Dope is about a self-proclaimed geek, Malcolm, and his two geeky friends who are high school seniors in Inglewood California. The trio ends up being tricked into moving a package of MDMA for a drug dealer.
Hijinks ensue.
5/5
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The Campbell Review |
Dope is Dope. I very much enjoyed this clever little coming-of-age dramedy. It's a breath of fresh air. It's fun! Dope is about a self-proclaimed geek, Malcolm, and his two geeky friends who are high school seniors in Inglewood California. The trio ends up being tricked into moving a package of MDMA for a drug dealer. Hijinks ensue. 5/5
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There's a lot to say about Colors. Colors is a mid-80s, Pre-Rodney King LA, gang-themed police procedural starring Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Don Cheadle, and Damon Wayans. Wayans is playing it all In Living Color against Cheadle's earnest portrayal of Rocket, leader of the Crips. Super weird. Colors is also Dennis Hopper's return to directing after being blackballed twice in Hollywood. This is his first film since Out of the Blue (1980). This is a very stylized movie, expertly shot by Haskell Wexler. I fully appreciated the use of South Central LA's murals, the rawness of the hand held camera shooting on the streets, and all the real people crammed into the frames--Hopper hired real gang members and non-actor residents as extras. Two of the gang members were shot dead, during the course of filming in 1987. I wasn't sure what to expect and thought this would be pretty cheesy and dated. It is dated, but it also is a fascinating movie. It's slightly quaint in it's depiction of the relationship between gang members and the cops. There is a surprising sub-plot where a white cop accidentally shoots and kills an unarmed black man. It's treated quite seriously. Of course, I think it's prudent to take this in context as pre-Rodney King LA. I was also surprised by all the scenes Hopper gives to the two gangs apart from the two cops. While the Herbie Hancock synth score is one of the more dated aspects of the film, the pared down use of score, especially in the scenes where you might expect the score to play heavily, was stunning and well-played. Instead of empathic score buttressing the emotions, Hopper offers sirens and dogs barking. Check it out. 4/5 |
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