Gimme the Loot

When their latest work is buffed by a rival crew, two determined graffiti writers embark on an elaborate plan to bomb the ultimate location: the New York Mets' Home Run Apple.

For his feature film debut, director Adam Leon has really hit a home run his first time out of the gate. He was previously a production assistant for Woody Allen and somehow got Jonathan Demme to "present" this film (although what exactly this means is unclear), which will hopefully get it a little extra attention. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.

Being a Midwesterner, I have no experience with graffiti wars, New York City, and general lower class big city culture. That made me worry I would not be able to identify with the characters. On the contrary, I found them very universal -- the goal of tagging a sign was foreign, but the bonds of friendship were not. And that is the real strength of this picture, is watching the two main characters grow as their endless stream of misadventures blow up in their faces.

Even their mentor or idol, Champion, is something of a lost cause and is amusing in his own hopeless way. He claims to be something of a master criminal, but fails miserably when presented with a lock to pick -- and creates enough noise that the police could be alerted at any second!

The romance angle never fully plays out, but this in some ways adds to the picture. Ginnie is quite the quirky character, and I would not be surprised if we saw actress Zoë Lescaze using this performance to launch a bigger acting career. (As of now, it seems she is working at the New York Observer, free of any acting responsibilities.)

In short, I hope people find this one and give it a chance. I think there is plenty to love about it, and I stand behind everyone involved 100%

The best thing about this flick is the real people. Almost all of these actors seemed like regular folks. The accents were 100% genuine. I especially liked how everyone was very opinionated about the Yankees vs. Mets thing.

I loved how the movie gave you the feeling of what it's like to be in NYC and go from one adventure to another.

The 2 leads were fantastic; interesting, funny, and easy to relate to. They stole the movie.

The only thing wrong with the movie was it's lack of ending. Plus, the introduction of romance seemed like an attempt to show some sort of resolution. It came off as cute but a little hackneyed.

Well made, well acted, keeps you interested then... it's over and you're like, "So are they dating? Are they gonna get into Shea stadium? Was the blonde chick cool or an a jerk?" etc

This is a surprisingly charming movie. You end up rooting for the characters even though there isn't too much to the story.

Graffiti artists Malcolm and Sophia labor all night on a new mural, only to see it completely tagged and defaced the next day by rival gangs. Their newest "exhibition" entails sneaking into Mets ballpark and tag the home run sign. Oh, yeah, and they need $500. Needing proves far different from getting. Bleak comedy trails the rather amoral pair as they steal cans of spray paint, only to get robbed and hustled themselves. Great sense of place, especially for those who think New York is Sex And The City, or other such candy floss. Gimme The Loot is a refreshing dose of reality. Quite a fun show. Note: Might want to get subtitles. Bits of the dialogue hard to follow sometimes.

When most people think of foreign film, they think of films in a language they don't understand, locations they've never been to, actors they've never heard of, and stories unique to a specific culture. We often fail to acknowledge that there are places and cultures within our own borders that can be just as foreign to us as any Asian or European community.

"Gimme the Loot," which is playing at the San Francisco International Film Festival, is just such a film. Set in New York City's Borough of the Bronx (talk about a foreign land!) the film tells the story of Malcolm and Sofia, a "tagging team" that set their sights on the greatest "bombing" target in the history of New York graffiti. All they need is $500 to get access to the sight. And so the adventure begins…

And that is just what this film really is – an urban adventure story. The story of two young people who set out on a trek and what happens to them along the way. If you're put off by the setting, or the language (which seems to have been scripted by David Mamet in the opening scene,) or the "Maguffin" of the graffiti bomb, please don't be. All those things are ancillary in this tale of the challenges in navigating the foreign land of inner city New York and what happens along the way. It's a funny, harsh, sweet, heartbreaking and oddly (though not unexpectedly) optimistic movie. For all the wrongdoing the couple perpetrate in their attempt to achieve their goal, you end up really liking the characters and kind of wishing they succeed.

The two lead actors, Ty Hickson and Tashiana Washington, are terrific in their roles. While their inexperience shows through at times, for the most part they ARE Malcolm and Sophia. The director, Adam Leon, assured the Festival audience that they are both nothing like their characters ("Ty actually wears bow ties all the time.")

Leon also had the advantage of having a former NYC tour guide work as his location scout, so the film transports you into parts of New York that you'd never get to see get to see on your standard city excursion. Shot on location over 21 days, every setting seems just right for this story.

Special note should also be given to the soundtrack, which is absolutely what you would NOT expect for a story with characters of their age and environment. One would expect a plethora of hip hop or rap pulsing throughout the film, but be prepared for something just a little different.

This is writer/director Leon's first feature and he's manages to deliver a film that, while small in budget, is big in heart. Well worth seeking out…

www.worstshowontheweb.com

Every so often we get a film made by young passionate filmmakers that offers us a fresh perspective on an overlooked aspect of society that speaks to everyone in an entertaining, powerful and mature way. Gimme The Loot is very close to being that film this year. Although it attempts for a realistic view, it's still very textured, capturing these few hot summer days in brilliant voyeuristic wides. While its rich in character, it does suffer on the story side. Although it has a simple setup of goal and problem, their journey to solving the problem feels meandering and unfocused, drifting away from their desires too often. However, the character work is brilliant, especially due to the great performances from Hickson and especially Washington, it does a great job of humanising these vandals. It's just a shame that it doesn't feel like it's paid off what it set up in the end.

7/10