I recently watched both of these movies and thought each movie gave a positive spin on black love in cinema with positive portrayals of young, progressive black characters. The acting was very good in both films with, at the time, some of the finest young Black actors Hollywood has to offer in Laurenz Tate, Nia Long, Omar Epps, and Sanaa Lathan as the lead actors in the respective films.

My personal favorite is Love Jones of the two films. Just because I thought it was more realistic and captured all the ups and downs of being in a relationship or beyond that, being in love. I liked everything about the movie and couldn't really single out any real glaring flaw of the movie. However, if I had to pick out a minor flaw of the movie would be that it was a little predictable but as I said, that's a minor flaw. 95% of all movies are somewhat predictable.

Love & Basketball was a terrific film also; I just didn't completely buy the storyline. And I didn't completely buy Omar Epps as the super stand out basketball player either, based on the really bad basketball scenes in the movie.

Both movies had a solid supporting cast. Alfre Woodard in L& B and Isaiah Washington in LJ having the strongest supporting roles. Overall, I think the supporting cast in Love and Basketball is better and more well rounded also. (Bill Bellamy was good in his role)

I think the ending in LJ was more realistic vs L & B which had a more Hollywood ending. LJ ended with no certainty about what was going to happen with their relationship; L & B had this kinda "Happily ever after" feeling to it. (He put his wedding on the line for a basketball game)

Love Jones seemed to spawn a movement all throughout many urban areas and inner cities of brothers spittin their best poems and poetry throughout coffee shops hoping to impress the women who paid attention. Love Jones had as much to do with the poetry renaissance that began in the early to mid 90's as anything you can point to.

Both have their place in the genre but for me, Love Jones' place is a little bit higher. What you think....

Poll result (22 votes) Love Jones (10 votes) Vote Love and Basketball (12 votes) Vote

All day.

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Too many dumb things happen in Love Jones
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"Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it — my music, I know I will live forever." - Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

http://blog.melanism.com
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>Too many dumb things happen in Love Jones
>-------------------
>"Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in
>this world. Through it — my music, I know I will live
>forever." - Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)
>
>http://blog.melanism.com
>http://twitter.com/Melanism

grassrootsphilosopher

Them breaking up over misunderstandings to her going with Hollywood to that party
-------------------
"Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it — my music, I know I will live forever." - Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

http://blog.melanism.com
http://twitter.com/Melanism

I didn't watch these flicks for "realism;" they're love stories through and through... of course Quincy and Monica are going to end up together, shit's preordained from the top

I guess I'm just puzzled by the notion that Love Jones was better because its ending was "more realistic"...
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>I guess I'm just puzzled by the notion that Love Jones was
>better because its ending was "more realistic"...

Yeah, for me, that plays a big part in me determining if I prefer a movie over another movie. And I found it difficult to buy that Omar Epps would "play a one-on-one basketball game" to determine if he would marry the character played by Tyra Banks or not. (a day or two before his wedding!?!? cmon)

Love Jones, on the other hand, had an ending that I found to be more believable. How many us or people you know have been in a situation where they are trying to deal with a long distance relationship?

I just thought the uncertainty was more believable, especially when you're talking about being in a long distance relationship.

grassrootsphilosopher

this was a woman that he had been in love with for damn near his whole life and he broke up with her in a foul way. I'm pretty sure in his heart he never lost any love for her and realized she just didn't know how to deal with both of the things facing her at that time. finding out that she STILL felt the same way about him, what's unbelievable about him questioning his relationship with Tyra when the story shows that she didn't support his life decisions?



>Yeah, for me, that plays a big part in me determining if I
>prefer a movie over another movie. And I found it difficult to
>buy that Omar Epps would "play a one-on-one basketball game"
>to determine if he would marry the character played by Tyra
>Banks or not. (a day or two before his wedding!?!? cmon)


<================================
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>this was a woman that he had been in love with for damn near
>his whole life and he broke up with her in a foul way. I'm
>pretty sure in his heart he never lost any love for her and
>realized she just didn't know how to deal with both of the
>things facing her at that time. finding out that she STILL
>felt the same way about him, what's unbelievable about him
>questioning his relationship with Tyra when the story shows
>that she didn't support his life decisions?

I didn't like how it played out in the movie. It seemed a little too rushed. I just wished they had at least showed Quincy and Monica rekindling their feelings for one another or at least how it was obvious that he still had feelings for Monica after all the years apart; instead we're just left to assume that despite his character not seemingly being affected after not seeing her for x amount of years that he was willing to bet his engagement on a basketball game.

And like I said, I didn't totally buy him being this super star basketball player either...although that was a subplot of the movie.

grassrootsphilosopher

>I didn't like how it played out in the movie. It seemed a
>little too rushed. I just wished they had at least showed
>Quincy and Monica rekindling their feelings for one another or
>at least how it was obvious that he still had feelings for
>Monica after all the years apart;

remember when he was at his mother's house when she came home in the heels, how could you not pick up that he still had feelings for her? or in the hospital, he was actually flirting with her a little before Tyra walked in.

>And like I said, I didn't totally buy him being this super
>star basketball player either...although that was a subplot of
>the movie.

everybody's a star in high school but they never showed him as a superstar basketball player on the pro-level, and they even alluded to him being a journeyman player before he got injured. watch the movie over



<================================
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<================================
daddy's girl ... coolest kid ever!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/20787335@N08

damn that nigga was terrible. That ruined the movie for me.

http://www.shoecrush.com/default.asp <----- Okfees, need some shoes? Go here.

>damn that nigga was terrible. That ruined the movie for me.

grassrootsphilosopher

Damn shame

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lol.

now don't get me wrong, Love & Basketball was a great black love movie and the scene where she 'plays for his heart' makes me melt everytime

BUT

Love Jones showed the real dynamic of relationshits/love: no matter black, white, puerto rican etc.

As a woman, I've been either on the giving or receiving end of some advice as Lisa Nicole Carson gave to Nina about going to visit the ex, or dating the friend etc.

Love Jones just hit home a bit more for me than Love & Basketball. But it doesn't stop me from constantly watching both.

Love and Basketball? More than watchable. Brings out
my sensitive size.

But Love Jones?

Larenz Tate is 5'1. Even early in high school I used
to watch that movie like "I could fuck that nigga up."

Too much boho shit(and I used to do poetry tough)

Nia Long is absolutely gorgeous though



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O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.


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

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

Even early in high school I used
>to watch that movie like "I could fuck that nigga up."

>Love and Basketball? More than watchable. Brings out
>my sensitive size.

really!?!? don't tell me the scene when he plays her one on one is the scene that stoked your "sensitivity." LOL...don't get me wrong, I really LIKED love and basketball but for me, I could relate to Love Jones more.
>
>But Love Jones?
>
>Larenz Tate is 5'1. Even early in high school I used
>to watch that movie like "I could fuck that nigga up."

LOL...But all them Hollywood mofos are short.
>
>Too much boho shit(and I used to do poetry tough)

But O_E, this is precisely why I think Love Jones was not only a BETTER MOVIE overall but that it also captured the poetry renaissance that started in the 90s. The "boho" scene was what was happening at that time.

And lets also not forget that Love Jones was the catalyst for other movies in that same vein...Hav Plenty is the 1st and most obvious that comes to mind
>
>Nia Long is absolutely gorgeous though

No doubt. She looked better in Love Jones than Sanaa Lathan looked in Love & Basketball. (perhaps moreso because of the role she was playing)

But I think I prefer Sanaa Lathan if I had to choose.

grassrootsphilosopher