New Crime City

Starring:CÃ©cica Bernasconi, Augusto Chocano, Elvira De La Puente, Rick Dean, Denis Forest, Stacy Keach, David Killerby, Jaime Lertora, Cinthia Ocampo, Maritza Picasso, Lolita Ronalds, Sherrie Rose, Ramsay Ross, Rick Rossovich, Claudia Sacha, CÃ©sar Sotomarino, Leslie Stewart (III), Ric Stoneback, MÃ³nica SÃ¡enz
Studio: New Concorde
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Two stars at the most!
ooh, la, la, la bamba meets the 21 Jump Street episode wherein Johnny Depp in hair net and khakis says "Orale!" constantly
dvd review
Nothing Special Except the Presence of Young Stars
A Movie That Does Not Know What It Wants To Be

Havoc (Unrated Version)
Starring: Anne Hathaway , Bijou Phillips , Shiri Appleby , Michael Biehn , and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Barbara Kopple
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BBOUUE
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Amazon.com

After making her name in The Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway takes a radical detour with this edgy independent drama. As Allie, a wealthy gangsta wannabe, she makes no excuses for her delinquent behavior: "We're just teenagers and we're bored." When her Pacific Palisades posse, including pal Emily (Bully's Bijou Phillips), starts hanging out with a Latino gang (including Six Feet Under's Freddy Rodríguez), they learn what thug life is really about. Hathaway couldn't be more game: She swears, she fights--she disrobes (several times). Written and directed by Oscar winners Stephen Gaghan (Traffic) and Barbara Kopple (American Dream), Havoc plays like a B movie, in the vein of the superior crazy/beautiful, and was released straight to video. For Hathaway fans, it's a chance to see this young talent in a very different light, but for Gaghan and Kopple followers, this lurid morality tale is sure to come as a letdown. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

A group of wealthy Los Angeles teenagers try to become part of the "gangsta" lifestyle but soon run into trouble when they come face to face with a real gang of Latino drug dealers.

Customer Reviews:

Two stars at the most!.......2007-06-30

One night, rather bored and lazy, I happened across the film and decided to watch it. Later in the week, I watched it again. It wasn't because the movie was great (believe me, it wasn't), not because the acting was inspired (average at best, insipid at times), and certainly not because Anne Hathaway decided to appear topless (whopee-big-deal, another young actress willing to show her lack of common sense). No, I just couldn't figure out what I was missing that made some people rave about this movie. Guess what, I still don't get it. A previous reviewer said it was a "well-meaning movie." I guess that's true but unfortunately, it failed it whatever it was trying to mean.

The plot is curiously the opposite of Hathaway's movie The Princess Diaries (Special Edition). Here we see a rich & spoiled girl with disinterested parents trying to submerge herself into the Latino gang experience. I guess that must have been the attraction for Hathaway, making a film as far away as her squeaky-clean image as possible. Nothing wrong with that but she might have picked a movie that wouldn't have to have used her toplessness as their main marketing point. In other words, pick a movie that would be worth it.

Not that it didn't have its moments. One of the most interesting characters was the teen (sorry, can't remember his name) who was making a film about all the happenings with the "cool crowd". Some of his insights on the character of each person were actually quite good. His comment to Hathaway's character about being one of the loneliest people he knows really brought forth the whole point of the movie. But it was just too little, too late.

Overall, I would say pass on this movie. The plot is anemic, the acting not much better than a high school play, and all the stereotypes it plays off of just makes it all seem too contrived. Thumbs down and Ebert and Roper would say.

ooh, la, la, la bamba meets the 21 Jump Street episode wherein Johnny Depp in hair net and khakis says "Orale!" constantly.......2007-06-29

Ritchie Valens from the wrong side - the CHICANO side of LA meets a pretty privileged white chick and they fall madly in love and he writes a song about how precious his Lady in White is to him. The spirit of La Bamba permeates this film insofar as we are supposed to understand how Anne Hathaway genuinely "shares a moment" for her Ritchie Valens. I have no idea what the characters' names are in this movie but everyone is familiar. Laura San Giacomo is in it, Reese from Terminator is in it, boy from Third Rock From the Sun and busty loosey goosey teen is played again by no longer a teen Bijou Phillips. I thank them all for doing this public service announcement about treating thug life as a consumer product.

I feel so sorry for that young looking Hispanic actor who had to play the Ritchie Valens part in this movie complete with the big man walk. I think he even did that cigarette drag and unplug that shows you are tough. If the characters had been permitted to have a real romance, we would have been favored with close ups of tears standing in his eyes and the line in his cheek from biting down on his back teeth during moments of romantic misunderstanding. This movie also has the 40-something year old actor who played the surviving marine in Clear and Present Danger. Unfortunately, Esai Morales is too busy doing phone card commercials on Spanish television to participate in this amazing film.

Obviously, the Socs from Pacific Palisades can't take on Sabor Latino so I think a sequel/crossover is called for where the Socs bring in the Southies from Good Will Hunting.

p.s. Anne Hathaway raps or sings some gangsta moll song early in the movie. She does a lot of acting with her eyes in this movie resembling a pretty fit Liza Minnelli and is the main reason that this movie is not terrible. It's not too heavy or embarassing or violent to be "important" and therefore unwatchable. This movie is a needed postscript to Clueless and 90210 because it is effective in a way that typical rich kids are decadent and too fast for their own good movies such as Cruel Intentions can't get past nubile prettiness, expensive clothes and real estate for the audience to understand that their situation is terrible and wrong.

dvd review.......2007-05-13

I think this movie will wake up young kids and realize life is not all fun and games.

Nothing Special Except the Presence of Young Stars.......2007-04-28

Brief summery of "Havoc" would be like this. Two bored, rich, white teenagers Alliaon and Emily get attracted to the Latino gangsters in East LA. You don't have to think hard to figure out the results of their behaviors, and actually "Havoc" has little to say about anything after all. Familiar plot devices such as their rebellious high school boyfriends and a timid, quiet kid making a documentary film do not help, nor the clichéd images of the teenagers and their parents living in suburbia. Despite the good acting of Freddy Rodriguez as Hector, to whom our heroine is romantically attracted, the Latino characters are little better than stereotypes.

In fact the film could have been a great social commentary or a riveting drama with better characters (and the screenplay is written by Stephen Gaghan, "Syriana"). It is extremely difficult to show a couple of spoiled, affluent teenagers without making us feel "So why should we care?" and "Havoc" seems to need someone who can fix this problem. It may not be your cup of tea, but "Thirteen" did a better job with equally annoying, but more round characters.

What makes "Havoc" special is the presence of young stars including Anne Hathaway, Bijou Phillips, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Freddy Rodriguez. It is true that Anne Hathaway disrobes herself, but those ""topless" scenes are nothing pornographic; however, it is also true that the film could be without them from the beginning. If you want to see Anne Hathaway breaking away from her "Princess Diary" image, she would do better in "Brokeback Mountain."

A Movie That Does Not Know What It Wants To Be.......2007-03-14

I have a soft spot for films with exposed flaws. In all honesty, this film should only have two stars, but for me it is a guilty pleasure.

Daredevil & Kangeroo Jack are my two favorites.

Havoc enters onto this list because its a film whose style changes with every scene. It's the first non-documentary film from Barbara Kopple and you can tell she's itching to document and not force life to do her bidding. And this "hands off" directing leads to things like Anne Hathaway's "one take only" acting.

The way that the white kids are portrayed is comical and I believe intentionally so. I know I laughed at them in high school. They look and sound rediculous. Especially Anne Hathaway's "come hither" dance in the first party scene where she "drops the n-bomb." She's completely incapable of delivering those lines realistically. The party scenes throughout the film run parellels that are intriguing characterwise. Anne Hathaway drops her act and behaves like herself around Hector, while Bijou keeps it up and gets reprimanded.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt once again shows his chops as an acting wonderchild with a fantastically comical performance. He is definately going to be a person to watch in the next ten years.

The film is about facades and stereotypes and how people wear the masks created by others in order to feel true and real. Anne Hathaway's tri-romance between Mike Vogel, Bijou Philips and Freddy Rodriguez each satisfy and aspect of self that she is in crisis over. But none of them are fulfilling because of the walls that are set by those around them. I think it's one of the few films I've ever seen where a main character is forced to juggle three people at once.

The scene where Anne confronts Mike the night after they go downtown was well done and pretty honest. Then the "girls night" immediately following is hysterically true as well.

The documentary that Matt O'Leary's character is filming is a nice device and leads to some of the most important scenes in the film. He is the only character that is real and does not "play the game." But this may be an endorsement by Kopple that filmmakers are the only truthful people on the planet. My favorite scene is the one between Anne Hathaway and Matt O'Leary where he confronts her and starts to ask her questions she is to afraid to answer, she jumps from one facade to the next and attempts to "seduce him" but he wants her not the fake her and denies her "advances." It should be the crux of the film, but it falls flat because as an actress Anne Hathaway is incapable of playing all of those people.

But! Its intentions are noble and the parents are brilliant. It's just to bad that they didn't tone it down and play it a lot straighter. It might have been a great film. They were just to busy marketing it to teenagers and not trying (ironically enough) to make it more cinema-veritae. Hopefully Kopple's next fore into fiction will be less plagued by errors.

Average customer rating:

Set It Off
Set it Off
"Queen Latifah was awesome"
These four outrageous woman share one thing in common..... their desperation
one of the best

Set It Off
Starring: Van Baum , Vincent Baum , Thomas Jefferson Byrd , Natalie Desselle , and Dr. Dre
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6305505799
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Amazon.com

Even when it misses a dramatic opportunity in favor of generic action, Set It Off benefits from a sharp understanding of its well-drawn central characters. They're a quartet of young African American women in Los Angeles (Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise), all struggling against a system that seems designed to prevent them from realizing their dreams. The movie establishes their plight with credible attention to emotional detail, making their decision to rob banks believable enough to give the ensuing plot its inevitably tragic momentum. Cowritten by the screenwriter of What's Love Got to Do With It?, the film conveys genuine compassion for its characters, and the ensemble cast is uniformly strong--especially Queen Latifah as a brash lesbian whose fate is as certain as her forceful attitude.

Set It Off expresses a real sense that these women have been close friends for years, and that gives the film additional impact, even when their transition to crime and violence feels somewhat forced and superficial. A romantic subplot involving Pinkett and a social-climbing banker (Blair Underwood) is too contrived to be convincing, and director F. Gary Gray (Friday) tries too hard to combine hard-hitting action with social relevance (a weakness shared by Gray's following film, The Negotiator). Still, Set It Off effectively avoids passing judgment; its emotional complexity transcends simple notions of right and wrong, injecting vitality--and a kind of renegade integrity--into the traditions of a familiar plot. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Four women take the law into their own hands and try to get some pay-back by robbing the city's biggest banks in this riveting action drama starring Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise and Blair Underwood. Directed by Gary Gray.

Customer Reviews:

Set It Off.......2007-05-20

This is one of the best movies I have ever saw in my life!

Set it Off.......2007-02-25

I have never seen such powerful female characters before, each one had their own dynamic personality and tragic reason for entering a life of crime by robbing banks. It is bascially non-stop action and excitement but this film still makes room for a little romance between Pinket and Underwood.

"Queen Latifah was awesome".......2006-07-09

A very depressing movie that showed how poverty caused 4 women to live a lifestyle that was doomed from the start.

All of the actors were great but "Queen Latifah stole the show" with her portrayal of a "hard core woman" especially at the end.

This movie again, to me was very depressing because at the end I wish all of the women would have made it. Even though what they did was wrong, they paid with their lives and to me that was very sad. At least Jada Pinkett made it but even she went through alot.

These four outrageous woman share one thing in common..... their desperation.......2006-06-24

Although the film is heavily stylized in gangland culture it's still very accessible. You could put this story into any situation and it would still be believable and credible. Yet there's one thing that puts "Set It Off" into a league of it's own, and that's the four central performances.

Jada Pinkett makes a great leading lady as Stony, full of power and hope. Queen Latifah makes you fall in love with Cleo, definitely the most humorous character of the quartet but also very troubled. The scene where she tells Stony and Frankie to get out of the getaway car is heart-wrenching. Vivica .A. Fox should be a Hollywood superstar by now, her portrayal of Frankie is mesmerizing. Finally, Kimberly Elise makes a moving debut performance as Tisean, the most timid of the group, yet also the most surprising. Underrated John C. McGinty was quite effective in these supporting roles. Blair Underwood, who I like, was sort of wasted as reverse eye candy. The love story sub plot was a bit if a distraction, only in a minor way. But at the core of this film was the bond between these ladies, all driven to rob banks for various reasons.

From Frankie's troubles, to Stony's hardships, there is plenty in this movie to keep your mind in motion. If you want a change of pace "Set it Off" is great movie to see. The writers did such a good job of weaving in the background of the characters and letting the movie play out, the quality of this film is quite impressive and I'm quite sure that you will be too! One that I'll never forget.

one of the best.......2006-04-03

this is one of my all time fave films.fantastic storyline,fantastic actors,Queen Latifa is 'da bomb' !!!

Average customer rating:

Honest movie opinion
Good debut from Shakur
Juice
Arguably the rise and fall of Tupac Shakur......................
Knowledge ,Money, power, respect: NYC

Juice
Starring: Omar Epps , Tupac Shakur , Jermaine 'Huggy' Hopkins , Khalil Kain , and Cindy Herron
Director: Ernest R. Dickerson
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B0000541AK
Release Date: 2001-01-16

Amazon.com

Spike Lee's longtime cinematographer, Ernest R. Dickerson, made his directorial debut with this violent story about four Harlem teens whose lives are changed when a store robbery goes wrong. The film has been likened to an urban The Wild Bunch, but it is far too artificial for that. With Dickerson's eye, Juice understandably looks great, but at the end of the day it is only a slightly better version of the heavily clichéd crime movies that have artificially dominated perceptions of black cinema in the U.S. in the '90s. Rap fans might enjoy seeing some familiar stars on board, including Queen Latifah and Tupac Shakur. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Honest movie opinion.......2007-05-30

I choose this movie because it's a movie that I can relate too going threw my teen years in the early 90's.

Good debut from Shakur.......2007-05-17

Made in 1992, the clothes, hair and music all cry early 1990s. Ernest Dickerson's gritty street drama about four friends who grew up together in Harlem is emotional, convincing, yet not complete. Epps is great and the highlight of the film as `Q' the man in the crew which is skeptical about robbing a grocery store. Shakur gives a convincing over-the-top performance as `Bishop' the instigator and heart of the group, although Shakur has done better in films such as `Gridlock'd' and `Above the Rim'. Jermaine Hopkins and Khalil Kain were also good as the other two members of the crew. Samuel L. Jackson also gives a very cool performance as trip a local bar owner. Overall a good film, with some not so realistic plot turns, but still great message and characters.

Juice.......2007-04-24

I like this movie alot it has betrayal, friendship,and excitement its an all around great movie

Arguably the rise and fall of Tupac Shakur.............................2007-04-19

More than a few people will agree that Pac's on and off screen demeanor changed dramatically after this movie was released.

Knowledge ,Money, power, respect: NYC.......2007-04-05

Pac was way ahead of his time. Rapper, Actor,Producer!! And not like all these fac wanna act rappers wanna be. Pac was a true actor and everything he did was from the heart that is the reason why he was and still is the realest aka Makaveli Da Don R.I.p ............. Overal this is a hot movie based on a group of friends from N.Y.C and what happends when a robbery goes wrong. A fight for Money,power street cred and respect. This film gets 5 out of 5 in my eyes 100%

Average customer rating:

Diesel At His Best - Just Plain Ruthless
Diesel's Best Performance Yet...
I admit it
Not Bad for a Modern Action Flick
Shameless destruction of the spanish language

A Man Apart
Starring: Vin Diesel , Larenz Tate , Timothy Olyphant , Geno Silva , and Jacqueline Obradors
Director: F. Gary Gray
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009ZPUA
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Amazon.com

Buffed-up action star Vin Diesel plays a reckless DEA agent in A Man Apart, which aspires to merge big-budget action fare with a grittier, The French Connection-style procedural drama. When his wife is murdered by a mysterious drug lord called Diablo, Sean Vetter (Diesel) loses his moral bearings and risks the lives of his fellow agents in a quest for revenge. A Man Apart tries to give Diesel the opportunity to demonstrate a greater emotional range, but it's a mess; the supposedly tender scenes are generic and flat, while the action scenes are utterly incomprehensible. Much of the time it's unclear who's a cop and who's a thug, so when people get shot--and a lot of people get shot--it just becomes a bland wash of blood and bullets. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Vin Diesel stars as a DEA agent on a deadly vendetta to take down the powerful drug cartel that killed his wife.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes:Seven Deleted Scenes
Other:Widescreen & Fullscreen on one disc
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Diesel At His Best - Just Plain Ruthless.......2006-09-17

This is one movie that does not hold back - the story of a DEA agent avenging his wife's death and his assault on the cartel responsible for her death. To use the term "ruthless abandon" to describe Diesel's character and his actions is an understatement here and that is what makes this movie so great - quite similar to Denzel Washinton's character in Man On Fire. If you like it rough and ruthless this is definitely one for you!

Diesel's Best Performance Yet..........2006-01-10

Revenge movies generally do well with American film audiences, if for no other reason than that they achieve something that other film genres cannot. This type of film speaks to our sense of justice, when someone we love has had some wrong done to them, whether they be hurt, robbed, or worse, be killed, we want to go and set things right. However, in reality we cannot always act on these feelings, as much as we may want to, which is where these movies come in. For one, we don't actually have to go through any real pain or suffering, we simply vicariously live through the characters on screen, and through the emotional connection that is made, if something should happen to one of them, it instantly stirs that feeling for justice to be done.

"A Man Apart" is the story of a volatile DEA agent, Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel), who along with his partner Demetrius Hicks (Larenz Tate), go undercover to bring down the top Mexican drug lord. With the toppling of the top drug lord in Mexico, a new cartel begins to assume control of Mexico, led by a man called Diablo, this new drug cartel is even more ruthless than the one before it. To get the attention of the DEA, more importantly Sean Vetter, Diablo orders a hit on him, Vetter narrowly escapes with his life, sadly his wife was not so lucky. Vowing to take revenge on Diablo, Vetter strikes a deal with the very drug lord he just put away, and with the aid of his DEA partner, Demetrius, sets out to deliver his own lethal brand of justice.

Many revenge films have been hugely successful in Hollywood such as, "Desperado", "The Punisher", "Four Brothers", and many others. Now, "A Man Apart" can be added to the list, directed by F. Gary Gray (director of "The Negotiator" and "The Italian Job"), "A Man Apart" delivers a solid story of a broken man, that has lost the love of his life, and will stop at nothing until those responsible feel his wrath. Vin Diesel delivers possibly his best performance to date, showing a wide range of emotions that he hadn't needed to portray in his previous films "Pitch Black" or "The Fast and the Furious", though some doubted his acting ability, Vin proves here that he is more than just another action hero. The supporting cast is fairly strong, Larenz Tate is solid for the most part, as Vin's right-hand man, there are some weak spots in his performance, but they can be overlooked. The action is fast-paced and frantic, but serves to show the fractured state of Vetter's life without his wife. A problem many films of this genre can suffer from is an over-reliance on action, with not enough of a story to keep the audience engaged. "A Man Apart" succeeds in eluding this pitfall, with a story that continues to engage the audience emotionally, so that the vengeance doesn't seem pointless.

If you enjoy revenge tales or are a fan of Vin Diesel, then this is definitely a movie you should see. Also, if you are one of the many nay-sayers regarding Vin Diesel's movies or his acting, then you should put your skepticism aside and give "A Man Apart" a try, I believe you will quickly see that Diesel definitely has what it takes to be more than just an average action star in Hollywood.

"A Man Apart" is rated R for violence, language, and brief nudity/sensuality.

I admit it.......2005-08-19

I'm a Vin Deisel fan. This is a little out of the ordinary for him. This isn't your straight out action film, but has a good background and story development. A must see for any action film fan.

Not Bad for a Modern Action Flick.......2005-07-30

As someone who grew up watching the action films of the 80s---Chuck Norris, Stallone, Schwarzenegger and others---I fully expected A Man Apart to follow along the same lines. In some ways I ended up being pleasantly surprised, and in some ways I didn't.

The surprise came from the fact that Vin Diesel truly does have a fair amount of acting ability and showed good emotional range as the husband of a murdered wife who becomes obsessed with finding her killers. Vin does well as the strong, silent type with an explosive temper. The bad came from the fact that the basic plot of this film made very little sense, especially the big "who-dunnit" at the end. Was a big chunk of the movie edited out or what? When the main villian is revealed, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. As we get further along in the movie, the writing lapses into the same old cliches and tired old lines that popped up in all those 80s movies I was talking about. The ending could have been ripped off from Cobra, Commando or one of those other flicks chock full of lame one-liners. I expected more from the ending, frankly, but I can't say that the rest of the movie was altogether bad. A Man Apart is worth viewing at least once.

Shameless destruction of the spanish language.......2005-04-17

This is an okay movie, not a great movie. I would see it on TV but not rent, or own, much less pay full box office ticket for it. The reason? Even when Vin Diesel proves he has grown and matured as an actor, his producers haven't. Only one character in the whole movie expresses an acceptable spanish phrase, (Mateo, played by Juan Fernandez) Again the Hollywood establishment is guilty of the same offensive crime over and over. Hiring Latino "looking" actors for terrible spanish renditions of their lines. It seems no one cares in the end for the latino box office dollar.
The Main spanish speaking character in the movie is colombian, a pronunciation that happens to sound different than mexican, than guatemalan, than argentinian, than venezuelan; Yet he sounds like a 12 hour audio tape graduate. Also the producers fall all over again for the cliche of Colombia as a poor version of Juan Valde'z hillside, burros included.
If you are latino, and have a sense of humor see this movie, If you are a latino without a sense of humor, skip it altogether.

Average customer rating:

Filmed in my hometown...Houston, TX!
Jason's Lyric Purchase
HONEYCOMB
Great movie for dates!
Simple Story, but in excellence of mannerism

Jason's Lyric
Starring: Allen Payne , Jada Pinkett Smith , Bokeem Woodbine , Anthony 'Treach' Criss , and Eddie Griffin
Director: Doug McHenry
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

ASIN: B000035P5I
Release Date: 2000-01-18

Amazon.com

At the heart of this dynamic film is the love of a man for a woman, a mother for a son, and a brother for a brother. Rarely is one man's struggle for inner peace so poignantly displayed as in this engrossingly sexy and unflinchingly violent love story. Lyric is the young woman who rekindles the dreams of a man tormented by a father's alcoholic violence now perpetuated by an unstable brother. Allen Payne and Jada Pinkett make for one of the screen's most memorable duos in the title roles. Each brings emotional intensity paired with powerful sexuality to their roles. Director Doug McHenry speaks to the 1990s by deftly balancing the story's heightened drama with just enough hope to give it impact. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

From one of the producers of New Jack City comes a "sizzling hot" (Glamour Magazine) Romeo and Juliet drama that blends an explosive soundtrack with an all-star cast, including Allen Payne (The Walking Dead), Jada Pinkett (The Nutty Professor), Bokeem Woodbine (The Rock), Forest Whitaker (The Crying Game) and Naughty By Nature's Anthony "Treach" Criss (Who's The Man?). Jason and Joshua are two brothers left fatherless by a family fight that spun out of control. Trying to make good and get off the slick ghetto streets of Houston, Jason (Payne) finds a source of inspiration in a beautiful and sexy girl named Lyric (Pinkett), whose dreams of fleeing the city together give him hope for a better life. But when Joshua (Woodbine) turns to a life of crime and drugs, Jason finds he's torn between his love for Lyric and his obligation to family. And as the time comes for Jason to leave, he finds that Joshua will stop at nothing to see that he stays even if the fight to keep him rivals the one that killed their father!

Customer Reviews:

Filmed in my hometown...Houston, TX!.......2007-03-11

I remember being in high school (Da Ridge...Eagles baby!) when this movie came out in 1994. I remember thinking how cool that a movie like this would be filmed in my own city versus LA or NY. Many of the scenes in the movie were filmed in the most popular areas, especially those known as hot tourist locations. The movie depicts life in the roughest parts of town and how it can harden a person including families. But the two lovers in this movie dream about and desperately want a better life for themselves, therefore they take their destiny into their own hands in this courageous movie. Ya gotta' get this DVD and the soundtrack too...I love them both!

Jason's Lyric, just one of many movies to put H-town on the map! The restaurant that Jada Smith works at is called "This Is It". Definitely one of the best soul food restaurants in Houston...check it out next time you're in town.

Jason's Lyric Purchase.......2006-11-06

The purchase was received in a well manner. I would buy from this marketplace again.

HONEYCOMB.......2006-07-20

As I watched the DVD, I did seeking for an answer to something that this movie had stirred in me. To my amazement it surfaced in me that this movie centered around pure, innocent, mind probing, and heart phased LOVE. In other words, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Yet even though it appread in an ordinary way it was demonstrated in an extraordinary style. Jason, having to face the lost of his father by his own hands, had to come to terms with the fact that he killed his father but not for evil but to protect his mother. In all respect, JASON wanted to be the GOOD SON. Not hurting but helping. As a result, he had to choose between the woman he loved and the brother he wanted to protect. This woman, whom he had only known for a very short time but yet they had shared something so intimate and so soul connecting, that he found himself locked in something so deep that he could not give up; even at the cost of his brother. Even after all of the disappointments, he still came to the conclusion that this woman was the key for him. She was not perfect but she held his attention, which later led to her holding his heart. Even in the intimate scenes, I did not get offended but yet, I saw a man, who needed to know he was approved being certified in the arms a woman. He needed to know that even though he had committed a bad act (killing his father), that he was still a good person. This woman helped him to embrace that and strengthen him to a level where he could move foward and reach for GOD'S BEST. I titled my review HONEYCOMB because as bitter as the events in Jason's life was God sent him a sweet taste of victory (Lyric).

ShShalom

Great movie for dates!.......2006-02-15

This movie is great.
You won't be disappointed.
Perfect for dates and the soundtrack is great!

Simple Story, but in excellence of mannerism.......2005-08-23

Jason's Lyric, a story about an astute poet who exaggurates about leaving the 'Ghetto Hood' of Los Angeles, CA finds it worth while when meeting a troubled individual with a shocking past. The two fall in love but first must overcome obstacles in their own lives. Jada Pinkett and Allen Payne provide decent preformance and make the movie worthy of watching and understanding the story. Unlike the stupidity of the storytellers basing a movie in the deprived areas of America, this movie shows the obvious human side to the characters and gets you attached to them even more.

Although the ending of the movie was an enigma in itself, the story was adequate in most areas and tied the lives of the characters together to bring one of the passable plots of the 90s.

Average customer rating:

Well worth a look!
Very Helpful
True to life flick
New Jersey jive!
It's not just a film,but Reality for those who live in NJ!

New Jersey Drive
Starring: Sharron Corley , Gabriel Casseus , Saul Stein , Gwen McGee , and Andre Moore
Director: Nick Gomez
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0006H32DO
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Customer Reviews:

Well worth a look!.......2007-04-27

This is a well studied cautionary tale about the potential perils of car crime. Newark in New Jersey had a reputation in the mid-90s for all kinds of car crimes including carjacking at gunpoint and this film cleverly taps into that era. There was talk about lines being crossed by Newark police officers back then and the movie takes a look at that also. I found it difficult sometimes to decide where to place my sympathies. Yes, the car crime itself is mindless and destructive as anyone who has had their car stolen will know but in the movie, the police often come off looking no better than the criminals they are pursuing.

Gabriel Casseus and Sharron Corley give very impressive performances as Midget and Jason respectively. If you're a car enthusiast like me and, like me, you didn't see this movie when it first came out back in 1995, you might feel the cars (which are important characters in this movie as well) date it somewhat but it's not overwhelming. The best thing about this movie for me though is that although it doesn't preach or moralise, it shows very clearly that for young black men, a life of crime can only lead to a limited number of conclusions. That said, when tragedy inevitably ensues, it's still very sad.

Props to director Nick Gomez - he often gets us right into the cars and takes us along for the joyrides - and props to Spike Lee and his 40 Acres & A Mule filmworks for executive producing the movie. I'll be watching this one again and again.

Banging soundtrack as well, by the way. I might actually get it on CD...

Very Helpful.......2006-03-09

I purchased this movie for my teenager son, hoping he could see the harsh reality of what could happen to him following the wrong crowd. This movie showed all the basics and then some.

True to life flick.......2005-10-27

This is about urban life ever made. Nick Gomez carefully winds his tale into car thieves almost into greek tradgy. In the lead role as Jason, Shannon Corley shows great leading staus. Jason is played as a character who wants a better life but is caught up with the street life.

New Jersey jive!.......2005-08-13

If your IQ is under 25, or you want to be a crackhead, this movie is for you!

It's not just a film,but Reality for those who live in NJ! .......2005-05-30

BIG UPS TO BRICK CITY & ALL OF JERSEY! NICK GOMEZ HAS DONE THE PROPER RESEARCH 2 CREATE "NEW JERSEY DRIVE"! EVERY 20 SECONDS SOMEONE WOULD BE A VICTIM OF A CAR JACKING ESPECIALLY FROM 90-98! IT'S NOTHING 2 GLORIFY, BUT IT'S "FACTUAL"!!!! IF YOU DROVE THROUGH THE CITY WITH AN EXSPENSIVE RIDE THEN "YOU WILL FALL VICTIM"! **IT'S A COMPELLING ROLE DONE BY JASON/"SHARON CORLEY"... I'M NOT SURE WHERE HE'S FROM BUT HE'S WELCOME 2 MY BLOCK ON "G.T" ANYTIME! ON N.J. DRIVE YOU'LL BE ABLE 2 TELL THE REAL COPS THAT STIVE 2 CLEAN-UP THE STREETS FROM THE BEAST WHO ARE CORRUPTED & ADD COMMITS CRIMES DAILY!!!! THE CORRUPTED BEAST WOULD HARRASS JASON/S. CORLEY & HIS' CREW ON A REGUALR BASIS...SO MIDGET/GABRIEL CASSEUS OPT 2 BUCK SHOTS AT THEIR SQUAD CAR (GOOD)! **(KNOW YOUR RIGHTS)** JASON & MIDGET WERE LIKE BROTHERS... DAY-IN & DAY-OUT A MEMBER OF THEIR CREW WOULD BE KILLED OR INJURED. JASONS' & MIDGETS' FRIENDSHIP BEGAN 2 CRUMBLE AFTER MIDGET LEFT JASON IN THE PARKING LOT WITHOUT NOTICE JUST 2 STEAL A CAR! OFFICER ROSCOE WAS THE HEAD-RAT OF THE PACK, HE ATTACKED JASON & OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS' CREW...ROSCOE WAS ARROGANT & A DAMN IDIOT 4 THINKING THAT HE WOULD WALK DAMN-FREE AFTER HE SHOT RONALD LAMBS & BRUTALLY BEATEN OTHER BLACK TEENS!! RITCHIE WAS MIDGETS' COUSIN, RITCHIE RAN HIS' MOUTH AROUND THE HOOD SAYING THAT HIM, JASON & MIDGET TOOK A COPS' CAR SO TENSIONS AROSE... JASONS' SISTER JACKIE WAS THE RATIONALE 4 JASON & RITCHIE 2 START BEEFING...JASON TOLD JACKIE THAT HE DON'T WANT HER IN ANY STOLEN CARS & RITCHIE INTERVENED THEN HITS JASON... SO JASON HAD 2 REPRESENT & BEAT HIS' ASS THEN MIDGET BROKE IT UP. BEING THAT RITCHIE LOST HE MADE A BITCH MOVE & SHOT AT JASON (JASON DODGE IT OF COURSE)! I STRONGLY FELT THAT RITCHIE SHOULD'VE BEEN KILLED RATHER THAN TINY/FAISON, OR PEANUT! "THEIR LAST HOORAH", IS THE DAY PEANUT DIED, MIDGET RAN & JASON STOP RUNNING... JASON DID HIS' TIME CAME OUT & DECIDED 2 DO RIGHT! AFTER WITNESSING HIS' RIGHT-HAND MAN MIDGET DEATH ON THE NEWS HE SHED TEARS THEN DID A 360 TURN & WENT BACK 2 SCHOOL! ****"AS FOR RON BRICE,HE PLAYED TIKO MIDGETS' OLDER BROTHER HE NEEDED 2 HAVE A MUCH BIGGER ROLE" I'LL KEEP SAYING THAT!!!! (DON'T HATE ON THAT MAN) HA! THANKS 2 NICK GOMEZ FOR NOT ASSASSINATING CORLEYS' CHARACTER JASON IT WAS WORTH IT!** FOR ME N.J. DRIVE HAD A GOOD ENDING. ***IF ANYONE WANTS A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT "JERSEY" IS LIKE THEN GET "NEW JERSEY DRIVE" ON DVD! THE SOUNDTRACK WAS TOO HOTTT AS WELL IT HAS FRANKIE BEVERLY, ILL AL SCRATCH, REDMAN, THE LORDS OF THE UNDERGROUND & MY GIRL "QUEEN LATIFAH" ETC... HEAVY D WAS COOL HE HAD A FEW LINES... I WAS EXPECTING FOR QUEEN LATIFAH & REDMAN 2 HAVE PARTS BEING THAT THEY ARE ORIGINALLY FROM "BRICK-CITY,JERSEY" (YOU KNOW)!!!!

New Jack City (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

NEW JACK CITY
seen it all before...
If you've seen the 1932 Scarface, the 1983 Scarface, and remember the 90's well then you have a good grip on the film
Mario Van Peebles found a great criminal in Wesley Snipes!
Black Scarface

New Jack City (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: John Aprea , Nick Ashford , Bill Cobbs , Anthony DeSando , and Flavor Flav
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0009UZGR8
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Description

Just as cool and topical today as when it first opened, New Jack City stars Wesley Snipes as the angel-of-death crack kingpin who holds a city in his grasp. Ice T, Judd Nelson and Mario Van Peebles (who also directs) play police officers who lay it all on the line. Chris Rock and Vanessa Williams co-star. A dynamic cutting-edge soundtrack includes tunes by Ice T, Queen Latifah, 2 Live Crew and more.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by Director/Co-Star Mario Van Peebles
Documentaries:New Jack City: A Hip-Hop Classic: Artists, radio personalities and other hip-hop icons show their respect for the movie that brought the streets to the big screen. New Jack City: Harlem World: Mario Van Peebles checks out the sights and sounds of the Black Capital of America. Harlem World: A Walk Inside: an inside look at the city of Harlem.
Music Video:New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme) by Ice T I'm Dreamin' by Christopher Williams I Wanna Sex You Up by Color me Badd
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

NEW JACK CITY.......2007-05-13

The DVD's were shipped promptly, was packaged very well, watched the movie the same night I received it. No complaints here.

seen it all before..........2007-04-30

Very little that's original here. I just don't see it as being some kind of classic.
There is a scene at the beginning where the main lead and his cohorts decide to put all the crack activity in one building: the making, the selling, etc. and one of the honcho's people says: "That's ingenius."

Huh? What's ingenius about it? If the cops assaulted the place you'd lose everything, the whole shebang, all at once. Why make it easier for the authorities? I doubt that drug lords are that dumb in real life. Certainly, some are--the proof is there, but someone as the character portrayed by Wesley Snipes? I doubt it.. I mean the film lost me right there, not to mention the fact that we have seen so many of the scenes in other films that came before it.

The flick just didn't grab me. Also, Judd Nelson, usually very good, seemed lost in the shuffle here--due to lack of focus by the director.

Not to mention: it's truly annoying when filmmakers go around praising their film and telling you how GREAT they think it is.

You know what? That's for the audiance to decide. A little modesty goes a long way. This director doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word.

If you've seen the 1932 Scarface, the 1983 Scarface, and remember the 90's well then you have a good grip on the film.......2007-02-08

I've only seen this movie quite recently after hearing about it for years and being told that it's a must see. While actually viewing the movie my opinions were mixed but afterwards everything slid into focus. On the technical side of the movie the directing and editing were nothing new or original, Mario Van Peebles played everything straight out of a textbook and the pacing didn't create any great flow. Most of the acting was far from award winning but not so bad as to distract from the movie itself, for any real length of time at least. Everything about the quality and look of the film screams early 90's, but in an endearing manner. As far as the films influences go, the 1983 version of "Scarface" is the most acknowledged and the one film that this movie will probably be compared to for the rest of its rememberance. However I began to notice something very quickly at the heart of the movie and with the blurb about drugs and drug dealers in America at the end, it became clear that the 1932 "Scarface: Shame of the Nation" had just as large of a part in the shaping of this movie, it serves basically as a PSA to America. This also may account for why everything technically seemed very plain and stereotypical (mind you with very high production value). Take these two movies, throw in a dash of "Cops", a very pop show at the time, add in a lot of the earliest mainstream MC's and you have New Jack City. A movie that still holds appeal after more than 15 years and an eclectic piece of 90's cinema that makes a decent viewing.

Mario Van Peebles found a great criminal in Wesley Snipes!.......2007-01-25

"Drugs ain't a black thing, or a white thing. It's a death thing. Death don't give a s*** about color."-Nick Perrti

I first saw this in 1993 and was totally blown away by the directing, cinematography, script and acting and so I was really looking forward to seeing it again after an absence of almost thirteen years. But after seeing this a second time, I could scarcely believe I was watching a film I had remembered very well. In 1994 I would have given this film 5 out of 5 but instead I've given it a 4 due to its frail ending.

New Jack City (1991) is an interesting movie that aims to please. This film marks the first time Mario Van Peebles directed a theatrical released film (that his father helped co-write) and he co-stars in the film as well. The movie follows a small time hood Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) who builds up a vast criminal empire by flooding the streets with crack cocaine. Ice-T and Judd Nelson co-stars as well as two unorthodox cops who want to lock up Nino Brown. Allen Payne (Gee Money) and Mario van Peebles himself (Stone) has also giving some approved performances in here.

The acting is not the strongest part of this film but to me, three men made this film worthy of attention which is Wesley, Ice-T, and Rock. Chris Rock is unforgettable in this movie and he shines in his role as the "crack-head" Pookie. He has so many one-liners that are hysterical funny. The real winner is truly Wesley Snipes, who plays a role we don't usually identify with him, and does so with considerable spirit. He is utterly believable; the scene where he describes first killing someone while high on drugs scared the crap out of me - this is not someone I want as a friend! - Which happens to be a central theme of this film.

There are flaws in it to be sure, primarily of continuity - there are moments for which we are unprepared, and loose ends that don't get tied. The "Cash Money" drug cartel never gets its act together as a criminal organization - which may be the point, but in which case this needs greater exploration on the street level - without soldiers, you have no army, a lesson the Mafia could still teach the younger gangs. But taken all-in-all, "New Jack City" is a tough crime thriller, well-presented, with a great cast at their strongest. Despite it flaws, it holds a lot of strong and impressive moments which makes this worth a watch.

Black Scarface.......2006-11-17

One movie that I will probably remember from the 1990s the best is "New Jack City." It tells the story of how Nino Brown (played by Wesely Snipes) and his crew, CMB (Cash Money Brothers) rose to power as crack kingpins by running their operation out of a apartment complex that they take over. I was 2 when I first saw this movie, so I thought that New Jack City was a real place. When I got older I realized that it was New York City when I saw the Statue of Liberty in the opening sequence. People can argue that is movie is another Scarface for many reasons:

1. The dude starts to sell drugs after his homeboy puts him up on game
2. He blows up and becomes sucessful
3. Everything starts to go downhill
4. He kills his best friend
5. He himself gets killed

Those are some of the ways that New Jack City compares but this is how they contrast:

1. Nino is black while Tony is Cuban
2. It shows the devestation that crack did to people who used it and the communities while Scarface just shows the glitz and glamor of Miami
3. It shows the cops struggle to get crack off the streets. While Scarface barely shows Tony making any coke deals at all.
4. It deals with betrayal.

The music also makes the movie good too. It contains songs from co-stars Ice T and Chris Williams. A hip-hop classic in every since of the word

Average customer rating:

The Battle Of Kansas City Jazz Or The Deception Of Beauty
Atmosphere and little else.
Might Have The Best Ending Ever
Someone other than Altman should have cut this film
Ovelooked and underated American Film Noir Masterpiece

Kansas City
Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh , Miranda Richardson , Harry Belafonte , Michael Murphy , and Dermot Mulroney
Director: Robert Altman
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0006Q9482
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Amazon.com essential video

Robert Altman wanted to captured a sense of what life was like in his hometown during the Depression, both in a story about the people who lived there and, more impressionistically, in the jazz that sprouted there before moving to New York. But his plot here is rambling and undramatic: A small-time hood double-crosses a vicious black gangster (Harry Belafonte) and is grabbed by him, marked for death. To save his life, the hood's dim blond wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) kidnaps a rich politician's wife (Miranda Richardson) and spends the day driving around town with her, on the theory that the politician can convince the gangster to free her husband. Leigh is jittery, Richardson seems bored--and the lengthy jam sessions we see (involving contemporary musicians such as Joshua Redman) serve only to prolong an already slow-moving film. Possibly worth seeing for the silky menace of Belafonte, but there is little else to recommend it. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

The Battle Of Kansas City Jazz Or The Deception Of Beauty.......2005-12-30

When one listens to the gorgeous music of Lester Young, Charlie Parker(I think he was "shown" in a scene as well) and Coleman Hawkins and William Count Basie,a jazz fan is left with a sense of wonder what must have gone down at KC in those days...Now we have a great depiction of the music and what life might have been like with great music revisited and performed by these "new giants of jazz" recreating the high swinging good time sense of euphoria sweeping those magical tunes..
Yet, at the same time, music lovers see the battle going on between the somewhat bluesier, aggressive playing of the giant Coleman Hawkins contrasted clearly with his major rival Lester Young, the more sweeter melancholy player..These 2 contrasting visions play-out throughout the entire movie not only as a backdrop as a soundtrack but a portrayal of the contradictory lives played by it's characters.
There is no difference between the Downtown KC of crime, brothels and booze(opium and cocaine as well) with it's underworld in contrast to the Americana of the Uptown KC with it's quaint Democratic lifestyle untouched by the jazz going down at the Hey-Hey Club...ultimately leading to murder from all sides.
This is a powerful message and why the movie scores big besides the wonderful music and the 2 Cd's spurned out which are equally impressive.
The moral equivalency of these 2 worlds makes this movie a great one.

Atmosphere and little else........2005-09-19

Even the mighty have their moments when they stumble and KANSAS CITY is one of those moments for maverick director Robert Altman. There's little more than atmosphere in this film; the period-recreation of 1935-ish Kansas City Missouri, the great jazz throughout every frame and a bravura performance by Harry Belefonte as a gambler/crime kingpin named "Seldom Seen" don't mask the fact that the plot's thinner than newspaper and that every other actor save Belefonte is chewing the scenery and burping after every chew. On the surface, this movie's approach isn't much different from Altman's others--there's constant activity, so much that it's initially disorienting to try and figure out all of the threads of the story, but in many of his films (NASHVILLE, MASH and GOSFORD PARK, for instance), those threads gradually come together into a whole. It never happens in KANSAS CITY. The threads stay threads and you're left with a jumble, albiet a jumble with a great score.

Might Have The Best Ending Ever.......2005-04-28

Bottom line, whether you love or hate "Kansas City" will depend on your reaction to Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance. Leigh's character Blondie anchors the story as a desperate wife trying to save her husband from the gangsters he tried to rob. Leigh looks great in this role, she is fit and trim which makes her face that much cuter. The contrast between her almost angelic appearance and her tough persona is intentional because the toughness is an affectation, qualities she has adopted because she loves her husband and they are a turn-on for him.

Her's is the key performance of the film, the twist is her emulation of Kansas City native Jean Harlow ("The Public Enemy" and "Girl from Missoui"). Watch Harlow in "Red Headed Woman" to see the incredible physical resemblance between these two short actresses. Personally I found it touching, humorous, and inspirational. And her character worthy of the brave heroine hall of fame. But it is almost a caricature and many are put off by this tiny woman talking so tough.

As in "Nashville", there are great songs (but jazz rather than country) throughout the film. It is important to realize that "Blondie's" behavior is intended to mirror the "cutting contests" between the jazz musicians on-stage at the club. Just as the musicians borrow from one another and weave each others stuff into what they are improvising, "Blondie" borrows from the movies and weaves Harlow's tough girl phrases and expressions into her conversation.

Leigh and Miranda Richardson spend most of the film in each other's company. Although Richardson's character is doped up on laudanum (tincture of opium) most of the time, you get the idea that she is taking in a lot more of the situation than she is letting on. It is a fascinating pairing. One of them has lost all restraint, the other has lost everything but her restraint. There is almost a "Thelma and Louise" quality to their relationship, in part because Leigh doing Harlow ends up sounding a lot like Geena Davis doing Geena Davis.

Richardson's character is unexpectedly touching. An emotional bond is subtly forged between the two women as the film proceeds, with Richarson actually becoming protective of her kidnapper. The ending is shocking but you understand the motivation (or you will if you watch it again), then looking back you pick up on the various foreshadowing devices that Altman placed throughout the film. He goes out with a bass duet of Duke Ellington's "Solitude" performed by Ron Carter and Christian McBride.

Like many films with downbeat endings, "Kansas City" is destined to be more appreciated 25 years after its release.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Someone other than Altman should have cut this film.......2005-03-28

There are the makings of a good movie here, but obviously Altman had final cut approval, and his gift was quite off on this one. Belefonte endlessly pontificates nonsensibly, Jason Leigh surpasses her legendary how-annoying-can-she-get Hudsucker Proxy performance, it's long, the jazz performances just make the film drag.

Such a shame - beautifully shot, great actors, shame about the director's inability to look in the mirror and notice the obvious bloat. A dreadful, annoying film.

Ovelooked and underated American Film Noir Masterpiece.......2004-03-09

Robert Altman, one of the foremost filmakers of the last thirty years followed up what many consider to be his magnum, "Short Cuts", with this quietly more ambitious project. "Short Cuts" finished 'place' at the Oscars to "Shindler's List" and helped spawn the career of Juliana Moore (sort of like Sissy Spacek in "Welcome To L.A.") although I personally liked virtually all the other performances better (and there are some great ones in it).
The release of "Kansas City" followed hard upon the heals of the Oscar 'second best', and met with 'mediocre' to 'ok' critical reviews. Thus, the film didn't have much of a run in the theatres, playing to sparsely filled houses, who basically came to see the novelty of Harry Belafonte playing a rip-snorting gangster in an Altman film. Nor was the DVD release much of a hit.
What kept the movie alive basically was the magnificent soundtrack - a group of the best of the new generation of jazz musicians playing Kansas City jazz - well - as well as Count Basie and that guy who invented the jazz saxophone (what was his name?) - oh yeah, Coleman Hawkins, themselves. The CD became a classic, and a few people discovered that Altman had fostered this long time love for Kansas City jazz, and now that he was a bigshot and could finally raise lots of money to make any film he wanted, he decided to act on his long time dream to recreate the Kansas City Jazz scene in the early thirties in a movie.
And what an incredible recreation it is! There is even a separate one + hour film which Altman made of simply the bands (as recreated by the contemporary musicians playing all the tracks in the film and on the CD and more, and nothing else!) This film evokes an amazing, dreamlike experience and ranks with any performance of twentieth century music currently on DVD, and I wish they would release it when they release the director's cut, which I predict they will (my 30 year track record is pretty good).
Simply put, "Kansas City" is a noir masterpiece. Jennifer Jason Leigh gives an incredibly complex, brilliant performance and which is only to be matched by her foil, Miranda Richardson. One of the great "two chick" flicks of all time, one wonders why Altman seems to be the only director who sees Leigh for what she is: the best American actress of her generation. Belafonte and the rest of the cast are up to the searing standards demanded by these lead performances, and the script and the almost superhuman attention to detail evidenced in the sets, editing, and every frame, make one wonder what exactly the critics had in mind when they watched this film for the first time.
But the music . . . the bands themselves take on a certain personification and become characters participating in the action of the story.
I believe "Kansas City" is due for a re-evaluation and may go down as the greatest venture of both Leigh and Altman, and that's saying a lot.

Average customer rating:

Two stars at the most!
ooh, la, la, la bamba meets the 21 Jump Street episode wherein Johnny Depp in hair net and khakis says "Orale!" constantly
dvd review
Nothing Special Except the Presence of Young Stars
A Movie That Does Not Know What It Wants To Be

Havoc (R-Rated Version)
Starring: Anne Hathaway , Bijou Phillips , Shiri Appleby , Michael Biehn , and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Barbara Kopple
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
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ASIN: B000BCE95E
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Amazon.com

Description

A group of wealthy Los Angeles teenagers try to become part of the "gangsta" lifestyle but soon run into trouble when they come face to face with a real gang of Latino drug dealers.

Customer Reviews:

Two stars at the most!.......2007-06-30

ooh, la, la, la bamba meets the 21 Jump Street episode wherein Johnny Depp in hair net and khakis says "Orale!" constantly.......2007-06-29

dvd review.......2007-05-13

I think this movie will wake up young kids and realize life is not all fun and games.

Nothing Special Except the Presence of Young Stars.......2007-04-28