Rating: ***1/2
Director: David LaChapelle
Cast: Tommy the Clown
Review: A warning appearing at the beginning of the documentary, Rize, states that in no way has the dancing been digitally sped up. A couple minutes later, you realize why the warning exists. After an introduction of black-and-white shots of the 1965 Watts riots and full-color shots of the Rodney King-spurred 1992 Los Angeles riots, the dancing that fills the movie screen leaves you blinking in surprise, and realizing just why that warning appeared at the beginning.
These dancers are fast.
Rize traces the formation of a dance phenomenon in Southern California, where gangs, drugs and violence are everyday life. Started by �Tommy the Clown,� a former drug dealer whose life was turned around while he spent time in jail, the new style of dancing called �Clowning� became his response to the L.A. riots. Fast forward 11 years later, and �clowning� has grown to include more than 50 rival groups of dancers, who spend their time honing their skills instead of gangbanging and doing drugs.
The film cuts between shots of two groups, The Clowns and The Krumps, dancing and personal interviews with the dancers themselves. The dancing is amazing, as the warning foreshadows. The style seems to be a combination of hip-hop, African tribal, liquid, and something that is entirely its own. The interviews with the straight-forward dancers provide honest insight into life in the South Central and its surrounding areas.
Despite the personable interviews and the amazing dancing, Rize unfortunately loses some of its ability to be powerful because of certain shots frequenting the film. These overproduced shots seem to put the dancers back into the MTV hip-hop genre, something it could so easily avoid, thus losing some of its credibility/sympathy. In these shots, a dried concrete riverbed serves as the backdrop for the glistening oiled bodies of the dancers whose ripped abdomens and gleaming muscles are the obvious focal point of the cameras. It�s almost as if the documentary struggles between being a gritty real-life documentary and bowing to the commercialism demands of today�s youth culture.
Still, the film is quite encouraging as it spotlights the real-life issues these kids face each day and what they choose to do with them. Although the film could have easily been a sappy, run-of-the-mill, after-school special, it�s not�yet it doesn�t quite impact the way it really could have if it had omitted those flashy shots.
Ready to Wear - David LaChappelle got his start as a glamor photographer for Vogue. This Robert Altman movie explores that world.
Breakin’ 2 - Electric Boogaloo - I just like the name. And there’s dancing.
Half Baked - David Chapelle stars in this one. That’s pretty close to David LaChapelle.
Singin’ in the Rain - Simply the best musical ever made.
Boyz N the Hood - A stark look at the violence that clowning seeks to combat.
June 27th, 2005 at 7:03 am
John,
You are actually referring to “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”
Colby
July 9th, 2005 at 9:07 pm
You are correct.
And now, so is the article.
July 20th, 2005 at 5:36 pm
I THINK (RIZE) VERY INFLUENCING, INSPERATIONAL MOVIE THAT PEOPLE CAN LEARN FROM. I ALSO THINK IT’S THE TYPE OF MOVIE THAT SAYS (YOU CAN ANYTHING IF YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT)
July 29th, 2005 at 2:24 am
True, you can say (or write) anything,although a spellchecker might give you a better chance of being comprehended.
December 27th, 2005 at 9:40 am
I live in inglewood and I do Krump its very exciting as they said in the movie its a very good way of getting rid of your anger and fustration that u have and u relle do live on a day to day basis and not everywhere u see people get shot at or people shootin at you for no good reason I know Lil’Dimples and she was so talented but because of gangbangers that just want 2 go around and shoot people for no reason and she was doin something wid her life and they took it away jus because she was on da streets but its hard and you gotta keep yo head up no matta what god-forbid and let her RIP
January 3rd, 2006 at 11:05 am
THANX KEISHA! THAT IZ XZACTLY WUT I’VE BEEN TRYIN’ TO SAY! BUT, PEOPLE JUSS DON’T LISTEN TO THE REAL STORY BEHIND IT, THEY JUSS WANT TO SAY WUT THEY SAY FROM WUT THEY SEE IN FRONT OF THEM! “YOU FEEL ME!?!”
January 3rd, 2006 at 11:06 am
Jon,
I helped your comment get to the right place.
-The Management