Boyz 'N the Hood

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John Singleton, at the age of 23, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his debut film, Boyz N the Hood. The film stars Laurence Fishburne, Angela Basset, Ice Cube, and Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in his first starring role in a feature film. Gooding plays Tre Styles, a teenager growing up in South Central Los Angeles. His father, Furious (Fishburne), is divorced and living away from Tre and his mother (Basset), but he's still involved in Tre's upbringing, teaching him the values of right and wrong and responsibility. Meanwhile, Tre's childhood buddies Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) are living their lives in terms of the epidemic of violence and poverty that has plagued their neighborhood. Ricky, a talented football player, strives to get a full athletic scholarship to college. If only his SAT scores were higher. Doughboy lives a life full of crime but still remains true to his friends. The obstacles that these three young men come across result in dire consequences, devastatingly avoidable and inevitable at the same time. Boyz N the Hood is a landmark film beyond its commercial success, presenting a portrait of South Central in the late '80s and early '90s as painted by Singleton (who grew up in that neighborhood), achieving accuracy and dramatic resonance in this story of at-risk youth. --Shannon Gee

Customer Reviews:

Story of Moderan Day Segregation.......2007-09-17

Boyz N the Hood is a nitty gritty look at South LA (formerly known as South Central LA) and is one of John Singleton's best pictures. Because it is so gripping and real. Cuba Gooding Jr. gives a stand-alone performance playing Tré Styles; a young man that is on the brink of self discovery. Most of Tré's childhood friends got locked up but Tré led a pretty square life. Thanks to the support of his father, Jason 'Furious' Styles (Laurence Fishburne.) Boyz N the Hood will keep you glued to your seats. It will make you think and it will make you laugh. But, most of all it will make you sad; because this is not just a movie. This is a true story.

BOYZ.......2007-08-24

SAD THIS LETS YOU KNOW SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS ALL EVEN THOU YOU NEVER HEAR ABOUT IT.

How This is Not in AFI's Top 50 I'll Never Know.......2007-08-21

I love how films (Clockwork Orange, Pulp Fiction, Little Miss Sunshine, The Departed, etc.) that wallow in violence, nihilism and utter vulgarity are championed among Americans for their eminent "authenticity" and "originality." The Academy itself plays no small role in propogating this dillusion, brainwashing the movie-going public through its vast propaganda machine and finally handing out awards to the directors of some of the most barbaric trash American cinema has ever witnessed.

Funny though how the rules of the game have a way of changing for films with black directors, with some of the best films of the last half century (Boyz N The Hood, Do the Rigtht Thing, X, etc.) being snubbed for their alleged inability to "appeal to everyone." Meanwhile the sludge served up by the likes of Tarantino and Scorcese is eagerly devoured by anyone within arms reach of a movie shelf.

Hilariously there are whole segments of the populace, tens of millions of them, that like to twist this state of affairs as reflecting some deep seeded racism amongst the rest of the citizenry. This should give you some idea as to the state of things in America when even the most trivial of incidents (OJ, Kramer, Don Imus) are cast in a practically apocalyptic light creating nationwide panic, despair and hysteria.

Simply put though American audiences don't ignore this film because they're racists. Rather, even more pathetically perhaps, they ignore it because it wasn't marketed to their demographic. This is something that ALL Americans regardless of race, religion, income are guilty of. This is hardly suprising though. Looks as if half a century's worth of ceaseless and limitless advertiseing campaigns has all but vaporized authentic individuality. Group aspirations now trump individual choice. Anyone that betrays the herd is tried, condemned and then excommunicated (Bill Cosby, Dennis Miller, Bill Richardson, shoot, examples from politics abound). After all, the herd is what matters most and who could possibly understand my herd better then another member of my herd? Better yet, how could I ever relate to anything that wasn't made by and for my herd?

Individuality, personhood...gone, insinerated, nuked off the face of the earth! As a result Americans tend to develope personalities akin to those of pre-packaged Star Wars characters. So few are willing to step outside of the little box they've been put in. I'm so sick of this country! I can't even live amongst all of you! I am at the end of my rope, I have like gone to the MATTRESSES over this, I am laying in my bed with a shotgun right now hoping that one day someone will come to my room and tell me that everything is all better.

This is just a wonderful movie and it's a shame that most folks won't get a chance to see it, or if they see it to give it a chance. Actually this movie is like the antithesis of the general mood prevailing in this country over the past few decades or so. Singleton rightfully bucks behavioralism and the whole 'product-of-my-environment' culture of early 90's urban America because (1) he knows that human beings owe themselves more than that and (2) because shaking off that way of thinking is the only way for folks in impoverished areas to obtain a better life and dignity for themselves.

More importantly though this is a response to the full frontal assault that's been waged on the American family and the American father over the past few years. Tre's father might not be able to insulate him from all the dangers going on around their household but through rigorous discipline he does impart a sense of responsibility in Tre, responsibilty to himself, to his father and to his neighborhood. Through their relationship the two of them are able to prevail over the despair and violence surrounding them.

Fishburne, Cuba and Ice Cube all turn out the best peformances of their careers though admittedly Ice Cube has never really had a film career even after all these years of trying so hard. Incredible performances, incredible film.

Boyz N the Hood.......2007-07-11

Singleton's urgent, moving drama deals head-on with a raft of tough subjects--the allure of thug life, inner-city poverty, racism--without losing its virtuous heart or universal appeal. Fishburne is terrific as the fiery, streetwise dad who schools Gooding's likable, college-bound Tre with some important life lessons. But the strongest performance belongs to rapper-actor Ice Cube, a troubled, combative teen with a criminal record who nevertheless remains loyal to his childhood buddies. Just 23 when "Boyz" hit theaters, Singleton earned two Oscar nods for his gritty, poignant story of strife.

Best look at the hood to date.......2007-05-17

Everyone I have talked to who has seen this movie says the same thing; "That was a really good movie!". It is much more. This movie came out of John Singleton's personal experiences with racism and crime in South Central, like Spike Lee with "Do the Right Thing". But this movie was one of the first of many urban-crime films to come (i.e. New Jack City, Juice, Menace II Society, Dead Presidents). Ice Cube, a rapper at the time, made his film debut as Doughboy, the drug dealer who does the most crime on the streets on South Central. Cuba Gooding, Jr. also made his debut as Tre, a man whose father (Laurence Fishburne) teaches him how to be responsible and making the right choices. The performances were great, The rare Soundtrack had cool songs like Cube's "South Central" song and this movie is best of many crime films, not like the gangster films though.

Singleton just put together the perfect movie to depict his old neighborhood, it's just a shame that none of his recent work is as good as Boyz N The Hood. If you are a fan of gangster films, or just good movies in general, you will like Boyz N The Hood.

Boyz N the Hood (2-Disc Anniversary Edition)

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Story of Moderan Day Segregation
BOYZ
How This is Not in AFI's Top 50 I'll Never Know
Boyz N the Hood
Best look at the hood to date

Boyz N the Hood (2-Disc Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Hudhail Al-Amir , Lloyd Avery II , Angela Bassett , Mia Bell , and Lexie Bigham
Director: Singleton, John
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000A7W14
Release Date: 2003-09-02

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Description

John Singleton's award-winning portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together in the `hood'. Facing tough lives, two succumb to the crime surrounding them in their environment, but one learns to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions. Academy Award ® nominee for Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (1992). Stars Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix Reloaded), Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Boat Trip), Ice Cube (Barbershop), Morris Chestnut (The Break Up Handbook), Angela Bassett (How Stella Got Her Groove Back).

Customer Reviews:

Story of Moderan Day Segregation.......2007-09-17

BOYZ.......2007-08-24

SAD THIS LETS YOU KNOW SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS ALL EVEN THOU YOU NEVER HEAR ABOUT IT.

How This is Not in AFI's Top 50 I'll Never Know.......2007-08-21

Boyz N the Hood.......2007-07-11

Best look at the hood to date.......2007-05-17

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Boyz N the Hood (UMD Mini for PSP)
Starring: Boyz N the Hood
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

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John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together 'in the 'hood.' Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship t

ASIN: B000E1EHQS
Release Date: 2006-03-07

The John Singleton Collection (Boyz N the Hood, Poetic Justice, Higher Learning)

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Great idea

The John Singleton Collection (Boyz N the Hood, Poetic Justice, Higher Learning)
Starring: John Singleton
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JD5K
Release Date: 2001-07-03

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Boyz N the Hood
John Singleton, at the age of 23, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his debut film, Boyz N the Hood. The film stars Laurence Fishburne, Angela Basset, Ice Cube, and Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in his first starring role in a feature film. Gooding plays Tre Styles, a teenager growing up in South Central Los Angeles. His father, Furious (Fishburne), is divorced and living away from Tre and his mother (Basset), but he's still involved in Tre's upbringing, teaching him the values of right and wrong and responsibility. Meanwhile, Tre's childhood buddies Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) are living their lives in terms of the epidemic of violence and poverty that has plagued their neighborhood. Ricky, a talented football player, strives to get a full athletic scholarship to college. If only his SAT scores were higher. Doughboy lives a life full of crime but still remains true to his friends. The obstacles that these three young men come across result in dire consequences, devastatingly avoidable and inevitable at the same time. Boyz N the Hood is a landmark film beyond its commercial success, presenting a portrait of South Central in the late '80s and early '90s as painted by Singleton (who grew up in that neighborhood), achieving accuracy and dramatic resonance in this story of at-risk youth. --Shannon Gee

Poetic Justice
Director John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood, Rosewood) made an earnest effort in this, his second, film to say a great deal that is true and relevant about living and loving in a violent, difficult time in American history. Janet Jackson plays a beautician and poet who withdraws into herself after her boyfriend is murdered by gangsters. The late Tupac Shakur plays a postman who tries to get through to her, and the two travel on a course through urban America, connecting with family and community. Singleton has so much on his mind that the film comes out a terrible muddle, but there is a certain integrity peeking through the fog. Shakur makes a startlingly good impression in his film debut, and Jackson strips away her star veneer to play something like a real person--and entirely succeeds. Maya Angelou wrote the poems that pass as those penned by Jackson's character, and she also appears in the film. --Tom Keogh

Higher Learning
This ambitious 1995 film by John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood) doesn't quite succeed at painting the illuminating, collective portrait of college life in the '90s that the director seeks. But Singleton does do a fine job of defining some conflicting impulses for young people on the cusp of adulthood, particularly the desire to broaden horizons on the one hand and circle the wagons with like-minded allies on the other. Students in the film's Columbus University divide themselves along lines of race, sexual preferences, ideology, and, most dangerously, levels of paranoia. Among the fine cast is Michael Rapaport, who portrays a loner drawn to a local community of neo-Nazis. His resultant problems with the school's African-Americans takes over the story at the expense of other, parallel dramas, but Singleton's insights into race hatred on campus--a microcosm of the surrounding culture--is not to be dismissed. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Great idea.......2001-07-28

These are three of the best in black entertainment that are on DVD. Putting these movies into a gift set is what I really like. Buy this set, it is great.

Baby Boy/Boyz N the Hood/Poetic Justice: The Collection

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Baby Boy/Boyz N the Hood/Poetic Justice: The Collection
Starring: Boyz N the Hood , Baby Boy , and Poetic Justice
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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