Shaft is an action-comedy directed by Tim Story and written by Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow. Unlike its predecessor, which was distributed by Paramount Pictures, this film is produced by New Line Cinema and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the fifth film in the Shaft film series and a sequel to the 2000 film with the same title. Given the last version of Shaft, I didn’t expect too much from this version — however, it ended up being pretty decent and pretty funny.
The film starts in 1989, John Shaft II (Samuel L. Jackson), his wife Maya Babanikos (Regina Hall) and their infant son, John “JJ” Shaft Jr., survives an assassination attempt by druglord, Pierro “Gordito” Carrera (Isaach de Bankolé). Concerned Shaft’s lifestyle would expose them to even more danger, Maya thought it best to leave her husband and raise their son on her own. 25 years later, JJ (Jessie Usher) is a grown man with a degree from MIT. He has just landed a position as a cybersecurity expert with the FBI.
After JJ’s childhood friend, Karim (Avan Jogia), dies a suspicious death, JJ concludes he must have been murdered, so he travels to Harlem to investigate further. The drug dealer who runs the neighborhood and sold the heroin that allegedly killed Karim, has JJ violently ejected from his property. While recovering in the hospital, another childhood friend, who is a nurse, Sasha (Alexandra Shipp) reads Karim’s toxicology report and realizes that the amount of heroin in Karim’s system would have killed him long before he could take that much by himself, providing proof he was murdered. With no other recourse, JJ turns to his father, John Shaft II, who is a private investigator, for assistance. Shaft agrees to help after realizing that JJ’s case may lead him to Gordito, who he has been holding a vendetta against for years. The two begin investigating together, but JJ’s progressive white-collar outlook on life clashes with Shaft’s old-school street ways. After confronting Manuel Orozco (Ian Casselberry) again, Shafts investigates “Brothers Watching Brothers”, the drug rehab clinic Karim was a part of. There they learn that Karim stopped going to rehab in favor of attending services at a mosque, currently under suspicion by the FBI for terrorism.
Apparently, this version of Shaft was the better of the two versions featuring Samuel L. Jackson. Some of the jokes were really funny. The plot was somewhat predictable but made sense. The story goes into Shaft’s raunchy lifestyle of women, booze, drugs and violence. For the most part, the acting was good however, Jessie Usher could use a bit more polishing. As usual, any movie with Samuel Jackson has way too much profanity. Shaft was no exception to the amount of bad language throughout the film. Also, the use of the “N” word was excessive. I understand in that space and time, the “N” word was considered only semi quasi bad, however, I could have done without it. Shaft will probably be offensive to some and some will be okay with the verbiage. The original Shaft Sr. (Richard Roundtree) was a nice touch to end the movie, however, I would wait for the DVD or skip it altogether. Shaft received mixed reviews from critics, but positive responses from audiences and has grossed $17 million. Check It Out if you dare!
I thought Keanu was going to be one of those silly, slap stick comedies with two guys I had never heard of until recently. I’m happy to report Keanu wasn’t that bad and even had quite a few very funny moments. This comedy is about two nerdy cousins who go beyond the call of duty to recover a kitten. Keegan Michael-Key plays Clarence Goobrie, Smoke Dresden and Shark Tank while his cousin Jordan Peele plays Rell Williams, Oil Dresden, and Tectonic. Clarence is married to very sexy young lady named Hannah (Mia Long) and has a daughter. Rell, who is sort of a weed head, just broke up with his girlfriend and lost his job. Rell’s weed supplier Hulka (Will Forte) lives next door and supplies endless information throughout the movie. The plot is a little convoluted as the two men get together thinking that Clarence is going to cheer up the down and out Rell. However, before Clarence arrives at Rell’s apartment, the most adorable kitten you’ve ever laid your eyes on comes scratching at his door. When Rell opens the door and lays eyes on the kitten, he instantly cheers up, names the kitten Keanu and completely falls in love with him. When Clarence arrives, Rell is chipper and introduces Keanu to him with a full heart. So where did this adorable kitten come from in the first place? That is the opening of this movie, which will explain the names Smoke and Oil Dresden and the Kitten. As time moves on, Keanu is stolen, and Clarence and Rell have to go undercover to get him back. They end up posing as “The Allentown Boys”, who are responsible for a big drug robbery and massacre earlier in the week. Teamed up with a dangerous gang banging crew under the names Shark Tank and Tectonic, they befriend Hi-C (Tiffany Haddish), Cheddar (Method Man), Trunk (Darrell Britt-Gibson), Bud (Jason Michell) and Stitches (Jamar Malachi Neighbors) in order to convince Cheddar, who now possesses Keanu, that he should turn the kitten over to them. Apparently, everyone who comes in contact with the kitten, falls head over heels in love with it and will do anything to keep it. The movie has some very funny scenes and is so different, you won’t see what’s coming. I enjoyed it as I was pleasantly surprised. Luis Guzman played a cartel boss near the end of the movie that was really one of the biggest twist of all. There are lots and lots of crazy in Keanu! BTW: Keanu Reeves is the voice of Keanu, the kitten.
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