Street Kings DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams



Headline: High-Impact Splatter Flick Arrives on DVD



It’s never a good sign when a movie makes you laugh out loud at dialogue intended to be taken seriously. But this is exactly the reaction elicited by this unintentionally funny, shoot ‘em up loosely based on a crime yarn by James Ellroy.

The story is set in Los Angeles, and revolves around the goings-on inside a trigger-happy police department so crooked that cops don’t think twice before shooting a perp or even a fellow officer about to break the blue wall of silence. For, they can always count on the head of Internal Affairs (Hugh Laurie) to look the other way.

Such is the case with Detective Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves), an alcoholic widower on the vice squad who considers himself above the law. Drinking heavily since his wife’s murder, he has no qualms about unleashing a torrent of racial epithets in the direction of suspects before blowing them away before planting weapons on their bodies with the help of his boss (Forest Whitaker).

Everything comes to a head the day that Ludlow bumps into his estranged former partner (Terry Crews), at a convenience store just as a couple of machine gun-toting thugs (Common and Cle Shaheed Sloan) are about to rob the place. When the smoke clears, the gangstas have escaped and Washington and the cashier lay dead.

Ludlow’s subsequent quest for the truth uncovers a pattern of corruption all the way to the top of the department. Unfortunately, Street Kings is a disaster for several simple reasons: a preposterous premise, less credible plot twists, too much gratuitous violence, too many ethnic slurs, an absence of likable characters plus another wooden performance from Keanu Reeves.

When you have trouble reading a hero’s motivations at every turn, the result is a comical headscratcher like this unmitigated mess.



Fair (1 stars)

Rated R for graphic violence, ethnic slurs and pervasive profanity.

Running time: 109 minutes

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

DVD Extras: Commentary by director David Ayer.


To see a trailer for Street Kings, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWtaMmDYUkA

Quid Pro Quo DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Psychological Thriller Coming to DVD Explores a Bizarre Erotic Compulsion

On April 5, 1989, Isaac Knott (Nick Stahl) survived a horrible automobile accident in which both of his parents (Michal Sinnott and Joshua Leonard) perished. Not only did the grieving eight year-old have to handle the emotional burden of suddenly being orphaned, but he also had to adjust to being a paraplegic, and the frustration caused by the overwhelming urge to stand up and walk again.
Fortunately, Isaac never let the infirmity hold him back, and he went on to become a successful radio reporter in New York City. In this capacity, he receives an anonymous tip about a man who has asked a doctor to amputate one of his perfectly good legs. Curious about why anyone would want to be a cripple, the intrepid journalist decides to determine whether there’s any truth to the bizarre rumor.
His ensuing investigation leads to Fiona (Vera Farmiga), a curator of Chinese artifacts who confesses to having her own erotic compulsion to become physically handicapped. As she explains it, she thinks of herself as a paralyzed person in a healthy body. What’s more, she offers to introduce Isaac to other weirdoes who share her mental disorder. Soon, he finds himself immersed in a kinky subculture he had no idea existed.
This is the deceptive premise of Quid Pro Quo, a twisted psychological thriller marking the brilliant, if decidedly macabre, directorial debut of Carlos Brooks. However, the film is far more than a well-crafted conundrum exploring the motivations of confused wannabe cripples. For, en route to uncovering the answers, sexual tension and other surprises arise between the protagonists, and the two take out time to pursue both passion and the past.
An outsider adventure strictly for the very open-minded, presenting the numbness of paralysis, ironically, as a potential source of paroxysms of pleasure.

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for sexuality and profanity.
Running time: 82 minutes
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
DVD Extras: Commentary and deleted scenes.

To see a trailer of Quid Pro Quo, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EHeQm5oYkw

Tropic Thunder

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Controversial Action Comedy Is Ben Stiller’s Brainchild

You know you’re asking for trouble when you make a movie with a white actor in blackface wearing a lower lip extension who’s always talking jive jibberish, and with a mentally-challenged character who’s repeatedly teased about his disability. After all, in these more-enlightened times, it’s not exactly politically-correct to refer to a dimwitted boy as “the dumbest [expletive] that ever lived” or to have a modern-day minstrel mimicking African-American street vernacular.
Consequently, it’s no surprise that all the advance buzz for Tropic Thunder, written and directed by Ben Stiller, has focused on picket lines and boycotts, instead of on the basic question of whether or not the film is otherwise worthwhile. Regrettably, the teen demographic which finds such crass fare so irresistible probably could care less about the picture’s mean-spiritedness provided it keeps them in stitches. Therefore, at the end of the weekend, Tropic Thunder’s take at the box-office is likely to depend more on the degree to which kids enjoy its irreverent brand of humor than on if its redeeming qualities outweigh any insensitivity in its depiction of minorities.
Superficially, the storyline sounds innocuous enough. It revolves around a Vietnam War buddy flick being shot on location. Early on, we learn that each of the film’s five co-stars has his own selfish reason for participating in the project. Tugg Speedman (Stiller) is trying to rebound from a poorly-received outing as the intellectually-stunted Simple Jack. Heroin-addicted Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) wants to overhaul his image after a kiddie hit filled with fat and fart jokes.
Australian Oscar-winner Kirk (Robert Downey, Jr.) likes the challenge of playing an African-American, while Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) is a hot hip-hop artist out to parlay his musical success into a screen career. Finally, there’s Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), a virtual unknown who’s just happy to get his big break in a summer blockbuster.
However, disaster strikes soon after their arrival in Southeast Asia, when the director (Steve Coogan) is blown to bits by a land mine. It turns out that they’ve been mistaken as enemy invaders by bloodthirsty guerillas running a drug-smuggling operation. So suddenly, these clueless, pampered Hollywood actors suddenly have to fend for themselves in the jungle.
This, of course, proves to be easier said than done and, more importantly, provides plenty of fodder for a surprisingly clever satire of the war movie genre. For the aforementioned actor archetypes replace such classic army flick staples as the sage sergeant, the gung-ho grizzled veteran, the nerdy medic and the frightened raw recruit.
Yes, Tropic Thunder is an intelligent and frequently funny film with some profound points to make about the shallowness of the movie industry. Unfortunately, those relatively-subtle insights are destined to be lost on audiences too busy laughing at all the slapstick and cruel humor coming at the expense of minorities to bother appreciate any deeper message.
Next time, maybe Ben Stiller won’t feel a need to pander to the lowest common denominator by resorting to a profusion of profanity and the “R” and “N” words.

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for violence, drug use, sexual references, ethnic slurs, coarse humor and pervasive profanity.
Running time: 107 minutes
Studio: Paramount Pictures

To see a trailer of Tropic Thunder, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pxOzSpUXtg

Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening August 22, 2008


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Death Race (R for profanity and graphic violence) High-adrenaline, sci-fi thriller, set in 2020, revolving around a NASCAR champion (Jason Statham) imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit who is forced by the warden (Joan Allen) to drive a monster car equipped with machine guns and flamethrowers through a gauntlet of bloodthirsty inmates in a grisly, nationally-televised game of kill or be killed. Cast includes Tyrese, Ian McShane and Natalie Martinez.

Hamlet 2 (R for profanity, nudity, sexual references and drug content) Over-the-top comedy, set in Tucson, about the efforts of a failed actor-turned-drama teacher (Steve Coogan) to stage a politically-incorrect sequel to Hamlet over the objection of the high school’s administration. Cast includes Catherine Keener, Melonie Diaz, Elisabeth Shue, David Arquette and SNL’s Amy Poehler.

The House Bunny (PG-13 for profanity, partial nudity and sex-related humor) titillating teensploitation flick about a Playboy bunny (Anna Faris) kicked out of the mansion by Hef on her 27th birthday for being too old who takes a job as a sorority housemother before proceeding to makeover some of the homeliest coeds on campus.

The Longshots (Unrated) Overcoming-the-odds sports saga chronicles the real-life tale of a pigtailed, 11 year-old tomboy (Keke Palmer) who, with the help of her uncle (Ice Cube), became the first girl in league history to play Pop Warner football. Cast includes Tasha Smith, David Banner and Earthquake.

The Rocker (PG-13for nudity, profanity, drug use and sexual references) Rainn Wilson stars in this musical comedy about a drummer booted out of a big-hair band back in the Eighties who makes the most of a second chance to indulge his rock & roll fantasies 20 years later when he joins his nephew’s (Josh Gad) group to play at a high school prom. Ensemble cast includes Christina Applegate, Jeff Garlin, Jane Krakowski, Howard Hesseman, Will Arnett, Fred Armisen and fifth Beatle Pete Best.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Dare Not Walk Alone (Unrated) Desegregation documentary revisits St. Augustine, Florida in 1964 during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, a time when the city was forced to face the dehumanizing effects of racial discrimination.

I.O.U.S.A. (PG for mature themes) Devalued-dollar documentary explores America’s burgeoning financial crisis and how its ever-escalating national debt is threatening to bankrupt the country.

Momma’s Man (Unrated) Dysfunctional family drama about a jaded, thirty-something businessman (Matt Boren) who abandons his wife (Dana Varon) and newborn in L.A. to move back in with his parents (Ken and Flo Jacobs) in NYC where he nostalgically attempts to recreate the magic of his childhood.

Richard Serra: Thinking on Your Feet (Unrated) Art for art’s sake documentary chronicles sculptor Richard Serra’s creation of “The Matter of Time,” a mammoth steel piece commissioned by the Guggenheim for $20 million. Includes interviews with composer Philip Glass and other colleagues.

The Sensation of Sight (R for profanity) David Strathairn stars in this mid-life crisis drama about an English teacher who tries another line of work as an encyclopedia door-to-door salesman in the wake of a personal tragedy that’s left him plunged in the depths of despair. With Ann Cusack, Scott Wilson and Jane Adams.

Trouble the Water (Unrated) Hurricane Katrina documentary retraces the efforts of a young couple, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, to survive on their own in New Orleans during the absence of any relief effort in the wake of the disaster.

A Girl Cut in Two (FRENCH)

(La Fillee Coupee en Deux)
Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Weathergirl Forecasts Stormy Love Triangle in Romance Drama from Claude Chabrol

Gabrielle (Ludivine Sagnier) is a television weathergirl in France whose star is rapidly rising. Afterall, the popular blonde-of-the-moment has just landed a plum position as host of her own talk show called “Icing on the Cake.”
Unfortunately, her career takes a backseat to her love life soon after she crosses paths with the dashing Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berleand), a famous novelist she meets when he comes to the station as a guest to plug his latest best seller. What she doesn’t know is that although he’s been married for over 25 years, his long-suffering wife (Valeria Cavalli) has learned to put up with her philandering husband’s flagrant womanizing.
Consequently, Gabrielle allows herself to fall under the aging playboy’s spell, unaware that she means no more to him than another notch on his belt. And after a whirlwind romance during which she’s wined and dined, the naïve newscaster is ill-prepared to be seduced and abandoned. So, she’s shocked to find herself soon dumped summarily by the cruel player, who is heartless enough to change the locks on the pied-a-terre to which he’d given her a key.
Fortunately, Gabrielle has an ardent admirer (Benoit Magimel) waiting in the wings in Paul Gaudens, and he just happens to be not only much younger than Charles but also the filthy rich heir to an industrial fortune. Strategizing, the jilted jet-setter starts entertaining the advances of Mr. Moneybags just to make her ex jealous, and when that doesn’t work she escalates matters by accepting his marriage proposal.
The way Gabrielle figures it, she’ll still be able to sleep with her true love, Charles, and now they will both be cheating. What she forgot to factor in was the possibility that Paul’s finding out might lead to a crime of passion.
So, unfolds A Girl Cut in Two, the latest offering from the legendary
Claude Chabrol, a master talespinner who hasn’t lost anything off his fastball at the age of 78. This intriguing character study relies on the trademarks of the French romance genre, namely, dialogue, coupling, smoking, uncoupling followed by more of the same.
An ill-fated love triangle with an alarming twist leading to a sobering message for shameless gold-diggers and suave Casanovas alike.


Excellent (3.5 stars)
Unrated
In French with subtitles.
Running time: 115 minutes
Studio: IFC Films

To see a trailer of A Girl Cut in Two, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj5PaLxpwgA

Be a Father to Your Child: Real Talk from Black Men on Family, Love and Fatherhood

by April R. Silver
Soft Skull Press
Paperback, $17.95
218 pages, Illustrated
ISBN: 978-1-59376-192-9



Book Review by Kam Williams

“I will be completely candid here and say that I have carried around a great deal of resentment toward older Black men since my father disowned me when I was eight years-old. Indeed, I have had little tolerance, little respect, and very little interest in what most of them have to say for themselves.
It is the worst form of cowardice to bring a child into the world and then abandon that child either because you cannot cope or because you and the child’s mother are not able to get along. How many Black boys and Black girls have had their emotional beings decimated by that father void?
How does one break the vicious cycle, begun on the plantations, of Black man as stud? [And] what of slavery… which lingers still in the collective bosom of Black men in America? So how could I really be mad at my father… that no-good do-for-nothing, as my mother often referred to him?
I may never see the man again in my lifetime, don’t care to, really, but I know… he is wounded… like older Black men and like a lot of younger Black men in a state of arrested development.”
Excerpted from “What Is a Man?” by Kevin Powell (pages 34-35)

How does the Hip-Hop Generation view fatherhood? Depending on whose statistics you believe, anywhere from 70 to 85% of black kids are now being raised by single-moms. This suggests that African-American males raised during the heyday of misogynistic gangsta rap might be unwilling to shoulder their fair share of the burden when it comes to parenting.
But before you jump to conclusions, you might want to read Be a Father to Your Child: Real Talk from Black Men on Family, Love and Fatherhood. Edited by April Silver, the book is a collection of empowering essays by black men born between 1965 and 1989 who have not abandoned their children.
Each contributor shares his unique perspective, some of which you are bound to find a little surprising. For instance, Bakari Kitwana, author of such seminal cultural touchstones as The Hip-Hop Generation and Why White Kids Like Hip-Hop, readily admits to being “old-fashioned” and that the bulk of the music he writes about is off-limits for his own eight year-old son.
Then there’s hip-hop artist Talib Kweli, a father of two, who says, “Education is the key of a wonderful life.” He also acknowledges that rap has served as a surrogate father, filling in for absentee dads. But he warns that the music only “teaches you how to appear like a man.” Also among the two-dozen young sages weighing-in are professors William Jelani Cobb, James Peterson and Alford A. Young, Jr., filmmakers Aaron Lloyd and Byron Hunt, DJ Davey D, rapper Rhymfest and playwright Shaun Neblett.
Be a Father to Your Child amounts to a heartening mix of poetry, prose and pictures which combine to reassure skeptics about the prospects for the black family, the daily dire predictions of the mainstream media notwithstanding. For if these dedicated brothers were able to overcome the odds and avoid the self-destructive paths glorified in the materialistic, violent and misanthropic music videos on which they were weaned during their formative years, there is indeed plenty of promise for this and future generations of African-American dads.

One Bad Cat: The Reverend Albert Wagner Story

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Documentary Chronicles Born-again African-American’s Salvation via Sermonizing and Painting

Albert Wagner (1924-2006) freely acknowledges that he frittered away his first half-century on Earth chasing skirts to the point that his wanton ways left him on the brink of ruin. A slave to wine and women, he fathered 20 children between his wife and his mistresses.
He would bottom out while spending time behind bars when he was accused of sexually molesting one of his own kids. He admitted committing the act of incest, and considered himself lucky not to have received a stiff sentence of five years instead of just five days.
Blaming his profligate behavior not only on lust, but on a combination of racism and narcissism, Albert turned a new leaf after God spoke to him through a piece of wood on his 50th birthday. From that point forward, the shameless sinner reformed, dedicating his life to Jesus and seeking salvation by creating Christian-themed paintings and by preaching as an ordained minister.
Having spawned such a large extended family, Reverend Wagner discovered that he had a ready-made congregation in his own relatives. Meanwhile, he also met with success as a prolific, self-taught folk artist, first in his hometown of Cleveland, and then all across the country, as word of his colorful masterpieces started to spread.
The arc of Albert’s life from heathen to hero is chronicled by One Bad Cat, a compelling documentary narrated by stentorian-throated Delroy Lindo. The biopic was shot mostly on location at the subject’s home/studio shortly before the ailing octogenarian’s death, although director Thomas Miller also mixes in some interesting archival footage.
The charismatic Wagner proves to be as controversial a figure as you’re going to encounter onscreen, as he somehow comes off as simultaneously likable and despicable. Yes, he strikes you as sincerely Born Again, but this belated conversion came only long after his having apparently wreaked enough havoc to leave lots of females’ fragile psyches emotionally-shredded.
Yep, this was definitely one bad mother (shut your mouth!) who could have written a Bible for today’s ghetto gangstas on how to be a player.

Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 81 minutes
Studio: Tesseract Films
Distributor: IFC Center

To see a trailer of One Bad Cat, visit: http://www.onebadcat.net/Trailer.shtml