Lottery Ticket Movie Review

Bow Wow is back in his third big screen starring role in Ice Cube's new movie Lottery Ticket. This all-star cast production takes a comedic look at how people's lives can change when money gets involved.

In Lottery Ticket, Bow Wow plays Kevin Carson, a high school graduate, who by all practical appearances seems to be a responsible young man who is focused on working to help keep the bills paid at his grandmother's house. Until one day as luck would have it, what seemed to be the worst day of his life turns out to be the best day of his life when his number falls in the $370 million lottery.

Due to the fact that the day he goes to claim his winnings falls at the beginning of a long holiday weekend, Kevin is faced with the task of trying to figure out how he's going to hold on to the winning ticket, and his life, until the claims office reopens on Monday. And in midst of all this, somehow the entire neighborhood, including the neighborhood thug Lorenzo, finds out about his winnings and now everybody wants a piece.

With stars like Ice Cube, Brandon T. Jackson, Loretta Devine, Terry Crews, Mike Epps and Charlie Murphy one would walk into this movie expecting to be doubled-over from side-splitting laughter but unfortunately that wasn't the case; for me anyway.

While Lottery Ticket did have it's funny moments, I still left the theater a little disappointed that it wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be. And for some reason when it came to the comedy relief, it just always seemed like Brandon T. Jackson tried way too hard to be "that guy".

Even though the overall message was endearing and the acting was believable, there was really nothing memorable about the film. I would have been totally cool waiting to see this one on video from the comfort of my own home.

So, at the end of the day I give Lottery Ticket a solid B-.


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Necessary Intolerance

Before I begin this tirade you have to watch the video to fully appreciate everything I am about to say.



When I first saw this video my jaw almost hit the floor. I was disgusted, appalled and saddened by the fact that anyone would find this behavior appropriate for a child, and worse yet, that they would find it funny enough to post on the Internet.

Kids do not need to watch any and everything that comes on TV. With all the sexual predators and perverts that are teeming in our neighborhoods, is it really a good idea to have a little girl posted on the web for the world to see how well she can "ride it"? Come on! Be serious!

It's really sad that the world we live in has become so desensitized to any and everything that goes on anymore, and it's a shame that the people who actually stand up and speak out about these things are called "intolerant" and "judgmental". 

Well sometimes intolerance is needed. It seems that the more we "tolerate" the worse things get.

We tolerated them taking God out of the schools. Now the kids are killing each other at staggering rates, drop outs have increased exponentially and  we don't even blink at teen pregnancy anymore.

We have allowed society to minimalize the sanctity of marriage and now divorce rates at an all time high, gay marriage has made a mockery of God's plan for the union between men and women, and we wonder why young men have no concept of what the word "family" really means or what it takes to maintain one.

Video games show people getting their heads chopped off with demonic figures plastered all over the place, while stealing cars is rewarded with money, women and prestige. They even have a game on the market overseas that allows people to simulate rapping young girls. Then we wonder why the same kids have no problem robbing, raping and killing people in real life.



It's way past time for some intolerance. Everything is not ok and saying so doesn't mean you're being judgmental; it just means that you're standing up for what's right.

Things are on a downward spiral; you only need to turn on the news to see that for yourself. If people, the church especially, doesn't speak out then what hope do we have?

We have to do better. Education is key...when we know better we do better. If you know better then reach out and teach somebody else. Be the change you want to see.

Be blessed and stay prayerful.

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Inception Review

Inception...where do I begin?

I'll start off by saying that Leonardo Dicaprio did a great job in this movie, but the problem is I still don't know whether to make heads or tales of the film itself. The best way to describe this film is complex.

Inception is essentially about a band of thieves who possess a very special skill: They can go into people's dreams and steal their ideas. Dom Cobb (played by Dicaprio) is the leader of the pack, and he is on the run from the U.S. government for murder and is desperately trying to find a way to get back home to his two children.

In the midst of being a fugitive, Cobb takes on various corporate espionage jobs with his partner Arthur (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to keep his head above water. But after a job gone bad due to the fact that Cobb's deranged late wife likes to randomly show up and blow his cover, unable to continue on business-as-usual for fear that his disgruntled employers will end his life, Cobb is given an offer that he can't refuse by the man that he failed to steal the idea from.

The offer: Use Inception to plant an idea into the competitions mind. The reward: Criminal record disappears and Cobb gets to go home to his family.

It seems simple enough, but we all know that making it that simple would make for a very boring movie. Needless to say, the crew takes the job and everything that can go wrong does and the audience is left on the edge of their seats waiting to see if the hero will save the day.

I applaud this film for the creativity that went into the storyline and the artistry behind the cinematography, but at the end of the day this movie was very cerebral. There was very in depth talk about the subconscious mind, it's various levels and how traumatic occurrences in dreams can affect the brain in real life, along with a lot of other psychiatric mambo jumbo.  Not only was there the talk, but as a viewer you actually have to pay attention to it if you truly expect to understand what's going on in the movie. So, this is definitely not a film to go see while you're drunk or high.

Overall, Inception was a pretty good movie. For those who thrive on explosions, high speed car chases and highly choreographed fight scenes, there was plenty of that, but make no mistake- you're going to have to use your brain for this one.

So at the end of the day, I give this movie a solid B+. If you like going to the movies for mindless entertainment this is not the movie for you to spend theater money on. Wait until it comes out on DVD. But if you enjoy a good mind-boggler, then by all means knock yourself out with this one.