Movie Review Hustle and Flow

Hustle and Flow (2005)

Directed by Craig Brewer 

Written by Craig Brewer

Starring Terrence Howard, Paula Jai Parker, Anthony Anderson, Taraji P. Henson, D.J Qualls, Ludacris

Release Date July 22nd, 2005

Published June 21st, 2005 

Certain artists make their statement with such passion that you can't help but be moved. Jimi Hendrix's guitar could sound like a chainsaw but was played with such passion that you could not help but listen intently. Bruce Springsteen's lyrics, be they about heartbreak or happiness, delivered in that raspy scream or sorrowful whisper are similarly moving. Writer-Director Craig Brewer captures a glimpse of this kind of passion in his film Hustle and Flow. The story of a Memphis pimp who dreams of escaping the ghetto for the world of a rap star, Hustle and Flow delivers a powerful look at the kind of unyielding desire that creates great music.

Terrence Howard stars in Hustle and Flow as Djay. Pimping 20 dollars out of the back of his Caprice classic, Djay has reached the age where his father, a garbage man, died. His age has caused a revelation for Djay.  He begins to feel his life slipping away and an emptiness that his current business cannot fill. He confesses some of these feelings in an exceptional opening monologue delivered to one of his girls, Nola (Taryn Manning).

At home Djay has, not only Nola but also Shug (Taraji P. Henson) pregnant and put upon, and  Lexus (Paula Jai Parker). Because she can't work Shug is raising Lexus's child, Lexus also works as a stripper and her independent income makes her often difficult to deal with. Needless to say, Djay's surroundings contribute heavily to his sense of desperation.

Then, in a chance encounter in a gas station, Djay hooks up with an old high school buddy named Key (Anthony Anderson). Working as a sound engineer recording church choirs, Key had always dreamed of opening a studio to produce rap records. When Key brings Djay to church to hear the choir, the music inspires Djay to finally express his thoughts musically.

With Key's help, and the help of a skinny white kid named Shelby (D.J. Qualls), Djay records a rap record with the hope that if it's any good he can get it in the hands of a local rapper, Skinny Black (Ludacris), who is returning to town for one night only. He knows if Skinny Black here's his music he will make it big, get out of the ghetto and live happily ever after.

Hustle and Flow has a familiar rags to riches in the music biz plot. Movies as varied as A Star Is Born or Glitter have mined this same plot to varying degrees of success. What sets Hustle and Flow apart is  Craig Brewer's artful direction that takes cues from 70's blaxploitation and modern music videos and Terrence Howard's visceral and feral performance. And finally the music, which is an impactful and impassioned brand of hip hop from the streets of Memphis called Crunk.

Craig Brewer directs Hustle and Flow, his second feature after the obscure The Poor and Hungry, with a style and flair that perfectly captures its place but remains timeless. Brewer happened upon the story from his own midlife crisis. Reaching the age his father had died at, 27 years old, Brewer felt compelled to do something lasting and combined with a unique run in with a Memphis pimp while scouting locations for another film, Hustle and Flow was born.

The film captures a version of Memphis, Tennessee, from the heat to the hustle, in a way similar to how Martin Scorsese captures his New York City, that way that feels definitive and true. Amy Vincent's cinematography brings the humid, sweat soaked streets of Memphis to vivid life while production designer Keith Brian Burns creates sets that have a lived in feel so familiar you could swear you've been in that place.

Terrence Howard is electric in a complicated, hard-bitten performance. The character is uncompromising and not always a good person but his music and his all consuming desire to escape his despair make Djay sympathetic whether he strives to be or not. Howard does all of his own rapping in the film and shows an exceptional and unexpected talent for it.

What a great year for Terrence Howard. His powerful supporting performance in Paul Haggis' Crash is a remarkable turn. Now with Hustle and Flow, Howard has the kind of one-two punch that Jamie Foxx had in 2004 with Collateral and Ray. Howard does not have the big studio support that Foxx had last year, which makes him much more of a longshot come Oscar time, but it's unquestionable that both performances deserve recognition.

The lasting effect of Hustle and Flow comes from the film's soundtrack. With contributions from Memphis rap stars 3 Six Mafia and Al Capone and Terrence Howard's incredibly adept raps the music rings with the character's desire and desperation. Capone and 3 Six Mafia wrote all of Djay's raps but indeed it is Howard himself rapping in the film.

The music, with titles like "Whoop That Trick" and "It's Hard For A Pimp", have the raw power and resonance of rap music before it was co-opted and forced into the mainstream. Before rappers became consumed by their fame and began writing more about Cristal Champagne than about what was really happening on the streets.

Terrence Howard is emerging as a huge talent. Crash was a wake-up call and Hustle and Flow is a full on announcement of Terrence Howard's formidable gifts. Combined with arguably the year's best soundtrack and the phenomenal direction of Craig Brewer, Terrence Howard makes Hustle and Flow one of 2005's all-too-rare must-see pictures. 

Movie Review: Comic Book Villains

Comic Book Villains (2002) 

Directed by James Robinson

Written by James Robinson 

Starring Donal Logue, D.J Qualls, Cary Elwes, Natasha Lyonne, Michael Rappaport 

Release Date September 3rd, 2002 

Published September 9th, 2002 

The comic book fanboy culture is ripe for satire. Such was shown in Kevin Smith's brilliant Chasing Amy. Comics aren't the center of that film but the scenes involving comics and the comic convention are comedic gold. Comic Book Villains aspires to tell the story of some serious fanboys but in reality it's a ridiculous farce with not one likeable character.

DJ Qualls stars as Archie, a comic fanboy who is beginning to grow out of his former obsession. Though he would never tell that to Raymond, his best friend and the owner of the most snobbish comic store in town, and proud of it. Raymond, played by Donal Logue, is the ultimate fanboy who won't speak to anyone who doesn't the names of the Fantastic Four, their alter egos, how they got their powers, which issue introduced what character and various other pieces of minutia someone with no friends and especially no dates would know.

Raymond's rivals in the comic biz are Norman (Michael Rappoport) and his wife Judy (Natascha Lyonne). Though they aren't comic book fans they know a quick buck when they see it.

The rivalry comes to a head when a 40-something collector kicks the bucket, leaving behind the ultimate comic collection. Raymond and Norman are each quick to pounce on the guy's clueless mom who never understood her son's obsession with those funny books. The mom is played by the venerable Eileen Brennen, and as she puts up with Raymond and Norman's incessant begging and pleading, she strikes up a real friendship with Archie who has been dragged into the mess by Raymond.

As the comic book war heats up both, sides begin to lose their grip on reality as they each plot a break-in of the old woman's house to steal the comics. Raymond goes as far as attempting to hire a hitman to kill the old lady and steal the comics.

The hitman is played by Cary Elwes and at the beginning, his character is the only sympathetic character in the film. He's a guy who's fresh from prison and looking to rebuild his life. Director James Robinson makes the hitman character both sympathetic and menacing which is supposed to prepare us for the film's climax. Sadly this fails as Elwes gets sucked into the plot's stupidity and is then crushed underneath it like all of the other characters.

Every character in the film is a complete moron, with the possible exception of DJ Qualls'sArchie who isn't as stupid as the other characters. Still, his character is just utterly useless. Archie narrates the story but is not really involved in it. He should consider himself lucky! Elwes, Logue, Rappaport and Lyonne probably wish their characters weren't involved in this ridiculousness but they are and they suffer greatly for it.

Writer-Director James Robinson has crafted a thoroughly unlikable film. Incoherent, ridiculous and endlessly stupid. The film is marketed as a comedy and you would think since it's about comic books, it would be, but it's not. In fact I'm not sure James Robinson intended to make a comedy. It seemed to me he was trying for drama and suspense. He failed miserably.

Movie Review: Chasing Holden

Chasing Holden (2001) 

Directed by Malcolm Clarke

Written by Sean Kanan

Starring D.J Qualls, Rachel Blanchard

Release Date October 11th, 2001 

Published June 3rd, 2002 

I have never read "The Catcher In the Rye". When I was a kid I thought it was about Yankee's catcher Yogi Berra, because I thought it was set in the 50's and Yogi was a catcher in the 50's. I still don't know the story fully though from seeing the straight-to-video feature Chasing Holden starring DJ Qualls I now have a good sense for the story and I may check it out. Maybe, if I find the time.

Holden is the story of Neil (Qualls), the son of the Governor of New York. Neil has just been released from a mental hospital after his father suspected he was contemplating suicide. Neil is troubled by his father’s distance that is covered by his father’s high-profile job but has more to do with a brother we never see.

Neil is enrolled at a private school where he meets the equally messed up T.J (Rachel Blanchard). They bond over Neil's dog-eared copy of “Catcher in the Rye” and their coupling in drama class. After following her home and having dinner with her parents, Neil is convinced she is a kindred spirit and invites her on his spiritual journey to meet the author of “Catcher in The Rye”, JD Salinger.

As Neil hides his past from TJ, she too has a secret health problem that she doesn't want to reveal in fear of scaring him off. As the journey goes on we begin to see that Neil's obsession with Salinger may not be a healthy one. An obsession that is well documented in a rather creepy scene where Neil explains to TJ why Mark Chapman killed John Lennon and how Chapman's motivation was linked to Salinger's book.

Qualls is a very unlikely romantic lead, but then with his gawky frame and goofy manner he is an unlikely actor. In Chasing Holden, Qualls's strange look works, giving the character an edginess that is unsettling from beginning to end. Blanchard on the other and isn't as successful. Her TJ isn't quirky enough to match Qualls's weirdness and her character's motivations are a little thin. In the end she seems more like a plot device in service of Qualls' Neil and his journey, rather than being a character in her own right.

Director Malcolm Clarke gives the feeling of a director still feeling his way around a camera. He has an idea of what he wants to do with each shot but isn't entirely sure how to make it work. In the end, Clarke's Chasing Holden is an interesting film. A little dull at times, but saved moderately by Qualls’ interesting performance.

Movie Review The Core

The Core (2003) 

Directed by Jon Amiel 

Written by John Rogers 

Starring Aaron Eckhardt, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, D.J Qualls, Richard Jenkins

Release Date March 28th, 2003 

Published March 27th, 2003 

It's not often when screenwriters make the news. When John Rogers, the co-writer of The Core, wrote in to Aint It Cool News to dispute a review that questioned the film’s science, more than a few of us took notice and had a little laugh at his expense. Granted, no one wants their work made fun of, but when you make a movie as unabashedly out there as The Core, you can't expect it to be welcomed as if it were written by Carl Sagan. 

Sci-fi films have a horrible track record of including actual science in them and the aspiration to put real science in a movie like The Core is like asking Beverly Hills Cop to include real police procedures. No one goes to disaster movies for a science lesson, they go to watch landmarks explode. The Core blows up Rome and San Francisco, mission accomplished.

Aaron Eckhart heads up an ensemble cast as Dr. Josh Keyes, a physics professor at some anonymous college. In the midst of a lecture on the layers of the Earth, Dr. Keyes is called out of class by a pair of humorless G-men. Taken on a jet to Washington D.C, he reunites with a fellow scientist and friend Sergei Levesque (Tcheky Karyo, in a rare non-villain role). The two are asked by an army General (Six Feet Under dead guy, Richard Jenkins) to theorize what environmental factors could cause a group of people with pacemakers to simply drop dead without warning.

The answer, after much lucky guessing by Dr. Keyes, is that the Earth's core has stopped spinning causing it's electromagnetic field to go haywire. Not only has it caused pacemakers to stop, but also birds have lost navigating ability and are falling from the sky. Also falling is the space shuttle which has flown off course and nearly crashes in L.A, saved only by the wits of it's plucky navigator Major Rebecca Childs.

So now that we know what's wrong, there are two questions remaining. Number one, how did this happen? And number two, how do we stop it? Thankfully, the film’s trailer has already told us both of those things. A weapon that causes earthquakes has gone too far thanks to the miscalculations of it's inventor Dr. Zimsky (Stanley Tucci). Conversely, crazy scientist Dr. "Braz" Brazzleton has a vehicle with the ability to tunnel all the way to the core. Once there, nuclear weapons can be dropped to kickstart the core. Apparently, no one had jumper cables.

To the science issue, I have no idea and really don't care if the science is real. What matters is if the film is any good. Some geologist writing somewhere said that the film has as many accurate notions as inaccuracies and that the inaccuracies are those that are necessary for dramatic purposes. WHATEVER!

Let's get to the important stuff, how cool are the explosions. Well let me tell you in the words of the late John Candy in an old SCTV sketch, stuff blow'd up, blow'd up real good. The special effects aren't spectacular but they are entertaining in a modern day Ed Wood sort of way. The Golden Gate Bridge explosion is a cheesy treat and when Rome blows up, watching the reactions of the extras running from the Coliseum is priceless.

The Core is a bad movie but in the camp sense it's genius. Whether intentional or not The Core is full of laughs from the effects to the characters. I especially liked Stanley Tucci who seemed to be channeling Dr. Smith from Lost In Space with his whiny smugness. And kudos to Delroy Lindo for assuaging his usual calm cool persona for a geekier frazzled genius demeanor that you don't expect from him.

The Core is just plain goofy and in that sense it's a lot of fun. Though it needs to be greatly pared down from it's two-hour plus runtime, it nevertheless delivers a fun little distraction.