The group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.
Director:
F. Gary Gray
Stars:
O'Shea Jackson Jr.,
Corey Hawkins,
Jason Mitchell
A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.
Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and future prospects.
Director:
John Singleton
Stars:
Cuba Gooding Jr.,
Laurence Fishburne,
Hudhail Al-Amir
Home movies, photographs, and recited poetry illustrate the life of Tupac Shakur, one of the most beloved, revolutionary, and volatile hip-hop M.Cs. of all time.
Uncle Elroy and Day Day owe money on taxes so Craig finds a way to steal from the next door neighbors to pay off the taxes so Uncle Elroy's house doesn't get put up for auction.
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
NOTORIOUS is the story of Christopher Wallace. Through raw talent and sheer determination, Wallace transforms himself from Brooklyn street hustler (once selling crack to pregnant women) to one of the greatest rappers of all time; THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Follow his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectations - redefining our notion of "The American Dream."Written by
Fox Searchlight Pictures
When Biggie is free-styling, Lil Kim is first seen with her mole on the left side of her face. The mole changes sides on her face abruptly between shots; when it cuts back to Biggie rapping and back to her, it switches to the right side of her face. The next time we see Kim again, the mole is now back on the left side of her face. See more »
Quotes
Sean Combs:
Ah want you to hear sumpin... See what Ahm sayin'? Ahm trying to get niggaz outta their seats; dis goan be like Soul Music.
Notorious B.I.G.:
If Ah spit dis, mos' niggaz goan be laughin' at me.
Sean Combs:
If you spit this, niggaz goan be laughin' at you all the way to the bank, Big!
Notorious B.I.G.:
What's next? You want me to dance like MC Hammer?
Sean Combs:
Look, you gimme dat street shit fo' R 'n B. But if Ah doan have sumpin Ah kin play on da radio, nobody'll evuh hear or buy yo album. You'd just be a broke-ass mix-tape rapper. Trust me, Big.
Notorious B.I.G.:
...
See more »
Alternate Versions
The unrated cut features seven minutes of extended footage as well as an opening sequence involving the "Impala SS" killer. See more »
Derek Luke deserves a standing ovation. Without him, the movie would have been a complete waste. Jamal Woolard and Antonique Smith were good as well, but none of the cast could match the level that Derek Luke set as Puffy. Overall, the three really captured the essence of their characters, as we know them now and knew them then. But, the movie fell short of good characters aside from these three. The biggest disappointment being Anthony Mackie as 2Pac.
There must be a shortage of young, black, male actors because Mackie could not carry the essence of 2Pac. He does not physically resemble Pac, though he tried to, he couldn't capture the sense of poetry, serenity, and social consciousness that the world knows 2Pac for. Instead Mackie made 2Pac look irrational, paranoid, and just plain stupid. For that, Mackie should not be invited back to the hip hop movie world.
Lil Kim, played by Naturi Naughton (the girl who got kicked out of 3LW), was acted out beautifully, but the actual character was written a little over the top.
The biggest flaw of all is the fact that the movie had no interpretation and no real drama. It was a biopic without an opinion. There is no "theory" as to who could have been behind the shootings of 2Pac or Biggie, and I think people would have preferred to see that. Maybe George Tillman Jr. is afraid of repercussions if he expresses an opinion.
This movie missed the drama mark by miles. You will notice that as scenes are about to reach their dramatic peak, they are over. You basically wait and wait and wait for the real drama to occur, and you look up and the movie is over.
Overall, I'm happy I saw the movie at matinée price and not at regular price.
52 of 107 people found this review helpful.
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Derek Luke deserves a standing ovation. Without him, the movie would have been a complete waste. Jamal Woolard and Antonique Smith were good as well, but none of the cast could match the level that Derek Luke set as Puffy. Overall, the three really captured the essence of their characters, as we know them now and knew them then. But, the movie fell short of good characters aside from these three. The biggest disappointment being Anthony Mackie as 2Pac.
There must be a shortage of young, black, male actors because Mackie could not carry the essence of 2Pac. He does not physically resemble Pac, though he tried to, he couldn't capture the sense of poetry, serenity, and social consciousness that the world knows 2Pac for. Instead Mackie made 2Pac look irrational, paranoid, and just plain stupid. For that, Mackie should not be invited back to the hip hop movie world.
Lil Kim, played by Naturi Naughton (the girl who got kicked out of 3LW), was acted out beautifully, but the actual character was written a little over the top.
The biggest flaw of all is the fact that the movie had no interpretation and no real drama. It was a biopic without an opinion. There is no "theory" as to who could have been behind the shootings of 2Pac or Biggie, and I think people would have preferred to see that. Maybe George Tillman Jr. is afraid of repercussions if he expresses an opinion.
This movie missed the drama mark by miles. You will notice that as scenes are about to reach their dramatic peak, they are over. You basically wait and wait and wait for the real drama to occur, and you look up and the movie is over.
Overall, I'm happy I saw the movie at matinée price and not at regular price.