Coming to America

Directed by John Landis and screenplay by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein that is based on an original story by Eddie Murphy. Coming to America is the story of an African prince who travels to America with his friend/servant to find a woman he can marry and fall in love with. The film marks a reunion between Landis and Murphy since the hit 1983 film Trading Places which Murphy starred in as in this film, he plays multiple characters. Also starring Arsenio Hall, John Amos, Shari Headley, Madge Sinclair, Eriq La Salle, and James Earl Jones. Coming to America is a heartwarming yet riotous comedy from John Landis.

Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) of the African country Zamunda has just turned 21 as he lives a pampered yet lavish lifestyle but feels unhappy as he wants to take care of himself while wanting to find a bride who will love him for who he is and not what he is. Meanwhile, his father King Jaffee Joffer (James Earl Jones) and mother Queen Aeoleon (Madge Sinclair) are searching for a bride suitable for their son. At a ceremony to celebrate Akeem’s birthday, Akeem would meet his bride-to-be Imani Izzi (Vanessa Bell) as he tries to get to know her but instead is obedient to his command. After talking to his father about wanting to go on a trip, the king decides to give Akeem 40 days of freedom to sow his wild oats. Akeem takes his friend Semmi (Arsenio Hall) with him as he decides to travel to America to find his bride as they decide to land in the section of Queens in New York City.

Arriving at Queens, they move into a very poor, rat-infested apartment and getting rid of their rich attire much to Semmi’s dismay. He and Akeem go on a search for a bride for Akeem until they meet the local barber Clarence (Eddie Murphy) who takes them to local charity that features a young woman named Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley) whom Akeem falls for as she speaks at the function. With her father Cleo (John Amos) running a local fast food restaurant called McDowell’s, Akeem and Semmi work at the place as Akeem tries to win Lisa over against her boyfriend Daryl (Eriq La Salle) who is the son of a Jeri curl hairspray manufacturer. After various attempts including going on a double-date with Lisa, Daryl, and Lisa’s sister Patrice (Allison Dean), Akeem manages to win over Cleo after fighting off a robber (Samuel L. Jackson) as he invites him and Semmi to work at a party in his home.

The party turns into an engagement party though Lisa doesn’t feel ready to marry Daryl as she and Akeem start to become close. With Akeem finally finding the woman he wants, Semmi becomes frustrated with their living situation as he sends a telegram to the king asking for money. Instead, the king comes to New York City to find Akeem as Akeem learns that his family has arrived. When Lisa learns who Akeem really is, she meets the royal couple which only adds to her own confusion about who he is. Learning what his father said to her, Akeem goes on a search to find Lisa to proclaim his love for her.

The film is about a prince who travels to America to find a suitable bride as he wants to find someone who will love him for who he is. It’s a simple premise that is told with a lot of humor with an element of romance while it features a lead character who just wants to be accepted a man despite his royal background. The screenplay by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein manages to create a narrative that is quite formulaic but inject a lot of humor about the way a prince tries to make himself be a common man with a bit of naiveté about how common people lived yet he takes in stride much to the chagrin of his friend Semmi who is used to being pampered and living a rich lifestyle. Yet, Akeem is aware that is more and he is more interested in having a woman with an opinion.

While the script does have some very interesting characters and ideas about class differences. There’s a looseness to the script in the way the comedy is handled which allows director John Landis to create a film that extremely funny but also has a very touching romantic story. There’s also a sense of ambition in the way Landis presents this grand palace of the royal family while being able to shoot on location in the sections of Queens and Manhattan in New York City. The compositions have more depth for large crowd scenes as well as an intimacy for smaller yet straightforward moments. Still, Landis let things play out naturally while creating moments that are dramatic without being too heavy. Overall, Landis makes a truly solid yet roaring comedy that is filled with memorable one-liners and moments that keeps viewers watching endlessly.

Cinematographers Sol Negrin and Woody Omens do an incredible job with the photography from the grimy yet lush look of the cold winter of Queens in its poor section to the more vibrant look for the posh set pieces in the film. Editors Malcolm Campbell and George Folsey Jr. do nice work in the editing in creating some rhythmic cuts to some of the film’s funny moments while maintaining a very straightforward presentation for the film. Production designer Richard MacDonald, along with art directors Richard B. Lewis and Christopher Nowak, does a fantastic job with the look of the Zamundan royal palace with all sorts of amazing rooms and exteriors along with quaint but lovely home of Cleo McDowell.

Costume designer Deborah Nadoolman does a superb job with the costumes from the regal look of Akeem and his family wore to the more casual American clothing he wears when he arrives in the U.S. Special effects makeup work by Rick Baker does an excellent job with the look of the various characters that both Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall play which has the former play a Jewish white man. Sound editors Paul Timothy Carden and Richard C. Franklin do a wonderful job with the sound work to convey the chaotic atmosphere of Queens as well as maintaining an intimacy in smaller moments of the film.

The film’s score by Niles Rodgers is terrific for its dance-based score filled with synthesizers and 80s R&B to emphasize the American world that Akeem lives in while the score also has an orchestral element with bombastic arrangements to emphasize the world of Africa. The soundtrack features a mix of 80s pop, R&B, and hip-hop to display the world of America while there’s also brief snippets of music by Elmer Bernstein from his work in another Landis film in Trading Places.

The casting by Jackie Burch is brilliant from the ensemble that is created as it features cameos from Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche reprising their Duke Brothers character from Trading Places. Other small roles include Jake Steinfeld as a cab driver, Vondie Curtis-Hall as a basketball game vendor who recognizes Akeem, Cuba Gooding Jr. as a barbershop customer, Garcelle Beauvais as one of the rose-bearers, Frankie Faison as a landlord, Paul Bates as the top royal family servant Oha, Clint Smith as the barber Sweets, Louie Anderson as a McDowell’s employee, Vanessa Bell as the beautiful future bride Imani, Allison Dean as Lisa’s partying sister Patrice, Eriq La Salle as Lisa’s jeri-curl sporting boyfriend Daryl, and Samuel L. Jackson as a robber.

Other notable supporting roles include Madge Sinclair as Akeem’s kindly mother Queen Aeoleon, John Amos as Lisa’s warm and hard-working father Cleo, James Earl Jones as Akeem’s intimidating yet well-meaning father King Jaffee Joffer. Shari Headley is wonderful as Lisa, the woman Akeem falls for as she displays a sense of worldly realism and grace that Akeem wants in a woman. Arsenio Hall is excellent as Akeem’s friend Semmi who has a hard time dealing with not having money and such while Hall also gets to play various characters such as the boisterous Reverend Brown, the funny barber Morris, and an extremely ugly woman in a hilarious club scene as Akeem and Semmi try to find what Queens has to offer.

Finally, there’s Eddie Murphy in what is truly one of his best performance as Prince Akeem of Zamunda. Murphy brings an enthusiasm and maturity to his role as a man wanting to seek true love while discovering the world outside of being rich and pampered. It’s a very funny and sensitive performance for Murphy as he also plays various characters. Among them is the barber Clarence who always say Joe Louis is the greatest boxer ever while playing a white Jewish man named Saul who hangs out at the barber shop. Then there’s another character Murphy plays in an untalented/actor singer named Randy Watson where he gives a hilarious rendition of Whitney Houston’s The Greatest Love of All in one of the funniest moments on film.

Coming to America is an extraordinary yet entertaining film from John Landis that features Eddie Murphy in one of his outstanding performances. The film is among the best of Landis’ collaboration with Murphy as well as a comedy that is still funny nearly twenty-five years since its release. With a superb supporting cast that includes Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, John Amos, and James Earl Jones. It’s a film that has a lot more to offer in terms of what is expected in a comedy. In the end, Coming to America is a tremendous and exciting film from John Landis.

John Landis Films: (Schlock) - (Kentucky Fried Movie) - (National Lampoon’s Animal House) - (The Blues Brothers) - (An American Werewolf in London) - (Coming Soon) - Trading Places - (The Twilight Zone (1983 film)) - (Into the Night) - (Spies Like Us) - (Three Amigos!) - (Amazon Women on the Moon) - (Oscar) - (Innocent Blood) - (Beverly Hills Cop III) - (The Stupids) - (Blues Brothers 2000) - (Susan’s Plan) - (Slasher) - (Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project) - (Burke & Hare)

© thevoid99 2012

Talk to Me

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/18/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

In the turmoil of race riots and the Civil Right Movement in the mid and late 1960s, one of the best voices heard on radio is Petey Greene. Claiming he was "telling it like it is", Green's honest yet humorous take on politics and everyday life made him an unlikely voice for the African-American community from the late 60s to the 1970s. Though he died in 1984, Green's influence and life proved to be inspirational as his voice and saying what he got to say attitude remains relevant to this day. In 2007, a film based on life was released as it explored not just the impact of Greene's life but also his own personal life including his friendship with manager Dewey Hughes entitled Talk to Me.

Directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Michael Genet and Rick Famuyiwa, Talk to Me is about Petey Greene's life as a reformed convict who gets paroled as he becomes a radio DJ telling the African-American community about what he has to say and winning fans along the way. Playing the role of the legendary radio personality is Don Cheadle, who also serves as one of the film's executive producer. Also starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Martin Sheen. Talk to Me is an inspiring, entertaining film from Kasi Lemmons and company.

Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a radio program director from Washington D.C. who goes to visit his brother Milo (Mike Epps) at a state prison in 1966. During this visit, Hughes hears the voice of a raucous DJ named Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene as Hughes meets him and his girlfriend Vernell (Taraji P. Henson). Though Hughes isn't sure about hiring a convict who is still serving time, Hughes is desperate as he needs someone to boost ratings against another local station as its worrying his boss E.G. Sonderling (Martin Sheen). Greene eventually gets out after helping a suicidal prisoner as he and Vernell make their way to the station to Hughes' shock. Though Hughes rejects him that is followed by Greene making some protests to be on the radio, Hughes makes a deal with Greene who gets to do the morning slot as he takes over the much-beloved Sunny Jim (Vondie Curtis-Hall).

Greene's first broadcast gains controversy as Sonderling fires Greene though Hughes realizes that the feedback he's getting is what he needs. Sneaking Greene back into the radio station and locking up everyone, Greene and Hughes take over the morning show where Greene is a star. Success arrives very fast until Greene gets himself in trouble with Vernell who decides to sleep with another DJ in the Nighthawk (Cedric the Entertainer). When Sonderling reveals that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated, Greene talks to the people on air where he manages to calm things down as he also hosts a free James Brown concert the next night. With Greene being the voice of D.C., Hughes believes he can make Greene a bigger star as they did a local talk show with Greene hosting.

When an offer to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson is happening, Hughes' dreams come true as he wants to see Greene on the show. Unfortunately, the night of Greene's appearance becomes a disaster leading to a fallout with him and Hughes. After Hughes becomes a successful DJ and the new head of the radio station, he realizes how much Greene has done so much for him while Greene becomes a recluse as the two ponder about their friendship.

While most stories about certain figures tend to be serious and dramatic but from the viewpoint of director Kasi Lemmons and the film's writers, they didn't go for that approach for the most part. Instead, they chose to portray an individual like Petey Greene as a man of excitement, charisma, and humor as the overall result is an entertaining bio-pic about the late DJ. While the film is filled with lots of humor and such, the core story of the film is about the relationship between Greene and Dewey Hughes. Here's two different men, one is brash, charismatic, and wild while the other is more clean-cut, eloquent, and ambitious. Yet, how they co-existed is the real revelation as they go into this journey from the streets of Washington D.C. to the Tonight Show and beyond.

While the film isn't perfect due to a minor shift in tone in the third act where the film is more about Dewey Hughes than Petey Greene, Lemmons' direction is still in line with the film's story of Greene. Particularly in Hughes' ambitions and what he wanted for Greene. It is there that Lemmons show the men for who they really are and not just some stereotypical caricatures that they seemed to appear. While Hughes may look like a clean-cut man who is trying to be white, there's a reason for his look and behavior while proving to his community that he is no sell-out. Greene meanwhile, may seem like a wild, tell-it-like-is kind of man, he is someone who prefers the simple pleasures of life and doesn't want to become some caricature. Lemmons' stylish direction filled with stock footage of the times of the late 60s to the early 80s is very solid as the result is a film that never gets dull and doesn't make it feel extremely nostalgic.

Cinematographer Stephane Fontaine does great work in capturing the film's distinctive look of the time periods from the bright colors of the radio station and Washington D.C. exteriors to the smoky, intimate lighting in the film's interior sequences in the homes of Hughes, Greene, and the pool halls. Fontaine's colorful, stylish photography is exquisite to capturing the look of the film's different periods. Editor Terilyn A. Shropshire does great work in the film's cutting style with the use of jump cuts, dissolves, side-split screens to capture the tone of the film's scenes including the riots and Greene speaking about the riots as he calm things down. Shropshire's editing is superb for its emphasis of style while maintaining its leisurely pace.

Production designer Warren Alan Young and art director Patrick Banister do a great job in capturing the look of the times with its furniture, cars, and appliances to give the film not just a feel of nostalgia of sorts but also a look as if the viewer is back in time. Costume designer Gersha Phillips does an amazing job with the film's clothing from the wild dresses of Vernell, the colorful suits and clothes of Petey, to the clean-cut look of Dewey that is very distinctive and stylish as if the 70s were alive again. Makeup artists Janice Tunnell and Geralyn Wraith do great work with the film's look of 70s from the mustaches of Petey and later, Dewey to the huge Afros that Vernell sports. Sound editor Jay Nierenberg and designer Stuart Provine do amazing work in capturing the spirit of the films' time while doing great work in the riot scenes and radio deejay scenes to convey that sense of the times.

The music score by Terence Blanchard is wonderfully diverse with its mix of 70s funk and jazz music helmed by Blanchard's trumpet to convey the sense of drama as well as excitement in those times. The soundtrack is filled with loads of soul classics from James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, and others that isn't just amazing to hear but also capture the spirit of the times.

The film's cast is overall brilliant with notable small performances from Richard Chevolleau as a prisoner whom Petey talks to early in the film, Peter MacNeill as the prison warden, Herbert Rawlins as soul legend James Brown, and Alison Sealy-Smith as the radio station's secretary. Mike Epps is excellent in the few scenes he's in as Dewey's incarcerated brother Milo who introduces Petey to Dewey. Vondie Curtis-Hall is excellent as the old-school DJ Sunny Jim who is upset at his demotion only to be one of Petey's supporters. Cedric the Entertainer is great and stylish as the sexy-voiced Nighthawk who always has a fine presence while being a voice of sexiness. Martin Sheen is in great form as the fearful E.G. Sonderling who is the comic relief of sorts as a man upset over Petey's comments as Sheen is a scene-stealer.

The film's biggest scene-stealer is Taraji P. Henson as Petey's girlfriend Vernell. Henson's wild, energetic performance is the perfect complement to Cheadle's charismatic performance as the woman who supports Petey while doing her own thing and such as Henson's performance is just phenomenal in every scene she's in. Chiwetel Ejiofor is perfect as the clean-cut Dewey Hughes. Ejiofor's performance is filled with some charm as well as subtlety as a man whose ambitions to be like Johnny Carson conflicts with Greene's more urban, intimate world. Ejiofor is the perfect counterpart to Cheadle while proving he’s a good nine-ball player. Then there's Don Cheadle in what has to be one of his best performances. Cheadle's brash, charismatic, no-nonsense performance is filled with energy and excitement in every scene he's in while proving he can be subtle as Cheadle again proves that he is one of American cinema's finest actors.

The Region 1 DVD from Focus Features presents the film in 2:35:1 aspect ratio for anamorphic widescreen along with 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound for English along with subtitles in English, Spanish, & French. In the DVD are 30-minutes worth of special features including six deleted scenes. The first is a scene where Dewey talks to an associate about a slump with a reference to the Celtics. The second is an extended scene following Petey's talk on the riots that involved Sonderling talking an encounter he had with Dr. King a few years ago. The third scene is about an interview for Greene’s TV talk show where an executive is angry over comments Greene made for one of his guests as Greene says, he's just who he is. The fourth scene involves a dress rehearsal at the Tonight Show where Greene talked about a story of how he got himself out of prison, that's already been told before. The fifth scene is about Greene's love of booze and his call to Vernell trying to talk to her after being sober for six months. The sixth and final scene involves Greene making a speech at a high school about his lack of comfort towards success and change as his colleagues including Dewey, from afar, watch.

The 11-minute featurette Who is Petey Greene? is a mini-doc about the making of the film, Greene's life, and interviews with the film's cast and crew including director Kasi Lemmons. Lemmons and the cast discuss Greene's impact as well as the friendship between him and Dewey Hughes. A lot of the film's themes are discussed yet the cast are relaxed with clips of the film being made showing everyone having a good time. The 10-minute Recreating P-Town is about the film's look with profiles on production designer Warren Alan Young and costume designer Gersha Phillips. Phillips talks about the men's look for the clothes where for Dewey Hughes, the look came from Sydney Poitier while Greene is meant to be the opposite. Young talks about a lot of the film's production designs, notably the riot scene that took 2 days to shoot but 6 days to set up. The overall special features are great for the DVD and such.

Talk to Me is an inspiring yet entertaining bio-pic from Kasi Lemmons and company helmed by Don Cheadle's winning performance and a great supporting cast led by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Taraji P. Henson. While it's more entertaining than Lemmons' own 1997 directorial debut Eve's Bayou, though the latter is a superior film. This is a film that proves to powerful yet funny at the same time as the life of Petey Greene is finally told. Talk to Me is a wonderful gem of a film that keeps making people laugh while reliving the days of the late 60s and early 70s.

(C) thevoid99 2011

Crooklyn

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/23/07.

Following the 1992 historical, epic bio-pic on Malcolm X, Spike Lee took a break from making his cinematic epic that some considered to be his best work. After the break, Lee decided to make a low-key yet thoughtful film about family life in the 1970s in Brooklyn titled Crooklyn. Directed by Spike Lee that he co-wrote with sister Joie and brother Cinque, Crooklyn tells the story of a family trying to survive through money problems and troubles in their neighborhood from the perspective of a little girl growing into womanhood. Starring Delroy Lindo, Alfre Woodard, David Patrick Kelly, Isaiah Washington, Zelda Harris, Joie Lee, Bokeem Woodbine, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Spike Lee. Crooklyn is a thoughtful, personal feature film from the always prolific Spike Lee.

It's the 1970s in Brooklyn as kids play around the streets and stoops of the Brooklyn neighborhood. A mix of African-American, whites, and Puerto Ricans, it's a place filled with joy and bits of trouble. For the Carmichaels led by musician Woody (Delroy Lindo) and his teacher wife Carolyn (Alfre Woodard), it's a place where they raise their rowdy kids that consists of four boys and a young girl named Troy (Zelda Harris). Troy is a tomboy with an attitude who often calls bad names to other kids and have spats with her brothers including her eldest, Knicks-loving Clinton (Carlton Williams). While the rest of the brothers including the hungry Wendell (Sharif Rashed), the middle child Nate (Christopher Knowings), and the youngest child Joseph (Tse-Mach Washington) are rowdy and rambunctious, the family is still in a loving household. While the boys hang out with adults that include Puerto Rican Tommy La La (Jose Zuniga), Vic (Isaiah Washington), and Richard (Bokeem Woodbine). They often get into spats with the reclusive Tony Eyes (David Patrick Kelly), who lives with dogs and his place always stink. The boys are always supported by their mother and their neighbors into the spats with Tony though the boys do throw trash in his place.

While the family continue their daily lives, money has become tight as Woody chooses to make his own music rather than playing traditional pop. Woody’s decision only troubles the family's financial situation as Carolyn has to make more money teaching summer school. The family dysfunctions that included Clinton's love for the Knicks over everything else finally causes a breakdown in which, Woody is forced to leave for a brief period time as he lives with his brother Brown (Vondie Curtis-Hall). Troy meanwhile, continues her rowdy ways as she attempts to shoplift but the store's manager Hector (Manny Perez) gives her a life lesson into stealing. The lesson doesn’t last long as Troy steals from her brother to buy ice cream for herself and one of her friends. After returning to make amends with Carolyn, Woody decides to take the family out on a road trip as a distraction to deal with the family's ongoing financial problems. Even to the point where they had to live on food stamps which was embarrassing to Troy.

Going down to Virginia to visit relatives in Uncle Clem (Norman Matlock), Aunt Song (Frances Foster), and their daughter Viola (Patriece Nelson). The real intention was to give Troy a new atmosphere as she is to stay with her relatives for the summer. The visit only alienated Troy despite Aunt Song's well-meaning behavior and a friend in Viola. Back in Brooklyn, the family gets up from their financial problems with help from Uncle Brown and Aunt Maxine (Joie Lee). Troy returns with a new look only to learn of some harrowing family problems. Troy realizes that her role as the only other woman in her dysfunctional yet loving family has to grow while having to deal with the worst. Even the boys have to face new troubles where they learn what is important.

Inspired by their youth growing up in the 70s, Crooklyn was a change of pace and style to the epic-biography of Lee's previous film, Malcolm X. This time around, Lee and his siblings create probably their most accessible feature to date. While the film lacks a strong plot and is a bit episodic, it's only to convey the sense of realism and nostalgia Lee wanted to show about the 1970s. At times, there are moments that are funny. There's moments of real, family drama, and there's even moments of heartbreak and tragedy. Yet, there's an optimism in the film while it's largely done in the perspective of the character of Troy. Troy is obviously inspired by Joie Lee, who wrote the film's original story. Her story is about a young girl growing into womanhood while dealing with the realities of life.

Lee's direction is wonderfully observant and atmospheric in conveying the times while he goes for style in the sequence involving the world of Aunt Song where on full-screen, the film looks cropped. It's to convey the sense of alienation of Troy while contrasting the fullness of what Brooklyn is back in the 70s before crack and gangs came in. Plus, Lee's approach towards the kids reveal the loss innocence of the times when those kids were playing outside and having fun rather than doing something destructive. While it's not a perfect film, it's honesty and personal touch still makes it an enjoyable, heartwarming film.

Cinematographer Arthur Jafa does excellent work in capturing the beauty and atmosphere of Brooklyn with some wonderful shots conveying the look of the road in the sky. Longtime production designer Wynn Thomas and art director Chris Shriver adds to the authentic touch of Brooklyn with the look of products of what they looked like back in the 70s to the furniture in the home of the Carmichaels. Longtime costume designer Ruth E. Carter also adds to the film's authentic look with bellbottoms, shirts, and all sorts of colorful clothes people wore in the 70s. Editor Barry Alexander Brown does some wonderful cuts to convey the structure and feel of the film without being too slow or too fast despite the episodic nature of the film. Sound designer Skip Leivsay also adds a nice touch to the atmosphere to reveal the sense of joy and nostalgia of Brooklyn in the 70s. Longtime composer Terence Blanchard brings a wonderful, dramatic jazz and orchestral score to present the drama and joy of the film. The film's soundtrack is wonderfully amazing with great cuts from Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, and many more.

The film's wonderfully diverse cast includes several memorable small performances and appearances from Bokeem Woodbine, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Joie Lee, Norman Matlock, Patriece Nelson, Manny Perez, Jose Zuniga, and Isaiah Washington. Cameos from RuPaul as a woman dancing in a shop with the store owner while Spike Lee and N. Jeremi Duru are hilarious as two, glue-sniffers trying to get money from the kids. David Patrick Kelly is excellent as the irritable neighbor Tony Eyes and a small part as a man named Jim. Frances Forster is wonderful as the well-meaning Aunt Song with Southern beliefs and manner. Tse-Mach Washington is great as the youngest brother Joseph while Christopher Knowings has a great scene that involved black-eyed peas. Sharif Rashed is funny as the hungry Wendell while Carlton Williams is great as Spike's alter-ego Clinton for his love of the Knicks including a great scene that involves the conflict of what was more important than the Knicks.

Zelda Harris gives an exhilarating performance as the no-nonsense, all-attitude tomboy Troy who brings such joy and energy to her performance. Harris really shines in the film's comical and emotional moments that gives her character some wonderful development. Delroy Lindo is brilliant as the struggling yet charismatic Woody who tries to hold the family together in all of its problems as he serves as the glue of sorts despite his need for artistic recognition. Finally, there's Alfre Woodard in a knock-out performance as the no-nonsense Carolyn. Woodard brings all kinds of emotions as the stern, tough, and caring mother who tries to calm everything down and make sure all the kids behave themselves. Woodard alongside Harris, is the performance to watch who shows how a woman plays her role in a family that is dysfunctional but loving.

While Crooklyn maybe considered as a minor film from Spike Lee, his personal touch and semi-biographical take really adds a sense of nuance and care to this film. With a great cast and a story that revels in nostalgia and realism, this is really one of Lee's premier films. While it's also his most optimistic and positive, it's also a reminder of how far Lee is willing to stretch his talents with the help of his siblings. In the end, for a film that reminds everyone about family and the good times that was the 1970s, Crooklyn is the film to go see.

Spike Lee Films: (She’s Gotta Have It) - (School Daze) - Do the Right Thing - Mo' Better Blues - Jungle Fever - (Malcolm X) - (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 - Da 5 Bloods - (American Utopia)

© thevoid99 2011