(film review) [STREAMING] - Dolemite is my Name

I wasn't sure how I was going to start this review.  It is safe to say that the LEGENDARY comic that is Eddie Murphy or the SUPERSTAR actor that is Eddie Murphy, hasn't done anything that notable in a while.  His last movie was Mr. Church.  That looked good and although I didn't see it or even hear much about it, Eddie Murphy received Best Supporting actor in 2016.  In 2012, he is in a movie called Tower Heist.  No buzz whatsoever, but I actually enjoyed the movie and Eddie in it, although he was somewhat different to other roles I have seen him in or at least his vibe was different.

If you are around my age, classic comedy stand-ups such as Delirious and Raw are one of the most quotable and most outlandish comedy stand-up shows of that era which is a product of that time.  Eddie Murphy was young and on fire.  It is hilariously funny and there are people including famous comedians who hold Delirious and Raw to a very high regard who may have got into stand-up due to watching these two classics.  With movies from 48 Hours, Coming to America, Trading Places, The Golden Child, Beverley Hills Cop, The Nutty Professor, Life, Bowfinger, Dreamgirls and voice acting in Shrek as Donkey, Eddie Murphy was indeed THAT superstar, so it is disappointing to know that in recent years, he hasn't done much or some of his film haven't been as hard hitting as others.  However, Dolemite is my name is WONDERFUL!!!

Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) is a struggling artist trying to get his music on the radio.  He also works moonlighting for Ben Taylor (Craig Robinson) at a nightclub where he is turned down by club manager when he requests to do stand-up.  Knowing he is relevant and he can do soo much better, with the help of his friends Jimmy Lynch (Mike Epps) and Theodore Toney (Titus's Burgess), Rudy tars on a fictional persona of Dolemite and pursues a stand-up routine to much praise.  But as his stand-up gets bigger, Rudy takes on acting as he dreams for people all over the country to know his name, so he enlists the help of playwrite Jerry Jones (Keegan-Michael Key) and known actor D'urville Martin (Wesley Snipes) to produce a film called Dolemite and risks it all.

In case you didn't know, this is a biographical comedy, which means it was based on a real person.  Which also means, the events of this movie actually happened.  The fact it is on Netflix means that this wonderful film can be watched on repeat again and again and to say this film is good and funny is an understatement.  I think, like Pain and Gain (for me that is), the film is even funnier knowing that this actually happened in real life.  This film has heart, I really enjoyed it and the director Craig Brewer did an excellent job.  I was very close to tears at the end when I saw Charlie Murphy's name as seeing his name touched me.  I have no idea why I got soo emotional, but I think it was due to the heart of the film.  Knowing this movie is a passion project of Eddie and him honouring his brother in the end, tugged at me.

Whether real or not, Eddie Murphy as Rudy does something at the end which, to me, was very heart-warming because I felt that his struggle was really relatable.  A man who just wanted to follow his dreams by basically any means.  Nobody wants to be turned down everywhere they go, but he kept pressing on.

Pretty much ALL the acting came from comedians and I loved seeing these comics together in one movie.  Is Soul Plane the last time?  My heart was warmed seeing Wesley Snipes acting and having a great time in his role as D'urville, as he was great.  He is another one who has been quiet over the years and isn't as big of a name as he used to be back in his heyday.  Craig Robinson and Mike Epps were also good, but Da'Vine Joy Randolph was sooo good.  I've never seen her in anything and I also liked her role although I kept thinking she was Jill Scott.  There are a few guess appearances, from what I noticed, two rappers and another comedian and one of the rappers was soooo unrecognisable, I only recognised him through his voice.

The wardrobe was phenomenal, great work again from Ruth Carter who was the person behind the wardrobe in Black Panther and would only make sense if she was used for the sequel and Coming 2 America as the outfits were splendid.  The set designs, everything was just superb for the era and I even heard/read somewhere post movie but before this review, that some of the locations were the exact locations from the original movie.  The music and pacing was great and although in the first 10 minutes, it took me a moment to grasp what was going on, once Eddie as Rudy became Dolemite, it was nonstop excellence.  You could say that this is Eddie's comeback and if it is, from being one of my favourite actors/entertainers, I am definitely here for it and I just hope Coming 2 America and anything else in the pipeline gives Eddie a new leash on life in acting and he can bow out when he wants to and retire back into stand-up comedy, where he started and as he has stated.

Watch Dolemite and enjoy!

(series review) [STREAMING] - Rhythm + Flow

I wasn't going to watch this at all.  Britain's Got Talent, The Voice, X-Factor, I just don't care about these type of shows because, well, I just don't care.  But I started watching this and after 2 - 3 episodes, I was hooked.  I am a hip-hop head so it was really cool and interesting to see these different people come together from across America to not only impress these judges and eventually win the money at the end, but to get a little insight on the industry.

The first few episodes is about meeting the competitors from different areas.  Cardi B from New York, T.I. from Atlanta and Chance the Rapper from Chicago. Whilst they all choose around 10 contestants each, the contestants slowly dwindle down to the final 4 by the end of the season/show.

If it isn't a rapping to impress the judges or battle rapping each other, the part where the competitors are required to direct a music video is probably one of the best parts of the show.  I grew up listening and watching Yo! MTV Raps and The Box (music television YOU control), remembering directors like Hype Williams making videos for the likes of Busta Rhymes, Puff Daddy or Missy Elliott to name a few, some of these videos were just great.

I had some favourite rappers and I was very interested in seeing who was going to get through to the next round at the end of every episode and to be honest, I was NEVER disappointed as I understood the reasons why certain competitors didn't get through.  However, in some sections, some of these challenges forced the competitors to think outside of the box, so the sample section was one of the weakest, but was still very decent.  The collaboration section was also very good and although one of the collaborations was very on the nose in terms of the pairing, it was nice to see these competitors work with superstar artists and producers.

The finale!  I kid you not.  The way they ended each episode with a cliffhanger towards the end and then when the finale dropped, I had my favourites.  I had to keep remembering that at this point, whomever didn't win, was still a winner because a bunch of these competitors were soo good, I do not see as to why any producer wouldn't want to work with any of them because, like I said, they are really good and that finale was somewhat stressful.   The winner, deserved it because throughout the entire series, the artist that beat the competition couldn't be any more an artist than the others and I was already "shipping" them off with other famous artists for music collaborations etc and stating that I would buy their album.

If you are into hip-hop and this kinda thing, or even if you are not, you should enjoy this because if not for the competition, artists or the special appearances by Hip-Hop and RnB stars, Cardi B is actually a hilarious character without even trying.  An enjoyable watch, you might get sucked in too.