Movie Review: “No Good Deed”

I am an ardent fan of the cinematic arts. Although I have certain genre preferences, I don’t let that stifle my curiosity and close myself to different flavors of entertainment. That said...I am a huge fan of science fiction, super hero and action movies! Please visit my other blog The Boxed Office for reviews, exclusively, on these types of movies.

The Cast: 

Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson

   

   Idris Elba is one of my favorite actors, so I’ll try not to be biased when I say that although I’m not used to seeing him in the role of the villain, he delivered in the role. I had little doubt that he could pull it off given his performance in the series “Luther.” The conviction with which he attacks his character acting is parallel to his other passion…and if you don’t know, then you need to check out “Idris Elba: King of Speed.”

   

   Taraji P. Henson certainly sold me on the role of neglected housewife, suffering from lack of affection and wanting more out of her life than the constant struggle of being a mother. 

   When these two shared the screen, I was drawn in and invested in their interaction. Despite some plot holes in the script, these actors gave great performances and didn’t disappoint me.

The Plot: 

   

   Colin Evans has a silver tongue…and a very violent temper. In prison for manslaughter, but suspected of several more crimes, he is up for parole and looking forward to getting out…until his parole is denied.

   

   Refusing to be deterred, Colin escapes on the way back to the prison, and makes his way to Atlanta where he looks in on his (now) ex-fiancé. After finding out that she is involved with someone else, he confronts her. Not being able to control his rage, the confrontation ends in murder…but Colin has not yet finished with his revenge.

   Terri is a neglected housewife, married to a husband that seems to have little interest in making his marriage work. Spending everyday with her children, she longs to rekindle the flame her marriage once had.

   On a rainy night after her husband has left on a golf trip with his father, Terri gets an unexpected visitor seeking help after having an accident, but the visitor (Colin) is very much expected (in his mind) as he is not there by “accident” and has some very specific plans for Terri and her children.

      What follows is a riveting revelation of why Colin is there and what he really wants through flattery, deception, and ultimately, violence. Colin refuses to be denied what he thinks is rightfully his, and Terri learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished.

The Verdict: 

   There wasn’t anything in this film that hasn’t been seen before. I’d even argue that the “twist” at the end could be seen coming a mile away (more on that later). 
   

      

   That said, there were some plot holes, or at the very least, actions that just didn’t make any sense for a reasonable person in dire need of extricating their children from danger. There were numerous scenes where Terri gets the drop on Colin (literally), only to be recaptured because her first action after was to run. I saw this film with my 16 year old daughter…and even she was whispering to herself “keep hitting him.”

      I also found the scene with the police officer a strain for my intelligence as any reasonable officer faced with all the overwhelming evidence that something is terribly wrong, would likely act much quicker than the slow witted dolt in the film (at least I hope I’m right about that). 

      The “twist” was no surprise to me as Colin passed several houses before settling in on Terri’s house (meaning he had intent for that particular residence) and Colin himself said that he needed to know who the other man was…and needed to deal with him. The logical conclusion is that after dealing with his ex-fiancé, her lover was next on the list. So yes…the “twist” was spoiled for me early on…;-)

   Despite the plot holes and actions that made no sense to me, the film still delivered a good story with some great actors, killing three cinnamon sticks, out of five, in my cup of tea.

Rating 3/5

Get to the Point

 

   Oh my...do you know a person that never gets to the point? Perhaps you know someone that occasionally gets lost in their own story? Usually, I’m a very patient person, but there are those times when my brain is in high processing mode and it can’t wait for every superfluous detail to be revealed on the road leading to the point.

   Strange that one so usually focused on details (me) can sometimes have such a hard time dealing with them. I’m fully prepared to put the onus on me in this case and admit that I’m the one with the problem. Even if that’s true though…I’m going to vent anyway.

   Let me give an example and judge for yourself if I’m exaggerating the issue.

  

   So there I was talking to a friend when they say to me “My sister found a wallet on the street the other day and you won’t believe what was inside it.” Now…if there was ever a hook to snag a person’s interest, that was it. My curiosity meter exploded because if the expected item you find in wallets wasn’t there (money), then I really want to know what was so “unbelievable.”

   So…I took the bait and asked what was in the wallet. The response I got went something like this…

  

   “Well, my sister tells me she found a wallet and couldn’t believe what was inside. I asked her what was inside, but instead she pulled it out and told me to look inside. I said to her that I wasn’t going to look inside and that she should just tell me. She then asked me why she should tell me when the wallet is right in front of me and I can simply look. Listen I said…if it’s something so unbelievable, then she should tell me quickly because I really want to know. She then says to me…”

  

   I swear, at that point, I blacked out. When my mind snapped back to reality I had already uttered four words that ensured that I would never find out what was in the wallet. I don’t even remember saying them…they just kind of lingered in the air accompanied by the look of disdain on my friends face. By the look you’d think I used my pimp hand instead of simply saying “Get to the point.”

  

   Looking back now…having some time to reflect, perhaps my choice of words and tone were a sort of verbal slap, but I just couldn’t take the verbatim recounting of a conversation that had no bearing on what was actually in the damn wallet. Heck…now that I’m thinking about it, I still don’t know what was in the wallet (and I so much wanted to know). If I did use a verbal pimp hand, I hope it was the backhand!

  

   Maybe I overreacted and could have had just a little more patience. Maybe…but could you imagine if the sister had gotten a phone call during that conversation (and I don’t know that this didn’t happen) and I got the word-for-word phone conversation as part of the process of revealing what was in that damn wallet?

   I’m usually a nice guy and can handle myself better than that, but everyone has a moment, and that was my moment. Perhaps I should apologize for what could only have been perceived as rude…but truth is truth, and some people just need to get to the point.

  

   I guess next time I will politely interrupt and tell them there is a blog post they have to read and that it just can’t wait…then direct them here. If the title doesn’t do the trick and they actually read more into the post, at least it will stop the steady stream of useless information and give me a chance to unhook myself and reign in my curiosity.

  The heck with that stupid wallet…I don’t care anymore.

Breaking the Law of Attraction

   The Law of Attraction has been around since the inception of humankind. It’s very basic and simplistic and goes like this: men and women are attracted to each other. Of course, generalizations are not absolute, so take no offense when I don’t focus (but am fully aware) that all men and women are not attracted to each other…many are attracted to the same sex (again though, the same Law of Attraction).

   

   Although the title of this post implies that this law can be broken, you will not see me advocating this to be true…indeed, I think this law can never be broken. To do so would be to end humanity as we know it (and enter into some weird science fiction situation that doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest). No, the title is set forth to discuss those of us having a hard time accepting this law, and probably at times, wish it can be broken.

   

   Let me set up the scenario and see if you can relate. A couple is out and about when one of them (either the man of the woman) steals a glance at the opposite sex (again, insert the same sex if it applies). Now, admittedly, there is a right and wrong way to do this (and I’m not advocating doing so, but the law is the law), wherein one is not being blatantly obvious or disrespectful. However, even doing it innocuously can raise the ire of someone not secure in their relationship or are just generally an insecure person.

   

   Maybe I only speak for myself when I say the mature person simply understands that attraction exists, no matter how vested you are in another, because being so vested does not make you something other than human. Maybe I’m the immature one to not make a national security case out of our humanity and choose instead to keep moving myself forward fully grasping the reality of my situation, and secure in the fact that it trumps the thought that some other guy is handsome or cute. Perhaps I am in error to look deeper to what I see as the root of the problem being insecurity, not natural human reactions.

   Now I know there will be a segment of people (likely women) reading this and thinking that a simple look or quick glance can lead to cheating. In response I’ll say of course it can…however, it is never just a simple look or quick glance that does this, but the pursuit thereafter with determined intent that really leads to cheating. Heck, if we really want to take a few steps down that particular rabbit hole, the situation of cheating really begins long before there is even anyone else to glance at…but I digress.

   The plain truth is the Law of Attraction can never be broken and we all have to live with it. Every celebrity (of any type) any of us finds attractive puts us in compliance with that law.  It’s the unconscious search for the perfect person (even if they have already been found). It’s natural. It’s even healthy (although choosing to take your humanity to the extreme and cheat might be very unhealthy depending on the reaction of your mate. Fair warning).

   

   I don’t know if it’s some hidden part of the Girl Code I have never seen but this idea that women have that they are the center of a man’s universe is…right (of course), but just doesn’t manifest in quite the way they think it should. Men will look, as will women (although the belief is that it happens to a lesser extent…I’m not so sure about that). I think as part of the common ground that needs to be shared by both sexes, there needs to be acceptance that the Law of Attraction is here to stay, we just need to deal with it in a healthier way than unmitigated insecurity and disrespectful behavior…but again, I digress.

http://dkidiscussion.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-perfect-person.html

http://dkidiscussion.blogspot.com/2012/02/girl-code.html

http://dkidiscussion.blogspot.com/2012/11/men-and-women-common-ground.html

NFL: Not Functioning Logically

   If someone could explain to me the madness that has seemed to recently grip some NFL players, I would greatly appreciate it. I can’t seem to figure all this out. I know football is a violent sport, and I know those that play it are only human (even if they are grossly overpaid for the “job”) but there has to be some trace of reason in the recent rash of madness spreading around.

   I have a theory on all of this, but even should it prove to be true, it doesn’t at all absolve anyone for the heinous acts of violence perpetrated on those unable to mount a proper defense. To be clear, I’m talking about the actions of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.

  

   Rice, in a fit of rage, knocked his wife (then fiancé) out…completely. Dragging her later was just insult to injury, but let’s focus on what trigger can possibly set him off to engage her as if she were a man of equal size and ability. It’s safe to say he reached critical mass and did not endeavor to let it out before things reached their pinnacle in the elevator. I’m not even going to get into the initial official reaction of the NFL on the matter, they seem to be just as illogical as Rice.

   What boggles my mind are those people blaming the wife for being knocked out…as if Rice had no other choice than to administer maximum force. Worse still are those saying the wife deserved it for raising her hands to him. While I’ll agree that a woman should never hit a man, doing so doesn’t automatically make it alright to go for the fifth round knock-out. As shocking as these sentiments are, it gets worse when you find out that much of this is coming from other women. I guess there are even exceptions to the unity of women.

   Now Rice is facing the loss of his job (which could, in fact, be partly a catalyst for all of this, but more on that later).

  

   If I say Adrian Peterson spanks his children, it would be like saying Antarctica is a little chilly. Seriously, the pictures of the marks left on his four year old son were excessive. Any sane and reasonable person can see that (and I’m not claiming to be neither sane nor reasonable). There is nothing a four year old can do (besides what all four year old do) to justify such a level of “discipline.” Peterson is just not functioning logically.

   Nothing illustrates this more than his reaction after the fact. Most people are appalled by the marks left on his son. If he can look at them and not have a similar reaction, then I submit that all the candles are not burning upstairs for Adrian.  

   I really don’t know why these guys have done what they did (and don’t even get me started on Aaron Hernandez), but I’ll wager now that steroid use might have some culpability here. It’s fact that such use can make a person more susceptible to flying off into rage…and at the very least, not engage the higher intelligence it’s assumed was given to them by the divine (but now I’m not so sure). I could be wrong about that, but I’m certainly right when I say that the level of violence used by these two is absolutely unacceptable, and that point needs to be driven home with the NFL (and the courts) behind the wheel. 

http://dkidiscussion.blogspot.com/2013/02/critical-mass.html

http://dkidiscussion.blogspot.com/2012/08/let-it-out.html

http://dkidiscussion.blogspot.com/2012/05/sticking-togetherits-female-thing.html

http://dkidiscussion.blogspot.com/2014/08/about-that-life.html