TV Watchin’: Lift

I had been looking for this film for a minute since reading about it a couple years back –it was actually at a film festival I attended years ago, but it managed to bypass me. “Lift”  is a 2001 film starring Kerry Washington as an upscale booster, if there is such a thing. In her fierce designer clothing she generally uses stolen credit cards to purchase high end items, i.e. Versace, but occasionally lifts items directly, such as cashmere sweaters from expensive boutiques.

She does very well, and also works in a department store where her creativity is beginning to be noticed by the higher-ups. She comes to a crossroads, finding herself pregnant, with different priorities looming. She figures the only way out is one last big score–a risky endeavor at a fine jewelry store that requires her to work with others, something she’s been solidly against. Of course, usually when you go against your better instincts, there are consequences, and 99% of the time they are not what you would call good.

Bootleg City: Frankenhood

Still grillin’…I am making a grilled pizza today–wish me luck. Have been watching a few films…I must say that Issa Rae is a much bigger woman than moi, cause I couldn’t get past 20 minutes of the wretched “Dance Flick”. Everything in that film was more than played out ten years ago, and with good reason. I’m really becoming afraid that Essence Atkins, whom I adore and who was in “Dance Flick” (also “Love For Sale”), is slowly and unfortunately becoming the female Clifton Powell of low brow and straight to DVD movies.

Also saw  ”Drag Me To Hell” the other day, against my better judgement, cause many critics and blogs said it was great. It was aaaiiiggghht, but drooling, vomiting, and disgusting slime every few minutes does not equate horror to me, just nasty grossness that I can do without. But of course, if Sam Raimi, the director of “DMTH” is at the top of the comedy/horror genre, “Frankenhood“, the film this post is dedicated to, is below the absolute bottom. It is around the corner, 10 miles down, and buried beneath a septic tank.

DVD Review: Traitor

What scene is this? I've been doing this same pose for the whole movie...

I haven’t been watching as many movies as I usually do, as I have taken up with a new hobby: grilling. I am fairly obsessed with it right now, and can see why men spend entire summers around the grill. I am buying all the tools, and am grilling practically anything that isn’t liquid, haha.

Anyway, I did take time out to watch the film “Traitor“. I don’t know if reviewing this is toeing the line on Black Cinema, but the film was widely reported on in the Black Cinema Blogs, and The Cheadle is the lead.

Let me begin by saying that thrillers are my very favorite genre, and of the genre, political thrillers are my least favorite, unless they are from the 70’s. They are often confusing, chaotic, hard to follow, with red herrings and subplots all over the place. “Traitor”  has the worst all of those aspects. While perusing MRQE.com, the end-all of film roundups, I saw that this film had a pretty good rating. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why, in the same way I couldn’t understand the praise for “Syriana”, which this flick reminded me of. 

Bootleg City: Love For Sale

Have you ever had a major crush on a movie or TV actor, and they made a career move that was so repulsive that it smashed all of your fantasies/hopes/dreams into a million little pieces? Well thanks, “Love For Sale” for demolishing my Jackie Long crush, never to be revived again.

I don’t even know where to begin with this one, it would take an hour, at least. To put it in a nutshell, it is the story of a rib joint delivery dude (Jackie), who seems very happy with his station in life for whatever reason. He is in love with Mya (the singer), who has a jealous and muscle-bound boyfriend…really more obsessed than jealous. That is the storyline—with a ridiculous subplot about Jackie’s uncle (the dude that played Blacula’s sidekick) saving his ancient recording studio with the most untalented rap group this side of Vanilla Ice, but thanks to the miracle of Hollywood Bootleg, in this movie they become “what’s hot in the streets”.

Movies Revisited….Menace II Society

Hey guys…welcome to the new site; it’s Rocky Horror aka Invisible Woman. Issa and I felt like there needed to be a unique Black Cinema Review blog that covered only Black Cinema….at least what Black Cinema is to us without getting into a long academic discussion about it….with the inclusion of the new, classic, and not so classic.

Saw “Star Trek” (fantastic), but that would be veering off…the presence of Zoe Saldana nonwithstanding.  I haven’t seen much this week, as I’ve been deeply buried in an “Entourage” marathon. I know, I’m late as hell. Just like all the HBO series, I am not impressed at first, then end up loving it and going on some week long marathon 2 or 3 years later to catch up–missing sleep and everything.

Anyway, one Black Cinema flick I did catch was “Menace II Society”. Mind you, I haven’t seen this film since the 90’s, tho it is community favorite. I like re-seeing films much later, as the people that you didn’t pay attention to before you can now say “I didn’t know so and so was in this!” For me, I did not  remember Charles Dutton, Sam Jackson, Khandi Alexander, Bill Duke, and man of a billion movies, Clifton Powell, who was at least 10 years too old for his part.

COMEDY: “Dance Flick” starring the Wayans Clan

*Sigh*

Clearly I’m a glutton for punishment. I don’t know why I doubted my gut instincts about this film, as the Wayans Brothers have not come with anything fresh for a long time. Watching this film has OFFICIALLY confirmed to me that the spoof genre is absolutely PLAYED OUT. How many gay jokes, fart gags and fat people pokes can you put in one movie? … Or SEVERAL movies when it comes to the case of the Wayans Brothers.

Sure, the film has its moments — you can find them in the trailer — and Damien Wayans, Jr. is pretty much the exact comedy replica of his father and uncles, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. It means he doesn’t offer anything new or fresh to the genre.

Dance Flick just felt like one big inside joke for the Wayans Clan. I have a feeling that they found this WAYYYY funnier than its intended audience did …