Dope [Blu-ray]

I just finished watching Dope, and I really enjoyed it! I'm normally not into "LA" films--nothing against the city at all, it's just that the vibe is so different from the east coast that such films almost come across as foreign to me. Dope wisely focuses on the characters and not the "city as character" trope that so many films fall into.The story was poorly sold in the marketing/advertising, and it took me a while to finally watch it after I purchased it. Now that I've seen it, I definitely wish I had seen it sooner. It has the feeling of a traditional "heist" film but with teenage protagonists of color. Yet, it still very much felt like a heist sort of film, which at times gets dull.It also gets Spike Lee-ish toward the end--surreal, absurd, and almost dream-like. Artistically, I guess it made sense, but I think the film would have been stronger had it stuck with the realistic tone it had struck in the beginning.There are many small roles and cameos by actors we all know and love through the generations: the supremely talented Roger Guenveur Smith, a "before-he-was-famous" LaKeith Stanfield; and the surprisingly good ASAP Rocky. But others like Rick Fox and Kimberly Elise are under-utilized. It's great to see them working, but a shame in such small roles.The three leads are great, however, and I never got tired of them on the screen.I'd be remiss if I didn't speak up about the tired "Harvard as ultimate goal" Hollywood trope. It's a trope that filmmakers come by honestly, but it's just so overdone. I would have loved to have seen the main character's dream school be Dartmouth, Chicago, or Georgetown.Ultimately, it's a solid film that I enjoyed and would recommend.

Dope features three friends Malcolm (Shameik Moore), Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) and Jib (Tony Revolori) leading a carefree life. They go to school in Inglewood and are enjoying their senior year. All three are nerds, listening to old school Hip Hop, playing in a punk band, getting picked on by the hood kids, and for Malcolm, hoping to go to college. Everything seems like it’s just another day when everything gets completely out of control. The movie focuses upon identity and stereotypes for young African Americans.The film focuses upon Malcolm. Exactly what kind of kid is he? Is he the nerd that he looks like with his hi-top fade? Is he the aspiring college student with a unique take on things with his essay on Ice Cube? Is he a sophisticated drug dealer? Or is Malcolm his own man, being able to create his own future and identity? The message is about how looks and stereotypes can be deceiving.The film was produced by Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bonglovi and directed by Rick Famuyiwa who's done movies such as The Wood, Brown Sugar, and Talk To Me.Dope mixes some great old school Hip Hop, some young and engaging actors with a lot of comedy and some serious themes in the background. Highly recommended.C

Dope is a 2015 American comedy-drama coming-of-age film written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa and produced by Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi. It stars Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Kimberly Elise, Chanel Iman, Lakeith Stanfield, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, and ASAP Rocky. The film was also executive produced by Pharrell Williams and co-executive produced by Sean CombsFor starters, let's talk about this film’s soundtrack. Quite a while ago I made an observation of my own regarding the inclusion of Music related to the urban lifestyle (more specifically, music that has been released and is often associated with a person of color); to summarize, I noticed that in many movies there may be scenes here and there that use this kind a music to infer a tone of delinquency. If you ask me, this is unbelievably lazy and not to mention is subliminally racist. ‘Dope’ goes above and beyond challenging the use of this medium in a haphazard manner, and subsequently turns these opportunities on to its head. My only hope can be that this is taken to heart by individuals that are passionate about filmmaking and that this inspires some amount of significant change in this one element of plot development In the grand scheme of things. The nature of this story works to avoid making any of the characters portrayed as one-dimensional ; moreover, this film refuses to imply that people or either “good” or “bad”, and that instead the truth of this matter is much more complicated than people would like to accept. There is no implication that the characters shown have a cookie-cutter personality and an otherwise mundane or predictable life story. It would have been easy to forgo this route and instead willingly paint these individuals as self-serving and simple, and the absence of this is critically essential when deciding how to narrate what could be a reality for people observing this for the first time as a result of their own privileged existence.On the topic of privilege, the use of one of the only white characters present as a means of discussing social commentary when it comes to racial relations was absolutely ingenious. There is an exploration of the assumptions people make about the way in which they handle interracial interactions and this is done in a way that is seamless and respectful to the overarching plot. I imagine there are many people who will write this off as proof that “racism goes both ways”, and if that applies to the person reading my review then all I can say is this: I feel an immense sorrow for you. While this isn't a weakness, it is just worth saying that the understanding this white character has of information he is receiving from other characters Is never touched or elaborated on, but the choice to exclude this has real-world applications on its own. Many props to the director and the screenwriter for obviously taking this in to consideration.Lastly, this is a meticulous combination of events some people will use to justify the thoughts they have about a person of color and elements that will surprise your average backwoods racist; I hope - and when I say hope, I truly mean it - that there are many people who will watch this and accept the chance they have to broaden their senses and think more deeply about the perception some might have about the world around them. It’s just much too important - and perhaps even more so given recent current events.Intricately designed and wholesomely enjoyable: I would recommend!

Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is a geek and an avid fan of the Nineties decade, he lives with his single mother in Inglewood, California, which commonly reffered to as 'The Bottoms'. He has desires to progress to Harvard. Malcolm has two other friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) who are also geeks.They all go to a birthday party at a club where a shoot out occurs, and Malcolm unknowingly has his bag filled with drugs, a gun and a powdered Molly. With the owner arrested, there are others who want the bag causing Malcolm to embark on a wild adventure.This is a crime based film I adored as much as Noel Clarke's Hood trilogy.

Ordered this film because I really enjoy finding indie, quirky films. This ticked a few boxes but was different to what I expected. In parts, it was really funny but it kept fading in and out of this.

Excellent movie great copy

Dope movie, dope soundtrack

Great dvd i love A$AP ROCKY it has a good story to it and its super funny i would recommend it