DOUGH BOYS – director: Nicholas Harvell; starring: Arlen Escarpeta, Wood Harris, Cory Hardict, Mo, Lorenzo Eduardo, Sticky Fingaz

There is part of me that would like to think that if I had never seen Menace II Society, or Juice, or Boyz ‘n the ‘Hood, or any of the other urban dysfunctional dramas that have come out over the years, that I might think Dough Boys was a halfway decent film. But the truth is that even if I had never seen these other films—and I have, so pretending I haven’t is pointless—it doesn’t change the fact that Dough Boys isn’t a very good movie. Now, I don’t want to be overly negative, but at the same time, if I were to adhere to the “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” school of film criticism, this review would end right here. (more…)

THE PERFECT HOLIDAY – director: Lance Rivera; starring: Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Faizon Love, Charlie Murphy, Katt Williams, Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard

There is an undeniable disparity between mainstream films (those films produced for a largely white audience), and those movies produced primarily for an African-American audience. That’s not to say that mainstream movies aren’t insipidly insulting the intelligence of the audience, because Hollywood certainly cranks out more than its fair share of stupid shit. But for every moronic movie catered to a mainstream audience, there are intelligent films to counterbalance the dumb garbage. In terms of holiday fare, for every The Santa Clause 3 there are films like It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and Die Hard. But when it comes to lighthearted holiday fare targeted towards a black audience, for every steaming turd like The Perfect Holiday you have absolutely nothing. (more…)

CONFUSIONS OF AN UNMARRIED COUPLE - directors Jason and Brett Butler; starring: Brett Butler, Naomi Johnson

There are moments in the Butler Brothers’ Confusions of an Unmarried Couple that are simply painful to watch. Not painful because the film is rough-around-the-edges, or because it looks like it was shot on a budget of about $75 over the course of two days; but because Confusions of an Unmarried Couple is so brutally honest in the way it exposes the insecurities that run rampant in many relationships that it actually hurts to watch the story unfold. This is a no-budget film that often feels like those conversations you have with your best friend who can never seem to get their act together when it comes to relationships. (more…)

BELLY 2: MILLIONAIRE BOYZ CLUB – director: Ivan Frank; starring: The Game, Sheri Headley, Michael K. Williams

The great thing about direct-to-video market is that it has created an opportunity for a vast array of sequels to films that no one really wanted to see sequels of in the first place. We’ve all seen these titles on the shelves at our local video store, and thought to ourselves, “How do the second, third and fourth Posion Ivy films stack up to the original?” I mean come on…who hasn’t cast a curious glance at American Pyscho II: All American Girl, and found themselves thinking, “I bet that really sucks”? And yet, for whatever reason, far too many people end up watching our fair share of these insidious sequels that often have little or nothing to do with the original film in the franchise. (more…)

CHAMELEON STREET – director: Wendell B. Harris, Jr.; starring: Wendell B. Harris, Jr.

To be 100% honest, I had given up on Wendell B. Harris, Jr.’s Chameleon Street ever showing up on DVD. This was one of those films that topped my list of must-have titles when I began replacing my VHS collection with discs nearly ten years ago, but there was no sign it was ever going to come out, especially considering how few people actually know about it. But now that Chameleon Street has finally been released on DVD the opportunity exists for the film to be re-discovered in a way that will see it finally getting the credit it so richly deserves. And if there ever was a film that richly deserved being “discovered,” it would have to be Chameleon Street, a hilarious, poignant and near-brilliant character study that offers insight into race relations and human nature in a way that has not been done in quite the same manner either before or since. (more…)

BLACK AUGUST - directors: TCinque Sampson and Samm Styles; starring: Gary Dourdan, Darren Bridgett

Inspired by the life of black militant George Jackson, a prisoner who became famous for the letters he wrote while incarcerated, which were eventually published as the book Soledad Brother, Black August is a perfect example of an indie film that has slipped through the cracks. It played at a few film festivals without making much of a buzz, and then eventually landed on DVD, where it runs the risk of never being fully discovered. (more…)

STRAYS - director: Vin Diesel; starring Vin Diesel, Mike Epps

The career of Vin Diesel has been an interesting one indeed. He seemingly came out of nowhere in the late 1990s when he appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998), and then made a huge impression on audiences in the sci-fi action thriller Pitch Black (2000). From there, Diesel was poised to be the leading man action hero of the 21st century. In fact, I was one of those people that believed Diesel had what it took to be the next Lee Marvin—a steely actor who could handle both drama and action with equal intensity. Instead, he primarily appeared in films that were total crap—The Pacifier, Knockaround Guys, The Chronicles of Riddick—and it looked like the perceived talent of Diesel was just an illusion. This is what makes the recent release of 1997’s Strays, starring, written, produced and directed by Diesel, such a compelling film; because it proves that all the perceived talent is really there—it’s just been obscured by a decade of primarily bad decisions. (more…)

KILLER OF SHEEP - director: Charles Burnett; starring Henry Gayle Sanders, Kaycee Moore

For over thirty years Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep enjoyed legendary status. Completed in 1977 as Burnett’s UCLA master’s thesis, Killer of Sheep was seldom seen outside of film festivals or academic settings, but never the less had managed to develop a mythological reputation as one of the greatest achievements of independent American cinema. Among the first fifty films to be inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, and named one of 100 Essential Films of all time by the National Society of Film Critics, the reputation Burnett’s work has earned is richly deserved. Killer of Sheep is a brilliant film, stunning in its perceived simplicity, heartbreaking in its honesty, and unparalleled in its humanity. (more…)

SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT – director: Spike Lee; starring: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmon Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee

Twenty-two years after the fact, it can be difficult to remember the impact Spike Lee’s debut had on American independent cinema; not to mention the raw, unbridled talent he demonstrated with his first feature, She’s Gotta Have It. This is especially true when distracted by such recent failings as the final act of 25th Hour, a vast majority of Bamboozled, and all of She Hate Me. At the same time, despite the bad movies, the flawed movies, and the movies that just left you wishing Spike would simply make a film, rather than an agenda or a therapy session enacted on celluloid, there is no denying the man is a filmmaking force to be reckoned with. But when watching She’s Gotta Have It all over again—for myself, the first time in close twenty years—it was easy to remember what a cinematic breath of fresh air Spike Lee was in the 1980s, and how easy it was to fall in love with his films and forgive the many flaws because of his overall audacity as a director. (more…)

DEATH TOLL - director: Phenomenon; starring: Lou Diamond Phillips

There is only one word that comes to mind while watching the new jaxploitation urban thriller Death Toll, and that word is “wow.” Wow—the writing and direction in this film are terrible. Wow—the action in this film is atrocious. Wow—there is nothing good about this film. Wow—this garbage keeps getting worse and worse. Wow—I’ve been watching this crap for twenty-minutes, but it seems more than an hour. Wow—this is a total piece of crap. (more…)