CALEB RAVES REVIEWS "STRAIGHT OUT OF COMPTON"

DIRECTOR-Felix Gary Gray LAST LOOKS-Growing up on the west coast I have always been a huge fan of gangsta rap and the godfather's of the genre NWA who spearheaded that movement. I was definitely  ecstatic when I found out they were coming out with a feature film as normally movies  based on musicians have been relegated to just television networks lately. It's great that  the company said they would pay for extra security to have order at the screenings.  There are a couple of moments that would make you not want to be seen wearing a badge at the theater if you know what I'm saying. The problem with police brutality in our nation has seemingly not changed in the past 25 years which is another underlying theme in this movie. NWA were just speaking the truth on problems affecting our society and were true voices of a generation. So lets see if Straight out of Compton is worth  changing your avatar. THE BREAKDOWN-5 young men from Compton, California overcome all odds to become  pioneers in gangsta rap and icons in the entertainment industry. Early on the group  were trailblazers voicing problems that effect youths in everyday society however with newfound success generates problems as once close friends turn into enemies as they learn the consequences of a greedy music business on their way to superstardom. NOSE CANDY "Im the Barry Gordy of this shit!" Easy-E "You never know what you need until you need it"-Shug Knight "You can't harass my clients because of what they look like"-Jerry Heller "You can't put a price on piece of mind"-Ice Cube "We have guns from Russia and drugs from Colombia and we dont have passports" -Easy-E STYLE POINTS-This film definitely captured the essence of late 80's early 90's California  lifestyle, some of the cooler spots was the Godfather meeting between Ice Cube and  Jerry Heller and the inclusion of footage from the Rodney King beating and slow motion  rolling through Los Angeles riots. MONEY SHOT-This actually may not be the best scene in the movie but was clearly the most entertaining which was the scene in the hotel where a jealous boyfriend swings by to pick up his girlfriend who was partying with NWA. This scene was very well shot as they went with a one take throughout a wild hotel party. Also we may have gotten a glimpse from the origin of the now notorious phrase "Bye Felicia." It's funny how that term is used  so frequently in pop culture but very little know about its inception as a throway line from  the first Friday.I fell out laughing as me and only a handful of others in the theater actually got  the hidden joke in this scene. Nice. COLD JAMS-Lost in all of the success of the film was the release of Dr. Dre's first musical project in 15 years "Compton." We may never get Detox but at least we get some dope  songs that will provide good car music for the next few months. Some of my favorite songs from the NWA/G funk era are "Express Yourself" "Jackin For Beats" and  "Nothing But A G Thang" ROLE PLAY Jason Mitchell (Eazy E) I thought was very charismatic and was clearly the jokester of the group. He also was able to be deep as he had a very emphatetic scene where he found out he had aids which was believable. Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre) Another good performance here. I think the movie somewhat  centered around Dre's charachter. There was a very good scene where Dre found out  his brother died that was extremely well executed. O'shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube) Its scary how much he resembles his dad. There were moments i actually thought I was watching Ice Cube. The scenes where he was recording  Amerikkkas Most Wanted were exciting as he probally had tears of experience preparing  for this role. He definitely did his pops proud. Paul Giamatti (Jerry Heller) The master manipulator Giamatti has always been good in  playing bad guy roles. I think what made this performance special was how he was  made out to be a caring manager towards Eazy until the truth finally comes out.  Considering Giamatti clearly had the most acting experience in the film he did a  good job of leading as a veteteran especially the scene where he had to defend  NWA against a team of corrupt cops. RANDUMB-I think it is impossible to find an actor that can ever play Snoop Dogg  he is way to charismatic and unique. Actually wouldn't have minded if he played  himself just for kicks. FINAL TOUCH-Straight Outta Compton has become a pop culture phenomenon. In outstanding depiction of the rise to power for 5 young mcs who changed the  game forever. Even if you are not a fan of rap music I think viewers will find the film  very entertaining and inspiring. I think its great that artist such as Ice Cube and Dr. Dre  have now transcended rap and have become successful entrepreneurs laying the  blueprint on how artists should utilize their craft to ascend to new levels of success.  The performances by the cast were exceptional and the plot provided an in depth  analysis of the worlds most dangerous group. Straight out of Compton is Straight  remarkable and is definitely a must see.