Above The Rim

I recently watched the remarkable Above The Rim. I must confess that watching the charismatic, handsome, talented and imposing Tupac Shakur was a bitter sweet experience. Bitter in that such talent was short lived and yet sweet because one cannot help but appreciate the screen presence of young Shakur. I could watch such brilliance over and over again.

Above the Rim is a story about a jock who is caught between the seductive life of thuggery and a straight forward life of College Basketball. It stars Duane Martin, Leon, Tupac Shakur and a young Bennie Mac. This is one of those movies is often left out of the must-watch list but I recommend that you rent it and enjoy it.

For Coloured Girls is definitely not for 'Sissy Girls'

I am writing this post with a mixed bag of emotions. But such is the state that Tyler Perry's latest movie will leave in as soon as the credits start rolling.

I kinda knew that For Coloured Girls was going to be one of those movies that was going to leave emotionally drained and with a negative view of the African American male. This film goes out of its way to incorporate all the harshest cruelties that a black woman can endure in one narrative(rape, back alley abortions, abuse, STIs... I could go on). This is a heart wrenching film that left me cold for the most part.

Perry departs from his Madeaesque story telling style to tell a chilling yet poetic tale of a number of Coloured Girls in modern day America. I take my hat off to Perry for getting out of his comfort zone as a Director. For Coloured girls are a good movie but I am not sure I could bare another screening.

The All-star cast includes Janet Jackson, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad, Loretta Devine, Macy Gray and Whoopi Goldberg. These ladies are all champions in their challenging roles.

The guerrillas strike again

The Uganda/South Africa film production collective, ’Yes! That’s Us’ is perfecting the art of collaborative-guerrilla film making. Donald Mugisha and James Tayler the primary members of the group are proving that the African idiom “two heads are better than one” still holds true. The two recently completed their second guerrilla feature film, ‘Yogera: Silence Speaks’, shot in the backstreets of Kampala, Uganda. The collaborative effort in Yogera’s production cannot be understated. The pair thought up the story, found the cast and crew and did the filming. Because of this the director is credited as ‘Yes! That’s Us’ with the names of Tayler and Mugisha appearing on the producers, editors, writers and photography credits. Yogera recently got a screening at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Goteborg International Film Festival.

The film is tale of a deaf mute (Hope) who runs away from the countryside to live in the big city with her twin sister, who is not ready for the responsibility of a deaf mute the modern city. After a fight with her sister, Hope disappears and wanders around the city experiencing the challenges and cruelty that Kampala holds for a person like her.

Guess who...(is back)?

It has been a while since I last put pen to paper. For this I am sorry. The reason for my hiatus is well …life. But I must confess that the long break from spewing out my thoughts about movies gave me a chance to advance as person, movie critic and writer. My come back, if can call it that, could not have come at a more fitting time. I now find myself in an encouraging environment for such a blog. I don’t want to bore you with all the dull details of my new work station but all I can say is that it in the heart of the broadcast, film, commercial, new media and technology field. Ooowee! I am so excited.

The world of cinema is so much greater than just movies. Cinema is a business, a process, a science, an art… I could go on but I think you get my point. Because of the multifaceted nature of cinema this blog will deal with so many more interesting topics that deal with motion pictures.

I also realised that there is a gap in the blogosphere for a writer that understands and is passionate about African cinema. I am going to fill this opening with CinematalkwithSimba. So you can look forward to a more Africa oriented stories.

48 hrs.

before the rappers started getting all the good acting roles, black standup comedians were the movie stars. one such comedian was Eddie Murphy. i had a chance to watch the young Murphy in the 48 hrs. and there is on denying that Eddie Murphy was born to be a star. in 48 hrs. he plays a street wise convict who has to help a cop (Nick Nolte) catch a cop killing baddie in 48 hours. eddie's comedic timing and wise cracks over shadow the stiff Nolte. murphy's performance secured a sequel called... yes you guessed it, Another 48 hrs. (2 out 10 for title originality).

The Last Kiss is so so

I recently watched movie entitled the Last Kiss a 2006 American romantic comedy-drama film, which is based on the 2001 Italian film L'ultimo bacio, directed by Gabriele Muccino. The plot revolves around a young couple and their friends struggling with adulthood and issues of relationships and commitment.

All I can say is that the film is worth watching but I don’t see a lot of people including it on their must-watch lists.   It left me wishing that I had watched the Gabriele Muccino version as opposed to the American one. The Last Kiss does did not leave a lasting impression on me.

District 9 elevates SA cinema

IT took me a while to come around and watch District 9 or D9 as it has come to be known its many zealous fans. Right off the bat I am going to say that I did myself an injustice by not watching on the big screen because the movie is such a tour de force. D9 elevates South African filmmaking to a whole new level that has never been seen before and won’t be repeated any time soon. 

In a nutshell District 9 is a 2009 science fiction action/thriller film directed by Neill Blomkamp. It was written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James. The film won the 2010 Saturn Award for Best International Film presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, and was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2010: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Editing.