Ampero

Aside from a few titles and the new Sherlock Holmes movie, I think I've watched every movie Guy Ritchie has directed. Twice. Needless to say, I'm a big fan and Revolver is one of the highlighted reasons why. This movie is a very different approach from Ritchie, when you look at it comparatively with Lock, Stock... and Snatch. Revolver sets us up for a psychological thriller of sorts as a gambling con finds himself at the mercy of a set of foes he didn't expect and a guided walk for redemption that he didn't know he needed. Along with seeing André Benjamin of OutKast fame strut his acting ability, other standout acts are Ray Liotta playing the maniacal Mr. D/Macha and Mark Strong playing Sorter, the hit-man.

After being sent to prison by a tyrannous casino owner, Macha, Jake uses his time in solitary to finesse a plot to humiliate Macha and force his hand in compensating him for the seven years he spent. When he wins a card game and amasses a decent sum from Macha, Jake finds himself on the brink of death as he collapses and is diagnosed with an incurable disease that's left him with three days to live. A team of loan sharks, however, have an answer for him and a ticket to life- only if he gives them all the money he has and relents to working for them, all in a ploy to both take Macha down and show Jake how dangerous he has made himself to himself. Along with having the air of death loom, and a pair of loan sharks having a field day with his money, Jake also has to deal with having a hit put out on him, which introduces Sorter - a hit-man under Macha's employ. The depth with the story comes when Jake realizes that some co- convicts he spent time with in solitary may very-well be the loan shark team out to take him for all he has by crafting all of the unfortunate events that Jake seems to find his way into. When faced with this reality though, Zack (Vincent Pastore) and Avi show Jake just how twisted he has become from being in solitary, having only the company of his mind and his ego then makes it so that their actual existence is elusive even to Jake. The movie unravels to a humbling process for both Jake and Macha as they both come to grips with their inner demons.

The style of the movie is top-notch as you get the gritty feel of the crime world represented and the characters it includes. Although a lot of nods at Ritchie's previous films are here it still has a presence of its own from the dialogue, the sets and the experimental take on the gangster genre. It's also a great trip on humility and recognizing when you can easily let your ego or a preset notion mask you ability to accomplish what you want or overcome what you should. The characters are well crafted in this movie with all sides being fleshed out and, true to Ritchie fashion, they're all tied in by some underhandedness that throws a wrench in everyone's affairs. I could and would like to go on about this film and its unique nuances but I don't want to take too much away from it if you haven't seen it yet.

It may take a few sittings to get through all the intricate layers but it's a great movie and it should be seen. If you're lucky and you haven't seen the watered-down US release, see if you can get the original UK version as it will make for a great discussion piece among friends as you try to puzzle in your take. I saw it with my crew around early-2006 and we're still talking about it with little things we've picked up on today. It has garnered its cult status, and it's well- deserved as the film where Ritchie stepped out the box and broke his norm a bit.

Standout Line: "Fear or revere me, but please, think I'm special. We share an addiction. We're approval junkies."

There's something about noir films that just get me. Be it the scenery, the mood, the dialogue- I don't know. But whatever it is, I like it and I also like a good mystery and this film delivers wonderfully.

The reason I picked this out was because of the cover art and because it had Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it and I was taking note of his rising star, especially in the indie world. So there goes a success story of how decent marketing can separate your project from the disc-herd.

The film was written and directed by Rian Johnson who said he took writing cues from Dashiell Hammett, a novelist of yore who wrote mainly about detective stories and visual cues from Spaghetti Westerns and the anime, Cowboy Bebop. These cues craft the noir-like feel of this movie, and the detective mood that couples it. The story has a decent pace and requires a bit of attention, if you want the full spiel of the plot and if you want the rewards of the brilliant, snippy dialogue. Set in a high-school the viewer is thrust into a world of sex, drugs and deceit that is mainly governed by the school's social hierarchy. Outside of that world though, lives Brendan- a self-appointed outcast still bent on a recent break-up and friendship fallout. He gets a heads-up from his ex, Emily (Emilie de Ravin) that she had found herself in a bit of trouble and needed some help getting out. The story fleshes itself out from there. Picking away at clues with the help of an info guru we know as Brain (Matt O'Leary) and a socialite, Laura, Brendan shuffles to get to the bottom of what's going on with Emily as he tackles the social pyramid from the top down. Through snooping and putting puzzle pieces together Brendan finds a murdered Emily and her death points to a drug deal gone bad. This string of connections lands him in the sights of The Pin, a reputable drug dealer around town and his cohort, Tugger (Noah Fleiss). As he plays the new guy under The Pin's employ, Brendan finds the truth behind Emily's murder, the botched drug deal and the reason why he and Emily broke up as everything comes full circle.

The characters are nicely rounded out and the actors really delivered for their parts. Also the way the classes mesh in the grand scheme was pretty good and I appreciated the way it was done. There are enough twists to make this movie as engaging as it is and the cinematography pairs it in an awesome fashion. The general score fits perfectly too and chimes well with the classic approach to film noir scores. I liked this movie and the world we get to see portrayed. If you like detective stories or a good mystery then you should give this a viewing, it's a different movie as it is quite the gem and greatly shows off Joseph's acting chops. Pick it up and watch it with a friend, the simplicity that seems to be behind it is good inspiration for aspiring directors and the story is a must for those trying to find their writing niche.

Standout Line: "What are your services, exactly? So I can be specific on the invoice."

Touted as a between-the-sheets peek at black love and sexuality, this bit of gold is one of the purest representations of those moments that you either find yourself in or overhear when you're not listening.

Written and Directed by Dennis Dortch, this film delivers five bite-size vignettes that touch on some very good points about sex and its ruses. The cast is made up relatively unknown actors and that brings some authenticity to it since you're not setting yourself up to see what a big-wig actor is doing in the movie. The soundtrack is also a very solid stand-out feature and a fringe benefit indeed, every song or instrumental quip adds a bit more flavor to whatever mood or tone is on the screen, building an ambiance that pulls you in more to the stories. After watching it though you may feel a bit mislead as all the stories are fairly universal and not set in stone as stereotypically black. The fact that most of the actors are black and it's not a sleaze-fest or an overly-dramatic, Tyler Perry-esquire film brings it to an avenue that makes it accessible to just about everyone.

Each story has a mood and pretext of its own, so as to not give anything away, I'll be as vaguely detailed as possible. Reciprocity dips into the whole 'giving and receiving' scenario and shows how persuasive and impatient we can get when what we want is dangled in front of us. The characters, Jeanette (Kathryn Taylor) and Tony (Brandon Valley Jones) engage in some foreplay and one whimsically shortchanges the other after getting a late-night special. The reactions and the haggling is very rewarding and the clip is just long enough for you to appreciate the gist of the moment. Her Man touches on an all-too-familiar exchange, for Bahamians at least, sweet-hearting. We get to see a gradual heated exchange between a married man, D'Andre (Marcuis Harris) and his woman-on-the-side, Helena (Chonte Harris). This is probably the most dramatic of the vignettes and stands out amongst the others because of its emotional value, brilliant acting and dialogue. You will find yourself not knowing who to root for or even if you should root, given the situation. Broken up into two parts, Tonight puts us with Tamala (Mylika Davis), a sprightly teen, as she celebrates her Fourth of July birthday. The first part touches a bit on peer-pressure and how some guys can get aggressively persistent when it comes to sex and it shows just how strong and resistant women can - and should - be in those situations. The second part introduces, Julian (Jerome Hawkins)- a friend's older brother and deals with the laws of attraction, basically, and shows just how cocksure women can get when they want something and how resilient one should be when things fall apart. (Reprise), the shortest of the bunch with Candi (Nana Hill) and Russell (Kareem j. Grimes), gives us a peek into sexual exploration and a nice heads-up on how couples can ease each other into new territory. The last is American Boyfriend, this is the only one that I felt sold itself short because it had so much potential. It deals with interracial coupling and takes it a step up by having the girlfriend, Jasmine (Emily Liu) be Chinese and the boyfriend, Jesse (Alphonso Johnson) be not only American but African-American. This dives in to two stereotype pools as people will tell you that Asians are notoriously cliquish when it comes to coupling, especially if the family is traditional and African- Americans can be very political when it comes to dating outside of the shaded area. With that, Jasmine has yet to tell her parents that she has a boyfriend- that isn't Asian and, as fate would have it, her family comes by for dinner whilst her boyfriend is over, ushering her to hide him until they leave. As the day passes, Jesse gets restless and the family starts to weigh in on Jasmine's personal life and an abrupt interaction happens, much to her dismay. The dialogue from both perspectives is pretty decent and it leaves you jumpy to see what happens, however, this is probably the only one from the bunch that will leave you wanting more.

A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy is a great find and you will enjoy it with friends, albeit friends that are mature and comfortable enough with their own sexuality. There aren't any Gay or Lesbian interactions here and that may alienate a few but it's still a great watch, even if you just want a fresh black-themed flick to relax to.

Standout Line: "You called and invited yourself over, I cooked and now you got beef. What is up with all of that? You got a problem with me trying to make you happy today?"