This movie was better than I thought. Elijah was a young kid when he experienced the man who was his father figure go to jail for the rest of his life because of some cop. From there his life was cursed. His mother first became addicted to alcohol, but when he ended up in jail over something small his mother went crazy and ended up drugged in a mental institution. From there Elijah moved around from group home to group home with nothing but his camera to keep him company. Flash forward to his senior year, and Elijah gets accepted to college for art. Right before he goes in however, he ends up in a fight with some jerk on the subway, and accidentally kills him on the third rail. He is charged with murder, and must go to a corrupt medium security prison. There he deals with the feelings that he doesn't belong, and the daily struggles of prison life. He discovers a talent for painting and drawing, and uses it as an outlet until the prison's budget is cut to make room for the prisoners to work for barely anything on an asbestos riddled construction job. This movie shows how terrible the system is, especially to those of minority groups. It really opens your eyes to the abuses, and is hopefully able to change people's lives. The only flaw in this movie seems to be that it tried to be a Hip Hop and R&B musical, but also tried not to do so. Still, it's easy to get past the weird music video type scenes, and enjoy this film. I recommend it to everyone for its ability to make someone think, and perhaps shed a tear.
Soundtrack: 1- I am a HUG fan of hip hop, but the movie put random songs that did not enhance the story in any way. And three songs were inexplicably sung by the actors for no reason, as this was not a musical. Those moments took me out of the film a little.
Script: 9- The story was well thought out, and very important. Every line in this movie resonates in some way, and it was beautifully written.
Originality: 10- This is how you put a spin on a story that has been told before. Very original piece of cinema.
Cinematography: 7- Nothing special about the cinematography but it wasn't bad. There were certain sequences I really liked.
Casting: 5- Some people fit their roles. Some did not. I had to split this one down the middle.
Acting: 5- I felt for the characters. I understood their stories. But many times that was more because I heard the intention in the writing than actually saw great acting.
Overall: 6.2
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