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soar85
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Posted: Wednesday April 6th, 2005 21:36 |
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have yall heard about this film (out this Friday, April 8) featuring So Solid's Asher D?
go here for more info and a trailer: http://bulletboy.net/
one of the many good reviews says this:
"Bullet Boy throbs with restless energy. It's grainy, gritty, authentic. It's a desperate wail for help at a time when the words "British" and "gun culture" belong in the same sentence. And it's heart-on-bloodied sleeve conviction and smoking gun editing recall the American black cinema of the late 80s and early 90s…A crucial movie...Ashley Walters excels in a firebrand social drama that smoulders with menace. If only all Brit flicks were this vital."
i think i'll definitley try and catch this in cinema because its not often a black british film is given such support!
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NativeTongue
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Posted: Wednesday April 6th, 2005 21:45 |
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hmm, not sure how i feel about this film.
not sure at all.
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NativeTongue
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Posted: Wednesday April 6th, 2005 22:02 |
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The award-winning film Bullet Boy is a powerful and controversial drama about urban Britain.
But as the country faces fresh soul-searching over young black men and guns, does it offer a cautionary tale or perpetuate a stereotype?
Akin Ojumo
Sunday March 20, 2005
Observer
It is 1am on Sunday morning at the Rio cinema in Dalston, east London and I am in the audience which has just watched a screening of Bullet Boy. There is an uncomfortable silence as the final credits roll. No one knows what to say.
Bullet Boy was filmed a couple of miles away from here on Hackney's 'murder mile'. This is the now notorious area around Lower Clapton Road that has become a byword for gun crime in the capital. The authentic depiction of a young black man, newly released from prison, hoping to make a fresh start but then getting caught up in a violent dispute, has struck a nerve. After the screening, organised by The Observer, Tony Thompson, who is the paper's crime correspondent, hosts a discussion.
I'm eager to hear the locals' views because although the film is good, I'm not convinced that it adds much to a debate that has been going on in the black community for a long time.
A young black woman is a fan. 'I really enjoyed it. I see where they [the characters] are coming from. I see what goes on around here. These things happen every day in Hackney. It's silly little things that start gun crimes. It can be as simple as someone standing on someone else's shoes.'
A few more people enthuse about the film, then I hear a dissenting voice behind me. I turn and see a tall man wearing an African robe speaking with quiet assurance. 'It's a good drama, but I'm tired of seeing Hackney associated with gun crime. Why add to the body of stereotypes of men who look like me?' he says. 'This film could have been made about the same characters but they could have done something else apart from crime.'
Others echo his comments, but the general mood of the audience is summed up by one of the last speakers, a black man in his twenties: 'Who here feels our youth would benefit from seeing this film?' he asks. 'Put your hands up.' The majority of the audience raise their arms. He continues: 'I feel the youth would benefit from seeing this. If this film gets a good reception, perhaps someone else will get the money to make a different kind of film, a more positive film about young black men. I'm going to spread the word about it.'
As a black, middle-class Londoner working in the media, I was struck by how different this film was from my experience. I grew up in south-east London, but I've never met a real-life bullet boy. As an adult, I lived in Hackney, visited friends on 'murder mile' yet never feared my safety. On the other hand, I had enjoyed hit plays such as Kwame Kwei-Armah's Elmina's Kitchen and Roy Williams's Fall-Out as well as Benjamin Zephaniah's novel, Gangsta Rap, that were set in similar territory.
After it was shown at the London Film Festival in October, Paul Allen, a hospital porter who lives on the Clapton Park estate, where much of the film was shot, said afterwards: 'It has caused a lot of bad feeling. The estate is not really that bad. Everyone knows everyone. What the film portrays about the estate is wrong.'
'Every film that is set in a particular area is bound to raise concerns,' says director Saul Dibb. 'They are going to be anxious about how they are represented. People were even unhappy when they made Notting Hill .'
It is a controversial view, which goes against the accepted wisdom that the more vulnerable young men need the most attention, but Sewell is optimistic: 'There is definitely an increase in kids who want something different'.
I remember my initial misgivings about Bullet Boy and realise that for most people who will watch it in the cinemas, it will be the first film about black Britain they've ever seen. Commentators will describe it as 'provocative' and 'controversial' and that's not inaccurate. My problem lies with the film's fatalism. The film-makers have taken the template of a classic tragedy and superimposed it over a modern, urban story.
· Bullet Boy is released on 8 April
Do films such as Bullet Boy promote understanding or conform prejudices? Write to the Observer Review, 5-7 Herbal Hill, London EC1R 5EJ or email review@observer.co.uk
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1441507,00.html
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Blackpresident
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Posted: Thursday April 7th, 2005 11:43 |
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We have two choices here... either we have a black film we can all watch and have an opinion on - good or bad (as it should be) or we don't have a film.
We have to start from somewhere and at least this looks like it's going to be a good (well made) black film, irrespective of the subjet matter. And I'd rather have a film about black britons made by black britons...i'm just fussy that way i guess!!
I personally will be supporting this film - in the hope that this will be the lauching pad for others with a broader perspective of black britain. Also Ash D performace is said to be outstanding.
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MissNyomie
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Posted: Thursday April 7th, 2005 13:18 |
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NOT AIMED AT ANY ONE....JUST MY VIEW.
This film is inevitably going to come under fire......because some will say it highlights and glorifies the violence. The reality is the Murder Mile is not a fictional place. Granted it's a name forced on the area by the mainstream press but at one point people where dying at the hands of gun men along this stretch of road at a rate unheard of in Hackney, residents were scared to leave their homes. It was an area that you only went into to pass through or unless you absolutely had to.
Some may say the film is sending out the wrong message to the young , impressionable black boys out there, but we've all watched with no issues...Mencance to Society, Boyz in the Hood, Clockers, City of Gods...etc.
Are we saying its ok, to watch gun violence as long as its not in our own back yards, when the gun culture is getting from bad to worse.
Any Black British person who has an aversion to this film should rethink their position. Lets highlight the problem instead of jumping on the political band wagon about whats right or wrong about it.
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NativeTongue
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Posted: Thursday April 7th, 2005 17:06 |
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Blackpresident wrote:
We have to start from somewhere and at least this looks like it's going to be a good (well made) black film, irrespective of the subjet matter. And I'd rather have a film about black britons made by black britons...i'm just fussy that way i guess!!
ermm,as far as i know only the co-writer (who is mixed race) is black.the director is white do you know anything about the rest of the crew bp?
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LadyDay
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Posted: Thursday April 7th, 2005 17:48 |
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i have only read good reviews
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Blackpresident
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Posted: Friday April 8th, 2005 11:24 |
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NativeTongue wrote: Blackpresident wrote:
We have to start from somewhere and at least this looks like it's going to be a good (well made) black film, irrespective of the subjet matter. And I'd rather have a film about black britons made by black britons...i'm just fussy that way i guess!!
ermm,as far as i know only the co-writer (who is mixed race) is black.the director is white do you know anything about the rest of the crew bp?
Hi Native tongue...
I think that was more of a throw away comment than anything. But To be honest it was a friend of mine, who worked on post production that put me onto the film. Her accounts of the production suggested there was quite a lot of brothas & sistas working on it. Dunno exactly in what capacity.
Also being a screenwriter myself, with a white director attached to my recent script... I will always see my script/film as made by a black. ie it's a black story, told from a black perspective... not the white/european man view of us. It's then only packaged (ie white director) for commercial purposes as it's easier to sell a white director to white money men than a black one...!!!!
Long and short... if we don't watch black films... they/we won't make anymore black films. They (producers) don't really care what the film says or does - It's all about the box office.
I sense you have some simmering issues surrounding this film (& such films). So what are they?
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Lion
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Posted: Friday April 8th, 2005 11:52 |
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I wonder if they'll shoot up the cinema's like back in the day when Boyz N hood was released in America. Think i'll wait for that to come out on video. 
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King Tubbs
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Posted: Friday April 8th, 2005 12:34 |
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Its all about perspective really.
Nothing wrong with a black drama featuring guns but the problem is there are soooooooo many it begins to create an impression thats all our youth are doing.
Theres a thread in the Entertainment forum about worst movies ever and alot of them are black comedies many of which have no gun references.
I agree those movies are awful but at least they represent a non violent balance and I look forward to seeing more black non violent comedies and hope their quality improves.
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Sooofresh
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Posted: Friday April 8th, 2005 14:48 |
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It looks like a fart film
but i am still going to see it
because
1) my mate fancies him.......................eeewwwwwww
2) it is a black british movie..............and we have to show support even though so solid are eeediots
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Bredder Tukoma
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Posted: Friday April 8th, 2005 18:06 |
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Boy grows up in the ghetto.
Boy turns shotta in the ghetto.
Boy tries to turn good but is held back by the ghetto environment.
How many times are these tired old plots gonna manifest.
Still its got to be better than being in a packed cinema with a load of whites hearing a Black man saying "N****r plaese" and white people laughing their heads off.
Yes its part of our reality.
So is alot of rap music.
Has there been a mainstream film involving young black bros that doesnt feature guns and violence over here or the states.
I cant think of one.
Young black men featuring predominently in cast = story about gang violence.
How one dimenisonal can you get. Ill waiy till it comes out on DVD. Because it aint gonna be nothing new.
How boring.
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Mafdet
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Posted: Friday April 8th, 2005 22:51 |
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@All
This movie was being talked about all over the evening news today and although this may be off topic and bias but I am going to tell you the thoughts I had when listening to the reviews.
I imediately have a dislike to anyone that comes from the so solid crew because they are the worst entertainers (if thats what you want to call it) that our children could ever listen to and aspire to be like ......just look at they performance history and general conduct within society......they were all in a position where they new better but chose not to do better.
I personally don't want to see anymore films about hardship and guns but I do welcome a more updated and realistice film impact to come out based on prision life and young offenders insitutes. Lets show what prison life is really like and what its all about as its obvious that movies about guns only seems to glorify the issue. I mean its a very long time since scum come out which seemed to me the last hard hitting realistice prison movie. Show them what gun crimes can lead to and show the life behind bars thats what I say ....and then I would be more than happy to see Usher D in this type of film....thats enough of my ramblings LOL
Abikanile S Prayer by Kadir Nelson
(what a lovely picture ah how sweet)
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Posted: Friday April 8th, 2005 23:10 |
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WHERE THE HELL IS THE BALANCE IN BLACK SOCIETY TODAY....?
I'm sorry, but black people don't have time to today in our society, to be parading films around in white cinemas that only further that sterotypical image of a black man further into white minds..!
This film ain't going to do nuttin for nobody.....Idiots talking about "It's going to make people realise there is a serious gun culture issue in london" YEAH it will make people realise....but do you really think them people are going to care anymore when they live the cinemas and go home! Don't think so! I believe every film carries a message, but this is not a positive one for black people..!
This is what I can't stand about britain.....Black people over here don't have any need to be carrying on like this, with all this gun crime, and gangster BULL*HIT..! It's just a whole heap of copy cating from the stateside...!
Goodbye people..!
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Posted: Saturday April 9th, 2005 08:31 |
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If this film isn't pure propaganda to reinforce a sterotype and create an 'impression' of what is 'so called 'Black Culture' then I don't know what is.
If this is all we can expect in our desire to have more 'black' films being made, then forget it. Just give me The Waltons.
Respect
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Posted: Sunday April 10th, 2005 20:22 |
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mansamusa wrote:
Has there been a mainstream film involving young black bros that doesnt feature guns and violence over here or the states.
I cant think of one.
Yes there are mainstream films like that, the Barbershop films, Antwone Fisher, Ray, Malcolm X, Ali and other films which i guess are not actually mainstream but you get the general idea.
I saw the film on the day it came out and i thought it was quite good. Although i agree that many people will not be affected and will still go on doing as they have done, it did strike a nerve with others. For example, in the cinema, some teenagers were crying in a mocking way which i knew was just a defence mechanism coz people do things like that when they wanna feel manly and hard. Don't dismiss the film just coz it had Asher D, he was trying to get a good message across. It was better than that crap black comedy on BBC 1 called the crouches or whatever.
What was unnecessary was the sex scene in the beginning with (Ricky's) Asher D's girlfriend saying she likes it from behind. And he cums so quickly!! Everyone was laughing so much!1
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Posted: Sunday April 10th, 2005 23:30 |
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Has anybody seen the film Bullet Boy yet? I saw it last night but I can't quite decided how I felt about it. Just curious to see what other people think.
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Mafdet
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Posted: Sunday April 10th, 2005 23:31 |
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| do a quick search this topic has already been created in a thread on this forum
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Posted: Monday April 11th, 2005 23:32 |
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@ Mafdet, thanx for letting me know 
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Posted: Tuesday April 12th, 2005 00:24 |
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i saw it...
mmmmmmm
no a nice film...
just one bad...occurence after the next....
sad movie
...
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Sooofresh
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Posted: Tuesday April 12th, 2005 11:10 |
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Okay I saw it.............
I have to say that i was surprised.................I was expeting wooden acting with over the top "ghettoziation".....................................so yes the acting was good.................bare in mind that majority of actors their have not had many training..................this is their first.
Now
the plot
okay it is okay................i mean a BBC production what do you expect?
but over the top..................
and ahem........................for a 15 certificate...................no need for the nakedness.........................although i have to say Asher D................has a fit body.............pootang pootang
so
Taking into consideration= cheap budget, BBC, okay acters, okay story line..................i would give it
7 out of 10
the story also gave a string anti-gun message instead of all of that crap spewed by JIgga man, Roca fella crap.
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MissNyomie
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Posted: Tuesday April 12th, 2005 16:05 |
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FOR ALL THOSE ATTACKING ASHER D.
Though he is most famous for his affiliation with SO SOLID....this guy is and was an actor first. Like many in acting he turned his hand to the music entertainment industry, and though I am NO FAN of the south London collective, they were the first, before DIZZY, WILEY, KANO and the like to break through mainstream with the underground sound. So I suppose props where props is due.
The man's name is Ashley Walters....he is a trained actor, who attend like many....the renowned Sylvia Young acting school.
His been acting on TV for years... on programmes such as Grange Hill, Casualty, he played a GAY character in the Bill, he also played Stuart Lawrence brother of Stephen in the re-enactment of Stephen Lawrence's murder.
I was first introduced to him in an acting capacity in 1999 in a made for TV film called STORM DAMAGE , where he played a young man called Stefan who was caught up in the social care system. It was riveting and his acting ability was strong to say the least.....
Next time I saw this young black man was as a member of SO SOLID..... which indirectly lead to his gun possession conviction and 18 month sentence. Show me your company I tell you who you are.
From my life experiences...I've seen prison time either make or break an individual. They either come out and want to live life right or come out and go deeper into the wrong life. Cause we all know, some people use prison as an excuse to fall into a life of crime.
Since he got out, he's been trying to reinstate his acting career, he has three children all under 6 and from what I can see wants to do right this time.
At the moment he's filming another movie called GOAL! about the ambitions of a boy to be a pro-footballer
His done theatre, his set up his own record label, he's wrote an autobiograpy.... he's in the process of setting up a charity for rape victims with his sister who was a victim of rape herself.
He is using his second chance to try and change his life and try to enlighten the youths that he has most influence over to change their lives. Though everyone is talking about BLACK stereotypes being reinforced and all that sh*t rhetoric.....the underlying message of the film is .... the little choices you make can lead to catastrophic consequences for you and your family. PUT THE GUN DOWN, MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE. He has proven he can change his life around so I think he was a perfect choice for the lead role. Firstly because of his acting ability and secondly for the fact that he has been there. This is the reason why ....the critics won't stop singing the film's praises ...it's real because it is REAL.
As for Black stereotypes in whites minds......frenchconnectionuk THEM. I dont care about what white people think of us.....I'm more concerned with what we think of oursleves.....what these youths that are picking up guns think of themselves to be contemplating pulling the trigger in the first place.
One last point....... American BLACK films have no place in BLACK BRITISH CINEMA, so for all of those who saying we've seen it all before.............. ACTUALLY U HAVEN'T. This film is a landmark for Black Cinema and should be respected as that.
PEACE
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Sooofresh
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Posted: Tuesday April 12th, 2005 17:05 |
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@Miss Nyomie
yes mam................well written
especially the part
"Show me your company I tell you who you are. "
now watch everyone jumps on the "he should know what he is doing blah blah blah"
the thing is i have followed the court case................and damn evidence with a crap jury and rubbish defence system got that boy sent down.
Yet the criminal systems decide to ingnore the real Drugs Cartel running the street with their white sh*t from Columbia.
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Posted: Tuesday April 12th, 2005 18:53 |
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