CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
ChicDragon
It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
Grimossfer
Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%
2fresh 2clean
I do love a nice pair of Jordan basketball shoes but it's not that serious! After all they're just sneakers. As a kid growing up in the late 80s and 90s I remember hearing stories of people getting jacked or killed for a pair of nice basketball shoes. I was surprised to hear recently that this type of stuff still goes on today. That's basically what this film is about. A 15 year old named Brandon would give anything to get his hands on a brand new pair of retro Air Jordan 1s and when he finally gets a pair they are stolen by a hardened thug in his hood and he goes on a ghetto adventure with two of his friends to try and get the shoes back, a nice little story with some nice little twists and turns. This film isn't the best indie film out there but it is a nice one just to kick back and enjoy. I did like the acting coming from Kofi Siriboe, who played Flaco and Mahershala Ali from "The Hunger Games". I think these two gave the film what it needed to give it that extra boost into making it a decent film because these two are some talented actors. With that being said, I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good indie film now and then.
Amari-Sali
Trigger Warning(s): Gun Shots and BloodReview (with Spoilers)Noted Actor(s)Brandon (Jahking Guillory) | Albert (Christopher Jordan Wallace) | Rico (Christopher Meyer) | Flaco (Kofi Siriboe) | Jeremiah (Michael Smith Jr.)StorylineBrandon is poor. So poor that while his friends Rico and Albert have a fresh pair of kicks, Brandon's look like he got them at least one or two years ago. So with him hustling candy bars to get some nice shoes, naturally when someone takes them he wants to get them back. Problem is, the person who took them is Flaco. A local hoodlum who is definitely about that life but can Brandon step up, either with help or on his own, and take back what's his? Or is he still a boy and not yet a man?HighlightsThis Movie Will Get You HypedI'm not sure who of you out there may have gone to an urban movie, in a theater which mostly caters to Blacks and Hispanics, and had that one person who decided to vocalize or express how a particular scene made them feel. Well, let me tell you that person may end up being you with this movie. Something about the way violence happens, the way jokes go down, and how the characters interact is very authentic. To the point you almost one to join in and comment as if they going to look at you and laugh, tell you to shut up, or something like that.The Topic of Manhood, Friendship, and InnocenceIn the film, there are not real roles for women. Pretty much it is all about the friendships between men, loss of innocence, be it with sex or violence, and what it means to be a man. We see this in a few ways. The first, and unfortunate way, deals with the boys having sex or getting with a young woman. Like many a coming of age film, sex is a symbol of manhood but, unfortunately, the film is an example of toxic masculinity. Perhaps making you wonder why this is a highlight? Well, because in the movie you see how such a thing forms.Take Flaco's little brother, or son, Jeremiah. From what it seems, Flaco takes that kid with him everywhere. Be it him going to a party to get high, drunk, and maybe feel up on a shorty, or to watch people ride around in cars. The boy, who can't be older than 10, observes, absorbs, and with him singing a lyric, seeing how comfortable he is around guns and violence, you see how Flaco has normalized that in his life. Making it so, even at such a young age, his innocence is gone. Naivety about the life Flaco lives is not only non-existent but discouraged. Manhood is presented as taking what you want, defending and keeping what's yours, and violence is a norm and not a last resort.CriticismAin't One Positive Depiction of Black Women in the Whole MovieWhen you watch the credits you'll see the name of a few girls like Alexa and Mercedez, but will have a hell of a time trying to remember who the hell was that. Reason being, women solely play the role of someone to mess around with in this movie. If they aren't grinding up on someone, they are as ghetto as possible. If they aren't in the process of having sex, they are about to. I mean, to my surprise we didn't end up seeing a crackhead saying they would suck one of the leads members for a dollar.But to add insult to injury, we don't even get to see Brandon's, Albert's, or Rico's mom. The only mother, much less woman, who isn't problematic is Brandon's grandma and she has a non-speaking role and is bed ridden.On The FenceIt's All About SneakersIt all really boils down to sneakers. If you dig deeper you can find other things to note and talk about but, no matter how you look at it, Brandon's passage to being the local definition of a man came from some sneakers. Of which, so much nonsense happens that, paired with the negative depiction of women, it makes it hard to say, without pause, you like this film in such a politically correct world.Overall: Mixed (Home Viewing)
manuelasaez
This film was a horror movie for me. It gave me nightmares, and it wasn't even scary, not in the traditional sense anyway. Yet, everything about the film was horrific for me. The language, the music, the neighborhoods, the culture; I could not relate, understand or accept absolutely anything that any of these children were referring to, and I felt like a better human being because of it. This movie shows how depraved certain parts of our society are, and how they exalt people and objects over the actual things that matter, like a career, a family, and not having a prison record. It is a glimpse into a depraved and diseased world that has no redeemable qualities, and would rather stew in its own fetid juices than actually rise above it. Let me walk you through it; A kid with crazy hair is the neighborhood punching bad. He is poor, and does not have money for the things that apparently make people popular, ie. sneakers. He decides that, in order for people to notice him, he should own a pair of sneakers (some Nike whatever's that are probably made for less than $10 in Vietnam). He saves up money to buy said sneakers, and suddenly, his friends are treating him better, girls are noticing him, and he is actually "somebody". Until the sneakers are stolen from his very feet. Feeling like a big man, he decides to get his sneakers back, and meets some of the most violent, belligerent degenerates the West Coast has to offer. Some people die, other's are seriously hurt, and a lot of blood is shed. All over a pair of ugly sneakers.In a nutshell, this is what the movie is about. Along the way, it glorifies the 'hood, gang violence, drugs, alcohol, under-aged sex, bullying, abuse, absentee parenthood, convicts, potheads; essentially, the worst that society has to offer. It makes it all seem like these people were having fun being social deviants, and this is what made me lose sleep. It's like when you grow up seeing the reality of such of a lifestyle, and how it offers nothing but heartache to everyone involved, why would you make a movie out of it? Why would you show the world the depravity that is ever present in the 'hood? California in 2016 looks like Brooklyn in 1983, and that is not freaking compliment. It looks like a cesspool, where the worst of the worst congregate to serve no purpose to society as a whole, and are simply taking up space and air.The film itself is competently directed, the acting ranges from mediocre to passable (even thought everyone was pretty much playing a version of themselves or someone they know), and the Sci-fi angle was interesting and unique. But none of it could equate to a wholly worthwhile film. To me, movies like this are scarier than any Exorcist, Paranormal Activity, or Descent. These people are real, they live among us, and it's the reason out society can never advance to greatness. I will never understand the mentality of those that come from these areas, and my mother should receive an award for keeping me out of that life. The sad part is, these people do not see the error in their ways, make no effort to make their lives better legitimately, and would rather earn respect through fear and intimidation than actually doing anything positive for themselves, their friends or their family. If that doesn't sound like a horrifying premise to a film for you,consider yourself a lost cause. I shudder to think of the people that see themselves in this movie and can relate to what was transpiring. I do not envy your life, or your disposition. Now excuse me while I go curl up in a corner until the horrifying images are scrubbed from my psyche.
Paul Allaer
"Kicks" (2016 release; 80 min.) brings the story of Brandon, a 14 or 15 yr. old kid in "East Bay", as we are reminded at the beginning of the movie. Brandon has a hard time fitting in, dreaming that "sometimes I wish I had a spaceship", so that he wouldn't have to worry about being chased or fitting in. He pines for Air Jordan sneakers (a/k/a "kicks"). After saving up and earning extra dough selling candy, Brandon is finally able to buy the much coveted black-and-red Air Jordans, but within a day, he is savagely ambushed and robbed by a gang in the hood. Brendan is determined to somehow get his sneakers back... To tell you more of the plot would ruin your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this is the feature length debut from writer-director Justin Tipping. He brings us an insight look at the African-American culture in the Oakland/Bay area, where image and perception apparently are paramount. To not have decent sneakers is to not belong. To not be a 'tough' guy is to be dismissed by girls and guys alike. BEWARE: the movie does not hold back on anything, not in the least the violence that apparently is rampant in those circles. The ambush of Brandon, where a gang robs him of his newly-purchased Air Jordans, is vicious and repugnant. It almost made me leave the theater. Then a strange thing happened: Brandon's quest to regain his sneakers becomes a journey towards self-discovery that becomes mesmerizing, aided along the way by his imaginary/alter ego spaceman who guides him when he desperately needs help. Whether the movie accurately reflects what life is like in that segment of the African-American community, or simply stereotypes it, I couldn't possibly tell you, but what I saw displayed on the big screen made me shake my head on more than one occasion. It's possible, if not likely, that these things are simply incomprehensible for a middle-class white guy like myself..."Kicks" debuted with critical acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. It opened this weekend without any pre-release fanfare or advertising at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Friday evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (only 2 people besides myself), and I can't see this playing very long in the theater. If you are in the mood for a tough "boys in the hood" tale that exposes/clarifies the importance of sneakers and other bling, this might just be the movie for you, be it in the theater, on Amazon Instant Video, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.
