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Straight outta Compton 2015
This film has been on my Sky planner for almost a year now.
I knew I wanted to watch it, but never found myself choosing it when sitting down to watch a film.
Today I chose to watch it, and this was mainly due to the fact that I was sick of seeing it taking up space on my planner
I am so glad that I watched it today.
It is a biopic film about a group of young men that live in Compton, in southern L.A. and they have a talent and a passion for Hip-Hop.
This focuses on their journey from Compton to making a record label and a band and ultimately becoming household names, and influencing and inspiring millions in the process.
I used to listen to a lot of hip hop when I was younger and still appreciate the talent involved. I didn't used to like the stuff that went to heavy on the guns, drugs and hoes but this film helped me gain a greater understanding, that it was in fact a reality for these young men and millions of others.
What I liked
Powerful - This film was more powerful and impacted me more than I anticipated. It highlighted my ignorance in a way that 'Hidden figures' did earlier in the year.
I have never been the victim of racial discrimination and therefore can't really understand what it feels like. We learn about things in history and of course I identify the injustice of it, but seeing it played out is more powerful, As with hidden figures, seeing the discrimination acted out contextually is a powerful thing. This film highlights the discrimination towards young black males from the police. It also shows the footage of Rodney King being beaten by police which led to the LA riots in 1992 and the verdict that was returned of 'not guilty'.
It also brought home in a powerful way, what life was like on these streets, with gangs, crime, violence, drugs etc.
Music -- As I said, I don't always like the lyrics that are included in a lot of these songs, but I really appreciate the talent it takes to write these 'rhymes'.
The story - These young men were far from perfect but were a product of their environment. It is about these young men, using their talent, passion and message to find a way out of their situations and circumstances. It really documents the struggle that they faced because of their environments and also within themselves and between one another.
Acting - The acting was top drawer, and there were strong resemblances to the people that they were playing. Small gestures and mannerisms that made me believe that I was watching a young Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube etc
What I didn't like
There was not a lot that I didn't like about this film.
It was a really well made film, and it gave me a greater insight into the lives of the people featured in the film.
Some of the lyrics in the songs are just too much for me, but that is the case with the genre of music in general. I knew that some songs that I didn't like would be in the film so it wasn't a surprise.
Summary
With all the positive things that I have said about this film, I do think it important that I do state that I realise that it was not an impartial take on events.
I know that there are stories and incidents involving the people the film is about that are not in the film. Incidents of violence, crime and drug offences that were not included.
There is some controversy that this film is glorifying young criminals that spouted hateful lyrics.
I do understand that point of view and in some ways I agree with it, however at the same time, these men that were reflective of their upbringing and surroundings, gave a voice to millions of others who could relate to the anger and pain that they had inside.
All in all it was a well made film, that made me feel and I was invested in the characters.
I have no idea how accurate this film was or how different these characters were in reality to how they were portrayed on the screen, but fI was engaged throughout and felt like I was journeying with them.
Straight outta Compton 2015
This film has been on my Sky planner for almost a year now.
I knew I wanted to watch it, but never found myself choosing it when sitting down to watch a film.
Today I chose to watch it, and this was mainly due to the fact that I was sick of seeing it taking up space on my planner
I am so glad that I watched it today.
It is a biopic film about a group of young men that live in Compton, in southern L.A. and they have a talent and a passion for Hip-Hop.
This focuses on their journey from Compton to making a record label and a band and ultimately becoming household names, and influencing and inspiring millions in the process.
I used to listen to a lot of hip hop when I was younger and still appreciate the talent involved. I didn't used to like the stuff that went to heavy on the guns, drugs and hoes but this film helped me gain a greater understanding, that it was in fact a reality for these young men and millions of others.
What I liked
Powerful - This film was more powerful and impacted me more than I anticipated. It highlighted my ignorance in a way that 'Hidden figures' did earlier in the year.
I have never been the victim of racial discrimination and therefore can't really understand what it feels like. We learn about things in history and of course I identify the injustice of it, but seeing it played out is more powerful, As with hidden figures, seeing the discrimination acted out contextually is a powerful thing. This film highlights the discrimination towards young black males from the police. It also shows the footage of Rodney King being beaten by police which led to the LA riots in 1992 and the verdict that was returned of 'not guilty'.
It also brought home in a powerful way, what life was like on these streets, with gangs, crime, violence, drugs etc.
Music -- As I said, I don't always like the lyrics that are included in a lot of these songs, but I really appreciate the talent it takes to write these 'rhymes'.
The story - These young men were far from perfect but were a product of their environment. It is about these young men, using their talent, passion and message to find a way out of their situations and circumstances. It really documents the struggle that they faced because of their environments and also within themselves and between one another.
Acting - The acting was top drawer, and there were strong resemblances to the people that they were playing. Small gestures and mannerisms that made me believe that I was watching a young Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube etc
What I didn't like
There was not a lot that I didn't like about this film.
It was a really well made film, and it gave me a greater insight into the lives of the people featured in the film.
Some of the lyrics in the songs are just too much for me, but that is the case with the genre of music in general. I knew that some songs that I didn't like would be in the film so it wasn't a surprise.
Summary
With all the positive things that I have said about this film, I do think it important that I do state that I realise that it was not an impartial take on events.
I know that there are stories and incidents involving the people the film is about that are not in the film. Incidents of violence, crime and drug offences that were not included.
There is some controversy that this film is glorifying young criminals that spouted hateful lyrics.
I do understand that point of view and in some ways I agree with it, however at the same time, these men that were reflective of their upbringing and surroundings, gave a voice to millions of others who could relate to the anger and pain that they had inside.
All in all it was a well made film, that made me feel and I was invested in the characters.
I have no idea how accurate this film was or how different these characters were in reality to how they were portrayed on the screen, but fI was engaged throughout and felt like I was journeying with them.