Filmography

Carmen : A Hip Hopera

Recasting Bizet’s classic opera as a musical tale in the ‘hood, Carmen: A Hip Hopera proves that the plot’s not the thing. By retaining the story but jettisoning Bizet’s individual musical numbers that propel the tragedy to its inevitable conclusion, this Carmen founders on familiarity: it’s just another soap opera about two lovers whose tryst proves fatal. Occasionally, the music quotes Bizet’s famous themes, but most of the rapping and singing sound interchangeable. What makes this Carmen worth seeing, however, is the scintillating performance of Beyoncé Knowles (of the trio Destiny’s Child) in the lead role. From her first entrance in a dazzling red gown, Knowles shows off a vibrant, magnetic personality; the camera loves her, as her group’s many music videos have shown, but they only hint at how impressively she holds the screen. Can she act? The jury’s still out, but Carmen: A Hip Hopera–however disappointing this hybrid is in most ways–showcases a compelling movie-star presence.

All About The Benjamins

Ice Cube cowrote, produced, and stars in this action caper. Bucum (Cube) is a bounty hunter (get it?) with dreams of big money. Reggie (Mike Epps) is a small-time grifter who also has dreams of big money and is at the top of Bucum’s list to boot. Yep, you guessed it: tough guy/funny guy buddy flick. All About the Benjamins is pretty much a by-the-numbers piece of work. There’s plenty of macho posturing, gunfire, big-ticket items exploding, and curse words inserted into the script in lieu of actual punch lines. The plot has holes big enough to drive a locomotive through, but then again the plot isn’t really the point. Epps’s attempts at wacky comedy wear thin early on, but Ice Cube does a fine job, and together they do make quite a few moments hit. Best recommended for when you want turn-your-brain-off excitement.

Like Mike

As its title suggests, Like Mike is a rousing wish-fulfillment fantasy for any kid who’s ever dreamed of soaring for a game-winning slam dunk like basketball legend Michael Jordan. It’s fun but formulaic, beginning when 14-year-old, 4-foot-8 orphan Calvin Cambridge (played by appealing teen rapper Lil’ Bow Wow) dons a magical pair of hand-me-down Nikes with the enticing initials “M.J.” written inside. Next thing you know, Calvin’s the new star of the L.A. Knights, an instant NBA celebrity taking his team to the playoffs alongside favorite teammate Tracy Reynolds (The Best Man’s Morris Chestnut), with a bevy of villains (including reliable weirdo Crispin Glover) trying to steal his thunder. With Jerry Maguire’s Jonathan Lipnicki as a fellow orphan, and a solid supporting cast including Eugene Levy, Robert Forster, and two dozen NBA stars, Like Mike is schmaltzy and predictable (and, surprisingly, there’s no cameo from Jordan himself), but its sweet, good-natured quality will captivate kids from start to finish.

Johnson Family Vacation

Cedric the Entertainer (Barbershop, Intolerable Cruelty) lends his stubborn, skeptical charm to Johnson Family Vacation. Though separated from his wife (Vanessa Williams, Soul Food, Shaft), Nate Johnson (Cedric) pulls his family together so that they can compete for an award at the Johnson family reunion. Of course, the road trip from California to Missouri–featuring a sexy but crazy hitchhiker, motel high jinks, and an afternoon in jail–threatens to split up the family permanently. The humor of Johnson Family Vacation is rambling and ridiculous–for example, Williams fools Cedric into taking his swim trunks off in a motel hot tub, then leaves him to tiptoe through the motel naked. But Cedric and Williams both have undeniable charisma; together, they carry this shaggy dog of a movie through its more lackadaisacal moments. Also featuring Bow Wow, Solange Knowles, Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie), and Steve Harvey (Love Don’t Cost a Thing).

Roll Bounce

Could anything be more charming than a movie about five boys in the 1970s who aspire to nothing more than to be kings of the roller rink floor? Rapper/actor Bow Wow, no longer Li’l, takes a step towards adulthood as X (short for Xavier), a teenager grappling with the loss of his mother and finding his identity on wheels. Though Roll Bounce culminates in a skating contest, the path it takes is loose and rambling–which is its strength. Rather than building inexorably to the big contest, Roll Bounce takes time to explore its world–the camaraderie of X and his pals, the struggles of his father (Chi McBride, I, Robot) to find a job–without wallowing pointlessly in the ephemera of the ’70s. The movie saves most of the skating spectacle for the end, but when it comes, it delivers; the characters have dance moves on skates most people couldn’t do on their feet. Roll Bounce isn’t going to change the history of cinema or is even particularly original, but it is enormously likable and heartfelt. The actors–including Khleo Thomas (Holes), Meagan Good (The Cookout), Nick Cannon (Drumline), Mike Epps (Next Friday), Charlie Murphy (King’s Ransom), and Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show)–are clearly enjoying themselves. That, combined with roller-skating razzle-dazzle, makes for a cheerful, infectious movie.

Fast And The Furious : Tokyo Drift

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift has all the elements that spelled success for its predecessors: Speed, sex, and minimal dialogue. The plot doesn’t need explication; it’s a nonsensical series of confrontations and standoffs that serve to get us from one race to another. Tokyo Drift can most accurately be described as a visual poem about screeching tires, crunching fiberglass, and sleek female skin, set to a killer soundtrack of Japanese pop and hip-hop. The actors are only needed for tight close-ups of narrowed eyes or sweaty hands tightly gripping gearshifts, though Sung Kang, Better Luck Tomorrow, stands out as a vaguely philosophical hoodlum with deadpan charisma. The curved bodies of the cars and the luscious flesh of the women are both shot with a fetishistic hunger. The “drift” style of racing–in which the cars are allowed to slide in order to take sharp turns at high speeds–grabs your eyes; there’s a strange, spectral beauty to rows of cars sliding sideways down a mountain road at night. Also starring Lucas Black (Friday Night Lights) as our wheel-happy hero; Bow Wow (Roll Bounce) as the scam-artist comic relief; and martial arts legend Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill) as a yakuza big shot.