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am_smith
Reviews
What Goes Around... (2006)
Great flick...
Caught this film at Indie Memphis a few years ago and loved every minute of it. Being one of the only black films in the festival that year it stood out for several reasons. One reason being that it was reminiscent of Spike Lee's first classic "She's Gotta Have It". It was shot black & white and had some beautifully composed scenes. I felt some of the graininess complimented the tone of the film very well. Another reason this film stood out was the acting. This film has very naturalistic acting from the cast. Lisa Miller (Angela), Chris Brown (Marie), Patrick Henry (Talal) and Domino Maximillian (T.R.) give outstanding and very memorable performances. The overall feel of "What Goes Around..." was good. There were some things that could have been improved upon sure, but with the non-existent budget the writer-director Rod Pitts spoke about in his Q&A, I think this was a masterful piece of work and am very much looking forward to Pitts' next film.
Deal with the Devil (2000)
One Star (and I'm being generous!)
I caught this flick on some public access channel in Memphis a year or so ago. I was stunned to say the least. I never expect anything coming from public access to shine necessarily but this turd was without a doubt shameful for even public access television. Even the somewhat cute actress couldn't save it from being a downright abomination. It was shot on what appeared to be 1980's studio cameras and the sound was weird. It's like they used tin cans to mic the actors. I'm not being facetious but I would love to meet the people who made this film to see what the heck they were thinking. The only reason I'm giving this film a 1 is because a rating of 0 isn't available.
Love Goggles (1999)
Looking through Love Goggles
Love Goggles isn't your typical love story. It is about people, their perceptions of love and how those different perceptions can create chaos. It offers a very realistic window into the complexity of black relationships and it takes urban indie films in a whole new direction. It's insightful commentary on love and relationships and mistrust is a wonderful blend and is enhanced even further by great performances by a cast of newcomers. Especially look out for the beautiful Ruby Campbell. Her performance was very compelling. I predict that she is a star in the making. You heard it here first. I give Love Goggles 7 stars out of a possible 10.
Hav Plenty (1998)
love lives!
I saw Hav Plenty when it was first released back in 1997 and i still feel about it today the same as i did when i left out of the theater back in '97. I left the theater feeling uplifted about love. And not only was this a very likable little love story, but it was an incredible character study on how opposites can come to attract and how best friends may sometimes make the best lovers. The performances were flawed at times but what the film lacked in the strongest of performances it more than made up for by the overall chemistry of characters and the general likability of them as well. It's a good love story. It certainly didn't reinvent the wheel but it certainly is worth a viewing.
Dolemite (1975)
the ultimate in exploitation
Dolemite may not have been the first black exploitation flick to come along but it certainly is one of the best. It is a pivotal film in the Black Exploitation genre as where it caused a dramatic shift between the films that came before it in contrast to the films that came after it. It wasn't necessarily a poignant or moving film about black culture and it's fight to overcome issues like racism or anything as important as that, but it was the story of one bad-assed dude fighting "whitey" with his army of hot kung-fu mama's. It was a guilty pleasure, great fun and best to watch it with friends. (10 out of 10)
The Right Questions (2003)
Another Great Independent Film from Memphis
I caught this film at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and one thing has been confirmed: Memphis, TN is a hot bed for indie filmmakers. I caught another Memphis Gem, "Poor and Hungry" a few years back at the Hollywood Film Festival and like that film, this film is equally brilliant. "The Right Questions" is a bit strange in some places as the narrative seems to waver a bit but the true nature of the film is held together with powerful performances by all relatively unknown actors and a keen eye for direction by director Benjamine Smith. The relationship between the drug addicted prostitute, Jewel (Sharon Bishop) and her son Blaine (Kellan Cade) is one of the most touching relationships I've have seen in recent films and Uki (Keenon Nikita, who was also in Poor and Hungry) is just a cool MF with enough charisma to capture any audience. Several elements along with a magnificent photography job done by cinematographer Rod Pitts make this one of the most memorable digital independent film I have seen in a while.
I give this film an 8.5 out of a 10. Definitely worth a viewing!