H5O

I have seen the film on Turner Classic Movies - one thing that I have noticed was a Houston, TX of the past, which has virtually changed for the past 34 years. The Astrodome is still there, only that it's westside now has a larger facility known today as Reliant Stadium.

When I watched the film a few days before the Super Bowl - I have noticed that several Houston-area locations have changed - especially in front of the former M & M Building (now the University of Houston - Downtown) where Stacy Keach was rollin' downhill in a wheelchair right after an old Houston Police cruiser drives past by. Today, a light rail line has been constructed, and if I had the DeLorean from the Back to the Future trilogy - I would like to experience the "old" H-town.

I first seen Juice when I was 19, and I used to recall when YO! MTV Raps used to air the behind the scenes when this film was made.

This might be the only film that 2Pac had hair, until he shaved it off (watch the video for Trapped - from his 2Pacalypse Now album). Although the film was all original, right down to the script, Tupac's portrayal of Bishop is typical of Inner City youth who are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, violence, and gangs. The character morphs from the typical ghetto youth who has no role models to a psychopathic/sociopathic villain with a Hitchcockian twist. I recall when Tupac and Q's scene in the hallway would have been another classic Hitchcock scene, where he peaked as the ultimate villain, unlike Laurence Fishburne in What's Love Got to Do With It as Ike Turner. I recall the quote from the film when he states "U ready to die, nigga?" in front of Q - it reminded me of young black males who always were sent to the principal's office at my old high school who later ended up in the penitentary.

All of the 4 youths depicted in the film - only two lived through the violence, except for Tupac and Khalil Kain's portrayal of a baby-daddy/gangbanger. Although DJing as a tenured career may not be rock-solid for ghetto youth, Q's portrayal of taking his responsibility further as a successful DJ - was his friend's deviances worth it?

Watch for an early Samuel L. Jackson and his wife in the film, along with a young N'Bushe Wright as one of Raheem's ex-girlfriends.

I recall seeing this on cable several years ago, and one thing I recall was to watch the scene in front of the World Trade Center where Louis and Billy Ray disembark from a taxicab, which is Ground Zero today. This may be one timeless classic where the World Trade Center plays an important role, only that the scenes are preserved on film for eons.

I'd recommend this for a film collection where the Twin Towers once stood; I would like to see them rebuilt again to their former glory. A Manhattan Island without the Twin Towers is like a Houston, TX without the Shamrock Hilton.