He Got Game 1998 Film Music Cd

Milla Jovovich - He Got Game 1998 Film

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He Got Game (1998 Film)      Artist : Public Enemy      List Price : $14.98 USD        ProductGroup: Music      Release Date : 2007-09-03      Studio : Polygram UK      Label : Polygram UK      Avg. Customer Rating : (102 reviews)

Reviews Customer Reviews for He Got Game 1998 Film      An Amazing Story of Father & Son      Rating:      He Got Game hit home for me, because I don't have a father in my life. As an aspring filmaker I always have dreams that my father will come back at a crucial point in my life as Denzel did to Ray in this movie. This a movie that every father and son should see. The cinematography, script and acting are all top notch. One of Spike's best films since Clockers.     Customer Reviews for He Got Game 1998 Film Cd      Moving and deep; far more than your average sports film...      Rating:      In 2001 Denzel Washington finally won his `Leading Actor' Oscar despite the fact that three of the four remaining nominees put in better performances than he did (those three would be, in descending order, Wilkinson, Crowe and Smith). I'm not saying that Washington's portrayal of Alonzo in `Training Day' was bad or even mediocre. He was a pistol, really electrifying the screen with his commanding presence, and he scores major points for taking himself away from the `dead eye stare' I see him give all too often (watch `American Gangster') and really igniting his face. That said, he still was not the best of the year. I bring up this point, not because I want to raise my voice in disapproval, but because I want to draw a major comparison in character between Alonzo and Washington's character Jake Shuttlesworth in `He Got Game'. Both characters have that swagger, that jive and that fire, yet Jake is a much deeper and more emotionally complicated character than Alonzo, and Washington plays to his strengths in such a fierce way that I am baffled he wasn't even considered in the running for this performance, yet was handed an Oscar for basically doing the same thing three years later to a less impressive extent. Washington grabs your attention here, not only with his blunt abrasiveness but also with his human and tortured rawness. `He Got Game' may on the outset look like just another teen sports story. It centers around Jesus (pronounced like the son of God) Shuttlesworth, a brilliant athlete who is being harassed by every state in the area trying to rally him to their basketball team. Jesus is not your typical teenager though. He has been raising his young sister since their father killed their mother and was sent to prison. Their father is Jake. Now, Jake is presented with a strange and inviting opportunity; namely to convince his son to join Big State University and in return he'll receive a lighter sentence. The problem is that since Jake has been locked up Jesus has refused to speak to him, and he has no plans of changing his mind on the matter. Still, Jake decides that it is worth a try. The underlying story within `He Got Game' is about the path leading to redemption and the sacrifices that we make to get there. As Jake tries to reestablish some grounds with his son we can see that he needs this; more than freedom he needs the forgiveness that only his son can extend. Spike Lee brilliantly continues his moral lessons by exposing the corruption and greed within the striving for fame, but Lee never strays away from the purity and admirableness of those who have a clear head and a strong will. So, like I mentioned, Washington is Oscar worthy here, but the rest of the cast is more hit or miss for me. Ray Allen comes off a little stiff in areas but for the most part he delivers a strong performance alongside Washington. He has some pristine moments where you can see his internal struggle. Rosario Dawson is breathtaking as Jesus' girlfriend Lala, but even more than breathtaking she is a wonderful actress here. She really understands her character and exploits her weaknesses effortlessly. Milla Jovavich is a little miscast here, and she seems to be `acting' too much, which sadly comes off amateurish in many scenes. Zelda Harris is also a weaker link, but she was young and so I won't lay into her too hard. She wasn't a central character and so her few flaws are not detrimental to the film. `He Got Game' is not a masterpiece, I won't go that far, but it is an extremely well crafted vehicle for Lee and Washington to shine as brightly as they are able. Lee has done better work (`25th Hour' for one) and Washington has done better work (`Malcolm X') but to say that these two men are at the top of their game here would be an understatement. Editorial Reviews for He Got Game 1998 Film Audio Cd      Amazon.com essential recording      True hip-hop heads, get happy. Public Enemy, with Flav, Griff, and the Bomb Squad, are back. The seminal group's first album in four years serves double duty as the soundtrack for Spike Lee's wack-ass He Got Game, and as you'd figure from the film's B-ball theme, many of the rhymes are directed at the world of sports. Numerous tracks contain direct barbs at NBA commissioner David Stern, while "Politics of the Sneaker Pimps" aims its fury at the major shoe companies and their exploitation of foreign workers. True, longtime fans might have beef with PE's more Puffyesque moves, like obvious samples (Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" on the title track) and choirs, but there's no denying the rage of the message. Against PE's legacy, this disc might fall a bit short. But taken on its own terms, He Got Game gets nothing but net. --Amy Linden