Urban Works Entertainment

For fans of West Coast gangster rap, Mack 10 pulls out all the stops for his latest DVD. Mr. Mack and a crew of Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg protégé’s joke and rhyme about the usual topics on every true gangster’s mind these days; girls, guns, and cadillacs. Our story begins with the usual shots of half naked and completely naked girls, leaving me thinking I had mistakenly put in a ‘Girls Gone Wild’ disc. I was disappointed, though, when we then jumped to the main sequence, a Mack 10 show at the House of Blues, along with Ice Cube and a host of other West Coast rappers.

The home video style in which the entire disc is presented leaves much to be desired. The sound is poorly mixed: heavy beats and smooth bass lines reminiscent of Dr. Dre’s sound circa 1991 completely drown out Mack and co.’s vocals.

The show has somewhat of an Altamont feel to it, when a fight between a dozen audience members breaks out. However, the violence is treated so passively by the audience, and as they continue to pummel each other, absolutely no one tries to stop them. Mack and Cube do not miss a beat during this conflict, simply ignoring it and moving on with their set.

There is little difference between any kind of music oriented DVD that comes out these days. Whether it’s a rock band or a rapper like Mack 10, it’s really all the same; sex, drugs, and cars. While Mack and crew use enough profanity to make GOODFELLAS look like SNOW WHITE, beneath all the acting is a bunch of friends just trying to have a good time. If that includes waving guns around and showing off jewelry, this is for you.

A word about the insane amount of violence in the disc: I have taught in an inner city schools for three years, and nine out of ten students, of either African- American or Latino descent, are raised by their mothers. If you were emasculated every day by a woman, you would worship someone waving a gun around too. However, children do not see where the illusion of acting and entertaining ends and the reality of trying to sell product begins.

For fans who, “can’t get enough of that gangsta sh*t,” this is for you. All others need not apply.

Cast:
Mack 10
Ice Cube
Dub C
MC Eight

Credits:
Producer: David Green
Executive Producer: Mack 10

Criterion Collection

Here it is…..the film that proves that every stereotype you’ve heard or seen about Jamaicans is true. If it were not for the great soundtrack (I defy you not to sing along), would this film even be remembered?

Director Perry Henzell rode the wave of blaxploitation/neo-realism to the hilt. The story, nothing new, is a parable about a young boy from the country who wants to make it in the music industry and winds up becoming a criminal.

My main complaint is that the film’s soundtrack precedes the actual film itself. If this was not the CITIZEN KANE of Jamaican films, in fact the only Jamaican film I have ever heard of, it would probably not be as popular as it is. Oh, you say, but it’s from the Criterion Collection! It must be good!

Jimmy Cliff does a great job of playing the country boy who becomes an outcast in the big bad city, but I just cannot feel sympathy for someone who shoots cops. This is really pretty much a rehash of the Bonnie and Clyde story, without the Bonnie. Both films are supposed to be about modern day Robin Hoods, but this one does not stand up.

All in all, despite my griping , it’s not a bad movie, it just doesn’t live up to the hype. Unless you’re a big fan of reggae music, pass on this one, and go directly to any neo-realist film. Any, really.

Troma Video

Before there was SOUTH PARK, Trey Parker and Matt Stone made CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL while still struggling film students. The plot revolves around Alfred Packer, the only person ever to be convicted of cannibalism in the United States, whose last name provides typical SOUTH PARK low-brow humor in conjunction with the word “fudge.” On trial for cannibalism, Packer recounts the story of his journey from Utah to the Colorado territories from his prison cell. Leading a group of Mormon miners through the wild west in search of gold, things begin to go awry when Packer and his men run into a group of evil trappers who steal his favorite horse, Leann. Things only get worse as Packer and his men get lost in the Colorado Rockies, running out of food, and having to take a page out of the Donner party cookbook in order to survive.

The picaresque journey through the wild west gives Trey Parker and Matt Stone plenty of ammunition for their take on the state of race in American society. Many of the jokes are hit or miss, most of them missing. Not nearly as incendiary as SOUTH PARK, these one-note jokes about sex just do not stand up on their own.

The underlying theme to the whole movie comments about racial stereotypes in the old west as well as today. When first confronting the evil trappers, the miners are denigrated as “diggers.” When lost in the Rocky mountains, Packer and his men come across a band of Native Americans, all played by Japanese martial artists carrying samurai swords instead of tomahawks. It is part BLAZING SADDLES and part ROCKY HORROR SHOW, minus the sex, and the good music. Recent outings for Matt Stone and Trey Parker find them much more direct about their feelings on the absurdities of modern America, and much more hysterical.

The song parodies fail to be catchy or funny, usually hinging on bestiality or extreme violence. Numbers like “ When I Was On Top Of You” are easily forgettable.
The DVD extras are plentiful, including behind-the-scenes footage and an introduction by Lloyd Kaufman, who has as much personality as a piece of tofu, strutting around Times Square looking for hookers. The only interesting part was his take on the elitist attitude of film festivals such as Sundance, of which he has never been a part for the past twenty-five years. Also available is a short film by Matt and Trey, a public service announcement read by Lemmy, appealing for the ethical treatment of hermaphrodites.

Truly the most interesting part of the film, for film buffs, has to be the appearance of the late Stan Brakhage, who recently passed away after a battle with cancer. Not a very fitting tribute to this monumental figure in avant-garde cinema. Skip this and go directly to the SOUTH PARK movie.

Cast:
Juan Schwartz
Toddy Walters
Ian Hardin
Jason McHugh
Matt Stone
Jon Hegel
Dian Bachar
Robert Muratore

Credits:
Written and Directed by Trey Parker.
Produced by Alexandra Kelly, Ian Hardin, Jason McHugh, Matt Stone, Trey Parker
Director of Photography Robert Muratore and Chris Graves
Original Score Trey Parker and Rich Sanders