"G"- A Hip Hop version of "The Great Gatsby"

Currently, there is a new film version of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby playing in the movie theaters. It's a big time production starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, and its executive producer is none other than Jay-Z, that lucky rich dude married to Beyonce. It's a bona-fide hit, eclipsing the original film adaptation made in 1974. But did you know that there was actually another version of this movie made in 2002? Well, sort of. 

The film I am referring to is G, a modern day adaptation of Fitzgerald's classic; many of the locations and characters are essentially the same. G is multimillionaire rapper Summer G (Richard T. Jones of Nikita and Hawaii Five-0). "G" made his fortune creating a hip hop empire, but despite the money, the fame, the parties, hangers on, and the house in The Hamptons, "G" is a lonely man. He has been pining over losing the love of his life back in college. Despite the fact that ten years has passed, he has yet to get over it. Tre (Andre Royo of The Wire), a magazine writer from Manhattan, arrives in town to interview Summer G. Needing a place to crash while in The Hamptons, Tre stops by his wealthy cousin Sky's place. Sky (played by the beautiful Chenoa Maxwell) is married to Chip (Blair Underwood), a womanizing, brutal and manipulative stockbroker. Despite having money and a nice house on the beach, all is not well; Sky and Chip have some serious issues, namely his philandering and fooling around. When Tre goes to interview Summer for the first time, Sky tags along. They arrive during one of Summer G's huge parties, and in a sea of people, Sky and G's eyes meet-but not for the first time! It turns out that the woman that "G" never got over was the woman standing before him, Tre's cousin, Sky. Oh snap!

Will "G" reclaim his true love? Will Sky leave her brute of a husband to be with the only man she's ever really loved? I can't give away too much without giving away the film. You just have to see it. It wasn't exactly Oscar material, but it's a good film. I loved Blair Underwood's role in the film. I know the ladies love him as the hunky good guy, but Underwood is at his best when he's a bad-ass. And in this film, he is; even though in the film he presents himself as an educated, well mannered man, he is in fact a gun toting, woman beating beast. And the rapper Summer G is characterized as a quiet, introspective good guy. And I really loved Chenoa Maxwell. I first remember seeing her in 1997's Hav Plenty. She is absolutely gorgeous.  She hasn't made too many movies as of late; she saved up her Hollywood money, went to Europe to study, and nowadays she's a world renowned photographer. You can check out her work at http://www.chenoamaxwell.com/. And you have to check out this film. It's currently available on Crackle and Amazon Video.

Car Wash-Richard Pryor and George Carlin in the same film?

A lot of people are probably asking, "Car Wash? He considers THAT movie to be a great film?" Well, you have to remember, this blog is NOT about the greatest films of all time-it is about my favorite movies. And Car Wash happens to be one of them.

Car Wash is about a typical day in the life of a multiracial crew of workers at a Los Angeles car wash. The crew includes the revolutionary Abdullah (Bill Duke), his mentor, ex-con Lonnie (Ivan Dixon), cross dressing Lindy (played by 70's stalwart Antonio Fargas), and T.C. (played by Franklin Ajaye, who had the ULTIMATE afro). They were supported by other characters such as Justin, the young college dropout; twins Floyd and Lloyd, two entertainers auditioning for their big chance; Native American Toghie, Mexican-American womanizer Goodie; Earl, the worker who thinks he's better than everybody else because "he doesn't get wet"; and Sly (played by Garrett Morris), who is also hiding from the cops after amassing hundreds of parking tickets.

At first glance, Car Wash isn't necessarily a great film; it clumsily cobbles together different individual stories in an attempt to convey a certain narrative about class and race in society. The humor in the film exhibits how all the men in the movie are dealing with their status in the world. In the words of a reviewer, while watching Car Wash , "you can see that all of the comedy in the film stems from the various ways these men have of coping with their lots in life. Some dream of show business stardom, some take refuge in a crooked religion, some put on airs of superiority, and one-only one goes to college in an attempt to better himself, and even he is beginning to doubt his chances." Kind of a deep concept for a comedy; as a matter of fact, it was so deep that the comedic content propelled it over most of the viewers' heads. 

What really makes Car Wash stand out is the cast, which includes Bill Duke. Duke has since became a big time Hollywood film director. It also featured Garrett Morris, a huge talent. Morris is best known to younger movie goers as "Stan" on the '90's Fox sitcom Martin, and "Uncle Junior" on The Jamie Foxx Show. But Morris was also one of the original cast members on Saturday Night Live. Despite being a classically trained singer and actor, Morris was woefully underutilized on SNL. He never really got his just due, but he's still out there performing today. Another performer who never got his due was Franklin Ajaye, who was probably one of the funniest comedians of the 1970's. He never reached the heights he should have; today Ajaye lives in Australia, occasionally returning to the states to perform stand-up comedy in his native Los Angeles. Also appearing in the film is Professor Irwin Corey, an improvisational comedic genius who frequently appeared on late night television in the 1960's and 1970's. Due to his politics, Corey was blacklisted during the 1950 and 1960's. He never rose to the heights he should have. And I cannot forget the lovely Tracy Reed, the waitress T.C. was desperately trying to connect with. Reed was a beauty; I often wonder what ever happened to her.

The crew is remarkable, nonetheless; but what is really impressive is the appearance of two of that  generation's biggest comedy talents: Richard Pryor and George Carlin. In the same movie! Richard Pryor stars as Daddy Rich, who preaches prosperity theology, backed by the lovely Pointer Sisters. Carlin stars as a cab driver humorously looking for a passenger that stiffed him. It's kind of difficult to imagine two comedians of that magnitude in the same movie nowadays; it would probably be a pretty expensive endeavor. For Pryor, who had appeared in small movie and TV roles before, it was a stepping stone to super-stardom; after Car Wash, he went on to receive top star billing in Silver Streak, Greased Lightning, Which Way is Up, Stir Crazy and a ton of other big Hollywood releases of the late '70's and early '80's.

Carlin, the best genius wordsmith of all time, was well on his was to counter-culture super-stardom.

Car Wash is enjoyable comedy with a hugely talented cast, but it didn't take off as it should have. As a matter of fact, the soundtrack to the movie was more successful than the movie was. L.A. r&b/funk band Rose Royce really delivered a classic soundtrack that sold a ton back in 1977. I have the music on my iPod. Despite the goofiness, silliness and profanity, there IS a deeper message here. However, you have to watch the movie until the very end; it requires you to watch it all the way through. If you love old time funk and disco, butterfly collars and platform shoes, this flick is for you! Check it out.

Citizen Kane-The Best Film of all time?

Orson Welles' cinematic genius was a double edged sword. On the one hand, he was recognized as one of the finest film directors of the 20th century. On the other hand, his debut film is recognized as the greatest film ever made. And that IS bad. When you start out on top, where else can you go? Citizen Kane, praised for it's distinctive narrative style, its use of music, and its beautiful cinematography, is commonly referred to as "the greatest film of all time". If you start out like that, how can you ever hope to top it?

Welles' career started in radio. He was courted by the Hollywood community after his 1938 Halloween production of War of the Worlds. This infamous broadcast was particularly notorious for scaring New York and half of  New Jersey into believing that an alien invasion was REAL! Hollywood was impressed, and the studios came calling. RKO offered him a contract, and allowed him to write and direct his own film. They also gave him the final say over what was cut from the film. Kind of amazing for a first time director, isn't it?

Welles stars as newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane, a character reportedly based on real-life newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. In the beginning of the movie, our protagonist Kane has been living as a recluse in his Florida mansion for quite some time. As he slips off into the afterlife, he drops a snow globe, and as it smashes to the floor, he utters the word, "Rosebud". News of Kane's death quickly spreads around the world. Well, at least in pre-internet times. A news reporter named Jerry Thompson (played by William Alland) digs into Kane's personal life, his history, his family background, and in particular, the meaning of word, "Rosebud".  Thompson sifts through the personal files of Walker Thatcher, Kane's caretaker and guardian when he was young; he speaks to his ex-wife, Susan; he also meets his banker and his best friend Jedediah Leland. Thompson begins to put together the pieces of Kane's life. Kane's story is told in terms of flashbacks-his poverty marked childhood, his rise to the top of the newspaper world, his romances and his marriages. But what is the meaning of "Rosebud"? In order to find out, you'll have to see the movie. 

Citizen Kane is a powerful film. It skewed the traditional narrative by using multiple narrators, ensuring many different points of view. The story wasn't delivered in a linear fashion; it was told in series of flashbacks, a novel approach for its time. The movie's portrayal of Kane must have hit close to the bone for Hearst, because he forbid the mentioning of the film in any of his newspapers, possibly explaining the film's status as a financial failure. But even though it failed at the box office, it was was a critical favorite. Welles hit a grand slam his first at-bat. If you are a fan of classic black-and -white cinema, Citizen Kane is a must see. Check it out.

L'Argent de poche (Small Change)

It is pretty safe to say that Francoios Truffaut was a cinematic genius. Not only was he one of the founding fathers of French New Wave Cinema, he was a prolific director and actor, being involved in more than 25 films. To most of us Americans, he was a guy who "made those strange French movies",and the scientist in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Outside of the film industry, he was largely unappreciated here in America. But to film makers here and abroad, he was recognized for the cinematic genius that he was. 

To be honest, when I was young, I never enjoyed French cinema; it has a different sensibility than American films. French cinema tends to leave a lot of open ends, where as American cinema likes to reach a conclusion. French movie characters' actions do not necessarily define the charachter, whereas characters in American cinema tend to be defined by their actions. It didn't jibe to what I was used to, so as a result, I didn't develop an appreciation for French cinema (especially the French New Wave Era) until I became older. However, there IS a French film that I enjoyed in my youth; I suppose because it spoke to me as a child. It was Truffault's 1976 masterpiece, L'Argent de poche (loosely translated in English as "Small Change").





L'Argent de poche is a charming little film about school children in Thiers, France preparing for their summer vacation. The film has no centralized plot, but a message that is delivered through a series of vignettes: a baby is playing with a cat, and they are both perilously close to a window sill; a young girl is terrorizing the local populace with a bullhorn; another kid is dealing with the repercussions of a haircut gone bad; there are humorous situations the children are experiencing in school; and there is a sad case of a little boy from an abusive home. The film is humorous, with a good dose of drama tossed in. Despite the some of the comical situations, and in one instance daily horror the characters face, the director gives the audience a feeling of hope.

L'Argent de poche was a major hit in France, and an arthouse success here in the United States, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foriegn Film of 1976. Check it out.

4 Little Girls

Recently, I have really begun to appreciate documentaries, and with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon video, I have been watching quite a few of them lately. The subject could be economics, society, health, history, whatever may happen to strike my fancy. Last night, I came upon a film that I had not seen in over a decade; however, the film was so powerful that it has stuck to me to this very day. In 1997, Spike Lee directed "4 Little Girls", a documentary about the murder of four young African American girls in the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. The film does not soley focus on the bombing itself, but the events leading up to the deadly blast.

Birmingham, Alabama was established a few years after the Civil War, around 1871. It grew quickly, and became the state's business and banking center, and its largest city. It was also one of the nation's most segregated cities, and practiced discrimination to keep the system the way it was. The city was home to one of the largest and most violent chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. Many members of its police force belonged to the Klan; the police Commissioner, Eugene "Bull" Connor, was a former member himself, and he was backed by segregationist governor George Wallace. Because of the citiy's reputation, Birmingham became a focal point during the Civil Rights Era. Director Lee powerfully documents the times not only with astonishing and brutal news reel footage from the era, but with personal interviews with witnesses, and family members of the victims of police brutality and the church bombing.

In early 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King went to Birmingham to lead the effort to desegregate the Deep South. In the Spring of that year, Dr. king was arrested while leading his supporters in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in a non-violent protest to segregation. While he was imprisioned, he wrote his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail", which was published internationally, often accompanied by photos of police brutality and racial violence. Many of the Civil Rights marches and organizing activity began at the 16th Street Baptist Church, the focal point of Birmingham's Black community.

At 10:22 AM, September 15, 1963, with nearly 200 church members getting ready for Sunday services, a bomb exploded on the east wing of the building. In the choas, most of the parishoners were able to escape; but tragically, four young girls were trapped in the rubble: 14 year old Addie Mae Collins,  Cynthia Wesley,

Carole Robertson and 11 year old Denise McNair. Lee inetrviews many of the family members still alive; for many others, it was too painful to discuss.

It took over a decade for some of the perpetrators to be brought to justice (I say "some" because other suspects were never brought to trial).

The film is powerfully moving; it will bring tears to some, rage to others. It is a film that traverses an important era of the 20th century that cannot be ignored; it documents the very actions that lead to the Civil Rights Act orf 1964.

 Check it out.

Super Size Me

The United States of America is often criticized for being the "fattest nation in the world". That's not necessarily true; we are the ninth fattest country in the world. But we are the most obese country in the developed world. No matter where one may travel within our borders: the big city, a small podunk town, you can find a McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC or whatever. You can find fast food anywhere! If there isn't a fast food burger or chicken joint, you can always find doughnuts or some other sweet hot confection. Americans are addicted to fast food, fried food, and anything sweet. A lot of this is done out of convenience; with our fast pace lives, it's easier to order out than it is to cook nowadays. All of this, along with our general hatred of physical activity, has lead to an epidemic of obesity here in the United States.

Independent film director Morgan Spurlock documents all of this in his 2004 Academy Award nominated film, Super Size Me. Spurlock's plan: for 30 days, he will eat nothing but McDonalds food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Three times a day. Nothing but McDonalds food. In addition, he is to consume every item on the menu at least once. He consumed an average of 5,100 calories a day. That's equal to over 9 Big Macs! In the process, he gained 24 pounds, his cholesterol skyrocketed to over 230, suffered from mood swings and sexual dysfunction. After a week, he suffered from headaches, lethargy, and heart palpitations. In less than a month. It took him over a year to lose the weight.

Super Size Me is an excellent documentary, showcasing one of America's biggest contemporary problems in a semi-comedic manner. We Americans generally do not like to talk about obesity, we tend to generally not like exercise, and we definitely hate being told what to eat. But this film should be a wake up call about the possible dangers of fast food. It won't change everybody's mind, but it will change some. Check it out.

Roger and Me

As I mentioned in the previous post, lately, I have been really getting into documentaries. They are not like the documentaries we all used to watch back in grade-school on film day; they are totally different. Today's documentaries are not only informative, they are also ENTERTAINING. Yesterday I had written about a documentary called Detropia, which showcased the industrial decline of the city of Detroit, Michigan. That well-made film could serve as a distant cousin to it's predecessor, Michael Moore's award winning documentary Roger and Me.



This 1989 documentary is the film that put Michael Moore on the map. Moore paints a bleak (and sometimes humorous) picture of the negative economic impact the General Motors pullout of  his hometown of Flint, Michigan. At one time, GM employed 80,000 people in Flint, all of whom had middle class jobs that didn't necessarily require a college education. Flint experienced an economic boom after the Second World War, on a scale that had never been seen before in the region. General Motors was the economic and social hub of the town. Just about everybody either worked, or knew somebody that worked at GM back in those days.

The film is also semi-autobiographical; Moore shows us videos of his childhood; we meet his family and close relatives. He was one of the middle class kids of just one of the tens of thousands of GM workers. But Moore's future was to travel in the same direction as the rest of his family; like a few Flint natives, such as game show host Bob Eubanks, and comedic actor Don Knotts, Moore sought fame elsewhere. Moore left Flint for San Francisco to become a magazine witer. But when the venture fell flat, he returned home as General Motors  announced that they were laying off thousands of workers and moving to Mexico, despite the fact that GM was experiencing record profits. Moore, using news footage and personal interviews, documents the collapse of Flint's economy and it's after-effects: The abandoned houses, the boarded-up storefronts, skyrocketing ccrime and drug abuse, and the ensuing political corruption. As he lays out Flint's story, he makes it his goal to interview then GM chairman Roger B. Smith about the closing of the Flint GM plants. Of course, Moore is stopped at every turn.

Moore also interviews many of the laid off workers, who tell their stories of survival amid a bleak urban landscape. What is telling is the finale: Moore states: Moore proclaims that "as we neared the end of the 20th century,the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. It was truly the dawn of a new era." After the credits, the film displays the message "This film cannot be shown within the city of Flint", followed by "All the movie theatres have closed."

I'll admit, the film is bleak at times, but it was also a snapshot of what was to come. The film was produced in 1989, and since then, there are a lot more Flint's, and a lot more income disparity. However, that does not make this film any less significant. Roger and Me is a must see. Do it soon.