Originally posted on 7/2/08
Described as a "racially-charged fish-out-of-water basketball movie", director Phil Bertelsen's ROCK THE PAINT is about a couple of Jewish white boys from rural Indiana who endure the usual culture shock when their widowed father gets a teaching job in Newark, New Jersey. The older teen, Josh (Douglas Smith) wants to play basketball, while his nine-year-old brother Tim (Sam Stone) suffers from the delusion that he's an aspiring rapper. As you might guess, both come into conflict with various urban black teens in their new 'hood, while Dad struggles to convince the black students in his class that he's qualified to teach about the civil rights movement in the 60s.
Less than five minutes into the movie, I was already starting to hate these kids. Josh and Tim steal a tractor from the farmer who allows them to live on his land and destroy much of his cornfield just for laughs. This gets the whole family evicted, yet the rebellious Josh is not only unrepentant, but also indignant that they're moving just so Dad can find gainful employment. When the script calls for it, Douglas Smith starts jerking around wildly and bellowing his head off to express intense emotions, but the rest of the time he's barely there.
As Tim, Sam Stone struts around like a pint-sized gangsta, grabbing his crotch and saying stuff like "F--- off, beeyotch!" in what I assume is intended to be comedy relief. In short, he's one of those obnoxious child actors who, instead of really acting, broadly mimics adult performances he's seen. Meanwhile, Christopher Innvar as Dad is about as charismatic as Stephen Lack in SCANNERS.
The black characters consist of the usual types you'd expect. There's Antwon (Kevin Phillips), who's initially hostile toward Josh but warms up to him when they end up on the same Catholic school basketball team. Jas Anderson plays T-Bone, the vile-o-lent tough guy who hates Josh and resents Antwon for betraying their friendship, eventually switching schools and joining the bad guy basketball team. Antwon's deaf sister Keisha (Joanna Hartshorne) provides a momentary bright spot in the story as she and Josh tentatively begin a romantic relationship, but this doesn't really go anywhere.
Most of the story is visually hustled along using montages full of hyperactive editing, spaz-cam, and a nonstop cacophony of songs to clue us in on how to feel each time the scene changes. We know Dad is falling in love with one of his students, a nice Asian lady named Sunny (Karen Tsen Lee), because every once in a while we're shown a few seconds of them holding hands in a cafe or cuddling next to some Chinese dragons. Abrupt transitions lead to scenes with woozy, streaky camera effects to reflect the characters' innermost feelings when they aren't barking awkward dialogue at each other.
Even the big climactic basketball game, presented as a slapdash music-based montage, is drained of any suspense the moment Josh takes the court and his annoying "go white boy" theme starts to play on an endless loop for the rest of the sequence. As expected, the dejected good guy team goes into the locker room down by a huge margin at the halfway point, only to make a miraculous comeback once Josh shows up. The fact that we never see the players and the cheering onlookers in the same shot gives it all a strangely dislocated feeling.
I have to hand it to writer Dallas Brennan for one thing, though--I certainly didn't expect him to end this sequence, and the movie, the way he did. Something totally out of left field happens, and then a couple of brief wrap-up scenes usher us to an unresolved fadeout before we have time to say "Huh?"
The DVD is 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, two trailers, and scenes from several festivals, including Tribeca, where the film appears to have been warmly received.
These film festival attendees and various online reviews that I've read express widely-differing reactions to ROCK THE PAINT than mine, so your mileage may vary. For me, though, it was less like rocking the paint and more like watching it dry.
(Originally posted on 12/1/10)
Does Batman take steroids? You might wonder about that after seeing Chris Bell's 2008 documentary BIGGER STRONGER FASTER, which reveals that a great number of our real-life heroes get where they are with the aid of performance-enhancing drugs. Particularly apt is the use of a clip from the old "Captain America" cartoon which shows the origin of the famous hero, in which he is transformed from skinny army reject into hulking superhero through chemical means.
With an engaging narration and a snappy documentary style which includes lots of stock shots, news footage, movie and TV clips, home movies, etc., Bell takes us through the various steroid-related sports scandals of recent years, from the heavy hitters of baseball to the track-and-field dynamos of the Olympics to the musclebound monsters of professional wrestling. We also find out about steroid use in unexpected areas such as academia and the military, and we see how others use them in the obsessively vain pursuit of physical perfection.
A major figure in this saga is bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, who embodies America's conflicting attitudes toward steroids. Arnold admits that they helped him become Mr. Olympia, yet he speaks out against them now while telling kids they can make it without them. We also see those Senate hearings in which baseball players like Mark McGwire were raked over the coals while Arnold, once appointed chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, still hosts the Mr. Olympia competition which is rife with steroid use.
All of this serves as a backdrop to Chris Bell's personal story, which is the most compelling part of BIGGER STRONGER FASTER. He and his two brothers were overweight kids who dreamed of being big and strong like their wrestling and bodybuilding heroes, and eventually started using the drugs themselves. Older brother Mike ("Mad Dog") continues to use them even as his dream of becoming a pro wrestler has clearly passed him by, while younger brother Mark ("Smelly") keeps pumping himself up with them in his quest to set weightlifting records.
While their mother agonizes over her sons' decision to use drugs to better themselves, their dad philosophizes that none of our heroes are perfect. Some of the best moments come from Chris Bell's talks with his parents, because instead of an interviewer-subject situation in which he's obviously pushing a point, we get heart-to-heart talks that clearly effect him emotionally and force him to acknowledge the other side of the issue.
Meanwhile, we get to know some of the longterm gym rats who seem hopelessly addicted to the act of bulking up itself. One guy lives in a van in the parking lot of Gold's Gym. Another has increased the size of his biceps to shockingly grotesque proportions, fully aware that it makes him look like a freak, because he craves the attention. And on the other end of the spectrum, there's an HIV sufferer who has used anabolic steroids to ward off the effects of his disease for the last twenty-five years. Bell seems equally sympathetic to all of these guys.
Ultimately, BIGGER STRONGER FASTER is an indictment not of steroid use, but of its general condemnation by a public that demands not just heroes, but superheroes. Bell seems to be saying that steroids are no more harmful than Flintstone multi-vitamins, and that everyone should be allowed to take them in order to compete fairly in their chosen field of competition. As he tells us at one point: "I tried steroids, and it felt so good that I knew I had to stop. And now I can't even compete in the sport I grew up loving."
Originally posted on 5/14/10
Not nearly as exploitative as it could have been, BARE KNUCKLES (2009) takes us into the underground world of women's bare-knuckle fighting with a story that not only gives us plenty of wham-bam action but explores the human side of the characters as well. So if you're looking for a party DVD to slip in between mud-wrestling and boxing babes, you'll probably be disappointed. Otherwise, you might find it pretty involving.
Jeanette Roxborough stars as Samantha, a war widow living with her mother-in-law and trying to raise her handicapped daughter, Mila (Teya Roxborough), by doing stunt work in movies and moonlighting as a waitress-slash-bouncer in a dive bar. While ousting some rowdy customers one night, she catches the attention of washed-up fight promoter Sonny (Martin Kove), who talks her into trying her hand as a bare-knuckle fighter.
A few wins and some extra cash lead Samantha to throw in with a crooked sleazeball named Nedish (Louis Manylor), who definitely doesn't have her best interests in mind. After getting her butt soundly kicked by a powerhouse babe named Mona (kickboxing champion Bridgett "Baby Doll" Riley), Samantha goes back to Sonny and together they set their sights for the big time--a winner-take-all elimination fight rife with big-stakes gambling and dangerous people. Winning means big money, while losing could cost both Samantha and Sonny their lives.
Roxborough may not look all that tough, but as a professional stuntwoman in real life she's able to convince us that she can handle herself. She also handles the dramatic stuff pretty well, especially since many of her scenes are with her real-life daughter Teya, who is a deaf-mute with diminished muscle control but a natural knack for acting. Much of the middle section of the film focuses on them, as well as Sam's caring mother-in-law, Dorothy, sensitively portrayed by Joanne Baron. This is intercut with the obligatory training montage along with hints that the upcoming fight may be more than Sam has bargained for, especially with slimeball Nedish scheming behind the scenes.
The first and last segments of the film are lean and mean storytelling that waste no time getting where they're going. Director Eric Etebari has a simple but effective style that doesn't call attention to itself, and he stages the action well. Almost a third of the film is devoted to the final contest, which takes place on the grounds of a lush Malibu castle (which has since burned down) owned by millionaire Frenchman Loften (Anthony Cistaro), and the fight scenes are fast, rough, and fun to watch. They're pretty realistic, too, mainly when bad girl "Baby Doll" Riley is in the ring, with one knockout punch being especially brutal.
Riley and the other women are either way hot or sorta scary, or both, depending on your own personal tastes. (I had no complaints myself.) The camera does linger a bit on their semi-nude bodies in the dressing room, but stops short of gratuitous exploitation. (Rats!) The bouts leading up to the final fight are zipped through rather quickly in order to make way for the clash of the two finalists, the identities of whom you'll have no trouble predicting. Everything pretty much goes by the playbook and even the between-rounds chatter consists of the usual cliches ("You can do this!" "How bad do you want it? Suck it up!" "This is your time!") but the action is satisfyingly hard-edged. What isn't quite so satisfying is the abrupt ending, which gives us no time to cool down after the fight.
As for the rest of the cast, you can't go wrong with Mr. Martin Kove, who couldn't give a bad performance if you held a gun to his head, and likewise for Chris Mulkey as a laidback fight trainer dragged out of retirement to get Samantha in shape. Louis Mandylor is delightfully vile as Nedish, the quintessential land shark, and Bridgett Riley is so good as Mona that I've decided to ask her to marry me, or at least beat me up. Female bodybuilding fans will probably recognize stuntwoman Spice Williams-Crosby (despite some distracting cosmetic surgery) as Flame, another fight-biz retiree called back into service by smooth Sonny.
The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Subtitles are in English and Spanish. Extras include a trailer, a music video for Mylin's song "American Girl" which is heard in the bar scene, and a "making of" featurette.
While not exactly a shiny-slick piece of filmmaking, BARE KNUCKLES is a competent low-budget effort that gets the job done with a little style and a lot of enthusiasm. It doesn't quite score a knockout, but, like Rocky, it does manage to go the distance.
MGM TO RELEASE SYLVESTER STALLONE’S ‘ROCKY V. DRAGO: THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR’S CUT’ IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY NOVEMBER 11th
Exclusive Engagement in Partnership with Fathom Events Features 40 Minutes of Never-Before-Seen Footage and a Special Live Q&A with Sylvester Stallone
PURCHASE TICKETS
Los Angeles, CA, September 30, 2021 – The most triumphant sports-drama franchise in history returns to select theaters nationwide for a one night only exclusive engagement on November 11th with Sylvester Stallone’s ROCKY V. DRAGO: THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR’S CUT. After more than 35 years, director, writer and star Sylvester Stallone masterfully reshapes ROCKY IV, delivering 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage.
WATCH THE TRAILER:
The fight scenes are more intense, the music is more powerful and the drama is heightened as world heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa (Stallone) must defend his title once again, this time against his most formidable opponent: Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
In celebration of the new film, MGM is teaming up with Fathom Events for nationwide screenings, offering fans a chance to be among the first to see this all-new version of Stallone’s classic 1985 film. Additionally, an exclusive Q&A with Stallone will be broadcast live in select movie theaters nationwide, and audiences will be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the recut film.
Tickets for ROCKY V. DRAGO: THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR’S CUT can be purchased online at www.fathomevents.com or at participating theater box offices today. A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
When it was first released in 1985, ROCKY IV became the highest grossing of all the Rocky films, as well as the highest-grossing sports-drama in cinema for nearly a quarter-century. From writer, director and star Sylvester Stallone, ROCKY IV also features Brigitte Nielsen, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren, Michael Pataki, Robert Doornick, Stu Nahan, Talia Shire and Tony Burton. Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff produced the original film, with Arthur Chobanian and James D. Brubaker serving as executive producers.
About Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world's deepest libraries of premium film and television content as well as the premium pay television network EPIX, which is available throughout the U.S. via cable, satellite, telco, and digital distributors. In addition, MGM has investments in numerous other television channels, digital platforms, interactive ventures, and is producing premium short-form content for distribution. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
About Fathom Events
Fathom is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as one of the top distributors of content to movie theaters in North America. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC); Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK); and Regal Cinemas, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L)., Fathom operates the largest cinema distribution network, delivering a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all of the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries. For more information, visit www.FathomEvents.com
