Rize

We need movies like this. we need to allow ourselves to be touched.

So we can learn to be human beings, people need to learn to be humane to each other. Forget gender, forget color, forget beliefs, we all human underneath, we all drown, we all bleed, we all are scared, we all want to express ourselves, and we all deserve that respect.

Learn to give that to everyone you meet. You might never see them again.

I feel privileged these people shared their lives with me. We can learn so much from what the people in this documentary are sharing with us about community, and culture, and humanity.

David LaChapelle, among the most distinctly over-the-top commercial photographers of all time, has made a career out of pushing the boundaries of political correctness and redefining what we view as beautiful, bold, colorful, sexual. His photography, particularly his celebrity portraits, are rich in their frenzied energy; his work can turn even the most untalented of stars (ahem, Paris Hilton) into iconoclasts of the frenetic image. My favorite LaChapelle photo, that of a nude, afroed, and positively beaming Naomi Campbell lying atop a substantial pile of fruit, would seem trashy anywhere else but appears giddy, boundlessly euphoric, even, when lensed by LaChapelle.

He famously left his day job as the most gifted commercial photographer in 2006, dramatically and abruptly, escaping to a secluded Hawaiian paradise in some form of an extended mid-life crisis. After a long break from doing what he thought he loved, he rediscovered himself and became an Andy Warhol post-Factory of sorts, regarding his work more seriously than ever before. So the celebrities, the magazines covers, the elbow- rubbing, came to an end in pursuit of fine art. Now, LaChapelle would much prefer to make a social statement than put Lil' Kim on a crucifix and surround her with nuns for the sake of kitsch. He has directed a number of eye-catching music videos, but 2005's "Rize", a documentary, remains to be his only film. Though much of it is filmed in the same Technicolor, purposely campy ballpark of his other work, "Rize" is a surprisingly mature doc, especially when considering it was headed by the Fellini of photography.

LaChapelle gives us an inside look into the world of krumping, a highly emotional, movement intensive form of dance descended from clowning and perfected in the wake of the 1992 Rodney King riots. Found mostly in inner-city Los Angeles, where crime runs amok and pressure to join gangs is high, krumping is, for its most active participants, a life- saver, a persona defining hobby that gives them a reason to stay off the streets and entertain the public after hours upon hours of lightning paced practice. LaChapelle divides the film into three parts, the first introducing the krumping culture through interviews, the second connecting clowning with the dance in focus, the third climaxing with a thunderous battle of movement between the two rival krumping groups.

One might expect LaChapelle to let his tremendous stylistic abilities gloss over the more spit on the ground realities of "Rize" in favor of startling imagery, but his instantaneous recognizability takes a backseat to the hugely fascinating stories of the krumpers. These are not people who simply like to dance; they were saved by the art form, revitalized by it. Before he invented, or at least, nurtured, the style of krumping, Tommy Johnson, also known as "Tommy the Clown", was a drug dealer who spent five years in prison for his crimes. After his release, he was invited to a child's birthday party in hopes of entertainment — then and there, dressed as a clown, he kicked off a completely new dancing style that took much of Los Angeles by storm following the Rodney King riots. In the years following, he started a business, became a local legend, and took scads of at-risk adults under his wing.

Most inspiring is Christian "Baby Tight Eyez" Jones, who went from an atrociously tragic childhood straight into dancing success — because of krumping, the very idea of following in the footsteps of his deadbeat parents sounded like nightmare fantasy. He was good at something, had fun doing that something, and, in return, became a success in his own right. Jones is only one of the many kids Johnson has supported over the years, and "Rize" takes the time to get to know them. LaChapelle finds a good balance between spectacle and human drama, as willing to highlight remarkable dancing abilities as he is ready to underline the struggles many of his subjects face. As wonderful as krumping is for most of these people, it can hardly mask the harsh truths that overtake so much of the ghetto.

"Rize" is a solid documentary that does what a documentary should; introduce you to something completely new and make you suddenly care about it as though it were always part of your life. Though I wish it was a bit longer (we become invested in the cast), this is an energetically shot, empathetically made film.

When I saw the "Rize" trailers at first I was afraid that this would be yet another movie depicting the African-American experience through slanted and distorted filters ignorance and the media would have "White America" and the rest of the world believe. After a few minutes though I found that I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Rize" is a wonderful piece of cinematic gold. It shows us what movies can really accomplish. It shows that what makes a movie "good" isn't a "Big budget" rehash of the same mindless drivel Hollywood has shoved down our throats for the past years. But a movie with substance.

If you have read the other reviews and summaries for this movie me telling you about the "plot" or "characters" is a waste of space. Also If you have read the other reviews you will see that quite a few people believe that "Rize" is just "You got Served" with face paint. People who have written this make me believe that they must have been watching a "spoof" on TV or watching commercials, and coming to there own conclusions.

"You got Served" is to the African-American Dance culture as "From Justin to Kelly" is to musicals. YGS was a the same type of group vs. rival group with "mild" drama of a betrayal of a former member that was depicted in "Bring it On" or "Good Burger" and countless other films for the 12-17 age demographic. It was a film mostly for fans to get a last few glimpses of the former music group B2k and leader of the former group immature (or IMX) together for the last time (sort of like "Spice World"). In this since it served its purpose well.

Knowing this you can see that it would be a "closed minded" and "ignorant" person to even link these two movies together. And my advice to those who choose to do so is: To actually see the movies you choose to harshly critique. You may even find that "One of these movies is not like the other" As one is a documentary and the other a "teen flick". Also I have noticed in reviews previous to mine that the movie "Be cool" is mentioned due to its brief "cameo-esque" snippet of the dance style. "Be Cool" was mentioned to be the first discovery of the dance style. This is simply not true, as ONE of the first showings of this dance style can be credited to Missy Elliot in her music video "I'm really Hot".

Another method of discrediting this movie is by attacking the director for just being "Christina's music video director" or a "photographer". Though I can honestly say that I am nor have ever been a fan of Christina Aguilera's work...I certainly do not hold this against Mr. La'Chappelle because unlike most respected and honored directors who turn a blind eye to movies like this because they aren't "Oscar worthy" he stepped in, and in his own artistic and beautiful way shuns the myths and stereotypes that have plagued the African-American people. (Especially young people residing in urban areas and ghettos for no fault of there own are labeled as "thugs" and "gangsta's" are now being known as "Artists" and "Visionaries" due to them turning back to their roots in Africa).

I hope more movies will come out like this and liberate all races from their own stereotypes.

Before you can understand "krumping" and "clowning," you've got to understand the history and people of South Central Los Angeles. Director David LaChapelle opens his documentary, Rize, with news footage and images from the 1965 Watts riots and the 1992 Rodney King riots. Out of the violence and hate came Tommy the Clown, the hip-hop clown who got kids to stop fighting and start dancing. These "clown groups" gave kids an alternative to gang life. Clown dancing grew, expanded, and evolved into an entirely new form of dance – "krumping." It may look aggressive and violent, but it's pure release, expression, and art. When LaChapelle shows footage of African tribal dancing, one can't help but see the resemblance to "krump" dancing, from the quick and deliberate body movements to the face paint, as if that dancing was in their blood. Rize gives these dancers something the rest of society has long denied them – dignity and respect. See this one.

Perhaps imperfect as a neatly tied-up documentary statement, the film raises real contentious questions about ethnic stereotypes, youth, sexuality, and art (kudos for that). But from a purely experiential perspective this is an intense, original, and completely ecstatic trip in both the cultural and aesthetic dimensions. Personally I see nothing compromised or shallow about mixing in a healthy dose of gratuitously beautiful, highly stylized photography for the pure raw aesthetic bliss of it. The film is also quite interesting from an anthropological angle in terms of how the documented phenomenon quickly takes root, consumes these good peoples' identities 24-7, organically grows, divides, mutates, rapidly spans generations and groups, sweeps up even infants who intuitively jack right in to the main line, and seems to strongly channel ancient ancestral rites straight into South Central, where it weaves a crazy web of hope and ecstatic optimism through the beleaguered community like beautiful wildflowers in a cracked asphalt lot. I may just have to start wearing my clown outfit to the office in tribute, but I guess I should work on my moves first. For that I suppose I'll just have to wait for the inevitable krumping class at my local gym! :p