mizkwebb

I make it a point to see everything produced about Tupac. This film is far better than "Resurrection" or any of the other bios I've seen. For one thing, it correctly points out that whatever commitment Afeni Shakur showed to The Movement, she was still a lousy mother. It contains great in-depth interviews with Shock-G and others close to Tupac; and these detail his faults as well as his assets, portraying him as the brilliant, artistic, complex, individual he really was, not as a cardboard idol. If you want concert clips, this is not your flick. But if you want interviews with Tupac and his friends that you won't see elsewhere, check it out.

"Ghost Dog" is one of the most thoughtful, profound, and well-put-together films I've seen. It combines ideas about the disintegrating nature of the world we live in, death, honor, and fidelity to principles with humor and some of the most beautiful editing and cinematography in recent memory. Forest Whittaker, one of the most underrated actors around, is astounding in the title role of Ghost Dog, a "loner" who lives by his own anachronistic code of honor . . . which of course isolates him almost completely from the wretched world he finds himself trapped in. There are frequent and fascinating quotations from the book Hagakure, Code of the Samurai (as soon as I exited the theatre, I ordered the book). The Sergio Leone-like technique of lighting the actors' faces to reveal every flaw, wart and sag enhances the somber mood of the film. A feeling of the sadness of the loss of values and meaning in life illuminates every scene, and glows in Whittaker's soulful face. The cinematography manages to make Jersey City look poignantly beautiful, no small feat! If you like your movies to give you a hell of a lot to think about, and also be flawlessly put together, "Ghost Dog" is a must. I plan to see it for a second time, very soon, because sadly I doubt if it will find the audience it deserves.

I am a straight woman who was fortunate enough to see "Queer as Folk" at the Los Angeles Outfest. I found it absolutely the best television series I've ever seen, on a par with HBO's "Oz," only more explicit and weaving comedy into the mix. The characters are painstakingly developed, and will capture your interest immediately. We all know a Stuart (arrogant sex freak hiding inner doubts and insecurities), a Vince (sweet, self-effacing, afraid to ask for what he wants), and a Nathan (15, impossibly romantic and willful). Though these are the main players, there are also wonderful supporting roles, including Nathan's concerned and sympathetic mother, his best school chum (wise-beyond-her-years "fag-hag" Donna), and Keith's irrepressible parents. The heady excitement of clubbing is captured perfectly; it made me itch to go to discos again! The production is altogether a class act. It's a shame that we here in the States are so under the thumb of the "family values" hypocrites that we may never get a series of this quality. Call your friends in England for a copy of the video, go to your local gay/lesbian center, do whatever you have to do to see this.