Chancellor said:

Straight Outta Compton is #1 for the second week in a row bringing in $27 Million...Some Movie critics are trying hard to derail its Oscar-chances by asking was the story truthful "enough" & why did they leave out certain things?"..On the flip-side the same Critics can't deny that the Flick is really good and that Universal Studios has no reason to invest in heavy Oscar campaigning...Being a Box Office Hit + being a Great picture is what Oscar is all about, but Oscar voters are known to award Flop-films with great stories..

It's a good movie - and it's a real American story. It woud be nice to see SOC get some awards... but as far as releases are concerned, it is still early in the year and the better (Oscar caliber) movies come out between late Ocotber and December and that's when the competition for the statues begins.

JabarR74 said:

The runtime is 2:20 and F. Gary Gray said he deliverd a 3 hours + film before it was cut into what is the current theatrical release. This shoud be interesting.

Chancellor said:

Straight Outta Compton is #1 for the second week in a row bringing in $27 Million...Some Movie critics are trying hard to derail its Oscar-chances by asking was the story truthful "enough" & why did they leave out certain things?"..On the flip-side the same Critics can't deny that the Flick is really good and that Universal Studios has no reason to invest in heavy Oscar campaigning...Being a Box Office Hit + being a Great picture is what Oscar is all about, but Oscar voters are known to award Flop-films with great stories..

What I have heard since Dee Barnes' essay is that his violence toward her WAS in the screenplay, but was edited for time. Dr Dre has also officially, specifically apologized.

Cinny said:

Chancellor said:

Straight Outta Compton is #1 for the second week in a row bringing in $27 Million...Some Movie critics are trying hard to derail its Oscar-chances by asking was the story truthful "enough" & why did they leave out certain things?"..On the flip-side the same Critics can't deny that the Flick is really good and that Universal Studios has no reason to invest in heavy Oscar campaigning...Being a Box Office Hit + being a Great picture is what Oscar is all about, but Oscar voters are known to award Flop-films with great stories..

What I have heard since Dee Barnes' essay is that his violence toward her WAS in the screenplay, but was edited for time. Dr Dre has also officially, specifically apologized.

He didn't specifically apologise, as far as I'm aware. His PR people put out a blanket statement to "the women I've hurt", choosing to do this at the point when some bad press was starting to bubble up about the movie, and not, it would seem from what Michel'le said previously, in the period of time between the violence itself and the present. It gives us something to say he ticked the box, yes; though, if an apology is supposed to be personal and about remorse and beginning to make amends, it comes up a bit short, in my book.

And re: the edits to the movie, we might ask why those parts of the script were so much more dispensable than others. Other edits could just as easily helped bring the running time down, had a directorial decision to keep that material in as an integral part of the character's narrative. (If the director of an Ike Turner biopic said they left out the abuse because there wasn't enough time, we'd raise eyebrows.) These things are always more than 'merely pragmatic' decisions.

I don't say this to get at you specifically; just to make a general point. I do think that there probably is reason to be sceptical of the decision to take out some of the more unpalatable material from the story. (I'm sure there's plenty of 'grit' left in, but we can more easily deal with gang-banging and the mean streets, I think.) Lets be honest, biopics are often an industry favourite, as they drum up sales of repackaged catalogue material, and a feelgood rags-to-riches tale's always a good sell, whereas something much more 'troubling' might not be. Can't help but think that, in that context, it's convenient to take out some bits where Dr Dre shows himself to be a nasty scumbag, so we can all enjoy watching the movie, then listening to the soundtrack album on our overpriced headphones.

[Edited 8/25/15 5:28am]

DiminutiveRocker said:

JabarR74 said:

The runtime is 2:20 and F. Gary Gray said he deliverd a 3 hours + film before it was cut into what is the current theatrical release. This shoud be interesting.

I finally got around to seeing this movie over the weekend, and it was rather good. Of course, being a biopic I'm sure many liberties were taken with actual events. They downplayed much of Eazy-E's gangster thug lifestyle, though they were very much on point with the portrayal of Suge Knight. Besides glossing over Dre's habit of abusing women, particularly Dee Barnes and his first wife Michel'le, they also only hinted at Eazy-E's sexual exploits, since at the time of his death he had fathered nine children wth eight different women. Then again, if they really were able to tell the whole story, they would have had to film this as a miniseries and put it on Netflix.

Now that this movie has proven to be incredibly successful, the executives in Hollywood are probably crying over the fact they can't really make a money-grabbing sequel to this. But I'm sure they are probably thinking of making similar movies. Are we likely to see the following:

It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back - A biopic about the group Public Enemy and their controversial, politically charged lyrics. Who will they get to play Flavor Plav?

Enter the 36 Chambers - A biopic about a bunch of struggling but talented rappers from Staten Island who rise to become one of the greatest hip-hop groups of the 1990's. (Wu-Tang Clan)

All Eyez On Me - Of course, there's been a 2Pac biopic bandied around for years, but John Singleton just recently pulled out of the latest attempt to put his life and times on the big screen.

Teenage Dream - A pop music oriented biopic starring Zooey Deschanel of New Girl fame in the breakout role of her motion picture career as she portrays a former Christian singer named Katherine Hudson who struggles to get a record deal but breaks through with a huge pop single about her bicurious romantic tendencies and changes her stage name to Katy Perry.

Didn't you hear? There's gonna be a Death Row Records era movie focused on Snoop and 2pac.

Cinny said:

Didn't you hear? There's gonna be a Death Row Records era movie focused on Snoop and 2pac.

-

What? Straight Outta Death Row?

-

Seriously, not surprising. You don't generate over 100 million in the box office in Hollywood and not be offered a sequel of some sorts. Besides, these types of movies are cheap to make by Hollywood standards. Huge profitability factor.

I think I'll probs put away my concerns about the movie's adherence to reality and go and see it with friends, I'm sure it's an entertaining experience even if the truth is massaged somewhat, but tbh pretty much every "historical" film does that so there's no reason to expect this one to be any different I guess.

One thing I am interested in is how this film deals with the whole west coast electro type thing with World Class Wreckin' Cru and Arabian Prince and all those cats. Do we see that kinda stuff in the film or is it minimised so as not to detract or undermine the harder "gangsta" image that N.W.A is better known for?

[Edited 9/2/15 11:25am]

I got through about 40 or so minutes of my bootleg of it and had to turn it off. Just kinda boring and every five minutes they were getting into it with the police. I get it, but . It got me to listen to Everybody Loves the Sunshine, so it did some good .

[Edited 9/2/15 11:20am]

Easy-E was a hardcore drug dealer but got suckered by Jerry Heller? Odd.

2freaky4church1 said:

Easy-E was a hardcore drug dealer but got suckered by Jerry Heller? Odd.

Why? Jerry Heller knew about the music business and had contacts. EZ trusted him and got ripped off. Happens all the time.

2freaky4church1 said:

Eazy-E was a hardcore drug dealer but got suckered by Jerry Heller? Odd.

Have you seen the movie? Jerry Heller did everything (except the music) for Ruthless Records, but dragged his feet on drafting the contracts for the others, and that's when they peaced (one by one).

[Edited 9/3/15 15:31pm]

Ugh!!!

I'm still waiting for it to be released here in Qatar, instead of these lame action flicks.

Musicslave said:

Cinny said:

Didn't you hear? There's gonna be a Death Row Records era movie focused on Snoop and 2pac.

-

What? Straight Outta Death Row?

-

Seriously, not surprising. You don't generate over 100 million in the box office in Hollywood and not be offered a sequel of some sorts. Besides, these types of movies are cheap to make by Hollywood standards. Huge profitability factor.

I am guessing it will be titled Stranded On Death Row, after the iconic posse Chronic track.

Happy 52nd to Eric "Eazy-E" Wright!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arabian Prince Responds To Being Left Out Of "Straight Outta Compton" Movie

by Victoria Hernandez on October 01st 2015, Hiphopdx