A mock documentary few remember

In 1994, writer and director, Rusty Cundieff, released a mock documentary "chronicling the rise and fall of a not particularly talented--or particularly bright but always controversial--1990s hip-hop group, NWH (Niggaz with Hats)." Few remember or have even seen this masterpiece... Not only was "gangsta rap" and explicit lyrics such a sensitive subject during the mid-nineties, remnants of Eazy-E aids crisis were still in the air. This mockumenary was released in 1994, and Eazy-E died on March 25, 1995. Tone Def, Tasty Taste, and Ice Cold (which happens to resemble Eazy-E in reality)are almost exact replicas of the hardcore gangsta group, NWA (Niggaz wit Additude). I enjoy the film very much because it added humor to the way I looked at NWA seriously. Just as Life is Beautiful(Benigni) had a absurd humorous spin on the events of the Holocaust, Fear of the Black Hat mocks the gangsta era in the same fashion, only in a documentary like style. Here's a excerpt:




Fear of the Black Cat also pokes fun at the racist mentality of members of NWA and their hatred of LAPD. This was a common reality in Crenshaw streets and Compton hood. I was a huge fan of NWA in 1991-92 (really, I still am today), and many injustices happened on to the people of lower income LA neighborhoods, which were made aware to the nation through NWA's dirty lyrics. Additionally, many of the people living in these neighborhoods were people of color. Here's an excerpt of a mock music video that appeared in the movie:



It's important that mock movies and documentaries are made because it helps us to laugh at the "wrongs" in our society. It's still amazing to me that it's almost 2006 and many injusictices clearly still plague our nation today. If we can find humor in certain issues that offend us as a society, then how can we ever comfortably work through our problems? Just say The Chappelle Shows has opened dialouge up for "white suburbia" to say the "n" word comfortably, movie like Life is Beautiful and Fear of The Black Hat has done the same. I encourage more filmmakers to do the same, if they can handle the comedy and drama within the content of a movie tastefully.

La Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful)...Dramatic, and Comedic.

Although Jackie Chan is known for his hilarious combination of slapstick comedy mixed with his non-stop action martial arts, Chan has also been hailed as the Charlie Chaplin of today's Hong Kong cinema. Some believe that the musical genre in films was the death of slapstick comedy, and to a larger degree this is true. I assert that "the end" of slapstick comedys has not entirely arrived and even more inventive types of slapstick are accuring in other parts of the world outside of Hollywood cinema. Being that I have never been able to tolerate slapstick comedy, like that of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, I am one of the toughest critic you'll find when faced with reviewing a film within slapstick genre. While saying this, I have one movie in mind: Life is beautiful... a film by Roberto Benigni(1998).

La Vita E Bella opening scene



This film is genius. Benigni uses the perfect amount of comedy coupled with drama in telling the story of one man and his family, which is affect by the Holocaust. Yes, this film is a tear jerker, but you'll find yourself laughing and crying at the same time. I never knew slapstick could be so entertainingly fulfilling until I was able to get my hands on La Vita E Bella. Even in scenes that are disturbingly tragic, Benigni draws from laughter to carry out a scene.

The anvil Scene

Flashward.....only to flashback again

Our readings suggest that “Flash-forwards are used only occasionally in fictional films, usually to suggest a premonition or inevitability." Yet the fictional movie, Run Lola Run(Tom Tykwer,1999), which shown in class on Wednesday, used flash-forwards that ruled over two-thirds of the film. Instead of seeing the flash-forwards scenes in the film simply as premonitions, I view the flash-forward in Lola as glimpses into parallel moments in time within our universe. These parallel universe “scenes” seem to convey that with only one minor alternative decision or event made, alters greatly what occurs in the future. This entire film has a sort of action/reaction type feeling to it, and in the end I am given an existential outlook on even my own everyday routines. Although this film can seem a bit confusing initially, the audience later recognizes the conversation between the two main characters while they are in bed is a gateway to yet another “domino effect” scene. Additonally, the intro narration at the beginning of the film gives some insight to why the audience is experiencing the alternative scenes in Lola.

A movie that intrigues me pertaining to flashbacks is the Last Samurai (Edward Zwick, 2003). Here, Tom Cruise’s character has an immediate flashback after his fight that reminds him of what he has just experienced. Earlier in the movie, a Japanese fighter instructed Cruise’s character that he must fight without thinking. In this Ronin scene, Tom has executed what the Japanese character has warned him to do. . .hence, the needed flashback for the benefit of Cruise’s character.

The Ronin Scene


A film that shows a variety of flashbacks and flash-forwards is The Jacket (John Maybury, 2004). Since this character of Adrian Brody has premonitions of the future and has many flashbacks from his past, this movie seems to jump around a lot. This movie maybe a little harder to follow that Run Lola Run, so watching it more than once is advised. After the movie’s climax, the film’s ending scene happens to be a flashforward as well, yet this forward movement in time is not a premonition. Instead, it is the way Adrian Brody sees life after death.

The First time I Died Scene


Morgue Locker Vision Scene

Opinion: Vocal Musical arrangment or Orchestrated Instrumentals?

The components of a Soundtrack are obviously vital to a film's continuity. Specifically, instrumental sounds and vocals are symbolic and supportive to a film, while evoking intended emotions among its viewers. Which bring me to this question: Are audiences more compelled by a film's vocal musical arrangement or are viewers more affected by their emotions and moods while experiencing newly orchestrated instrumentals of a film? As our readings suggests, "Popular music establishes when the story takes place", but I assert that popular music also deeply affects audiences even further. Going beyond the fact that a movie's soundtrack helps sales of recorded music in stores, popular music creates an inferable feeling among a film's audience. When I hear a familiar song, I am suddenly emotionally bombarded by memories and moods, which I would not experience with newly orchestrated music minus the vocals. Depending on the song, I encounter emotions that are fond or indifferent, warm or cold, positive or negative. If I hear familiar music, it only takes 5 seconds or less for me to recognize what song a director has chosen for a scene; it takes even less time for the song to ignite a desired or undesirable emotion from me. For Example:

Familiar or Popular Soundtrack


On the other hand, instrumental music that is made specifcally for a film can relay the director's intended mood precisely. Without having the audience distracted by their own more personal emotions, which is the case with popular music, newly composed non-lyrical music for a scene prevents the audience from straying from the director's vision. John Mullin describes Danny Elfman's work for SpiderMan (2002), "It's an entertaining listen that manages to be serious (and to convey the right amounts of dread and sentiment, when needed), but that never forgets to avoid taking itself too seriously". Here's a clip: