PARK CITY, Utah -- "Black & White & Red All Over" is dark, nasty and angry all over. It's basically a statically shot diatribe of loud opinions voiced by six black friends who gather together to rant and rave about their lives and problems. Admittedly, its high-volume, in-your-face nature will attract attention, and it should muster up some following among black cineastes but is unlikely to earn any wider appeal than festival or single-site gatherings.
Shot in an awkward pattern of pans and over sloppy cinematography -- owing more, it seems, to ineptitute than any sense of cutting-edge symmetry -- the film is a jarring jangle of jive-speak. It centers in a familiar style, namely the story of six friends gabbing at the house of an aspiring art director named Kairo (Lord Harrison). That these six are a ranging cast of characters, from straight arrows to drug dealers, is what makes for the dramatic friction. Backdropping this mainline is the thematic truth -- that black-on-black violence is severely killing off the young male populace. Nobody much confronts this question until a murder springs straight up on their doorstep. Then the raving really starts, and each character in turn voices his/her opinions according to their character typing.
Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of surprise, either philosophical or personal, in the film -- more recitation than revelation. There's a triumvirate of director-writer-producers (Demane Davis, Harry McCoy, Khari Streeter) who once again prove that old truth -- too many cooks spoil the soup.
On the plus side, the performances are dynamic, especially Harrison as homey/host Kairo. Naomi Ramsey also brings some nice shades to her ad agency-working character. Overall, "Black & White & "Red" suffers from a lack of shadings, blasting into a overkill of primary colors and characterizations. High volume, short on substance.
BLACK & WHITE & RED ALL OVER
Caballeros
Producers Mark Hankey, Demane Davis,
Harry McCoy, Khari Streeter
Screenwriters-directors Demane Davis,
Harry McCoy, Khari Streeter
Director of photography Jonathan Bekemeier
Production designer Jonathon Hexner
Editor Peter Barstis
Music David Steele
Black & white/stereo
Cast:
Kairo Lord Harrison
Herb Myquan
Hope Thomas Braxton Jr.
Griz Rob Florestal
Ren Damian
Dee Naomi Ramsey
Running time -- 99 minutes...
Shot in an awkward pattern of pans and over sloppy cinematography -- owing more, it seems, to ineptitute than any sense of cutting-edge symmetry -- the film is a jarring jangle of jive-speak. It centers in a familiar style, namely the story of six friends gabbing at the house of an aspiring art director named Kairo (Lord Harrison). That these six are a ranging cast of characters, from straight arrows to drug dealers, is what makes for the dramatic friction. Backdropping this mainline is the thematic truth -- that black-on-black violence is severely killing off the young male populace. Nobody much confronts this question until a murder springs straight up on their doorstep. Then the raving really starts, and each character in turn voices his/her opinions according to their character typing.
Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of surprise, either philosophical or personal, in the film -- more recitation than revelation. There's a triumvirate of director-writer-producers (Demane Davis, Harry McCoy, Khari Streeter) who once again prove that old truth -- too many cooks spoil the soup.
On the plus side, the performances are dynamic, especially Harrison as homey/host Kairo. Naomi Ramsey also brings some nice shades to her ad agency-working character. Overall, "Black & White & "Red" suffers from a lack of shadings, blasting into a overkill of primary colors and characterizations. High volume, short on substance.
BLACK & WHITE & RED ALL OVER
Caballeros
Producers Mark Hankey, Demane Davis,
Harry McCoy, Khari Streeter
Screenwriters-directors Demane Davis,
Harry McCoy, Khari Streeter
Director of photography Jonathan Bekemeier
Production designer Jonathon Hexner
Editor Peter Barstis
Music David Steele
Black & white/stereo
Cast:
Kairo Lord Harrison
Herb Myquan
Hope Thomas Braxton Jr.
Griz Rob Florestal
Ren Damian
Dee Naomi Ramsey
Running time -- 99 minutes...
- 1/23/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.