A quick Oscar shout-out to Terrence Howard and the highly recommended Hustle and Flow . It's a fantastic movie that, despite the central motif of hip-hop and despite the main characters being pimps and hookers, is really about family, dreams and all the little happy and sad moments in our lives that deserve celebration. Writer-director Craig Brewer nails the atmosphere and sense of place. You can't just see that it's humid and hot as hell in Memphis, you can practically smell the sweat and feel the same oppressiveness DJay and Key and Shelby are feeling. I loved the fan in the makeshift studio, always slowly and conspicuously clicking to a halt right before they start recording their hip-hop hopes and dreams. Howard unravels every intellectual and emotional layer available and somehow makes you feel empathy for this small time pimp. You hate what he does, how he acts sometimes, but you can't help but want him to succeed.
In a funny, smart, and meaningful way, Hustle shows us that no matter who you are or what you do, you have your own story and you deserve a chance to tell it.
"Every man has the right to contribute a verse."
****
Another non-Oscar related recommendation is Lord of War , a movie that suffered from "Three Kings" syndrome and should not be missed. Just like Three Kings , Lord of War was released during the early fall nether season for movies, and just like Three Kings, it seemed like the studio had no idea how to market the movie. Is it a fun action-comedy? A somber reflection on a serious global problem? A slick cops-and-robber caper flick? It's actually all of those things so there is understandable difficulty in cutting a movie like Lord of War down to a 30 second trailer. But don't let that deter you, it's a great movie. Nic Cage is a global gun runner who struggles, and ultimately fails, to find his moral center. He also gets to be sardonic and say Nic Cage type things. Jared Leto is his younger brother and gets to play the martyr and Ethan Hawke is the cop who gets to be the voice of moral authority just like in Training Day. Along the way, we're entertained, informed, shocked and enlightened. Writer-director Andrew Niccol manages to tell a political, thought-provoking movie without ever losing the audience or dumbing anything down. Go cop that DVD.
"You know who's going to inherit the world? Arms dealers. Because everyone else is too busy killing each other. "
*****
Lastly, I finally got to see Block Party and I was not disappointed. All my favorite artists, lots of funny jokes and an uplifting message of positivity, community, action and celebration, what more could I ask? A DVD of the full concert of course. Duh.
Posted by sheelpi at March 5, 2006 12:02 AM