Thug Life in D.C.

Just so that we cover this from jump, I really started to get annoyed at the first review offered up here. But everyone has the right to their own say-so, and I don't give much credibility to an assinine review like that one, especially when its author decides to remain "anonymous."

Where SLAM offered some kind of hope at its conclusion, we can't forget that it was a MOVIE, not real life, and the grittiness that was so well displayed in that film had to come from somewhere. Now Levin shows you where and why, and more importantly, that the tale can't be told too many times, so that it will be rendered less urgent or unimportant.

I fear that docs like this one bring a message that still falls on deaf ears and blind eyes, when it comes to getting through to the people who have the power and the resources to really do something about this case of modern-day genocide. But just like with most of history's cases of injustice, it will take something along the lines of a major catastrophe before anybody really begins to give a damn.

Once again Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson show the raw truth of what our prisoned youth views life like. The inner hope for Aundrey Burno that he could have been a better person if not brought up in the DC jungle that he did. Perhaps he wouldn't be in prison at all. The talent behind these young men is limitless and its a shame they didn't know better to make a difference in this world. This documentary is down right wonderful!!

The music is mesmorising!!!

Someone commented about how many more times must films like this be made. My answer is, as many more times as is necessary to illustrate the point that the people in the film not only created victims but are also victims themselves. Descriptions of politicians, government and a mirrored society are apparent and analogous to current situations. Some may ask why a film like this one that is so similar to others that are already out there must be made over and over again. The film puts a mirror to society and attempts to make us question ourselves and our actions. And films like this will continue to be made until those questions can be answered, and as of yet the only response is either silence or blame. I sincerely hope that this genre of film gets so old that it becomes a part of history that is no longer applicable.

Once again, Levin and Pinkerson set their sights on the injustices of "the system" (particularly the U.S. prison juggernaut), and once again, they remain oblivious to anything of value that might be gleaned from such an examination, behaving like nothing so much as a couple of street preachers railing against the abuses of "The Man," but ultimately rejecting the possibility of social progress (and their responsibility as critics) through their failure to communicate or even explore what steps can be taken to end them.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I have no problem with filmmakers taking an "objective," non-critical stance towards important social issues. But Levin and Parkinson have taken that stance towards the same issues for so long now that they should at least have some vague inklings on how to fix them. Alas, with "Thug Life in D.C.," it has become obvious that, despite all their filmmaking experience, they have yet to learn anything about the conditions they document, beyond the kind of simplistic analysis you would expect to find among members of a high-school debate team (i.e., maybe we wouldn't have so many criminals if there were more economic equality in our society -- gosh, thanks a lot).

The time has long since passed for Levin and Parkinson to stop warming up and step up to the plate, to end the tired, indignant head-shaking that one can detect in almost every frame of their films to date. Based on "Thug Life in D.C.," though, they're content to remain bench-warmers, unwilling to look any deeper beneath the surface -- especially ironic, when one considers that wasted potential is one of the ostensible themes of this particular film.

Yawn. More of the same from these guys, who, if prisons were suddenly eradicated from the U.S. would not know what to do with themselves. How many more times are Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson going to make the same film?

Oh... and the music is way tired in this one....

Skip it and save yourself the trouble of turning off the VCR in the middle.