Blair-Underwood Movie Reviews

Clearly, the definitive film on one of America's most pivotal events in its long and difficult racial history. Informative yet always entertaining. Well written and well played.

An outstanding and extremely underrated film about the 1965 Watts Uprising. Brilliant performances by Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones, Blair Underwood and Glenn Plummer. Top notch writing and visual storytelling that is compelling, enlightening and even quite humorous at times. At long last an important movie about the African-American experience that s told from an intelligent African-American perspective!

Tom Keogh, whomever he may be, is quite mistaken about the quality of Mario Van Peebles film, which is somewhat more than simply a "black western." Despite the "camp" appearances of several black celebrities, Peebles brings to the film an arresting visual quality and an iconoclastic, unmistakably "dark" [no pun intended] perspective on How the West Was Lost, which is one of the biggest tragedies of American history. The historical background is suitably complex, tieing in references to the Spanish-American War. Although the lead character's gunslinging talents are made too much of, this is far from cliche.

Mario Van Peebles directed and starred in this film about a group of African-American soldiers (and one white one) on the run from a corrupt military officer. The officer (Billy Zane) had the posse steal some gold from Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He planned to kill them afterwards, but the group proved stronger than he thought and they escaped. They come back to the states and follow Jesse (Van Peebles) to the dream town of his deceased father in west Texas. Jesse has some inner demons to silence and they won't be still until he has settled an aged score.

The film is interesting. However, the movie relies heavily upon typical Western cliches which dampen some of the it's uniqueness. Nevertheless, the film does raise awareness about all the black cowboys and settlers that were so instrumental in taming the West that most people don't even know existed. An educational film that is quite entertaining to watch.

Mario Van Peebles Posse' brought a new perspective about the west. This was the first western in many years to feature a predominately African-American cast. Stephen Baldwin was great in his potrayal of Lil' Jay. Very educational movie.

I think this movie is slightly overrated. The acting is not bad, camerawork not bad, but it's not excellent either. The dialogs are not really realistic -too many functional dialogs- and most characters are quite 'flat'. Don't understand me wrong, it's not a bad movie, but it's moralistic undertone probably caused it to become slightly overrated (just like movies like American History X).

Many science fiction films have a major flaw - their total lack of appeal to a broad range of people - yet 'Gattaca' succeeds on many levels. In we're introduced to Vincent (Ethan Hawke), a man of natural birth (or an 'in-valid') whose life expectancy is 30. Vincent longs for deep space travel but knows that he'll never amount to anything but a cleaner with his genes. So he grabs the opportunity to pass himself off as 'valid' Jerome (Jude Law) who has been crippled. However, things start to go wrong when a murder investigation and pretty co-worker Irene (Uma Thurman) get closer to figuring out the truth.

This is an immensely intriguing idea that is carried off well with both a realistic and disquieting view of the future. Never truly alone and programmed to be able to do only one specific thing means that dreams and aspirations are thrown out of the window. Among other things it also functions as an efficient thriller and love story. For these reasons it's unusual that this movie didn't do better at the box office.

As a romantic story it works a lot better than, say, 'Blade Runner' (Hawke and Thurman are married in real life) but the film is quite happy to cater to all tastes and it's difficult to pigeon-hole this as merely science-fiction. It has echoes of books such as 'Brave New World' and the incredibly realised future is at once elegant, absorbing and terrifying. Yet it never loses sight of the human spirit, with Jude Law's performance being especially mesmerising as the perfect person that has to live with his incapacity and watch a stranger live his life for him.

However, maybe the best praise for 'Gattaca' is that I loved it, and I'm not a science-fiction fan.

This superb near-future science fiction piece offers the perfect antidote to the tired, "cyberpunk", post-apocalyptic view usually taken by writers when predicting future society. Set in "the not-too-distant future" - a technologically advanced yet stylistically fifties world - the film portrays the social consequences of today's genetic research carried forward to extremes. Society has become divided; a new underclass created not according to race, sex, or financial means but "bad" genetic material - those born "on faith" rather than being genetically engineered to their parents' specifications. Gattaca tells the story of Vincent, one of the so-called "In-valids" who has the willpower to succeed in life but is oppressed because he is genetically inferior. To achieve his goal of joining the Gattaca space corporation and travelling into space he assumes the identity of a "Valid" - Eugene - by fooling the all-pervading genetic testing machines with samples of his blood, urine, skin and hair. Eugene - who seems to have every advantage in life - is bitter because he lacks the drive to use his gifts to the full, and is now crippled after a failed attempt at suicide. The film's overriding feature is the palpable tension created as Vincent must hide every trace of his being from those investigating a crime committed in his workplace - the attention to detail is superb. Overall, a thoughtful - if a little extreme - treatment of genetic research and the importance of the intangible aspects of the being as opposed to quantifiable features.

I think this movie is slightly overrated. The acting is not bad, camerawork not bad, but it's not excellent either. The dialogs are not really realistic -too many functional dialogs- and most characters are quite 'flat'. Don't understand me wrong, it's not a bad movie, but it's moralistic undertone probably caused it to become slightly overrated (just like movies like American History X).

Many science fiction films have a major flaw - their total lack of appeal to a broad range of people - yet 'Gattaca' succeeds on many levels. In we're introduced to Vincent (Ethan Hawke), a man of natural birth (or an 'in-valid') whose life expectancy is 30. Vincent longs for deep space travel but knows that he'll never amount to anything but a cleaner with his genes. So he grabs the opportunity to pass himself off as 'valid' Jerome (Jude Law) who has been crippled. However, things start to go wrong when a murder investigation and pretty co-worker Irene (Uma Thurman) get closer to figuring out the truth.

This is an immensely intriguing idea that is carried off well with both a realistic and disquieting view of the future. Never truly alone and programmed to be able to do only one specific thing means that dreams and aspirations are thrown out of the window. Among other things it also functions as an efficient thriller and love story. For these reasons it's unusual that this movie didn't do better at the box office.

As a romantic story it works a lot better than, say, 'Blade Runner' (Hawke and Thurman are married in real life) but the film is quite happy to cater to all tastes and it's difficult to pigeon-hole this as merely science-fiction. It has echoes of books such as 'Brave New World' and the incredibly realised future is at once elegant, absorbing and terrifying. Yet it never loses sight of the human spirit, with Jude Law's performance being especially mesmerising as the perfect person that has to live with his incapacity and watch a stranger live his life for him.

However, maybe the best praise for 'Gattaca' is that I loved it, and I'm not a science-fiction fan.

This superb near-future science fiction piece offers the perfect antidote to the tired, "cyberpunk", post-apocalyptic view usually taken by writers when predicting future society. Set in "the not-too-distant future" - a technologically advanced yet stylistically fifties world - the film portrays the social consequences of today's genetic research carried forward to extremes. Society has become divided; a new underclass created not according to race, sex, or financial means but "bad" genetic material - those born "on faith" rather than being genetically engineered to their parents' specifications. Gattaca tells the story of Vincent, one of the so-called "In-valids" who has the willpower to succeed in life but is oppressed because he is genetically inferior. To achieve his goal of joining the Gattaca space corporation and travelling into space he assumes the identity of a "Valid" - Eugene - by fooling the all-pervading genetic testing machines with samples of his blood, urine, skin and hair. Eugene - who seems to have every advantage in life - is bitter because he lacks the drive to use his gifts to the full, and is now crippled after a failed attempt at suicide. The film's overriding feature is the palpable tension created as Vincent must hide every trace of his being from those investigating a crime committed in his workplace - the attention to detail is superb. Overall, a thoughtful - if a little extreme - treatment of genetic research and the importance of the intangible aspects of the being as opposed to quantifiable features.

the film is pretty good when it's focused on the action.but Jada Pinkett-Smith&Blair Underwood drag the film down.Vivica A.Fox&Kimberly Elise are alright in there parts.Ella Joyce is solid as well.but it's the Break-Through performance of Queen Latifah that makes the film worth seeing.she should have won all kinds of awards for this performance.F.Gary Gray has done some very Innovative videos but i don't feel he is up to par as far as being a film director.

This is one of the best movies. I could understand what everyone of the characters were enduring. I have to give much props to Queen La b/c she has endured much controversy & gossip b/c of her character Cleo. Each women were involved in the life of crime because of different reasons. When you are constantly seen in negative light, never seeming to amount to anything, and always told of what you won't be able to accomplish you think, so what, who cares what I do. That's how Frankie (Vivica A. Fox) and Stony (Jada Pinkett-Smith) both felt. Frankie got involved in robbing banks after she was accused of helping the man that pointed a gun to her head and robbed the bank she worked in just because they were from the same sides of the track. Stony saw her brother gunned down because he was the victim of police violence. It didn't matter that her brother was going to college and that he happen to be friends with the wrong people, all they seen was another black boy that needed to be taken down. All they wanted was a life better than what they had, which wasn't much. You see the life on television that others seem to have, but for you, it's always out of reaching distance. This is a great movie with a really sad ending. I cried out for Stony because she really got the bad end of the deal, even though she's the only one that made it out.

Wow, is the only thing my husband and I could say after watching this move for the first time. Wow, excellent and exciting, especially Queen L. and Jada P. Their performances were just amazing, Vivica F. is always great, yet to see these other actresses kicking (up the) screen, was a delight. The movie is very realistic and had good wit, I would advise kleenex to any new viewers. I highly recommend this movie to Everyone, it's life at any point in your existance, no matter your believed status.
This is a movie, we will have to buy.

the film is pretty good when it's focused on the action.but Jada Pinkett-Smith&Blair Underwood drag the film down.Vivica A.Fox&Kimberly Elise are alright in there parts.Ella Joyce is solid as well.but it's the Break-Through performance of Queen Latifah that makes the film worth seeing.she should have won all kinds of awards for this performance.F.Gary Gray has done some very Innovative videos but i don't feel he is up to par as far as being a film director.

This is one of the best movies. I could understand what everyone of the characters were enduring. I have to give much props to Queen La b/c she has endured much controversy & gossip b/c of her character Cleo. Each women were involved in the life of crime because of different reasons. When you are constantly seen in negative light, never seeming to amount to anything, and always told of what you won't be able to accomplish you think, so what, who cares what I do. That's how Frankie (Vivica A. Fox) and Stony (Jada Pinkett-Smith) both felt. Frankie got involved in robbing banks after she was accused of helping the man that pointed a gun to her head and robbed the bank she worked in just because they were from the same sides of the track. Stony saw her brother gunned down because he was the victim of police violence. It didn't matter that her brother was going to college and that he happen to be friends with the wrong people, all they seen was another black boy that needed to be taken down. All they wanted was a life better than what they had, which wasn't much. You see the life on television that others seem to have, but for you, it's always out of reaching distance. This is a great movie with a really sad ending. I cried out for Stony because she really got the bad end of the deal, even though she's the only one that made it out.

Wow, is the only thing my husband and I could say after watching this move for the first time. Wow, excellent and exciting, especially Queen L. and Jada P. Their performances were just amazing, Vivica F. is always great, yet to see these other actresses kicking (up the) screen, was a delight. The movie is very realistic and had good wit, I would advise kleenex to any new viewers. I highly recommend this movie to Everyone, it's life at any point in your existance, no matter your believed status.
This is a movie, we will have to buy.

Never mind that corny Leonard Maitlin quip. this is the story of the biggest rap label ever, told fictionally. Krush Groove is really DefJam Records, the label that would go on to host the biggest acts ever, including RunDMC, The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, the FatBoys, Kurtis Blow (ALL FEATURED PROMINENTLY AND ACTUALLY DISPLAYING GOOD ACTING SKILLS), and later MethodMan, Redman, DMX and Public Enemy. This film has great performances, an angry Run coming on stage, positively commenting on the other performers quietly and declaring, "but this is my m.. house!" is great. Kurtis Blow does If I ruled the World, the FatBoys do their thing, etc. But in terms of seriousness and social blah blah, watching this movie, seeing the way Russel came up, and looking now at what he's become, is just amazing. They got Blair Underwood to play Russel Simmons, and he does a great job. This movie should, though it probably wont, go down as one of the best accounts of the achievement of the American Dream, through dangerous dealings and dreaming, all types of adversity and successes, in a music that was emerging. The movie was made in 85, and it takes place pretty much exactly as it was being made, with complete faith in its premise, its music, and its eventual success. That's quite amazing because you can now look at it as a historical testament, no exxageration, to one of the biggest cultural movements this nation has ever had. Hip hop heads, we'll go down like the gnostics, amazing innovators and proponents of culture, suppressed by the ignorant and the power-hungry. You'll show this movie to your kids one day.

This movie is so cute, so happy, so silly, so fun. It has become a member of my family. The music is good, the characters are hilarious, and you can pick out bits of truth and history if you look. You can also play "Where's LL?". He is scattered a few places in the movie. And you get to see the real Russell Simmons talking to the character based on Russell Simmons, played by Blair Underwood. MTV had a hip hop day a couple of years ago, and they featured Krush Groove, hosted by Fab 5 Freddy. (You can also see F5F in the beautiful, classic, solid Wild Style.) The only advisory is to erase or fast-forward through the scene in which the Fat Boys (the Disko 3) are in their science class, right before they get into "Don't you dog me.... Aaarh aaarh, aaarh aaarh....". The classroom part contains an unnecessary dissection scene. Watch it and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy this movie, and by all means --- keep the spirit of Krush Groove alive! Word. :)

it's rated r for absolutely nothing. barely any cuss words compared to todays rap.

This movie was as easy to get through as a Mexican check fuxxy! Why on earth would The Chancellor play a ring-of-fire match when he knew he'd be bird-eyed the entire time? Talk about a grade A crumble! Also, as a doctor of Frozenometry and Levular Dynamics, I will be the first to say that the ensunderment portrayed in this film is scientifically impossible. I move to debunk!

this movie really cast me Asunder. At times it seemed as if the actors were speaking in a combination of morse code and tourette's syndrome. Very hard to follow. But, alas, the overall ensunderment value exceeds 25 cosmic units. which will you choose, death or glory? see this movie and find out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I remember receiving an email when the movie was to be released. However, it didn't receive any support and I don't think it was even in the theaters longer than a week. How unfortunate. This movie was excellent. Just goes to show how the media down plays black actors, writers and producers. If you can sit and watch "28 Days Later" (which is an absolute mess of a movie) shame on you for not supporting this suspenseful drama. This movie shall become a part of my personal collection. THE BOMBDIGITY FOR SURE.

This movie was as easy to get through as a Mexican check fuxxy! Why on earth would The Chancellor play a ring-of-fire match when he knew he'd be bird-eyed the entire time? Talk about a grade A crumble! Also, as a doctor of Frozenometry and Levular Dynamics, I will be the first to say that the ensunderment portrayed in this film is scientifically impossible. I move to debunk!

this movie really cast me Asunder. At times it seemed as if the actors were speaking in a combination of morse code and tourette's syndrome. Very hard to follow. But, alas, the overall ensunderment value exceeds 25 cosmic units. which will you choose, death or glory? see this movie and find out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I remember receiving an email when the movie was to be released. However, it didn't receive any support and I don't think it was even in the theaters longer than a week. How unfortunate. This movie was excellent. Just goes to show how the media down plays black actors, writers and producers. If you can sit and watch "28 Days Later" (which is an absolute mess of a movie) shame on you for not supporting this suspenseful drama. This movie shall become a part of my personal collection. THE BOMBDIGITY FOR SURE.

I recieved the video...good shape,when going to play it...it is european mode and now we have to go and convert it to a normal speed..at a cost to us.. I am not happy that I was misdirected without knowing this before hand....so be sure when your buying from this company you check this out..

I experienced this movie for the first time just today and I found it to be remarkable. A depiction of a true and tried black family at its finest and darkest hours. A MASTERPIECE!

First time I saw this film it made my cry, and still when I tune in to Hallmark and this movie is on, I cry even more, it has a facinating story and great actors as well, I think many people can see themselves in this situation. So thats why im highly recommending this movie to you guyes. I Just bought the movie, and im very anxious to getting it:D