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All Eyez On Me Review

OK

There's a clear sense that this Tupac Shakur biopic is hoping to build on the momentum that started with Straight Outta Compton but, despite an even stronger story, this film pales in comparison. The writers and director never quite get a grip on their subject matter, including far too many inexplicable events and unidentified characters. This means that audiences unfamiliar with Shakur's story will struggle to engage with people and events that lack context and resonance.

Raised by his activist mother Afeni (The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira) in New York, the gifted Tupac (Demetrius Shipp Jr.) starts studying music, acting and dance at art college with his best friend Jada Pinkett (Kat Graham). Then the family moves across the country to Northern California, where he becomes more politically active and starts rapping. Mistreated by his record company, his hot temper lands him in prison, after which Suge Knight (Dominic L. Santana) brings him to Death Row Records. Amid rising fame and fortune, Tupac becomes caught up in an East Coast/West Coast feud with his former friend Biggie Smalls (Jamal Woolard), which takes a fatal turn.

With a story like this, it's odd that the filmmakers opt for such a saintly portrayal of Shakur, completely ignoring his personal life. He seems bizarrely asexual, even when surrounded by near-naked women, and his relationship with fiancee Kidada (Annie Ilonzeh) is non-existent. This is largely because the film's narrative is little more than sequence of moments in Shakur's life jarringly edited together without much connection between them. People wander in and out of these scenes in vast numbers, with some recognisable as famous figures but most just a blur. So the through-line of Shakur's life is a choppy stream of artistry, anger and violence. If the sound mix made it possible to decipher his lyrics, maybe more of this would make sense.

Continue reading: All Eyez On Me Review

Keith Robinson, Omar Gooding, LisaRaye McCoy and Guest - Photographs from the Premiere of movie drama "Lap Dance" which was held at the ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood, California, United States - Monday 8th December 2014

Keith Robinson, Omar Gooding, Lisaraye Mccoy and Guest

Video - Bobby Byrd Brings Family To 'Get On Up' NY Premiere - Part 1


R&B singer Bobby Byrd and his family were among arrivals at the New York premiere for James Brown biopic 'Get On Up' held at The Apollo Theater. The movie has been directed by Tate Taylor and is set to be released on September 26th 2014.

Continue: Video - Bobby Byrd Brings Family To 'Get On Up' NY Premiere - Part 1

Get On Up Trailer


Since he was a child, he knew he'd become a star. He may not have had the easiest life growing up in a poor family and enjoying frequent brushes with the law (something that continued for the rest of his life despite his illustrious career), but he was a pioneer in what he did best. Following his first stint in prison as a teenager, he embarked on a musical career that would create a whole new way of looking at music. His funky rhythms, mind-blowing voice and effortless moves on stage would go on to inspire artists for generations even if his troubled personal life left much to be desired. He even took his soul magic to Vietnam during the 20-year conflict - a venture that demonstrated both his patriotism and his bravery. This is the story of James Brown.

Continue: Get On Up Trailer

Get On Up - Featurette


The stars of the upcoming James Brown biopic 'Get On Up', Viola Davis, Nelsan Ellis and Octavia Spencer, talk about the legendary musician alongside artists Ice Cube, Pharrell, Mick Jagger, Cee-Lo Green and Aloe Blacc in a short featurette ahead of the film's release on September 26th 2014.

Continue: Get On Up - Featurette

Get On Up Trailer


James Brown didn't have the easiest childhood being born to two young parents who were so poor they could barely afford to live. After just a few years, his mother left him and he was raised by his aunt who, although was equally as financially insecure, resolved to love him as her own. Naturally, given his tough background, James turned to crime as a youth and spent time in a juvenile detention centre following an armed robbery conviction. It was there he took his passion for music seriously and decided to form a gospel band with some fellow inmates. Following his parole, he joined another gospel group and from there spiralled an illustrious career in funk and soul music that took the entire world by storm. Just as he dreamed, he became one of the music industry's most revered stars, but, alas, he also became one of the most troubled.

Continue: Get On Up Trailer

Dear John Trailer


John Tyree is a member of the US Army. Whilst on leave he meets a young woman called Savannah Lynn Curtis, the two fall in love almost instantly. The two spend all their time together before Jon is called back to the Army for a tour of service. The couple remain an item despite the lack of contact, both find themselves becoming dependent on their letters to one and other. 7 years down the line as their situations change Savannah finds herself engaged to another man. Now utterly depressed by the news John rushes into a dangerous situation and gets seriously injured. Eventually John is made to leave the army, he must get his real life back on track. How their separation will affect his life is a true testament to his will.

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Dreamgirls Review


Very Good
If only they had let Bill Condon direct Chicago instead of just writing the screenplay. As Condon shows with his razzle-dazzle adaptation of the 1981 Tony-winning musical Dreamgirls, he would have been quite an improvement on Chicago director Rob Marshall -- who, before he gave us a mostly-Chinese cast for Memoirs of a Geisha, tried unconvincingly to prove that Renée Zellweger could sing and Richard Gere could dance. It didn't quite kill the movie (the material is almost indestructible), but made one wonder what it could have been with some actual professionals in the lead. Condon makes no such mistake with Dreamgirls, finding a cast with just the right mix of theatrical chops and movie star charisma. In short: If anybody's thinking of doing a film of Jelly's Last Jam, they should see what Eddie Murphy's schedule looks like.The story is just about perfect for a musical: simple enough to hang a number of tunes on, and not so complex that it requires an inordinate amount of dialogue. A quick pastiche of a number of popular R&B groups from the 1960s and '70s, the musical follows one talented Supremes-like trio of singers, the Dreams, as they get their big break doing backup for James Brown-esque screecher James "Thunder" Early and secure the services of ambitious proto-music mogul Curtis Taylor. The fortunes of some will rise, others will fall, trusts will be betrayed, and beliefs about love and friendship will be tested -- basically nothing that can't be best expressed by a soaring ballad.Dreamgirls fairly jumps out of the gate with startling impatience, doing everything possible to get the audience's attention short of having the performers actually reach out from the screen and drag people up on stage. The entire beginning -- set backstage at a Detroit talent show -- is a barrage of spotlights, flashy and coordinated outfits, and neck-breaking music-video editing; the remainder of the film lets up a little, but not much. The energetic songs come fast and quick, Condon and his brilliant cast snapping them out like there's no shortage. Fortunately, there isn't.The genius of the original musical was setting itself in such a fecund period for R&B and soul, thus providing a deep well from which to draw inspiration. It was that period starting when songs that were popular on African-American radio ("race records," as they were called) were either ignored or stolen and watered down for the white mainstream, moving into the golden era of the Motown groups and stretching up until the early stirrings of disco. Dreamgirls hits, sometimes obliquely, on a number of big historical moments from this period, such as the scene where Taylor (Jamie Foxx) comes up with the idea of payola to bribe DJs to get the girls' songs on the air. The film is hardly weighted down by history, however, as there's always another number to get to, or another fight to resolve; most of the latter being caused by Effie White (Jennifer Hudson), the loudest and most talented of the trio.Condon took a risk by casting a relative unknown (well, save for American Idol) in this key role, but it more than pays off. Cast aside by Taylor fairly early on, once the chillingly business-like producer decides she's too much trouble, Effie spends a good deal of time in exile, working on a comeback. As everyone knows, Hudson more than holds up her end in the singing department, rattling the rafters each and every time it's called for. But fortunately she's a good enough actress to keep her character likeable, admirably tough instead of annoyingly stubborn. Foxx plays things closer to the vest than he normally does, which gives his character a chilling villainy at times, but comes dangerously close to non-acting at others -- with a similarly muted turn in Miami Vice, this could mark a disturbing trend for a normally explosive performer.The biggest and most pleasant surprise, however, is Eddie Murphy as Early. When he could have fallen back on his well-tooled James Brown impression, Murphy instead mixes up a number of different performers into his act and adds his own swagger and polish, while not forgetting the painful vulnerability of a once ground-breaking artist who's terrified about being left behind (there's more than a little autobiography in this performance). It's as though a curtain has been raised from Murphy: He knew and we knew all along that he could pull off something like this, but it just took the right film to make everybody realize once again, what a star he is.With all the killer tunes and star turns (even the normally sleep-inducing Beyoncé Knowles, as the Diana Ross-like Deena Jones, knocks it out of the park) it's surprising in the end that Dreamgirls isn't a complete winner. Maybe too much ground is covered too fast, too much attention paid to flash and artifice, when more groundwork should have been laid. For some reason, even with all the powerful emotions unleashed during the film, there's a strange hollowness at the end, once all the bright lights have dimmed and echoes faded. Maybe it's too much to ask that a musical deliver knockout songs and a solidly-constructed story at the same time, as the two often work at cross purposes. More likely, we should just be happy that Hollywood has figured out how to make musicals again, even if they only come around every four years or so.His girls like to party all the time.
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Keith Robinson Movies

All Eyez On Me Movie Review

All Eyez On Me Movie Review

There's a clear sense that this Tupac Shakur biopic is hoping to build on the...

Get On Up Trailer

Get On Up Trailer

Since he was a child, he knew he'd become a star. He may not have...

Get On Up Trailer

Get On Up Trailer

The stars of the upcoming James Brown biopic 'Get On Up', Viola Davis, Nelsan Ellis...

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Get On Up Trailer

Get On Up Trailer

James Brown didn't have the easiest childhood being born to two young parents who were...

Dear John Trailer

Dear John Trailer

John Tyree is a member of the US Army. Whilst on leave he meets a...

Dreamgirls Movie Review

Dreamgirls Movie Review

If only they had let Bill Condon direct Chicago instead of just writing the screenplay....

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