I remember back in the day when Eddie Murphy used to be the beez-neez.

Everyone had seen most of his movies (with the exception of The Golden Child probably), and if I said to you, “What is this? Velvet?” and you didn’t know what I was referring to, you received the stank face. Murphy has pretty much done it all in his career: stand up, action films, the buddy-cop film, comedies where he has piled on the make up and disguises, and he has even done a musical (Dreamgirls anyone?). But sometime around and after his Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls, Murphy got lost in a sea of forgettable family films (aside from the never say die Shrek franchise) with thin plots and little demand. Did anyone actually go see “Meet Dave”?

But now Murphy is back, and he’s back in a role he knows all to well from past work early in his career: the bad guy used to do some good. Tower Heist is based around a staff of hard-working men and women who hold things down in a luxurious high-rise in NYC (near Columbus Circle to be exact for folks who live here). Their leader is Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller), the honorable building manager. When a wealthy, Wall-Street working resident of the high-rise named Arthur (Alan Alda) dupes Kovacs into allowing the man to invest his and the rest of the staff’s pensions, they find themselves caught up in a shady Ponzi scheme. More than a little heated by the deception and the fact that Arthur looks like he’s going to go free for his actions, Kovacs teams up with small-time crook Slide (Eddie Murphy, of course) to help him and a few other building workers get their money back the hood way: by robbing the businessman’s penthouse on the top floor of that same luxurious high-rise.

Murphy’s role in the film is to show the men the ropes: how to be good thieves and how to work a good bobby pin–and not for your hair. And he is good at his task seeing as how he’s got a long rap sheet for thievery and living reckless. But this time around, he teams up with Kovacs not only to get his own cut of the stolen mula, but also to help the naive staff exact some proper revenge. You’ve seen Murphy play a role like this in Trading Places, you’ve seen it in 48 Hours, so why should you see it in Tower Heist? Maybe because after nearly 30 years since his first film, which was 48 Hours, it’s nice to see traces of the old Eddie Murphy. No more talking like “Donkey” in Shrek or watching kids in Daddy Day Care, Murphy is back to his old reckless self, talking crazy, stealing everyone’s attention even when he shows up in small scenes, and just straight up being the loud-mouth guy we’ve been missing all these years. On top of that, the rest of the cast in this film does some really good work. Especially Stiller, actor Michael Peña, and of course, Gabourey Sidibe. She and Murphy share some chemistry and a little bit of dirty talk in the movie as well.

I know going to the movies is expensive, and a gal is NOT trying to waste her dollars. However, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and delighted by Tower Heist and the new and improved Eddie Murphy (which is somewhat like the old). There are a lot of actually very hilarious moments in the film, as well as a fair share of “that couldn’t be me” type moments as well. And unlike other comedies that drag on too long these days, the film is under two hours, so you never find yourself lost or bored. So yes, to everyone’s surprise, Tower Heist is actually a good film, and a good time at the movies. Check-check it out!

I love collecting pictures of fashionistas and fashion misfits! It lets me know what pieces to buy and what to stay away from. Far, far away from.

So Rocsi, you know, from 106 & Park, showed up to an event for the film Tower Heist in NYC yesterday dressed in this long, sheer number. The event seemed to be kind of late evening, so I guess you could say this outfit is “appropriate.” It has a long slit on one side, long sleeves, and what looks like a banded area around the midsection. Rocsi wore black pumps with the get up, and kept the hair dramatically long with some romantic curls. The makeup is looking bronze-y and fun. It’s only with an outfit like this that we have to reference someone’s draws (*sigh*). It looks like she went for the strapless bra and some cheeky underwear, and yes, they are black too.

I’m not hating on the outfit like that, but there’s something about it that just too dark for me. I don’t know what color, or if there actually is anything you can put with this to make it look better, but it needs something to pop! It’s not as scandalous of a ‘fit to me as it is just straight up dull. Maybe Amber Rose could have pulled something like this off, but not Rocsi. She’s just too small and mousy-looking in it; like a little girl playing in her mother’s drab nightgown. All black everything? Uh, no thanks.

What do you think?

More on Madame Noire!

• J Hud & Hubby Split: The Cost of Her Weight Loss?
• Dear White Folks: Just Say No to Blackface This Halloween
• 6 Occasions When It’s Okay To Be Mean To Your Man
• Celebs That Could & Should Quit Their Days Jobs… To Model
• Ethnic Specific: Which White Products are Good for Black Hair?
• 7 Things That Should Never Happen On A First Date
• Guess Who?: Who Did These Babies Become?