April Movie Club Notes

Thanks to Zanetta for writing the Movie Club notes in my absence.


We were pleased to welcome to the club new members Tanique, Rylona’s friend and neighbor, and Patrice, introduced to the group by India .

Meet the Browns
Yvonne chose the movie Meet the Browns, but, (perhaps fortunately for her) wasn’t there to defend her choice, and could not be reached for comment, though we did try. Puma was one of two participants who gave the movie its highest rating, a B. Puma explained that she enjoyed the romantic aspect of it, as it was a sentimental love story that touched her heart. She disliked the humor however, calling it stereotypical and tacky. Specifically, she said, the beating was nothing to be made fun of. Patrice, the other B-grader, qualified her rating saying that it was a “B for a Tyler Perry-type movie.” She said her score also reflected the fact that she closely identified with the single mother story line.

Brother John gave the film its lowest grade, a “double F,” and for the first time in the history of our movie club said that he is seeking a refund from the person who chose the movie! In keeping with his usual commentary from a technical perspective, his first observation was a violent objection to the “purple make-up,” making the characters look like the “painted white people portraying Indians in the 1950’s Spaghetti Westerns.” Then, he said there was no script, and on top of that this had to be Angela Bassett’s worst performance of her entire life, compounded by the fact that she is much too old for the role, and her costuming made her look like a hobbit, all tolled making this the worst movie he has ever seen. Ron echoed the opinion, stating that Rick Fox should stay on the basketball court, and there was no flow to the movie. The movie was described as buffoonery and demeaning to women, with most of the characters portraying a “ho’,” both men and women. Most of the other commentary was aligned with the disappointment described above, with Karl adding that it was too predictable, and Rylona echoing that it was a tired story line.

Gregg however, tried to offer the movie’s screenwriter some reprieve—he said “I have to applaud Tyler Perry though for taking on the issue of neglected children. People need to see the effect of what happens. He also appreciated that TP addresses the issue that there are so many negative voices in our community, specifically quoting the line “ Have you been beaten down so much that you can’t recognize a positive person?” Sister Kathi offered that the caretaker was the one character that had some substance. Zanetta, although she didn’t see the movie, was just relieved to have not been called out as the worst movie-picker for once.

Here are the ratings for Meet the Browns

John FF
Gregg C+
India C+
Carl C
Patrice B
Puma B
Ramona C+
Ron F
Rylona D-
Kathi D-
Tanique C
Valerie C+


There Will Be Blood

Notes pending on this film, however ratings are listed below:

John A
Gregg B
India B+
Carl B
Puma A
Ramona B
Ron B+
Rylona C-
Kathi B+
Zanetta B+

May Movie Choices
Puma - The Mist
Brother John - The Forbidden Kingdom