Reviews

I just watched Brooklyn Bound for the first time about half-hour ago and this film doesn't waste a minute of the film as every scene of this film are shot very well. The cinematography was great, it's meant for a film like this. the guy doing it clearly had the right idea and it works very well for low-budget. All of the acting was good - Jamie Hector(Paid In Full, HBO's The Wire) is VERY effective in his role as is the scarce Dean Winters(HBO's Oz) w/ some strong acting. After watching the Brooklynite Jamie Hector play out his part as the strong and silent Marlo opposite Wood Harris in The Wire, It was the straw that broke the camel's back in making me consider this movie even though I was pretty sold on the title itself. The film itself shows the hard times in Brooklyn and it shows the cultural diversity which makes the film so meticulous and the scenes in the projects can be compared to the likes of New Jersey Drive and Clockers only they used actual Brooklyn n!&&@s for the film. What I really loved about the movie was the fact that REAL NEW YORK STREET SLANG IS USED CORRECTLY!!! The film itself doesn't pull any punches and keeps it very real and for that I recommend this film to anyone who likes urban film - Brooklyn Bound is a gem under the radar....

Sure, in a sense Underworld is a bit of a ripoff of Blade however it is that kind of ripoff that makes this appealing. The movie is mostly in a blue color to fit the dark mood of the film about the war between the Lycans/Werewolves and Vampires. *sp* The movie itself had some really good special effects, particularly the part when one of the head vampires is awaken - some of this part is blatantly ripped from Blade 1 *sp*.

The human character caught in the middle of the war when he's attacked by a lycan is the one that stands out the most in this whole movie. Basically he goes through three phases in the film w/ the third phase leaving goldmines for the next in this series.

Yeah, it's action blended w/ horror and its own folklore of the two "species" which holds its own foundation and does so in good fashion

8/10

The Wood starring Omar Epps, Taye Diggs, Sean Nelson, Melinda Williams, De' Aundre Bonds and Antwon Tanner was a perfect positive black film that deserves alot of credit. Unlike The Best Man, it doesn't have a boring pre-wedding story - actually it's a lot of fun as the three friends talk about their fun childhood in 'The Wood' a.k.a Inglewood, California. The flashback scenes are done so nicely and the characters are written in detailed fashion and come across very realistically.

When I first seen the trailer I was like it would probably be an O.K. movie but it was alot better than I could possibly expect and turns out to be a big winner, this is a sleeper for 1999

10/10

Wow, this was as bad as it was made out to be... I must agree that Donald Goines would be turning over in his grave because of this garbage. Tyrin Turner really messes up bad here and makes his previous lead performance in Menace II Society look better than it already is(which was godlike). Clifton Powell also from Menace II Society appears the same way Mekhi Phifer did in 8-Mile, with a locks wig on his head and sorry to say he's truly wasted in this film. The film had no help from the writers and filmmakers and took a wicked fall. I love Goines but this is disrespectfully bad, the film at least - the book is good. This is just a terrible film adaptation. since it's highly likely that DMX's film company has all the rights to the Goines' novel, I'm hoping this is remade w/ respect the way 'Never Die Alone' was - if not f*ck it... I'm just glad 'Never Die Alone' was in the right hands same way the upcoming 'Daddy Cool' is in the right hands...

2/10

From Dusk Till Dawn 3 wasn't a particularly good movie but it's not 100% bullcrap neither. The film tries to re-do the first film's intro but uses a 19th century backdrop which makes the first part of the movie a Western. Of course they use the religious family formula again but it's done pretty differently which was interesting. The gore in this movie isn't bad but still reminds me of the fake, thick blood used in 'Bones' w/ Snoop.

The movie is fortunate to be better than the second one, but then again From Dusk Till Dawn 2 was a pretty bad movie so it doesn't really say much...

4/10

Once again, Michael Mann proves what a genius he is with his latest effort 'Collateral' starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett-Smith and a cameo from Jason Statham. The film starts with a slick intro as to what's going on without giving anything away w/ introductions to the three main characters. Tom Cruise is the anti-hero of the movie, Vincent, a smooth criminal whose line of work requires a straight-to-the-point attitude as well as a 'whatever' type attitude. Tom Cruise brings the traits neccessary to Vincent - cold and calculating - even his VICTIMS shape out what Vince is all about. Jada Pinkett-Smith, with the little screen time she has, is a pivotal character in the film. It would seem like she wasn't really drawn out much but as the story goes on, you see that she plays a big part for a role so small. Jamie Foxx, as Max, damn near almost steals the show from Tom Cruise as an unassuming taxi driver. The situation he's put in thanks to Vincent is like a blessing in disguise type - Even though he is an accidental accomplice, while he is with Vincent - he learns things about himself he never thought was in him [sp]such as the scene when Vincent insists that Max goes to visit his mother[/sp]....

reading some of the comments, I see that some people were able to guess the ending but I honestly didn't try to guess as the movie itself was really unpredictable in between the five stops...

though these tow characters are morally conflicted, there is a big connection. The rest of the supporting cast do their respective jobs but it's the two who were supposed to shine the brightest who really stand out - I remember when Jamie Foxx used to be on in Living Color, and after many years, we get to see how talented he truly is even though I knew he was a good singer as well. he's truly come a long way to land a role with someone as established as Tom Cruise...

Collateral is not to be missed at all

10/10

Man, this show literally kept me guessing what would happen every season. I like how this show not only goes into the racketeering business of the fictious Soprano crime family and the family life of not only Tony's family but the relationships within the ring. This is one show deserving of heavy respect and attention that has used various talents of the past and future. It's not a show where the violence smiles or frowns in your face but it shows the life of a mobster and how they live like normal people despite the line of work they do...

Along w/ shows like Entourage, Def Poets, Oz and The Wire, this is a show that I have no problem taking the time out to watch...

let's see how far this show goes after the fifth season

I have never read the books from Robert Ludlum, but The Bourne Supremacy is a good upgrade to its predecessor with good car chases in foreign areas such as Russia and India and good fight scenes including a beatdown with a rolled up magazine. Amazingly Matt Damon is able to pull off a role that I really couldn't picture him doing and I was saying the same thing about the first one after I watched it. The only problem was the photography which sometimes doesn't seem like it can keep up with Matt Damon but the film delivers good scenery of cities outside of America. Many of the surprising twists fit the story and helped it make a lot of sense particularly one in the beginning that sets off the whole thing.

Even though the photography looked like it was done by a drunken cameraman at times, the film fairs pretty well...

9/10

At first when I glimpsed at this, I wasn't so sure about seeing Matt Damon in this kind of role. But when I finally saw the film, I realized I was just paranoid as it's a very good action film that uses the european car chase formula and does it in a respectable fashion. And there's a fight scene that was cleared for a PG-13 movie when it possibly passes for an R. I see how this even resembles The Italian Job in a sense but I am aware that this came out first - but anyway it's not like it's a bad thing.

Matt Damon does surprisingly well in his fight scenes which are shot from many angles to take the burden off of the choreographer. Matter fact he pulls it off so well that I tend to forget he's not even a martial artist as he had to gone through serious training for this role. For a PG-13 film, it is relatively graphic at times

9/10

I know that the show has only started however I must comment on this show. It's realistically innovative as it takes four friends from N.Y., one who happens to be an actor w/ the other three along for the ride. It really gives an insight as to what actors nowadays go through as far as roles taken and career moves - not to mention a reaction off of a bad review from a critic. With that said all of the characters are likable but so far it's Kevin Connolly and Dillon who are standing out so far, the other two play their parts respectively well and I'm hoping this show does well as I'm already treating it with the same respect as I'd treat The Wire and The Sopranos...

Entourage is a lot of fun for the one episode I've seen, I plan to watch more of it as well...

I don't know why Seagal even bothered to do this horrible, horrible film. Not to mention the poor acting from one Ja Rule who really needs to give it up even though his rap career was ended by rival rapper 50-cent. As a matter of fact he is by far the most annoying of the characters in the movie and a villain that doesn't really fit(Morris Chestnut), he's a better good guy than a villain even though he was that in the stellar crime caper, Confidence.

It is a lot like Under Siege but at least Under Siege had alot of substance to it which made it work well. Half Past Dead is just a fall-flat action film that doesn't deserve to be watched by anyone

2/10 - very bland

The film's title is actually pretty bland when you watch the movie but the movie itself is not bad. Even some bad sound editing choices for example, a nine millimeter handgun sounding like an Ingram UZ. The comedic performances from Tom Arnold and Anthony Anderson. Very good, but somewhat incorrect, use of rapper DMX(Belly, Never Die Alone) teamed with a tough action star are all ingredients that seem to make up a typical Andrzej Bartkowiak film. Though rapper DMX had complaints about the kind of roles that he had to turn on and off, like in this and Cradle 2 The Grave which wasn't too great but not too bad, he works with what he's given and turns in a likable hero performance. With this said DMX's best films have been with Hype Williams and Ernest Dickerson who knew how to utilize his acting skills in the correct manner but back to Ext Wounds as that's another topic... Steven Seagal does his job in this film as the calm but tough Orin Boyd breakin' arms and limbs like usual even Isaiah Washington and Bill Duke appear in hero roles along Steven Seagal, DMX, Anthony Anderson, Jill Hennessy and Eva Mendes... The movie does have some weaknesses that could've potentially trashed the film but its craftsmanship puts it over the top somehow

***1/2 out of *****

Disclaimer: I am no racist but I will state my business in this here review of Bamboozled and I will do it very graphically

At first, I thought this movie was really dumb but when I finally realized what Spike Lee was getting across in this film were two things even though it does have some misfiring moments. As a mixed member of the minority population in America(Black and Hispanic), It has seemed to me that black-filmmaking is only appreciated for being funny and sometimes for nothing else, now hold on to that thought. This comment will probably be barred but I'm not gonna hold back and I'm gonna tell the honest-to-god truth whether you like it or not. Back to the thought which brings me to explain the first thing that got through to me on this - the film has some truly disturbing scenes though it's not told in a dark context - the disturbing thing is that you have the first sellout of a Black man(played by Damon Wayans) who has these puppets that represent the terrible history of racist name-calling towards black people. Then there's the second sellout, played by the talented tap-dancer Savion Glover. The second sell-out is the one who depicts these puppets on TV for entertainment purposes which brings me to my second realization. The puppet metaphor in this I found to be absolutely frightening in a sense as the white executives for the TV company love the idea that Damon Wayans' character proposes and decides to use him and his bad idea. Jada Pinkett-Smith plays the most difficult of these roles as the one who knows that this is impure stuff but instead goes ahead with it. This may sound mean but I actually understood the part where Savion Glover's character is forced to tapdance because of gunfire at his feet which he eventually eats by some really angered thugs in an alley. The ending, in which the cartoons are showed in conjunction with the black actors in black and white prior 1950s style, is truly unpleasant but effective with the cartoons with the monkeys being replaced by the black actor finally to fit a horrible spitting image - At first I was blind to it because I never looked at it that way but now that I see it, it really messed up...

6.5/10 - not bad

Old School(2003) w/ Will Farrell and Luke Wilson had to be one fun ride. The characters are written nicely for a realistic comedy, Nice party animal movie with some embarassingly funny moments from Will Farrell and Vince Vaughn is great as the mastermind of the whole thing and Luke Wilson too.

familiar with movies like Road Trip and EuroTrip though I've only seen one of the two, This is some real slap humor in a nutshell - once the humor begins to pick up in this movie it just doesn't stop afterward.

also in this: Rick Gonzalez(Biker Boyz, All Day Long), Seann William Scott(Final Destination, The Rundown) and even a cameo from Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Magic Don Juan

9/10

I saw this when I was like 12 years old and am watching it as I type. Judgment Night is like a flip of a coin - one minute we're in the suburbs where it's peaceful where everyone's business is their own without a worry, then you go to the inner city where there's a slim chance if you intervene in someone else's you might be liable to be shot for it. Judgment Night gets its fuel from its cast with most the cast which were given likeable characters and a very plausible villain in Denis Leary, his goons do good for the little screen time they get. Of course Stephen Dorff, Sheen's brother and Cuba all did a good job. The script might be "basic" but there were interesting twists and plenty of memorable lines from Denis Leary especially his one about whiners. The photography was really good in the transition. Don't you see how ill it can get when you're out w/ your crew and you just so cross paths with the wrong person???

9/10

City Of God is based on actual events that went on in the ghettos of Rio De Janeiro from the eyes of one who grows to be a photographer(Rocket). The picture is very grainy because it's shot w/ a Digi-cam but its graininess bring the film out. Backed by a solid and unorthodox script, Cidade De Deus is actually one of the better crime stories you will see. The film presents the street life from the Brazilian perspective and it's very believable as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil is one of the more hostile, though beautiful, cities in the world - not to mention the fact that I lived in Jamaica at one point in my life and saw the similarities such as little kids running around with guns and the struggle itself. The script does a lot of the "what comes around goes around" thing with some particular characters and shows that no matter who you are that if you push a man enough times that he will start to push back.

'Cidade' introduces its characters with a story up to their certain point in time which would their first moments in the film or to get to know them more. The film personally was a treat for me because at first I had never heard of it then I kept hearing about it then realized that this is a foreign-urban film that fits w/ the likes of Menace II Society, Boyz N The Hood, Paid In Full - the theme is somewhat identical to the recent Never Die Alone which has this film as a recommendation...

Cidade De Deus gets the full 10 from me, A great solid all-around film and a bonus for crime movie lovers or 'hood flicks(like myself)

Def Poetry host by Mos Def is definitely a nice and relaxing show for me. As someone who listens to Rap music which is spawned by poetry, it's very interesting to see a diverse group of poets with attitude and mental intellect. The cast sometimes is very, very unorthodox and this is what makes the show good to watch.

Same thing basically as Def Comedy Jam, but this is all poetry and even some of the poems have a strong sense of humor in them. memorable poems by Flow Mentalz, Yellow Rage, Common, Buju Banton, Talib Kweli, Wood Harris and others...

nice show

Drumline, directed by Charles Stone - responsible for the great Paid In Full, was a surprise for me to know that this was coming out. When I went to see Paid In Full in the theaters this was one of the previews that came on, when I realized that this was about a black college marching band it immediately got my attention as this is a first in this category - but nothing new for black films - not that it's a bad thing.

I was surprised by Orlando Jones' performance at the time since he's usually a funny guy but I was really impressed w/ his acting in this as the band director. Nick Cannon does pretty good as the lead. could've been better but I'm not complaining at all he did good and fit the part. Being that I've attended a black college before I knew what this was about and it was real easy for me to relate to alot that was going on...

Drumline is good stuff 7/10

I just got finished watching this on HBO Zone and for a horror movie, this goes a bit far. Though I'm not down with the whole heavy metal thing, I know who Rob Zombie is - and with that said, this guy really put together one messed up horror flick and depending on who you are you may not like it.

I'll start by saying that that Jerry character was a real dumbass for even WANTING to go see some freak show when he doesn't even know how these people get down and it's because of him the group gets killed. The camera-work in this was actually pretty weird as some of it was inverted colors of some really nasty stuff and the humor by the villains really gets it across that something is really wrong with these motherf#ckers. just in to drop my 2 pennies since I knew there was gonna be a time that I was gonna see it out of curiosity since I overheard someone talking' about it. The movie is so messed up that I see where it's so disliked by certain people...

gory and sadistic, still it's not som'm I'd go out and buy 5/10

Sunset Park left me with a half-satisfied appetite, My one problem was that some of it wasn't filmed in Brooklyn itself and it kinda felt like the bad news bears type of movie BUT, there was good humor mostly from Terence DaShon Howard(Biker Boyz, Dead Presidents) as the smoked out power forward whose name "Spaceman" fits real well especially the part about his hairstyle. Then there's Talent and Antwon Tanner(Never Die Alone, Brother, The Wood) who go line-for-line in some really funny moments. The relationship between the young players is pretty realistic and it really shows when they're on the cheese-bus. De'Aundre Bonds(Tales From The Hood, The Wood) isn't too shabby and has one particular scene that I favored and was able to understand. Also the movie has good cinematography, good music and an un-cliched ending(even tho' sometimes cliches don't ruin films)

Sunset Park could've been a lot better than it was but then again it wasn't all cheese neither and can be put up with, either way it doesn't exceed Above The Rim...

Poetic Justice is an urban film but within this catgory it stands out from alot of them in its own way. The movie uses some very interesting elements that I was familiar with and like most urban films they use realistic characters. The camerawork is nothing new but some of it is really good to look at. Janet Jackson is good as the somewhat uptight poet/hairdresser who is mourning the loss of her lover while on a night out with him as is Tupac in a rather different role from the ones he has in Juice, Bullet and Above The Rim. Not only is the role different but as a man it's impossible to not relate to him as you see his struggles in his life including one powerful scene in which he catches his baby's mother smokin' crack and having other men in his daughter's presence - I thought this worked great because I know how I'd feel if I had a kid and my baby's mother is bringing other men around my kid: I wouldn't be too happy. The road trip is where you begin to see all the characters(Pac Shakur, Janet Jackson, Regina King and Joe Torry) develop and John Singleton wastes little time doing that during that time...

Poetic Justice is a movie deserving alot more credit than it's getting but too bad there are people out there with stupid stereotypical assumptions so idiotic it can get someone angry

8/10

Prison Song was a film that I unintentionally passed up since it was on BET all of the time, instead I waited until the DVD came out to watch. When I did I realized that this is a very powerful film about a young man who gets caught in the system the same way his parents did - only it's a bum conviction that sends the kid to jail for life. For me, it's a very bothersome subject as I do have many friends who've been in and out of jail and as I'm aware of the fact that black people make up majority of the jail's population...

The movie even gets surprisingly graphic sometimes and really depressing as it's hard to not feel for the main character who was robbed of his dreams and his life by an unfair "justice" system. I relate to the main character as it's hard to emotionally detach yourself from a situation as messed up as the one he's in...

9/10 - solid and rewarding movie

Remember The Titans is about the Roanoke High School Titans of the 70's(or the 60s?). At first, after the introduction, the movie seems pretty depressing as the blacks hang out with the blacks and the whites hang out with the whites - I took it with the understanding that this was going on during that time period anyway. Denzel Washington plays a coach with unfair odds stacked against him but still overcomes to coach the team to an undefeated record including the playoffs and the VA state championship, his performance is powerful and I was really moved by the Gettysburg graveyard scene which officially sparked the unity between the white players and the black players - coach Boone makes an extremely valid point in this scene. But what I really appreciated was the fact that there were two white players that didn't give a damn about the segregation to begin with(Kip Pardue and Ethan Suplee[who gives a complete opposite performance from American History X]). The character development is present in most of the characters but I particularly noticed Ryan Gosling and Kate Bosworth who play somewhat racist characters but then realize that the black people are people just the same as them. A very good-hearted and pleasant movie... recommended to EVERYONE

10/10

Maybe it's me, but I really didn't understand this movie at all. For a minute it seemed like a comedy then it crosses over to drama. I got so bored with it that I almost completely forgot what this was about, Selma Blair(Kill Me Later, Hellboy) was surprisingly bland along w/ Jared Leto and that dude from "The Day After Tomorrow" - it felt like all the talent was completely wasted as well as film time. I couldn't really relate to what was going on throughout the movie and the cinematography was pretty dry.

4/10 - don't like it, not my kind of movie - wouldn't say it was the worst though