Gimme The Loot — Review

Gimme the Loot

Directed by Written and Directed by Adam Leon

Produced by Natalie Difford, Dominic Buchanan and Jamund Washington

Cinematography by Jonathan Miller

Released: January 2, 2013 (USA)






Starring:
Ty Hickson as Malcolm
Tashiana Washington as Sophia
Zoë Lescaze as Ginnie
Meeko as Champion
Sam Soghor as Lenny
Joshua Rivera as Rico

Summary: Malcolm and Sofia, two determined teens from the Bronx, are the ultimate graffiti-writers. When a rival gang buffs their latest masterpiece, they must hatch a plan to get revenge by tagging an iconic NYC landmark, but they need to raise $500 to pull off their spectacular scheme.

Over the course of two whirlwind, sun-soaked summer days, Malcolm and Sofia travel on an epic urban adventure involving black market spray cans, illicit bodegas, stolen sneakers, a high wire heist, and a beautiful, rich girl’s necklace that is literally their key to becoming the biggest writers in the City.

Review: Gimme the Loot is one of those special films that at first you wonder where it’s going, but soon you start to fall in love with the characters. Those characters in this film are Malcolm and Sophia.

From Left to Right: Tashiana Washington as Sophia and Ty Hickson as Malcolm

Malcolm and Sophia are two teens worried about teen things. The most important thing in their teen lives is graffiti. All adventures we follow are related to this and their “spectacular scheme”.

‘Loot’ is a wonderful “day in the life” of teenagers that we’ve seen before, but this time in an urban setting and with black teenagers that doesn’t involve gang violence. It shows a story about urban life that’s not all about gangs, guns and crack. Gimme the Loot is a marvelous, funny and touching story that has you at the end wishing this couple of friends have everything their hearts desire.

COMMENTARY
I have to add that as a native New Yorker this film has one of the most real depictions of urban New York as I have seen in cinema since probably Do The Right Thing.

ADDITIONAL
Gimmie the Loot won the 2012 Grand Jury Prize at the SXSW (South By Southwest) Film Festival

25 Filmmaking Terms that Sound Like Sex Acts (and What They Actually Mean)

Written By Evan Luzi

Filmmaking ain’t always pretty. Sometimes it’s downright dirty.

Well, not that kind of dirty. I’m talking more about getting on your knees in a tight place and doing whatever it takes to pop off a shot… Hmm. Nevermind. This isn’t going well.

But as long as your mind is in the gutter anyway, let’s take the conversation to a place it normally doesn’t go until your 10 whiskey shots deep with a key grip in the back of a shady bar.

Here’s a list of filmmaking terms I’ve compiled that, in a twisted world, would be spoken only in a hotel room with a hooker and a $100 bill. Instead we shout them on set. And in an attempt to make this post
tasteful useful, I’ve gone ahead and defined what the actual meaning of the word is…

(Feel free while reading this list to let your mind wander — just not your hands!)

1. Background action – Movement that takes place behind the subject of a scene. Usually refers to groups of extras (i.e. crowds or restaurant patrons). Can also be used as a command to signal extras to begin their actions before shouting “action!” for the main talent.

2. Butterfly – A piece of netting, silk, or material stretched around a frame to control lighting.

3. Choker – An extreme close-up; as if the camera is close enough to “choke” the talent.

4. Crab – A lateral movement usually parallel to a subject. For instance, a “crab dolly” would mean to move left or right with the subject in front.

5. Dingle – An artistic shadow or lighting effect such as putting tree branches in front of a light to make a pattern.

6. Dutch Tilt – A camera angle where the horizontal part of the frame is not parallel with the horizon.

7. Fire in the hole – A phrase shouted on set when a gun, explosion, or similar dangerous effect is about to take place.

8. Fix it in the mix – Like “fix it in post,” but referring specifically to the sound mix. Basically, something is wrong with the sound and it will have to be repaired in the post-production mix.

9. French Flag – A camera accessory shaped like a small shade that is mounted on the camera (usually on the matte box) to block light from entering the lens and causing lens flares.

10. Full Load – A film magazine with a fresh reel of film.

11. Full Shot – A camera angle in which you can see the actor’s entire body from head to toe.

12. Greek it out – To cover up a prop or object in the frame that’s undesirable. Usually refers to a part of the set that can’t be removed such as street signs, graffiti, or logos printed on products.

13. Going again – The native response of the First Assistant Director, they shout this to inform the crew to move back to their start positions for another take.

14. Inky – A small, 100-200 watt light.

15. Knock it down – A command that means to reduce the strength of a light. It can also be used in reference to the aperture of a lens (i.e. “knock it down from a 4.0 to a 5.8″)

16. Overcrank – Another term for slow motion or high-speed framerates and a throwback to the days when cameras were hand cranked. To “overcrank” a camera was to run more film through it than normal which, when played back at a normal framerate, caused slow motion.

17. Pork chop – Nickname for a piece of a dolly that acts as a footrest.

18. Pull Out – A type of camera move in which the camera shifts away from the subject in frame.

19. Push In – The opposite of “pull out,” a camera move in which the camera shifts closer to the subject in frame.

20. Snoot – A cylindrical attachment that fits onto a light and focuses the beam to a smaller point than the light normally is able to.

21. Strike It - To turn off a light. Alternatively, “striking” a light can also mean to turn it on.

22. Taco Cart – A type of equipment cart carrying grip gear such as flags, nets, scrims, and other stuff.

23. Topper – Nickname for a flag that is placed above a light to prevent light from spilling onto the ceiling or onto objects above it.

24. Whip Pan – A type of camera move in which the camera is furiously rotated in a fast motion.

25. Wrap – The end of a production!

And that’s a wrap on this list, too.

It’s no secret that movie making has its fair share of unique terms. Some make no sense, some are politically incorrect, and a lot of them make us giggle because we’re immature and perverted.

But what can you do? When you’re holed up for 18 hours a day, sometimes it’s the stupidest things that give you a laugh. It’s not your fault setiquette is full of silly phrases…

Now excuse me while I pull out the taco cart and slap a full load on this dutch tilt.

Black Film Now

Black Film Now is a great new venture from a filmmaker in Philly I know Mike D of Reelblack.

Reelblack is a full-service film and video production company dedicated to creating and promoting “good movies ’bout Black Folks.” Based in Philadelphia, it was founded in 1999 by award-winning filmmaker Michael Dennis (a.k.a. Mike D.), a graduate of both NYU Film School and The American Film Institute in Los Angeles. I've known of Mike and his movement for years and the brother is truly dedicated to "creating and promoting “good movies ’bout Black Folks.” Please check out his message.

Help us get the word out about our newest project, the feature length documentary BLACK FILM NOW. The IndieGoGo Pitch video just posted. Campaign will go live on Feb 7. We're going to raise $25,000 before March 7 and need everyone's help. Please let me know what you think of the project and if you're able to support through donation or by sweat equity. Email filmmaker Michel Dennis at info@reelblack.com for details. 

I plan to support him any way I can and I hope you feel the same. One only need to check out his site and YouTube (both linked below the video) to see the great work he does. Below is his video pitch for BLACK FILM NOW
 

Additional Links

Reelblack website
Reelblack YouTube

Middle of Nowhere - Review

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Written & Directed by Ava DuVernay

Produced by Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes & Tilane Jones 

Cinematography by Bradford Young






Starring
Emayatzy Corinealdi
Omari Hardwick
David Oyelowo
Lorraine Toussaint
Edwina Findley
Sharon Lawrence

Released: October 12, 2012 (USA)

Summary: When her husband is sentenced to 8 years in prison, Ruby drops out of med school in order to focus on her husband's well being while he's incarcerated - leading her on a journey of self-discovery in the process.

REVIEW
Middle of Nowhere is a wonderfully excellent motion picture. Every scene crafted perfectly to show you the loneliness of the lead character Ruby, played with an elegant vitality by Emayatzy Corinealdi. You feel every moment of Ruby’s solitary existence without her husband. Even when she is with her family like her sister, played wonderfully by Edwina Findley, you can feel her loneliness. When she is with her mother, played by the excellent Lorraine Toussaint, you can feel something else. With few words you can tell Mom is not happy with her daughter’s situation, but refuses to really dwell on it…until she is ready to dwell on it. That’s all I’m going to say about that!

Even though there are several supporting characters, this story is all about Ruby. The journey you go along with Ruby is not only through her loneliness, but her resilience in dealing with her husband’s legal case. The phone calls, the visits, the things that are very real in that situation, but not often explored onscreen.

This is a drama so of course there is conflict, but you never feel like it’s over the top. The eventual entanglements that happen throughout the picture feel organic and not forced. There are several revelatory scenes in Middle of Nowhere that are wrought with tension, but never come off as melodramatic. As I stated the performances by Edwina Findley and Lorraine Toussaint are great, but so are those by “Ruby’s men” David Oyelowo, who is building a resume of solid performances and Omari Hardwick in what is probably his best onscreen performance thus far.

Middle of Nowhere is a story featuring an African American woman as its Lead in pretty much every scene. Where do you see that? That’s why I loved Middle of Nowhere, for everything it is, an excellently crafted motion picture and everything it is not, which is pretty much everything else you see in theaters.

COMMENTARY
This film excelled on many levels that may not seem obvious so allow me to make everything clear.

If I was a critic, and I’m not, the title of this review could have been “Middle of Nowhere: Achievement in Darkness”.  Never have I seen such beautifully photographed dark skinned actors.

Allow me to digress into some filmmaker talk. As an African American filmmaker I’ve always been cognizant about how they photograph (actually film) dark skinned actors. They never ever get it right. (Too much light, not enough light, too much make up, not enough makeup etc.)

Now once I read that the cinematographer would be Bradford Young I kind of knew the characters would be in good hands regardless, but I still didn’t know.

See I saw a film Mr. Young photographed called Restless City at the 2011 Maryland Film Festival.

Still from Restless City

As you can tell from the still above the lead protagonist (right) was a dark skinned actor and he and all the other dark skinned actors were photographed beautifully!

When I saw Middle of Nowhere I was like I know Ms. DuVernay didn’t compose this scene with two dark skinned actors—AT NIGHT! Who has the…guts to do that? Ms. DuVernay and it looked GREAT due to Mr. Young.

Emayatzy Corinealdi as Ruby

The framing of the Lead character Ruby to show her loneliness was also great. You can FEEL Ruby’s loneliness through Ms. DuVernay’s direction, the camera allows you to sit there with Ruby as she is alone and through those shots you feel as alone as she does.

The acting was across the board perfect as well. After only two pictures I’m ready to call Ms. DuVernay the “no histrionics” director. LOL. I didn’t detect a false note in the performances (and I usually can).

The screenplay, like the acting was pitch perfect. There were no scenes that didn’t fit and no story nuance that wasn’t covered. Maybe because I’ve studied screenwriting so long, it was the perfect screenplay. Beat to beat, plot point to plot point and NOT to the point of being predictable. The story was straight forward without a million subplots. Like I said in my review, it’s “all about Ruby”.

Lastly, in this era of tablet computers, flat screens and straight to DVD movies every five seconds, through her distribution company AFFRM (African American Releasing Movement) Ava DuVernay has been committed to getting films shown on the BIG SCREEN, as they should be! (More info about AFFRM linked below)

As I said in my review, “I loved Middle of Nowhere for everything it is, an excellently crafted motion picture and everything it is not, which is pretty much everything else you see in theaters.” and therein lies the brilliance of Ava DuVernay and Middle of Nowhere.

You just don’t see these type of stories on the screen, big or small. Between this and her last film, I Will Follow, Ava DuVernay has managed to bring to the fore stories of black women that you just will not find anywhere in a visual medium. For that reason alone I think she can be called a fresh voice in the chorus of cinema.


OCTOBER 2017

Live Tweets of the Feature Commentary of Middle of Nowhere with Writer/Director Ava DuVernay and star Emayatzy Corinealdi

LISTEN UP! It’s the Feature Commentary of ‘Middle of Nowhere’ (2012) https://t.co/uV8aWOvkU1 with AVA DUVERNAY and EMAYATZY CORINEALDI pic.twitter.com/YphEFPnbDP

— Nother Brother Ent. (@NotherBrother) October 15, 2017

Our review of I Will Follow

Read all of our posts about AFFRM

Read all of our posts about Ava DuVernay

Happy 70th Birthday Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese

As he was born November 17, 1942, today is Mr. Scorsese's 70th birthday.

Today seems like the perfect time to clear up a fallacy; Martin Scorsese is my favorite director, a fact that is directly attributable to my have studied film. Besides making entertaining films, which is the goal of every filmmaker, the technical achievement in his films are for the most part excellent. 

I consume more media about Scorsese than perhaps any other filmmaker and I’m always amazed at his knowledge of cinema. That’s the main thing I learned from Mr. Scorsese, don’t just watch movies, but break them down and take them apart. To be a master of cinema you must first be a student of cinema. 

Thank You Mr. Scorsese and Happy Birthday.

My Five Favorite Martin Scorsese Films

• GoodFellas
• The Aviator
• Cape Fear
• Shutter Island
• The Wolf of Wall Street

RELATED

My review of one of those Scorsese consumed media 

(Click the graphic to read it)

Read more about Martin Scorsese at Wikipedia here

Baltimore Director's Film Will Have Its World Premiere at The Chicago International Film Festival

The Chicago International Film Festival, which runs from October 11-25, announced their official schedule September 20th.

The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America.

Danny Green

Among the dozens of films which will be presented at this year's festival, will be Baltimore born director Danny Green's second feature film, Mr. Sophistication.

Mr. Sophistication stars Harry Lennix, Tatum O'Neal, Robert Patrick, Richard Brooks, Gina Torres, Rick Fox, Bruce McGill and Paloma Guzmán.

The film deals with "a comedian, Ron Waters, who is a Richard Pryor-type of entertainer who makes commentary about the world rather than one-liners. After a self-imposed exile from Hollywood, Ron is back."

Danny Green, Harry Lennix and the producers Albena Dodeva and Jon Edwards will be present for the screening.

For more info on the screenings see the Chicago International Film Festival, listing for the film here

Check out the Official Website @ http://www.mrsophisticationmovie.com/

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Danny Green is a personal friend of mine and my social network followers will know him as #MyDirectorFriendFromLA because he didn't want me to say too much about the film before he was ready.

I have to state because I was asked, I had nothing to do with the production of the film.  I just supplied my friend with marketing advice. I’ve been sort of a “social media/marketing consultant” for the film after the fact.

I’ve also seen the film and I’ve given him some advice on the trailer and such. I will write a review for the film soon and I will keep it as honest as possible even though he is a friend of mine.

Until then you can check out the film’s star Ron Waters on social media (I had no hand in any of Ron’s stuff online either. That’s all Ron.)
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ronwatersesq
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ronwatersesq

UPDATE OCTOBER 2012

Harry Lennix 

Excerpt from a October 17, 2012 interview Harry Lennix did with RedEye Chicago

I really enjoyed “Mr. Sophistication.” For Ron Waters, are you naturally that smooth, or did you have to do some research to get to that point?

[Laughs.] Well, first of all, I want to thank you for your review. It’s extremely nice and you were kind to us and we really appreciate it. I’m glad you liked the movie most of all because it confirms some things that we’ve been waiting to hear for a long time. ... We started it about three years ago. To answer your question, Harry Lennix is not [as] smooth as Ron Waters. [Laughs.] When I was a single man I didn’t walk around with a black suit on and a lot of pomade in my hair or anything. I think I have a bit of Ron Waters in me from people I’ve observed. I was never the smooth guy with lines or anything but I’m fairly witty, so I’m probably a little more—I can’t say off the cuff ‘cause Ron’s very off the cuff too. I’m a little more deliberative. [Laughs.] I can focus in a little bit more than Ron.

Danny wrote the part specifically for you. Why do you think he wrote it this way? I’m unclear if this is based on a true story.

It is insofar as an amalgamation of personalities and biographical figures, but there was no guy named Ron Waters. It’s our kind of blending, or Danny’s blending, of a guy by the name of Jon Edwards, who actually is one of the producers, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce. So somebody that can flow on stage talking about real events in real time. And is crazy, like most comedians, but has a kind of definite smooth style or veneer that he puts on, this suit of armor. So he’s really a mix of all of those personalities. So in that sense it’s based on real people, although not on a true story so to speak.

How do you think the fact that Danny was writing for you influenced how he wrote the character?

I am not convinced that Danny was writing it entirely for me. Danny says that he wrote this for me, I believe him of course, but I based a lot of the character, in terms of the execution, on Danny Green. So a lot of his rhythm in terms of his way of speech, that’s really Danny Green, or the pronunciation of certain words. That’s my take on how Danny hears it in his head. An actor’s real responsibility I believe and I think the responsibility of at least the theater and practitioners of it is to achieve the vision of the playwright. It may not be exactly what the playwright had in mind, per se, but what was the playwright or what was the writer, what is the story really getting at? What is the essence of it? To that extent I’ve taken on from time to time characters I would otherwise not play just because I could get behind the story, but in this case I was getting behind both a story and a character. I think the story is reflective of a lot of men in our society, particularly black men who need basically to put on a suit of armor. In this case you’ve got this armor of outward civility and so forth but he’s incapable of lying when he’s on the stage. I think that’s the ultimate quest of the artist is to always be in the truth when he’s on the stage.

What Does a Production Designer Do?

From Shadow & Act-

Continuing S&A's mission to give readers glimpses into the worlds of those who contribute their talents to the production and distribution of the many films we all watch and love...

Being a production designer is a lot like being an architect. In fact, it’s usually the easiest way to describe a portion of what I do – and the basic concept of production design.

In the simplest terms, as a designer I create and build sets. I come into a film very early. Much of the time it’s the director, a producer or two, the locations manager and myself. We spend time looking at and deciding on locations, which places fit the tone, texture and mood of the story and characters. We talk about what sets make sense to build on a stage, or what locations we’re able to change the appearance of by augmenting the interior and/or exterior.

For me, a large part of the job is about working with the director to understand the characters; who they are, their habits, the things they love, the things they have aversions to, the people in their lives, past and present, their idiosyncrasies and so on. All of those things and more play an important part in creating the world in which the story lives, and from this world come colors and textures. The manifestation of these elements is always different given the project I’m working on at the time. For example, it could be a period piece, a project that is very stylized, or a drama. It’s about pushing the boundaries of where you think they are, in collaboration with the director, cinematographer, costume designer and property master, ultimately presenting a consistent look and feel from beginning to end.

I’ve been working in the film industry for about ten years, give or take. I started out in the art department, which has always been my focus. The art direction was always what I concerned myself with whenever I watched a film – certainly when I was making my own films. It always resonated with me beyond anything else.

Initially, my goal was to be a set decorator; my idol has and always will be Nancy Haigh (set decorator for the Coen Bros). I worked my way up through the art department and started decorating. On the film “Cleaner,” the director Renny Harlin said to me, “You should be a production designer. You don’t have to know where every two-by-four goes, but you do have to have a vision, and you have a vision and a point of view and it’s pretty amazing.”

Up until that point I had never thought about taking the step towards being a designer. After a couple of years decorating and working with many different designers, observing, asking questions and deciding what I would do and wouldn’t, I made the transition to production designer.

At first, I took a lot of low budget features and short films. I was hungry to work and get the experience under my belt. Over the past two and half years, I've had the pleasure and opportunity to work with several gifted directors with whom I share a similar sense of aesthetic. We've created some memorable moments, playing with colors and ideas. I look forward to our next projects together.

For me it’s really important to be working with great, talented directors who have a clear idea of what they want their story to reveal in look and tone.

Really, the most important thing to me in any film is the story – it’s what makes me want to work on a film. I love quirky films just as much as I love serious drama. I also like dark comedy and I always love a good period piece; all these things play a part in me wanting to work on a project. I love film and enjoy what I do and more and more, I’m finding the journey is ultimately the destination in this industry.

Hannah Beachler

With more than 9 feature film projects on her resume, New Orleans-based production designer Hannah Beachler most recently worked on "Fruitvale" for director Ryan Coogler and producer Forest Whitaker. Octavia Spencer, Michael B. Jordan, Tristan Wilds and Melonie Diaz star in the indie drama that's based on the murder of 22-year old Oscar Grant, who was fatally shot by BART police in Oakland, California.

See her website at http://www.hannahbeachler.com