heilborn

Relying as it does on ancient gay stereotypes to provide humor, this film seems like a throwback to some of the films made in the 70's. It certainly seems out of place in the 21st century. Regardless of how one feels about gay people, anyone who is at all in tune with present times, will feel embarrassed for the cast, scriptwriter and the rest of the film makers who worked on this film--especially when the stereotypical gay "gags" are presented for laughs. They just aren't funny anymore and feel "forced." I'm a big fan of Cuba Gooding, Jr., but I can't imagine why he wanted to work on this project. It's a waste of his talent.

I love Shakespeare made relevant through modern dress, etc., but the attempt to make Shakespeare's poetry sound "conversational" just didn't work for me. Nobody I know speaks conversationally in iambic pentameter. The language begs for a more stylized delivery. I did like many of the sets and the "rival gang" flavor however. The helicoptors and car chases were dramatic and something that I could easily accept as something Shakespeare might have included if he had written the play in the current era. I can see why many people enjoyed this film. I just couldn't accept Shakespeare's language in modern conversational tones. It made the acting seem abysmal in places and totally unbelievable throughtout. It often seemed as if the actors had no idea of the meaning of the words they spoke. I'm sure this was not true, but the delivery made it seem so.

The film is not perfect, but it is far better than most of these reviews would indicate. Madonna does a very credible job with her role. The plot is relevant to the current state of social affairs in this country. The resolution of the plot is as believable as most fictional plots.

Some of the elements and characters may be underdeveloped. Perhaps this would have been corrected in a longer movie or TV miniseries, but movies are made for shorter attention spans and require a willing suspension of disbelief or at least an imagination capable of filling in details that cannot be incorporated in a feature length film.

It seems to me that for many of the reviewers here, this film caused some kind of discomfort, because the criticisms don't ring true if one has actually watched the film with an open mind. Rather than giving voice to that discomfort, the movie gets blamed and panned.

The movie is thoughtful and the ending is satisfying if a bit contrived. Unconventional families make many people nervous in this day and age, and it hard for me to believe that this didn't have something to do with the opinions of many of these reviewers.

The plot is simple, the acting is spare, but the dancing, which is the whole reason for the show, is exceptional and still fresh after 20 years. If you love dancing, give a view. If you love dancing, it won't disappoint you.

This is an interesting look at society from a rapper's point of view. Acting is just passable, direction is spotty, and camera work is often curious. Some of the angles used do not seem to be used for any particular purpose. The plot seems a bit forced, unnatural, and even unrealistic--but that's my point of view, not the rapper's.

This film is a wonderful example of how to let the pictures tell most of the story. There are long scenes with no dialog that propell the story. It is a movie full of irony and intrigue, wonderfully told and skillfully acted.

Outstanding performances by the four young actors who play the lead characters, especially diCaprio and Wahlberg. Both the allure and the degradation of "the life" are well represented in this film. A useful film for understanding addiction and its painful consequences.

Generally over-rated from my perspective. There is much gratuitous violence that does little to propel the story. The story itself leaves me wondering why I should care about these people. After such a dramatic ending, I would like to feel something about what happens to these characters. I didn't see many dimensions to the main characters. They were tough, they were bad, they were amoral, but there was little understanding of why they got that way, or what might have made a difference in their characters. What was the point of the film? "Crime doesn't pay"? There are some good performances, but the movie seems longer than necessary than it needs to be considering there is no point to take away from it.

This documentary exposes many of the realities of one of this country's most shameful legacies. Never sensationalizing history, one still comes away realizing how much each of us in the United States owes to the Africans upon whose forced labor our entire economy was built.

I came away from it wondering what it will take for Americans of all colors to finally realize how this country came to be what it is. We are a nation that has been influenced by countless sources, but none more important nor more lasting than the institution of slavery.

This film boasts credible performances by the cast, including some powerful moments. The pacing is uneven at times, almost, but not convincingly, giving it a cinema verite feel. The makeup for the battered wife is obvious to distraction. It is certainly worth viewing, but one has to do so without comparing it to something a large studio would distribute. I would love to see what Matty Rich might produce with a larger budget.

Although long (110 minutes), I was never bored. This film lends a lot of understanding to those of us who are not a part of the hip hop culture. It is a clear view of the place from where those who are come. As a middle-aged, Caucasian male, I found myself experiencing a wide range of emotions, from fear to shame, anger to sorrow, hope to despair. A moving film that demonstrates well how important the rap and hip hop voices are to the future of America.