About Features Reviews Community Screenings Archives Studios Home
blackfilm.com Archive
Indie Reviews
( Current Issue: Main Page * Features * Reviews * Gallery * Teen ) All Archives

 
Archived Indie Reviews

 
Headline Synopsis Date Published
Blue Hill Avenue Though the theme is not new, and the plot has been seen before, the twist is interesting and the acting is excellent. 10/03/2003
Lost in Translation Lost in Translation is a terrific and humorous film that speaks volumes about friendship, romance, and commitment. 09/12/2003
The Battle of Shaker Heights The winner of the second Project Greenlight screenwriting contest, THE BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS, is a genuine coming of age story that is captivating because of its lead star, Shia LaBeouf. His performance alone is enough to carry the film from being a just a basic afternoon special. 08/22/2003
And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen And Now…Ladies and Gentlemen is a fantasy film filled with romantic escapades and sweeping music that will make you explore the world looking for the same. 08/01/2003
Dirty Pretty Things A romantic thriller/existential commentary, Stephen Frears’ Dirty Pretty Things takes the viewer on a thrilling yet chilly ride through London’s seedier side of capitalism and immigrant oppression. 07/25/2003
Mondays in the Sun (Los Lunes al Sol) Nominated for an Oscar last year for best foreign film and coming out now is Mondays in the Sun, a heartfelt story about a group of guys whose friendship gives each a peace of mind while still struggling to find work during hard times. 07/25/2003
Camp An audience pleaser at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and ready to go to wider theaters, “Camp” is solidly entertainment with a thrilling soundtrack. 07/25/2003
Madame Sata Opening July 9th at the Film Forum in New York City, the film is one of beauty and complexity addressing one man’s ability to invent himself and live free in an imprisoning world. 07/11/2003
28 Days Later In a throwback to yesteryear films (The Omega Man, The Last Man of Earth), 28 DAYS LATER is a riveting chiller that is more than just a zombie movie and better than most post-apocalypse films. 06/27/2003
Friday Night (Vendredi Noir) Ever have that feeling of wanting to be with someone with no strings attached? In reality, this may or may not have happened to some, but in Claire Denis’s provocative new film, the possibility of a night of passion with a comfortable stranger makes this film worth seeing. 06/27/2003
Only the Strong Survive Only the Strong Survives is a documentary film that should be watched by all to remember the times when soul singers where at their prime before the evolution of rock and roll began and their music was no longer at the forefront in the industry. 05/09/2003
Spellbound Nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary is Jeffrey Blitz’s inspirational film SPELLBOUND, which shares the stories of 8 kids who, through hard work and support from their parents, competed in the National Spelling Bee. The journey to the dream is uplifting and rewarding for everyone wins. 05/02/2003
Love & Diane Jennifer Dworkin’s brilliant documentary is the story of three generations worth of survival in the face of numerous social obstacles that keep the underpriveledged locked in an oppressive socio-economic cycle of struggle. 04/18/2003
Joy "Joy", both heartwarming and thought proving, explores the impact of misplaced authority and misguided justice, and yet leaves the viewer with a sense of hope and purpose. 12/20/2002
'R Xmas There was a time when Director Abel Ferrara had made decent films if not good (King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, and New Rose Hotel). But lately, his vision has been clouded. His latest film, ‘R Xmas, is dull, clichéd, and short. 11/22/2002
Strange Fruit STRANGE FRUIT is a film that should be seen by those who want to learn about the American past. 11/08/2002
Wasabi Wasabi is an action filled film that we have seen before but has some comedy and some heartfelt scenes to appreciate Reno as the cop of the new century. 10/11/2002
Crazy as Hell Written in the vain of such psychological thrillers as The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Twilight Zone, Crazy as Hell will have your mind racing in a million different directions and still manage to surprise you at the end. 09/27/2002
Who is Cletis Tout? Christian Slater is dazzling as the one who quest for freedom lands him in hot water. Tim Allen is solid in a role that could seen as “Pulp Fiction” meets the “The Player”. 08/09/2002
Blue Crush Based on the magazine article “Surf Girls of Maui” by Susan Orlean, written by Lizzy Weiss and John Stockwell, and directed by John Stockwell (CrazyBeautiful), Blue Crush is a romantic girl-power flick with enough tubular wave action to make even the most sedentary movie-goer consider surf-lessons. 08/09/2002
Sunshine State Sayles has returned to form as he takes his writing to Florida to tell the story of two families, black and white, and how the past is revisited to change the course of the future. 06/21/2002
Mama Africa In Mama Africa, Queen Latifah introduces three short stories from female African directors about women and the plight they go through to survive the hardships they face. 06/07/2002
The Other Brother In Xenon Pictures'first theatrical release, "The Other Brother" is a film that has a familiar theme, though it has scattershot chuckles and lacks some flair and charisma. 04/26/2002
Karmen Gel If there were anything or anyone that could challenge Shakespeare for the most productions of one of his stories, it would be Bizet’s Carmen. 04/12/2002
Looking for a mate in your 30’s ain’t no joke. - In fact in 30 Years to Life, it’s almost scary! Turning 30 must be reeeee-ally traumatic. For the six friends in “30 Years to Life” there are few meaningful relationships, almost no career comforts, tons of commitment phobias, and very strange dates with more than their share of toes. 03/04/2002
Otomo Frederick Otomo (Isaac de Bankole) is a poor immigrant from West Africa living in Germany in the late eighties. As he struggles to find food, he’s faced with harsh racist attitudes. 11/09/2001
Diamond Men “Diamond Men” offers a refreshing new look at how one man has worked hard only to be put out to pasteur when he’s near retirement. In what may be his most defining moment of his acting career, Robert Forster holds the picture together. 11/09/2001
What would you do if honesty might kill you? What she tells him is every man or woman’s worst nightmare: he may have been exposed to the AIDS virus and must get tested. The results won’t be in for one week - the day of his wedding. 10/05/2001
Jump Tomorrow In Josh Hopkins’ first feature film, “Jump Tomorrow,” he manages to make this quirky comedy enjoyable. It’s a battle between love and responsibility. Guess which prevails? 08/03/2001
Lumumba In 1960 Patrice Lumumba was chosen as Congo’s first prime minister. Within less than a year, he would be assassinated with no body to be found. 07/27/2001
Off the Hook In recent times, there have been a number of true-life stories brought to the screen. The difference between those films and “Off the Hook” is that the latter features the individual whose life is being displayed. 07/20/2001
Adanggaman “Adanggaman” shows a slice of history that still exists today. Black on Black crime is something that began long ago when survival of the fittest meant who had more power. 07/20/2001
Downtown 81 It’s not a great film, but rather disjointed as nothing really makes sense. But considering this is the only glimpse one would ever see of Basquiat before he was discovered by Andy Warhol, this film is somewhat of a masterpiece... 07/20/2001
Our Song In today's world, movies of all genres never surprise the audience.  Most plots are contrived to fool us or to get our attention.  Currently, in the teenage market, all films carry the same plots; romance and lots of tomfoolery - never dramatic... 05/25/2001
THE VISIT - Acting Saves the Day Now comes a newly formed company aimed at distributing so called "risky" films - Urbanworld Films. They want to show films that have a sense of realism. Its first feature is "The Visit" and it deserves to be seen for its story is powerful and cast is wonderfully played out to perfection. 03/01/2001
Time and Tide With "Time and Tide", Tsui Hark has returned to the roots that made him the "Sam Peckingpah of Hollywood". 03/01/2001
Loving Jezebel A story of love depicting the great romances of a young man's life... yet this man is cursed with always falling for someone else's girl. As we watch our hero Theodorus mature, will he ever find true love? Or will he remain the dupe of Jezebels, constantly loving women who are unavailable and unfaithful? 03/01/2001
Loving Jezebel A multi-cultural urban romance that comments on infidelity and true love could be just the movie audiences are waiting for. Upbeat and a little preachy, Loving Jezebel portrays the adjustments in finding the "one for you" while still trying to find yourself. 05/01/2000
Ghost Dog Get at me Dawg! Whassup Dawg? Deputy Dawg! It seems the terms dog, dawg and dogg are tossed around like the Washington Wizards. Excuse me Mike but you know what I'm sayin. 05/01/2000
The Rev. Do Wrong Ain't Right In Do Wrong, all of the worst characteristics are thrown into a mixing bowl and voila, we are delivered a permed out, craps-shootin pimp as a Preacher. And I must admit I laughed quite often as Bibbs delivered the character quite comically. 02/01/2000
Never Too Big As far as STV's go Butter was pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised to find a decent plot, a few unexpected twists and actors who portrayed intriguing characters. The cameos were the best part of the movie though. Telling would spoil the surprise, but if you're an African-American film fan you'll see a lot of familiar faces. 08/01/1999
The Farm The Farm's greatest success is in establishing a personal connection between the viewer and the inmates. As a viewer, you get a true sense of the futility of the quest to be released, of the devastating loss of time, and, in some cases, the blatant racial bias. 07/01/1999

 

( Current Issue: Main Page * Features * Reviews * Gallery * Teen ) All Archives

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 1999-2008, BlackFilm.com