I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.
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| Straight Outta Compton - Rapping about injustice. |
Watch Straight Outta Compton
Written by: Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff (screenplay), S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff (story)
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Starring: O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Paul Giamatti
Rated: R
Plot:
From Compton, Califorinia, NWA revolutionizes the hip hop and music world with brash lyrics that depict the harsh realities of their lives. The band disbands just as quickly as it rose to super stardom.
Verdict:
Straight Outta Compton's narrative is compelling and gripping, balancing the big picture of NWA with the characterization of the most well known members. While there is more story than can fit, the movie never feels like a summary of events. It's well directed and looks great. It goes without saying the soundtrack is great, provided you like early hip hop.
Watch it.
Review:
This movie is a dramatization based on facts. Plenty of details have been modified to fit the format. The first few scenes establish Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. Easy-E has the money, Dr. Dre the beats, and Ice Cube has the rhymes. Eazy-E's introduction turns into a solid action scene as he scrambles through a house about to get raided, breaking through a window and escaping along the roof tops.
The look alike actors do a good job portraying the original group. I had trouble picturing Hawkins as Dre. He never seemed like the right fit, granted I only know Dre through music videos. Mitchell did a great job as Eazy, and Ice Cube is portrayed by his actual son.
From the start the solid script is complimented by great looking scenes. Framing and composition is good throughout as is the direction. It's easy to make this movie a collection of music videos or to focus on just one character, but the movie does a good of balancing the movie, though DJ Yella and MC Ren are relegated to being side characters.
The Rodney King beating and court case are prominent in the plot. It ties to their music. Their music voiced the racial disparity, Rodney King showed it, and the riots were the end result. Their music was accused of inciting violence, though while it was aggressive it was a window into a world unfamiliar to many.
The conflicts that generated their ideology are introduced early. Gang members stop Ice Cube's school bus, holding the students at gun point and chiding them for flashing gang signs and posing as something they're not. In the same day, as Cube leaves his house, he's detained by cops just for living in the neighborhood he does.
The movie side steps some of the group members earliest ensembles, portraying NWA as their first venture. Dre and DJ Yella work at a club and Dre lets Ice Cube rap a fictionalized first person account of his life Gangsta Gangsta when the manager leaves. Eazy-E and MC Ren are in the club and like the music.
Dre asks Eazy to put his money from drug dealing into the music. Eazy is intrigued but doesn't commit. After Dre exits the club a conflict between he and the police escalates to his arrest. No doubt the cops were dismissive and Dre perpetuated it. It's easy to say Dre should have said nothing and taken it, but he lives in a world built on reputation. You're either the victim or the victor. Maybe he wasn't in a gang, but he grew up in that world. The cops hassled him because he's black, because they assumed he was in a gang. Fundamentally he's not wrong to question the police profiling.
Eazy puts in the money, but when the hired talent takes issue with the lyrics and bails, Dre starts coaching Eazy as he raps over Dre's beat using Ice Cube's lyrics to Boyz-N-The-Hood. This track is not only popular among their friends, but it gets a lot of radio play too. Manager Jerry Heller notices, forging a partnership with Eazy, promising him to get the group into the doors that are blocked. Mistrust of Jerry would eventually split the group with Cube and then Dre leaving. Eazy eventually realizes Jerry's chief interest was his own. The movie portrayed Jerry and Eazy as less than forthright about how they handled NWA's business. It turns out that Eazy took Jerry at his word, which proved a mistake.
Outside of the recording studio while working on their first album, the group is detained by the police in a tense scene. Would they be arrested for standing on the 'wrong' street? Jerry puts a point on the issue. The cops are trying to arrest NWA because of what they look like. It's profiling. The incident propels Cube to write F--- tha Police.
The song takes off catapulting NWA to fame as they go on tour. Why did their music become so popular, even among white middle class kids? It's a case of youth in revolt. NWA raps about being marginalized by the police and authority. It's easy to identify with their feelings, even if you haven't experienced their extreme situations. Displacement is common, especially in teens. Ice Cube raps about guns and drugs, things the movie indicates he's only witnessed second hand, not first hand like his raps claim. A large portion of his audience experiences it third hand through his rhymes.
With success comes money, women, and fame. At a hotel, they are well stocked with guns, intimidating a couple of guys in the hall. They embraced the image of being gangsters, though in the film Eazy and MC Ren are the only ones that actually lived that life.
At a Detroit show they are told by the cops what not to sing. Of course they exploit that as free publicity, acknowledging the order to the crowd before breaking it. They get arrested, welcoming the press as the crowd taunts the cops. Is their music angry? Sure. It's angry at their mistreatment. NWA was twenty five years ago and what's changed? The same issues still need changing.
Heller finally presents a contract to Cube after repeated requests. It's presented as shady with Heller asking him to avoid lawyer involvement. Cube splits and his solo record does well. Eazy is jealous of Cube's success. Despite Cube not mentioning NWA on his first record, an NWA diss track directed at Cube starts a back and forth. Dre eventually leaves, citing Jerry's managing as suspect. Dre starts Death Row Records with Suge Knight. Snoop Dogg and Tupac are depicted in a couple of scenes. Knight is menacing, using violence and intimidation to get his way. As the controversy escalates, Dre leaves the label, giving Knight everything to get out of his contract.
A group of guys who just wanted to make music end up changing the world. With fame came money, with money conflict. Their manager Jerry took advantage of them. While they all made money, the shares were disproportionate causing the group to split.
Eazy reconnects with Ice Cube. They reminisce about the old days and Eazy suggests reuniting the group. Cube is receptive provided Dre is involved. Dre will join as long as Jerry isn't involved. Eazy fires Jerry, paving the way for a reunion, but before the group comes together Eazy is diagnosed with HIV and passes away just a few weeks after his diagnosis.
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| Selma - An amazing history lesson. |
Watch Selma
Written by: Paul Webb
Directed by: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo , Carmen Ejogo , Tim Roth, Tom Wilkinson, Oprah Winfrey
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
Martin Luther King Jr. led the struggle to secure equal voting rights with a march in Selma, Alabama. Faced with resistance and violence his perseverance ultimately proved successful.
Verdict:
Selma is an engrossing and staggering history lesson. Even if you know the story, this film is full of powerful moments. Instead of focusing on the story of King's life, which is too big for one movie, it tells the story of a protest in Selma Alabama. The performances, writing, and directing all shine.
Watch it.
Review:
The events of King's life are too much for a movie, but by focusing on one event we learn who King is with a story that fits within the time constraints.
The movie is packed with powerful images. The fist scene is a tracking shot of children talking. They are interrupted by an explosion that obliterates everything on the screen. I did not expect that. The next scene is Oprah facing a registrar that refuses to register her to vote, asking her difficult questions that would stump anyone. In just a few minutes the movie illustrates the difficulties endured.
David Oyelowo provides an amazing performance as King. In his first scene he beseeches President Johnson to allow blacks the chance to vote, but is rebuffed. The President has more important matters than equality. Later J. Edgar Hoover suggests weakening King's power by disrupting his family dynamic. I like this bit of foreshadowing that the government was concerned about his power and unafraid to get involved. Throughout the movie, text appears on screen logging King's travel and communication, indicating government surveillance.
A peaceful protest in Selma, Alabama is met with resistance from the police force. King is arrested. Powerful imagery depicts the protesters and their protest. Equally powerful imagery shows the violence of the opposition. The struggle for civil rights was a war. It took courage not only to make a stand, but to keep going. The protest scenes are well done, though brutal.
King leads people across the bridge again. I'd like to believe it was a minority that opposed them, but that hope is in vain. It's a clever idea to focus on Selma. The story of King is so big that it's difficult to tell, but focusing on one event allows the telling of a complete story while still revealing the strength of character of not only King, but of his family and friends that struggled and fought with him. The movie does an excellent job of creating moments, culminating in President Johnson passing the equal voting rights bill and concluding with King's Selma march.
Images of the characters at the end with text overlay remind us that this is a true story, revealing victory and defeat in the future to come.
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| Amy - Tragic and haunting. |
Watch Amy
Directed by: Asif Kapadia
Starring: Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse, Mark Ronson
Rated: R
Plot:
The life of Amy Winehouse depicted through archival footage, music, and interviews.
Verdict:
It's depressing. A woman so talented yet so troubled. Her categorical rise to fame was mirrored by the catastrophic downfall of her personal life. Fame removed restrictions and responsibility, allowing her to make poor choices. Success only quickened her descent. Amy's personal life was always a danger.
It depends.
Review:
This documentary is by the Asif Kapadia, the director of the documentary Senna, about F1 racing champion Ayrton Senna.
Kapadia does a great job of making this movie more than about the music, it's about the person. It's about her tandem rise to fame and slow demise.
Amy was hugely talented and completely different from the mainstream. She never thought she'd reach the heights of fame because she knew her jazz sound was outside of the norm. Her message connected with people, her lyrics were authentic in a world of pop music that isn't.
She rises to fame, but isn't prepared for it. Fame offers so many opportunities with no responsibilities and no balances. Because of her success she was left to her own devices. Her business managers and promoters didn't care about Amy, but about using her talent.
This documentary blends images, music, and voice overs to craft an emotional and tragic story. As her fame increased, so did her drug use. She was in a toxic environment with ample opportunity. Even without her success she was suffering from addiction, and even in her poor condition she couldn't get out of performing. As her struggles got worse, the media got worse. They fed on her downfall. It's tragic that she became a punch line. It's tragic that with all these people around her, they couldn't help her. It's tragic that even her family wants to abuse her success.
As Amy is trying to become sober, her dad comes down with his own film crew to discuss albums and film his story. He doesn't have a story. He's riding on Amy's success. He is just one of many that used her. It's a depressing documentary to see Amy and her immense talent slowly fade. We see her endangered, and unaided. Perhaps no one could save her from herself, but with the weight of promoters, managers, and family on her shoulders, there was no way she could continue standing.
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