"Straight Outta Compton" Review

OP-ROB RATING: STARTER

“Straight Outta Compton” is a biopic directed by F. Gary Gray about the infamous rap group, N.W.A. Gray’s first priority in “Straight Outta Compton” is introducing each member of the group. Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell) is presented in a high-octane scene staged in a crack den. Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) makes his first appearance in a prolonged and equally intense scene on a school bus where he is jotting lyrics in a notebook looking at what is going on all around him. Fittingly, we first meet Dr. Dre (Cory Hawkins) lying on his bedroom floor, jamming out to records with some headphones on. MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.) both appear in club scenes non-central to their own characters.

As we follow the group’s rise to fame and subsequent implosion, we get to see how the album “Straight Outta Compton” came into being with several scenes in the studio. We get a glimpse of the group’s hectic life on tour involving run ins with the police as well as hotel room shenanigans with topless women and plenty of guns. Another major component is the presence of Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti), the group’s controversial manager. As a result of contract disputes and weak friendships, N.W.A. crumbles and the film breaks into three different storylines. One is that of Ice Cube and his solo career. Next is that of Eazy-E and his relationship with Heller and ultimately his life-ending battle with AIDS. Lastly is the story of Dr. Dre and his relationship with Suge Knight (R. Marcos Taylor) and Death Row Records. MC Ren and DJ Yella simply fade into the background.

“Straight Outta Compton” is entertaining, well acted and interesting enough to land on as a random movie while flipping channels. But a greater meaning is missed, and vital questions left unanswered. Gray chooses to take many different paths, and by doing so, commits to none of them. The story of N.W.A. can’t fit into two-and-a-half-hours; there are simply too many important characters. Gray explores two of them with extreme brevity, and gives the audience just a taste of what happened to the three more prominent members. In all reality, this topic should have been documented in a miniseries if the goal of giving each character his due was to be fulfilled.

Some of the most important events were left half-baked. Ice Cube releases two solo albums in what seems like five minutes, while Suge Knight bursts onto the scene as an unknown to the audience. In an instant Eazy-E loses what seems to be all of his money, and his trust with Jerry Heller is shattered over reasons that are barely referenced and never fully explained. I still don't know what the hell-er happened!

Gray is at his best in the opening scene introducing Eric “Eazy-E” Wright rolling into a crack den to collect on some unpaid debts. At this point Eric is a drug dealer, and this is simply part of the job. The location of this scene is Compton, an area in Los Angeles known for its poverty and crime. For the viewer, this house is a nightmare; a dilapidated shack filled with sweaty drug addicts, graffiti and empty 40s. For Eric, this apartment is commonplace; it is part of his reality. In many ways this particular scene feels bigger than itself. There is an atmosphere of desperation and frustration in the house, and more broadly in the streets of Compton. Gray manages to establish Eazy-E as a character, while showing us the overall surrounding.

A prominent element in the film is the tumult in and around Los Angeles during the time period. There a several scenes depicting police brutality, unfair arrests and mounting tensions. Gray also chooses to show footage of the Rodney King beating and the subsequent trial and riots that followed. N.W.A. was the voice of one side of these events, yet the narrative never explores the bigger picture.

In this iconic photo from the riots in Ferguson, Missouri you can clearly see a group of police officers taking aim at a black man with his arms up. Also in the photo is a subtle, yet powerful indication of the influence of N.W.A., the lyrics "Fuck tha Police" spray-painted onto a mailbox in the background. No matter where you stand on race issues, no matter your political beliefs, one thing is undeniable: N.W.A. struck a note of frustration that is still prevalent today. Their lyrics are a testament to their "reality” and they still echo. It is unfortunate that "Straight Outta Compton" settles for amusing yet unfulfilled storylines instead of tapping into the soul of the same nightmarish realities that haunt America today.

"Trainwreck" Review

OP-ROB RATING: ALL-STAR

           “Trainwreck”, the latest film from Judd Apatow, is the story of a woman who believes that monogamy isn’t realistic. This woman is Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer), she works as a writer for “s’nuff”, a trashy men’s magazine located in NYC; and what seems to be most nights she parties at bars and clubs, usually ending up in a random man’s bed. But don’t be fooled into thinking that Amy is being taken advantage of, because she is completely in control of her lifestyle. Her routine is this: get manageably drunk at the bar, go home with the sexiest guy, have whatever kind of sex feels right that night, and never ever sleep over once it’s done. For Amy, this works perfectly. She never has to call the guy again and she always gets exactly what she wants. All this seems to be very satisfying for Amy, that is until she meets Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), a sports medicine doctor, and her entire belief system is turned on its head.

            “Trainwreck” is the first movie directed by Judd Apatow starring a female lead in Amy Schumer. Amy Schumer also wrote the screenplay, her first ever for a movie. For all those irregularities, “Trainwreck” doesn’t feel all that different from Apatow’s earlier films, “Knocked Up”, and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”. Though it doesn’t break new barriers or rewrite the rules of comedy, the film is laugh-out-loud funny, incredibly vulgar, and in the end, very tender and thought provoking.

            Amy Schumer takes on the all-important job towing the line between being funny and disgusting. “Trainwreck” is filled with everything from dirty tampon jokes to a scene where Schumer’s character describes fishing a marooned condom out of her vagina to a group of stunned housewives. Some of the more inappropriate scenes are a little uncomfortable to watch, but like all good comedies the punch line is frequently worth the pain. Bill Hader also delivers a great performance as the innocent and sincere sports medicine doctor. While I don’t completely understand his desire for the “trainwreck” of a human being that Schumer portrays, his body language and thoughtful dialogue in the film make it very convincing.

            For the most part, Apatow focuses on developing the characters of Amy Townsend and Aaron Conners, however there are a slew of noteworthy supporting characters. Brie Larson plays Amy Townsend’s sister who has chosen a more responsible lifestyle by getting married and having a child. The scenes between the two sisters often feature tension and provide opportunities for Amy to mature and strive for resolution. An equally compelling foil is the Townsend’s father, Gordon (Colin Quinn). The opening scene of the film is actually dedicated to Mr. Townsend telling his children about why he and their mother are getting a divorce, ultimately leading to him explaining that monogamy isn’t realistic. The dynamic between Mr. Townsend and Amy is one if the most interesting parts of the movie. At s’nuff magazine, Tilda Swinton plays Amy’s eccentric boss who represents the corrosive personality that the early version of Amy is on the road to becoming.

            Of all the best parts of “Trainwreck” one particular role stands out from the rest, this is LeBron James. In the film, LeBron plays a close friend of Dr. Conners and is featured in significant portion of the film. LeBron looks right at home on screen, and his scenes were by far the most enjoyable. In one hysterical scene LeBron and Dr. Conners discuss the difference between Cleveland and Miami, LeBron wryly states, “There is no difference.” While LeBron still has a quite a few years to play basketball, his performance in “Trainwreck” should afford him the opportunity to “take his talents” to the silver screen as a second career.

            Despite the overall quality of the film, there are many scenes that seem unnecessary, and sometimes too obscene to have any positive effect. One particularly unfunny scene occurs when Amy goes home with a sixteen-year-old intern from her office. They have a strange sexual encounter that is gross, weird, and worst of all just not clever in any way. There are also many lewd quips delivered by Schumer that feel forced, and are often not at all amusing. Finding a balance in a raunchy comedy like “Trainwreck” must be incredibly challenging, however striking that perfect chord is vitally important to making an all-time-great. “Trainwreck” doesn’t quite make the leap, though it will find its place as an often revisited, hugely entertaining comedy that often has a sweeter side than the initial behavior of its main character might suggest.

"Amy" Review

OP-ROB RATING: LEGEND

             “Amy” is a documentary directed by Asif Kapadia, the same man behind the award winning film "Senna". The documentary masterfully unfolds the heart-wrenching story of the late singer, Amy Winehouse, and does so with great reverence toward the artist, and more importantly the person.

            Much of the documentary is focused on the music of Amy Winehouse. The lyrics to her songs are displayed on the screen in subtitles of her own handwriting. Kapadia makes sure the audience realizes just how reflective Amy’s music was of what was going on in her life. Listening to one of her songs is akin to delving into the private diary of a troubled girl. We see her life story through home movies and the lens of the paparazzi; her music provides the narrative.

            What I found most moving about Amy Winehouse was her unconditional love. Love for a husband that introduced her to toxic addictions, squandered her money and left her repeatedly for another girl. Love for a father that, at the very least, was too busy enjoying and insuring Amy’s financial success, to care for her physical and emotional wellbeing. Love for a series of managers and promoters that would go so far as to put her on stage wasted rather than cancel a show.

When I initially saw the trailer for “Amy” I had my doubts. I thought to myself, “Well its great that she had this sweet side, but what about the partying and the bawdy image she made for herself? Isn’t that her fault?” After seeing “Amy” I can say that the self-destructive behaviors and bad-girl brand may have simply been byproducts of the people around her. Perhaps none of those things were done out of selfishness, publicity or personal pleasure. As Kapadia would have us believe, Amy Winehouse sought only to love those around her and it was her unrelenting investment in those she loved that ultimately killed her. He illustrates a very convincing argument.

 The start to Amy’s downward spiral came when her true friends left her side. These friends included her former manager Nick Shymansky and two of her childhood girlfriends, Juliette Ashby and Lauren Gilbert. Throughout the entire film it is clear that these three individuals were the only people that loved Amy with no strings attached. Why she distanced herself from these people is a question that the audience is left to explore. Perhaps Amy Winehouse's greatest flaw was her inability to identify the people who were truly good for her until it was too late.

One important revelation I gained from the film was just how emotional Amy Winehouse was as an artist. The words in her songs were written in blood, and I can only imagine how painful it was for her to perform them sometimes. One of the more tender scenes in the documentary comes when Amy starts recording with one of her music idols, Tony Bennett. In this scene Amy is nervous, sober, and at her very best as a singer. She botches the first take on a duet with Bennett, but after the living legend offers some gentle words of encouragement, she rises above and beyond the occasion.  Although “Rehab” was the song that put Amy Winehouse on every front page in America, she was a jazz singer at heart. The music of Amy Winehouse wasn’t meant for massive crowds or wild music festivals, but instead for small venues where people could quietly listen and experience the clarity of emotion that beamed through her music. The scene with Bennett affirms her rightful place in jazz music, as Bennett himself later said, "the great ones that are very talented know just how to turn jazz singing into a performance that's unforgettable. And Amy had that gift."

 In one of the final scenes Amy is booed off the stage at a show in Belgrade; a show she was forced into by her management. In the all of the disappointment and calamity in the crowd, there is also a sense of spectacle. As if the sight of Amy stumbling around in sheer drunkenness were entertaining. For many people, this will be the Amy Winehouse that is remembered, a considerable talent that succumbed to substance abuse and pursuit of celebrity in the public eye. That is why I am glad that Asif Kapadia was able to provide a different view of Amy Winehouse in “Amy”. Instead of looking at the glitz, lunacy, and horror of Amy’s short stint at the top of the music world, he focuses on her time before the spotlight. When supportive and loving friends surrounded her, a time when she played her music for small crowds who were awed by her performances.

For those who decide to see “Amy”, a new person with a familiar face will emerge to be remembered . A woman so brilliant at singing that she ranks among the most gifted to ever pick up a microphone; a kind, yet haunted soul who gave her all for those she loved.