Metafizics Theatre Presents: The Wackness

 

The Wackness was awarded the Audience Award for Dramatic Film at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Cast

• Ben Kingsley as Dr. Jeffrey Squires
• Josh Peck as Luke Shapiro
• Famke Janssen as Kristin Squires
• Olivia Thirlby as Stephanie Squires
• Mary-Kate Olsen as Union
• Method Man as Percy
• David Wohl as Mr. Shapiro
• Jane Adams as Eleanor
• Talia Balsam as Mrs. Shapiro
• Aaron Yoo as Justin

The Wackness is a coming of age story that many and possibly most people can relate to. When I first heard about this movie and the lead actor being Josh Peck, I definitely raised an eyebrow. How serious could a movie be with the fat kid from such Nickelodeon programming as the movie "Snow Day" and the show "Drake and Josh"? Why should I waste my time? 

It all takes place in New York City, circa 1994. The peak of the golden age of Hip Hop. Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) is a high school senior getting ready for graduation and his first semester of college. In the meantime he trades pot for psychiatry visits with his mentor/psychiatrist, Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley). At the same time, Luke has a serious crush on Dr. Squires's step daughter, Stephanie Squires (Olivia Thirlby) whom is pretty well known at school. Luke is not the most popular kid in school and is awkward in most situations when it comes to speaking with Stephanie. Luckily for Luke, all of her friends go away for the summer and she chooses to hang around with him. Every lame kid's dream.

During the long hot summer, Luke and his parents go through a financial crisis that requires him to put the burden of provider squarely on his two shoulders. With an ingenious idea to make money quickly, we're taken on an adventure that spans an entire summer. The old school 90s soundtrack is heavily laced with nostalgia and is incredibly thematic. This movie is for those who have been heartbroken, the hip-hop heads, also Rock aficionados, people looking for a little culture and enlightenment, and especially those not looking for a traditional Hollywood movie. 

I learned a lot about myself from the movie. I definitely identify with one of the best quotes in the film: 

"So that was all bullshit right? All that stuff about embracing your pain, making it a part of you? You can't do this, you can't just give up. Life is hard and it's full of pain and what-not, but we take it cause there's great stuff too. And we can do it cause we have friends- because we have each other" - Luke Shapiro 

 I implore you. Come learn a little bit about yourself. Take a look in the mirror. You might finish the movie, a different person. 

Oh yeah, and Method Man is a Jamaican drug dealer. Watch it!

-TLG/MTFZ

Metafizics Theatre Presents: "Do The Right Thing"

 

Cast

• Spike Lee as Mookie, a young black man working in Sal's Famous Pizza
• Danny Aiello as Sal, a surly Italian man who owns the pizzeria
• Ossie Davis as Da Mayor, an older black man who some call the town drunk
• Ruby Dee as Mother Sister, an older black woman who observes the neighborhood goings-ons from the window of her brownstone and despises Da Mayor
• Richard Edson as Vito, one of Sal's sons and a friend of Mookie's
• Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin' Out, an excitable friend of Mookie's who "wants some brothers" on Sal's wall of fame
• Bill Nunn as Radio Raheem, a towering young black man who always carries around a huge boom box blasting only Public Enemy's "Fight the Power"
• John Turturro as Pino, another one of Sal's sons. He is not happy about being one of the last Italians in the neighborhood, nor about his brother's interracial friendship
• Rosie Perez as Tina, Mookie's girlfriend
• Paul Benjamin as ML
• Frankie Faison as Coconut Sid
• Robin Harris as Sweet Dick Willie
• Miguel Sandoval as Officer Mark Ponte, a policeman
• Rick Aiello as Officer Gary Long, a white policeman
• Joie Lee as Jade, Mookie's sister
• Samuel L. Jackson as Señor Love Daddy, the local DJ
• Roger Guenveur Smith as Smiley, a young, mentally impaired man who tries to sell pictures of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
• Steve Park as Sonny, a Korean grocery store owner across the street from Sal's
• Steve White as Ahmad
• Martin Lawrence as Cee
• Leonard L. Thomas as Punchy
• Christa Rivers as Ella
• Luis Antonio Ramos as Stevie
• John Savage as Clifton
• Frank Vincent as Charlie
• Richard Parnell Habersham as Eddie
• Ginny Yang as Kim, Sonny's wife

That's right... A Spike Lee Joint. The film was a commercial success and received numerous accolades and awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Lee for Best Original Screenplay. The film has grown in stature over time and is commonly listed among the greatest films of all time. In 1999, it was deemed to be "culturally significant" by the U.S. Library of Congress, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, one of just five films to have this honor in their first year of eligibility.

The Year is 1989. The Season is Summer. The Location is the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn (otherwise known as Bed-Stuy). 

We're taken on a ride through the racially tense late 80s, a tumultuous time filled progressive Black Pride, the phenomenon of White-Flight, and the increasing popularity of Hip-Hop.  

But on this hot summer day in Brooklyn, it all simmered to a boil. 

Our main character Mookie (Spike Lee) works for Sal's Pizzeria, a legendary establishment on the block, that has been there before the neighborhood became predominantly black. A staple in the community. Sal (Danny Aiello) is fair businessman that understands and appreciates the business he receives from the black community. Pino (John Turturro), Sal's son, is highly prejudice and has a low-lying resentment for the community and projects it on his younger brother, Vito (Richard Edson) whom is amicable with Mookie the deliveryman. As the movie progresses it's easy to see that Mookie is the adhesive that holds this whole block together. He is respected and people look to him for acceptance and support. 

Over the course of one day, the morals and true feelings for one another on the block is unleashed. By the end of the day, it was no longer Black vs White vs Latino vs Asian, just only Black and White. True colors were shown in flashes of desperation and raw, unfiltered emotion. Black and White wasn't just limited to Minority vs Caucasians yet Right vs Wrong, Good vs Evil, Freedom vs Oppression, and Love vs. Hate. It was a true test of what everyone was capable of. You'll see that once Mookie decides to act in a certain manner, the community follows suit. He is a bonafide leader. 

I've been meaning to watch this movie for too long and when I finally did, I realized it was more of an artistic representation that had metaphors everywhere. Spike Lee's masterpiece. It's a must see movie and a possible life changer. I think its more of a educational film rather than just entertainment based. So pay attention! Maybe it'll add some insight to your life. So you can....

DO THE RIGHT THING! 
Here are some more Screenshots I took:  

-TLG/MTFZ