*** Official HUSTLE AND FLOW Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Diallo B]

and this is exactly the point. diary without all of the hype still managed to pull 21 million in its first weekend vs. the 8 million by h&f.

with all of the critical praise and positive buzz that this movie is recieving you would expect that it would have done better in its first weekend. perhaps it will have a sixth sense type of life.....

also, none of the movies that you mentioned in terms of reviews even came close to a 81% tomato rating. once again with all of the buzz and praise this movie is getting it is amazing that htf'ers are not running to this movie in droves since we here at the htf appreciate a 'good movie' as a 'good movie' regardless of the subject matter.....

and concerning baadassss!, i thought it was a great film. but once again, it was a movie that would never appeal to a mass audience. melvin van peebles was a rebel to the system and many people remember his that way. his son brought that to the screen and it was a great history lesson for me. but how many people really wanted to know how sweet sweetback's baadasssss song got brought to the big screen????

***i see how one of my (****)'s above may have been confusing but i know that c. brewer is caucasian.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

C'mon people! You know EXACTLY what Diallo B is talking about. And there is nothing wrong w/ his perceived "tiptoe-ing" around the subject. It is a known fact that here on the HTF, most black films receive LITTLE to NO attention here. And most members dare not even start a thread on a movie w/ an all black starring cast because it will certainly have LITTLE to NO shelf life and will certainly die as quickly as it started...but THAT'S IS NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING - just different ideas on what constitutes a noteworthy movie. For example, just because I don't keep up w/ Asian Anime doesn't imply that I am biased against Asian culture. It just means that Anime doesn't interest me.

Again, as Diallo pointed out, that's just the demographic of the HTF....White males who for whatever reason have LITTLE to NO interest in black films w/ a black cast. Don't criticize Diallo for not getting to the point if you cannot look the truth in the face and admit it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Nobody is criticizing anybody, so please let's not make that an issue in this thread.





Crawdaddy

 

[Michael Reuben]

I do, but I don't agree with him. The fact is that almost every "small" or "independent" film gets scant discussion here. By contrast, a major release like Ray gets plenty of attention. The color of the cast may well be a factor, but it's one of many, and probably not the most important.

M.

 

[Holadem]

I was gonna see H&F, but I got sunburnt last weekend and am consequently in the middle of a racial identity crisis.

I won't see the movie until I sort out where I belong.

--
H - Not for the humor-challenged. Pretty obvious but ya never know.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

I'm inclined to agree w/ you here in part, but neither of us can speak for anyone else in that regard, only ourselves.

 

[Michael Reuben]

You need to include the Software forums (including the Review Archive). With so many people now waiting to check out films until they hit DVD (see, e.g., Mikah Cerucco's post above), comments limited to theatrical release aren't a complete gauge of interest, especially on a forum devoted to home theater.

BTW, if you've seen (or plan to see) H&F, I hope you'll contribute a review. One of the factors to which I was referring was the willingness of individual HTF members to post their comments. I hope Diallo B contributes a review as well, especially since he's expressed concern about the number of HTF reviews to date.

M.

 

[Brook K]

Hey, I liked Soul Plane

I saw H&F yesterday afternoon and thought it was very good. The story form is familiar and the praise for the acting may be overstated, but it is strong in showing the power of music as artistic expression and how a song is created. Something that Ray could have used more of rather than concentrating on dramatizing tabloid elements of Ray Charles' life. Of course H&F works because the music is good, if one can't appreciate the music they probably aren't going to get much out of the film.

Diary is a poor comparison because it was a pre-existing property, The Producers or Chicago on a smaller scale. There are multiple plays/stage shows based on the Mad Black Woman character who is very popular in Atlanta and the South. There was already a built-in, pre-existing audience for Mad Black Woman, that Hollywood pundits simply were not aware of.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

What kind of marketing would work better?

 

[Joseph S]

Go see this. :star: :star: :star: 1/2 :star:

Maybe some do, too bad for them. You do know that DJ Qualls is in this movie, right?

 

[Richard Kim]

What I find interesting is that the discussion thread for Must Love Dogs has more views and activity than the one for Hustle and Flow. Last I checked, Must Love Dogs is a "chick flick," not something aimed at the white male demographic, either.

 

[Elizabeth S]

Well, I'm certainly not in the aforementioned, presumed "white male" demographic of HTF, but I saw "Hustle & Flow" last weekend. I LOVED it!

I admit I did not initially have any interest in the film because of its rap music-themed storyline. (I absolute hate that type of music.) However, with the glowing critical reviews and my realization that Terrence Howard was in it, I decided to give it a try. To me, dismissing it because of its rap music would have been as critical an error as dismissing "Million Dollar Baby" or "Rocky" for their boxing themes. Like those films, "Hustle & Flow" is about so much more and you needn't be a fan of its milieu. Terrence Howard was terrific, as were Taryn Manning and Taraji Henson. I doubt many films this year will capture the magic and infectious joy of the "Whoop That Trick" recording session sequence.

I'd certainly like to add this to my DVD collection.

 

[Diallo B]

unfortunately, imo, this will be the reason why said demographic will not see this film.

 

[Greg Thomas]

I saw Hustle and Flow last weekend and loved it. I'm definitely not in the prime demographic of the HTF but my buddy and I were the only black people in the audience. Everyone else was white with a couple asians and hispanics mixed in. There were quite a few seniors in attendance two, and I suspect hip hop is not their cup of tea. The under 25 crowd was pretty much non existent, so maybe it doesn't even appeal to the hip hop crowd.

What I found was the audience was more the typical Independent Film crowd than anything. This art house theater only shows indie films which included Murderball, March of the Penguins, Mad Hot Ballroom, and Me, You and Everyone We Know. When I saw Crash and Monster's Ball at the same theater, the audience was the same as Hustle and Flow.

Had this movie been playing across the freeway at the big 16 cineplex where teens hang out, I wonder if the audience would have been different?

 

[ZacharyTait]

Bumping this thread up since I caught Hustle and Flow on DVD. I really enjoyed this movie. Terrence Howard should, but probably won't, get an Oscar nomination for this role. What a year he has had. This plus Crash and Four Brothers (I didn't see Get Rich or Die Trying).

As mentioned above, the recording session was the best part of the movie. I totally believe TH as a rapper. Plus the scene with Skinny Black in the nightclub where he gets up the courage to pass on the demo tape.

****

 

[Holadem]

Outstanding :star::star::star:1/2

One caveat, for a Best Actor nominee, I was not overly impressed by Howard's southern accent.

Is "Man" pronounced "Mine" in TN?!

--
H

 

[Robert Crawford]

Have you ever been to Memphis? I lived for five years in Tennesse and you'll be surprised on how certain words are pronounced down there.





Crawdaddy

 

[Patrick Sun]

It's more like "main" than "mine", with an emphasis towards the tail end of the syllable. And yes, they do.

 

[Nathan V]

Hmm, the "white HTF" discussion fascinates me greatly. As for the film, I found it to be very good. Howard is a revelation, and the direction is admirable for taking a leisurely pace. I also liked the character-based qualities of the script, as well as the multitude of enjoyable sequences.

When choosing which film to see, I don't ever care what the film is ABOUT. What I look at is the director and his crew and cast. Essentially, I choose films by director (artists who put thought and effort into their works, and understand that film is a visual medium). Hustle & Flow being a film by a newcomer, I waited for dvd and watched it based on buzz. I used to go by critical reception, but after missing Man on Fire in theatres based on reviews (the dumbest thing I've ever done), and seeing Lord of War (which was panned) and loving it, I've elected to ignore, for the most part, the critical community. Although I do say a lot can be learned about film, among other things, by reading Roger Ebert.

As for rap, I think 99% of it is exceptionally lacking in quality, but there is that 1% that is incredibly exhilerating and accomplished. To listen to the work of an artist who clearly works hard and puts great effort into his work interests me greatly. Rap is regarded today in a manner not much different from the way jazz was seen in the 30s-40s. The genre has so much potential; it's frustrating to see it not progress by the leaps and bounds it should.

Regards,
Nathan

 

[Holadem]

Never been in TN, but I thought I was pretty familiar with the southern thing, I guess I just never encountered that particular flava of the accent.

BTW, while the crew's baselines and hooks were good, Djay can't flow worth a damn

Even in this serious role, Anthony Anderson is an absolute riot. He imbues his characters with so much life, he steals the show whenever he shows up. Even dead serious lines like "Respect my house" just make me grin, so terrific his delivery is.

--
H