BLACKkKLANSMAN (2018) – My rating: 9/10

BlacKkKlansman is a biographical crime film co-written and directed by Spike Lee, based on the memoir, Black Klansman (2014) by Ron Stallworth. The film is produced by Lee, Raymond Mansfield, Shaun Redick, Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, and Jordan Peele. I didn’t know quite what to expect from this movie — I went to see it without much information going in. To my surprise, based on a true story, BlacKkKlansman has turned out to be Spike Lee’s best, complete with a “scientific explanation” of white racial superiority by Dr. Kennebrew Beaureguard (Alec Baldwin), and my personal favorite.

Set in 1972 Colorado Springs, the plot follows the first African-American detective in the police department, who sets out to infiltrate and expose the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. In order to achieve this goal, Detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) will need the permission from the police department, Chief Bridges (Robert John Burke) as well as a White counter part, who turns out to be David “Flip” Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to make actual appearances to the KKK.

Ron’s first encounter was with national civil rights leader, Kwame Ture (Cory Hawkins), who has taken the name of African leaders. At the rally, Ron meets Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier), the president of the black student union at Colorado College. Now a member of the intelligence division, Ron calls the president of the Colorado Springs chapter, Walter Breachway (Ryan Eggold) pretending to be a White man.

Not to be a comedy, there were several scenes that had me laughing my head off. I found BlacKKKlansman to be an inspiration to all humans and a very well acted and well written movie.  Note:  John David Washington is the real life son of Denzel Washington.  There are a host of brilliant actors in the movie with a plot you have to see to believe.  BlacKkKlansman sends a powerful message, which couldn’t have come at a better time.  Hate is so ugly and unnecessary.  What a waste of your mind when all you do is focus on race.  I urge everyone to see this movie, which by the way, is not for kids.  See it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy every second of BlacKkKlansman. Check it Out!

[BlackKkKlansman is Oscar nominated for BEST: Picture, Supporting Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Best Film Editing]

 

KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017) – My rating: 9/10

Kong: Skull Island trailers didn’t do the film justice. I actually wasn’t that motivated about seeing the movie. I couldn’t imagine the what they could possibly throw together to make another Kong movie worth making or paying good money to see. I was surprised by the plot and the relevancy of Kong, not to mention the passion I felt. I dare say, there are some brilliant writers around who really know how to tug at ones heart, get a message to the audience all while entertaining the crap out of you.

Skull Island takes place in 1944 with two WWII fighter pilots engaged in serious combat (one American and one Japanese).  The fight was really intense and just when one of the pilots seemed like he was about to win the fight, an enormous hand raises up out of the earth, causing both soldiers to pause in shock.  Fast forward to 1973, where a former British Special Air Service Captain named James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) is being hired as a hunter-tracker by a US government agent, Bill Randa (John Goodman) to guide an expedition to map out an uncharted island known as “Skull Island”.  A Vietnam veteran helicopter squadron called The Sky Devils, led by Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), is also recruited to accompany the Skull Island crew on their expedition along with  Major Jack Chapman (Toby Kebbell) and Captain Earl Cole (Shea Whigham), who are both high ranking “right hand” members of the Sky Devils, and are responsible for escorting the entire team to Scull Island. Photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), joins the team as a photographer but is planning to expose whatever is found, believing it’s a secret military operation with dark purposes. So the team consist of a military escort, an expedition team that believes there’s something good to be found on Scull Island and a team of locals to track, record and help set up.

Skull Island proved difficult because of a storm they had to fly through to get there.  Once they arrived, to determine if the ground is hollow, Packard’s men begin dropping explosives developed by Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins), a young geologist and graduate of Yale University, recruited for the expedition by Monarch (a secret government organization) for his groundbreaking theories on seismology.  Conrad strongly objects.  The helicopters are suddenly attacked by a 100 foot-tall bipedal ape known as “Kong”, and many are destroyed. The survivors are split into two groups, their only hope for rescue is a resupply team that will meet them at the island’s northern end in three days time. In the meanwhile, Randa reveals his affiliation to the secret government organization Monarch to Packard and the expedition’s real purpose: to acquire proof of the existence of forgotten monsters, fearing that they may soon return to take back the world from humanity.

On the way they encounter a giant spider that kills one man before Packard kills it. One team learns there are local Iwi natives on the island and meets Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly), an eccentric but wise and virtuous Chicagoan lieutenant of the 45th Pursuit Squadron who spent 28 years stranded on Skull Island since World War II. He knows the creatures of the island, and is a friend of the Iwi natives.  Marlow reveals crucial information about Kong.  The teams encounter many more creatures such as a large octopus, a giant stick insect, a giant buffalo, pterosaur like creatures, Skullcrawlers and a place called the Forbidden Zone.

If you think this is another King Kong movie, you’re sadly mistaken, it’s not — the plot, the acting, the special effects, the twist and turns, the suspense, the emotions, the anger and the overall message is worth every second you spend watching this movie.  Don’t judge Kong: Scull Island by the trailer, it is truly a work of art and every reason we go to the movies!

 

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STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (2015) – My rating: 9.5/10

 

Straight Outta Compton definitely lives up to the hype.  For the first time I actually see Hip Hop in a different light, I even think I might understand it a little.  I never cared for it, sharing the opinion of many, that it’s just gangster rap with a lot of cursing, disrespect for women and Ebonics that no one could understand except the rappers.  This still might be the case with a lot of rap but there’s so much more behind the words and the beats that’s worth exploring and understanding.  Plus, one rap doesn’t fit all.  Straight Outta Compton starts out in 1986 in a ghetto called Compton, located in Los Angeles, California that is equal to the old Watts neighborhood most of us have heard of.  Crime, drugs, poverty, hopelessness, danger, murder and a bad place to be, let alone live.  To emerge from Compton alive, clean, not on death row or a junkie is a miracle in itself.  Hopelessness is a terrible thing.  Being born into it is suicidal, to say the least.  The attitude usually is “what do I have to lose?”  These young African American men are harassed and disrespected by the police as well as the rest of the world.  When rap came about, it was a way to make honest money but more importantly, it was a way to express what they felt, a way to let the world know what they go through every day.  A way to achieve fame, dignity, respect and rise up out of an impossible situation.  5 young men, Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.), Eazy-E (Jackson Mitchell), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), DJ Yella (Neil Brown, Jr.), ( and MC  Ren (Aldis Hodge)  formed a hip hop group called N.W.A. They worked hard to make great musical, hip hop tracks that would soon escalate them to stardom after hooking  up with a manager named Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) and a record producer named Bryan Turner (Tate Ellington), at Priority Records .  N.W.A. was enjoying their fame, traveling, continually on tour, partying and life was looking up but Ice Cube and the others had no contract.  Easy seemed to be the only one who was offered a contract to sign.  Ice Cube also noticed Eazy-E and Jerry Heller owned the company and was convinced he and the rest of the group was getting shafted.  After much confrontation, Ice Cube would be the first to leave and go out on his own.  Dr. Dre soon followed, leaving Eazy-E to carry his company alone with the two remaining members.  After time, Eazy-E became broke and discovered Jerry had been cheating him all along leaving him in huge debt.  As usual, I will stop here so I won’t spoil the entire movie for those of you who haven’t seen it.

Straight Outta Compton runs for 2 hours and 27 minutes and is worth every second.  The language is harsh, the nudity is explicit, the violence is graphic and the theme is very street.  The story is quite interesting and if you are unfamiliar with the history of the group N.W.A. or hip hop, you’ll certainly get much out of this movie.  These are characters we are familiar with as Ice Cube is not only a rapper, but a successful movie actor who starred in films such as Barber Shop, Friday, Boyz n the Hood, Ride Along 1 and 2 and Are We There Yet? and many more.  Dr. Dre is also well known for producing Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and 50 Cent. He also started Beats Electronics, which was bought by Apple in 2014 for $3 billion.  BTW:  Ice Cube’s real son (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.) played the role of his father and looks just like him.  As a matter of fact, the casting company did an incredible job because the main actors closely resembled the real characters they were portraying.  Straight Outta Compton is now on DVD and Blue-Rey and is more than worth seeing.  Check it out, you won’t be sorry.

[STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is nominated for Original Screenplay]