The World Is Yours

Now you may not know this director by name, but I'm more than sure that most of you are familiar with his work, such as 'Mission Impossible' 'Carlito's way' or getting straight to the point the legendary movie 'Scarface' from 1983. I must've been 12 or 13 years old watching this movie, and I belive the last time I watched it was late November 2007, with a friend who had the poster in their flat, but had never seen the film.
And that's what the movie has, magnatism.

I suppose once you've seen a film, you've seen it, right? Not so with this little movie gem.

It tells the story of a legal immigrant who comes to America from Cuba to seek a new life, and that's what he (Al Pacino) gets...at a price.

What looks like real TV footage, the film introduces our leading character Tony Montana as a cheeky,but intelligent Cuban, who bears an ugly scar on his face, which he claims was a childhood injury. The film begins...

I'm 35 years old now, so looking back I'm glad I saw that movie at the age I did, because the film contains many elements of any ghetto in any town, in any country. It has that potent message of 'keeping your dreams alive'

Now in the black community,which I am a part of,we lack in the presence of strong male role models in the home, which usually would be our fathers. But here we see our leading man Tony montana, arrive in a new country, town & city by himself.
Throughout the film,obviously he meets a wealth of people but his role models where the guys with the big cars, big houses and big money.

Now the role models set before him where all shady bastards, and this forces him to be more tactile and clever than he ever imagined.

Not only was he about to start living the American dream,but he soon began to realise that there were many others that were quite willing to steal that dream from him and end even his life.

So with this came 'Life Skills'. Tony Montana had to hold his own. This was a powerfull underlying theme that I've come to recognise with age.
The film appears to be slow, but Brian De Palma uses this time really skillfully to bring you closer to the character and closer to the action.

The musical score also carries alot of weight in the film, which is usually a variation of the same piece of music, but largely used as an orchestra of strings (Georgio Moroder) . At many times this soundtrack evokes a cold emotion. Sometimes strength or even change.

By the time you get halfway through the film, you almost kid yourself into beliveing that "Hey, this could really happen" but on a deep realistic level.

Could it really be that simple? To have principals, morals, disipline and always keep your word, be all the tools you need to gain success???
Even in a world where there's no code of ethics? You must be a man first, before you do anything. De Palma brings this message across like a true professional.
Hence the massive cult following in the USA and UK gangland and the whole world of hip hop. Through Tony Montana a lot of young black boys found a role model, someone to show them the way. We began to realise (in our own communities) how far to push out our boats (ideas), who and why we network and most importantly who we trust.

Tony was a fair man, who wanted more out of life, just like most of us. But the thrill comes from watching someone else do it, and this is what made Brian De Palma shine as a director throughout this movie.
He (De Palma) gets so close and personal to the characters, that it becomes documentery like.

We get a look at his personal relationships, like his boss, his mother, sister and his right hand man, Manny.

All these relationships have there flaws, one or two, are very suspect! But De Palma goes in hard and examines them one by one, giving you enough information to make up your own mind to judge these situations.

Take for example a classic scene, where Tony returns home, back to his mothers house, seeking her approval in his newly found success. Tony is met at the door by his mother total disgust. She reluctantly lets him in to momentarily see his blood sister, Gina. But is cut down to size as a 'complete nothing' in a barrage of cuban slang and hard english from his mother. She was not pleased at all.

But gangsters really do cry. Can you honestly believe that one of the hardest men in new york,maybe in the whole of the USA,would love his mother unconditionally, regardless??? All gangsters love their mothers, rule number one.

Rule number two,love your family? De Palma even challenges Tony's over protective nature, concerning his sister Gina! Did I hear you mention incest? Or was that crazy?

As we move through the film,we stumble upon a special relationship which seals his fate & and ultimately brings his down.

And really thats where the fun begins. The movie will guide you through nearly 2 hours of basic life skills and what not to do when people love you.

This film is what popcorn was made for. Brian De Palma packs in 100% excitement to show the world of cinema exactly how it should be done, how to capture your heart...and stay there.

Here is one of the moving pieces of music in the sound track with a few images from youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJERgtDtLQQ

More HYPE than Williams

When it comes to music videos in the world of Hip Hop and urban music, there is only one name to look for, and that name is Hype Williams. Hype appeared on the scene back in 1994 with his debut video, for the Wu Tang Clang called 'Could It All Be So Simple'

What stands out about this director, is his brave stance & love affair with colour. His style is chic,flashy and as of late corporately conservative. This unique and vibrant style makes Hype's work noticable to a wide and vast audience, even to those who don't even like or listen rap music. His skills have also been employed to sell the names of major world companies such as, GAP,Revlon, Nike and Reebok.

Born in Hollis Queens, New York, Hype built up a name for himself as a graffiti artist, tagging walls and shopfronts. He even tried to sell his works on canvas to numerous art galleries, but to no avail. He told himself "I'm simply not good enough."

So knowing where he wanted to be and what he could achieve,he embarked on a course of education in "film & television". Having dropped out two years later, he began working as a dogsbody for an entertainmant company. It was during this time that Hype decided to start his own video company (Big Dog Productions).

For many people the first signs of this new talent can along at the height of P.Diddy's "bad Boy records" during the late 90's. Working with the likes of Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Nas, Mary J Blige, TLC, R Kelly, DMX, Notorious BIG and Janet jackson just to name a few, and I really do mean a few, helped to shape the whole structure of the music video and turned MTV upside down & inside out...on his own terms.

His idea was to make these hip hop stars bigger & larger than life. This can be seen in most of the work he's done with Busta Rhymes & Missy Elliot. This is where we're allowed to check out his skills on a more personal note, Editing.

What you'll witness is a new meaning and concept of animation in hip hop. The colour is totally awesome.

He even has his own way of animating his live subjects and placing them in superb backgrounds and backdrops. Like the waterfalls he creates, or the personal intro at the start of all his work (the official 'hype williams' credit or trademark).
And this guy loves to leave trademarks all over his work. From the fisheye lens, the letterbox, the explosions, the cars and oh yes, how can I forget, the Honey's lol.

After gaining enough momentum with scores of videos & credits to his name, Hype embarked on what would be his biggest project yet. This was to be his first full-length feature debut 'Belly' which hit our screens back in 1999. I can remember watching the film for the first time, and no one in the room was allowed to talk!

Could this talented music director really turn it on for a full 90mins???

For me, the answer was almost......! The story was good, and had a very positive message,but at times I could see a fair amount of looseness in the screenplay and not having the right actors in place to convey the deeper emotion that the movie was trying to demonstrate, was understandibly excused

If you've ever seen the Brian De Palma movie 'Scarface' then you will understand what I mean. I found at times that I was watching a re-run of what looked like the great battle at the end of that classic epic. The gun scenes could've been done a bit better and maybe more depth from the characters themselves would've given it the kick it needed.

No complaints with the lights,location, location location. And this is what gets you through the movie. To see images of hip hop videos laced throughout a whole movie,almost gives you a sense of "I'm sure I've seen this before?" And you have, from Pharrell to Snoop Dogg, from Robin Thicke to No Doubt. Yes 'No Doubt' pop music.

And be don't be surprised to see that Hype look blinging from a Mastercard or Revlon make-up advert. Hype williams means business, BIG BUSINESS!

Just check out this intro (belly,1999) if you want a better idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pniQT-Zy5WA

And if you still don't believe the HYPE....
http://www.hypewilliams.com

Not Your Average Guy !

Eastend culture fused with good old fashion humour. Working with mainly the most talented actors & actresses in the UK.

Although many of us are acquainted with his wife Madonna, it is by far his work on his debut outing "Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrells" and the very successfull follow up "Snatch" that really stand out to most lads & ladettes.

I can remember watching "Snatch" something like a million times, just blown away by the whole content of the movie. The Actors,the plot, the music just all seemed to work so well together.

Obviously, there's Vinny Jones. A real life footballer, turned actor. As funny as it sounds, Mr.Jones pulls off a brilliant preformance. And this was also the platform that gave rise to a now, well renound actor Jason Statham.

The music was a mix up of old school soul from Maceo parker to Massive Attack. The scenery was all good. Many glimpses of London's Ganglands & Underworlds.

The characters in these movies are typical Eastend "Geezers" This was something I could readily identify with. This how everyone talks around here, where I live anyway. It was as though, we could momentarily have a look at the more darker side of the BBC's long running soap "Eastenders"

Plots and sub-plots really got my attention. And then with the comical side thrown in, I found it truely amazing to see how far some people will actually go, just to get what they want.

"Snatch" was a box office smash. Set in the world of crime, Ritchie sets the scene around some missing diamonds. He even employs the services of Brad Pritt cast in one of the leading roles. A whole bevy of stars (including the late Mike Read) hurled into turmoil and once again a brilliant performance by Jason Statham.

One of the first things I noticed about Ritchie, was his style of editing, especialy in Lock Stock. Right from the intro credits, the action is fast moving, and a slight touch of "bullet time" helped to carry the story along in both films. eg moments when the boys are getting drunk (Lock Stock) or when Uncle Avi (Dennis Farina) flies over to
England, to handle some business(snatch). So I suppose that brings us very much in line with the sound. The Audio made a lot of impact to the movie, and helps to pull you into every scene.

The strong points of these two great movies are the storylines. Always set amongst 3 or 4 different gangs or waring factions, they weave around each other, unsuspectedly or otherwise to gain the rewards of their labour.

Lock Stock, has such a twist to it, that it is well worth the wait by the time you get to end of the film. Ricthie is good at keeping up the suspense and has almost mastered the art of story telling, the way he makes these stories interconnect & unravel, for a very surprise ending. Throughout, this is his strong point the 'element of surprise'.

On the whole Guy Ritcie set a new standard for British cinema. He put Britain firmly back on the map in the world of cinema, right up there with the Tarantino's and Spike Lee's who came before him.

Violence has never been something to brag about, but Guy Ritchie does...and does it with class, and loads of realistic humour.

For me, he changed British cinema and set the road clear for more up and coming directors like Nick Love (The Business & Football Factory) to step forward and bring more of the streets to the big silver screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR1GZVogy24