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Reviews
Belly (1998)
Misunderstood
First of all, everyone has to agree that this is one of the most visualy-impressive films ever. People who don't know about film like to complain about scenes being too dark (Fight club comes to mind). The lighting sets the mood. This isn't a light-hearted comedy. It's a dark film. Also, when the lights are off, it usually is dark. The film was developed in a different way, and it gives the movie a feel of its own. TO go along with the visual, the music was excellent as would be expected from Hype Williams.
Now to address some complaints.
The acting was bad. I don't think so. Everyone gave credible performances, except for maybe T-Boz in one or two scenes. DMX's performance was excellent (although I don't like him as an MC). I think the reason why people didn't think the acting was very good was: 1) you underestimate the ability of rappers to act (acting, especially today, is a skill which all comercially-succesful rappers have; besides, acting isn't that difficult) 2)the lack of closeups used in the movie. We are trained to expect closeups of people when they are talking or when they are going through some kind of important moment in their lives, and the closeup helps us get in touch with that person. Hype chose to not use very many closeups which did sacrifice some of the credibility of the actors, but at the same time, it gave the film its own unique feel.
Someone said that the villain was not present, referring to Big. Big wasn't the real villain. There is no one villain, but Big definitely isn't even in the top three. They have their own inner demons. In the original script, DMX's character performs a ceremony where he sells his soul to the devil in exchange for success, which makes the end that much more meaningful. In the beginning montage, you can see some scenes from that ceremony. They also have the government/corporations/whatever represented by the agent who hires DMX to assassinate the Reverend. But mostly, it's all about personal struggles. Improving oneself. Rejecting the easier, more attractive path because it will ultimately lead to destruction.
As for the story, I didn't find it very difficult to follow. You must be stupid. It's not a plot-driven story. It's character-driven.
To anyone who thinks that the movie does not convey a positive message, I ask you to watch the movie again. Saying that Belly advocates the gangster life is like saying that Fight club advocates fascism (which a lot of people have done). I give it a 10/10 for visuals and a 8/10 for the rest (somewhat predictible, but still believable ending) for an average of 9/10.
Wild Style (1982)
Hip-hop classic!
No true hip-hop head should go without seeing this movie. It is the first and probably the most accurate representation of the early hip-hop scene. IMDB has categorized Wild Style under the genre of documentary. Although the movie has a documentary feel with footage of hip-hop heads in action, it is not a true documentary because it contains a plot line which was scripted.
The plot revolves around the character of Raymond, who is played by the legendary graf artist Lee Quinones. We see what happens to him as his art starts to receive recognition from wealthy art connoisseurs. He has many personal struggles as he deals with this new attention. But it seems that all of his problems are resolved when he is painting a mural for a large hip hop concert and realizes that his art shouldn't always be about him.
There is plenty of footage that represents all four elements of hip hop: the MC, the DJ, the graf artist, and the B-boy. The Double Trouble scene and the basketball rapping scene were recently remade in Sprite commercials (Nas, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, etc.) to appeal to the hip hop crowd. We also see Lee Quinones in action in several scenes as well as footage of Grandmaster Flash. My personal favorite is the footage of a young Rocksteady Crew (Crazy Legs, Prince Ken Swift, Mr. Freeze, Frosty Freeze, etc. I think they're about 14-15?) performing at the concert at the end of the movie. And there are many other memorable scenes.
Although Wild Style is not a true documentary, I think it has preserved the true essence of hip hop during that time for younger people (such as myself) to experience. Truly a must see and a classic.