NERDCORE RISING
Rating: *** (3 out of 4)
 This movie made me laugh. We have all heard of gansgta hip-hop, but what is Nerdcore hip hop? Well, think of it as hip hop where the music stays the same, but instead of black rappers talking about their hood, cars and money, we have white guys who rap about their nerdy environment. References to Stars Wars, World of Warcraft, math, video games, take the forefront with these rappers.
Nerdcore Rising is a super-retarded documentary, which brings this nerdy subculture to light. The film follows the godfather of Nerdcore hip-hop, MC Frontalot and his band mates on their first-ever national tour. Frontalot and company are not the typical rap act. Their stage gear consists of a dorky short sleeved button up shirts and colored ties. Frontalot spices his get up a little more with his horn-rim glasses and his signature headband flashlight. This tour/road trip is very crucial for Frontalot, for it will determine whether he chooses to make hip hop his career or if he'll decide to return to being a freelance web designer.
The tour starts off slowly, with sometimes fewer than ten fans in attendance. Frontalot's interaction with his band mates and avid geek fans provides a very comical atmosphere to the film. Nerdcore Rising succeeds in opening the viewer to the world of nerdcore hip-hop and the legitimacy of this subculture. It also raises questions about its plausibility in mainstream music with a commentary by Weird Al Yankovic, pioneering hip-hop Producer Prince Paul and many other of nerdcore bigger names. In the end, we all come to recognize a few things in this documentary: Frontalot is very Geeksta and Nerdcore Rising is hysterical.
Screening: Saturday, April 12, 10:30 PM & Tuesday, April 15, 2:40 PM
-EBI
BAMA GIRL
Rating: **1/2 (2.5 out of 4)
Bama Girl takes you inside a very strange and unique southern college world. Bama Girl focuses on the over-achieving and dedicated senior student, Jessica Thompson, as she embarks upon a quest to become homecoming queen at her university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. One of Jessica's campaign handicaps is the fact that she is one of only two black candidates out of fifteen other running mates. However, Jessica's biggest obstacle is "the machine."
What we know of "the machine" is that it is a secret entity consisting of white fraternities and sororities, which have been hovering over student politics and homecoming queen election for a number of years. Each year "the machine" picks a candidate for the homecoming queen and makes sure the election favors that candidate.
In Bama Girl, the filmmaker creates a gripping atmosphere just by hinting at who "the machine's" pick may be. With Jessica and her friend's relentless drive to win and bring down "the machine's" supremacy, Jessica reaches out to untapped groups within the campus such as the international student community and the geeks. The filmmaker also shows us a very racially intense moment of the annual "old South" spectacle where White frat boys dress up in confederate uniforms and sorority girls in hoopskirts and parasols parade on campus grounds.
Bama Girl not only depicts the frenzy that accompanies the campaigning and ultimately the crowning of the college homecoming queen, but also exposes latent bigotry passed on from the south's history of segregation.
Screening: Wednesday, April 16, 7:15 PM
-EBI
JUMP!
Rating: ** (2 out of 4)
For some people a rope is not just a length of twisted fibers, but a ticket to their dream of becoming world champion of competitive jump rope. Jump! is a documentary, which offers an overview of the competitive sport of jump-rope and the determination of the kids involved as they prepare and compete nationally in hopes for making it to the world championship.
In Jump!, jump-rope is not a mere hobby, it becomes an art form and its participants shed both tears and sweat to become masters at their craft. The level of physicality and creativity is very high and the slick editing adds to the visual appreciation of the sport. However, beneath its visuals and interesting exploration of competitive rope jumping, the documentary fails to deeply explore its main characters. Jump! is definitely an entertaining film for parents and their children wishing to see something explosive and fun.
Screening: Saturday, April 12, 5:30 PM and Monday, April 14, 4:45 PM
-EBI
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?
 Rating: ***1/2 (3.5 out of 4)
Remarkable and touching, this documentary is very poignant in its account of the poverty issue in Africa. The continent has always been depicted as the breeding ground for ongoing crisis, notably famine and hunger. One may ask the question, why is this rich continent still suffering despite the continual humanitarian aids? The answer may lie in finding the root of the problem. This quest is the driving force behind What Are We Doing Here?
Offering direct accounts to the problems that plague the continent, the documentary follows three brothers and their cousin as they travel through Africa, from Cairo (Egypt) to Cape Town (South Africa) interviewing local Africans in hopes of finding out the causes of the continent's misery. The international community needs to understand and realize the origin of the crisis. As we listen to testimonials from people of all walks of life, the solutions vary from one person to another, thus making the issue more complex. Their journey through lands decimated by wars, refugee camps, HIV survivors and hordes of other disastrous calamities puts in perspective the gravity of situation. Emotion soon sets in and the filmmakers can't help but sympathize. Another interesting element is the filmmakers' occasional debate about moral issues and their futile attempts to try to rationalize the problems of this foreign continent.
What Are We Doing Here was certainly a worthwhile family trip for the filmmakers and also a worthwhile film to share with the rest of world.
Screening: Thursday, April 17, 9:40 PM and Friday, April 18, 7:15 PM
-EBI
LIBERTY KIDS
Rating: ***1/2 (3.5 out of 4)
A tactfully orchestrated, simple story with amazing performances, Liberty Kid revolves around the events of 9/11 and its consequences. Derrick and Tico are two Dominican friends who tend minimum wage jobs at the statue of liberty. The attack on the Twin Towers will soon disrupt the world around them and leave them unemployed.
While Derek looks for a new job and takes his GED, Tico resorts to small time drug dealing and insurance schemes. Unable to find a job, Derek reluctantly joins his friend in order to provide for his twin children. But a series of bad events will soon happen. Derrick is robbed and badly beaten and also looses a girl he courted to Tico. Broke and disgruntled, he joins the army before the Iraq Invasion. Meanwhile, Tico gets arrested and sent to jail. Derek will return from Iraq changed and afflicted with post war depression. Tico gets released and finds that he has fathered a child. Both friends will try to reconcile their now estranged friendship and start their lives over again.
What makes Liberty Kid different from any other story about survival in the hood is its natural execution. This is a small budget film that used its assets wisely. The use of the 9/11 attacks in the film is subtle but powerful enough to launch a story. The cinematography feels free spirited and the performances are thoroughly believable.
Go see this simple movie with an exceptional execution.
Screening: Wednesday, April 16, 7:05 PM and Friday, April 18, 1:30 PM
-EBI
THE PROJECT
Rating: *** (3 out of 4)
The Project is a movie that left me undecided at first. I wasn't quite sure how to categorize it. Is the film a docu-drama or a documentary? Finally, I decided The Project is a drama that's story evolves within the structure and style of a documentary.
Dana just moved to New York to help filmmaker boyfriend Justin and his friend John film a documentary. Their film is a documentary about the project housing in Brooklyn and their subjects are Thomas, a young black kid and two NYPD police officers. While Dana follows Thomas around John trails the day-to-day lives of the officers. In these parts we get all a lot information and back-story on our documentary characters. Dana is soon exposed to Thomas' reality. He is an ambitious kid whose father his serving time. He lives with his single mother and younger brother but also courts the wrong crowd, especially his high school dropout friend Nate. We also get to know and feel compassion for the officers as they recount the events of 9/11, the Iraqi war and friends lost in duty.
As the story progresses Nate's violent attitudes raise concern for Dana. She attempts to protect Thomas but is reminded of her duty as an impartial observer. The personal lives of the filmmakers start to collide with the realities of their subjects and they become soon entangled in one story.
The Project is an interesting and well-executed concept even though the story is a bit clichéd. It tugs at the ambivalent relationship between documentary filmmakers and their subjects, in its story and narrows that fine line in its structure.
Screening: Sunday, April 13, 8:30 PM and Wednesday, April 16, 4:30 PM
-EBI
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