Fear of a Black Hat

Although it rips off SPINAL TAP scene-by-scene in some instances, FEAR OF A BLACK HAT offers up enough belly laughs -- some of them very large -- to make it worth a look. Rusty Cundieff, who did some hysterically funny segments for Michael Moore's TV Nation program, proves himself to be a solid director with an eye for biting satire. Unfortunately, some of the jokes are a little weak. That said, there are moments when this movie nails some of the hypocrisies of pop music (not just hip-hop). Pretty good performances all around, too.