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Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
Predictable, unrealistic, main female character counts steps, but JabbaWockeez, Moose, and Mari Koda save the film!
I love hip hop--the music, the breaking (along with other forms of dancing), and the culture, but I have yet to see a hip hop movie that I really loved. The reason why these movies always fail ("Honey," "Save the Last Dance," "You Got Served," "Step Up,") are because the movies either fail in acting skills or level of dance. I enjoyed "Step Up" solely because of Channing Tatum's excellent dance skills, but the girl in that movie looked like she was counting every single hip hop step. In "How She Move," the issue was that the music directors kept playing music during the stepping scenes and stepping is supposed to be so powerful that you just listen to the body music, also an issue in parts of "Stomp the Yard" (although I loved the latter film). I was not at all surprised when I wasn't moved by this film. The lead female character, like so many others, looked like she learned hip hop dancing yesterday right after her model shoot. I'm not saying this to be facetious, but the problem with Hollywood movies is they pick what they think people will find attractive rather than skill level. I watched Briana Evigan dance, and almost every move was followed by some video girl pose or hard concentration on her face. Miss Prissy (of "Rize") is a good example of how a female whose background is in hip hop usually looks when she dances. The grit in the female dancers is ALWAYS missing in these movies, but it's replaced by pop star poses. I hate that! If we get past her character, which could have been left out altogether and focused moreso on Chase Collins (played by Robert Hoffman), this movie might've worked. I have seen him on "Wild n' Out," and I think he has phenomenal skill. His acting skills are cool too, but I also wasn't buying Evigan's acting. The first half of the movie, especially with the 410 Crew, sounded like they were reading straight from the script. No emotion; just words. That made me think of "You Got Served" again, which had to be the worst acting I've ever seen. "Breakin' and "Breakin' 2" also had bad acting, but the dancing was so tight that I didn't even care.
This movie also had more clichés than a little bit: 1) a guy and a girl sitting in a tree kissing (Are you serious? And who climbs trees with a dress on?); 2) a guy and a girl kissing in the rain; 3) the entire crowd in the final scene going out through what looked like a storm and not one person put up an umbrella (Sistas are NOT trying to get their hair wet; ask one sista you know right now to go stand outside in the rain and see how she looks at you); 4) no reason whatsoever that Moose should've been a nerd nor was that character developed enough; 5) Andie's crew went to the club to show off their new moves but they acted like they were new to the neighborhood, which doesn't make any sense considering Andie used to be in 410 Crew and Chase frequented this area and danced in the very beginning of the movie (How do you make someone look inexperienced who has experience from years of practicing?) Pros: The el train scene at the beginning of the movie kicked this movie into high gear, and I was immediately entertained. I loved the dude (Alfred "Black" Thomas) who plays Tuck, although I wish he'd take that scowl off his face every once in awhile. I checked him out in "Stomp the Yard," but I got to really admire his dancing in this film. I always enjoy watching Channing Tatum because he dances so tight and puts a little stank in his moves, almost like he's also influenced by traditional African dancing with the popping. Robert Hoffman was ridiculous as usual, and I'd like to see a dance off between him and Channing. I wish Mari Koda played the female lead because she killed her role in this movie. It's about time that movies started incorporating the Asian influence in hip hop; I know Japanese people who live and breathe it harder than the average person in the club. Everything about her dancing was polished. However, the person who really caught my attention was Moose (Adam G. Sevani). That cat was SICK! If I saw him walking down the street, I wouldn't peg him as a hip hop head, but everything about his moves told me he's been dancing for a long time, and if he hasn't, he sure fooled me. To put it plain, there were a couple of girls that I took notice of, but overall, the guys outshined them in this movie. And I was so amped to see the JabbaWockeez. They are one of the best crews I've ever seen in my entire life.
Would I want to see this movie again? No. Will I buy it? Nope, renting it was fine. But I still have faith that someday there will be a hip hop movie that I can go "That's it! That has all of the elements--great acting, excellent dancing, and an unpredictable plot." At least I hope so because this movie plot was about as recycled as the blue bag program.
How She Move (2007)
Stepping Is Music, So Why the Music?
Beforehand Notification: I'm sure someone is going to accuse me of playing the race card here, but when I saw the preview for this movie, I was thinking "Finally!" I have yet to see one movie about popular African-influenced dance (be it popular hip hop moves, breaking, or stepping) where the main character was a Black woman. I've seen an excessive amount of movies where a non-Black woman who knew nothing about hip hop comes fresh to the hood and does a mediocre job of it (Breakin, Breakin 2, Save the Last Dance, Step Up), but the Black women in the film are almost nonexistent. That always bothered me considering so much of hip hop, African-influenced dance, and breaking was with Blacks and Latinos in massive amounts in these particular sets and it wasn't always men who performed it, so I felt this movie has been a long time coming. However, the race does not make the film, so I also wanted it to carry a believable plot; the dancing be entertaining; and interesting to watch.
Pros: I really enjoyed this film bringing Jamaican culture. I can't recall ever seeing a popular, mainstream film where all the main characters were Jamaican; had believable accents; and weren't stereotypical with the beanies. The steppers, family, friends, and even the "thugs" were all really intelligent, realistic people who were trying to love, live, and survive in the neighborhood they lived in by doing something positive. Even when the audience was made aware that the main character's sister chose an alternate lifestyle, it still didn't make the plot stereotypical. I was satisfied with the way it was portrayed. I LOVED the stepping; the romantic flirty relationship going on between two steppers; the trials that the main character's parents were going through; and how she dealt with coming back to her old neighborhood and dealing with Crabs in a Barrel. I respected that she was so intelligent and active at the same time, and so many other sistas in the film were handling themselves in the step world. They were all just as excellent as the fellas. I don't see that in too many movies nowadays, at least not those that would be considered Black films.
Cons: I'm not quite sure why the directors or whoever put the movie together did this, but I question whether they've been to real step shows. Whenever the steppers got ready to perform, some hip hop song would play in place of the steppers' hand/feet beats. At a real step show, there is zero need for music, other than to maybe entertain the crowds in between groups. And then when hip hop songs were played, sometimes the beat to the song was off to the beat of the steppers' hands and feet. It was awkward. I was more impressed with the stepping in this movie versus "Stomp the Yard" (another great stepping movie) because the women got to represent as fierce as the guys (in "Stomp the Yard," Meagan Good got all of a few seconds of some prissy twirl and hair flip and the (Deltas?) let out a chant and a few steps and were cut immediately). Even when there were very small scenes, the ladies tore it up, especially in the auto shop, and it was without all that music to drown out their physical music. I know soundtracks have to be sold, but the movie folks could've played the music in other parts of the film.
I'm not a Keyshia Cole fan, so every time I saw her, all I kept thinking was "Is it written in the script for her to constantly put her hand on her hip when she talks?" She looked uncomfortable on screen to me. I thought they should've used a host like Free or Rocsi instead. Deray Davis was funny as usual though. Also, I groaned when I found out that the movie was supposed to be in the ghetto, like stepping couldn't possibly happen anywhere else. Hollywood, as usual. However, only a couple of people were portrayed as excessively ignorant due to their neighborhood and losers, which mainstream movies tend to do.
I would've given this movie five stars, but the music playing killed it for me. I definitely plan to buy it when it comes out and hopefully the bonus scenes will include the actual step shows without all the songs.
This Christmas (2007)
Good Times and Bad Times
Cons: I despised the movie "Waiting to Exhale" because I think women who destroy a man's property because she's mad that he's cheating on her is not only corny, but it's childish. There was an SUV scene in this movie that was beyond stupid to me, and I turned up my lip in disgust. Then there was another scene that annoyed me about a domestic dispute, but I heard women cheering during that part. For the life of me, I do not understand why ladies think it's funny for a man to be physically abused under ANY circumstances, but if a man does it, then it's wrong. That scene almost made me walk out of the theater because it's so hypocritical.
There were some plot scenes that were a little overused, such as the mother's name, the mother cooking big meals, the couple going through marital issues, and the one son being chased by bookies. After awhile, I started thinking the plot to this movie was a blend of several other movies I've seen. However, it's not like these plots are not common within African American households, so I shrugged and kept watching.
Pros: Chris Brown. Flat out, he made this movie interesting for me. Whereas Columbus Short was the highlight of "Stomp the Yard" and Chris Brown fell to the sidelines, Chris Brown really showed out tremendously within this movie. I liked him as a singer before, but I LOVE him as a singer now. He did a couple of songs within this film, and I've never heard his pipes be so on point. I was impressed and grinned big during every one of his scenes. He's such a great artist no matter what he does: acting, dancing, singing, comedy (he isn't a comedian, but he's hilarious). Other than Chris Brown, there were some stellar actors in this movie like Idris Elba (even with his rough hairstyle); Delroy Lindo (who gets more handsome and charismatic in every single movie I see him in and always an excellent actor); Laz Alonso (who played a jerk to a tea--great job!); Regina King (love her acting generally but did NOT care for her character in this movie at all); Sharon Leal (who I'm seeing more and more--she's such a pretty woman and does a great acting job as well); Keith Robinson (the pantry scene was cute); Lauren London (pretty woman and improving in every single movie she's in, although I think my favorite will always be "ATL"); Loretta Devine (who played a great mother, but I liked her spin with having a man and her own mind; her back story with her ex was a refreshing switch from the usual widow story); and David Banner trying out his acting chops. All of the actors were cool in this film. It was in Chicago, but it was looking awfully warm for the wintertime. I enjoyed the musical parts of the plot and all of the siblings got along. I also appreciated how they flipped the script on the white wife scene (although I won't go into that and ruin the plot).
I enjoyed the film, but those cons are what gave this movie three stars. Other than that, thumbs up.
Illegal Tender (2007)
Puerto Rico, Stand Up!
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Puerto Rico, Stand Up!, September 2, 2007
I have to give John Singleton major respect for giving Puerto Rican actors their time to shine. I was going to see this movie regardless because I think Rick Gonzalez is gorgeous. (It's a weakness, but if an attractive man plays a lead role, chances are it's going to catch my eye.) However, I read in JET magazine that the cast was many shades of Puerto Rican people, and I really respected that. African American actors get shunned plenty of times for trying to go against stereotypical roles, and Latino actors absolutely get treated the same if not worse, so for Singleton to put out a movie with a dominant PR cast was something I really respected.
Now on to the movie. Not only did I respect the cast variation, but I also liked how Singleton took this movie against the grain. Instead of having Latinos in a poverty-stricken neighborhood looking mean as hell, he went against the stereotype and made the main characters upper class in an extremely nice neighborhood. Whatever car Wilson (Gonzalez's character) was driving was FILTHY GORGEOUS! Wilson grew up with the spoiled, rich kid lifestyle thanks to his mother fleeing his parents' past. But the witness protection program is a joke, and his mother has involuntarily made herself a subtle gangster...no, a woman protecting her children who just happens to know how to shoot. When Wilson finally finds out that his rich kid life has to stop cold after a visitor arrives, all hell breaks loose, and he's on a mission to save his mother.
Pros: The dialogue, the scenery, Wilson and his mother, and the plot of the story were intriguing enough to not want the movie to end. I grinned, frowned, and laughed, and I never got bored. Sadly, Wilson's gullible character fit the description of one of those rich kids who thinks they can solve everything without having an ounce of street smarts but being book smart. I thought his reactions were accurate, from his shaking hands to his travels. The handshake between him and his little brother was entertaining though. I'd never seen Tego Calderon much besides in a couple songs, so it was interesting to see him act. He did a pretty good job too! I don't know if Wanda De Jesus (who plays Millie the mother) used to model, but she is beautiful. Striking complexion and one pretty woman. In the cab scene, I was thinking those two would be a great-looking couple although she's a bit older than him.
Cons: Wilson's girlfriend was too goofy for me. I guess he needed someone to add more depth to his role, and it made Wilson's character even more attractive, but I wanted his girlfriend to be less vulnerable. She was way too damsel in distress for my taste, and I don't think in real life the movie would have ended with the same results those two had. However, whenever I saw Rick kissing her, you could see all my teeth. Man, he's one good-looking cat.
Overall, it was a great movie, and I'd recommend it.
Daddy's Little Girls (2007)
Perry Has Yet to Fail Me
Pros: At the end of this movie, I was so salty that there wasn't more. I was entertained throughout and once again, Tyler Perry has created a masterpiece. I love the way he takes on controversial topics and creates believable tales that so many people can relate to. In this movie, we learn about a father who was imprisoned in the past and is now trying to do right for his children and himself. Of course there are obstacles, like his trifling wife who thinks money and the street life make the best men; a thug who likes to ridicule anyone who isn't on the same grind that he is; child custody; an ill mother; and an outstandingly snobbish lawyer who he has been hired to drive around to make ends meet outside of his job as a mechanic. When I saw the previews for this movie, I was thinking "Oh my gawd. Gabrielle Union is the lead in ANOTHER movie." I'd grown so tired of seeing her, but I LOVED her in this movie. To all you Union fans, now I understand why y'all love her so much. She was excellent. She brought out so many other sides of her acting that I'd never seen before (ex. vulnerability, elitism, comedy). Her comedic performance had the whole audience (it was packed in that theater) holding their sides in laughter. I never knew she could be so funny. The lead male character was so believable in his role to the point where I was wondering did he really live this life. I also love how the casting directors picked REAL people to be the extras; people you see everyday in church, walking down the street, living in the neighborhood, etc. I was also impressed with Tyra's friend, who plays the mother of Monty's children. I knew she was a good acting coach, but I didn't know she was this good of an actress! I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and look forward to many more. Perry hasn't failed me yet, and I doubt he could.
Cons: The guy who played the main thug was not very good at it. He just looked like a grown, educated man trying to look hard. I wish they would've picked someone more believable to play his part. He looked more like he should've been the lawyer who was trying to put him in jail than the actual drug dealer.
Stomp the Yard (2007)
HBCU Classic
Pros: I am crazy about college movies, television shows, books, etc. When I was going to a small, secluded college for two years, I realized quickly that that place was not for me and transferred to an HBCU to explore the culture of Greeks, learning more about African American literature and history, and getting that college experience I'd been waiting for since elementary school. I was not disappointed and I definitely was not disappointed with this movie. Greek stepping has been around for almost a century, and before that, many African tribal dances were the root of it. To the reviewers who keep comparing this movie to "You Got Served" and "Step Up," there is no comparison. Stepping has been around for almost 50 years more than hip hop and breakin, and battling is something that has been done for centuries with African tribes. Stepping was originally created from the old Wally dance where Africans would wear bells on their shoes to create music. Please do your history before you make inaccurate comparisons.
When I watch Greeks step, I can feel the energy, the urgency, the enthusiasm, and sweat of it all. The real Greeks and actors alike sucked me right into every single stepoff (ugly faces and all). On top of that, this movie brought on a new dimension by discussing how society views ex-convicts; the connection that a man can have to a younger man; chivalry; education; love; and brotherhood. There was so much of this movie that I had to beam out and recall moments I've had just like it to the point where I felt like I was there. And if that didn't do it, there was SO much eye candy (like Columbus Short, Brian White, Laz Alonso) in this movie that it was ridiculous. Chris Brown did the damn thing with his dancing, and I was not surprised. But I was very surprised to see that JET magazine was right when they printed how audience members would be impressed with Short's performance. The magazine talked about how challenging his role would be to play one of the lead characters and the best stepper, but he pulled it off quite nicely. I cracked up when he hit up all of the coasts to make fun of their dances, and that man is an excellent dancer. I have seen the movie twice so far and I plan on seeing it at least three more times before it leaves the show. I'm telling everybody I know to go see it and so far, the feedback I've heard from friends and family has been "explosive." When "A Different World" came out, that show helped to increase money for HBCUs because people really wanted to learn about that environment and have the HBCU experience. I went to see the movie with someone who I've never heard said a word about being interested in college, and she yelled at me for never inviting her up to mine. That's impressive! When a movie is so captivating that it can make people want to go to an institution to experience it too, that's when you know that the movie's mission has succeeded.
Cons: Absolutely nothing.