Inside Man

Spike Lee's (25th Hour, She Hate Me) latest joint is a caper flick starring the always charismatic Denzel Washington (Out of Time), Clive Owen (most recently of Derailed), and Jodie Foster (Flightplan). This movie was a pleasure, obviously. It's a no-brainer, a recipe for a hit: add Academy Award winners Washington and Foster, pour in a little Spike Lee, and stir. Voila.

The movie opens with Owen's character explaining the bank heist that has presumably landed him in jail. We know that he executed the robbery, and we know where it took place. The story attempts to explain how and ultimately why it happened. The obvious motive is money, but the film takes an interesting turn when it appears that the events taking place inside the bank may not have anything to do with theft at all.

Regarding the performances, Washington can do no wrong, and neither can Foster, so you won't find any criticism of them here. As long as they have a decent script to work with, they can act circles around almost anyone. Neither of them will be adding another Oscar to their mantle with this movie, but that's not the point. Inside Man is clever and entertaining throughout, and Spike gets the most out of everyone. It was particularly nice to see Foster on screen in a departure from her recent pattern of freaked-out hero mom roles (Flightplan and Panic Room).

I'm also glad that Spike Lee, in my opinion, cannot be pigeon-holed as a director. Yes, he is THE premier black filmmaker of our era, and has been a pioneer in portraying the black experience—but Lee has demonstrated that he can tell ANY story, not just those involving African-American themes. He first showed the ability to branch out with Summer of Sam, which featured an entirely white cast, and also with 2002's 25th Hour, one of my absolute favorites. In sum, Inside Man does not take the caper flick to a whole new level, but it's a nice addition to the genre and well worth seeing.

Dave Chapelle's Block Party

Dave Chapelle brings us documentary footage from his summer 2004 block party in Brooklyn, New York. There isn't much to analyze about this movie, because it is what it is: Dave's favorite artists assembled together in the name of good old-fashioned REAL music. I think it's cool that Dave documented the concert/party because it shows that the music he appreciates is a reflection of what he believes in: an expression of truth at all costs. We know Dave is a straight shooter and that he pulls no punches, and this is mirrored by the musical company he keeps: Dead Prez, Common, Jill Scott, Badu, etc. We also see how Chapelle is a man of the people, both black and white. The concert was a soulful celebration of real music and black culture and quite simply just a dope-ass show. I love watching us do our thing, I wish I could've been at the show, it looks like it was epic for the Fugees alone. Even though Chapelle has a huge following on Comedy Central, I don't expect this movie to be a commercial success because it's not Dave doing comedy, it's about the music and Dave giving back to the people. Everybody can't get with that. If you liked Jay-Z's Fade to Black, you definitely should show Chapelle some love because Block Party is much better.

16 Blocks

Bruce Willis (most recently of Sin City) and Mos Def (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) star in this action thriller about a cop who must transport a witness 16 blocks to the courthouse so that he may testify against corrupt NYC police officers. The only problem is that New York's finest are determined to make sure Eddie (Mos Def) never reaches his destination.

I believe the premise of this movie is an exciting one, and I also enjoy Willis and Mos as talented actors. However, I don't think this movie is great. We as viewers know pretty early on what this movie is going to be about. The problem for me was that despite a good plot, I don't think the movie did an effective job of sustaining suspense and maintaing a tense, edge-of-your-seat feeling. A good example of a movie that pulled this off successfully was Speed. I know I reached back a little bit with that one, but Speed managed to do what 16 Blocks could not: introduce a great dilemma in the beginning but keep the audience entrenched in the movie the whole time. It just didn't deliver for me: overall a fairly decent movie but nothing spectacular. Mos Def is a charming and appealing renaissance man, and I am a fan of his acting and music; HOWEVER, he had the most annoying voice in this movie!! Oh my God, it was so irksome. I didn't like it at all and it took me a while to ignore it. There were also some plot holes that I don't feel like getting into, chalk it up to poor writing. All of Bruce Willis' Die Hard movies put this one to shame, and Mos Def's charm couldn't save his performance. Not a bad movie, but by no means is this a "must see."