Change Your Image
silver462
Reviews
The Last Big Thing (1996)
Great film
"The Last Big Thing" is a wonderful satirical film that sardonically whips pop culture to the point of humorous self-desctruction. The characters are so interesting and fun to laugh at/sympathize with. Which brings me to an introduction to the characters I liked best...
Simon Geist is a man in his late 30s/early 40s who creates a pop-culture driven editorial magazine called "The Next Big Thing". Thing is, this magazine doesnt really exist, and it is only an excuse for Simon to get close to actors by interviewing them, only to bitch-slap them silly, insulting their way of buying into pop culture. His live-in female friend, Darla, is also writing a magazine (which is real), which mainly has to do with her and Simon, as well as her and her father. Darla is a genuinely loveable (or loathable) character, depending on how you view her muted neurotic behavior. Magda is a prostitute, the character i liked the best. Brent is a flat character with not much to him, as is Tedra, the music-video queen for a bunch of B-rated rock bands. Still, these characters weave a very interesting web together. And this movie questions all the motivations that people have for what they do and why they do it. Its a wonderful film and I suggest you see it if you're in the indie/art house crowd. Mark my words!
Belly (1998)
My opinion (out of 10): 4 out of 10
Wow, what a bunch of non-actors. It's not that they can't act, im sure if they all spent 6 weeks at acting school and learned all the techniques, they could perform lots better. The problem is that BELLY did not allow them to act at all. The script was (if not "poorly written") very average and mediocre. Why sit through two hours of this stupid dialogue when you can go to your nearby neighborhood and listen to a couple of thugs use the same words the same way? BELLY was probably trying to represent a slice of life common with street hustlers and those out to make money. But the slice of life we see here is not very common: several thugs who never picked up a book in their lives, all with great houses, expensive cars, and beautiful wives. Sound a little unrealistic to you? Yeah, me too. However, we have seen this kind of image before (rappers in flashy cars w/ women and the like) all over MTV. It's no surprise to find that Hype Williams started his career in music videos. This brings me to the movie's good points. Williams is a visionary master. The cinematography could not have been handled better; with masterful camera shots (though not overly awkward) and techniques that, in truth, could make almost every camera-man envious. Another point, that i think goes along with the cinematography, is the visionary theme of the movie: colors. It is a little obvious when the cinemtography uses a red filter or blue filter to shoot their shots. Sometimes, using this technique can blur the image and hurt the eyes. But the color schemes that one doesnt notice at first are the most remarkable ones. For example, the inside of each guy's house has a different color scheme to it, representing a mood to match the man: Tommy's house is big, white, and cold blue, while Sincere's house (a seemingly more mellow character with a heart that's a little bigger than everyone else's) is a warm shade of rusty red. Probably the most fabulous color shot in the entire movie was in the prison cell-block: one cell was red, the one next to it gave off a bluish light, and the wall we're looking at (at the far end, but from the angle we're looking at it from, it's right next to the blue cell) is a faded yellow. Red, Blue, and Yellow. Very color-thematic film. Unfortunately, Hype Williams can't show off his music video talent in any other area besides vision. The script was flat as was the acting, and the sense we get from this movie is of "just another drug deal", when at the same time it all seems so absurd; how these guys can get rich quick just by a few deals and robberies, without getting caught and without any education. And what's the deal with all the nice cars? When we see the Mercedes S-Class one of the guys drives in the beginning, we can get the sense that these guys have money and these guys have nice cars. But it seems almost like the car companies pushed these guys to drive their cars in this movie. Maybe they did, and that would be the only excuse for having so many damn cars crammed in this film. Off the top of my head, i can remember seeing a Mercedes S-Class, a Merc C-class, a Merc E-class, a Lexus GS300, a Dodge Intrepid, and a Range Rover. Too many cars for one movie, and all of them (except maybe the Dodge) are luxury cars for not just anyone. Nas's whole "changing ways" thing doesnt seem that believable, though we can certainly side with him when he wants to read and be with his family, considering all his friends are a-holes that dont know how to read. He even gives what i consider an emotional and even profound speech (though w/ all the ebonics its hard to make out every word they're saying) to his little 12 year old brother, who we know is going to die soon from a bullet at the wrong time, and Nas is talking while he smokes a joint. It's all very sad. The speech i did NOT like was the one by the preacher in the very end. Boy, talk about cardboard acting...all this guy had to do was talk like a preacher, and he couldnt do it. And the words he said in that final speech could have been delivered with so much emotion and made so much better. But alas, I am not the director, and we'll have to leave it as that (a shame, it was not a good way to end the movie). Belly had strong cinematography, no one can doubt that, but everything else seemed to lapse into monotony, and absurdity. I think you'll understand what i mean when you see this movie. My impression of it wasnt too great (and i would slap something if i had to sit through all that ebonics another time, ugh), and thus, i gave BELLY a 4 out of 10.