The fabulous Grear takes on “Best Man Holiday.” We’ve left in all of her unique grammatical stylings to add to the magic of the piece. All of her opinions are her own. Enjoy!

Cosmic Review by Grear Yaddie Turnull

I don’t go to the movies often. ‘Not only due to its high ticket price to enter but the high popcorn & candy prices too… Moreover, it’s rare that we find a season that even offers a flick that we’re interested in watching. For instance, the last movie we saw in the theater was that Jamie Foxx flick where he was the president. And we only went to see that cause a close friend kept highly recommending it, to catch a specific scene therein.

I tell ya what–when we do catch a flick, it’ll be on the bargain day or a matinee`. ‘Still baffled at how high the prices are? Don’t they know the economy is bad? But I digress.

With The Best Man Holiday, again, the recommendations came strong and consistent in a positive way. ‘Same glowing reviews were all over the net. But when comes from people you know personally, whose opinion you tend to value stating the like, now that’s powerful.

Gotta go see it!

Movie makers that do a great job know how powerful w.o.m {word of mouth} is. And that’s all they gotta know…in this context.

Commercial promoting is powerful, but in another way–a commerce way. W.o.m

from homies, folks that won’t earn a dime by telling you “Go see that sh*t. It’s good!” This say spouted in a “puttin’ you oN” fashion weighs in much moor heavier!

And if a person of substance is saying this to you, you immediately think the movie must be one of substance too. Hell, let me look up the movie’s scheduling

Then saw the ladies on The Wendy Williams Show yesterday before we headed out the door. This only sealed the deal. Anticipation on ten!

Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan…two lovely women, inside and out. This is evident in their aura. I’ll reflect moor on their beauty in a bit. We searched our collection to see if the first installment for the movie The Best Man was in our possession…could have sworn it was? Turns out it’s not. ‘Wanted Poppa to see it before we caught the sequel. He’ll have to catch part one at a later date. We were finally out the door & off to the movies.

The_Best_Man_Holiday

Luckily, the movie opens with scenes from its first installment. Poppa can catch the general gist. Good. The first thing that comes to mind… “They all still look good.” Then someone in the theater openly voiced the same. Most hate those that talk during the movie. Me? ‘Find it only annoying if it’s excessive, loud, and to top that, nonsensical.

The person that voiced that wasn’t loud or nonsensical. It was true, those actors not only still looked good, they still virtually looked the same!

And you can tell that the make-up applied was minimal. Then the same fellow movie-goer voiced that as well: “They more than still look good–the still look the same!” They continued… “Good Black don’t crack.” The person that accompanied the boastful movie-goer said to them “If we can figure out what’s in skin pigment I betchoo we can figure out the real reason behind racism.”

 Now my mind is going…wondering if I should jot down “Dr. Jewel Pookram’s” name on a slip of paper ‘n then slip it to them? ‘Cause she sure has videos that could have gotten them started on such a study. Now they got me really looking at the movie with refreshed vision. While watching, singer Sade` glided into my thoughts, she too still looks the same–good!

By now Harper (the Taye Diggs character) is walking down what looks to be a NYC [Chi?] busy street. He’s donned in a dark wool pea coat, jeans–that fit, a hat…the hat!

Quintessential New York City look–one that I remember so favorably. Nostalgia, in the positive sense? So hypnotic. I don’t look at Taye Diggs in “that way”, never did. But that scene? Yo! Lookin’ good, brotha! All of them. Especially that Morris Chestnut! Mercy! That scene where you took off your shirt…

…made that movie-goer holler out “Press Pause!” We all fell out laughing at her statement. And most of the ladies in the theater quickly concurred. Echoing “Press Pause! Press it!!!”

Lol…

I tell you, this boastful movie-goer seemed to annoy no one with her outbursts! ‘Only added to the entertainment. It’s rare a ticket-holder can pull this off successfully; especially in NYC. Ordinarily, somebody been done hollered out [to the vocal one] “STFU!” Nothin’ Nice.

Lol…

‘Watching Mr. Chestnut, made that scene in the classic movie “Boyz ‘N tha Hood” where he’s in the locker room then decides to rest on his back on a bench. Mercy!

GoodGod&7ThousandQuarters!

Ladies, look at Chestnut closely…the close-up on his beautiful chocolate face. Notice the shape of his eyes? Yes. Like a cougar or a panther, or something. On one of Teddy Pendergrass’ album covers (Life Is Just a Song…), the close up, those eyes, its shape…same thing: liken to panther.

Sidebar:

This really makes me wanna embrace veganism. Studying with Sevan, how he stress that eating meat is like, no, it is eating our brothers and sisters. Adding, that if it can run from you you’re not suppose to consume it.

Even in my continued astro-studies, read how Aquarius is a beast disguised as a human. Resisted being quick to agree with that notion, yet…still till…this day, the concept gnaws at me. Again, study the eye shape of certain folk, then think of the eye shape of certain animals, mammals, that match that shape. Mercy. OK, enough about me and my vegan endeavors.

Back to The Best Man Holiday

Terrence Howard. You too. And you light-skinned. Rare that Mama would swoon over the lack of melanin facially-shown, but…you? Honey, you get a pass. ..it has to be your aura. …and, yes, the cute-factor. But your aura…it emits goodness woven with a certain kind of rare intelligence. One I suspect you hold back on doling in whole. Secretive Piscean, you! 😉

Anybody that embodies the energy of “I know something you don’t know. In fact, I know something you’ll NEVER know” is hella sexy to me! Mama (the owls too) tend to go see wherever you’re shown. Even in flicks we didn’t wanna see. Like “Brave One,” but because you’re in it, we saw it. And picked up a jewel therein too. However the script is written, they seem to dole you the gems to voice [paraphrased: “We examine lies too cause people tell them for a reason.”]. Asir,sir. The way you kissed Mary J. Blige on her scar in her music video. Love, I tell you! Love!

Back to The Best Man Holiday

Like when you had that Santa suit on and were talking about “misery” to Harper.

Sage data. Sage data to-boot! Asir.

We never tire of you, Mr. Howard. Mia. Ms. Calhoun. If you don’t get the Academy Award for your performance in this movie? Then we’ll all really KNOW that there’s some ganky-political foolery going on behind-the-scenes.

Soon as you walked into the scene across the silver screen, something in the way you moved…the grace…the carriage in your body, demure, yet, dignified. I knew! Well, first my mind went to Jackie-O. How she moved in the White House during hosting a tour; well, this was when she was still Jackie Kennedy. When the brain made that quick auto-comparison. Then, I knew. ‘Just had a feeling.

Good acting is really in the body language. It’s soooo difficult to feign believable body lingo. Thus, y’all weren’t “acting,” you all embodied those characters! Reminiscing on the first installment of The Best Man, I recall how that flick was recommended to me. “Because of me.”  Even back then I had stopped going to the movies as often as I  did as a youngin. So when I do go, the flick came highly recommended. Back to the movie, the 1st installment.

 Like Harper Stewart, I wrote my memoir and changed the names therein to protect their privacy. It was written in the mid 90s. I allowed the manuscript to circulate amongst the homies. Back then it was celebrated… by those that read it. Even the ones that didn’t, still applauded my efforts-in-scribe. The only objection back then were some of “the names.” Some didn’t really like their pseudonym, they gave ideas for others; i.e.: How they preferred their character to be named in my memoir. But that was the extent of it.

Come early 00s, brand new take. Brand new take on an old manuscript.

…I deal with mathematics.” ~RZA

Their delay in dissonance baffled me at first–you know, chronological warpedness. Then, not my book, but a psychology textbook c l e a r e d up the matter for yours truly. “A c l e a r I n g” I’ll spell out more succinctly, from my perspective, naturally, in the autobio.

But I digress. I tend to do that often.

In short, from the beef leveled [my way] regarding my book, a non-published book at that time mind you, this made nearly EVERYONE recommend “The Best Man” to me! They recommended it with excited urgency. “Girl, soon as I seen that movie I thought of you! You are Harper.” They’d affirm. 

I’m being compared to a man? Huh?” Say no more. Mama went to check out the must-see. While watching it and after, I still couldn’t see how I could be compared to the “Harper” character. Yet I did enjoy the flick. Oh well… enough with that (the 1st one)…well, anyway, here in this blog.

Back to the second installment: …The Holiday

Oh, Mr. Lee, great job! But…who did the casting?…for the kids? Yeah, I know the credits rolled, but I had to roll…couldn’t wait longer to catch them. Whomever did it, how…how did they cast Lance & Mia’s acting-children? The latter/youngest to be specific? They were cute, but…believable? Believable as Lance & Mia’s natural offspring? Never mind. I’ll be nice. (Those who know the etymology for the word “nice”, yeah, in this context, it’s okay to assume it both ways).  Then again, I can’t help it…back from feigning… I think I know.

A totally darker brown family living in a mansion not shown [much less shown] on the big screen, like in so-called “real life”, may cause great stress certain populace. It shown on screen, though fiction, can STILL produce stress in a certain populace.  Sigh…. Smiles… #HowardZinnStudent

It’s just easier to get-all-IN, emotionally attached to a movie when its images are wholly believable. Soon as I feel an abrupt inner-pause! Analysis kick in! Kinda takes some of the enjoyment out of it—for a family movie such as this. J/S

 Mr. Lee, it wasn’t lost on me.  You rock wit’ tha metaphysics…dont’cha? If you don’t, then

that makes those three scenes all the moor magical: The reading of ‘that’ book to the kids. Where she had the baby.  I’ll keep the 3rd item to myself. Don’t wanna do the “Spoiler” thing. Though I waited a while to do this review, some may still have not seen it. 🙂 Just like everyone promised I would so: I cried. I laughed. I cried. I’d see it again. And…again.

What I came away with?

“Misunderstandings” could really lead to destruction, dissolution of true connections. I tell you what. Harper’s patience and resilience is a lot like ya girl here. When he decided to wait till wifey calmed down and the same for the homie, Lance… ‘Can’t explain ish when a person is irate.

This is definitely a correlation between he and me. 🙂 The only one I could spot, this, and of course, writing. Oh, Andy of BravoTV, y’all need to bring the Housewives franchise up to Westchester County. If Poppa wasn’t so private, I’d sign on. But, nah, Poppa don’t play dat! Though, there were a few catty-snipes here & there, the women finding shelter in their sister was so nurturing to witness. Exactly what TiaMa’at needs. A’se!

Y’all, in conclusion,  this movie feels like medicine, good medicine. Like, what your spirit has been waiting to feel to heal.

Love. It is truly the cure-all. <3

Related Videos:
http://youtu.be/kUwBXEjIVKM (The Best Man 1st Installment/ 1999 Trailer)
http://youtu.be/k6iNiJivOOQ (The Best Man Holiday Trailer)