Retro Review: Hustle & Flow (2005)

Hustle & Flow

2005

Cast: Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, DJ Qualls, Ludacris, Elise Neal, Isaac Hayes 

Genre: Drama

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $23 million

Plot: With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip hop emcee

'One Of The Few Fulfilling Music-Based Movie Dramas'

A hip-hop themed rags-to-riches drama that plays out like Pretty Woman meets Cadillac Records and 8 Mile, Hustle & Flow was a deserved winner at the Sundance Film Festival & is directed by writer-director, Craig Brewer. Whilst 8 Mile walked a line between realism and being a musical artist, the film starred an established rapper in Eminem. Hustle & Flow is in the same vein as the former movie as a character redemption & underdog study - only it is harsher, grittier and rougher around the edges but with actor, Terrance Howard, who beforehand, wasn't and isn't known for playing so-called anti-heroes and truly despicable bad guys. 

& still, Hustle and Flow possessed that energy and spirit of what being a music artist is all about, in his/her attempts at making it big, whilst at the same time, depicting the harsh realities of living through the ghetto slums of the deep down dirty South. Bought by MTV films and released through Paramount, the title of the film paints a portrait of the world of hustling & surviving through the 'Hustle' part and the term, 'flow' alludes to rapping itself. 

Terrence Howard is at his sheer best, and he has never been as better as he is here with a performance that far outstrips his other roles and one that showcases his rap skills and acting talent; he inhabits this character with a swagger and a natural ability and so could easily convince as a rapper with his flows and rap delivery of his lines. A pimp by day (or be it night) in a small town in Memphis, DJay exploits women and often acts like a thug and treats them like dirt -, and yet, by nature, he is not a callous and evil person who lacks compassion and empathy. He is having a mid-life crisis; with that, in a last-ditch attempt, Djay sees music as his way out of it. With the help of a few hookers, a stripper who has a son from a previous marriage and a chance encounter with technician friend, Key & a sound mixer, DJay puts together his material and seizes the opportunity, while impressing a famous hip hop artist, Skinny Black (played by rapper Ludacris aka Chris Bridges) who has arrived in town. Both Taryn Manning and Taraji P. Henson as pregnant Shug benefit with worthwhile performances as the prostitutes in DJay's life, whereas Anthony Anderson was impressive in a much- toned down role, compared to his general comedy-based turns, but it is Howard, himself, who as the lead, runs away with the film. The performances, all-around, encompass so much depth due to the dynamically layered characters', and also it allows the audience to feel for and empathize with them & their hardships.

What makes Hustle and Flow stand out from the pack of many other music-related films is the authenticity in its portrayal of hip hop which isn't sugar-coated and Brewer's direction that whilst it is raw and has that indie-like feel, it is still entertaining & hugely compelling with a great soundtrack and a narrative in tandem with Djay's growing confidence behind the mic. It could be said that Hustle & Flow isn't really about actual music (I would digress) and more about DJ, who, at the beginning of the film, is someone you'd loathe and the story is more about him transitioning towards being a better person & to fulfil his life long dream. The hip hop rap theme which is interwoven into the subtexts of prostitution and narcotics is done in an energetic way that allows the audience to have a better understanding of and respect for and towards rap and what it embodies and what it highlights to audiences, especially those who are unfamiliar with or aren't fans of hip hop.  

A formulaic story, this one makes every attempt not to follow in the same path as so many music-based drama films as it descends towards the darker and grittier territory, but also there is a heart lying within the story and a glimpse that as much as things can get desperate and murkier, there is also light and hope, as long as s/he keeps believing in it. Through this, it prevents Hustle & Flow from being relentlessly grim and tawdry, which would have been too much to endure for many people -, & probably for me.

Final Verdict:

For music lovers, and more so hip hop and rap lovers, this film is and has to be up there as one of the best onscreen representations of the rap game and sub-culture; Hustle & Flow is massively underrated it was truly worth it for me and stands up as one of the most fulfilling, sincere and gratifying music-based features I've sat through, both fictional & non-fictional-wise. 

 

Overall:

Retro Review: Ali (2001)

Ali

2001

Cast: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Jada Pinkett-Smith

Genre: Biographical Sports Drama

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $87 million

 

Plot: A biography of sports legend, Muhammad Ali focusing on his triumphs and controversies between 1964 and 1974

 

'Boxing Biopic That Doesn't Fly Like A Butterfly, Nor Sting Like A Bee'

By all accounts, a biographical film on sports legend, Muhammad Ali, Ali chronicles the life of heavyweight boxing champion, formerly known as Cassius Clay, from his first-ever in-ring fight, subsequent doomed and short-lived relationships up to his conversion to Islam and the infamous Rumble in the Jungle' bout with George Foreman.

When Ali tanked at the box office and missed winning best actor for Ali, (Will) Smith spent the next two decades on sequels and a stream of popcorn, mainstream fodder that turned out to be duds - IRobot, Hancock, After Earth, Suicide Squad and recently, 2019's Gemini Man & Bright, as well as flirting with Scientology.

Haphazard and brazen, excluding the boxing scenes, Ali is undeservedly long-winded and bloated and but for the short spells involving his relationships with the three women he comes across, I was utterly disconnected with the story, which didn't attempt to pull me in, but rather bore me to death and omitting any insightful events and aspects of Ali's career and personal life; speaking of which, the film's telling of events is both sluggish and unengaging and lacks what the real Muhammad Ali possessed: firepower and character, -something Will Smith's portrayal cannot tap into. Smith is an entertainer, a good actor when the right movie and character role comes along; back in 2001, this was deemed by many as the breakout role of his career, as he tried as he might to cement his position as a leading Hollywood actor; fast forward 20 years on unfortunately, despite his efforts as one of the greatest boxers of all-time, Smith appears to be miscast. I wasn't watching Muhammad Ali onscreen - I was watching Will Smith impersonating Muhammad Ali and this is exemplified by his deep voice. I actually liked this Ali less, the longer the film went on. 

Michael Mann aims for style over substance, and being flashy and showy. This should have been extraordinary as a film; whilst it tries its best, instead it settles for ordinary - and ordinary doesn't cut it when it comes to Ali's legacy. The ending is plausible, but it doesn't make up for the lack of depth that it has. The performances just about save this from being what would otherwise be a poor movie. 

Whilst the extra mark I give seems generous, Ali should have amounted to something special, explosive and memorable. & unfortunately, it didn't. The script (courtesy of the writers of the remake of A Star is Born, Forrest Gump, Heat and Nixon) ought to have brought out the best out of the cast - had it been better developed.

Muhammad Ali has landed many punches towards his opponents in the ring, - yet contrary to that, this biopic, due to Michael Mann's style, & Smith's inability to convey Ali's charisma, doesn't make inroads in ways that I expected it to have; thus forth, this bog-standard drama doesn't manage to land that much-needed knockout blow.   

Gripping and provocative, it was thus certainly by any means not.    

 

 

Final Verdict: 

Ali is Oscar bait, and still it didn't and doesn't make for a great movie.  

To me, this was a disappointment.

Overall:

Movie Review: Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016)

Barbershop: The Next Cut

2016

Cast: Ice Cube, Cedric The Entertainer, Regina Hall, Anthony Anderson, Eve, J.B. Smoove, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Deon Cole, Common

Genre: Comedy 

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $55 million 

Plot: As their surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, the crew at Calvin's Barbershop come together to bring some much needed change to their neighbourhood

 

 

'Belated Sequel That Is Better Than Expected -, Yet Missing The Old Characters'

10 years have passed since the second Barbershop movie; set in the southside of Chicago and the third movie in the trilogy and fourth in the series, if you include spin-off, Beauty shop, Calvin, Eddie and the gang must save their shop from the trigger-happy gang members. Now, a father, Calvin also has a son in now 14-yr-old Jalen of whom has grown up. Barbershop: The Next Cut is directed by Malcolm D. Lee, the cousin of Spike Lee & sees Calvin's shop (once a male sanctory) merging with a ladies beauty parlour and is now co-ed; whilst it feels like a play and doesn't seem to be evolving and ambitious, it addresses black issues in a serious matter and gets the conversation started. The plot is casual and loose and a simple watch and was easy to follow. A lot of people may feel the message and the serious tone it evokes is overdone and heavy-handed, but I was okay with it.

It wasn't earth-shattering, but it never mind tried to attempt to be both humourous in the comedy aspect and insightful in addressing the topic of gun violence by speaking directly about its issues, some of which are political and social (the battle of the sexes), and compared to the previous two Barbershop movies, the subplots and the added new characters made this instalment slightly more watchable and nuanced & gave the film more room to breathe.

  

Specifically, about gun violence, there were a few subplots with Calvin's son, whom I didn't care much for. His character seemed very, well, we are supposed to feel for him, but he came across onscreen as being forgettable and someone I wasn't fully able to get behind.

And Eve, Nicki Minaj and Common's storyline, whilst the quasi-love triangle was well thought out -if a little shallow, I just didn't like how it ended. Whilst it is catered towards Black audiences, it still manages to entertain and insight through its storylines and characters, although my favourite was probably Jerrod (played by Lamorne Morris) and I did miss seeing Isacc, Ricky and Dinka. Yes, Isacc did appear in the opening scene, but it was brief and it was a shame that the writers never brought him back for this movie. Meanwhile, so-called show-stopper/headliner act, Nicki Minaj's performance has divided audiences, but I liked that she performed it the way it was and is, and honestly, there was never a moment in the film whereby I felt she overacted or her character rubbed me up the wrong way. That, and she looked great here. The rivalry between Eve's Terri (who is maturer and older, and wiser now than ever before) and Minaj's Draya, as skittish it might have been, had me glued. The other characters played by Rashad's Common, Utkarsh Ambudkar as the token South Asian character, the sarcastic Raja, Deon Cole as Dante, J.B Smoove never, well, never made a huge impression on me. In particular, with Raja, the writers could have done a lot more with that character instead of making him a throwaway type.

The overlong 2-hour runtime was also not necessary to have for a film like this.

It's interesting: I prefer the ensemble in the first two Barbershop movies, yet those films were all right at best, it just was too earnest and played things too safe and lacked that one plot to get me hooked into those films; whereas with Barbershop: The Next Cut, the casting (quality) is somewhat lacking- and yet still, this was more riveting through the gang subplot and entertaining than Barbershop 1 and 2. 

As for the beauty shop, it would have been preferable had it been Queen Latifah's beauty shop by bringing her back and its cast of characters into this movie; instead of having a new beauty shop and its set of staff.  

Final Verdict: 

I enjoyed Barbershop: The Next Cut out of the three films in the series - I just wished that Isacc, Ricky and Dinka were still in it and weren't written out in the first place, whilst getting rid of one or two of the newer characters, who never really clicked and despite being labelled as a 'comedy' I'd much file this one under the comedy-drama category.

 

Overall: