Poetic Justice.

Review #2183: Poetic Justice.

Cast: 

Janet Jackson (Justice), Tupac Shakur (Lawrence "Lucky"), Regina King (Iesha), Joe Torry ("Chicago"), Tyra Ferrell (Jessie), Rose Weaver (Aunt Audrey), Khandi Alexander (Simone), John Cothran Jr. (Uncle Earl), Maya Angelou (Aunt June), and Norma Donaldson (Aunt May) Written and Directed by John Singleton (#545 - Shaft (2000), #1640 - Boyz n the Hood, #1807 - Baby Boy)

Review: 

"Why not do a movie about a young sister and how all the tribulations of the brothers affect her?”

I had been wanting to do this film for quite a while, because if there's one thing more interesting than picking a film with noted names in black cinema, it's the film that comes right after making a seminal classic. Yes, this is the film that John Singleton directed after Boyz n the Hood (1991), and it is one that Singleton wrote with Jackson in mind as the lead for her feature film debut (after appearing on television as a child and, well, being a noted singer). Incidentally, this is the second starring role for Shakur and the only romantic drama he appeared in as an actor before his untimely death in 1996. The poetry that is depicted in the film was composed by Maya Angelou, who has one scene in the film, which really does start with a title card saying, “Once upon a time in South Central L.A….” before having a neat set of cameos in Billy Zane and Lori Petty (work with me on this). Singleton wrote the film as one to look upon the girls that were left behind in relationships ripped away from them due to gang violence, right down to the hairstyle (box braids) as discussed with Jackson, Singleton, and others. It ended up as a modest success with audiences on a budget of $14 million that has had at least one argument for being a "cult classic".

The movie may not seem as "disciplined" when it comes to comparing it with his previous film, but so what? It is a road movie that happens to try it play fast and loose in would-be romances in a place where one has to find a way back to actually caring for others again (South Central LA in this case). It is a moody film that comes and goes at 109 minutes (apparently Singleton had made a cut of two and a half hours before going with Columbia Pictures in their request to trim 45 minutes out), and perhaps it isn't surprising that one of Singleton's influences for the film was Federico Fellini. Jackson and Shakur make a quality pair in that bubbling sense of vulnerability that comes with trying to keep one's guard up again and again. Opening one's heart to possibility of others reaching out is a curious one for all around us, and Singleton wanted to make one for black women to see something in themselves that I think he succeeded with in the long run. Of course, that doesn't mean Shakur is in the background, because his presence is electric even with that guarded sensibility of care for the people really close to him (whether children or in ideas for something better than the post office). King and Torry make a volatile pair among the main four that harkens most to soap opera in the natural conclusion of certain young people that think they know who and what they are. Ferrell is also pretty engaging in the scenes spent within the salon that varies in timing and relief. The fact that it was a film that happened to be done right after a seminal classic in Boyz that dared to have its share of profanity (do you need to guess how much I don't care about profanity usage?) and ideas about men and women means that, well, sometimes even love stories need some credit. In general, Singleton has a clear interest in showing a wider range of the street experience in terms of learning to start again in the face of change and surprise around them. It meanders from time to time on the road, but as a whole, it proved a worthy curiosity when looking upon Singelton and his work as a whole in black storytelling.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Juice.

Review #1641: Juice.

Cast: 

Omar Epps (Quincy "Q" Powell), Tupac Shakur (Roland Bishop), Khalil Kain (Raheem Porter), Jermaine Hopkins (Eric "Steel" Thurman), Cindy Herron (Yolanda), Vincent Laresca (Radames), Samuel L. Jackson (Trip), George O. Gore II (Brian), Grace Garland (Q's mother), Queen Latifah (Ruffhouse MC), and Victor Campos (Quilez) Directed by Ernest Dickerson.

Review: 

"A lot of the people said that 'Juice' was another 'Boyz N the Hood,' but it wasn't. Just because you have a story dealing with young black males of the same age group doesn't mean you have the same story. The forces that are working in L.A. with the kids are different than the forces at play in Harlem with the kids."

Directors can come from anywhere, so it should not be a surprise to see a cinematographer step right into doing filmmaking on their own. Ernest B. Dickerson had an interest in movies from a young age (such as David Lean's Oliver Twist), but his first line of study was architecture at Howard University. After a row of work in photography, the New Jersey native soon shifted to film study with the Tisch School of the Arts (New York University's film program), and it was through studying with film viewings such as Passing Through that helped shape his desire to take the craft of filmmaking very seriously. One fellow student at the school that he met was Spike Lee. Dickerson would do the cinematography from Lee's student film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983). Dickerson would move on to shooting a variety of media such as music videos, television, and films (including Lee's first few films as director), but his interest in doing his own films was never away from his mind, and it eventually resulted in his first chance to make his own film, for which this served as his debut. He and Gerard Brown had wrote the script together when at film school in 1984, but it gestated for a couple of years and even went through more than one film studio (The Donners' Company wanted to lighten the tone). Inspired by works such as Claude Brown's Manchild in the Promised Land and films like White Heat (1949), he aspired to make a worthwhile noir with a group of mostly unknown leads.

It certainly fits the mold one might think of with a noir-like film involving trying to earn respect in the streets, even as a growing man. It is the story of people trapped in a situation that warps beyond their control until all that is left is a withered use of what seems like respect. It does so by moving through the routines of a group of four individuals with careful pacing that eventually makes for a powder keg of tension involving the damage caused through one decisive action that creates a web of nightmares that can't be solved by a simple phone call. In short, it makes for a pretty good film that rides the wave of moral greyness with a fair share of terror to go with a useful quartet. Among the quartet, Hopkins had the most acting experience of the group, since he started acting at the age of 13 with Lean on Me (1989), while each of the actors were making their first feature appearance. Epps is the primary key of focus, and it is easy to see why he would garner further roles in future years, because he pulls off a soothing lead performance, one with conflict and persistence that sells the moments required through collected charm - one highlight involves him forging a chance at being a DJ that mixes with the conflict of keeping alliance with his friends, where his moment of pride is followed by the looks on the faces of the quartet into what has to be done. This was the first starring role for Shakur, who proves to be just as magnetic on the other side of the coin. A student of the Baltimore School for the Arts (studying acting, poetry, and ballet), he had started in music with Digital Underground as a roadie and backup dancer and soon after made his impact known on the rap scene in 1991 with the release of his first album. This would be the first of just six films with him in a main role before his death in 1996. One can't take their eyes off him, mostly because he proves quite spontaneous in what you can and cannot see coming from him, menacing but still on one's mind with the soul of a poet in his own way. Kain and Hopkins accompany them with useful charm, never falling into the background because of their dutiful warmth. Others fill the moments in between, such as a caring Herron that pairs with Epps for two scenes, or figures in the grey area like Laresca and Jackson. At any rate, the film does well with its 95 minute run-tie in setting up a mosaic of life within Harlem without being trapped into too many clichés or absorbing itself too much.

Of course not all films can end easily. Upon doing test screenings, the studio insisted upon changing one detail about the ending - the primary moment still happens as it (namely, someone falling off a building), but the nature of the moment was changed by having it resemble an accident (with an added scream) rather than being a calculated move, much to the regret of Dickerson (imagine Paramount Pictures thinking "a measure of hope" was needed to be reflected, as if somehow noirs of the past needed to be a bit more jolly). With a budget of $5 million, the film made four times its budget back, and it is easy to see why. With a fresh cast that makes the most of their gun morality tale, Juice makes for a fine time to sit through in curiosity for what it wants to say about respect and youth that proves worthy nearly three decades later.

A side note. I do apologize for the delay these past five days. Honestly, the cold rush didn't look as bad on Friday compared to the days that would come next...particularly Sunday night, as I was hoping to avoid a power outage at all costs. My thoughts go out to folks affected by the winter storm across my state of Texas alongside all the folks affected across the nation, since no one should be dealing with a lack of power at a time like this. In any case, I am going to make sure these next few reviews are pushed out with care and hopefully without a hitch. 

Next Time - A basket case of stars that really could've inhabited two movies. In any case, it's time to swing around with Boomerang.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.