Synopsis
Music journalist Tre (Andre Royo) arrives at the Hamptons home of his cousin Sky (Chenoa Maxwell) and her cad of a husband (Blair Underwood). Tre is here to interview Summer G (Richard T. Jones), megastar rapper, who has just bought a home in the area. Sky and G have past, and old embers flare to life when they see each other.
If any of this sounds familiar, it should. As O was to Othello, G is to The Great Gatsby. The transposition comes off as rather a…kward and artificial. Seeing characters from the hip hop world in a completely different milieu, however, is rather interesting, as are the points that are made regarding class and race, where the real divisions seem to come down to those between old money and new.
Audio
Now that’s one stonkin’ bass line that pulses away during the scenes where hip hop is on the soundtrack. Most impressive. The score is very well handled. There was a point during the credit sequence that I was about to point out as a flaw, where the music seemed to be concentrated exclusively in the rear speakers, but as the scene progressed, this turned out to be instead the result of some very clever placement of the sound, and made perfect sense. So good stuff going in the directional orientation of the sound.
Video
Here there really is an oddity during the party at G’s place, where there are odd reflections showing up where none should be – this looks like an issue with the film itself, though, not the transfer. After a slightly grainy and opening shot or two, things improve markedly, and thereafter the image is sharp, the colours are very strong, the flesh tones and blacks are excellent, and the contrasts superb. There is a tiny bit of edge enhancement visible, but it ain’t much.
Special Features
Nothing here but a half-dozen trailers for movies other than the feature. The menu is basic.
Closing Thoughts
Though not entirely successful, this is certainly an interesting film. Some real extras would have been appreciated, however.
Special Features List
- Trailers
