G

No, it didn't have great fx, no it didn't run on BET after 106 and Park, yes it was an indy film. But I got it. It was different , Cool, smart, and hip. Chenoa Maxwell is breath taking. I don't get all the hard reviews. I loved it and want it on DVD for my collection. I think the director is a little different kinda kat. I liked Have Plenty, and this film G was "on it" all you critics need to watch it again...I got it...maybe you critics went to a bad public school where the Great Gastby wasn't required reading to graduate. Richard T Jones was good in this too, and I like Blair Underwood as a villain. This was ome good stuff. Im tired of gangster, rapper, hip hop laced art...we have too much of it and we need to see some different images of black culture.

You can tell a lot about a movie by its release date… or in this case, it's release YEAR. G was made in 2002, and we're finally seeing it in limited release at the end of 2005. There's a reason why studios and theaters weren't rushing to release this one. How can I describe G? It's Boyz 'N The Hood, but this time the Hood is the Hamptons. This is not The Great Gatsby that F. Scott Fitzgerald had in mind when he wrote the classic novel. However, it's certainly an original idea for movie ("There just weren't enough rap moguls in the 1920s version"), but G is by no means a good movie in any way.

The black stereotypes are horrific! Four up-and-coming rappers are driving around the Hamptons complaining that they can't find Newports, 40s, or McDonalds anywhere! Yes, I laughed, but I laughed at how horrible those lines were! Don't see this movie, it's just ridiculous. The acting is as pathetic as the script. No wait, there's one great line in G: "If you ever touch my sister again, I'll stab you in the dick with a plastic spoon!" There, now you know the funniest line. Now there really is no reason to see it.

I think the movie "G" puts an interesting and suspenseful spin on a boring and non-captivating novel. I was required to read "Great Gatsby" my senior year in high school, and we my class got a chance to view it at a film festival we were all amazed. Christopher Scott Cherot made me fall in love with a plot line that I had previously not cared for at all. It was a brilliant idea to take a bland setting and prodominately white characters and put a hip-hop spin on it. The climax of the movie can use a little work, but the movie is awesome as is.

I saw the movie "G" last night 10/29/05 and I feel like we paid $7.50 too much. This movie should have been at the A$1.00 movie. It reminded me of an independent movie with bad actors and a thin watered down plot. Maybe the writers and producers just got out of film school...I don't know. This movie had a slow start and I thought that it was going to get a little interesting in the middle and then it had a weird ending. Everybody in the movie theater were complaining. Lots of things didn't make sense. It seemed like it had the potential to be good but it just wasn't happening. The characters seemed so unreal. The ending was something that I didn't understand- there were a lot of loose strings that needed to be tied together. I expected a lot better from Blair Underwood. He was the reason I really wanted to see the movie in the first place. We should have gone to see "SAW 2" like we originally intended in the beginning.

Cherot's earlier film, "Hav Plenty", was one of my favorite movies. The chemistry between Cherot and Maxwell's characters in "Hav Plenty" was magical, albeit also disturbing in some ways. Hav (Maxwell's character) was a self-admitted freak and you find yourself asking why can't D. Money look past her breath-taking physical beauty and see the darkness within? But, this review is about Cherot's later movie, "G". It was a big disappointment. I rented it from Blockbuster immediately after noticing Chenoa Maxwell starred in it. I didn't even notice that it was another Cherot movie until after I watched it ... twice. The significance of that fact is that I was thinking "G" suffered from not having Cherot as the director, then I found out this was a Cherot film. Uh-oh.

This movie has two problems. One is the weak script. The entire premise is 100% unbelievable. Rappers in the Hamptons? Come on. Maybe, this could have been pulled off as a comedy, but as drama the premise is ill-conceived.

This movie has so much potential. Blair Underwood nails his character, as always. And, Richard T. Jones manages to tone down his obvious comedic skills and delivers a leading man whose charisma is all the more impressive when you realize he convinces us that Sky (Maxwell's character) should be with him instead of the brother every sister in the world would love to wake up next to, Blair Underwood. Pay attention to the second scene in which we see Summer G. (Jones' character). You sense everything you need to know about Summer G. before he evens says a word. Jones' acting is that deep in this movie. It is, by far, his best work I have seen to date.

Problem number two is Chenoa Maxwell. Chenoa Maxwell is one of the finest sisters on the planet. That, in itself, is enough to convince most men, and more women than you might think, to see this movie. But, she, apparently, is an actress who needs quite a bit of help from her director. She was so fascinating in "Hav Plenty". But, in "G" she appears, well, amateurish. And, I say that as a fan who sincerely wants to see her do well. I couldn't help being drawn to her character in the episodes she played in "Girlfriends". She played opposite Golden Brooks, another sister with drop dead gorgeous looks. Yet, when the two had a scene together, I found myself drawn to Maxwell's character. But, "G" is the worst work I have seen yet from Maxwell.

I always saw Chenoa Maxwell playing a role. I never saw Sky, the character Chenoa was supposed to be portraying. Chenoa doesn't look comfortable with this role. In her love scene with Jones, he is buck naked, oblivious to the rest of the world, only into Sky. But, Sky isn't there. Instead, there is Chenoa, more concerned about what body parts not to show than of losing herself in G.s embrace. I can respect a sister deciding not to show her body on camera. But, a sister with those sort of values should not have accepted this role.

I think , when it comes to love scenes, the actors have to put all personal inhibitions aside and immerse themselves in their characters. It it then up to the director to tastefully edit out shots which are not flattering. If you don't trust your director to do that, you can not give your character your whole heart and soul. Halle Berry had to do this in "Monster's Ball". In her infamous love scene with Billy Bob Thornton's character, Halle is nowhere to be found. At that moment, the only woman in the room is Leticia Musgrove. Yes, it annoys me that White Folks picked that particular story to come up, finally, with another best actress award for a sister. But, Chenoa could learn a lot from Halle's work in "Monster's Ball". Think back to the last scene of "Monster's Ball", when Halle's character told us so much without ever saying one word. Now, that was the level of talent we needed to see from my girl Chenoa.

Chenoa, please, sister woman, at some point, if you intend to take this acting thing to the next level, you have to be willing to move further from Chenoa and closer to the character you are playing. Embrace her, take chances, even chances that you personally might be a little uncomfortable with. I, for one, know you have it in you.

But, if your personal value system is not compatible with the whole Hollywood acting scene, to the point where you decide being Chenoa is more important than being an actress, I ain't mad at cha. I have no doubt you could be a success at anything else you put your head to. But, whatever you choose to do, do it with all your mind, heart, soul, and body.

Istlota