As a filmmaker I say that Amazon Studios got off to a great start by producing the latest Spike Lee joint. I think streaming films is an interesting way to get a filmmakers' off the ground. But enough on that matter, let's talk about what is really important.
Right from the beginning, Spike Lee shows how nightmarish that gang violence has gotten. Just by talking about the body count being worse than the causalities in the War on Terror is shocking. Then the scenes where John Cusack and/or Samuel L. Jackson talk about how complicit the US Government and Military is with contributing to the death toll are eye-opening and horrifying. It's just shocking how people in power, especially in the time of Trump, are just so blind to helping the Black Community.
The acting is top-knotch. I loved the young female actor who played Lyistrata. Nick Cannon, who I have heard was a last-minute replacement for Kanye West originally and who primarily does comedy and stand-up, plays his role super-serious and swaggers heavily dramatic. Samuel L. Jackson steals all his scenes as essentially the Narrator explaining the background for the story. John Cusack, despite some great scenes, is mostly underused as well as Harry Lennix's character and Wesley Snipes'. The soundtrack is great, too, and makes my head bop up and down when there are strong rap lyrics going on and the parts where there is sad music playing just hits hard.
However, I should mention that the solution proposed to the gangland violence problem in the movie universe (all women denying men pleasure in any form until there is peace) is a massive oversimplification of an incredibly complex problem. I remember this quote from a Numb3rs episode regarding gangland violence in Los Angeles, saying that 'With decades of bad urban planning, heavy racism, and economic blight, gangland violence doesn't end overnight'. Still, it's a great movie.
Black Lives Matter!
Right from the beginning, Spike Lee shows how nightmarish that gang violence has gotten. Just by talking about the body count being worse than the causalities in the War on Terror is shocking. Then the scenes where John Cusack and/or Samuel L. Jackson talk about how complicit the US Government and Military is with contributing to the death toll are eye-opening and horrifying. It's just shocking how people in power, especially in the time of Trump, are just so blind to helping the Black Community.
The acting is top-knotch. I loved the young female actor who played Lyistrata. Nick Cannon, who I have heard was a last-minute replacement for Kanye West originally and who primarily does comedy and stand-up, plays his role super-serious and swaggers heavily dramatic. Samuel L. Jackson steals all his scenes as essentially the Narrator explaining the background for the story. John Cusack, despite some great scenes, is mostly underused as well as Harry Lennix's character and Wesley Snipes'. The soundtrack is great, too, and makes my head bop up and down when there are strong rap lyrics going on and the parts where there is sad music playing just hits hard.
However, I should mention that the solution proposed to the gangland violence problem in the movie universe (all women denying men pleasure in any form until there is peace) is a massive oversimplification of an incredibly complex problem. I remember this quote from a Numb3rs episode regarding gangland violence in Los Angeles, saying that 'With decades of bad urban planning, heavy racism, and economic blight, gangland violence doesn't end overnight'. Still, it's a great movie.
Black Lives Matter!