Home Media Magazine - November 18-24, 2007 - (Page 18) REVIEWS I KATT WILLIAMS: AMERICAN HUSTLE Street 11/20 Vivendi Visual, Comedy, $24.99 DVD, NR. Stars Katt Williams, Red Grant, Luenell, Melanie Comarcho. Edited by John Latchem A-Lac,” Williams travels with old friends and comedy acts Comarcho, Grant and Luenell. Vegas, Dallas, D.C., Philly and Cleveland are among the stops before a pivotal performance — that’s how it’s played up in the film — in Chicago practically brings down the house. Williams is at his best here when he pokes fun at himself. One of his best quips is about his arrest at LAX last year for carrying a stolen gun in his briefcase. But he also puts some heat on others (Michael Jackson and Shaq among them), the relationships between men and women, their sexual habits and the idiosyncrasies of relationships. Jeremy Piven, Snoop Dogg, Ludracris and Da Brat make guest appearances. They’re funny, too. But Williams, of course, is the life of the party. – Benny Lopez K att Williams is the latest character on a short list of black comedians drawing comparisons to the great Richard Pryor. Eddie Murphy was one of the first. Then it was Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle. Each has enormous talent and uses a similar approach to comedy as Pryor famously did — his raw stories about the streets and some of its characters kept audiences in stitches. But few of them come close to Pryor. Williams, though, definitely has appeal. You’ll immediately recognize his talents in American Hustle. This film is Williams’ follow up to The Pimp Chronicles Part 1, his hilarious 45-minute set released last year. In American Hustle, Williams plays himself. Early in the movie, he gets an earful from two Hollywood executives who want to tell his story. Instead, the craziness of Hollywood leads Williams to a comedian’s home — on the road. Behind the wheel of a vintage Cadillac, with personalized plates that read the laughable “Katt- I 7 DÍAS Street 11/20 Xenon, Comedy, B.O. $0.02 million, $24.99 DVD, NR. In Spanish with English subtitles. Stars Eduardo Arroyuelo, Martha Higareda, Julio Bracho, Jaime Camil. S ome films sound off-puttingly stupid when boiled down to a one-sentence synopsis: A young man has one week to bring rock band U2 to town, or local mafiosos will kill him. Really? 7 Días is just as quirky as it sounds, but not nearly as silly. Claudio (Arroyuelo) tries to fill the shoes of his deceased brother, a concert promoter, by bringing U2 to Monterrey, Mexico. But rather than finding investors, he gambles away money that doesn’t belong to him. The local godfather’s son, Tony (Camil), worships “Saint Bono” and loves U2. So he arranges for Claudio to have one week to pull off this stunt or he gets offed. Tony joins as an unwanted business partner, along with Claudio’s girlfriend (Higareda), on a surprisingly engaging ride through the complications of concert promotion. Bizarre investors, mob henchmen and an unscrupulous rival promoter all serve as speed bumps. The film is a slow starter and confusing at first; it’s not clear for what Claudio needs the money. But the introduction of Camil as Tony sets the film in motion and gives 7 Días its soul and swagger. The incredibly charismatic Camil steals the film from Arroyuelo, who is buried in the thankless role of the overly serious Claudio. Tertiary characters, especially the idiosyncratic investors, are all memorable. First-time directorwriter Fernando Kalife’s strength is drawing out charming performances from his players. His forays into quick cuts and camera effects (such as swirling lights during a drunk scene) don’t work, but are thankfully sparse. Having been nominated for five Ariel Awards (Mexico’s Oscar equivalent), this strong debut is a film that both Spanish-language cinema fans and arthousers who like dark comedies and crime capers will enjoy. – Laura Tiffany 18 Home Media Magazine November 18–24, 2007 http://allamericanguys.com
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