0 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:
terribleThursday, May 05, 2005
This movie was terrible. The only reason im giving it any stars is because i love tupac but thats it.this movie basically has no story line. if you want to see a good tupac movie then you go buy juice. i think u will enjoy that alot more than u will in this movie
0 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:
An early '94 Street Ball joint! (My name is O.!) Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Now I never knew of this movie until my mom's friend gave me the soundtrack. It was vicious, and so I decided to check out the movie, but to this day, I never watched it! But I can tell it would be tight for kids who like basketball to watch, no matter if its Rated R. I criticize some other basketball movies. Love and BAsketball had a female cast, and it was too much mostly about love. HOosiers was stupid, back in the day where players basketball shorts were at their thys, and it was about the same thing: Dreams. Space Jam was tight. Above the Rim was not only good for the reasons I said, it had Tupac and Marlon Wayans in it. So I was interested.
6 out of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Choices and Consequences...Friday, September 03, 2004
"Above the Rim" is an entertaining street drama that focuses around Kyle Lee Watson, an inner-city high school basketball player who shows a lot of promise but lets his own arrogance get the best of him. He won't listen to anybody who offers him advice on how to improve his game, as he thinks that he is the best player ever. He's been hoping that his mad skills are catching a college scout's attention, but he does catch Birdie's eyes when he plays. Birdie is a well known gang leader who offers Kyle the good life so long as he plays on his neighborhood team in a "Shoot-Out" basketball contest that means the world to him. Kyle--being impatient as ever--agrees to join, not seeing the clear danger that is in front of him. A high school security guard with a past knows the danger that Birdie presents, and he is the only who has a chance to get through to Kyle before it is too late.
Not only is this a very good basketball movie, but it is also an intense and character-driven drama centered around the choices that we make in life... and how we have to live with them in the long run. The film has some great performances from Duane Martin, Marlon Wayans and the late Tupac Shakur. Even though everybody is great in their roles, the showstopper is indeed Shakur. He gives a very masterful performance that really sticks out and will stay with you long after the movie is over. My only complaint is the length of the movie. It's true that a movie that runs a little over an hour and a half isn't short, but I think the story and the characters open more possibilities to add on to the movie. I think more opportunities and risks could have been taken to further enrich the story. Still, it is a really good movie that didn't disappoint me.
The DVD doesn't have a whole lot to offer. You can either watch the movie in widescreen or in fullscreen, depending on your preference. The movie looks and sounds very good. The only special features that are offered are movie trailers, and those aren't even that great. I would've loved it if they included the music video, "Regulate" by Warren G and Nate Dogg. In fact, given some of the great rap songs that are in this movie, they could've included a couple of music videos. It's not a great DVD, but at least it's not that expensive.
I really enjoyed "Above the Rim." It may not be flawless, but it definitely does more right than wrong. The characters are what really dominate the movie. Even if you're not a fan of the game, it's still something to check out if you're a fan of character drama. Exciting, intense, conflict-driven and full of heart, "Above the Rim" is a very well done film. -Michael Crane
0 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Pretty Good...Tuesday, June 22, 2004
This was a fairly good movie...reasonably realistic and generally entertaining. I'm a big basketball fan, so it was easy for me to enjoy.