Touches You

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Blistering performances.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

To all those from a younger generation than mine, who thinks that the 1990's are ancient history, it's very complex in telling a story set in the Prohibition Era situated in the small town of Idlewild, Georgia. Newbie director Bryan Barber thought he found the solution. First grab a bunch of singing sensations and provide a soundtrack that doesn't depend on the authentic sounds of jazz and blues, but instead replace the genre of music to hip-hop (just like Baz Luhrmann has done in his period piece films). Sadly even though Barber provides some of the set pieces, an important staple was missing in action here. The script was very spotty in detail and feels very loosely attached here. The clichés are aplenty and the transitions can be quite incongruent. Although I can appreciate Barber for his efforts as a director, he's still in heavy need of improvement when writing scripts."Idlewild" just doesn't have enough songs for it to pass off as a musical with the minimal selection of only five songs which in total last for about 15 minutes. And of the musical numbers three of them are situated at the club, even though they're catchy and the tempo is very uplifting. But the musical numbers feel like I'm in a music video than an actual movie. It's no surprise at that because Barber's first claim to fame was directing videos for OutKast who star in this vehicle. The scenery and photography look authentic and the costumes were stylish for the period, but the hip-hop score can be very distracting. It doesn't feel like a period piece at times.The story centres around the lives of two friends since youth Percival (Andre "3000" Benjamin) and Rooster (Antwan "Big Boi" Patton) who go their separate lives into their adulthood. Percival becomes a dedicated worker at a mortuary with his father Percy Sr. (Ben Vereen) while fixated with his true passion, music at night at a club called Church. Rooster is the main act there and has a future as owner whenever the current owner Ace (Faizon Love) decides to step down. Even though Rooster is married with five children, he's still an inebriate and a philanderer. While Percival is single and without a girlfriend, he does develop some interest in the new attraction star Angel (Paula Patton). The plot starts to thicken when a local gangster named Trumpy (Terence Howard) enters the fray and kills his boss Spats (Ving Rhames) and then assassinates Ace leaving the Church at the hands of Rooster while Trumpy supplies him with moonshine. The duo despise and the conflict is inescapable.The performances were overall really good, though nothing special. Benjamin and Patton don't have a lot of acting credits on their resume, they still manage to give it their all and never feel upstaged by the more established performers who also seem to excel in their respected roles. Paula Patton is amazing in her performance and her breakout number is extraordinary. You have great familiar stars like Ben Vereen, Patti LaBelle, Macy Gray and the late Bill Nunn here. It's a shame that we don't hear LaBelle or Vereen singing which is what I was expecting. And though his role is one-dimensional Terence Howard can still add that charm quite professionally.For fans of OutKast, it will be treasured, but the appeal can be quite puzzling. The tone can be very uncertain at times. The musical and fantasy elements lack in cohesion especially when the gangster scenes come into play. Not only that the talking liquor flask and animated musical numbers seem to not fit in at times. The movie is way too serious in delivery and the tragedy has no room for spontaneous, jovial fantasy sequences. Sure it may be original in content, but familiarity seems to be inescapable. The product might be high in diversion, but there's nothing really that much special about the characters, the plot or the story which in the end makes this movie very disposable.

I wasn't sure how this movie was going to be. I hadn't heard much about it but I am a fan of Outkast so I was pretty sure I was going to like it. This movie was okay. It wasn't really anything too special. I didn't care for all of the musical numbers. I also thought it was weird that they used rap music in a movie set in the 1930's. I thought that the beginning of the movie was a little slow, and to me it was also kind of hard to hear the actors in the beginning, it kind of sounded like they were mumbling or else the background noise was just too loud. Who knows?? Maybe it was just my ears. I think this movie would have been better if it had focused wholly on Percival and Angel's romance. I thought Andre did a great job as Percival in this movie, he's a pretty good actor and he's really cute too. Paula Patton did a good job as Angel too. The both of them were pretty much the only entertaining parts of the movie. For me personally, I didn't really care for Roosters character much and also Terrance Howard's character was kind of strange. However, the costumes and the effects of this movie are great!! I love the way they did some of the shots of this movie like for example the part with the cuckoo clock, and I also think the sex scene between Angel and Percival was shot wonderfully. It was shot beautifully and tastefully. I'm glad I gave this movie a chance. It was good. I don't think I'll buy it but I'm glad I gave it a chance by renting it.

So a few weeks back I spent some time writing up the Outkast acting vehicle Idlewild, it was great. Probably the finest film review in the history of the world, paragraphs and everything!So in between that and scheduling the article's posting (VERBS!) the thing got lost. Gone. Skedaddled, and I of course had killed off the word doc as I thought it was saved to wordpress.(ITALICS!)Now I simply can't be bothered rewriting a fresh review for Idlewild, so in honour of Tenacious D the following is an abbreviated tribute to the greatest review in the world.Idlewild is set in the prohibition era in the Deep South, only a hip-hop prohibition era… if that makes any sense.It is basically an attempt to "break" (indulge?) the boys from the hip-hop group Outkast in the cinematic arena.Big Boi plays a guy who runs a whorehouse entertainment venue and Andre 3000 plays the son of a mortician who has the hots for a singer in the whorehouse ahem, nightclub.Shennanigans ensue.The film itself wasn't bad but it had some serious flaws that made it in truth a little boring. There seemed to be no consensus as to what the main plot was supposed to be, so Big Boi and Dre's stories kept going on and on, making the film a good 30 minutes too long and forcing them to abbreviate several songs.I did mention Idlewild was a musical right? No? Well I did a few weeks back… Remember all the VERBS and PARAGRAPHS!?!My other main issue was that Outkast are a million and a half times better than almost EVERYONE in the game from the 90s, 2000s or present day, yet they only took songs from the underwhelming double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The best song in the film actually plays over the credits, (Morris Brown).If you like hip-hop and quote-unquote urban films then you'll find Idlewild OK, and in the interest of disclosure I would say "yes" to both, if you are more a casual fan or worse not a fan you would find Idlewild overlong and unfocused.Final Rating – 6 / 10. An OK film, Like Michael Jordan trying baseball it is disappointing when someone at the pinnacle of their industry settles for par elsewhere.Now I'll spend a couple minutes writing about something exceptionally important.If you call yourself a hip-hop fan (I do) and you admire the work of any of the following… Sean Paul Soulja Boy Nelly Lil Wayne (Anyone "Lil" actually. Also anyone "Young" for that matter. Prove me wrong!) 50 Cent Ludicrous The Game Obie Trice Jay Z Eminem Jamie Foxxx T.I. Kanye West Ja Rule Will-I-Am since Fergie joined BEP. (He got lazy!) P Diddy The NeptunesAnd I am not saying that any of the above never made a good song or two, Kanye has one (Gold Digger), Eminem a couple (Lose Yourself, Stan) and Will-I-Am had some great early stuff (Damn you Fergie for enabling the sell-out!). What I am saying is that in the main the greater part of their resume is mediocre or flat out sucks. Real fans actually buy albums and listen to them from song 1 to song 22(hip-hop albums are always too long), even hanging around and putting up with the inevitable skits! Having 85%+ as filler is just not good enough, so lucking out with a radio friendly song shouldn't provide you with a career, I'm talking directly to Kanye on that one. Stick to producing and banging coked up starlets.Between their debut in 1994 and Stankonia in 2001 Outkast put together a stretch of albums that could only be challenged by Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and De La Soul, and I'd still give Outkast the edge on all of them.So in a long winded way my message is don't bother too much with Idlewild, if you want to see what Outkast is about buy any of the following; Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik Atliens Aquemini StankoniaDo that for me and I'll go back to concentrating on not losing my reviews.

There are two reasons I tuned into this film. One, I love Terrance Howard (currently on the big screen in "Pride), and two, I was hoping to see another "Chicago"-style musical extravaganza. I was definitely disappointed with "Dreamgirls." It just didn't measure up, but "Idlewild" comes much closer to the gold standard.Forget the story of the cigarette girl who wants to be a singer (Paula Patton), or the mortician wanting to be a piano player (Andre Benjamin) and their eventual romance. That was just a side story. Just as was the story of Trumpy (Terrance Howard) and Rooster (Antwan Patton). They added interesting bang bang, sweet love, and tremendous moaning to what is essentially a musical extravaganza.And that is just what we got with the tunes of Benjamin and Patton along with the golden trumpet of Autouro Sandoval in the background. Outstanding choreography and luscious costuming adding to the mix and gave us a punch that was straight to the gut.If you are not tapping your feet and clapping you hands at the end, then you are ready to be laid out.