Movie Review Black Los Angeles

BlackNLA Movie Reviews

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

by Edwardo Jackson

BIASES:Early 30s black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare

WEEKEND PREVIEW: 3/23/07

Capsules for movies out or coming out this weekend

PRIDE (PG)
Biases: Black swimmers Hmm. Isn't that an oxymoron? (I'm teasing, y'all!)
Players: Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise
Logline: Based on a true story, tortured ex-collegiate swimmer with a 'tude Jim Ellis (Howard) takes a ragtag group of neighborhood Philly kids and molds them into a competitive swim team against the racial backdrop of the 1970s.

The Deal: With nary a cinematic surprise to be found, "Pride" is the type of film you don't want to hate on because it's "a good Negro film," but it's not the apex of entertainment, either. The music is treacly manipulative, the dialogue is righteous, boring, and from On the Nose University (despite producer/actor Howard's best efforts) but the pool camerawork is impressively seamless and sharp. While the
varied marketing campaign is sure to suck in the movie's target demos (sports, men, Afro-Americans, er, black folk), it's a Black History Month/BET Sunday afternoon film that beats you over the head with its racism stick albeit set to a groovy '70s beat. Once again, we find fading REEL DEAL Crush Kimberly Elise squander her considerable talents as a sideline chick (but one with a luscious Nixon-era wardrobe and cute lil afro-puff). Once again we find the trope of the drug dealing tempter (Gary Sturgis lather, rinse, repeating the same uninspiring role from "Daddy's Little Girls," only pre-Reaganomics) playing "evil" with almost a curly mustachioed air. The kids have flashes of personality, but only Alphonso McAuley's team captain truly stands out. Bernie Mac, with his wild-eyed stare and grumpy,
attitudinal mouth does his Bernie Mac, while Terrence Howard wastes his effortless charisma (and genuine blood, sweat, and tears) on a good resume' piece that wishes it had the screenwriting and directorial gravitas to match its inherently historical one. Maybe it's because of my mom's inability to swim and her subsequent tossing me into the YMCA pool at four years old in the early '80s for swim lessons that black swimmers aren't a big deal to me despite the reported 1 in 3 in the black community who cannot. As lofty as its title, its Oscar-nominated star, and its aspirations are, "Pride" doesn't make much of a splash.
@@ REELS (Extra medium)

THE LOOKOUT (R) *opens March 30th
Biases: "Joey" is pretty good.
Players: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, writer/director Scott Frank
Logline: Four years after a tragic accident leaves him with emotional and physical scars such as disinhibition and short term memory loss, former star hockey player turned bank security guard Chris Pratt (Gordon-Levitt) is seduced into a bank robbery ring that wants to knock over his bank but only if he can play the lookout.

The Deal: Heading towards the screening room, three elderly women shuffled alongside me, one who proudly mentioned that her grandson "Joey" was in this film, that he'd been acting for twenty years. Thinking Joey was probably some under-five line supporting character, I smiled wanly at the Blue Hair thinking, "That's sweet." Little did I know that "Joey" was the LEAD of this film, "3rd Rock from the Sun"
child star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. With his lanky, olive-skinned frame and squinty-eyed soul, Gordon-Levitt once again proves to be as perfect a Midwestern indie leading man as he was in the uber-indie, experimental, and underseen (natch) "Mysterious Skin." As an aspiring bank teller trapped in a dead-end night janitor job by his leaky memory and ghosts of faded glory, Gordon-Levitt's Pratt is more than a
pitiable figure but a microcosm of the American (Athletic) Dream, how on the other side of the coin lurks the American Nightmare, and how our (American?) dreams can be dashed by a coin flip's worth of fate. Seriously, don't you think that if that knucklehead Adam "Pacman" Jones had been on the receiving end of an "accident" early on in his career like the one he caused in Vegas, he'd be cleaning toilets and
mopping floors right now?

In his directorial debut, accomplished screenwriter Scott Frank (Out of Sight) creates a satisfying, complete, slow wind of a dramatic thriller. Frank has a capable, nimble cast that includes Jeff Daniels as Pratt's blind roommate who can see better than most with sight (natch, again); sneaky hot Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers) as a redheaded temptress drawn to Pratt's one-time status (everything's
high school, right?) and Matthew Goode (Imagine Me & You) sanding down his Brit-cent for a credible American accent as the cryptic ringleader Gary Spargo. Applying his love of non-linear storytelling to a very linear story, Frank has crafted an oxymoronically languid but tense thriller, a patient but ultimately rewarding drama featuring an exciting finish that mirrors its jolting open. Very, very solid directorial debut.

On my way out, I paused by Grandma to offer a sincerity about her kinfolk. In another small but intriguing movie that no one will see/find, I told her that "Joey" done good.
@@@ REELS (It's pretty hot go give it a shot)

SHOOTER (R)
Biases: Pre-sold.
Players: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, director Antoine Fuqua
Logline: Jaded patriot and retired gunnery sergeant turned reclusive mountain man Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg) is recruited to plot a Presidential assassination attempt in order to prevent one by the shadowy Col. Isaac Johnson (Dannny Glover). Guess what setup! Bob Lee goes on the run not only to prove his innocence but also to bring down the cigar-smoking powers that be, armed only with his counterintelligence training, itchy sharpshooter trigger finger, and the aid of one intrepid rookie FBI agent (Pena).

The Deal: "Some people don't know what to do when their belief system collapses. Bob Lee is one of them." No kidding, Col. Johnson. Living up to its name right out the box, "Shooter" is, quite simply, a lot of fun. Summery in its flashy cinematography, slo-mo explosions, and NRA-approved exercising of our 2nd Amendment rights, "Shooter" is a VERY smart action thriller that can make its detailed talk about ballistics look as sexy as Wahlberg's career-mandated, countless de rigueur shirtless scenes (don't fret, ladies Marky Mark still has more six-pack than a liquor sto'). Surprisingly, the brassy, ballsy script by Jonathan Lemkin (The Devil's Advocate) was adapted from the first in a series of Bob Lee Swagger (gotta love that hillbilly justice name, no?) books from Washington Post film critic Stephen Hunter (yay! score one for us novelist-critics!). Can you smell sequel???

That's not to say this is a perfect (action) movie. "Shooter" has some stock conventions ("information above your pay grade" talk went out with "Inside Man") but it never holds you back from the fun, distracting you just when you need it with the tease of skin or bona fide Michael Bay flames. Rising star Michael Pena enjoys some moments of earnest comic relief as Swagger's slyly cynical but unlikely
spotter; Elias Koteas has a distinctly creepy, disgusting vibe for a lackey henchman; and a whispery, hoarse-from-all-his-evildoing Glover is gleefully villainous. For overkill, there's "Nip/Tuck"'s Hades-hot Rhona Mitra and the luminous Kate Mara (We Are Marshall), with her reddish-brown tresses, light dusting of freckles, and scorching brown eyes she has all the makings of a REEL DEAL Crush. Mark Wahlberg, with his Ph. D. in Badassery, (Bob Lee) swaggers about the screen with his hero's squint and economy of words, a MacGyver of survival, taking
on all comers with an artillery that should get him on the cover of "Guns & Ammo." All held together by the formidable talents of Antoine Fuqua's eye for appealing landscapes, penchant for some rousing stage combat, and love of a good car chase, "Shooter" hits its mark.
@@@ REELS (It's pretty hot go give it a shot)

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 EJAce1@gmail.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:Early 30s black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare WEEKEND PREVIEW: 3/23/07 Capsules for movies out or coming out this weekend PRIDE (PG) Biases: Black swimmers Hmm. Isn't that an oxymoron? (I'm teasing, y'all!) Players: Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise Logline: Based on a true story, tortured ex-collegiate swimmer with a 'tude Jim Ellis (Howard) takes a ragtag group of neighborhood Philly kids and molds them into a competitive swim team against the racial backdrop of the 1970s. The Deal: With nary a cinematic surprise to be found, "Pride" is the type of film you don't want to hate on because it's "a good Negro film," but it's not the apex of entertainment, either. The music is treacly manipulative, the dialogue is righteous, boring, and from On the Nose University (despite producer/actor Howard's best efforts) but the pool camerawork is impressively seamless and sharp. While the varied marketing campaign is sure to suck in the movie's target demos (sports, men, Afro-Americans, er, black folk), it's a Black History Month/BET Sunday afternoon film that beats you over the head with its racism stick albeit set to a groovy '70s beat. Once again, we find fading REEL DEAL Crush Kimberly Elise squander her considerable talents as a sideline chick (but one with a luscious Nixon-era wardrobe and cute lil afro-puff). Once again we find the trope of the drug dealing tempter (Gary Sturgis lather, rinse, repeating the same uninspiring role from "Daddy's Little Girls," only pre-Reaganomics) playing "evil" with almost a curly mustachioed air. The kids have flashes of personality, but only Alphonso McAuley's team captain truly stands out. Bernie Mac, with his wild-eyed stare and grumpy, attitudinal mouth does his Bernie Mac, while Terrence Howard wastes his effortless charisma (and genuine blood, sweat, and tears) on a good resume' piece that wishes it had the screenwriting and directorial gravitas to match its inherently historical one. Maybe it's because of my mom's inability to swim and her subsequent tossing me into the YMCA pool at four years old in the early '80s for swim lessons that black swimmers aren't a big deal to me despite the reported 1 in 3 in the black community who cannot. As lofty as its title, its Oscar-nominated star, and its aspirations are, "Pride" doesn't make much of a splash. @@ REELS (Extra medium) THE LOOKOUT (R) opens March 30th* Biases: "Joey" is pretty good. Players: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, writer/director Scott Frank Logline: Four years after a tragic accident leaves him with emotional and physical scars such as disinhibition and short term memory loss, former star hockey player turned bank security guard Chris Pratt (Gordon-Levitt) is seduced into a bank robbery ring that wants to knock over his bank but only if he can play the lookout. The Deal: Heading towards the screening room, three elderly women shuffled alongside me, one who proudly mentioned that her grandson "Joey" was in this film, that he'd been acting for twenty years. Thinking Joey was probably some under-five line supporting character, I smiled wanly at the Blue Hair thinking, "That's sweet." Little did I know that "Joey" was the LEAD of this film, "3rd Rock from the Sun" child star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. With his lanky, olive-skinned frame and squinty-eyed soul, Gordon-Levitt once again proves to be as perfect a Midwestern indie leading man as he was in the uber-indie, experimental, and underseen (natch) "Mysterious Skin." As an aspiring bank teller trapped in a dead-end night janitor job by his leaky memory and ghosts of faded glory, Gordon-Levitt's Pratt is more than a pitiable figure but a microcosm of the American (Athletic) Dream, how on the other side of the coin lurks the American Nightmare, and how our (American?) dreams can be dashed by a coin flip's worth of fate. Seriously, don't you think that if that knucklehead Adam "Pacman" Jones had been on the receiving end of an "accident" early on in his career like the one he caused in Vegas, he'd be cleaning toilets and mopping floors right now? In his directorial debut, accomplished screenwriter Scott Frank (Out of Sight) creates a satisfying, complete, slow wind of a dramatic thriller. Frank has a capable, nimble cast that includes Jeff Daniels as Pratt's blind roommate who can see better than most with sight (natch, again); sneaky hot Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers) as a redheaded temptress drawn to Pratt's one-time status (everything's high school, right?) and Matthew Goode (Imagine Me & You) sanding down his Brit-cent for a credible American accent as the cryptic ringleader Gary Spargo. Applying his love of non-linear storytelling to a very linear story, Frank has crafted an oxymoronically languid but tense thriller, a patient but ultimately rewarding drama featuring an exciting finish that mirrors its jolting open. Very, very solid directorial debut. On my way out, I paused by Grandma to offer a sincerity about her kinfolk. In another small but intriguing movie that no one will see/find, I told her that "Joey" done good. @@@ REELS (It's pretty hot go give it a shot) SHOOTER (R) Biases: Pre-sold. Players: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, director Antoine Fuqua Logline: Jaded patriot and retired gunnery sergeant turned reclusive mountain man Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg) is recruited to plot a Presidential assassination attempt in order to prevent one by the shadowy Col. Isaac Johnson (Dannny Glover). Guess what setup! Bob Lee goes on the run not only to prove his innocence but also to bring down the cigar-smoking powers that be, armed only with his counterintelligence training, itchy sharpshooter trigger finger, and the aid of one intrepid rookie FBI agent (Pena). The Deal: "Some people don't know what to do when their belief system collapses. Bob Lee is one of them." No kidding, Col. Johnson. Living up to its name right out the box, "Shooter" is, quite simply, a lot of fun. Summery in its flashy cinematography, slo-mo explosions, and NRA-approved exercising of our 2nd Amendment rights, "Shooter" is a VERY smart action thriller that can make its detailed talk about ballistics look as sexy as Wahlberg's career-mandated, countless de rigueur shirtless scenes (don't fret, ladies Marky Mark still has more six-pack than a liquor sto'). Surprisingly, the brassy, ballsy script by Jonathan Lemkin (The Devil's Advocate) was adapted from the first in a series of Bob Lee Swagger (gotta love that hillbilly justice name, no?) books from Washington Post film critic Stephen Hunter (yay! score one for us novelist-critics!). Can you smell sequel??? That's not to say this is a perfect (action) movie. "Shooter" has some stock conventions ("information above your pay grade" talk went out with "Inside Man") but it never holds you back from the fun, distracting you just when you need it with the tease of skin or bona fide Michael Bay flames. Rising star Michael Pena enjoys some moments of earnest comic relief as Swagger's slyly cynical but unlikely spotter; Elias Koteas has a distinctly creepy, disgusting vibe for a lackey henchman; and a whispery, hoarse-from-all-his-evildoing Glover is gleefully villainous. For overkill, there's "Nip/Tuck"'s Hades-hot Rhona Mitra and the luminous Kate Mara (We Are Marshall), with her reddish-brown tresses, light dusting of freckles, and scorching brown eyes she has all the makings of a REEL DEAL Crush. Mark Wahlberg, with his Ph. D. in Badassery, (Bob Lee) swaggers about the screen with his hero's squint and economy of words, a MacGyver of survival, taking on all comers with an artillery that should get him on the cover of "Guns & Ammo." All held together by the formidable talents of Antoine Fuqua's eye for appealing landscapes, penchant for some rousing stage combat, and love of a good car chase, "Shooter" hits its mark. @@@ REELS (It's pretty hot go give it a shot) 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 EJAce1@gmail.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 © 2007, Edwardo Jackson