Anne B. Real

What first drew me to rent, "Anne B. Real" on my weekly trip to Blockbuster, was when a friend picked up the dvd and read off the back that "GirlFight" and "8 Mile" were recommended for those who enjoyed "Anne B. Real" I had seen both movies, so I decided that I would give it a chance. And, I must say, I am overly glad I did.

When watching, "Anne B. Real" I felt as if I was there with the characters, especially the main character, her inner turmoil brought tears to my eyes. I truly enjoyed it, it's one of those movies that for whiles to come, you'll still gasp "Fantastic..."



ManiacMallRat

I'm the kinda of person who enjoys watching low budget, critically acclaimed indy films. When I came across "Anne B. Real" on the wall of the video store, I was intrigued by the story. I didn't expect the movie to be that awesome, but with comparisons to "Girlfight" and "8 mile" I thought it was worth checking out.

I wasn't disappointed. The story was great and engaging and the characters were believable. I really like the perfomance of Janice Richardson as Cynthia. She was great and I hope to see her in more films in the near future.

The film does address a lot of issues without being to preachy. It touches on things such as sexism in the rap industry, being a product of your environmnet, and trying to rise above even when it seems the people closest to you are against you. However, the story also shows that one positive influence can be enough to give someone the boost they need to rise above.

Stuntwoman and first-time director Lisa France has somehow created an F-word-'free' rap move that works! If you want profanity, just re-rent "8 Mile," but if you'd like to see a highly original rap movie then this is the one to check out. How often do you get to see movies about impoverished teens using historical literature to translate their feelings to others, as well as to fuel their customary outlets of creativity - in this case rap.

You can guess how it all ends up but this is still an effective drama and with its mild language a definite must-see for family viewing as well as young aspiring rappers. Literature and rap - who'd a thunk it?

First of all, I should mention I'm 49 years old and white and don't care for rap music.

But this appeared to be a quality production, with important lessons, positive messages, good writing and good acting. Just don't get too attached to anyone because in this neighborhood, you can't be sure anyone will survive to the end.

Cynthia's father was a dedicated teacher at an aging New York City high school in a bad section of the city. When she was young, he gave her Anne Frank's famous diary to read.

Now Cynthia is a student at that high school. Her father is deceased and her family is on welfare. They include Cynthia, her mother, her grandmother, her brother Juan, her sister Janet, and Janet's baby. Cynthia's mother is Latina and doesn't look black. I'm not clear on her father's racial background but he had a Spanish-sounding name. Anyway, Cynthia looks black and thinks of herself as black.

Several teachers at the school, particularly Michael, believe that at least some of these kids can be reached, despite what the neighborhood is like. Cynthia is one of them, though she has had difficulty since her father's death. But reading about Anne Frank has inspired her and she now writes rap lyrics inspired by Anne. As "Anne B. Real", she raps in front of a mirror. In the same mirror she imagines people she knows criticizing her.

Meanwhile, Juan supposedly has had a job, but the only way he seems to make money is by selling lyrics to up-and-coming rapper Deuce. Deuce wants to impress those who can make him a star, so he claims the lyrics are his own. Of course, so does Juan--who, by the way, uses too much of his money to buy drugs, and gets into situations that could put him behind bars.

Cynthia's friends include Kitty, who looks very white but is more street in her speech than most of the movie's characters. She could be considered comic relief. There is also Jerome, who has been on his own since age 12, and he has to get by delivering drugs. Darius is a very European-looking Latino who seems to want a romantic relationship with Cynthia.

Deuce has a girlfriend who is quite pretty and thinks she is "all that". I didn't catch her name but she adds a lot.

The stories of Deuce and Cynthia are interesting, and both characters have a lot of determination, but Cynthia is the strongest character here. She needs to be strong, too, because she will be put through a lot (so will the audience), and JNyce is quite effective.

But despite this movie taking me out of my comfort zone, I think it was a worthwhile experience.

Take a bunch of amateur wanna-be actors and shoots them with Dad's camcorder.

Take the resulting "brilliant" footage and slap it together on the home computer and you get Anne B. Real.

Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people getting experience by making a feature-length project

I do have a problem, however, with hyping it as if it were a real movie when in fact it is a painful-to-watch home video that you would only sit still for if it were made by your family.

In other words, avoid at all costs.