So rare that I can watch an entire movie at one sitting. This one clocks in at an hour and 50 mins. How good is it? No trouble watching start to finish.
You've read what the story is about. So, no need to go there. Some takeaways.
1. More than once it was mentioned Rickey's photos captured seminal moments in the beginnings of the hip hop scene. For those in attendance it is their collective '60's. Just different music and clothes. Thinking that 60's era types like me look at that scene much like 50's era folks look at the post Elvis rock/folk/psych/garage music. Not favorably.
2. Rickey is a good photographer, for sure. And a super likeable, charming, unique character. Fun to be around. But, something tells me his main role for the bands he toured with was procuring the drugs. They were able to eventually move on. He wasn't.
3. Fantastic on location filming of lower Manhattan.
4. He's a party guy. Everybody loves him. I get it. (except his Mom) To me, he's just a loser drug addict with a camera. Not going out on a limb to say he was likely high from one thing or another every waking second of his life from a young age till the heart attack. Makes an interesting story. But, not worth glorifying.
5. Rickey grew up pretty much unsupervised on lower 5th Ave - if we can take him at his word about his Mom's indifference. He says he had the run of the city. That is a flat out insane upbringing.
6. I've got to give Rickey way more slack and credit for becoming who he became and move past the drug thing.
