King of New York

Directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John, King of New York is the story of a drug lord who has returned from prison to wipe out all of his competitors and become a modern-day Robin Hood of sorts much to the dismay of his competitors and the NYPD. The film is about a man who saw what his empire has become as he decides to make some changes but also take in some new extremes to get rid of his competitors. Starring Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, Victor Argo, Steve Buscemi, and Giancarlo Esposito. King of New York is an evocative and intense film from Abel Ferrara.

The film revolves around a drug lord who has just been released from prison to find that the drug trade and its culture has gotten ugly forcing him to get rid of other dealers and use the money he makes from selling drugs to help the poor in New York City. It’s a simple scenario that definitely recalls the idea of Robin Hood yet the character of Frank White (Christopher Walken) is not really a Robin Hood character. He kills people and he does what he can to ensure that New York City can prosper and give hope to people in the ghettos and other poor areas so they can live good and decent lives. Nicholas St. John’s screenplay opens with White in his prison cell walking out as he is ready to be released while a couple of dealers are being killed with one of them from White’s henchman Jimmy Jump (Laurence Fishburne) doing the job as he hadn’t seen White in years. Though White doesn’t reveal his intentions as it relates to crime lords and such, he does see what New York City has become and realizes that so much can be done without trying to destroy things and act as a businessman by making money off of drugs to fund things such as children’s hospitals and to help the poor.

By getting rid of his competitors including those who have done more harm than good to those in their home turf, White does believe he is trying to do good though some of his actions through murder and intimidation says otherwise. Most notably the NYPD who still hold a grudge towards White as they see him as a criminal as they try to go after his associates. Yet, it is two of the cops in Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) and Thomas Flanigan (Wesley Snipes) who believe that they should take the law into their own hands much to the dismay of Roy Bishop (Victor Argo) who thinks they’re getting themselves into some serious trouble.

Abel Ferrara’s direction is stylish in some of the compositions he creates yet he also would use New York City and its various locations as characters in the film including the Plaza Hotel where White and his gang would stay. While there are some unique wide and medium shots to get a scope of the locations including some key suspenseful moments late in the film, much of Ferrara’s direction emphasizes more on characters and their settings. Even in the usage of medium shots and close-ups with some shots that involve multiple characters as it play into a world that is unruly and in total despair. Ferrara’s direction for the dramatic moments are simple as it include some long gazing shots of White looking at his city and hoping to make some changes along with a visit to a children’s hospital that is in dire need of repairs where he hopes to help that place and ensure that those kids will be fine. It’s among these small moments in the film that showcase White’s intentions despite his methods where he does kill off some rivals and such in very violent means.

The violence is intense as well as some confrontational scenes where a notable one where a few thugs try to rob White and end up working for him as they would prove their loyalty to him. While what White and his crew do other gang members were violent, it is nothing compared to what Gilley and Flanigan would do to try and stop him as they would prove to be even worse than what White did. Even in the film’s third act where the two cops would show how extreme they can be yet it would come at a great price where Ferrara shows the fallacy of not just White’s intentions but also the police and their inability to see the world and what it was becoming. Even as it play into White seeing that the idea of change is much harder to do when those in power try to be involved and not get any reward. Overall, Ferrara crafts an intoxicating yet intense film about a drug lord who uses his power to try and help the unfortunate in New York City.

Cinematographer Bojan Bazelli does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of dreamy and low-key lights for many of the exterior scenes at night as well as a low-key yet sunny look for some of the daytime exterior scenes. Editor Anthony Redman does excellent work with the editing as it has some stylish rhythmic cuts to play into the action and some of the dark humor while much of it is straightforward. Production designer Alex Tavoularis, with set decorator Sonja Roth and art director Stephanie Ziemer, does fantastic work with the look of some of the interiors in the places including a few interiors in some of the places in the city.

Costume designer Carol Ramsey does terrific work with the costumes from the stylish black suit that White wears along with the street clothes that Jump wears. Sound editor Greg Sheldon does superb work with the sound in the way gunfire is presented as well as the sound of a few parties and other places in the city. The film’s music by Joe Delia is wonderful for its somber ambient-based synthesizer score that play into some of the film’s melancholic moments while the music soundtrack mainly features hip-hop tracks featuring cuts from Schooly-D and Party Posse as well as a jazz cut from Freddy Jackson.

The casting by Randy Sabusawa is terrific as it feature some notable small roles from Harold Perrineau as a young thug who robs White only to end up working for him, Frank Gio as the Italian crime boss Arty Clay, Ernest Abuba as a dealer named King Tito, Gerard Murphy as a young cop named Mulligan, Alonna Shaw as Mulligan’s bride, Ariane and Pete Hamill as themselves who are dinner guests at a restaurant where White visits them, Joey Chin as a triad leader in Larry Wong, Carrie Nygren as a lover of White in Melanie, Roger Guenveur Smith as a local politician, Theresa Randle as one of White’s female companions/henchwomen in Raye, Steve Buscemi as a drug tester in Test Tube, Freddy Jackson as himself performing for a benefit dinner, Giancarlo Esposito as a henchman in Lance, Janet Julian as White’s attorney/former lover in Jennifer, and Paul Calderon as a handler of White in Joey Dalesio who serves as a mediator between White and other dealers only to later put White into trouble.

Wesley Snipes and David Caruso are fantastic in their respective roles as the detectives Thomas Flanigan and Dennis Gilley as two young detectives who decide to take the law into their own hands with Flanigan having issues with White’s henchman Jump and Gilley taking the lead believing that White is disrespecting the law. Victor Argo is brilliant as Roy Bishop as a detective who is a more by-the-book figure that wants to bring White down the right way while trying to understand what White is trying to do as he would eventually face him in a way that he feels is ideal to him. Laurence Fishburne is excellent as White’s henchman Jimmy Jump as a man who does a lot of the killing but is also someone who understands what White is trying to do where he also wants to help out other people where Fishburne displays a lot of charm and energy into his performance. Finally, there’s Christopher Walken in a magnificent performance as Frank White as a drug lord who has been released from prison as he sees what his city has become as it’s a performance that has elements of charisma but also in some restraint as he tries to change the city and do good as it’s one of Walken’s great performances.

King of New York is a phenomenal film from Abel Ferrara that features a tremendous performance from Christopher Walken. Along with its ensemble cast, eerie visuals, study of law and order, and an exhilarating music soundtrack. It’s a film that doesn’t play into the many tropes expected in a crime drama as it’s more of a study of a man trying to use his knowledge of the criminal underworld and to create change in the hope that he can help the unfortunate in New York City. In the end, King of New York is a spectacular film from Abel Ferrara.

Abel Ferrara Films: (9 Lives of a Wet Pussy) – (The Driller Killer) – (Ms. 45) – (Fear City) – (The Gladiator (1986 TV film)) – (China Girl) – (The Loner) – (Cat Chaser) – (Bad Lieutenant) – (Body Snatchers (1993 film)) – (Dangerous Game) – (The Addiction (1995 film)) – (The Funeral (1996 film)) – (The Blackout (1997 film)) – (New Rose Hotel) – (‘R Xmas) – (Mary (2005 film)) – (Go Go Tales) – (Chelsea on the Rocks) – (Napoli, Napoli, Napoli) – (4:44 Last Day on Earth) – (Welcome to New York) – (Pasolini) – (Tomasso)

© thevoid99 2019

Ali

Directed by Michael Mann and screenplay by Mann, Eric Roth, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christopher Wilkinson from a story by Gregory Allen Howard, Ali is the story of 10 years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali from his first world title win in 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The film is a look into a moment in time when Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay Jr. and the moments in his life that would make him an icon as he is portrayed by Will Smith. Also starring Jamie Foxx, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Toney, and Jon Voight as Howard Cosell. Ali is a majestic and evocative film from Michael Mann.

The film is about a decade in the life of one of the most iconic figures in sports during the 20th Century in Muhammad Ali from his first title win against Sonny Liston in February 25, 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974. During this time, Ali would convert to Islam and change his name from Cassius Clay Jr. to Ali while enduring all sorts of events in that time such as refusing to serve the U.S. army during the Vietnam War, failed marriages, and losing his first fight to Joe Frazier in the Fight of the Century on March 8, 1971. The film is really an exploration of a man trying to adopt this new identity having dropped his birth name which he felt had been given to him and his family by slave masters and take on something new. The film’s script play into these events that include his friendship with Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles) and how it ended due to the interference of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad (Albert Hall).

His devotion to the Nation of Islam would also alienate his family and play part into the decisions of his career as one of his wives in Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali (Nona Gaye) doesn’t think the Nation of Islam, Elijah’s son Herbert (Barry Shabaka Henley), and Don King (Mykelti T. Williamson) have his best interests. Much of the film’s narrative is straightforward with some subplots involving people that Ali know being followed by a CIA official in Joe Smiley (Ted Levine) as they would believe Ali is a threat to national security as it would also show events behind the scenes such as a meeting between Don King, Herbert Muhammad, and politicians from Europe and Africa wanting to use Ali just as he is considered a messianic figure in Africa.

Michael Mann’s direction is stylish not just for its presentation with its mixture of 35mm film and grainy digital video but also in capturing a period of time when Ali was to ascend into this iconic status that would make him a polarizing figure in the world. Shot on various locations in the U.S. such as New York City, Chicago, and Miami and Mozambique as Zaire and Ghana. Mann displays a somewhat documentary-style much of his direction as it play into this world that Ali would encounter from his visits to Africa as well as struggling with the events in America around him. There are usage of wide shots of the locations as well as the venues where Ali would have his fights while he aims mainly for some intimate usage of close-ups that play into Ali’s emotions as well as aspects of his personal life that is also presented in medium shots. The usage of the grainy digital video for an opening scene of Ali jogging in Los Angeles as well as him looking at a riot as well as a love scene with a future wife in Sonji Roi (Jada Pinkett Smith).

The fight scenes are among the major highlights of the film with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as point-of-view shots of what the fighter is facing inside the ring and the punches he would get from his opponent. It’s an element of realism that isn’t seen often in films relating to boxing as well as Mann’s direction gets very close into the brutality of boxing. Even as it show Ali as someone trying to mock his opponents as well as fight them with an intelligence and showmanship. Mann’s direction also play into the reaction of the people as well as showing lots of attention to detail in the direction of the people in Ali’s corner observing what Ali is doing. It’s Mann playing into a world where men fought to become the best and for a man like Ali to use boxing as a platform for hope and change. Overall, Mann crafts a riveting and intoxicating film about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki does incredible work with the film’s photography as it’s a highlight of the film with its usage of naturalistic and slightly-tinted colors and moods in the lighting as well as the grainy look of the digital video footage as well as the way the camera moves. Editors William Goldenberg, Lynzee Klingman, Stephen E. Rivkin, and Stuart Waks do excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion shots, and other stylish editing play into the drama as well as the thrill of the fights. Production designer John Myhre, with set decorator Jim Erickson plus art directors Jonathan Lee, Bill Rea, and Tomas Voth, does brilliant work with the sets from the hotel rooms that and homes that Ali lived in to the design of some of the venues and rings that Ali would fight in. Costume designer Marlene Stewart does amazing work with the costumes from the clothes that men wore in those times as well as the stylish dresses and Muslim garb the women would wear.

Special makeup effects artists Greg Cannom and Christopher Allen Nelson do fantastic work with the look of Howard Cosell as well as some of the prosthetics and hair for some of the characters. Special effects supervisors Alan Poole and Max Poolman, with visual effects supervisor Michael J. McAlister, do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it is mainly set-dressing but also in parts that relate to the fights. Sound editors Yann Delpuech, Darren King, and Gregory King do superb work with the sound in how punches are thrown as well as the atmosphere of the audiences during the fights as well as some sounds in some of the locations. The film’s music by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard is wonderful for its minimalist and ambient-based score with its usage of polyrhythms and other world beat musical textures while the music soundtrack feature a lot of the music of the times from the Pointer Sisters, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan plus contemporary pieces from Alicia Keys and Moby.

The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it feature some notable small roles from Victoria Dillard as Malcolm X’s wife Betty Shabazz, Malick Bowens as Zaire’s president Joseph Mobutu, David Elliott as singer Sam Cooke in the film’s opening credits scene, Shari Watson/Truth Hurts as a club singer, Ted Levine as CIA agent Joe Smiley, Leon Robinson as a Nation of Islam official in Brother Joe, David Haynes as Ali’s brother Rudy Clay/Rahman Ali, Robert Sale as boxer Jerry Quarry, Candy Ann Brown as Ali’s mother Odessa Clay, Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston, David Cubitt as journalist Robert Lipsyte, Charles Shufford as George Foreman, LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King Jr., Bruce McGill as a European political figure, Joe Morton as Ali’s attorney Chauncey Eskridge, Giancarlo Esposito as Ali’s father Cassius Clay Sr., Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad, and Albert Brown as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad,

Other noteworthy small roles from Nona Gaye as Ali’s second wife Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali who is concerned about the people Ali is with, Paul Rodriguez as Ali’s ring physician Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, and Michael Michele as Ali’s future third wife in journalist Veronica Porche whom he would meet in Zaire are wonderful in their brief roles as is Jada Pinkett Smith in a terrific performance as Ali’s first wife Sonji Roi as a woman who many in the Nation of Islam felt was unsuitable for him. James Toney and Mykelti T. Williamson are superb in their respective roles as the fighter Joe Frazier who offers Ali a shot at the title and the infamous promoter Don King who is trying to hype up the event and make a lot of money. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic as photographer Howard Bingham who would be Ali’s biographer and personal photographer who would follow Ali as well as be an observer to the events in Ali’s life.

Ron Silver is excellent as Angelo Dundee as Ali’s trainer who is focused on what Ali is doing in the ring as well as ensure that Ali has a good strategy for every fight as he’s like a father figure to Ali. Mario Van Peebles is brilliant as Malcolm X as the famed civil rights leader and Nation of Islam speaker who is a close friend of Ali as he would later go on his own path where he tries to maintain his friendship with Ali. Jamie Foxx is amazing as Drew Bundini Brown as Ali’s longtime assistant/cornerman who would help Ali come up with his famous rhymes as well as be someone that Ali can trust with on personal matters or on business matters despite his own personal issues. Jon Voight is incredible as famed sports reporter Howard Cosell as Voight would get Cosell’s famous voice right on as well as be the man trying to get answers from Ali as well as be a close friend of the boxer. Finally, there’s Will Smith in a phenomenal performance as Muhammad Ali as he channels the man’s bombastic personality in the press conferences as well as the man’s public persona as being cocky but also a man who can talk the talk and walk the walk but also display the humanity in Ali as a man struggling with his identity and the persona he has created for himself.

Ali is a sensational film from Michael Mann that features a career-defining performance from Will Smith as the legendary boxer. Along with its ensemble cast, Emmanuel Lubezki’s gorgeous cinematography, rapturous music soundtrack, and its exploration about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of the bio-pic as it focuses on key events of the man’s life as well as the world around him. In the end, Ali is a spectacular film from Michael Mann.

Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief - (The Keep) – Manhunter - (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - (Heat) – (The Insider) – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies - Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)

© thevoid99 2019

Sherrybaby

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/1/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions

Written and directed by Laurie Collyer, Sherrybaby tells the story of a young woman who returns from prison after an arrest for robbery as she tries to reconnect with the young daughter she left behind while dealing with new realities. The film is an exploration of a drug addict trying to find redemption as she also hopes to win back her daughter as the role of Sherry Swanson is played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Also starring Sam Bottoms, Giancarlo Esposito, Danny Trejo, Brad William Henke, Kate Burton, Bridget Barkan, and Ryan Simpkins. Sherrybaby is a compelling yet harrowing film from Laurie Collyer.

After a three-year stint in prison, Sherry Swanson is released on parole while arriving onto Newark, New Jersey. Meeting her parole officer Hernandez (Giancarlo Esposito), Sherry is forced to live in an inpatient safe-house where she’s given curfew while living with other recovering addicts. Calling her brother Bobby (Brad William Henke), she wonders if she can visit his home where for the past few years, he's been taking care of her daughter Alexis (Ryan Simpkins) with wife Lynette (Bridget Barkan). After meeting a counselor named Andy (Rio Hackford), she continues to use her sex appeal to get a job working with children. When Bobby decides to let her sleep out for a night in their home, she finally meets her daughter Alexis though the meeting ends up being awkward. After attending a recovering addicts meeting, she meets a former addict/counselor named Dean (Danny Trejo) who knew her when she was just a stripper at the age of 16.

After a spat with a fellow housemate in the safe-house, Sherry leaves the house only to sleep on the patio of her brother’s home. Lynette finds Sherry to be uncomfortable as Alexis keeps calling her mother by her first name to infuriate Sherry. When Sherry and Bobby's father (Sam Bottoms) arrives for a dinner, Sherry's demand for attention from her daughter and father becomes troubling as the tension between Sherry and Lynette over Alexis is brewing. Bobby had no choice but to have Sherry live in a nearby motel. Wanting some company, she calls Dean where the two have a good time.

Sherry's parole officer Hernandez learns that she left the safe-house and wants to arrest but she finally got the job that she wanted. Working with kids, Sherry feels fulfilled even with her relationship with Dean. Hoping to win her daughter through presents for her upcoming birthday party, Sherry decides to attend her daughter's party by surprise. The presents Sherry brought seemed to go right but it doesn't. Sherry wonders what is she doing wrong as she is comforted by her father in which, Bobby learns the root of Sherry's troubles. The failure at the birthday party brings Sherry back to her demons as she begins to have a hard day as Dean learns of her newfound troubles while Hernandez gets the truth over what has happened. With Sherry now facing an uncertain future, she is forced to deal with new realities while wondering if she is capable of being a responsible mother.

While films about addiction and recovery isn't new and writer/director Laurie Collyer is aware of that. Collyer instead goes into the realm of character study in which the film is really character-driven about a young woman like Sherry who is trying to do right yet struggles. Despite the lack of originality, Collyer's observant direction and screenplay does create situations and moments in which audiences can understand. Especially when it comes to addiction and how hard it is to recover. A character like Sherry can't be someone with a heart of gold. She's selfish, abusive at times, and even out of control yet there's a side of her that is good but is having a hard time trying to balance it out.

When the film deals the awkward relationship between Sherry and her daughter Alexis, it's clear that Sherry wants to be a good mother yet is barely out of her own youth and at times, acts like a child whenever she's around her father and Alexis is not sure how to react to her mother. There's a part during the family dinner sequence that reveals Sherry's selfishness and wanting some attention where she sings a song. What doesn't work in that scene is that song. Still, Collyer brings a very strong film that feels real to its genre.

Cinematographer Russell Lee Fine does excellent work with the film's colorful, cinematic style with some wonderful shading and intimate shots in some of the film's night, exterior and interior sequences. Production designer Stephen Beatrice and set decorator Lisa Scoppa also brings grit and realism to the inpatient safe-house where it looks very dirty with the contrasting look that Bobby lives in as the whole film is shot on location in New Jersey. Costume designer Jill Newell does excellent work in the clothes she gives Maggie's character from the sexy, halter-tops and blouses along with tight jeans to the more stringy, thin dresses she wears. Editors Curtiss Clatyon and Joe Landauer do excellent work in bringing a rhythmic, leisurely-pace to the editing with wonderful perspective cuts in which nearly every frame features Gyllenhaal. Music composer Jack Livesey brings a moody, atmospheric, guitar-driven score to convey the emotions with additional music from Dana Fuchs bringing some folk-rock cuts to the film.

The cast is wonderfully assembled with notable small performances from Rio Hackford as a counselor, Kate Burton as Sherry's stepmother, Caroline Clay as Hernandez's officer, and Sam Bottoms as Sherry's brooding father. Kate Burton is good as Lynette who is aware of Sherry's troubling behavior while having to be the mother for Alexis. Ryan Simpkins gives a realistic, natural performance as the four-year old Alexis who is unsure of how to react to her mother as the confusion is wonderfully played as Simpkins is excellent. Giancarlo Esposito is wonderfully understated as a strict, honest parole officer who plays tough but plays fair as he tries to be one of the few allies that Sherry has despite his strictness.

Danny Trejo, known for playing tough guys, is wonderfully humble as the wise, sympathetic Dean who tires to help out Sherry while making aware of how hard recovery is. Brad William Henke is also great as the sympathetic brother who tries to be father to Alexis while is very low key in dealing with the guilt over his sister's behavior and how he wants to help her. Finally, there's Maggie Gyllenhaal in a phenomenal performance as Sherry as this young woman trying to do right as she deals with her setbacks and her inability to be a mother as it's Gyllenhaal in one of her finest performances.

Sherrybaby is an excellent film from Laurie Collyer that features an incredible performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal. While it's a film that doesn't say anything new about addiction, it is still a compelling story that explores a woman trying to redeem herself for her actions as well as her struggle to stay clean. In the end, Sherrybaby is a superb film from Laurie Collyer.

© thevoid99 2014

2012 Cannes Marathon: Do the Right Thing

(Played in Competition for the Palme D’or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival)

Written, directed, and starring Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing is the story about one hot summer day in a Brooklyn neighborhood as racial tension starts to boil. The film explores an entire day where an Italian pizza owner has to deal with numerous characters including a highly-vocal young man, a big man carrying a boom box, and his new pizza delivery boy who just wants to get paid. Also starring Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, Steve Park, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Joie Lee, Roger Guenveur Smith, and Samuel L. Jackson. Do the Right Thing is a provocative yet harrowing drama from Spike Lee.

It’s a hot summer day in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn as Mookie (Spike Lee) has to go to work at a pizzeria owned by Sal (Danny Aiello). Working with Sal’s two adult sons in Pino (John Turturro) and Vito (Richard Edson), Mookie’s only concern is to get paid and see his girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez) and son Hector whom he hasn’t seen in a week. Things get tense as the day goes on where Mookie’s friend Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) is eating pizza at Sal’s as he is upset over why Sal’s Wall of Fame features Italians and wants to know if Sal will put some African-Americans on the wall. Instead, Buggin’ Out gets kicked out as he tries to start a boycott on Sal’s Pizza as the day continues to heat up where an old drunk named Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) tries to win the affections of an old woman named Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) who keeps looking out at the neighborhood.

Things continue to intensify as a trio of men (Robin Harris, Frankie Faison, and Paul Benjamin) watch the neighborhood deal with the heat while making complaints about Korean grocery store owner named Sonny (Steve Park) who had taken over the corner across from Sal’s for more than a year. Though Mookie is doing his job, he still has to deal with the prejudiced Pino who is not happy about working at his father’s place and is sick of being in an environment that he feels is filled with animals. Though Sal wants to maintain that his place is here to stay, he has an uneasy encounter with Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) who likes to blast Public Enemy’s Fight the Power at a loud volume as he later joins Buggin’ Out in the boycott against Sal that would include a mentally-challenged man named Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) who meanders around the neighborhood trying to sell a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

With the day turning into night and closing time starts to emerge, the tension between Buggin’ Out and Radio Raheem towards Sal about wanting some African-Americans on the wall leads to a huge fight that culminates in an incident the neighborhood would never forget.

What happens on one hot summer day in a small section of Brooklyn where things become uneasy between an Italian-America pizzeria owner, his two sons, a young pizza delivery man, his friends, some teenagers, a trio of middle-aged men, two elderly people, a Korean grocery store owner, two cops, and a radio DJ that watches everything in his booth? Well, there’s a lot that happens in this film where it all centers around a pizzeria that has been around for 25 years and one guy is upset over the fact that there’s no brothers on Sal’s Wall of Fame filled with famous Italian-Americans. A lot of is from the perspective of a young man named Mookie who is just trying to get through this hot day while he delivers pizza by foot and deal with Sal and Pino for being late or just delivering the pizzas not on time. For Mookie, he could care less except for just getting paid and do what is right for his girlfriend and their young son.

There’s also subplots that is prevalent in the film’s screenplay as it includes this old drunk who wanders around the neighborhood trying to impress this old lady as both of them watch what is going on. Notably as the old man is trying to bring wisdom to a young group of teenagers who dismiss his wisdom while he would end up doing something noble. There’s also brief glimpses of a group of Puerto Ricans trying to get through the hot day where they would have an encounter with Radio Raheem along with a scene where Buggin’ Out gets upset at a guy (John Savage) for accidentally messing up his Air Jordans. It’s all part of what is happening in the course of a very hot day as things are starting to boil where a couple of cops (Rick Aiello and Miguel Sandoval) are looking around.

One of Spike Lee’s gifts as a storyteller is the way he creates characters who are truly interesting but also flawed. Notably individuals like Pino and Buggin’ Out who are both quite extreme in their views of the world. Pino can be called a racist since he often spouts racial slurs and is not enthused about working in a predominantly African-American area. In a conversation with Mookie, it is revealed that is favorite basketball star is Magic Johnson, his favorite movie star is Eddie Murphy, and his favorite musician is Prince. That revelation is quite strange as Pino tries to explain to Mookie that these guys he loves aren’t black or whatever. They’re just men as he tries to explain but it adds to the complications of who he is though Mookie doesn’t think he’s a total jerk.

Buggin’ Out is another character that is quite extreme though his intentions about having brothers on the Wall of Fame is noble. It’s just that his approach rubs people the wrong way as he’s often dismissed or has to get some lesson from people about what he should do. Still, Buggin’ Out is on a mission to boycott Sal where he ends up gaining the very intimidating Radio Raheem in the boycott and things eventually goes out of control. Especially when it finally makes this very old-school yet kind man like Sal get even more angrier where his own hatred is unveiled in an intense scene that is followed by violence and chaos. All of this is in the eyes of a DJ named Mister Senor Daddy Love (Samuel L. Jackson) who, along with the three men in the corner, would comment everything that is going on in his neighborhood.

Lee’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of the compositions he creates as well as the mood he sets for these very simple yet tense dramatic scenes. Shot on location in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, Lee wanted to show a world that is vibrant and quite diverse but also a bit uneasy due to the heat wave that is happening. Scenes such as Mookie and Tina’s love scene with an ice cube along with some interior shots show the sweat and weariness of these characters. It would add to the boiling tension that occurs as Lee would always frame the actors a certain way to play up the drama.

Notably as there’s some montages such as a scene where characters spew out racial insults at someone to the camera only for Mister Senor Daddy Love to stop the montage so that everyone should just chill out. There’s a lot of intimate yet more simpler moments where Sal is flirting with Mookie’s sister Jade (Joie Lee) where there’s a camera panning to express the different feelings of both Mookie and Pino who feel uneasy about this relationship. There’s also some striking close-ups that add to the dramatic tension including shots where Lee takes advantage of using the crane to capture the neighborhood and the characters in this neighborhood.

For the film’s climatic moment where the tension boils in this pizzeria between Sal and Radio Raheem, Lee’s camera is always presented in a slanted composition where he’s waiting for the moment for things to finally just go out of control. There’s people in this crowd that is saying names of those who had died in these awful situations where its aftermath is one that will be frustrating because it ends up raising more questions than answers over what had happened. Did anyone in that film do the right thing? It’s not that easy to answer. Yet, Lee chooses to end the film with two very different quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X that each has different viewpoints about using violence as it is followed by the picture of the two that Smiley had been holding throughout the entirety of the film. Overall, Lee creates a truly mesmerizing yet very confrontational film that doesn’t take the easy road into exploring race relations nor does he want to imply something with an overbearing message.

Cinematographer Ernest Dickerson does an extraordinary job with the film‘s vibrant and colorful cinematography from the daytime exteriors to play up the heat to the interiors where the heat intensify where Dickerson creates some gorgeous lighting schemes to play up the tension. Editor Barry Alexander Brown does a brilliant job with the editing to play up the rhythm of the conversations to the racial-spewing montage that is wonderfully cut along with other stylish elements to help keep the film at a leisured pace. Production designer Wynn Thomas and set decorator Steve Rosse do excellent work with the set pieces such as Sal‘s pizzeria with its old-school Italian setting and its Wall of Fame along with the red wall that the old men in the corner sit at including other parts of the Bedford-Stuyvesant location.

Costume designer Ruth Carter does wonderful work with the costumes from the Brooklyn Dodgers shirt that Mookie wears in the film‘s first half to the more colorful clothing many of the characters wear. Sound designer Skip Lievsay does fantastic work with the film‘s sound from the way Radio Raheem‘s boom box blares Public Enemy‘s Fight the Power to varying degrees of volume to the chaos that occurs in the film‘s climatic moment. The film’s score by Bill Lee is superb for its mix of orchestral flourishes that features a soothing saxophone by Branford Marsalis and a trumpet from Terence Blanchard to play out the chaos and drama that occurs in the film. The film’s soundtrack a wonderful mix of music ranging from Ruben Blades’ salsa to the reggae of Steel Pulse. Yet, a lot of the film’s music is dominated by R&B and hip-hop from acts like Teddy Riley, Take 6, E.U., and Public Enemy.

The casting by Robi Reed-Humes is outstanding for the ensemble that is created as it includes notable appearances from John Savages as a man who accidentally runs over Buggin’ Out’s Air Jordans, Frank Vincent as a man with a vintage car, Richard Parnell Habersham as a kid named Eddie, Ginny Yang as the Korean store owner’s wife, Joie Lee as Mookie’s younger yet more responsible sister Jade, Steve Parks as the Korean grocery owner Sonny, and Luis Antonio Ramos as a Puerto Rican who battles Radio Raheem over who has the louder boom box. Other noteworthy small yet memorable performances include Frankie Faison, Robin Harris, and Paul Benjamin as the three men in the corner commenting about everything while Martin Lawrence, Steve White, Leonard L. Thomas, and Christa Rivers are very good as the four young people who play around at the neighborhood. Miguel Sandoval and Rick Aiello are also good as the two cops who try to maintain order despite the treatment they receive from the neighborhood.

In her film debut, Rosie Perez is superb as Mookie’s profanity-spouting girlfriend Tina who bitches about Mookie not being there while Perez has a great moment dancing to Public Enemy in the film’s opening title sequence. Roger Guenveur Smith is terrific as the mentally-challenged Smiley while Bill Nunn is excellent as the intimidating Radio Raheem who sports two different rings that says “love” on the right and “hate” on the left. Richard Edson is pretty good as Sal’s much friendlier son Vito who is good friends with Mookie while John Turturro is amazing as the very prejudiced Pino who often spouts racial slurs while feeling embarrassed about where he’s working at. Giancarlo Esposito is incredible as the very outspoken Buggin’ Out who is trying to boycott Sal’s pizzeria in order to just to have some brothers on the wall.

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are wonderful in their respective roles of Da Mayor and Mother Sister as the two elderly individuals each provide insight into the surroundings around them with Davis trying to be the man of good despite wanting a beer. Samuel L. Jackson is great in a small role as Mister Senor Daddy Love who comments about everything that is happening as he even breaks the fourth wall by letting everyone chill. Spike Lee is great as the immature but determined Mookie who is keen on wanting to get paid while having to deal with some of the things in his life as he becomes more concerned for his family whom he hadn’t seen lately. Finally, there’s Danny Aiello in a phenomenal performance as Sal who is just trying to run his pizzeria in a hot day while dealing with Mookie’s attitude, Pino’s prejudice, and the tension that is happening as he finally loses it.

Do the Right Thing is a remarkable yet powerful film from Spike Lee. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Lee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Ruby Dee, the late Ossie Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, and Bill Nunn. It’s a film that is truly engrossing to watch for the way it plays out a lot of racial tension on one hot summer day. For those new to Spike Lee, this film is pretty much the best thing he did as well as a true landmark film for the way African-American life is depicted without playing down to stereotypes or with a message. In the end, Do the Right Thing is a magnificent film from Spike Lee.

Spike Lee Films: (She’s Gotta Have It) - (School Daze) - Mo' Better Blues - Jungle Fever - (Malcolm X) - Crooklyn - (Clockers) - (Girl 6) - (Get on the Bus) - 4 Little Girls - (He Got Game) - Freak - Summer of Sam - (The Original Kings of Comedy) - (Bamboozled) - (A Huey P. Newton Story) - (Jim Brown: All-American) - 25th Hour - (She Hate Me) - (Inside Man) - (When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts) - (Miracle at St. Anna) - (Kobe Doin’ Work) - (Passing Strange) - (If God is Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise) - (Red Hook Summer) - Bad 25 - Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - (Oldboy (2013 film)) - (Da Blood of Jesus) - (Chi Raq) - Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall - BlacKkKlansman

© thevoid99 2012

Night on Earth

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Night on Earth is a collection of five stories set in five different cities all over the world where a taxi driver and a passenger would engage in various conversations during their brief time together. The film has Jarmusch going into various places with different actors in each city to explore the dynamic between passenger and driver. With an all-star cast that includes Winona Ryder, Gena Rowlands, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Issach de Bankole, Beatrice Dalle, Roberto Benigni, Paolo Bonacelli, and Matti Pellonpaa. Night on Earth is an extraordinary yet hypnotic film from Jim Jarmusch.

In Los Angeles, tomboy cab driver Corky (Winona Ryder) picks up the rich casting agent Victoria Snelling (Gena Rowlands) at an airport on their way to Beverly Hills. During the ride, the two women discuss the fallacies of men and their differences as Victoria reveals to have night blindness while Corky aspires to be a mechanic. In New York City, a man named YoYo (Giancarlo Espositio) is trying to get a ride to Brooklyn as he gets a cab driver in an East German circus clown named Helmut Grokenberger (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Unfortunately, it’s Helmut’s first day as he doesn’t know the city nor how to drive as YoYo takes over where the two talk while picking up YoYo’s brash sister-in-law Angela (Rosie Perez).

It’s late at night in Paris as a frustrated cab driver (Issach de Bankole) had just been dealing with a couple of awful passengers (Pascal N’Zonzi and Emile Abossolo M‘bo) as he takes a blind woman (Beatrice Dalle). During the ride, the driver is fascinated by the blind woman as she reveals that she can still do things despite her blindness. In Rome, the talkative Gino (Roberto Benigni) wears sunglasses during the late night as he picks up an ailing priest (Paolo Bonacelli). During the ride, Gino reveals his many sins which overwhelms the priest. In Helsinki, Mika (Matti Pellonpaa) picks up three passengers (Kari Vaananen, Sakari Kuosmanen, and Tomi Salmela) where one of them has just had the worst day of life as Mika tells them a story that moves the two awake passengers.

The idea of a taxi as far as a driver and passenger is concerned is this. Driver takes the passenger on a ride. Passenger tells the driver to its desired location. Driver does that and once the destination is reached, driver gets paid and the passenger is at its desired location. Yet in a world as glorious as this, a simple cab drive could be something more as Jim Jarmusch creates five different stories in five different worlds with several different people in different situations. All in different races, nationalities, age groups, and personalities as Jarmusch creates something is truly engaging in the stories that are told.

In each segment of the film, there is something happening between passenger and driver where they all get something out of this little moment in their lives. For the L.A. segment, two different women bond over their frustration towards men along with their different lifestyles. In the NYC segment, an East-German man becomes fascinated by the city and the two people he meets as it’s a great sense of discovery on his first day as a taxi driver. In Paris, a man from the Ivory Coast is fascinated by this blind woman as he seems uninterested in what he’s doing. The segment in Rome has a very talkative man who drives very fast as he ends up overwhelming an ill priest that is strange dark comedy as it’s one of the strangest. The last segment in Helsinki has a driver taking in three passengers where he reveals to them a sad story that reveals that there’s always something worse from happening.

The script that Jarmusch creates is very loose as each segment is given enough time to develop the relationships and the stories told in these segments. In his direction, Jarmusch goes for the same kind of compositions of each segment to capture the driver and passengers with the camera always in front of the car. Yet, he also brings something different to the look and tone of each segment as some are light-hearted while some can seem grim and entrancing. Jarmusch keeps each segment and fresh so each can bring something different to the table. The film and each segment is preceded with a shot of five clocks where the camera zooms towards the clock with the city’s name above and a globe to reveal where what city is to be told.

Throughout the entirety of the film, each segment opens with a look of the city at night in a montage and a cab to introduce the driver, with the exception of the NYC segment, for each segment. During the entirety of the segments, shots of the cities at night are taken place to reveal what locations the driver and passengers are at. The overall approach to Jarmusch’s direction is very stylish yet intimate portrait of an entire night on earth in five different cities with different people musing about the world around them. What Jarmusch creates is a truly exciting and entertaining film that is unconventional yet engrossing in its simplicity.

Cinematographer Frederick Elmes does a wonderful job with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the evening look early in the Los Angeles airport scene to the colorful lights in New York and Los Angeles. Elmes’ work adds a wonderful beauty to the cities with blue lights for the Paris and Helsinki scenes to more intimate settings for the scenes in Rome. Editor Jay Rabinowitz does a great job with creating some stylish cuts for the film while maintaining a fascinating rhythm for many of the conversation scenes that occur in the film. Rabinowitz also keeps a tight pace for each segment at around 20-25 minutes in total to bring enough moments for each story.

Sound designer Anthony J. Ciccolini III does an excellent job with the sound to capture the differing atmospheres of each city along with the intimacy of the cab conversations between the characters in the film. The film’s music by Tom Waits is superb as it is a wonderful mix of jazz and folk that includes different instruments to play to each city. Featuring a few songs written by Waits and wife Kathleen Brennan, Waits score is definitely a highlight of the film as the rest of the soundtrack includes additional music pieces from Davie Allan and Blue Cheer for the L.A. segment.

The big ensemble cast is truly magnificent as each segment provides something different for the film. In very small roles include Lisanne Falk as a manager for band that Corky had brought in the L.A. segment while Pascal N’Zonzi and Emile Abossolo M‘bo are good as the two passengers who annoy the driver in the Paris segment. In the Helsinki scenes, Tomi Salmela is good as the drunk passenger who is passed out while Kari Vaananen and Sakari Kuosmanen are excellent as the other passengers who starts to befriend the cab driver Mika following his story. Matti Pellonpaa is amazing as Mika, the Helsinki cab driver who maintains a stoic approach to his performance as he holds his emotions together during the drive. Paolo Bonacelli is wonderful as the ailing priest who is forced to listen to his driver’s confessions while Roberto Benigni is hilarious as the talkative Gino whose confessed sins prove to be too much in an otherwise dark but funny segment.

Beatrice Dalle is brilliant as the blind passenger who can feel things around her despite her blindness while Issach de Bankole is superb as the quiet driver who is fascinated by the presence of his blind passenger. Rosie Perez is very funny as the brash Angela who spouts all sorts of profanities towards her brother-in-law while being a bit nice towards Helmut. Giancarlo Esposito is also funny but charming as YoYo who tries to help Helmut about being a cab driver and showing him New York City while Armin Mueller-Stahl is phenomenal as the East German cab driver on his first day in amazement on the world around him. Winona Ryder and Gena Rowlands are spectacular as the two different women in L.A. who share their disgust about men while bonding over their differences in low-key but fun performances.

Night on Earth is a fascinating yet magical film from Jim Jarmusch. Armed with a diverse yet exhilarating ensemble cast of actors and in five different locations. It’s a film that truly chronicles the idea of how big the world is and despite the different nationalities, races, genders, and personalities shown in the film. These characters all will have a brief experience that is profound in a world as vast as this one. In the end, Jim Jarmusch creates a lively yet exciting film with Night on Earth.

Jim Jarmusch Films: Permanent Vacation - Stranger Than Paradise - Down By Law - Mystery Train - Dead Man - Year of the Horse - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - Coffee and Cigarettes - Broken Flowers - The Limits of Control - Only Lovers Left Alive - Paterson - (Gimmie Danger) - The Auteurs #27: Jim Jarmusch

© thevoid99 2011

Mo' Better Blues

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/12/07.

Following Spike Lee's widely acclaimed masterpiece Do the Right Thing in 1989, Lee chose to take a break from his socially-conscious films for an exploration in jazz. 1990's Mo' Better Blues is the story of a jazz musician who tries to juggle his professional career and personal life through a series of bad decisions. Written and directed by Spike Lee, the film marked Lee's first collaboration with Denzel Washington who plays the fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam. Also starring Lee and his regulars John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Wesley Snipes, Joie Lee, Bill Nunn, and Samuel L. Jackson plus Cynda Williams, Robin Harris, and Charlie Murphy. Mo' Better Blues is a brilliant, passionate love letter to jazz and music in all of its chaos.

It's 1969 as a young Bleek Gilliam (Zakee Howze) is practicing his trumpet in front of his mother Lillian (Abbey Lincoln) while his father (Dick Anthony Williams) insists that he should go out and play with his friends. 20 years later, Bleek is an accomplished trumpet player leading a jazz quintet that included saxophonist Shadow (Wesley Snipes), pianist Left Hand Lacey (Giancarlo Esposito), bassist Bottom Hammer (Bill Nunn), and drummer Rhythm Jones (Jeff "Tain" Watts). Managing Bleek and his band is Bleek's childhood friend Giant (Spike Lee) where the band has always been selling out the same club they've been playing for years. While the group has been successful, tension has started to rise where Shadow wants more money and have more say in the band yet it remains Bleek’s band while his band mates insist that Giant is a bad manager.

While Bleek seems comfortable in his professional life, he also has a loving relationship with his accountant girlfriend Indigo (Joie Lee) while playing catch with his father. Giant meanwhile, continues to gamble with a bookie named Petey (Ruben Blades) that only brings more troubles to his gambling debts. While rehearsing, Bleek gets a visit from his mistress Clarke (Cynda Williams) who wants to become a singer. Still, tension between Bleek and his band over money and management has increased while Bleek and Shadow often have problems with Left Hand's lateness, some of it due to his French girlfriend Jeanne (Linda Hawkins). Giant's financial troubles worsen when he's confronted by the club' financial managers the Flatbush brothers (John and Nicholas Turturro), bouncers Eggy (Charlie Murphy) and Rod (Leonard L. Thomas), and Petey over money.

With Bleek continuing to work on his music, Shadow is making plans to break on his own where he tries to surround himself with Clarke. Then one night at the club where it's packed, Bleek plays a new number to discuss the roots of jazz while another night, he professes his troubling love affairs and passions in a song called Mo' Better Blues. After a night in which both Clarke and Indigo wore the same red dress, Bleek's love affairs finally comes to ahead and takes it toll. After talking to Giant, he begins to wonder about Giant's own gambling problems. Giant's problems finally caught up with him as he is injured by a bookie named Madlock (Samuel L. Jackson). With Bleek and Giant's problems increasing along with the bad decisions, Bleek decides to help Giant out but the tension between him and Shadow have finally come to ahead where Bleek and Giant are forced to confront everything including themselves.

While this film is a wonderful mediation on the love for jazz. It's really a movie about a man whose ego and passion for music and women get the best of him while his inexcusable trust for his manager lead to his own personal downfall. The subplot of Giant and his problems does make an interesting story that contributes to the film’s plot. Although it also makes the film a bit uneven in the stories of these two men. Lee also exposes the really dark world of the music business as well as the world of jazz that shows its evolvement. Particularly in how purists have problems with the idea of mainstream success where there's a brief mention of Kenny G, who is known to be loathed by jazz purists. Lee's script and his observant, stylized direction really gives the film a feeling that is entertaining and paying tribute to the world of jazz and the blues. The film also serves a character study of ego and passion through the character like Bleek Gilliam.

Lee's longtime cinematographer Ernest Dickerson brings a wonderful presentation with his use of colors and light to emphasize the emotions and passion of the music and the character of Bleek. The interior settings, notably the club with shots of red, blue, orange, and green reveal the richness of the atmosphere as it's some of the best cinematography captured on film. Production designer Wynn Thomas and set decorator Ted Glass add to the authenticity to the intimate, wooden-look of the club that Bleek and his band play to the homegrown world of Brooklyn along with the posh-like look of a jazz club near the end of the film. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter adds to the colorful style with the suits that the men wear along with the Giants shirts that Bleek wears in a scene where he plays catch with his father to the different dresses that Cynda Williams and Joie Lee wears. Editor Samuel D. Pollard brings a stylized touch to the editing with jump cuts, perspective shots, and everything to add rhythm to the film. Sound designer Skip Lievsay also brings a nice atmosphere to the film's club sequences with the noise of people and music blaring.

Then there's the music with a wonderful, orchestral score work from Lee's father Bill to add the flair of blues and classical to convey the sense of drama. Longtime composer Terence Blanchard along with Branford Marsalis create some of the jazz compositions performed in the film that rings true to the music while the rest of the soundtrack features a lot of jazz cuts including one famous one from John Coltrane.

The fil's cast is wonderfully assembled with cameos from Bill Lee, Flava Flav in the opening credits, and the late comedian Robin Harris as the club's top comedian. Other noted small performances from Charlie Murphy, Linda Hawkins, Zakee Howze, Leonard L. Thomas, and Abbey Lincoln are memorable while Samuel L. Jackson and Ruben Blades are excellent as the bookies with Jackson also playing the voice of Senor Love Daddy from Do the Right Thing. Lee regular John Turturro and brother Nicholas bring humor as the fast-talking accountants bring some needed humor to the film. Dick Anthony Williams is great as the Bleek's caring father while Bill Nunn and Jeff "Tain" Watts are excellent in their brief roles as the rhythm section of Bleek's band. Cynda Williams is excellent as the seductive, hungry Clarke whose lack of attention leads her to having an affair with another man. Joie Lee is wonderful as the more mature, down-to-earth Indigo who seems like the only woman who can ground and confront Bleek and his ego.

Giancarlo Esposito is great as the suave, artistic Left Hand who always shows up late and acts more different than his band mates playing the Euro-man of the group. Wesley Snipes is great as Bleek's rival saxophonist whose idea of jazz and success serves as the right antagonism for Bleek where Snipes truly stands out in his performance. Spike Lee gives an excellent performance as the socially-awkward, problematic Giant with his charmed behavior and bad habits that makes him a wonderful, memorable character. Lee does great work in bringing some humor to a very flawed character. Finally, there's Denzel in a fantastic performance as Bleek Gilliam. Denzel proves his versatility as a performer doing a bit of rapping and singing while giving Bleek a full-on complexity to a man that's flawed by his ego and his passion for music. It's a tour-de-force performance from Denzel Washington.

While Mo' Better Blues might not be a masterpiece like Do The Right Thing or Malcolm X, it’s still one of Spike Lee's finer films. Fans of jazz music will appreciate the touch and authenticity that Lee adds to the film while it also marks as a great collaboration between him and Denzel Washington. The film is also entertaining with style along with some substance. It also has a lot of memorable scenes and performances from its cast. In the end, for anyone wanting to watch something cool with a bit of jazz and lots of Denzel, watch Mo' Better Blues.

Spike Lee Films:  (She's Gotta Have It) - (School Daze) - Do the Right Thing - Jungle Fever - (Malcolm X) - Crooklyn - (Clockers) - (Girl 6) - (Get on the Bus) - 4 Little Girls - (He Got Game) - Freak - Summer of Sam - (The Original Kings of Comedy) - (Bamboozled) - (A Huey P. Newton Story) - 25th Hour - (Jim Brown: All-American) - (She Hate Me) - (Inside Man) - (When the Levees Broke:  A Requiem in Four Acts) - (Miracle at St. Anna) - (Kobe Doin' Work) - (Passing Strange) - (If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise) - (Red Hook Summer) - Bad 25 - Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - (Oldboy (2013 film)) - (Da Blood of Jesus) - (Chi Raq) - Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall - BlacKkKlansman

© thevoid99 2011