“Barbershop” is a smart, clever, and well-written piece of filmmaking that stars an ensemble cast of predominant African American actors, all talented. Ice Cube is Calvin Palmer, the son of a beloved barber who inherits his father’s old barbershop and takes it for granted mostly running the shop for his father’s sake, viewing it as a waste of time and money. But when he has aspirations of starting a record company, he secretly sells it to local neighborhood loan shark Lester Wallace and slowly begins moving everything out from under the employees who have a bond, and function as a family. I was surprised with this film, because of the screenplay which invokes a large array of truly hilarious and likable characters.
Tag Archives: B
Before Sunrise (1995)
Two people from different parts of the world meet on a train and decide to tour Vienna for one night and witness everything the city has to offer while they bond with one another and fall in love, but as the night ends and the two become closer, will they separate come morning, or will they stay together? I’m officially considering myself a fan of Richard Linklater; this director/writer creates some of the most thought provoking films ever made, it’s hard to believe his films aren’t being released into the mainstream.
Bringing Down The House (2003)
This movie presents a common comedy formula often ensured to bring laughs but hardly do they ever and “Bringing Down the House” tackles the formula head-on: upper class white family is intruded by hip black person, hip black person lives with upper class white family, teaches upper class white father to appreciate kids and wife more and upper class white family grow to love hip minority. In a star vehicle of this kind I expected what I’d heard of “Non-stop laughs”; sure someone who watches comedies lately knows to never listen to hype, and boy was this film hyped.
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
We’re raised at early ages to fear in America, and we’re also bombarded with images of violence and sex, so much so it becomes numbing. As many of us have periodic moments of violence, many of the people in this tend to look at violence with a sort of comfort, almost as if they perceive violence to be apart of life, almost expected of us. Such is shown when a man accused of aiding the Uni-bomber sticks a gun to his head to demonstrate the accuracy of his gun. In another part of the world, a young boy in kindergarten shot another classmate; why he did what he did is never explained, or perhaps it can’t be explained. When asked why he did so, he replied with an uncertain answer; perhaps he was angry, or mentally disturbed, but that seems too easy. No one is really sure why he shot another student, but it seems the young boy simply shot her; almost as if it was an expected course of action, a first response.
Basic (2003)
Director John McTiernan, after directing the horrible “Rollerball” remake, displays a high energy thriller which is beautifully directed; there some great shots in the film and the right mood and tension but ultimately it’s all wasted beneath the muddled confusing story. Taking it’s lesson from the classic “Rashomon”, an infantry group witnesses a murder take place attempting to rescue some survivors that never returned from a mission; they soon learn there was a large incident that took place and attempt to discover what occurred. Finding no options they call in DEA agent Tom Hardy played by the energetic John Travolta to take the reigns and interrogate the survivors and unfoil what occured while assisted by the scruffy Lt. Julia Osborne who discover a plot involving sadistic Sgt. Nathan West and his soldiers who hate him with a passion, and soon find much more beneath what looks like murder and drug dealing within the troop.
Beautiful Girls (1996)
Ted Demme’s “Beautiful Girls” is a truly unappreciated gem that gives a ponderous story along with a hefty slice of life that American audiences will appreciate; with the characters in “beautiful Girls” there are an array of odd and unusual characters that could only be found in a screenplay by John Waters and it’s just as good. Writer Scott Rosenberg who supplies something badly missing from today’s films: great characters, a deep story, and a wry screenplay you only dream of. We get a portrait of a man named Willie Conway, a man at the crossroads of his life who returns to his hometown to re-unite with his gang of buddies and discovers they haven’t moved on and are at a crossroads as he is. He begins to notice they’re the exact same people they were when he left and begins to search for an answer to the questions he’s be asking.
Big Fat Liar (2002)
Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz) is a slacker and he always tends to get into mischief; the problem is, he’s a liar who tends to fib to get him out of the toughest situations. Eventually, all of it comes back to him when he is hit by a car and made late for school. He hitches a ride with a limo seating a Hollywood producer named Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti ) who steals young Jason’s essay called “Big Fat Liar” and makes it into a movie. Jason misses a school deadline and decides to go to Hollywood to get revenge on the ruthless producer. Now he and his best friend Kaylee (Amanda Bynes are out for revenge and will stop at nothing to get back his paper.