my review in mental fragments

First of all the spoiler HE DIES AT THE END


Did Sean Combs write the script???


The movie was entertaining I'll say that. I think more of the reaction of the crowd was in relation to the casting and bad acting and jamaican accents than the actual plot, though the movie had plenty of funny moments.


Antonique Smith as Faith Evans was great. Much like I see Denzel's face when i initially think of Malcolm X. Antonique Smith did the same for me.


I am probably gonna side with KIM on how they portrayed her in this joint cause you saw her briefly when he was young, then in a NC17 sex scene, then in the bedroom again topless, then in a studio getting punked out by Chrissypoo, then on stage at the end....no Charile Baltimore at all.


Lil Cease, man, if they made a movie about my cousin and they cast the older son on THE PARENTHOOD to play ME!!!!, someone getting KTFO, so it was hard to take dude seriously just knowing what the real Cease-a-leo looks like. Considering Naturi played a DECENT lil Kim and biggie and faith's characters were played well.


Same with PAC




The whole theme towards the end after the PAC shooting beef, kinda focused on the whole WHO SHOT YA joint and the drama behind it. I was waiting for them to put some type of focus on the making of Life After Death in the studio and all they focused on was Sky's the Limit (as if BIG had turned into a gospel rapper all of a sudden) and going back to CALI cause of the PAC BEEF. I was thinking "Didn't you make Nobody till Somebody Kills You, Long Kiss Goodnight, What's Beef during this time period.". The 10 crack commandments song didn't make sense with how the movie seemed to focus on a changed man and soon to be martyr.





Chris Wallace Jr. was really good.

Ayush Mahesh Khedekar > Christopher Wallace Jr. > Jaden Smith








It was TOO watered down and too Puff friendly for me but...



"I signed a deal for 42 million BIG and you can get 5 million..."

I figured it'd just be alright. Not great or horrible

I would have perferred a well edited actual documentary. But to spend 10 bucks on this at the theater<bittorrent

Seriously

This shit is thousands of times better than any documentary



----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

.

You Are Right Sir...

How could I not have known that...

I am sorry to not have had the knowledge you have given me...

I will as of this moment completely change my preference for documentaries. And actually watching something that gives me insightful information about a situation in the past that I had great interest in is far inferior to the profits that a major media company could gain from releasing a film that is hyped and one dimensional. What was I thinking...

I will now dedicate my remaining week to finding a t-shirt printer to create an Orbit Changed My Life shirt...





F O H

Documentaries *can* be great.

But they often are not.

And they often fuck things up so bad that I'd rather see
a dramatic portrayal, because there's often all types of shit
that the documentary didn't capture and can't tell.

It really depends on the story.

This one is better served with an actual film, and not a
documentary.


----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

I just like to exaggerate my point...

yo don't bootleg it, biggies kids get the money from the movie!! go see it in the theater and mae sure the stub reads NOTORIOUS THE MOVIE, haha

dont bootleg, his kids get the money from the movie and they need to go to college too, haha

>my review in mental fragments
>
>First of all the spoiler HE DIES AT THE END
>
>
lol

I'm surprised they'd release this movie in theatres since it's not going to be a great movie...

if even then

n.m

----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

I didn't start watchin it til around midnight but it kept my interest til the end which is a rarity these days if I start watchin a flick that late. I really enjoyed the performances, music & cinematography which was most unexpected. A pleasant surprise.

lol @ Juanita Jordan and fam (sans Mike) in the row in front of me and when they showed the classic hotel scene (which will probably be discussed upon public viewing) everyone in my row turned towards her direction to see her reaction lol...why I don't know but a few people looked at each other and smiled on some "I was thinking that too" shit.



it would have been better if they had a big bollywood dance ending....



I wonder why biggie's daughter didn't have a cameo (or did she) I am not a stick for the credits type dude


Voletta
"...i threw out that plate of mashed potatoes you had under the bed..."


Pac
"...we getting YO money and we taking YO bitches and spending YO money..." (something to the effect) everytime he said something I kept waiting for Kerry Washington to walk in the next scene



no LOX???

>lol @ Juanita Jordan and fam (sans Mike) in the row in front
>of me and when they showed the classic hotel scene

Big is at a hotel while on tour, talking on the phone to Faith. In the background we see a blurry silhouette of another woman, as Big tells Faith not to bother calling him back for the rest of the evening, as his manager Mark wants to use Big's room for his jumpoff. Faith, who is immediately suspicious, hangs up, and calls a babysitter. The next scene has Faith raiding the hotel, finding Big's room, and beating down the (white) woman whose silhouette we saw earlier, as Big tries to calm her down. Even though he's in the bed, shirt off, he tells Faith that he didn't bone ol' girl, and Faith tells him that he should have.
________________________________________________________________________
Your battleship has sunk
I wish Grandma could see us...

Nobody will admit it, though.


People will find ways to whine about it,
sorta like they found ways to whine about
'Get Rich or Die Trying' which was also
excellent.

Excellent is pretty much...

Good I will give it...

I wanted to see more, but I was happy with the overall film but i am glad i saw it for free...

Same with 'Get Rich or Die Trying'

I remember it vividly: "Fuck is this film about
50 cent!!! He is satan!!"

They didn't actually watch the movie, because it
was excellent, and so is 'Notorious'

----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

& i too will catch this jount on bootleg


am i evil? yes, i am.

Very compelling story

Shot by a RESPECTED director

Well shot, well written

well executed

It was a very good movie

Niggas just mad cuz 50 eatin and they
not

----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

im not a 50 fan at all with the exception of GRODT but i really liked that movie, definitely gets a lot of hate from people who didnt even both to see it

>im not a 50 fan at all with the exception of GRODT but i
>really liked that movie, definitely gets a lot of hate from
>people who didnt even both to see it

You ahve NO IDEA how many people I caught LYING about that
film who DIDN'T EVEN SEE IT.

Film snobs CANNOT like anything having to do with 50 Cent.
Its against their code of honor.

This is sad, of course, because GRODT was a quality
fuckin movie

----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

in my experience.

It's people that are bogged down by the 50 persona that seem to hate it.

Personally I found it entertaining, not a masterpiece but kept my attention and holds up to additional viewings on a rainy cable Sunday.

lol.

He even hammed the toughness up in that movie, lol.

.

No.

Now you wanna add requirements to justify your dumbass
hate.

Haha

What a fuckin pussy you are

.

First off, let's get this out the way: this is not a "hip hop" film. It's not about the history of hip hop, or "being true to hip hop," or nailing the cadence of Big's flow, or a searing indictment of Puff's materialism in the late 90's. That's not what the movie is meant to be.

Nor is there any new pertinent information about Big's murder, or who did it.

I mentioned this in The Lesson, and I'm going to mention it here: there will be some on this site, and some in the "hip hop community," who will be upset with this film, simply because it's not raw, uncut documentary footage of Big, Puff, Kim, and company from way back then. That's too bad.

I thought it was good. Tended to go from episode to episode in Big's life, but that's okay. I thought Jamal "Gravy" Woolard was damn good as Big. And yeah, "but he didn't get Biggie's cadence down" or his voice wasn't as deep as Big's when he rapped, but that was beside the point. Because the essence of the Big that's here is the charismatic Big, the one who charms everyone around him, from Jan to Voletta to Kim to Faith. The best parts of the film are when we see Big's charisma, whether he's acting cool and calm when Jan tells him she's pregnant, whether he's talking shit to Kim and later encouraging her to rap, or whether he's spittin' game at Faith... I mean, you just GOT it, and I think that was the point...

As to the question of why there was no focus on Charli Baltimore, or why we didn't see The Lox (or Ma$e DAMMIT!), the focus of the story here is Big and, specifically, the women that Big deals with the most... the ones who appeared to have the most influence and effect on him... during a Q & A afterward, director George Tillman and co-writer Reggie Rock Bythewood talked about whether or not to include Charli Baltimore, and whether including her was really important, and they decided not to include her, because you got the point with Big's other random indiscretions (including one that will most likely get loud applause and cheers from the sistas in the audience)... the point of the film wasn't necessarily to include each and every person in Big's life, or include each and every song that Big performed...

Now, the main problem I had with the movie was that the script is very on-the-nose. Reggie Rock Bythewood talked about having misgivings about doing the rewrites on the script when it was offered, because he felt that Big was "an unlikeable guy." So he found a through line and decided to tell the story of Big becoming a man. Which led to obvious moments where he would say something to the effect of, "hey, I'm just trying to be a man," or "yo, I'm a man now." Er. Also, during the Q & A, Derek Luke said he spent some time hanging with Puff, and said that Puff is still distraught over losing Big, and that Puff also felt that had the media not continuously thrown gas on the East Coast-West Coast flames back then, that both Big and Pac would still be with us. I mention that because I personally would have liked to have seen the film go at the media a little more for its role in the beef and the ensuing deaths.

And of course, since Puff was involved with the project, and Voletta Wallace is one of the film's producers, you'd think that they wouldn't be portrayed in any kind of negative light... and you'd be correct. It appears that the only people in the world of this movie who had flaws were Big and Kim. Faith was almost saintly and righteous in her quest to make Big a faithful man. And as mentioned, Kim was young, dumb, and in love with a man who told her that "I got you," and when he broke that promise she acted out, including one cringe-inducing scene where she's onstage performing her verse of Get Money and glaring angrily at an offstage Big every so often.

Moving on, let's talk about the other performances. I thought that, given the limitations of the script, both Angela Bassett and Antonique Smith were okay as Voletta Wallace and Faith, respectively. Antonique is such a dead ringer for Faith that I kept forgetting that she was an actress playing Faith. I thought that Derek Luke, even though he has no facial resemblance to Puff, did a fantastic job co-opting Puff's demeanor, his attitude, and, most hilariously, his dance moves. I have to say that as much as I usually dig him, Anthony Mackie was not convincing as Tupac -- or, at least he wasn't convincing to my lady friends whom I saw the film with, as evidenced by the audible sighs and visible eye rolling that was going on.

I also really liked Naturi Naughton's performance as Lil Kim. She nailed Kim's rap cadence (even though I just mocked everyone's complaints about Gravy's accuracy), got nekkid a couple three times... *thumbs up* (sorry ladies, but I gotta look out for my PTP fellas here), and did a nice job -- again, given the limitations of the script -- showing a young girl who fell in love with a charismatic cat and suffered the consequences. I thought she did her thing.

It looked like the film was shot with HD cameras, but I'm not sure, as a lot of the film had that grainy look to it. Wasn't too excited about it, to be honest.

So. Should you see this on the screen, or should you download/cop the bootleg? I will say that if you're looking for a gritty rap tale of how one fat dude became one of the best rappers ever (in many people's opinion), then I'd say stay at home. But if you're looking for a somewhat entertaining flick about the rise and fall of one of rap's most charismatic figures, then run out and see it (which you should probably do anyway... I mean, for all the talk of Tyler Perry-this and Wayans Brothers-that, there shole are a lot of bootleggin' and downloadin'-assed motherfuckers -- mainly in GD -- who STILL won't put their money where their mouths are when it comes to work by other black filmmakers)...
________________________________________________________________________
Your battleship has sunk
I wish Grandma could see us...

if people were looking to unravel conspiracies in a movie, this is not the flick to see. it is a very good put together film that can transcend color which is what i think puff was going for. you know puff is always looking at the bottom line and trying to get that mtv money.

but that sounds like a great summary... damn shame they did not attack the media because this seems to be a perfect opportunity to point the finger directly at it/them... Also, wouldve been nice for Puff to show some balls and allow himself to be shown with some flaws... but still... I think i'm gonna check it now

http://sayitwitme.blogspot.com/
www.myspace.com/spathegod

>First off, let's get this out the way: this is not a "hip
>hop" film. It's not about the history of hip hop, or "being
>true to hip hop," or nailing the cadence of Big's flow, or a
>searing indictment of Puff's materialism in the late 90's.
>That's not what the movie is meant to be.

Lord of the Rings is not a HipHop film...Notorious is a film about one of the biggest icons in the history of hip hop. A documentary i agree it isn't but it was enjoyable

Brian's Song > Notorious > Prefontaine > The Dennis Rodman Story


>I mentioned this in The Lesson, and I'm going to mention it
>here: there will be some on this site, and some in the "hip
>hop community," who will be upset with this film, simply
>because it's not raw, uncut documentary footage of Big, Puff,
>Kim, and company from way back then. That's too bad.
>
The ending of the movie they showed the characters and the real people they portrayed. If they left it at just a fictional account, then i would have taken it differently.

>I thought it was good. Tended to go from episode to episode
>in Big's life, but that's okay. I thought Jamal "Gravy"
>Woolard was damn good as Big.

Agreed

And yeah, "but he didn't get
>Biggie's cadence down" or his voice wasn't as deep as Big's
>when he rapped, but that was beside the point. Because the
>essence of the Big that's here is the charismatic Big, the one
>who charms everyone around him, from Jan to Voletta to Kim to
>Faith. The best parts of the film are when we see Big's
>charisma, whether he's acting cool and calm when Jan tells him
>she's pregnant, whether he's talking shit to Kim and later
>encouraging her to rap, or whether he's spittin' game at
>Faith... I mean, you just GOT it, and I think that was the
>point...

also agree

>
>As to the question of why there was no focus on Charli
>Baltimore, or why we didn't see The Lox (or Ma$e DAMMIT!), the
>focus of the story here is Big and, specifically, the women
>that Big deals with the most... the ones who appeared to have
>the most influence and effect on him... during a Q & A
>afterward, director George Tillman and co-writer Reggie Rock
>Bythewood talked about whether or not to include Charli
>Baltimore, and whether including her was really important, and
>they decided not to include her, because you got the point
>with Big's other random indiscretions (including one that will
>most likely get loud applause and cheers from the sistas in
>the audience)...

Charlie Baltimore seemed to have a bit more of a role in his life than a random white chick groupie in a hotel...
I think it is hard to watch a movie like this and not feeling like you want to see more. If they make a movie about Halle Berry and focus on Eric Benet and Dave Justice people are gonna say....what about Wesley...Michael Ealy....wtf? strange analogy i know

the point of the film wasn't necessarily to
>include each and every person in Big's life, or include each
>and every song that Big performed...
>

Just Who Shot Ya...


>Now, the main problem I had with the movie was that the script
>is very on-the-nose. Reggie Rock Bythewood talked about
>having misgivings about doing the rewrites on the script when
>it was offered, because he felt that Big was "an unlikeable
>guy." So he found a through line and decided to tell the
>story of Big becoming a man. Which led to obvious moments
>where he would say something to the effect of, "hey, I'm just
>trying to be a man," or "yo, I'm a man now." Er. Also,
>during the Q & A, Derek Luke said he spent some time hanging
>with Puff, and said that Puff is still distraught over losing
>Big, and that Puff also felt that had the media not
>continuously thrown gas on the East Coast-West Coast flames
>back then, that both Big and Pac would still be with us. I
>mention that because I personally would have liked to have
>seen the film go at the media a little more for its role in
>the beef and the ensuing deaths.
>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63QL-Zo1F78&feature=related

the movie made it seem as if they were pacifists in the whole east coast west coast beef lol...i mean both sides did a lot of shit talking to keep it heated between both coasts.

It is one thing to say "...it's not about the history..." or try to pass it off as just a movie, but people will probably want more. Just like you want it to focus on the media's role, i wanted to see it focus more on everyone's accountability from the top on down.


>And of course, since Puff was involved with the project, and
>Voletta Wallace is one of the film's producers, you'd think
>that they wouldn't be portrayed in any kind of negative
>light... and you'd be correct. It appears that the only
>people in the world of this movie who had flaws were Big and
>Kim. Faith was almost saintly and righteous in her quest to
>make Big a faithful man. And as mentioned, Kim was young,
>dumb, and in love with a man who told her that "I got you,"
>and when he broke that promise she acted out, including one
>cringe-inducing scene where she's onstage performing her verse
>of Get Money and glaring angrily at an offstage Big every so
>often.
>

I think they played Kim's role lol













This movie reminded me of the Panther movie. It was funny to me and then at the end it tried to get serious on the CIA and heroin issue but Bobby Brown Dwayne Wayne and Mark Curry kept me from taking it seriously.





This is my first take someone's quotes and respond type joints, so do take it personal like i am dissing your opinion.

And thank you for contributing to the discussion...
________________________________________________________________________
Your battleship has sunk
I wish Grandma could see us...

Puff also felt that had the media not
>continuously thrown gas on the East Coast-West Coast flames
>back then, that both Big and Pac would still be with us.

I'd love to hear Fluff or anyone else for that matter expound on this. I have a hard time blaming the media for this unless it was the media that pulled the triggers. The media plays the He Said/She Said game all the time. And the public eats it up. I don't know if I can fault the media in this situation for giving the people what they want.

I
>mention that because I personally would have liked to have
>seen the film go at the media a little more for its role in
>the beef and the ensuing deaths.

As an example, I'll always cite Vibe magazine's coverage of all the bullshit... I remember that they were the main ones interested in fanning the flames of the beef, with various covers and articles, but then when both cats got killed, they did an about-face and tried to wash their hands of their role in the situation, on some "Hip Hop Nation, When Will the Violence Stop, Y'all?" steez... and yeah, that's only one example, but I think that's what Puff was getting at...

There was another, less grim example, back in the early 2000s... I'm out here in L.A., and this was back when there were two big hip hop radio stations... well, there were various beefs going on back then (though I can only remember the Kurupt-DMX beef over Foxy Brown)... and of course, they played ALL the diss records from each artist that was beefing with someone else (sometimes repeating tracks over and over again repeatedly)... well, if I remember, someone got killed or badly hurt, and the next thing you know, one of the stations decided to air PSAs talking about "hey, let's stop the violence in our communities, y'all"... ironically enough, the instrumental music that they chose as the background score for these important, community-serving PSAs was none other than Dr. Dre's "Bitch Niggaz"...
________________________________________________________________________
Your battleship has sunk
I wish Grandma could see us...

The rivalries on wax brought about some great songs &/or one-liners. EL-P's Linda Tripp was incredibly creative & is classic material imo. It's a shame we didn't get more stuff like that & instead the beefs took to the streets. I see your point tho. And the media did indeed fuel the fire so they certainly played their part. But as far as losing two legends of hip-hop, I place the blame solely on those that did the actual deadly deeds.

I think it was after that tho where the so-called beefs became corny. I was a huge fan of both Nas & Jay-Z but now I don't even remember what started the friction between them. And then it seemed like every other week 50 had beef with somebody over some petty shit just to sell records & draw more attention to himself. My cynicism kicked in & I wasn't hearing anymore good music come from it so I was done with it.

Brilliant comment:
"If there's something praiseworthy about Notorious, it's that it pulls off the remarkable, ignominious feat of making its deceased subject less likeable than one remembers."


WTF kind of criticism is that?


People are fucking buggin MAKING UP reasons to not
like this movie. LOL.

Its a fucking good movie.

Jesus, why don't people just admit it?





----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

It's getting good notices. And pay particular attention to Allison Samuel's review:

http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/notorious
________________________________________________________________________
Your battleship has sunk
I wish Grandma could see us...

...because irrational hate tends to run out of steam.

People will run out of reasons to not like it, and then
it'll gradually gain credence as a "good film."

Same with 'Get Rich or Die Trying'.

Excellent film.

Hated on so bad, that it isn't remembered as such,
but it isn't remembered as "bad" either, except by
the people who didn't see it.

----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

only complaint is how he calls faith evans a rapper. GRRRR!

Notorious
by Roger Ebert

He was known as the Notorious B.I.G., a man-mountain of rap, but behind the image was Christopher Wallace, an overgrown kid who was trying to grow up and do the right thing. The image we know about. The film "Notorious" is more interested in the kid. He was born in Brooklyn, loved his mother (a teacher who was studying for a master's degree), got into street-corner drug dealing because he liked the money, performed rap on the street and at 20 was signed by record producer Sean Combs. Four years later, he was dead.

Documentaries about B.I.G. have focused on the final years of his life. "Notorious" tells us of a bright kid who was abandoned by his father, raised by a mother from Jamaica who laid down the rules and told the kids on the playground he would be famous some day. "You too fat, too black and too ugly," a girl tells him. He just looks at her. He is sweet-tempered, even after being seduced into the street-corner crack business, but he sounds tough in his rap songs -- tough, introspective, autobiographical and a gifted writer.

His demo tape is heard by Sean Combs (Derek Luke), who is seen in the film as a good influence, in part perhaps because he's the movie's executive producer. Combs draws a line between the street as a market, and a place where he wants his artists to be seen. B.I.G. leaves the drug business, and almost overnight becomes a huge star, an East Coast rapper to match the West Coast artists like Tupac Shakur.

Tupac was shot dead not long before B.I.G. was murdered, and the word was they died because of a feud between the East and West Coast dynasties and onetime friends B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie). Another version, in Nick Broomfield's 2002 documentary "Biggie and Tupac," is that both shootings were ordered by rap tycoon Suge Knight and carried out by off-duty LAPD officers in his hire. Broomfield produces an eyewitness and a bag man who says on camera that he delivered the money. The film, perhaps wisely, sidesteps this possibility.

"Notorious" is a good film in many ways, but its best achievement is the casting of Jamal Woolard, a rapper named Gravy, in the title role. He looks uncannily like the original, and Antonique Smith is a ringer for B.I.G.'s wife, rapper Faith Evans. Woolard already knew how to perform, but took voice lessons for six months at Juilliard to master B.I.G.'s sound.

He performs a lot of music in the film, all of it plot-driven, sure to become a best-selling soundtrack. As an actor, he conveys the singer's complex personality: a mother's boy, a womanizer, an artist who accepts career guidance from his managers, a sentimentalist, an ominous presence.

The real B.I.G. may have had a harder side, but we don't see it here. Instead, director George Tillman Jr. and his writers, Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker, craft an understated message picture in which B.I.G. eventually decides to accept responsibility for the children he has fathered, and, as his mother, Voletta (Angela Bassett), urges him to do, become a man. Shortly before his death, he announces a new direction for his music.

Bassett doesn't play Voletta as a conventional grasping mamma. She believes in tough love and throws his son out of their apartment after she finds cocaine under the bed. Few actors are better at fierce resolve than Bassett, and she provides a baseline for her son's fall and eventual rise. The real Voletta is pictured in the Broomfield documentary, where in 2002 she looks like -- an older Angela Bassett.

George Tillman Jr. and his producing partner Robert Teitel are Chicagoans who have, together and separately, been involved in some of the best recent films about African-American and minority characters: "Nothing Like the Holidays," "Soul Food," "Men of Honor," both "Barbershop" pictures, "Beauty Shop." None of these films are sanctimonious, none preach, but in an unobtrusive way, they harbor positive convictions.

In "Notorious," they show how talent can lift a kid up off the street corner, but can't protect him in a culture of violence. The whole gangsta rap posture was dangerous, as B.I.G. and Tupac proved.


"Tupac: Resurrection," an extraordinary 2002 documentary, uses hours of autobiographical tapes left behind by Shakur to allow him to narrate his own life story. He also proved his acting ability in "Gridlock'd," Vondie Curtis-Hall's 1997 film in which he co-starred with Tim Roth.


podcast: http://preachjacobs.mypodcast.com

official site: http://www.preachjacobs.com


Preach's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kindablu

Cop it: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/preachhiphop

The film was shot very well, BIG, Faye and Lil BIG were excellent.

The Jamaican accent was not good Ms. Bassett but I can't front on the film, it wasn't great but it was far from bad. Surprisingly, and fortunately, Jay was not all up in the film, neither were the LOX ...

Liked it.

Challenger-

BIG vs. Preme freestyle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hbwdAOogBw&feature=related

Jack the Rapper, Puff 1994: (Juicy video introduction)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87vASald1Ko&feature=related

Puff and BIG:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7RQjjneEc4&feature=related

Kim on BIG:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_23Q10kTv7s&NR=1

Source Awards, Suge speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpgpS3ogvMM&NR=1

Challenger-

i remember when he was a bummy mixtape rapper with no future in music

and i was really nervous about the quality of his performance in this

but i was impressed even though it wasn't denzel-in-malcolm-x status it was still a good performance, especially for a first time actor

like zootown mentioned, it's not about getting every single mannerism of biggie's down, it's about capturing the charisma and charm that he had

and jamal aka gravy did just that

i don't like how kim was portrayed as such a whore while faith was such an angel

don't like how cease was a 12 year old boy throughout the entire movie

i understand he was small but damn, get a short adult at least

i liked how biggie interacted with his mother, from the time she realized he was selling drugs until the funeral

despite the lack of accent, basset did a good job as his mother

derek luke made up for the lack of physical resemblance with the accuracy of puff's charisma, attitude and dance moves

the most comedic moments were puff on stage, man, i swear

great movie imo

News to me.

**********
"See he's organized, and he's on the ball. Never miss a day of school,and he's a underdog. Wanna learn more and more, cuz his mama taught him good. He's about to change the face of yo ghetto neighborhood." (c) Badu

but they showed no real connection between big and kim

like it was strictly him fucking her

him slamming her against the wall

him calling her a stupid bitch

i don't know, maybe it's just me

> don't like how cease was a 12 year old boy throughout the
>entire movie
>
>i understand he was small but damn, get a short adult at
>least


Same here, I had to imdb that shit when I got home. Dude is 18?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/

I think the last time I saw him in a movie he was playing a young boy in 50 Cent's movie.

to me seeing it...not in theaters tho when I still havent seen the wrestler yet...

I went in with LOW expectations.
I went to remind myself of a time I was in love with hip hop.
When I was excited about new music.
That part didn't work out.

But it was good because:
- it wasn't some low budget hood shit
- the girl who played Kim was cute as fuck
- I can safely continue to trash Anthony Mackie
- Angela Bassett reinforced my theory that she's a great crying actress
- dude was as good a BIG as could be found. A really good job.
- I did not hear the drastically overused Black movie phrase "up in here"
- the dude that played Craig Mack was hilarious in the 2 seconds he appeared
- they didn't go for a tearjerker ending

I'm glad it didn't suck.

this film brought the ni@@er crowd last night but it was good. I saw it with my girlfriend at WhiteMarsh theatres here in Maryland. Of course there were police officers present, dudes there delibrately talking on their cells after the film was on, people who would try to fit in a lame joke during some scenes and tons of underage kids that sneeked in. The film had good pacing, the highs were:
Anthony Mackie as Pac, he nailed it, dude mimicked Pac so good it got me into the film more than Jamal Woolard's performance..
Derek Luke as Puff, hilarious, good performance but Puffy is a clown in real life and so was Luke...
Faith Evans character was fine as hell, too much of a goodie two shoes though...
the lows...
Lil Kim, I mean Naturi Naughton is cuter than Kim and lawdy lawd did she have a tight little body on her, but was Kim really that naive in real life? Was she actually there at Biggies first battle at the mic?
Biggie use to hit on Kim, Ms. Wallace even stated on a VH1 special that Kim would come atound bruised up because she pissed dude off.
They wouldn't show that because the film wanted to portray dude in the most positive light; I understand but the character would have had a deeper edge if more of his flaws were shown in the film...
Overall the film would get a 3.5/5 stars from me. It could have been longer by showing Biggies relationship with others a little more...

The film was good. Very nostalgic..took me back to another space and time frm my past. The actors were genuinely good for the most part. Woolard impressed me. Luke did a good job capturing Puff's essence. Dude that played Pac didn't quite nail it for me but he was ok. The movie made me laugh and it made me cry, and thats all I expect a good film to do really. I brought my 10 year old son with me. I expected foul language and a bit of sexuality but yeah, its a bit heavier than that.But I don't regret taking him. My son didn't know much about Big, but he was totally captivated by the movie. Afterward he asked me, "Ma, all that stuff was real? I mean, that really happened?" I was like "Yeah, its a true story it really happened." His response: "Man, it was just like war, but stupider." I thought about what he said and responded, "Yeah, you're right."
You know it frustrates me that Pac and Big died the way they did. Who knows what other great things they would've accomplished..maybe they would've reconciled. Still doesn't make sense. Frm the movie's perspective..Pac was paranoid and ridiculous to assume that Big was somehow involved in his initial shooting. I don't know..guess we never will.

It felt kinda strange watching actors play people who are still living and have "careers" to some degree; a big part of me feels like this movie was a bit premature. If you were living during this time period and followed hip-hop, there was nothing in the movie that you didn't know already.

All the performances were good, and I liked watching Gravy do his thing. The only missteps were the casting of 'Pac and Cease. I like Anthony Mackie, but having him play 'Pac gets the nay no.

From a screenwriting perspective, I wasn't buying Puffy as the wise all-knowing sage. ("We can't change the world until we change ourselves." FOH, nigga. We remember your adlibs from the end of "Long Kiss Goodnight." You wasn't THAT 'above it all.')

Neither did I like the way it went from Pac gettin killed to Big recording "Sky's The Limit" and becoming somewhat more "positive." I'm like, uhhhh "Kick In the Door/10 Crack Commandments" anyone? But again, this is a Puffy/Voletta Wallace production and I guess that's to be expected.

Overall, I thought it was well done and I enjoyed myself.

.....you nailed my feelings about it, 'Tigallo. I think that they really left out quite a few things that Puffy did. "Long Kiss Goodnight" was a great example for you to site. Wasn't there even a true response track that was recorded that was never released?......and where the hell was the "Get Money" video, with Biggie throwing out Faith's (Charlie Baltimore's) belongings, after their split?

much like everyone else, i wasn't
expecting much, but dammit if this
movie ain't deliver.

derek luke as puff was fucking
hilarious. it seems exagerrated
but puff really is/was that
obnoxious. the dancing & the
outfits, the pep talks, etc.
beyond entertaining.

i just wish v wallace & puff didn't
produce it. i think a much better
story could've been told w/o their
heavy hands.

I agree!! I thought the movie was awesome. i'm seeing it again for the second time and i'm bringing my whole crew. and you know bigs kids get all the money from the movie?

she was praising the movie, & it was good
to see that these ppl are still a really
big part of the children's lives.

here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3A3qTDhPBA

i thought it was INCREDIBLE, it totally blew my mind. gravy was PERFECT as big. im gonna see it again with my crew tonight

Derek Luke was so funny as Puffy. Not in a mocking sense but I never realized how over the top Puff was until seeing someone else do it on screen. Gravy was better than I expected as was Naturi Naughton. I agree that Anthony Mackie as Pac was not convincing, but what can you do now that the movie is complete.
**************************************
<--- I love ya man
http://blackgirlsdontdate.blogspot.com
Black Girls Don't Date - Coming soon!
***************************************

but grown chris was right handed??

bothered too then said fluck it. Not sure why others haven't really mentioned it.

n/m

Challenger-

i was like, um BIG was mad talented!! lol.

*editors "no one will notice"

He says he spent a lot of hours getting Big's mannerisms and behaviors down, and I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility, seeing as he was most likely schooled by the people who hung around Big all the time...
________________________________________________________________________
Your battleship has sunk
I wish Grandma could see us...

When BIG was performing in Sacramento (?) and getting booed and heckled by the crowd holding up '2pac' and 'Thug Life' signs...

How would switching up the set and performing 'Who Shot Ya?' (which was thought to be a bold taunting of the fact that 2pac had recently been shot) actually APPEASED this west coast crowd?

I don't recall, but I don't believe he was
________________________________________________________________________
Your battleship has sunk
I wish Grandma could see us...

Seemingly based on the fact that he performed the song that allegedly celebrated an attempt on their hero's life, lol

the audience's appetite for beef (even though the song is allegedly not aimed at Pac)?
________________________________________________________________________
Your battleship has sunk
I wish Grandma could see us...

I said the same shit. How do you go from saying "Fuck Biggie" and then go on and start dancing in a split second.

__________________________________________

http://www.artisticalliance.org

though it was well-cast overall. Seems like the writers/director were too concerned with hitting all the biographical moments than making an actually engaging movie. ALOT of biopics fall into this trap and Notorious is no exception.

On the other hand, Gravy did a VERY, VERY good job. You definitely can see his charm/charisma.

Did Cease really look THAT young when Junior Mafia came out?

>though it was well-cast overall. Seems like the
>writers/director were too concerned with hitting all the
>biographical moments than making an actually engaging movie.
>ALOT of biopics fall into this trap and Notorious is no
>exception.


Well, think about it. If the filmmakers decided to omit all of the historical episodes like the Suge diss at the Source Awards, Pac getting shot, Faith/Pac scenes, etc. People who be furious.

Look at the people up above who complained about the lack of
The Lox, Charlie, and Ma$e. Shit why the at it why not 112, Total
and the Wu Tang clan/Rae beef.

Biopics tend to be lose-lose situations for the filmmakers which make the ones that work (Malcolm X, Raging Bull) all the more impressive. I just think an innovative artist like Biggie deserves an innovative biopic. He straddled the line between gritty and pop and the movie should have done the same.

I enjoyed it. Not the gritty documentary on the man's life (which I am still waiting to see), but an inspiring story that painted a very rosy picture of a young man coming up. Sometimes you need to see that story too. Casting was dead on except for Cease. Apparently the real cease is tiny but they didn't have to go tiny and young looking. My crowd laughed every time he made an appearance (same with Craig Mack).

Lil Kim shouldn't be made but should be thanking the filmmakers for her portrayal in the film. They made her very sympathetic as an abused woman as oppose to the common perception that she is just a slut. By the accounts I have always heard she barely had any relationship with Big.

Black Films have been in such a rut for so long (last one I saw in the theater was Babershop not coincidentally) a good movie like this should be supported.

**********
"See he's organized, and he's on the ball. Never miss a day of school,and he's a underdog. Wanna learn more and more, cuz his mama taught him good. He's about to change the face of yo ghetto neighborhood." (c) Badu

My only complaints are that Puff came off way to angelic,
Lil Cease was ridiculous, hip hop journalists and media should have been flamed WAY more, and Bassett's accent went in and out.

I would have liked for the movie to have been more in depth but it was good as is.

I will definitely wanna see a Tupac film now. However, I don't want to see Suge Knight or even his mother as producers.

I liked Notorious much more than
Ray
Walk The Line
and
Talk To Me.

"we can't change the world, unless we change ourselves"


enjoyable on how puff and big kept ping pogging that saying throughout the whole movie

Gravy was GREAT as BIG, and Derek Luke did his thing as Puff. Mackie as 2Pac was iffy at best, and Cease...phew. But everyone else? Spot the fuck on, IMO. The last part where you hear Puff's voice on the phone sounded like the real Puff (and it probably was)...anyone know?

Anyway, all around...a by-the-numbers biopic that was really enjoyable with some excellent performances. I did have low expectations, as I do for most biopics...but this one was an upgrade over the VH1 Movie Types (Ray, etc.). All around - quite good.

that was the skit from the song "Going Back To Cali" on Life After Death.

Thanks.

I did not even notice craig mack in the film. That shows how underwhelmed I must have been at his appearance.

My biggest beef with the film was the portrayal of Kim. Even if it was an accurate one, it was difficult to watch, PARTICULARLY if she has told the truth in the press about how she felt about HIM. I felt sorry for her, which in all this time, I never have.

It was encouraging though, to learn that Big's mother earned her master's degree, and successfully battled breast cancer. Those were the only two things that were new information to me in BIG's story. LOVED the music. His life, put to his own musical soundtrack? BRILLIANT idea.

Luke really nailed it as Puffy. Although the script contains no surprises the movie is highly entertaining, well paced and worth checking out.
Grade A

haven't been in here in a while and just wanted to add.

_________________________

www.ihearthiphop.com
http://twitter.com/IHEARTHIPHOP

comes off as positive as one would expect in a music he exec produced. *gas face*.

i lol'd at the "i'm getting 42M and you gettin 5" shit, tho.

i thought mackie did a good job of nailing 'manic pac' -- the wide eyed shit talking tupac, but he looked so unlike dude that it messed it up for me. jamal did a fantastic job playing Big. faith was cast wel, as was kim.

overall, it was pretty good. although i'm a tad skeptical of the character makeover that they gave dude. i think it was a very fine tribute, however, to his memory.

and damn if his life wasn't a soap opera w/ all the shit jumping off.

/latepass theater.




peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
** i move away from the mic to breathe in

it was excellent imo I just seen it on showtime last week

castings were dope
acting was dope

My man was surprisingly a decent Pac
and lol @ Isiah playin Lil Cease

but I loved it