I caught Paid in Full by coincidenece flicking through the channels one night on my 15inch crt tv afew years ago and it was on the bbc late at night, and I was astonished how good it was. So I got it recently and watched twice in the past year, its just really good. Wood Harris is probably my favorite black actor and I loved him in the wire too. His face and mannerisms are just so different and real. I love the saab, the story catches me by surprise each time I watch it, the locations, mekhi and camrom are both awesome too.
I also like the whole "1980s" which actually looks more like the 1990s when I was growing up. Ive also watched a series on youtube about the real AZ, Alpo and Rich storie which is fascinating. I like the fact that AZ was a smart guy that didnt want people to die, he wanted things to run smooth so everyone could eat and when he had to he played his position the best way he could and got evidence on Alpo. Its brave to make a film about a "snitch" and him being the good guy.
So Ive watched pretty much most of the other main hood movies, Juice, Belly, Menace, Boyz in that Hood, New jersey drive, Notorious, Get rich or die tryin, fresh, blood in blood out, american me, Always outnumbered, belly, Strapped, all the fridays, Bullet, Boulevard Nights, above the rim, south central, do the right thing, clockers etc.
Anyway I love juice because it has tupac in it, and because it has a nice atmosphere (atleast in the beginning) about young kids growing up and bunking school and going to there friends house and cooking eggs and stuff. The story is kind of Shakespearean and its just a good movie all round.
Now new jack city Ive only caught the last half of on TV and to be honest its a movie that didnt impress me. It hasnt aged well and it suffers from being very unrealistic. I see it as early nineties mainstream hollywood trying to make a mainstream black gangster movie, it just doesnt look, sound or feel at all authentic and it kills it for me. Maybe I should give it another try but I will say that Menace, Fridays, Juice, Paid In Full and the surprisingly good movie "strapped" are my favourite hood movies.
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macnjnc
12 years ago
My ranking system for all the "Hood/Urban movies would be as follows
1 & 2 is a tie between Paid in Full & Juice
3.Do The Right Thing
4.Boyz in the Hood
5.New Jack City
6.Nine Mile
7.Save the Last Dance
8.New Jack City
9.Menace to Society
10.Trespass
11.New Jersey Drive
12.Bullet
13.Above the Rim
14.Roll Bounce
15.Friday
16.Notorious
17.Belly
Paid in Full is a classic urban movie. To me Camron made the movie and gives it a resounding POP. Casting was superb here...EVERYONE seemed to be casted juuuuuust right.
Juice is just a perfect musical and time placing representation of the hip hop golden years era. Tupac was simply BLAZING on screen...he JUMPED off screen. I quote "You know what...I am crazy, and you know what else?? I don't give a *beep* Omar Epps snuck up on you, greast casting job here.
Do the Right Thing represents PERFECTLY what needed to be said at the time it was made. It fit that period in black culture PERFECTLY. Black & White relations what at it's peek and America was just dying for a story to be made about it. When Radio Raheem was strangled to death I still remember vividly the rage I felt.
Boyz in the Hood. At the time there was a great sense of mystic about the ganging banging culture on the West Cost. NWA let us feel thru music. This movie made us feel it through cinema. Ice Cube was PERFECT for this movie...so was Lawrence Fishburn.
New Jack City. Nino Brown is a fictional character yet is forever linked in Urban lore. Somewhat of a unrealistic movie but the films best characteristic to me is it's depiction of what happened in urban landscapes throughout the country when the CRACK epidemic hit.It raveged black america. This movie somewhat gave a drug dealer snapshot of the era.
Nine Mile. VERY underated movie IMO. Very pure and uncut. Detroit's landscape is PERFECT in this movie. Emminem is perfectly casted and subdued and it comes off VERY authentic. Battle-rapping is almost a rite of passage in the hood....this movie gives you a snaphot of the gritty nature of that theme.
Save the Last Dance. Also very underated. To me this movie brought in the new age of the hip hop landscape. The Black & white thing had faded in tabooism and here we see how the 2 cultures can mingle and the problems that come with it. Sean Patrick Thomas & Julia Styles are perfectly casted. The thing is coming into the movie you would've thought they weren't.
Menace to Society: This movie was probably too gritty for mainstream America to handle. Tyrin Turner and Larenz Tate were PERFECTLY casted. The same for MC Eight and Clifton Powell. This movie to me depicts the mindset of the angry fed up young black male that struggles to rationalize it's future
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macnjnc
12 years ago
My ranking system for all the "Hood/Urban movies would be as follows
1 & 2 is a tie between Paid in Full & Juice
3.Do The Right Thing
4.Boyz in the Hood
5.New Jack City
6.Nine Mile
7.Save the Last Dance
8.New Jack City
9.Menace to Society
10.Trespass
11.New Jersey Drive
12.Bullet
13.Above the Rim
14.Roll Bounce
15.Friday
16.Notorious
17.Belly
Paid in Full is a classic urban movie. To me Cam'ron made the movie and gives it resounding POP overall. Casting was superb here...EVERYONE seemed to be casted juuuuuust right. The Cars, fashion, lingo & swag....everything seemed to be captured just as it should.
Juice is just a perfect musical and time placing representation of the hip hop golden years. Tupac was simply BLAZING on screen...his realism and tone simply JUMPED off the screen at you. I quote "You know what...I am crazy, and you know what else?? I don't give a *beep* Omar Epps performance also sneaks up on you, great directorial casting job was done on this film.
Do the Right Thing represents PERFECTLY what needed to be said at the time it was made. It fit that period in black culture PERFECTLY. The stress of Black & White relations were at it's peek & America was just DYING for the right story to be made about it....along comes Do the Right Thing. At the end when when Radio Raheem was strangled to death, I can still vividly recall the rage I felt..... it was a rage Black America PERFECTLY connected with.
Boyz in the Hood. At the time there was a great sense of mystique and curiousity about the gang banging culture which as taking place on the West Cost. NWA let us hear this thru music, this movie made us feel it through cinema. Ice Cube fit the bill oh so well with his charismatic performance. Although gangster, the world could see Cube was also indeed VERY human. Also brought in the "six four Chevy Impala with "switches". America was also able to see the cliche'd black football star(Morris Chesnut) with "baby mamma drama" and what those people were really like inside. Although this movie certainly does depict violence, I think it's the sorrow and compasionate heart it displays that sticks with you.
New Jack City. Nino Brown is a fictional character yet is forever linked in urban lore; I mean WHO DOESN'T know Nino Brown?? I'd say "NJC" is probably considered unrealistic but the films best characteristic to me is the gritty depiction of inner city life at the beginning of this country's fabled CRACK epidemic. The destruction crack caused simply decimated america. This urban plight is depicted...only through the eyes of the drug dealer.
Nine Mile. VERY underated movie IMO. Very pure and uncut. Detroit's brutal landscape is PERFECTLY depicted in this movie. Emminem is well casted/subdued and it comes off VERY authentic. Battle-rapping is almost a rite of passage in the hood....this movie gives a snaphot of the gritty nature of that theme.
Save the Last Dance, also very underated. To me this movie brought in the new age of the hip hop landscape. Youth coming up at this time were indeed a little different than those from the initial hip hip era, I think this film shows that. The Black & white thing had faded from tabooism and here we see how the 2 cultures can mingle and the problems that will surely arise because of it. Sean Patrick Thomas & Julia Styles are perfectly casted. The thing is coming into the movie you probavly would've thought it was NO way they could pull this film off. Give this film a chance and watch it...it's not bad at all. A bit cartoony and silly but nevertheless worthwhile IMO.
Menace to Society: This graphic movie was probably too gritty for mainstream America to handle and appreciate. Tyrin Turner and Larenz Tate were PERFECTLY casted. Upon hearing the name "O Dawg" there's not many blacks growing up in that era who won't know who you're talking about. We also get crafty unsung performances from MC Eight and Clifton Powell. This movie to me depicts the mindset of the angry/ fed up young black male that struggles to rationalize exactly where he stands in his future
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