'Round here, we love us some Black movies. The Blacker the movie, the greater the likelihood that I will spend copious amounts of money time on Netflix sifting through films featuring pantheon Black-movie savants like Clifton Powell, Vivica Fox, and Essence Atkins. Thing is, most of those movies suck. There's a reason you haven't heard of most of them and that they haven't even made it to the $5 DVD bin at one of those stores that used to sell music but now only sells electronics that you can buy on Amazon.
Like, they really suck. But they suck in a good way, like Pinky or Sinnamon Love. Argue amongst yourselves about the appropriate pr0n star to use in said analogy.
Their sucktitude and the fact that whenever a Black movie or movie featuring mostly Black people makes it to the big screen it usually involves Tyler Perry in some form or fashion, means that when a movie highlighting up-and-coming actors and not attached to Tyler Perry, I'm all on it. It feels like the 90s all over again, which is ironic in the case of the movie Dope. Put a pin in that.
This is the reason why I think so many folks were excited about Dear White People, a movie that was high on possibility and fell a bit flat on execution. I remember leaving the movie theater and having literally nothing to say. I neither liked it or hated it. It merely existed as a movie that I was glad to see get made and hoped did well but ultimately gained nothing from…which did saddened me a bit. This isn't a slam Dear White People session #doe, naw. Again, I'm glad it exists and that there was such a groundswell of support in anticipation for its arrival. Many people were in a glass case of emotions because we finally got a smart Black movie from young up-and-comers. The world was still. It was a clear black night, a clear black moon. Don't front, you know I gotcha opin. Sic.
This brings me to Dope, a movie I didn't know existed until a few days ago when listening to Sway In The Morning. They talked about how good the movie was and I checked out the trailer and became excited at the possibility. We've got a story about a young man infatuated with the 90s (there's that pin) from Inglewood - which I've heard was up to no good - trying to make it to Harvard. His crew is the nerdy set that doesn't listen to what they should. He's from the hood and has the cliche story of course. We know how this story is likely to go. But the journey is the destination, and peace be the journey. Cool runnings and shit.
It looks like its also going for style points - similar to Dear White People; also, the girl in the crew looks like the main character of Dear White People - which either works or doesn't (see Red Hook Summer, a TERRIBLE film). I'm excited about it nonetheless, and when I'm excited, I want to share my excitement. I know I'll be lined up going to see this movie as soon as I'm able. The lead in the movie, Shameik Moore, looks like a natural. I'm all in. I can't wait. This rates behind Straight Outta Compton and Pitch Perfect 2 on the list of movies I've been MOST excited to see. And I've seen Pitch Perfect 2 already and it made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
Since sharing is caring, I'm spreading the word about Dope because when I'm all in, I want you to be all in on my all in-ness. It looks like the kind of movie I'd like to see. Also, as a point of note, its written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, who wrote and directed The Wood (another of my favorite movies in the history of ever) and wrote the screen play for and directed Brown Sugar, another movie I love with the passion of Mel Gibson. Let's just say, I'm a fan. And you might be too.
In theaters June 19. And I can't wait. And then I can't wait to listen to the review at the CinemaBun Podcast.
Also because Blackness and Los Angeles.