returns home to Indiana to reconnect with ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline), troubled daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer) and engaged son Josh (Sebastian Stan). Filled with regret, Ricki hopes to find redemption for all of the bad choices that she made in the past."

Check out more of my review below!

Note: Some spoilers may be ahead.


When daughter Julie becomes depressed after her husband leaves her, Ricki flies out to see her at her ex's house. At first, it's rocky with everyone under one roof, since Ricki left the family to do her music. However, Ricki's fun-loving, down-to earth attitude begins to win Julie and Pete over again. In some regards, we see that Ricki is kind of what the family is missing, and that Julie and Ricki are actually a lot alike. As Ricki begins warming up to them, though, she begins to really feel a part of the family, and has some unrealistic expectations of just being able to step back into her kids' lives. However, when she meets up with her sons Josh and Adam (Nick Westrate) and Josh's fiancee Emily (Hailey Gates), it's clear that that's going to take a while for them to warm up to her again.

Another interesting dynamic is between Ricki and Pete's wife Maureen (Audra McDonald), who has stepped in for Ricki as the children's mother for the past 20 years. Of course, Ricki feels like she can come back in like nothing's changed, but Maureen disagrees and would like her to go back home. After all, it was Maureen that was there for all of the big moments in the children's lives. There's a lot of tension between these two mothers, which sparked my interest when the movie started to lull a bit.

In the end, the family all comes to a happy conclusion as Meryl plays with her band, The Flash, at Josh's wedding. They realize that, as dysfunctional as they may be, they're all still family, which I expected. I found myself getting caught up in the emotional moments a little bit, I can't lie.

Meryl herself is a legendary actress. There is no denying this. With every character I've seen her play over the years, even with her acting as Ricki, I never see Meryl. I see the character. She's played a variety of different characters over the course of her career, and that's because her talent is impeccable. She truly becomes the character, beyond just the hair, makeup, and costuming. It's the taking on of different accents, different body movements, different tones, etc, that separates Meryl from a lot of other actresses. Meryl, seemingly effortlessly, gave a great rock 'n' roll character in Ricki.

Though I love Meryl, the film itself is definitely pretty predictable. It's a story of a regretful mom tries to reconnect with her kids, and manages to in some way (this time through some good old rock 'n' roll). Nothing wrong with that, but it's just predictable from the jump. And I know it's a movie, but let's be real. Twenty years of abandonment issues can't just be swept under the rug with a few cover songs. I would have loved to see more real conversation about Ricki uprooting to LA, and what her family really went through because of it. I also would have love to see more interaction and conversation between Ricki and her two sons, Josh and Adam. She mainly bonded with Julie and Pete until the wedding. However, this is a comedic drama, so you can't really expect all that I guess.

Overall, it's a cute movie, though kind of sappy, with funny moments and pretty good music (Meryl has a decent voice!). I can't say I absolutely loved it or would buy it, but I did enjoy watching for a night.

RATING: ★★★ 1/2 (three and 1/2 out of five stars)

7:40:00 AM

Last night, I had the opportunity to see Selma, which chronicled Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s leadership alongside other notable leaders and activists during the Civil Rights Movement, specifically during the march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery. Shown in limited release starting Christmas, the movie was officially released January 9th. From watching, it's clear why this film earned four Golden Globe nominations, which airs tonight by the way (and probably soon some Oscar noms as well)!

Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film was a superb look at this important piece of not only African-American history, but American history in general. Selma stars British actor David Oyelowo as Dr. King, who truly BECAME this man, from his voice to demeanor. That, to me, is always the mark of a true actor--to be able to become a character so much so that you never really notice the actor playing him or her. British actress Carmen Ejogo played Dr. King's wife, Coretta Scott King, and portrayed Coretta's grace and strength incredibly as well.

Without giving too much away, though many of us already have learned the facts about this
movement, the film depicts Dr. King and other leaders like Ralph Abernathy, James Bevel, John Lewis, Hosea Williams, and other members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in their efforts in Selma to break down barriers, specifically blacks being able to vote to make difference in their community and have justice served against discrimination, especially in the South. Though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, King still pressed him about the voting issue, seeing as though no change could really be made without blacks being able to make their voices heard. It was a huge fight, with the people of Selma, along with other supporters black and white, eventually marching miles to Montgomery, Alabama to have their voices heard (in spite of two failed attempts, one ending in many beaten and bruised by police). The film ended with President Johnson finally sending the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to Congress, and it was passed and signed into law.

I loved that the movie showed Dr. King as a strong leader, but also showed that he was human. He had his imperfections, like his recorded infidelities and damaged relationship with Coretta, as well as his doubts in terms of his leadership and legacy. Viewers see that the movement, while so very vital to this country, had a heavy impact on Dr. King's personal life. He was arrested and thrown in jail many times, and threatened countless occasions over the phone, before his assassination (which, from the movie, he seemed to know was coming). The FBI, under the leader of J. Edgar Hoover, even wired the man's house to not only figure out the plans of the movement, but also to find evidence to pit Dr. King and Coretta against each other (like with the recorded infidelity), so that Dr. King would maybe decide to give up to focus on saving his family. However, his sacrifices, along with so many others, were, obviously, not in vain.

There were many small moments as well that had incredible impact and and really shook me. For example, the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church which killed four little girls on September 15, 1963. It was so sudden and unexpected in the film, as it was that very day, that it threw me emotionally for a bit especially since it happened so early in the film. There was also a small cameo from Oprah Winfrey, who played Annie Lee Cooper, known for punching Selma Sheriff Jim Clark during a protest in front of the Selma Courthouse. Afterwards, she was taken down and beaten severely. There was another moment that resonated with me, when activist Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot and killed after participating in a peaceful protest. After doing my research, I found that the state trooper who killed him pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2010, and only served six months in prison. All of these moments reminded me what a huge sacrifice all of those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement really made, even though some did not live to see the positive end result.

I won't turn my review into a preaching moment, but my love and appreciation of historical movies has grown immensely as I have gotten older, specifically in terms of African-American history. As a proud black woman, I always love seeing movies that depict the Civil Rights Movement, the good, the bad, and the disgustingly ugly, because it reminds me personally that I have a duty to be better and do more than those who came before me. Why? Because I have the opportunity to, and so many others didn't. At 24, I've been able to do so much that my predecessors probably deemed impossible. Though, especially looking at these past few years, we clearly don't live in a "post-racial" society, and have a long way to go, I still know that America has come a long way.

Go see this movie! Though part of me wishes that the movie focused beyond mostly Dr. King, it was still so powerful and inspiring. The cinematography is absolutely incredible, to the point where you feel like you are right in Selma then. Every scene, especially the negative, is right in your face. It really moved me. The cast, which also included Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Common, Lorraine Toussant, Tessa Thompson, and more, was remarkable as a whole. Definitely a movie I want in my collection when it comes out later in the year!

RATING: ★★★★★ (five out of five stars)


What did you think of the movie? Include your comments below!

Images via Vanity Fair/Google

2:45:00 PM

Last night was a flashback to the late 80s and early 90s with Lifetime's The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story! This story was based off Dustin Diamond's (Screech) own book, Behind The Bell, a behind the scenes look at the show. I was excited to watch, even though I had my doubts just looking at the cast. I didn't technically "grow up" on Saved By The Bell (I was only 3 when the show ended), but I remember watching it as a kid, when reruns were on TBS every morning at 7 am. That's how I spent my summer mornings, at my Nana's house, watching the gang at Bayside High.

The movie showed how the show was developed, for those who didn't already know. The show, at first, wasn't even supposed to be about the students. It was supposed to be based on the teachers, starting as Good Morning Miss Bliss. The show was based in Indiana and shown on the Disney Channel, but was quickly cancelled after just one season. It was eventually brought back to NBC and revamped to be about the kids, and the setting was moved to California. However, though the live audience loved them, the reviews were terrible when the show first premiered. Unfortunately, the ratings weren't great at NBC either, and they were cancelled again. However, more and more kids started talking about the show and watching, and the show was given another chance, eventually going global!
Behind the scenes, the actors struggled being teens in Hollywood, managing their money, fame, and success, specifically Dustin, who felt like an outcast during the show, which eventually lead him to alcohol and weed. However, there were great things done too, like the cast fighting for serious issues involving teens like drug abuse, drunk driving, and more. And yes, the development of Jessie's "I'm So Excited" scene was shown too. We see relationships develop, specifically Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Lark Voorhies, who dated for a while during the show's history.

There were quite a few aspects I didn't like, though. I get that this was Dustin's story, but it was too centered around him. It seemed like we were supposed to feel sorry for him a little bit, which I'm not. Having him actually be the narrator just seemed off, especially since we always knew Zach Morris (Mark-Paul) But this was his story. That's why it's "unauthorized." The story seemed to merely scratch the surface on what was going on behind the scenes.  The fashion and little details about Bayside High were off (for example, at the end, during the graduation scene when the cast wore blue, but the colors were definitely maroon/burgundy...I'm picky about things like that). The casting seemed a little off too, especially in terms of appearance. Dylan Everett (Mark-Paul/Zach) was too short, and Julian Works (Mario Lopez/Slater) didn't do Mario justice at all, though he did sound a lot like him. Again, probably me being picky, but things like that stand out to me.

Being a huge fan of the show, a lot of this stuff wasn't anything that I hadn't heard before. It was cool to see it come to life on screen, but it was still really dry. Like I said, it was so Dustin-centric, it was a little dull. I'm sure there was a lot more behind the scenes going on, but it didn't get a lot of focus, because we were so worried about Dustin. It was one of those movies that was cool for what it was, but it wasn't all that great. I think more could've been done, but that's just me.

I give it ★★★☆☆ (3 stars).

5:31:00 AM

"I love when a movie explains the WHY of someone."-Viola Davis on Get On Up

I just got back a few hours ago from seeing Get On Up, the story of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. I heard that this movie was in production a long while ago, and have been excited every since, watching interviews, sneak peeks and trailers as often as I could.
I saw it at 9:30 in the morning, because I really do hate opening weekend crowds, so I try to go when it'll be less crowded and less crazy. The movie theater was still pretty full, but quiet and still thank God, as we all watched and were mesmerized as Mr. Brown's life shined across the screen, thanks to Chadwick Boseman.

I LOVE Chad, and have for quite some time, even before 42 (the Jackie Robinson Story) came out. It hit me when I finally got the chance to see it that I had seen him before... in Lincoln Heights, which was big on ABC Family from 2007-2009. Even then, as he played a soldier suffering from PTSD who was also the son of the main character towards the end, I noticed his talent...and his good looks, of course (*smiles*)! But mostly his talent, I promise!


Chad's done other films and shows, but I guarantee that 42 and Get On Up will be two of his most talked about works for the rest of his career, and I'll tell you why. In both films, he truly became the people he played. In Get On Up, you can tell that he worked his tail off to truly embody who Mr. Brown was to music and to the world, from his feel-good funk music, his legendary dance moves and stage presence, to his childhood demons that almost broke him down for good. From age 17 to age 60, Chad didn't just play James Brown, he BECAME James Brown, and that's what made this movie so good and interesting to watch.

The film mostly is told in order, but, at certain moments, has flashbacks to Mr. Brown's childhood that explains not only how he was influenced by music and came to create his own musical style, but also explains why he struggled with his relationships with others as he got older. For example, and I'll try not to tell too much, Mr. Brown seems to have felt like, regardless of who was around, he was still on his own, even with his close friendship with singer Bobby Byrd (played by Nelsan Ellis, who is a great actor as well). This stems from both his mother (played by Viola Davis) and father essentially abandoning him, leaving him to fend for himself with his Aunt Honey (Octavia Spencer) and make it to where he wants to be. Aunt Honey encourages him, telling him that, in spite of his mama being a "no account fool," and his daddy too, God told her that one day, EVERYBODY was going to know his name. I believed that truly pushed him to want better for himself in the long run, and look where he made it to!

The film, directed by Tate Daniels, did a great job of creating a well rounded film, showcasing a little bit of everything within this man's history from his small start in music down in Augusta, Georgia, his rise to fame with the Famous Flames, takeover as "Mr. Dynamite," and "Soul Brother No. 1," but also his downfalls, like his eventual financial issues, the death of his son Teddy in a car accident, as well as his later drug abuse, infamous car chase, and jail sentence. Chad also breaks the fourth wall a good deal through the film, speaking to or looking directly at the movie audience at times, which can sometimes work really well or really terribly. In this instance, to me, it made me feel even more connected.

Many will nitpick that the movie didn't go into detail about James Brown's drug use, and, I'll admit, part of me wanted to see exactly how it was that he came to turn around and overcome his demons in full. However, with a story like this, where you have years and years of history to get through, everything can't be laid out like you may want. I think that Tate Daniels, the writers, and editors did a great job fitting the gist of this great artist's story into two hours and 18 minutes.

This definitely had a star-studded cast, with Viola, Nelsan, and Octavia (who, by the way, acted together in The Help, which was also directed by Tate), and also included Dan Aykroyd, Jill Scott, Tika Sumpter, Craig Robinson, and more. Of course, Chad stood out on his own, and is truly making a name for himself in Hollywood. I truly believe that he will do great things come award season. I'm pretty sure he will be nominated for an Oscar, or at least he should. Not sure if he'll win, but the nomination is definitely well deserved!

I give this film ★★★★☆(four out of five stars).

Be sure to see Get On Up in theaters NOW!

11:36:00 AM

VH1 premiered the original TV movie, Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story just last night and everybody has an opinion about it! So of course, I had to share mine.  Starring Drew Sidora as Tionne 'T-Boz" Watkins, KeKe Palmer as Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas, and Niatia "Lil Mama" Kirkland as the late great Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, the movie recounts the making of TLC into one of the biggest girl groups of all time, but also their hard struggles along the way. Rochelle Aytes and Carl Anthony Payne II also appear as Peri "Pebbles" Reid and L.A. Reid, who first signed the group.

I'll admit. I was VERY NERVOUS when this was announced. I respect both Drew and KeKe as actresses, but I wasn't sure they could pull something like this off honestly. I REALLY wasn't sure about Lil Mama. However, after seeing one of the trailers, I quickly changed my mind! Lil Mama looked so much like Left Eye, it was ridiculous. The trio captured TLC's chemistry and mannerisms to a tee! So it was definitely a movie that I had to check out and review!

Check out my thoughts and sound off about the movie below!

The movie starts off with the group's individual humble beginnings. T-Boz started off just really kicking it and dancing at Jellybeans, a skating rink in Atlanta. Left Eye spent her time rapping on the streets of the ATL to get a little money, while Chili was a background dancer and in school. We see original TLC member Crystal Jones for all of five minutes as she approaches T-Boz with the idea to get signed to LaFace Records, which, back then, was the hottest label around down in Atlanta, and was run by L.A. and Babyface. Pebbles owned her own management company, Pebbitone, within LaFace. As T-Boz already had a strong connection with Left Eye and knew her skills, the girls quickly scored an audition at LaFace. However, Crystal didn't cut it, leaving Pebbles to have to find another girl. Chili impressed her with her vocals at a rehearsal and was quickly added to the group. Left Eye gives her the nickname "Chilli" and they keep their original name of TLC. That's how it all starts.

Throughout the movie, we see the ups and the downs of TLC's career, including Pebbles' hard hand on the girls. In two hours and thirty minutes, we get the story that many of us already knew. We see just how the girls were treated horribly with their contracts (though, to be fair, they were a little too eager in signing in the first place). Even after millions of albums sold, TLC wasn't really making money like that (Left Eye broke down the music industry formula towards the end when the group filed for
bankruptcy). We even see the girls breaking into Clive Davis' office with a crew of girls, demanding their money! It was a real insight into how the music industry really can be, which is why a lot of artists are staying or going independent. You can be a huge mainstream artist, and, due to label and management fees, as well as touring, lawyers, and all of that, not really see a dime. Pebbles is possibly looking to sue for defamation, but she has to prove that this movie (which held a lot of facts that we already knew anyway) is really damaging her reputation. I don't think she'll win if she does try to sue, but hey, she can try I guess. TLC's perception is their perception.

We also saw the girls' own personal individual struggles. Chilli, of course, had an up and down relationship with producer and songwriter Dallas Austin (played by Evan Ross). She became pregnant early on in the group's beginning, and actually got an abortion. Later, they had a son, but eventually Chilli broke it off after being tired of dealing with his player ways. We see T-Boz's struggle with sickle-cell anemia, as she is frequently hospitalized and has to be checked out during touring. It was said that she would never have children, but she has a daughter now from her relationship with rapper Mack 10.

Of course, Left Eye's story line was the most complex of all. We watch her get into various relationships, including her infamous one with footballer Andre Rison (and yes, we saw her light a match to those sneakers and burn his house down!). More than likely it had to do with her own relationship with her father We also see her wanting to branch out from TLC and really get into her s
Her alcohol and depression problems were also highlighted. However, in spite of it all, it could be seen that Left Eye was "crazy creative," as T-Boz put it towards the end. We see Left Eye's spiritual journey in Honduras, and her untimely death is peeked into a bit.

Sorry to disappoint, but there is NO discussion of Usher and Chilli's relationship, which I was actually fine with. I don't think that really would've added to the overall story of the group. People just wanted to know what happened more so than anything, but I guess that will be left for folks to debate about (Chilli did make it known that she was NOT the inspiration behind "Confessions," though and that he never cheated!).

The movie wasn't without its flaws. It was clear that Ke Ke, Drew and yes, even Lil Mama's lip syncing skills were off at times with the recreation of the music videos. I felt at times that the movie was rushed to fit everything in. I heard suggestions that maybe this could've been a short TV series as The Jackson 5 and The Temptations had on VH1, and maybe it really should have. I would have loved to see more of TLC's journey after Left Eye a little bit, but I didn't mind how the story ended on a positive note celebrating Left Eye and their entire journey all together.  However, overall, it was a great story, and I actually want to get this when it comes out on DVD to the public. I would give it a B+/A-, four out of five stars! 

I HAVE to give it up to Lil Mama for this role! In all honesty, she was the one that I was most worried about in the casting, especially since Left Eye is no longer here. Everybody was looking to her to see what she would bring to the table, and SHE KILLED IT! I mean, from Left Eye's appearance to her voice and mannerisms, Lil Mama really got it down pat! It was very impressive to watch. KeKe and Drew were very impressive too, though sometimes Drew faded in and out to me as T-Boz at times. However, I loved their chemistry together, and think that they were indeed the best actresses to pull this off. Shout out to T-Boz and Chilli for creating this movie with VH1, and giving us a new possible VH1 classic to watch. RIP Left Eye!

What did you think of Crazy Sexy Cool?

Image via VH1/Fan Pop

7:25:00 AM

Steel Magnolias is a classic in the film industry! The 1989 original, starring acting veterans Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, and Julia Roberts, along with Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, and Darryl Hannah. I'm not going to give a whole recap of the movie, but for those of you who have never seen the original or the remake, it's about six women who are all close friends who share in the ups and downs of each other's lives down in Louisiana. The film is filled with laughter and love, and well as tears and pain. With all of the great reviews about the film, t honestly only made sense that one day, someone would want to make a remake.

And here we are, 23 years later, with a remake from director Kenny Leon. When the news of the remake came out about a year ago, and I heard that it was with an all African-American cast (starring some of my favorite black actresses like Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, and Alfre Woodard, along with Jill Scott, Adepero Oduye, and Phylicia's daughter, Condola Rashad), I was beyond excited!

Some spoilers may be ahead.





The reviews were mixed among the Twitterverse, with some saying it was terrible, others loving it, and many saying that it was just...ok. Though I (along with mostly everyone who's seen the first one) was bound to compare it to the original, I went in really excited about this remake! And I was determined not to let my intense love for the original get in the way of reviewing this. I knew that it wouldn't be like the original (remakes almost never top their predecessor), but I was disappointed. I thought it was ok, but it still fell short a lot of times.

Now, like I said before, this was a movie that I was excited about when I first heard about it. I knew that it would be modernized (this is 2012, so if anybody was expecting that old southern feel from the original, who were you really kidding?) I wasn't too shocked to hear the Wobble at Shelby's wedding reception, or hear the actors talk about Facebook or Beyoncé. Also not not shocked that the movie cut some of the scenes, putting lines into other parts of the movie. Lifetime movies don't typically go over two hours with commercials and the original is that length. Figured they would add in scenes too to add in a little more perspective from the characters (and they did that plenty!).

However, the scenes were just rushed, with a lot of the lines emotionlessly and quickly spit out like they were just going through a run through on set! As a result, jokes throughout the movie weren't as funny. It didn't feel like there were any real connection between the actors other than between Phylicia and Alfre as friends Clairee and Ouiser, but especially not between Queen Latifah and Condola (who played mother-daughter pair M'Lynn and Shelby). That was the most important relationship! Though Condola's performance was actually very natural and great to me, Queen Latifah seemed distant when it came to her, which was important since M'Lynn and Shelby were so close! I can only truly praise half of the main cast--Condola, Phylicia and Alfre (who was the most comedic part of the whole movie).

Though I was sitting down and watching closely, I honestly wasn't that connected as the movie went on until towards the end when Queen Latifah acted out Sally Field's famous breakdown (though still a little forced and ) after Shelby passed, and Clairee offered up Ouiser for M'Lynn to hit! That scene always gets me emotional, but still laughing and happy at the end as the ladies celebrate Shelby's life, and stand strong for each other. But in fact, the whole of the original had me dying laughing, because it was so natural and the chemistry was so great, and this one wasn't. Overall, it was just...a movie. Just a story that I didn't connect to until the part where you couldn't help but be emotional because a main character had just died. I did love how the movie ended with a short monologue from Shelby, ending with her famous line of "I would rather have 30 minutes of something wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special," showing that Shelby had no regrets about dying because she gave birth to a beautiful son, and her legacy lives on.

Now, let me say this too. Many were saying online that African Americans ought to support and not bash the film because we as a culture don't have many opportunities like this in the entertainment industry, which is true. And I do try to support the opportunities we do have, especially as leads on movies and tv series. HOWEVER, I'm not going to just say that a movie is great simply because it has a film full of people who look like me. I judge a film based on the emotions conveyed, if the story really shines onscreen, especially when it's a remake of a movie that I love to death! Even with Lifetime movies, there are some where my eyes are GLUED to the TV because they're so good. I got bored with this one, which hurts to say, because I was so excited for this. I have to be honest and give an average grade with a B-/C+. I commend the director and the cast for the effort, and for making it their own, but it just didn't stand out to me.

How did you feel about the remake? Sound off below!

Image via USA Today

6:00:00 AM