Just to put it out there first: I appreciate Spike Lee films because he has been one of the few out there taking risks about contemporary urban environs. That said, my opinion about this film is simply out of someone who appreciates good character depth and development, characters who are multi-faceted, and plot lines that weave a lot of disparate actions/ characters together (like in "Syriana").
Just talking about the characters, the Lincoln Ma character had the potential to be a great movie character. Here is a guy who controls a lot of power in his hood, and he's definitely well-connected. But he's not self-controlled, he's got a streak of jealousy riding him everywhere, he's always both exercising his power but he's also not that strong, not that strong-willed. It's almost like the character "Iggy" in "The Wire." He's going to snap eventually, but unlike Iggy, he's going to snap real real slow...like he's going to mess up soon. Anyway, in reality of the film, his character is set up this way, but we never get to see what happens. It's great to see an anti-hero who you're not sure whether you like, or you don't like, but you kinda are real curious to see him/her deal with their surroundings....
This is just Lincoln's character. K-Luv's character I thought would be more predictable, the benevolent gangsta. But he takes action/revenge that I didn't expect. It was kinda surprising. Well, to avoid writing more, a TV series definitely allow directors to explore themes and characters whom they create much more deeply. An something that is dedicated to an urban setting will mosdef be about communities...and THIS SHOW would have been on point to be taking this approach. And Spike Lee was going to really go full-on with this.
SHOWTIME: You blew it. Here we had a combination of good story, a real setting, and a director whose interest is in urban neighborhoods, and the people who make a living in urban places. Plus, not to mention the great cinematographer. You missed it SO BAD....and not just in challenging The Wire or anyother HBO show, but just for missing the boat on a new concept on how we connect with our cities, and finally giving S.F. some props...
alright, no more ranting on Showtime. We'll just have to wait until Spike gets his own channel.
Just talking about the characters, the Lincoln Ma character had the potential to be a great movie character. Here is a guy who controls a lot of power in his hood, and he's definitely well-connected. But he's not self-controlled, he's got a streak of jealousy riding him everywhere, he's always both exercising his power but he's also not that strong, not that strong-willed. It's almost like the character "Iggy" in "The Wire." He's going to snap eventually, but unlike Iggy, he's going to snap real real slow...like he's going to mess up soon. Anyway, in reality of the film, his character is set up this way, but we never get to see what happens. It's great to see an anti-hero who you're not sure whether you like, or you don't like, but you kinda are real curious to see him/her deal with their surroundings....
This is just Lincoln's character. K-Luv's character I thought would be more predictable, the benevolent gangsta. But he takes action/revenge that I didn't expect. It was kinda surprising. Well, to avoid writing more, a TV series definitely allow directors to explore themes and characters whom they create much more deeply. An something that is dedicated to an urban setting will mosdef be about communities...and THIS SHOW would have been on point to be taking this approach. And Spike Lee was going to really go full-on with this.
SHOWTIME: You blew it. Here we had a combination of good story, a real setting, and a director whose interest is in urban neighborhoods, and the people who make a living in urban places. Plus, not to mention the great cinematographer. You missed it SO BAD....and not just in challenging The Wire or anyother HBO show, but just for missing the boat on a new concept on how we connect with our cities, and finally giving S.F. some props...
alright, no more ranting on Showtime. We'll just have to wait until Spike gets his own channel.