7tavern: Boyz n the Hood

Boyz n the Hood

Sound (2)
4.1
Plot (2)
4.1
Cast (2)
4.1
Special Effects (1)
2.8
Length & Pace (2)
4.2
Cinematography (2)
4

Directors: John Singleton,

Writers: John Singleton (written by),

Release: 2 July 1991 (USA)

Tagline: Once upon a time in South Central L.A. ... It ain't no fairy tale

Plot: Saga of a group of childhood friends growing up in a Los Angeles ghetto.

Cast:Hudhail Al-Amir - S.A.T. Man,   Lloyd Avery II - Knucklehead #2,   Angela Bassett - Reva Styles,   Mia Bell - Female Club Member,   Lexie Bigham - Mad Dog,   Kenneth A. Brown - Little Chris,   Nicole Brown - Brandi - Age 10,   Ceal - Sheryl,   Morris Chestnut - Ricky Baker,   Darneicea Corley - Keisha,   John Cothran Jr. - Lewis Crump,   Ice Cube - Doughboy,   Na'Blonka Durden - Trina (as Na' Blonka Durden),   Susan Falcon - Mrs. Olaf,   Jessie Lawrence Ferguson - Officer Coffey (as Jesse Ferguson)

Runtime: 112 min

Country: USA

Language: English

Company: Columbia Pictures Corporation

Links: IMDb Profile

Categories: Crime, Drama

Main

Trailer

malikaziz
Reviews: 47
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Reviewer

Sound:
Plot:
Cast:
Special Effects:
Length & Pace:
Cinematography:

3.6

3.8

3.6

2.8

3.4

3.7

Most Important Black Films – #4 Boyz N The Hood

Boyz N The Hood was the debut film by writer/director John Singleton. The semi-autobiographical tale revolves around three young black men, Tre, Ricky, and Doughboy, and their daily lives growing up in South Central Los Angeles.

On to the tale of the tape…

Relevance: While the phrase ‘black film’ can take on many different meanings (as this countdown hopefully illustrates), Boyz N The Hood is the type of film that is universally agreed to represent the ultimate prototype. Black director, black writer, black cast, black soundtrack, black setting, black story. Spike had already proven there was a modern audience for black film; in mimicking the rise of West Coast hip hop, John opened America’s eyes to a very real ’street’ sensibility that was getting louder and prouder.

Legacy: So many careers and trends can be traced to this film. John Singleton obviously, but also Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, and Cuba Gooding Jr. started their rise with this film. The good and bad ‘hood’ films (Menace II Society, and countless others) wouldn’t have gotten made without Boyz. While Spike was the clear pioneer, John’s success told both Hollywood and future filmmakers that there was room for more than one black storyteller at a time. That might be the greatest legacy.

Craft: Rewatching it years later, there are points where the film is undeniably ‘preachy’. (And the Wayans absolutely slaughtered this point to death in their parody, Don’t Be a Menace). That aside, the film’s structure is fairly classical. Three brothers, one undeniably good (Tre), one undeniably bad (Doughboy), and one good who has some ties to the bad (Ricky). The presence of the father figure (Furious) is somewhat on the nose, but no one can take away from the great performance of Laurence Fishburne.

Crossover: Without a doubt. Boyz N The Hood was on its own regard a crossover phenomenon. John Singleton became the first African-American, and the youngest person of any color to be nominated for Best Director. As referenced in the Legacy section, Ice Cube has gone from Doughboy to the star of Are We There Yet? Anyone who saw that coming is a bold faced liar.

Apollo: Ricky’s slow motion demise is still incredibly powerful. If I may, I’d like to use this space for something more personal. I was still a kid when this film came out. Spike’s films had already planted the seed in my head, and I heard about all this new black kid out of USC doing it, so of course I wanted to see the film. Now I might be slightly off with this number, but the number of times I personally remember my father going out to the movie theater has to be around…5? He has movies he likes now, but they’re not his thing, they’re my thing. So there we were one Saturday afternoon (in Oak Park Mall for you Kansas City people) watching Boyz. My Pops taking me to something I was interested in wasn’t a big deal to me; it’s what I’ve always known. So when Furious made his speech to Tre about listening to him (and watching what happens to Ricky and

Doughboy who didn’t have that male influence), it was just part of the movie to me.

Anyway, now that I’m on the other side of the table, I have so much appreciation for what I had. Obviously having a man in the house doesn’t mean automatically mean a boy grows up into a good brotha, not having a man doesn’t mean a boy won’t turn out well. But it’s a conversation I’ve had over and over again with some of my closest friends: having a good man involved in the life of a boy can go a long, long way in creating a good man. (I’m deliberately avoiding the father-daughter influence; go listen to some old John Mayer for that.) As a wrap I’ll say for its various flaws, Boyz N The Hood is one of the better, three-dimensional black films ever made.

The countdown will continue with another landmark film. Until next time…

Last updated: 2010-01-18 14:38:06 by malikaziz

2010-01-12 07:24:40

MysteryMan
Reviews: 167
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Member

Sound:
Plot:
Cast:
Special Effects:
Length & Pace:
Cinematography:

4.5

4.4

4.6
NA

4.2

Boyz N the Hood

Every now and then, a film comes out that makes people sit up and take notice. In the early 90s, Boyz N the Hood was that picture. It did such a good job of doing so that it is in the Library of Cngress’ national film registry for being culturally significant. For a film like this, that’s a bigger feat that an Academy Award. Hmm…are any of Spike Lee’s overtly racist films in there? I think not!
The good…if this film was released today, it’d be all gritty and dark, but John Singleton chose to make it a more realistic look at urban life, that is there are good times and bad. The cast, at the time, were mostly up and coming actors. I would wager that this film vaulted them into bigger and better things, most notably Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Ice Cube. The dialogue between Cube and his flunkies, if you will, make for some really entertaining scenes. Ricky’s murder makes the most sense of all the characters, and I commend the filmmakers for choosing him rather than Doughboy or Tre, neither of which would have been as effective.
The bad…its obvious that Ricky’s mother favored him, but it never is really said why, save for a slight mention that they have different dads. I know this is supposed to be about the boys and all, but they could have given us a bit more on the women in the hood, at least more on the Ricky’s baby mama and mother. I don’t know all the women, except Nia Long and Regina King, seemed sort of wasted and/or underused here. Maybe it’s just me, though.
I’m sure there are films we’ve all seen when we were younger and didn’t quite understand ro appreciate, then a few years later we watch them again and gain a newfound respect for said pictures. That’s how Boyz N the Hood is for me. I watched this when I was still in junior high, and the only thing I remembered about it was the brief sex scene. Now, I appreciate how well made this film is, not to mention the fact that it entertains as well as provides some food for thought. A definite must-see, if you ask me.

http://thankyounetflix.wordpress.com/

(Read Less...)

Last updated: 2010-02-26 07:31:59 by MysteryMan

2010-02-26 07:30:27

malikaziz
Reviews: 47
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Reviewer

Most Important Black Films – #4 Boyz N The Hood

Boyz N The Hood was the debut film by writer/director John Singleton. The semi-autobiographical tale revolves around three young black men, Tre, Ricky, and Doughboy, and their daily lives growing up in South Central Los Angeles. On to the tale of the tape… Relevance: While the phrase ‘black film’ can take on many different meanings (as this countdown hopefully illustrates), Boyz N The Hood is the type of film that is universally agreed to represent the ultimate prototype. Black director, black writer, black cast, black soundtrack, black setting, black story. Spike had already proven there was a modern audience for black film; in mimicking the rise of West Coast hip hop, John opened America’s eyes to a very real ’street’ sensibility that was getting louder and prouder. Legacy : So many careers and trends can be traced to this film. John...

(Read More...)

2010-01-12 07:24:40

MysteryMan
Reviews: 167
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Member

Boyz N the Hood

Every now and then, a film comes out that makes people sit up and take notice. In the early 90s, Boyz N the Hood was that picture. It did such a good job of doing so that it is in the Library of Cngress’ national film registry for being culturally significant. For a film like this, that’s a bigger feat that an Academy Award. Hmm…are any of Spike Lee’s overtly racist films in there? I think not! The good…if this film was released today, it’d be all gritty and dark, but John Singleton chose to make it a more realistic look at urban life, that is there are good times and bad. The cast, at the time, were mostly up and coming actors. I would wager that this film vaulted them into bigger and better things, most notably Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Ice Cube. The dialogue between Cube and his flunkies, if you will, make for some really entertaining scenes. Ricky’s murder makes the most sense of all the characters, and I commend the filmmakers for...

(Read More...)

2010-02-26 07:30:27

» = New Post

Movies you may like

Discuss Boyz n the Hood

Log in to comment.