WEAPONS (2007)

Written & Directed By: Adam Bhala Lough Cinematography: Manuel Alberto Claro Editor: Jay Rabinowitz 

Cast: Nick Cannon, Paul Dano, Mark Webber, Riley Smith, John Campo, Regine Nahu, Brandon Mychel Smith. Arliss Howard, Aris Mendoza,  Amy Ferguson, Serena Reeder, Jade Yorker 

Weapons present a series of brutal, seemingly random youth-related killings over the course of a weekend in a typical small town in America, and tragically reveals how they are all interrelated.


The film’s structure is Tight and how it begins with a shocking and graphic scene. Then the rest of the film explores how we got to that event by following different characters’ experiences or their own points of view. Leading up to one event where it is handed off to a character who was more in the background of the last character P.O.V.

I don’t like the film but I can’t Lie. It has you as an audience member thinking about it a lot for a few days after. But I can’t say if I didn’t like it because it’s a gruesome story that I felt didn’t need to be told and had no real desire to ever see again or did one just not like the film. 

In its own way. The film tries to have a message of what is going down on the streets with teenagers at the time. it makes no real decisions. It doesn’t condemn nor does it celebrate these kid’s behavior, but tries to show it in simple terms. No gloss, no glory but it still feels wrong.

It’s like wanna-be kids but with more violence and a lot less sex. It just ends up being very disturbing.

It bothers you the way the characters really don’t care about anything or have no fear of the future. Where their actions might lead. The only time we get a glimpse is when Nick Cannon’s character has second thoughts about a decision he has been dead set to do. Then another person takes the decision out of his hands and does it for him. 

You truly feel sorry for most of the characters. Except two by the end. The kids seem so narcissistic. They are impervious to dangerous and shocking things that lie before them.

Plus the director attempts a gritty realism. Which he gets but some scenes could be easily cut down. I’m all for realism but they go on long. Where the characters do absolutely nothing and don’t add to the film overall or characters unless they are supposed to be as bored as the audience.

One question that was left with where are all the parents The whole time? That bothers you and no answers are offered.

What worked against the film was seeing established actors mixed in with the novices. You could tell the difference. It seems real but when you see nick cannon or someone else familiar. It instantly takes you out and reminds you that it’s a movie. No matter how good and believable he is, which is shocking.

This is definitely not a movie teenagers should see, but maybe parents should at least scare them To pay more attention to their kids.

So this worst-case scenario doesn’t happen to them. As this film keeps leaning towards the artistic

This film feels like it goes overboard to be shocking and provocative. It ends up coming out more exploitive. that’s educating the audience and trying to confirm the worst fears of the viewers 

GRADE: C- 

WHATEVER IT TAKES (2000)

MCDWHIT EC048

 

Directed By: David Raynr
Written By: Mark Schwahn
Cinematography: Tim Suhrstedt
Editor: Ronald Roose 

Cast: Shane West, James Franco, Marla Sokoloff, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Aaron Paul, Kip Pardue, Julia Sweeney, Colin Hanks, Richard Schiff, Vanessa Evigan, David Koechner, Nick Cannon, Christine Lakin, Manu Intiraymi, Scott Vickaryous

 

A modern-day remake of the Cyrano DeBergerac tale.

Continue reading “WHATEVER IT TAKES (2000)”

LOVE DON’T COST A THING (2003)

love-dont-cost-a-thing-movie

Directed By: Troy Byer
Written By: Troy Byer & Michael Swerdlick
Based On The Screenplay “Can’t Buy Me Love” By: Michael Swerdlick
Cinematography: Chuck Cohen
Editor: David Codron 


Cast: Nick Cannon, Christina Milian, Steve Harvey, Kal Penn, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Kenan Thompson, Al Thompson, Sam Sarpong, Nichole Robinson, Melissa Schuman, Nicole Scherzinger, Dante Basco, Mayate Garcia, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Imani Clark 


A high school loser pays a cheerleader to pose as his girlfriend so he can be considered cool

Continue reading “LOVE DON’T COST A THING (2003)”

MONSTER HOUSE (2006)

monster-house-9

 

Directed By: Gil Kenan
Written By: Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab & Paul Pettler
Story By: Dan Harmon & Rob Schrab
Cinematography: Xavier Perez Geobet
Editor: Fabienne Eawley & Adam P. Scott 


Cast: Mitchel Musso, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gylenhaal, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard, Jon Heder, Jason Lee, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, Spencer Locke, Kathleen Turner 


13-year-old DJ is observing his neighbor Nebbercracker on the other side of the street in the suburb that destroys tricycles of children that trespass his lawn. When DJ’s parents travel on the eve of Halloween and the abusive nanny Zee stays with him, he calls his clumsy best friend Chowder to play basketball. But when the ball falls in Nebbercracker’s lawn, the old man has a heart attack, and soon they find that the house is a monster. Later the boys rescue the smart Jenny from the house and the trio unsuccessfully tries to convince the babysitter, her boyfriend Bones and two police officers that the haunted house is a monster, but nobody believes them. The teenagers ask their video-game addicted acquaintance Skull how to destroy the house, and they disclose its secret on the Halloween night

Continue reading “MONSTER HOUSE (2006)”

CHI-RAQ (2015)

chiraq

Directed By: Spike Lee
Written By: Spike Lee & Kevin Wilmott
Based On The Play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes
Cinematography By: Matthew Libatique
Editor: Ryan Denmark & Hye Mee Na
Musical Score: Terence Blanchard 


Cast: Teyonah Parris, Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Nick Cannon, Angela Bassett, John Cusack, D.B. Sweeney, Jennifer Hudson, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Anthony Chisolm, Irma P. Hall, Lala Anthony, Felicia Pearson, Isiah Witlock Jr., Dave Chappelle, Roger Guenveur Smith, David Patrick Kelly , Anya Engel-Adams

After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world. This is the first original film is released by Amazon Studios.

Continue reading “CHI-RAQ (2015)”