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janetluvs2
Reviews
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006)
powerful...disturbing...moving...truth hurts
I was anticipating this documentary from the moment that I heard that Spkie Lee would do the piece. I was riveted to the television as the entire story unfolded over two nights. I had just read an article about Spike the day before I watched the movie, and it said how he does movies and documentaries differently. In his fictional pieces, he has his stamp all over it and you know it is a Spike Lee project. In his documentaries,(this is what the article said), you only get the subjects, with no Spike. I watched with that in mind and it was true. You only heard the interview from the subject's point of view. You never heard the question that he asked them. The range of people that he asked was as widespread as the area of devastation. It was apparent that he had done his homework. I can't think of a single person that he should have talked to that he didn't have on the movie.(Or if he didn't talk to them, he clearly showed their part in the tragedy,(President Bush and Secretary Rice's oblivion to the initial seriousness is a good punctuation). I am going to recommend this to everyone that I know who is black and of voting age. By the end of the 4 hours I felt like I was from New Orleans. I think this is Spike Lee's finest work to date.
Jackie's Back! (1999)
one of my all time, top 5 comedies!
Jennifer Lewis was born to play Jackie Washington! I saw this one late night on Lifetime, and I didn't know what it was because I had never heard of it...I usually don't like anything associated with Robert Townsend, but this changed my mind. He is an actor's director. This movie has a lot of my favorite actors in hilarious roles; Tim Curry, Whoopi Goldberg, Loretta Devine and especially Isabel Sanford as Jackie's play mama(something I remember from MY childhood)was a riot! The celebrities who played themselves completed the whole mock-umentary feel-Jackie Collins, Kathy Griffin, but especially Camryn Manheim, Penny Marshall and Bette Midler. The first time I watched the movie, I kept asking" Is Jackie Washington a REAL person that I just never heard of?" When I found out that she wasn't it made everything even funnier.
ATL (2006)
I loved It!
I thought the performances were very strong for a majority unknown cast. Even though T.I. is currently one of my favorite rappers, I didn't have a hard time believing him as Rashad. I forgot his other persona as soon as the 1st scene rolled. I think he will do very well in films, as well as the other performers. I thought the skating scenes were very convincing, especially after finding out that nobody knew how to skate before the shoot on the DVD extras. Even though the cast was new to Hollywood, I thought the addition of veterans like Mikelti Williams, Keith David and Lonette McKee added substance to the movie. Even Big Boi from Outcast was well played, some people had told me that his performance was not convincing, but I disagree.