Temptation
Film Review by Kam Williams

I’ll be honest, when I heard that Lionsgate wasn’t screening Temptation for critics, I really expected it to be a dreadful mess. But after entering the theater with very low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised by the latest morality play from Tyler Perry.

No advance peek meant I had to wait until opening day to see the melodramatic soap opera, which in my case was in a sold-out house with a crowd that was about 90% black and female. As far as what the sisters thought of the picture, all I needed to hear was the chorus of Amen’s and the robust round of applause during the closing credits.

Still, it’s debatable whether the Christian-themed cautionary tale’s simplistic sermonizing will attract a broader audience beyond that loyal demographic, but I’d guess that it very well might resonate with Evangelicals in general. Plus, don’t discount the box office appeal of reality show sensation Kim Kardashian who holds her own here in a quite comical supporting role as an opinionated fashionista.

Loosely based on Perry’s 2008 stage production “The Marriage Counselor,” Temptation is a flashback flick revolving around 26 year-old Judith (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a naïve country bumpkin employed in Washington, D.C. by Janice (Vanessa Williams), a crafty love guru with a bad French accent but a thriving matchmaking service.

Judith’s been married for six long years to loyal but boring Brice (Lance Gross), her childhood sweetheart and the only man she’s ever slept with. He runs a modest pharmacy in the city that never seems to have any customers. Nevertheless, the place’s atmosphere is kept pretty lively between comic relief coming courtesy of his gossipy, sticky-fingered cashier (Renee Taylor) and the ominous air created by a new employee (Brandy) hiding a big (and I mean BIG!) secret.

College educated Judith dreams of opening her own psychotherapy practice someday, but doesn’t have sufficient funds to do so, presently. That predicament makes her all the more vulnerable to Harley (Robbie Jones), an unscrupulous, dot.com billionaire with money to burn and sexual conquests to make.

The predatory home wrecker zeroes in on Judith while deciding whether to acquire her boss’ business. And before you can say “Mark Zuckerberg” she’s got dollar signs in her eyes and decides to leave her husband for a life of drugs and debauchery with suave Mr. Moneybags.

Brice offers to pay more attention to his wife and to spice up their love life, but is it too late? Can this marriage be saved? A present-day parable preaching to the choir with sobering warnings about the love of money and taking your mate for granted.

The Gospel according to Tyler Perry!

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexuality and drug use

Running time: 112 minutes

Distributor: Lionsgate Films

To see a trailer for Temptation, visit

Jurnee Smollett-Bell
The “Temptation” Interview
with Kam Williams

Sentimental Jurnee!

Born in New York City on October 1, 1986, Jurnee Smollett-Bell is an award-winning actress and activist of rare talent and conviction. She recently starred in the Emmy Award-winning series “Friday Night Lights” on which she portrayed the character Jess. She’s also been seen on “The Defenders” as Lisa, a new attorney at the law firm.

Jurnee starred in The Great Debaters with Forest Whitaker and Denzel Washington who also directed the historical drama. Jurnee received rave reviews and won the NAACP’s Best Lead Actress Image Award for her performance.

The versatile thespian landed her breakthrough role at the age of 11, when she starred in Eve's Bayou opposite Samuel L. Jackson and was cited by Interview Magazine as one of the five Hollywood stars to watch in the new millennium. Her other film credits include Roll Bounce, Gridiron Gang, and Beautiful Joe with Sharon Stone as well as made-for-television films including the Wonderful World of Disney’s "Selma Lord Selma” and Showtime’s "Ruby's Bucket of Blood" opposite Angela Bassett.

On TV, Jurnee has guest starred in the season finale of “Grey’s Anatomy” as well as on "House," "E.R.," "Strong Medicine," and "NYPD Blue." Her other television credits include "Wanda at Large" and "Cosby," for which she won NAACP Image Awards in 1999 and 2000.

She began her television acting career at the age of 4 with a recurring role on "Full House," later reviving the character for a season of "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper." She followed that by starring on the ABC comedy "On Our Own" alongside her real life sister, Jazz, and her brothers, Jojo, Jussie, Jake and Jocqui.

Besides acting and singing, Jurnee is an activist and the youngest board member of Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV, advancing human rights, and to educating and empowering AIDS orphans and other at-risk youth. She has been involved with ANSA since the age of 11. 

Working with the organization, Jurnee has traveled to South Africa, where she has met with Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu, as well as with victims of HIV. She even went on an official mission for the U.S. State Department to Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa to conduct AIDS awareness workshops.

Among Jurnee’s other charitable causes is the Children’s Defense Fund, where she joined the board at the invitation of her longtime mentor, Marian Wright Edelman. Here, she talks about starring as Judith opposite Vanessa Williams, Kim Kardashian and Brandy in Tyler Perry’s latest morality play, Temptation.

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Olympus Has Fallen
Film Review by Kam Williams

While serving as the President’s (Aaron Eckhart) personal bodyguard, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) grew very close to the First Family. During his tenure at the White House, the dedicated, detail-oriented Secret Service agent also familiarized himself with every aspect of the building’s layout.

Nevertheless, Banning was reassigned to a desk job after failing to rescue the First Lady (Ashley Judd) before the presidential limo plunged off a bridge into an icy river en route to a Christmas party. Although the accident wasn’t his fault, he was left agonizing over a snap decision that might have been the difference between her living and dying.

A year and a half later, we find Banning still riddled with guilt despite receiving assurances from the Secret Service Director (Angela Banning) that there was nothing he could have done. However, he soon gets that sorely needed shot at redemption when a swarm of ninjas from North Korea attack the White House, taking the President and his Cabinet hostage.

With the President and Vice President (Phil Austin) abducted, the line of succession dictates that the Speaker of the House (Morgan Freeman) assume power from a well-fortified bunker. Meanwhile, the maniacal leader (Rick Yune) of the bloodthirsty terrorists proceeds to torture his hostages, hoping to learn the codes controlling America’s nuclear arsenal.

The unfolding crisis is not lost on Banning who observes the slaughter of his former colleagues from an office window across the street. The disgraced agent springs into action and surreptitiously enters the White House armed only with a handgun and a walkie-talkie. But he still enjoys the advantage over an army of heavily-armed intruders by virtue of his knowledge of the premises’ every nook and cranny.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Olympus Has Fallen is a derivative action flick which might be best described as a cross of Die Hard (1988) and In the Line of Fire (1993), except that instead of Bruce Willis or Clint Eastwood, we have Gerard Butler playing the invincible, two-fisted protagonist. The fast-paced film is engaging and entertaining enough to come recommended provided you’re willing to put your brain on hold and not question any of the picture’s implausible plot developments.

Featuring pyrotechnics worthy of a 4th of July fireworks display, Olympus Has Fallen is an eye-popping, patriotic, high-octane adventure that leaves no doubt about who’s the vindicated hero that kept the world safe for democracy. The Butler did it! Gerard Butler, that is.

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated R for graphic violence and pervasive profanity

In English and Korean with subtitles

Running time: 120 minutes

Distributor: Film District

To see a trailer for Olympus Has Fallen, visit

Admission
Film Review by Kam Williams

Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) has worked for 16 years in the admissions office at Princeton, the college regularly rated the best in the country by experts. Because of her pivotal role in picking prospective students for the highly-selective Ivy League institution, the highly-principled administrator often finds herself approached by pushy, helicopter parents seeking preferential treatment for their children.

That’s why she prides herself on never having compromised the integrity of the application process, a commitment also appreciated by the outgoing Dean of Admissions (Wallace Shawn). In fact, he’s recently indicated that upon his impending retirement, he’s prepared to recommend either her or the equally-dedicated Corinne (Gloria Reuben) as his replacement.

That announcement jumpstarts a fierce competition between the two colleagues which soon has Portia venturing to New Hampshire in search of qualified candidates. There, she visits an alternative high school whose handsome principal, John Pressman (Paul Rudd) had been a classmate of hers at Dartmouth. Sparks fly, but nothing transpires, because she’s in a committed relationship.

Instead, John just pressures Portia to interview Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), a bright but underachieving student with a woeful academic transcript. She has no problem dismissing the kid out of hand until the headmaster slips her a birth certificate showing that he’s the son she surrendered for adoption as a baby.

Suddenly, Portia’s maternal instincts kick in and she finds herself on the horns of a dilemma. Should reject this candidate who is clearly not Princeton material, or should she bend the rules for her own flesh and blood? After all, it’s the least she could do, since she played no part in raising him.

That is the conundrum at the heart of Admission a delightful, romantic dramedy directed by Paul Weitz (American Pie). Based on Jean Hanff Korelitz’s best seller of the same name, the film offers a very revealing peek at the cutthroat, college entrance process from the gatekeepers’ point of view.

Besides the temptation of nepotism, the film revolves around the tender romance between Portia and John which conveniently has a chance to blossom when she’s abandoned by her philandering boyfriend (Michael Shannon) upon returning home from New Hampshire. Meanwhile, intriguing subplots abound involving a cornucopia of colorful support characters.

For instance, itinerant bachelor John has an adopted African son (Travaris Spears) who craves the sort of predictability his settling down with a stable woman might provide. And Portia needs to mend fences with her estranged mother (Lily Tomlin), a breast cancer survivor who in turn might benefit from the attention of an ardent admirer (Olek Krupa). Additional sidebars feature memorable cameos by Roby Sobieski (Leelee’s little brother), Asher Muldoon (author Korelitz’s son) and an emerging ingénue in Nadia Alexander.

An alternately comical and thought-provoking cautionary tale that’s every bit as hilarious as it is sobering.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated PG-13 for profanity and some sexuality

Running time: 117 minutes

Distributor: Focus Features

To see a trailer for Admission, visit

The Sapphires
Film Review by Kam Williams

As young children, the McCrae sisters, Gail (Deborah Mailman), Julie (Jessica Mauboy) and Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell), formed a promising singing group with their cousin (Shari Sebbens). But the ensemble barely got off the ground before Kay was seized by the authorities while recuperating in a hospital.

You see, the girls were growing up in Australia at a time when the law allowed fair-skinned aborigines to be taken from their mothers and placed with Caucasian families so they could be raised in accordance with the “White Ways.” Consequently, half-caste Kay had virtually no further contact with indigenous culture or any of her relatives over the next decade.

By 1968, however, Gail, Julie and Cynthia were old enough to track their cousin down, whereupon they encouraged her to run away with them on the spot. And it wasn’t long thereafter that the reunited foursome entered a local amateur competition as a Country music act.

Although they underwhelmed the audience that day, they did impress Dave Lovelace (Chris O’Dowd) who recognized their potential, assuming they would be willing to change their repertoire to popular Motown tunes. In short order, he became the quartet’s piano player, conductor, choreographer and manager, whipping his diamond in a rough into Australia’s answer to The Supremes before signing them to perform for the troops over in Vietnam.

Based on the stage play of the same name, The Sapphires recounts the band’s harrowing, real-life experiences upon arriving in Southeast Asia during the bloody Tet Offensive. The movie marks the impressive feature debut of aborigine Wayne Blair, a gifted actor-turned-director who does a remarkable job of subtly recreating the political climate of the turbulent Sixties.

For instance, he effectively employs the iconic clip of Muhammad Ali refusing to serve in the army (“No Viet Cong ever called me a [N-word].”) to convey the mounting minority opposition to the conflict. Nevertheless, blinded by a combination of naivete and the pay, our hapless heroines find themselves in the middle of a war zone with little preparation for the unspeakable horrors they are about to witness.

With no choice but to make the best of a bad situation, they proceed to put on a number of very well-received shows, as the tour takes them closer and closer to the frontlines. Amidst the insanity, they somehow find time for reverie, reflection, and even a little romance.

A well-deserved tribute to four Aussie lassies who risked their lives to entertain the boys.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated PG-13 for violence, profanity, sexuality, smoking and mature themes

Running time: 98 minutes

Distributor: The Weinstein Company

To see a trailer for The Sapphires, visit