The Whackness is Mad Dope

Just peeped out a film called the Whackness. It's about a kid living in NYC in 1994. The Whackness follows Lucas Shapiro in the summer of 1994. He sells weed and listens to dope ass hip-hop. This movie speaks out to those who always felt like they weren't a part of the "popular norm."

From a Community perspective this film is a comedy, a very damn funny view on how young kids who start dealing with chics could feel things like "the end of the world" when they get their hearts broken. I've been there and this film had me chuckling at how young indeed I was in dealing with girls. Lucas (as did the rest of the cast, and director) did a great job at portraying that "innocent youth" persona who gets his heart broken and feels like he can't go on with life anymore. Depression can strike at any moment.


PLOT:

Smoking weed back then was def looked upon as a "You're going straight to hell" stigma, so you can only imagine how selling it would have multiplied that feeling (now selling weed is looked upon with more savvy, almost like making arts and crafts).

Notorious B.I.G's Ready to Die album just dropped and was recieving mad love in the Streets of NYC. Rudy G was busy cleaning the streets arresting everyone and anything (but he was cleaning up the streets).

Lucas is graffiti writing Hip-Hop listening loner who sells weed. He's a master at selling weed. One of his clients is a pychiatrist name Dr. Jeffrey Squires. Lucas trades Squires weed for time on the Shrink couch. At the begginning of the film we hear Lucas telling squires about his frustrations with not being able to "get laid" and other typical Adolescent issues that, to the older more matured person, sound so trivial and hilarious. But we were all there once upon a time, and it's probably safe to say, those people like Lucas who actually had someone as professional and sincere like Dr. Squires, were actually the lucky ones.

So true that saying: It's not about what you know, it's about who you know and what they know ;-)

Lucas lives the typical middle class up bringing: Single child of two loving parents who only want the best for him. We soon see that Lucas has his life more under control than his parents who don't ever seem to stop arguing about money and bills.

In his quest to figure out "life" Lucas starts hanging out with Dr. Squires (who is also having issues at home with his family...he has a wife who does not appreciate him....the love is gone).

Lucas aslso starts selling alot more weed in order to secretly try and help his parents from losing their apt in the upper east side of manhattan. The whole summer is spent with him walking around NYC with his makeshift icecream cart (which actually has tons of weed in it) selling to loyal customers.



The feel of the film:

The Whackness, though portraying a negative aspect on marriage and old age, is a very positive film. You can't help but feel that the world IS a very friendly and safe place (the best example is that Lucas never ever has any issues with the law fucking with him while he's selling or people trying to rob or steal from him....and that's a good thing because you can totally get that he's a smart enough kid to keep away from the bad apples....which is why is able to be so successful at what he does.)

All the people he sells to are normal human beings who have hearts and issues like everyone else.


Heart Break:

That summer of 1994 Lucas falls for Dr. Squire's step daughter Stephanie. And when you know about the community it's no surprise why. For starters Stephanie is part of the "cool" group in Lucas' high school. Lucas is part of the loners who have no friends. He only has access to the cool kids because of the weed he sells them, so they let him come to their parties. He's almost giddy and shocked when Stephanie tells him to take her number down so they can hang out for purposes other than weed. She ends up breaking his heart and in the end we see how much of a "good thing" that was. The whole point of this movie, I believe, is to get those adventures/experiences that one can only have through interacting with others. As in you gotta get out there and "fuck up" alot. Experimenting is all about...experimenting.

Society norms like to put a horrible look on Experimenting and they like to paint pictures of kids doing heroin and getting aids as form of "look what happened when they decided to experiment" but that's a huge exhageration which in turn makes kids pussy out and not try to get out there and experiment with life.

A great example of this is the whole "don't talk to strangers" saying. My parents used to always tell me this to where I simply thought that EVERY stranger was an evil person. It's a fine line to that and now I realize that every friend I have used to be a Stranger. If you're a responsible person brought up on the principles of Respect, honesty, and integrity then you'll understand which of those people it is that you want to spend your time and energy with. It's a fine line indeed.

Good points in the film:

- Lucas and Squires out at a bar kicking it.

You realize that life is all about interacting with others and having a good time.

- Cassette mix tapes
damn, those were the days (now I make podcast mixes...but there's something so romantic about the cassette tape...dope ;-)

- Hanging out with chicks, getting your heart broken, selling weed summer time in the park

Life really can be that simple ;-)



Community Lessons:

The Whackness does a great job at showing the Nostalgia of NYC in 1994. To this day you hear people talking about how dope those days were. And personally Hip Hop really was at its best back then (but that doesn't mean that Hip-Hop today isn't any good, it's just harder to sift through all the bullshit, but the good shit is still out there...and when you find it, oh what a joyful feeling ;-)

The dialogue in the film is genius. My favorite line is at the very end of the film:

Lucas is leaving Squire's place and runs into Stephanie who wants to talk to him. Lucas cuts her off in the middle of what she's saying and says:

-Do me a favor, Steph?
-Huh?
-Don't say nothin, ok? Just stand there til I leave. I wanna remember this. I've never done it before.
-Never done what?
-Had my heart broken.

Such a great way to sum up a movie. Because Lucas "gets it" now. He understands that life is about experiencing and learning lessons. When you lose don't lose the lesson and he, even though he's not ever 21 years old yet, gets it. He sees that Only he has control of his life. That you never get anything handed to you for free. He and his parents get evicted and must move to Jersey with his Grand Parents. Stephanie breaks his heart. The last image of the movie has him at the train station lighting up a joint and smiling at life. No telling where he's going but one things for sure...he's not letting any of these minor set backs fuck with his New York state of mind. He may be going back into the city to kick it or get more weed. But the point is that he's still out and about and using what he's experienced to add on to his pallete of amazing capabilities (we all have amazing capabilities that are waiting to be unearthed and utilized....whether it's being an amazing business man or a great leader, cook, etc.)


Wrap up:

This is a film that says: "go out and 'fail' and have a good time in doing so and learn from it to make both you and the world a better place. It's the best way to enjoy life." This is a great film to watch with anyone of all ages. With your female friends, guy friends, people who like Hip-Hop in general, weed smokers. You get sucked right in to the era of 1994 when hip-hop was dope, computers were only in rich peoples houses and house parties were the shit ;-)

-A

King Kong Review

Peter Jackson made this movie. It came out around 2004/2005. I wasn't a big fan of the Lord of the Ring series he Directed but any regular Joe can tell that the Man has talent from viewing those films. That being said, you are making a very big mistake if you're going to judge Jackson's genius by "only" the Lord of the Ring Series.

(Side note: I never read the Tolken books and I thought that troll characater who kept saying "precious" was more annoying than Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars Vomitted recent series...so my only gripe about those movies is that Jackson wasn't able to involve Audiences who weren't familiar with the Lord of the Rings books. Yes, I do believe he deserved the Oscars he won for the films but from an "entertainment" aspect I found myself falling asleep more than I found myself caring about the story/plotline)

If you also think that the LOTR series was what put him on the map to be able to do any project he wanted to you're only half right. Please watch his film "Brain Dead" to realize how much of an amazing film maker this man is. From story telling to character developement (I.E. he doesn't make 2d characters...but very complex and interesting ones with deep seated issues that any human being can associate with ;-) Jackson is what I would consider a very "Alpha" Director.

I mean "Alpha director" in that he puts the characters in difficult positions in where they must make very important decisions. And those Decisions will effect everyone and everything around them. The difference between Peter Jackson and Michael Mann or Tony Scott (two directors whom I love and who make movies that I consider to be top notch and gritty, plus that they are Rated R makes me appreciate Mann, and Scott for not giving a fuck whether or not "alot" of people are going to see it) is that Jackson is able to give you all that gritty hardcore character development with out them having to kill (alot) or yell fuck every five seconds. Basically Peter Jackson has a finess to film making that I would love to make aware right here right now.


KONG is KING:

Having been a fan of King Kong since I was 2 years old I was very very skeptical about this film. Critics ripped it apart when it came out (sort of). My peers said things like "boring", "whatever" , "nothing amazing." But the biggest thing I'd heard was that it was simply "too long."

Forget the fact that it was amazingly cast (Jack Black, Adrian Brodey, and Naomi Watts etc.), or that it had me capitvated from the moment I started to watch it or that life does exist on other planets. But seriously, most of everyone I talked too about it simply said it was TOO LONG. So I did what any other person would do in that situation. I forgot about it, went to more keg parties, watched other movies. But yes, that it was said to be super long did make me avoid it and never want to even dowload it. And all I can say RIGHT NOW is....WHAT WAS I THINKING!?


I remember watching an interview with Peter Jackson where he talked about his whole fascination with King Kong as kid and that he was honored to get to re-make it, and wanted to make sure that when he made it that it would have all the Amazement he felt multiplied by 1000. Having watched this movie in my mid twenties (just last night ;-) I can say that Jackson succeeded in that aspect from the minute the movie starts.



Plot:

The film starts off in NYC from what seems to be right in the middle of the great depression. People don't have money for food and jobs are very scarce (this being 2009 I believe alot of people can relate with that right now ;-). Jack Black plays a very slick and shady movie producer who is on his next project and having much difficulty generating the capital to get it made. The summation of Black's character is to never ever take "no" for an answer and doing what ever it takes, by any means necessary, to see his vision come through. This is a guy who sees everyone, except for himself, as expendable and bendable, shapable to his whim. In the short, instant gratification, way of it all, the way he seems to be treating those closest to him looks as if it's actually what needs to be done. But as the film unfolds we soon see that men like Jack Black's character eventually end up un-trustable and alone.

But it is easy to argue that men his Black's characters' drive and ambition do "get it done." When threatened to have the plug pulled on his project by his financial backers he gets all the camera equipment, not to mention all the key players, on this boat and ships off to find the mythical Skull Island, before the authorities can come to arrest him. Even before he gets everyone on the ship Black's character single handedly finds Naomi Watts to play the heroin (all conveniently before the ship leaves but Jackison's direction makes this all look very "believable" and "possible" through the sheer positivity and "never take no for an answer" attitutude that Black's character bestows).

Black's character is by no means the poster child for integrity or honesty. He's a hustler and is doing what he must to keep afloat. Though very pro active with getting things done he is also a lair and a cheat who uses those around him for his own benifit. Alot of guys in the "dating community" will def sympathize with Black's character, for he has many many imperfections that he tries to use to his advantage, while in the process burning many bridges and leaving many people to despise and loath him.

It reminds me of when I started out in "the game": I was (and still am) designing my "new self" and many of my old friends weren't down with this "dramatic" change. In the end I had to leave them and find totally new friends. I however started out as a liar, cheat, and a thief who is on a new path built on the foundation of Truth, Respect, Honesty and Integrity.


On the ship itself we see some very amazing alpha men. Second to the captain is this Black dude (amazing performance btw) who keeps the ship in order and drives the ship when the captain is off doing some black market shit. One thing Jackson doesn't hesitate to show in the film is how flawed everyone is. No one is perfect (and that is true in both this film and in real life). Everyone makes mistakes and must learn how to continue on with life from the lessons learned.

The captain himself is a man who has done his fair share of dirty deeds. As we watch on its revealed that he's in the exotic animal 'black market' business. If it weren't for the materials he had on board to catch exotic animals Kong would have never been captured. The captain and Jack Black's character are very much alike and it's probably the reason why the captain decides to keep trucking out to sea even though he doesn't even think Skull island exists. Though the sort of man who tries to live on the principles of honesty it is very evident that those principles become far outweighed by those of profit and greed.

Then there's a young dude who the black dude found as a boy and sort of looks after. He's young but very brave and willing to get out and explore. There's the cook who looks like the dude from the first Jaws film.
These are men you would want to have along side of you in a bar fight or fox hole.

Though these men play very minor roles Jackson's genius comes from making you feel for them without having to spend twenty minutes developing their characters (observe the cook, the black dude who's the captains second in command, and the Captain himself...they all have opinions that effect everyone's lives in the film).

Adrian Brodey's character, the writer, is probably the most metro sexual out of everyone there, yet he seems to be the one who is foundated with the principles of Honesty, integrity, and bravery (never backing down) the most. While all the other men are also brave they seem to only instill bravery to a certain extent when it befits them.

Naomi Watts' plays the heroin whom King Kong eventually ends up risking it all and eventually dying for. She is an innocent pawn in the whole scheme of things. The whole premise of why Kong "did it" was because of Beauty. Even someone who had it all (Kong lived like a King for christs sake, Skull Island, though very dangerous was ruled by him) fell victim to the clutches of beauty. Sure, when I think about it, the story sounds idiotic. For reals. I mean, really?!! A huge ass Ape is going to go all googly eyed for a chick that's the size of Tinker Bell in his hands?

Kong spends the rest of the movie fighting everything from Dinosaurs to large ass Bats to keep this beautiful blond chick in his clutches. Jackson does a great job showing this in great detail to where you find yourself captivated in this fantasy world of mythical islands and dinosaurs and large insects, and not carrying about how stupid it is that a big ass gorilla is going to want a tiny blond for a companion.


On Skull Island:

For those of you who LOOOOOVE adventure/indiana jones type films this part is such a treat.
When they find the island (which was exciting in itself) they visit and are, not surprisingly, greeted with an unwarm welcome. A tribe of cannibals almost kills everyone when the captain and his men get there in time and uses mad guns to quell the situation to get everyone to safety. At this point people start dying and you start realize that this is not disney land any more. Protect ya Neck.

But the tribe wants the girl for some sacrificial thing to appease the "giant Ape behind the large gate" so they sneak on the ship and grab her (who would have thought that these tribesman happen to be some of the worlds best pole-vaulters, go figure lol) .

Adrian Brody's character (the only smart witted one on the boat) does the math on this one and finds out that they've taken her. A search party is put together to get her back and this is where all hell and amazement breaks loose. Seriously, Jackson could literally have made the movie just about this island. Jackson is amazing at giving such a setting as Skull Island such richness and depth. The details he did on the island were much appreciated in my book.

We see dinosuars, large crabs, weird ass insects and crazy spiders. People die but most of all it looks very very realistic and while you're watching it you feel like "holy shit, they just might not make it back." It is no easy task to get that woman. After a voilent ass whooping by the things on the island and barely escaping with their own lives, Brodey's character (which was alpah all along, but not physically visible) sets out to get her as the others wait by the gate (with plans of their own apparently ;-).

Talk about brave. Seriously, Skull island is the type of place where if you place your hand on a tree theres four different types of predators competing to chop it off and eat it.

While watching it's amazing how all the fantasy and imagination I used to dream up as a kid for a fun past time (that's right, kids used to actually go outside and make believe all this crazy shit for entertainment) came back. It was so naustalgic. I used to dream of stumbling across an island like Skull Island and having to do crazy ass shit to keep alive, but also seeing some of the most amazing things while doing so, and being tested each step of the way. All the while having a crew of brave men and that "perfect woman" by my side who cattered to my awesome personality. She wasn't just beautiful on the outside but also on the inside. Only the strong survive, and that means making quick witted decisions and even if that means choosing death then so be it.
(the black dude knew death was coming for him and he decided in those short seconds to save everyone).


Off Skull Island:

Brody's character finds this chick and after some crazy shit goes down they get to the gate where Jack Black's character awaits with the captain to lay a trap for Ape so they can bring him back to America and not leave empty handed (the original intention was to shoot footage on the island and come back with a film in the can but the camera get destroyed and almost all the film crew is lost to the food chain of the island).

Kong puts up a crazy fight but gets captured in the end. He is brought to NYC to be displayed for others to see in Broadway show form.
Almost everyone who got back from Skull island wants nothing to do with Black's character or what he has done with Kong. Naomi Watt's character is off dancing for another broadway show act. She doesn't care about the money and is disgusted at how Black's character (who symbolizes capitalism) is trying to cash in off some body like Kong for his own profit.

Kong is still knocked from all the drugs they've given him but once he comes to, Kong goes crazy and paints the town red. He finds Naomi Watt's character, brings her to the highest point in New York City (Empire State building) and eventually dies by gunfire from air planes (or was it from falling off the Empire state building ;-)

We see Brody's character getting to Naomi Watt's character and consoling her, while down below news paper men are chattering about how dumb the ape was to go up there. "Didn't he realize what was going to happen?" one news paper guy blurts out. Jack Black's character appears (still not apologetic about the mess he's created) and sums it all up: "It wasn't the planes that got Kong...it was beauty."

And I personally couldn't agree more.




KING KONG is Tragedy:

I mean, for reals, this is a big ass Ape who had it all. He did what ever he wanted on his island and if anything or anyone tried to fuck with him he would "crush them" lol.

And he decides to give it all up for some chick that the local cannibals Skull island captured to sacrifice to him. If anything the cannibals are the smartest ones out of the whole film. They kidnapped this chick and then got Kong all interested in her to where he ends up getting captured and deported off the island. This is what the Cannibals wanted all along!! Genius.

From an Alpha Male perspective Kong leaving his island was like Deliala cutting off Samson's long hair. Kong had it all. And in a second, he lost it all. I see guys do this all the time with women. They've got a solid job, make good money, have options galore. Then they get with a chick who literally turns them into the most pathetic wuss bag this side of NYC. It's a damn shame. It boils down to them not knowing a damn thing about women. They know they want to bone them and suck on them but when it comes to understanding them they fail miserably, and pay heavily for the consequences.

For the record I am still learning how to Understand women. One thing is for sure. I really do appreciate them. I used to not appreciate them. I used to think they were evil and blood sucking vampires lol. King Kong had it all but in the end even he, king of the jungle, fell victim to powerful clutches of beauty. Lesson Learned.