Rick Famuyiwa's DOPE is smart, funny entertainment--with a necessary message

You'll know you're in good hands almost immediately as DOPE begins, sporting a bevy of definitions for the title word: drugs, a dumb person, and something that's good (as opposed to wack -- or maybe it's whack -- which is bad). That last definition may take you back to the parlance of the 1980s, a time period much treasured by the movie's leading young man, Malcolm (played with a fine combination of budding everything -- from sex appeal to intelligence to, yes, even maturity -- by Shameik Moore. Malcolm wasn't around in those "halcyon" 80s days, but he loves the music of that period, which has inspired him and his friends to create some more of it. The movie was written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (the filmmaker is shown below), who, back in 1999 gave us the overpraised but still worthwhile The Wood. After several movies in between, Dope proves his best so far and by far.

Above all Dope is an entertainment -- not a bad level to which to aspire, particularly when the outcome is as entertaining as it is in this case. Mr. Famuyiwa's screenplay -- his dialog, narration, pacing, events depicted and in particular his understanding of the way the world works in the black ghettos of Los Angeles (the movie is set in Inglewood, California, a city TrustMovies lived in back in the late 1940s and early 50s and recalls rather fondly) -- is smart, often witty and whenever it gets preachy, it does so in a way that should make you smile, if not outright laugh. As a director, Famuyiwa seems to be trying some new stylistic tricks, most of which work pretty well. His speedy cutting between scenes, occasionally going back to show us what was left out, or substituting a bit of fantasy for reality all seem in service to telling his story in the most appropriate, cliche-free way.

The key to the movie's success lies in Famuyiwa's focusing on kids who are geeks and nerds, rather than the usual street kids with problems we most often see in movies about blacks and other "minorities." This allows us to enjoy a kind of "revenge of the nerds, black-style." For most white audiences, this will mean the opportunity to identify with these kids more easily than usual. The movie's keenest insight, however, may be that, to succeed, our hero must be both "street" and not. How he does this -- involving a successful pillar of the black community who acts as adviser and mentor to the kids (played with exquisite nuance by Roger Guenveur Smith) -- proves Dope's ace-in-the-hole, grounding the film in a sad reality, even as it teases and entertains us into such high spirits.

The supporting cast includes the likes of  Kimberly Elise as Malcolm's mom, Tony Revolori (above, right and everyone's favorite bellhop from The Grand Budapest Hotel), Zoë Kravitz (below, right) as the apple of Malcolm's eye, and Kiersey Clemons (above, left) as the lesbian high-schooler and gal pal, Diggy. As strong as the movie is concerning its hero, it is equally weak regarding most of the subsidiary characters, who are, for the most part, one dimensional. This does not destroy the film by any means but it makes it a long way from great. Yet, as I say, it's a smart entertainment, as well as a look at an under-served portion of the black community. And that, these days, is nothing to sneeze at.

From Universal Pictures and running 104 minutes, Dope hit the streets on DVD/Blu-ray/Digital HD yesterday, October 13--for rental or purchase.

Park Hong-soo's COMMITMENT, in theaters now, screens FREE at Tribeca Cinemas next Tuesday....

Oh, boy: I'ts another movie from South Korea in which those poor North Koreans are sent spying on their southern brothers, are left twisting in the wind (or worse) by their own government and then finally cut loose to be killed by either the South or other spies from the North. Ah, fun. Sent from North to South on a mission of espionage, an imprisoned 18-year-old boy agrees to do this job on the promise that his younger sister will be safe and then let go when he returns. If only. Betrayal is everywhere here. Says the older North Korean spy to his younger counterpart as he shoves a knife into the boy's chest, "Don't you know, you naive kid, that nobody ever goes home." 

As directed (and maybe written: I can't find any writing credit on the IMDB's post) by Park Hong-soo (shown scratching his head at right), the new film COMMITMENT, a box-office bonanza in its home country, should please quite a few folk over here, too. It moves at a very speedy pace, includes a number of fine and violent action sequences, and has the added hook of partially taking place in a South Korean high school, where resides a particularly nasty crew of mean girls (and boys).

In the leading role is a very attractive young man named Choi Seung-hyun (shown below, and better known as a rapper named T.O.P. from the group Big Bang). Master Choi acquits himself surprising well, I thought, as this poor young recruit trained to kill so easily and naturally that it soon becomes second nature. Desperately trying to protect his sister (below, right), as well as another young girl he meets in his new high school, the kid is up to his ears in problems.

This movie, as well as a number of others recently seen from South Korea, will indeed make you wonder: Is this country -- certainly as "western" an eastern one as can be imagined -- a place where present-day spying runs rampant and can so very easily be believed? If so, even if not, this idea certainly seems to be a hook from which countless Korean movies can be hung.

Super-violent and running up a very large body count, Commitment finds betrayal just about everywhere, at least where the men are concerned. You can count on the women a whole lot more easily, whether it's the grandmotherly North Korean spy who helps both the kid and his late father (in the film's fine opening sequence), or the high school honey (above) who befriends our hero, or his put-upon sister (both girls are conveniently named Hye-in).

While the film is most often rueful and sad, it is not without some humor on occasion. The scene in which the kid reacts to his pompous teacher in approximately the same way he would to a killer spy is pretty funny. 

In Hollywood, a movie like this would end in only one way. Thankfully, Korean cinema (understandably, I think) has a darker view of life. Commitment, like it or not, places this front and center. Despite some of the clichés on view here, I think you'll be moved and somewhat chastened by the film's finale.

You can see Commitment this coming Tuesday evening, January 14, at 7pm as part of the Korean Cultural Service's free screenings at the Tribeca Cinemas in lower Manhattan. It's first-come, first-served, however, so get there early! Click here for all the details.

THE ENGLISH TEACHER: Ms Moore shines (again!) in Craig Zisk's high-school hosing

How comfortable it is to settle into an old-fashioned (except maybe for some of the sex), funny, charming and well-written/directed/
acted movie that hits all the bases and arrives safe at home plate -- on a bunt. This is the situation in which we find ourselves in Craig Zisk's very enjoyable but rather predictable new film, THE ENGLISH TEACHER. And I do not mean that as anything but a compliment, although it's a mild one about a mild little movie. And yet. This is a film that seems to know exactly what it wants to accomplish and does just that, entertaining us quite well in the process. If it breaks no new ground, so be it. As one of my several mothers used to tell me, when I was given to complaint, "For goodness sake, Jimmy, just sit back and appreciate what's in front of you!"

And that, dear readers, is exactly what I'd suggest of you. What you'll find in front of you, first and foremost, is another fine performance from Julianne Moore, above, fresh off her triumph in What Maisie Knew. Here she plays an uptight teacher of high-school English, who has mostly found her pleasure in life from the great books she is so good at teaching to her classes. When a talented ex-pupil of hers returns to town, with an unproduced play he's written in hand, event piles upon event until comedy and melodrama collide and a lot of (expected) change occurs.

Mr Zisk, shown at right, hails from television, where he has directed everything from Felicity to Scrubs, Weeds to Smash. He clearly knows how to juggle and burnish the themes provided by his screenwriters (Dan Chariton and Stacy Chariton) -- repression, creativity, trust and betrayal -- into something appealing. The plot is not, shall we say, shockingly original, but it does have a few surprises up its sleeve. Let's just leave it at that so that any spoilers remain at bay. What the movie also has -- in spades -- is an excellent cast, with each member used by the director for all s/he is worth.

Greg Kinnear (above, right), again playing a doctor (and looking every bit as fine and fit as he did thirteen years ago in Nurse Betty) provides the older heart-throb, while Michael Angarano (below, left) plays the younger version, as that playwright who is both more and less than he may seem. Mr. Angarano should be seen here and in last month's The Brass Teapot, if only to get a whiff of this young man's versatility.

Nathan Lane (below) is everything you'd expect as the school's drama teacher, proving once again that he can spin the most clichéd material into -- if not gold -- at least gold leaf.

Also in the cast and quite good are Broadway stars Jessica Hecht and Norbert Leo Butz as, respectively, the school's Principal and Vice Principal, and Lily Collins (below) as the student who lands the lead in the play that creates the rumpus.

Technical credits look for the most part like standard, acceptable network television, but a special mention must be made of the delicious narration offered by Fiona Shaw, whom we never see but only hear. This is perhaps the screenwriter's finest creation, and Ms Shaw delivers each succulent line with verve and snap. In the final scene, in fact, she suddenly becomes such a character that you may well leave this movie remembering her most of all.

The English Teacher, via Cinedigm and Tribeca Film and running a just-about-perfect 93-minute length, is currently playing in the L.A. area (at Sundance Sunset Cinemas and the Laemmle Playhouse 7) and will open here in Manhattan this Friday, May 31 (at the Village East Cinema). Click here to see all currently scheduled playdates.

Marc Evans is back -- with HUNKY DORY, a dreamy, delicious, Tempest-tossed musical

Remember Marc Evans? TrustMovies does because Evans, a Welsh filmmaker, is one of his favorites.  (Yes, he does seem to have a lot of those, but, gheesh! -- there's so much barely-recognized talent out there whose work ought to be better known.) Evans is the fellow who, back in 2002, gave us My Little Eye, still one of the most terrifying, ugly and oddly subtle and surprising horror movies ever made. In 2006 appeared Snowcake, a beau-tifully cast and acted drama that reached for and actually grasped a bit of profundity with humor and sadness. Now comes yet another movie, as different from those earlier examples as you might think possible. HUNKY DORY is a kind of genre-mash of nostalgia, high-school, coming-of-age, musical and Shakespeare's The Tempest.

What makes the movie most special is the way in which Mr Evans, shown at left, and screenwriter Laurence Coriat have woven their story into an impressionistic set of scenes that quickly capture us and then slowly build into something so delectable and special and yes, odd, that we're never quite certain what the whole thing is. And yet we love it. And we're lost in it. This is especially true of how the filmmakers and cast manage the "musical numbers," which are not quite like anything I've seen in any other film. Sometimes made from extremely brief snippets, other times lengthy and melodious, the songs -- well-known works by major, popular musicians are sung and played by the cast itself -- weave in and out of the story and are all part of the musical presentation of The Tempest that a free-wheeling instructor (well-played by Minnie Driver) is overseeing.

God knows, The Tempest seems to lend itself well to so many different kinds of movies (and movie-makers), and here it works about as well as I have seen (other than when the play is simply done as itself). Among its themes are those of growth, freedom and autonomy, which fit the high school/coming-of-age milieu like a glove, especially where Caliban is concerned, played here by the least likely type of high-school student you might imagine (foreground, below).

Among the quite large cast of characters are the kids, their families, teachers and administrators, so we get everything from family problems to bullying to love stories, both gay and straight (in which the object of desire is likely not to return that longed-for affection).

Ms Driver, above, is the biggest "name" in a generally un-starry cast, though Aneurin Barnard (below and lately seen in Citadel) further impresses here (and a lovely voice he's got, too!). Every actor, in fact, seems well-chosen and performs quite up-to-snuff.

A special word should also be said for Robert Pugh, below, who is excellent as the school's stern headmaster, who must suddenly double in the role of Prospero. Mr. Pugh does a lovely job all-round.

Though we may imagine, as the film rolls along, that we are watching mere narrative done with unusual class and creativity, at the end, just prior to the credit roll, we are told what happened to many of the folk we've been watching. This comes as both a shock and a sweet pleasure, for what has seemed a kind of joyous school-time fantasy suddenly takes on added reality and heft.

Impressionistic, beautiful, graceful, funny and moving, the movie is sort of sui generis. Too unusual for mainstream, too dreamy for the masses, how the hell it works so well remains something of a mystery. But I doubt we shall see its like again. (I hope we'll see and hear more from Mr. Evans, though, and soon.)

Hunky Dory, from Variance Films and running 109 minutes, opens this Friday, March 22, in a limited theatrical run here in New York City at the AMC Loews Village VII and in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Music Hall 3, as well as in several other major cities.  To see all currently scheduled scheduled playdates, cities and theaters, click here, then scroll down.

HEART OF STONE gets On-Demand run; Beth Kruvant's doc moves & informs; short Q&A w/filmmaker

The "Stone" of the title of Beth Kruvant's compelling and ironically titled (eventually much more than that) documentary HEART OF STONE belongs to the principal of a New Jersey high school, and it's anything but a hard heart. Mr. Stone is a strong man and firm, yet his metaphoric heart, at least, is remarkably full and giving.

Stone is in charge of Weequahic High School (pronouced week-wack) in the Newark area, a school that once-upon-a-time was the number one high school in the USA.  It had since gone to seed -- until Stone took charge.  Though the walk down memory lane that Kruvant provides shows that, even in its glory days, there were gangs that preyed upon Blacks and Jews.  Kruvant (shown below) takes us back to those former days when cooperation between Blacks and Jews was something expected, almost a given.

We meet the current alumni association, made up of graduates from those good times, who have banded together to help turn around the school, now plagued by violence and gang warefare (as is the surrounding neighborhood).  We also meet some of the students and learn as much as possible (from the 80-odd-minutes of running time) about their lives.

The Los Angeles-imported gangs -- the Crips and Bloods -- have gained a foothold here, and so the big question is how to shut down or at least slow down gang violence once it is entrenched in the culture.  You don't, it seems.  But can you at least help some of the kids to rise about it?   Hearing students struggle with the idea of how to work around the Bloods and Crips -- the girls approach this from one direction, the boys from another -- is fascinating but depressing, and yet the conflict/resolutions sessions devised by Principal Stone do seem to help.  As do the Alumni-provided scholarships and rather amazing "field trips" that show students how a very different life exists outside of Newark: culture, skiing, even a trip to Paris (France not Texas).

When the movie's "event" happens, you may feel, as do the people we see on screen, that the rug has been pulled from under you.  But that, as they say, is life.  And the life Ms. Kruvant has captured in her film is in no way vitiated by this event. The kids go on, some succeeding,
some not.

After a short theatrical opening last year (to good reviews), the movie seemed to disappear, although screenings of it continue in various venues.  The good news now is that Heart of Stone will make its On-Demand debut this month-- probably within a day or two, if it has not already.  And the film will also be available via iTunes.  Check your local TV reception provider for details, or click here and go exploring.

The film has also given birth to something called Campaign Kinship -- an outreach to high schools, universities and Jewish and Black organizations nationwide.  For more information on Campaign Kinship, click here.
 

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We had only a short time to spend on a Q&A with the filmmaker. TrustMovies' questions are in bold below, with Ms Kruvant's answer in standard typeface:

I found your documentary most interesting and finally quite moving -- for reasons that will become obvious once readers have seen the film. One thing that did startle me a bit: I come from the west coast where the Crips and Bloods have been around for decades. But I was surprised to see them with such a foothold here in New Jersey. Were they “imported,” and if so, by whom? Aren’t New Jersey kids inventive enough to form their own gangs?

Crips & Bloods were imported from LA, that’s all I know.

Do you have a sense that this gang thing is growing, declining, stable – or what?

I don’t have a sense of whether the gangs are growing or declining. I suspect there is similar growth in all cities since gangs are now a national phenomenon.

It was also nice to see the Black/Jewish connection being a positive thing again (something I recall being true as I was growing up and into my adulthood – before splitting apart in the… 60s, I think). Do you see this as a trend? Or is it just with this particular high school and its alumni?

I see an opening up in the Jewish community to the African American community, especially in the younger generation. This is a basic surge of community service and “tikkun olam” repairing the world.

What do you see happening at Weequahic High School in the future? Will its anti-gang program keep up and running? Are the alumni still as active?

At Weequahic High School, the anti-gang program is still up and running. The alumni have been empowered by the film. The High School is not as tightly run now; however the staff is still upholding Stone’s legacy as best they can.

What’s your next project?

I don’t know.

And finally, a question I always ask: Is there any subject you would like to talk about that journalists have not given you the chance to yet? (Think of this as your chance to soapbox, or whatever.)

Heart of Stone has taken on a new life in Campaign Kinship, an outreach campaign to high schools, universities and Jewish and Black organizations nationwide. This campaign has already borne fruit: one inner-city student who attended a screening in December said he had been inspired by Principal Stone- who reminded him of his grandfather-to get his diploma. These are kids that would not have the opportunity to see the movie in theaters, you have to bring it to them to make a difference in their lives. That’s the importance of the outreach. That’s the basis of this whole campaign.

Thanks, Beth -- and thanks for the film!