You're Nobody Till Somebody Kills You

Surprisingly Refreshing
This film by first-time feature director Michael A. Pinckney has notably refreshing elements and is definitely worth a watch.

The acting is good - especially the performances of the two police officers investigating the case, who become noticeably more natural with one another as they continue to pursue the killer. The chemistry in the budding romantic relationship between the younger officer and the young woman who works at a hip-hop magazine is also believable and fun to watch.

The play with racial roles is also refreshing, and helps to evade cliched stereotypes - both black and white characters can relate to hip-hop based on who they are as individual characters, rather than based on their race. It is also refreshing to see rap and rappers treated with an appreciation for all of their manifestations and effects, rather than simply being glorified or demonized. The film treats these subjects with humor and self-awareness.

I look forward to seeing...

THE RAP INDUSTRY IS MODERN SLAVERY
There is a slasher killing rappers and amazingly enough the cops are out looking for the guy. Two policemen take on the case. Good cop, Det. Johnson (James McDaniel) a black man who knows very little about rap and the white Det. Francelli ( Michael Mosley) who is curiously a walking rap encyclopedia and also plays the "bad cop."

The slashing is mostly at the beginning of the film. At this point it turns into a lengthy who-dun-it with street interviews for filler material and a Spike Lee message. The production attempts to roll but then sputters on dialouge. The film needed to properly space out the killings and a more thrilling way to connect the dots. Like so many 21st century African-American productions, this film was long on dialouge and short on action. Some acting would have helped.

Parental Guide: F-bombs, N-word, no sex, no nudity, some implied sex.

Okay.
This is an okay movie. I personally would watch it once, maybe in a few years again. Use your own judgment.

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Casa de Mi Padre

Viva Senor Ferrell!
I love telenovelas! That being said, Will Ferrell's Spanish in "My Father's House" is just bad enough that I can almost understand it, and trust me: I do NOT speak Spanish, so the captions are a treat.

This delightful spoof takes itself seriously every single second of its running time, which always adds to the fun. When the badly made fake white puma laughed sardonically, I bought every moment; and I loved the horseback riding on stuffed animals with a fan blowing their hair. Any time our three heroes are riding in the pickup, the same scene goes by the "windows" and you can practically see the wires holding up the bushes. Rough scene shifts and laughably poor continuity were fun all the way, e.g., our hero has a roll-your-own cigarette in his mouth, dribbling tobacco down his shirt front. In the next camera angle...no cigarette. Then from another view, there is that cigarette again!

We follow the estupido second son of a successful Mexican rancher. All the...

Some Laughs Provided You Get into the Right Frame of Mind
This deadpan spoof of Mexican "telenovelas" generates a fair quotient of laughs provided you tap into its goofy spirit. Will Ferrell stars in this all-Spanish language tale of a Mexican rancher who has to defend his father's land after his no-good brother (Diego Luna) shows up having owed a debt to a drug lord (Gael Garcia Bernal). Andrew Steele apparently wrote "Casa De Mi Padre" in English, but the film is a faithful Mexican soaper all the way through, and one's familiarity with the genre probably will dictate how much of the film you'll find funny. Though I'm certainly not a constant viewer of Univision, there are some inspired moments here along with several amusing songs penned by score composers Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau. Lionsgate's Blu-Ray of this barely-released comedy hits stores on the 17th with commentary with Ferrell, Steele and director Matt Piedmont on-hand; deleted scenes; commercials; a featurette; music video; and interview with the late Pedro Armendariz, Jr.,...

Pure comedy gold!!!!!
Nice parody of Westerns and Spanish telenovelas. Of course seeing a "gringo" play the lead in this comedy role with a largely Mexican cast was going to be fun, but Ferrell was absolutely perfect and the only guy that could have pulled it off very well.

It's true Will's career has been up and down with hits and misses, but he made a homerun here. I really enjoyed the movie.

With his poor broken Spanish and intentional bad acting guaranteed a laugh a minute. Just looking as his black perm and acting Mexican pretty much sold the movie. However, the barrage of over the top and bizarre sequences pretty much elevated the movie even more (and there are too many too list).

Probably my favorite involved the ones involving the "White cat" (pure gold).

The supporting cast is made of acclaimed Mexicans actors like Diego Luna, and the late Pedro Armendáriz Jr., and young up and coming actress Genesis Rodriguez who all gave great comedic...

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Changing the Game

An AMAZING FILM!
Excellent - MUST SEE FILM! Changing The Game is hands down one of my favorite independent films of all time. It is an intelligent, moving, timely, brilliantly told story filled with depth of emotion, strong characters and dialogue, classic literary references, superb acting by a diverse and well chosen cast, with a surprise ending Hitchcock himself would applaud. While the film takes place in an Urban setting, this is NOT your typical "Urban Drama". It has heart, honesty and shows that Black Men in the inner city can be victors in any circumstance as opposed to victims of their circumstances. The characters are so well scripted and acted, as a viewer, you are engaged and involved in each of their story lines. They make you laugh, cry, cheer and they make you care about their fate or outcome. The production, props, set design, wardrobe and special effects make you forget this is a small budget film shot in Philadelphia in just 21 days. This film by Director and Writer Rel Dowdell,...

Held me captive
I tried to give this 5 stars but Amazon wont let me...
Rel Dowdell did an amazing job showing the harsh reality of the streets and its similarities to the harsh reality of corporate America. Lies, deceit, lust, backstabbing and murder are not only found in the streets - its found in corporate boardrooms all over the world. Irma P. Hall's character moved me! I believe that when you give your children the right foundation, they will stay on the right path. Even if they go off path for a moment, they will find their way back.

Finally a film with a substance and diversity!
This film should be seen by all those looking for a creatively written and well developed plot. This film has a few surprises in store for the viewers. Many times I predicted one course of action and the film went in another direction. BRAVO. Finally, an unpredictable plot. Sean Riggs provides a convincing performance of the main character from the teen through adult years. Irma P. Hall performs a hospital scene that will blow your mind! This is not your typical independent film. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I have ordered copies for my nephews and cousins.

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