The solution to getting more rates is if we ALL rate from the 'newest reviews' list! Forget rating ...
The solution to getting more rates is if we ALL rate from the 'newest reviews' list! Forget rating back. Ciao clearly dont want you to do that any more
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"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others".
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Positive black role models were few and far between in America in the 60s and 70s, some areas of America still seeing 80% illiteracy rates in the black community because of the educational apartheid from that era. Before Barak Obama they would get their inspiration from sport, music and the movies, the basketball feel good flick atop of that particular pile at the multiplexes, and I think its fair to say there's been quite a few of those B-Ball movies over the decades, Americas foremost black acting talent only too willing to be in them, an essential part of any 'right on' brothers acting CV.
The world's coolest dude, Samuel L Jackson, is one of those brothers in question here; Coach Carter earning MTV films its biggest ever opening weekend at $25 million dollars. Black Americans love basketball because it's nearly always the classic rags to riches trip and one of the very few styles of film
you can have an all black cast and soundtrack to, let alone the inspiration of the sport that offers one of the few ways out of the ghetto coming over emotionally so well through the medium of film. We love these movies as they are euphoric and bring hope, something that perhaps doesn't have quite the same effect on the white folks. I, on the other hand, just love a good American sports movie.
Based on a true story , Samuel L Davis is very credible in the lead role as he has travelled that rags-to-riches life he reflects on here, his early acting gigs mostly bad guys and drug dealers because that's the life he lived. But boy has that life experience paid off; the success of The Incredibles (2004) enabled Jackson to surpass Harrison Ford as the actor whose movies have grossed the most money in the world - in excess of $3 billion. He is indeed the coolest dude on the planet.
-The Cast-
Samuel L. Jackson ... Coach Ken Carter Rob Brown ... Kenyon Stone Robert Ri'chard ... Damien Carter Rick Gonzalez ... Timo Cruz Nana Gbewonyo ... Junior Battle Antwon Tanner ... Worm Channing Tatum ... Jason Lyle Ashanti ... Kyra Texas Battle ... Maddux Denise Dowse ... Principal Garrison Debbi Morgan ... Tonya Vincent Laresca ... Renny Sidney Faison ... Ty Crane Octavia Spencer ... Mrs. Battle
-The Plot-
Successful coach Ken Carter (SLJ) wants to give something back to the school where it all started for him, Richmond High in California, the inner city high school he graduated from. Richmond has the same poor academic record it had 30 years ago when he was there star player in the basketball team and so all he wants to do is repay that on the court by coaching them to at least a winning season and perhaps pass on some wisdom to keep at least one of the team out of prison.
The Richmond Oilers are floundering after a woeful season and so he needs to inflict discipline fast for the new campaign, the team way behind on their studies and fitness. His harsh regime soon earns his teams respect and they soon win their opening game. Anyone who doesn't do the fitness is soon kicked out. They also have to sign a contract with the coach that they will get their grade point average up to 3.5 (no idea what that is) ,education just as important as results for Coach Carter. He doesn't want them to end up like most poor black Americans.
He soon antagonises the league by playing an all black team, racism sucked into a story where it probably wasn't before. When the wining run gets serious his son Damien (Robert Ri'chard), who is also a promising player, drops out of his respected and successful private school to play ball with dad at Richmond, who is not very impressed with that move but cant argue with is his sons principals. Another man back on board is bad boy Timo (Rick Gonzalez), of Puerto Rican decent and so hanging with the wrong group of 'hommies' , involved in drugs and gangs. Star player Kenyon (Rob Brown), on the other hand, has women problems, Kyra (Ashanti) wanting to drop out of college and have their kid and then get a job, jeopardising both their careers. But the real problems start for the Richmond Oilers when the coach discovers the kids teachers are not going along with the deal to push up the kids grades and so he has to decide whether the team can play on without the 3.5 grade average, which could mean they don't play the state finals, the real prestige for the school. Who needs a college degree when you earn millions in the NBA?
-The Conclusion-
Sadly Coach Carter is just one huge sports movie cliché from the opening frame, even though the movie is based on true story, perhaps the real drama the race dimension it didn't really get its teeth into, instead this becoming 'will they win the final' type movie. There's no doubt Samuel L Jackson was the right casting for the film, few other actors with a screen presence and charisma quite like this guy, able to hold up pretty much any movie. But you are soon grumbling about the familiarity of the movie as it box ticks its way through those clichés. I reckon it needed more budget thrown at it and a better script as there is a story to tell here about Americas turbulent civil rights pass, Samuel L Davis himself a prominent protester in that protest during the late 60s.
The unknown support cast are strong and their basketball skills impressive, but perhaps the only point here, this a sports flick not the sports biopic it really needed to be. But SLJ is in it so you will watch it and you know the film will be at worst ok with the big man on board.
A good soundtrack and solid tempo slot this comfortably into the three out of five ciao stars that you know millions of people of colour will go see because it sells the American Dream, but crucially the audience is redeemed from any blame on why black America is in such a pickle, Obama or not, he to a basketball star player at school...
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Imdb.com scores 7.1 out of 10.0 (20,876 votes) RuN-TiMe 136 minutes 5 films for 5 quid a week deal at Blockbusters = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Based on an incredible true story, Coach Carter is the inspirational account of ... more
controversial basketball coach Ken Carter (Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson), who received both high praise and staunch criticism when he made national news for a gy...
Aug 19th, 2009
(Aug 28th, 2009)
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