Movie Review Black Los Angeles

BlackNLA Movie Reviews

*****THE REEL DEAL: Reviewz from the Street*****

by Edwardo Jackson

BIASES: 30 (yikes!) year old black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare

THROUGH THE FIRE (Unrated)

MOVIE BIASES: I've seen his game; it's time for the story behind the name.

MAJOR PLAYERS: Sebastian Telfair, producer/co-director Jonathan Hock (TV's "Streetball: The And 1 Mixtape Tour")

If you're a sports fan like I am, you're familiar with Sebastian Telfair. Appearing on magazine covers as a ninth grader "yes, NINTH GRADER" Telfair has spent the majority of his life in the spotlight. Unlike most coddled, pampered-since-pre-adolescence high school athletic superstars, Sebastian's story is as dramatic, engaging, and funny as anything scripted I've seen all year.

"It's like he's got a cult following. He's got a smile, he's marketable." That he is indeed. Picking up from the beginning of Sebastian's senior year, one in which the high school and pro basketball worlds hover with interest, "Through the Fire" follows the ups and downs of this personally tumultuous year. Sure, there are harder things in life than to be an extraterrestrially gifted basketball player, but in Sebastian Telfair's world, (as the saying goes) with "great power comes great responsibility." Embarking upon the goal of taking his Coney Island Lincoln High School team to an
unprecedented third straight New York Public School Athletic League championship, Sebastian is beset by the problems of his own low-income, basketball-obsessed neighborhood, the expectations of hi family and friends, the temptation to skip college (after signing with University of Louisville) and go pro, and the media scrutiny that comes with stardom of any ilk always ready to tear down the pedestal for which they had built him. Underlying it all is the antagonist of
Failure, a Grim Reaper who had struck his older brother Jamel Thomas by having dashed his NBA hopes when he went undrafted on Draft Night, lurking in the forefront of Sebastian's mind to do the same to him.

"Through the Fire," a case study on society's misplaced values of sports, celebrity, material wealth, and capitalism, is a film that's hard not to like. Hock, and his ubiquitous cinematographer Alastair Christopher (TV's "Streetball"), seemingly blanket Sebastian everywhere, capturing the true big business that has molested the fictitious sanctity of "amateur" high school sports. Hock and Christopher follow Sebastian from practice to personal appearances, eavesdrop on legality tightroping discussions between Sebastian and shoe company executives, and go on the road with Sebastian's high school team, which is also awash in Telfair's t-shirt-making, sweaty sock-autographing, demographically universal cult of celebrity. No doubt able to afford clearances for such Roc-a-Fella music as Jay-Z's "Moment of Clarity" (GREAT opening music and sequence for the movie) due to the mutual fandom between the rapper and the teenage basketball star, "Fire" uses only the best of urban hip hop around the time of the movie's filming, the 2003-2004 basketball season. While most of the footage is digital video handheld, the camerawork is extremely steady and informative, never distracting.

With a cast of characters so real, who needs fiction? If it isn't the unapologetic materialism of Telfair's brother/assistant coach Daniel Turner, then it's the equally unapologetic bravado of baby-faced head coach Dwayne "Tiny" Morton entertaining you. Jamel Thomas provides stern, loving leadership over his brother's career from afar, whether its spiriting Sebastian off to Greece where he plays pro ball to help
him train or vetoing Sebastian's desire for tattoos as bad for his image ("Clean, happy, smilin' all the time, nice teeth That's him.").

And that IS him. Fairly egoless for a basketball phenom (despite being the all time New York State scoring leader, in the McDonald's All-American game, the point guard tries to set an ASSISTS record), Sebastian Telfair, with his great, ridiculous smile, clean-shaven, boyish good looks, and true leadership spirit, is a wildly charismatic persona that the camera simply adores. It's a two-way love affair: Who
knew Telfair was so damn funny (on a trip to the Oklahoma State Capitol, in session, he remarks, "I'm not used to being around people with jobs")? When not playing natural comedian, he takes on the personal challenges of leadership and accountability very seriously, willing his team on to victory on several occasions. Knowing full well that "Everybody starts, nobody finishes when it comes to basketball" in hoops-crazed Coney Island, Sebastian takes the business of
basketball very seriously, as he puts wooing shoe companies through their paces while evaluating the difficult decision to go to college or turn pro. To you or me, that's not much of a decision Telfair will eventually make it to the NBA, right? Well tell that to his brother Jamel, who did the so-called "right thing" and went to college
for four years, even leading the Big East Conference in scoring at Providence College, yet ended up undrafted and forced to earn his roundball living overseas.

Although several similarly compelling stories war for attention in this movie, at heart, it's a story about two brothers, brothers in blood, brothers in talent, brothers in dreams. The interaction between the two of them, despite the younger one being the most talented, is protective, touching, and a tad businesslike. As if it were his own career in the balance, Jamel's fierce protection of Sebastian's image, exposure, mentality, and leadership is one of the more quietly moving relationships I've seen onscreen all year. In fact, the way the whole family and community rallies around Sebastian, not merely as one of their own who can make it, but also as a guy that they genuinely LIKE, goes a long way toward exploding stereotypes of hood behavior.

On the flip side, innocuously if not inadvertently, "Through the Fire" is an indictment of the failure of opportunity in capitalism. When a Coney Island native (truthfully) attests that "There would be nothing out here" without basketball, an activity that keeps kids in the community occupied and safe, what does that say about socioeconomic opportunities and expectations of young black men? Should the
sportswear company wooing process be allowed to begin so early, with shoe companies sending dozens of boxes of product to Sebastian's home? Even though going to college and getting an education is encouraged, can you blame Sebastian for beginning to second-guess his decision when a shooting happens in his projects building? Is it worth it to keep his family in relative squalor while his precious gift could be taken away at any moment or, worse, go unrewarded like his brother's?
And why is it that money, and the prospect of having money, should bring out the most ghetto fabulous reactions out of people who've never had any? With Jay-Z, Derek Jeter, and Spike Lee sitting courtside at his HIGH SCHOOL games, who and what defines celebrity? Why is it that old, white men in the South can embrace a young black man like Sebastian on the basketball court but most likely wouldn't
want him marrying their daughters off of it?

In order to answer all of these latent and blatant questions, that would, of course, require a whole other movie. By wisely choosing to hone in on Sebastian's dream of going pro, the filmmakers have crafted an experience of surprising resonance and emotion that had my screening partner yep CRYING at the end of this documentary. Primed to pick up the critically lauded baton from "Hoop Dreams," "Through the Fire" is a complete movie, a cinematic happening that has left me
buzzing ever since I've seen it. And it's all because of the indomitable personality, humor, and charisma of a Coney Island kid with the megawatt smile.

With a family full of personalities, including tangential links to his decade-older cousin, New York Knicks player Stephon Marbury, it's no surprise that the Telfair family mantra, Rod Tidwell-like ("Show me the moneyyyyy!"), is "The lights are ON!" The lights ARE on. Thanks to Sebastian and the Hock Films crew for allowing us to revel in its, and HIS, glare.

@@@@ REELS
(FOUR REELS)
An urban legend/instant classic.

Like what you read? Agree/disagree with The Reel Deal? Think he's talkin' out his...HUSH YO' MOUF! (I'm only talkin' about The Reel Deal!) Email him at ReelReviewz@aol.com!

Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for UrbanFilmPremiere.com, and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com




			BlackNLA Movie Reviews ***THE REEL DEAL: Reviewz from the Street*** by Edwardo Jackson BIASES: 30 (yikes!) year old black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare THROUGH THE FIRE (Unrated) MOVIE BIASES: I've seen his game; it's time for the story behind the name. MAJOR PLAYERS: Sebastian Telfair, producer/co-director Jonathan Hock (TV's "Streetball: The And 1 Mixtape Tour") If you're a sports fan like I am, you're familiar with Sebastian Telfair. Appearing on magazine covers as a ninth grader "yes, NINTH GRADER" Telfair has spent the majority of his life in the spotlight. Unlike most coddled, pampered-since-pre-adolescence high school athletic superstars, Sebastian's story is as dramatic, engaging, and funny as anything scripted I've seen all year. "It's like he's got a cult following. He's got a smile, he's marketable." That he is indeed. Picking up from the beginning of Sebastian's senior year, one in which the high school and pro basketball worlds hover with interest, "Through the Fire" follows the ups and downs of this personally tumultuous year. Sure, there are harder things in life than to be an extraterrestrially gifted basketball player, but in Sebastian Telfair's world, (as the saying goes) with "great power comes great responsibility." Embarking upon the goal of taking his Coney Island Lincoln High School team to an unprecedented third straight New York Public School Athletic League championship, Sebastian is beset by the problems of his own low-income, basketball-obsessed neighborhood, the expectations of hi family and friends, the temptation to skip college (after signing with University of Louisville) and go pro, and the media scrutiny that comes with stardom of any ilk always ready to tear down the pedestal for which they had built him. Underlying it all is the antagonist of Failure, a Grim Reaper who had struck his older brother Jamel Thomas by having dashed his NBA hopes when he went undrafted on Draft Night, lurking in the forefront of Sebastian's mind to do the same to him. "Through the Fire," a case study on society's misplaced values of sports, celebrity, material wealth, and capitalism, is a film that's hard not to like. Hock, and his ubiquitous cinematographer Alastair Christopher (TV's "Streetball"), seemingly blanket Sebastian everywhere, capturing the true big business that has molested the fictitious sanctity of "amateur" high school sports. Hock and Christopher follow Sebastian from practice to personal appearances, eavesdrop on legality tightroping discussions between Sebastian and shoe company executives, and go on the road with Sebastian's high school team, which is also awash in Telfair's t-shirt-making, sweaty sock-autographing, demographically universal cult of celebrity. No doubt able to afford clearances for such Roc-a-Fella music as Jay-Z's "Moment of Clarity" (GREAT opening music and sequence for the movie) due to the mutual fandom between the rapper and the teenage basketball star, "Fire" uses only the best of urban hip hop around the time of the movie's filming, the 2003-2004 basketball season. While most of the footage is digital video handheld, the camerawork is extremely steady and informative, never distracting. With a cast of characters so real, who needs fiction? If it isn't the unapologetic materialism of Telfair's brother/assistant coach Daniel Turner, then it's the equally unapologetic bravado of baby-faced head coach Dwayne "Tiny" Morton entertaining you. Jamel Thomas provides stern, loving leadership over his brother's career from afar, whether its spiriting Sebastian off to Greece where he plays pro ball to help him train or vetoing Sebastian's desire for tattoos as bad for his image ("Clean, happy, smilin' all the time, nice teeth That's him."). And that IS him. Fairly egoless for a basketball phenom (despite being the all time New York State scoring leader, in the McDonald's All-American game, the point guard tries to set an ASSISTS record), Sebastian Telfair, with his great, ridiculous smile, clean-shaven, boyish good looks, and true leadership spirit, is a wildly charismatic persona that the camera simply adores. It's a two-way love affair: Who knew Telfair was so damn funny (on a trip to the Oklahoma State Capitol, in session, he remarks, "I'm not used to being around people with jobs")? When not playing natural comedian, he takes on the personal challenges of leadership and accountability very seriously, willing his team on to victory on several occasions. Knowing full well that "Everybody starts, nobody finishes when it comes to basketball" in hoops-crazed Coney Island, Sebastian takes the business of basketball very seriously, as he puts wooing shoe companies through their paces while evaluating the difficult decision to go to college or turn pro. To you or me, that's not much of a decision Telfair will eventually make it to the NBA, right? Well tell that to his brother Jamel, who did the so-called "right thing" and went to college for four years, even leading the Big East Conference in scoring at Providence College, yet ended up undrafted and forced to earn his roundball living overseas. Although several similarly compelling stories war for attention in this movie, at heart, it's a story about two brothers, brothers in blood, brothers in talent, brothers in dreams. The interaction between the two of them, despite the younger one being the most talented, is protective, touching, and a tad businesslike. As if it were his own career in the balance, Jamel's fierce protection of Sebastian's image, exposure, mentality, and leadership is one of the more quietly moving relationships I've seen onscreen all year. In fact, the way the whole family and community rallies around Sebastian, not merely as one of their own who can make it, but also as a guy that they genuinely LIKE, goes a long way toward exploding stereotypes of hood behavior. On the flip side, innocuously if not inadvertently, "Through the Fire" is an indictment of the failure of opportunity in capitalism. When a Coney Island native (truthfully) attests that "There would be nothing out here" without basketball, an activity that keeps kids in the community occupied and safe, what does that say about socioeconomic opportunities and expectations of young black men? Should the sportswear company wooing process be allowed to begin so early, with shoe companies sending dozens of boxes of product to Sebastian's home? Even though going to college and getting an education is encouraged, can you blame Sebastian for beginning to second-guess his decision when a shooting happens in his projects building? Is it worth it to keep his family in relative squalor while his precious gift could be taken away at any moment or, worse, go unrewarded like his brother's? And why is it that money, and the prospect of having money, should bring out the most ghetto fabulous reactions out of people who've never had any? With Jay-Z, Derek Jeter, and Spike Lee sitting courtside at his HIGH SCHOOL games, who and what defines celebrity? Why is it that old, white men in the South can embrace a young black man like Sebastian on the basketball court but most likely wouldn't want him marrying their daughters off of it? In order to answer all of these latent and blatant questions, that would, of course, require a whole other movie. By wisely choosing to hone in on Sebastian's dream of going pro, the filmmakers have crafted an experience of surprising resonance and emotion that had my screening partner yep CRYING at the end of this documentary. Primed to pick up the critically lauded baton from "Hoop Dreams," "Through the Fire" is a complete movie, a cinematic happening that has left me buzzing ever since I've seen it. And it's all because of the indomitable personality, humor, and charisma of a Coney Island kid with the megawatt smile. With a family full of personalities, including tangential links to his decade-older cousin, New York Knicks player Stephon Marbury, it's no surprise that the Telfair family mantra, Rod Tidwell-like ("Show me the moneyyyyy!"), is "The lights are ON!" The lights ARE on. Thanks to Sebastian and the Hock Films crew for allowing us to revel in its, and HIS, glare. @@@@ REELS (FOUR REELS) An urban legend/instant classic. Like what you read? Agree/disagree with The Reel Deal? Think he's talkin' out his...HUSH YO' MOUF! (I'm only talkin' about The Reel Deal!) Email him at ReelReviewz@aol.com! Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for UrbanFilmPremiere.com, and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com Â© 2004, Edwardo Jackson