Tag Archives: Film Flashback

Film Flashback: The Debut (DVD)

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DebutDVDcoverfinalI recall film director Gene Cajayon coming to Guam to present his film The Debut to our local audience almost a decade ago. After watching the film in theaters, I bought the DVD release and it has been sitting on my DVD shelf since I removed it from its box. With summer well underway and leisure time plentiful, I decided to give it a spin.

Although only a quarter Filipino, I’ve been blessed with experiencing much of the Filipino culture. The island I live on is a melting pot of Asians, and the Filipino community here represents nearly half of our current population. Growing up I had the opportunity to make quite a few Filipino friends, and from personal experience I’d say that this film did a fairly good job with capturing many of the aspects of the Filipino lifestyle.

I thought the film itself was done well for such a shoestring budget. I was happy to see a familiar face in Dante Basco playing Ben Mercado alongside a mix of well drawn major characters.

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Film Flashback: Boyz N the Hood (DVD)

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I was watching the VH1 Hip Hop Honors and one of honorees was none other than John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood. I decided to pull it from my DVD collection and watch the film. The movie was revolutionary and one of the most intense films I’ve ever watched. It helped provide an inside look into the lives of three inner city kids who grew up surrounded by violence and drugs.

When it comes down to it, Boyz N the Hood is about the choice’s you make in your life and how they can change your life for the better or for the worse. Boyz N the Hood is a hard-hitting movie that can be considered one of the landmarks and most influencial movies in African American cinema.

Synopsis:

John Singleton’s portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together ‘in the ‘hood.’ Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other’s personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the ‘All-American’ athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while ‘Dough’ succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, ‘Furious’ Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions.