Busy "Biker Boyz" Is Filling,

Looks Great

"BIKER BOYZ"

BLACK WEB PORTAL.COM VERSION:

by Kevin J. Walker, Film Critic:

The local cinema scene is heating up with radio station V-100 capitalizing on the strong film business that Brewtown has been getting into.

This includes writers like Mequon based writer of of "U-Turn" with Jennifer Lopez and "Three Kings" fame with George Clooney and Ice Cube; and "Soul Food" director George Tilman,Jr., to local producers such as Brad Pruitt, plus the many stand-ins and cast members of locally produced films such as "Brew City" and Cecil Woodson’s drug-thug film co-starring radio station 1290 WMCS Terry "Hollywood" Love.

Toss in big-budget films such as Wesley Snipe’s breakthrough "Major League," which used Milwaukee and its now-demolished County Stadium as a stand-in for Cleveland, and you see how V-100 could easily fill in a week from February 3 through the 7^th with films all five nights, with guest speakers on each outing. Monday for instance, has former rapper Fredro Starr with the film he co-starred in, the high school basketball flick "Sunset Park."

Tuesday is the local preview of "Deliver Us From Eva," with Gabrielle Union and LLCool J, while Wednesday is Family Night with "The Wiz." The film features a too-old Diana Ross as Dorothy, Lena Horne as The Good Witch of the West, a non-singing Richard Pryor as The Wiz; Nipsy Russell as the Tin Man, and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow and his original African Descended nose.

Thursday is Old School night with the mid-1970s "Cotton Comes To Harlem, with Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones. That film was echoed in the Robin Given Forest Whitaker film ‘a Rage In Harlem," directed by Bill Duke. Friday, V-100 Black History Film festival wraps up with "Remember The Titans," for those of us who haven’t quite gotten football out of our systems just yet. New director Denzel is a high school football coach in the true story of a team that is shouldering the process of 1960s desegregation, and had to join teams from two different school, one all-White and one all-Black.

The more I think of it, Thursday’s "Cotton Comes To Harlem" should really be on a double bill with ‘Come Back Charleston Blue," their sequel hit. And how could the WKKV-FM V-100 promotional team of Becky Yang, Bailey Coleman, and the lovely Jasmine forget "Three the Hard Way" with Fred Williamson, "Enter The Dragon’s" Jim Kelly, and Jim Brown?

That entertaining action film of the early 1970s had the theme of genocide via a serum "as selective as Sickle Cell Anemia," as the White Supremacist scientist says, that would target those of African descent (in three major US cities Detroit, DC and Los Angeles, thus the name of the film) years before anyone heard of HIV/AIDS. Maybe next year. And while they’re at it, the crew from V-100 can slot the almost banned-film of urban insurrection "The Spook Who Sat By The Door" from Sam Greenlee’s book, which had to be published in Canada.

Or the station could make their Black History Film Festival for the whole 28 days of Black History month! With a monthly film pass. It could work! Anyway, call the station and tell them what you think, and make plans to attend next week’s film festival at the Northtown theatre, 7440 North 76^th street, a few blocks north of Good Hope. Save me an aisle seat. And turn off your cell phones.

But for now, this week’s feature is "Biker Boyz," which the Milwaukee Community Journal newspaper and V-100 teamed up for a packed preview earlier this week at the Westown theatres in Brookfield.

You may be excused if you might think of "Biker Boyz as "Fast & The Furious" on motorcycles instead of cars, but you’d be wrong for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, "Biker Boyz" is a superior film, with more layered individual stories, and more going on. There is some fairly strong writing behind it, and it shows up onscreen.

Factor in some attractive visuals, a movie that really moves, and you have a winning film formula. The film is propelled along largely via the strong writing, but since this is film the expression is through the visually impressive editing. There’s another Milwaukee hookup here through Terilyn Shropshire, who edited "Eve’s Bayou." She is the daughter of Miller Vice President Thomas and former Milwaukee Urban league director Jacqueline Shropshire.

Current flava Derek Luke stars in the fabulous "Biker Boyz’ and he like "Gangs of New York" and "Catch Me if You Can" star Leonardo DiCaprio has the good fortune, not to speak of talent, to have two hot movies out at the same time. Luke also stars in "Antwone Fisher," Denzel Washington’s directorial debut. His own debut has caused a stir in Hollywood as a fresh face with a long bright future ahead of him. This film will not diminish that expectation.

Luke has an expressive face capable of subtlety, and he has shown himself capable of the tinge of subterranean cruelty and roguishness that is rather in vogue these days. He also can be tender and romantic, which endears him to the ladies. Certainly, starring in an action film is the way to go, especially an ensemble one like this where his part isn’t played up as much as one would expect, and he can share duties with others much as Ice Cube did in "Barbershop."

"Biker Boyz" second half takes off like a crotch rocket, but not after some welcome but unexpected character development that isn’t usually seen in Teen Speed films. And this one even had the requisite pretty girl with the bandana fluttering in the breeze as the two vehicles speed past her in a fury of red dust.

The only thing that was missing from the usual is the requisite race down the LA spillway, used in films from "Blue Thunder", "Grease," a foot chase with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in "Point Break," and Terminator 2."

Maybe it’ll be in the sequel, because you can bet your double chrome manifold pipes there will be one if this film busts out as it should, as it has no real competition as far as subject matter. The recent box office receipts of films such as "Drumline," which was recently pronounced to be one of 2002’s Top Ten films although it had a predominately Black cast and no major stars.

"Brown Sugar," and last year’s "The Best Man" show that even White audiences are flocking to see these films and they’re not ‘scurred of the dark. While its not quite there yet, even the direction is two way, as there are increasing films that are helmed by Black directors that have nothing to do with modern life or urban drama such as gang/drug wars.

The Hughes twins directed the 1800s period detective Jack The Ripper film "From Hell" with Johnny Depp; Forest Whitaker of "Waiting To Exhale" did Sandra Bullock’s "Hope Floats," and "Chicago" star Renee Zelweger" and "The Hours" star Meryl Streep’s "One True Thing" was directed by Carl Franklin of "Set It off" and ‘One False Move." These are in themselves remarkable, but what is really remarkable is that no one really remarked on it. It’s not a big deal. Free at last?

Maybe because the "Biker Boyz’ movie script was based on the New Times article on the Biker Culture of southern California is why there was the human texture in the film directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood. The film ‘Mask" with Cher showed some of this, but it was a sanitized version of motorcycle gangs, which is not the same thing. These characters are street racers with day jobs, although we don’t see them, but that comes up later, keep reading.

The multicultural cast is an attractive one, featuring Latins, Asians and some of indeterminate origin. Kid Rock (or Mr. Pamela Anderson) is Dawg, a leader of one of the competing clubs. Brendan Fehr is Kid’s right-hand man, and co-conspirator in their hustle game.

Together with Primo played by Rick Gonzalez, another biker on the periphery who wants to make his way in the world, they form the Biker Boyz, a young Turk upstart racing group who struggle to get recognized by the old gray heads of the cycle culture, and who reject many of their rigid rules.

"We’re going to make up our own rules!" pronounces Kid, as his Boyz movement grows and he becomes a force to be reckoned with, and he starts to do some reckoning of his own and deal out some payback. Some of it had to deal with the rejection he faced from the luscious babes who kicked him to the curb when he was a Prospect, or the biker equivalent of a scrub, such as happened with Baby Girl, a local tattoo artiste and sister of Larenz Tate’s character.

Laurence Fishburne of the "Matrix" films has the studio banking on his action and youth appeal as Smoke, the leader of the race pack of Southern California. Some love interest is added in the mix via Lisa Bonet as Queenie, who’s supposed to be a badass in her own right on the bike instead of holding onto her man’s waist with her behind bouncing while he rides, but we hardly see her roll. Maybe the movie’s insurance people wouldn’t hear of it.

Bonet hasn’t seen much in films after her wholesome "Cosby Show" girl trashing role opposite, under, straddling atop, and beneath Mickey Rourke in the soft-porn demonic "Angel Heart," although she had a nice role in "Enemy of The State." Here she is mostly Eye Candy, at least for those men who like that sort of thing with her chiseled cheekbones, skinny legs and all.

Larenz Tate, and Djimon Honsou of "Amistad’ are a few more of the cast of dozens. Vanessa Bell Calloway (of "The Inkwell" along with Tate) and the love interest of the late Robin Harris in the animated feature "Be Be’s Kids" is Luke’s characters mother, Anita. She’s a Homegirl from Back In Tha Day, and the thick cutie still can fit in those leather outfits in the back of her closet, although she has put her racing days behind her and wishes her son would as well.

"Do you know what we call motorcycle racers in the hospital? Organ donors!" she tells Jalleel, who like a typical son ain’t feelin’ it.

"Biker Boyz" has more than a small touch of family life, which only adds to the enjoyment. There are tinges of "Baby Boy," "He Got Game" and the Western revenge drama the "Quick and The Dead" in "Biker Boyz." In fact, in interviews Fishburne says that the film is really a Western with biker culture wrapped around it.

In Wednesday’s USA Today he said "This is a Western; its feeling and its flavour are straight out of a cowboy movie. Don’t be fooled by the fact it’s a biker movie," he said to Stephen Schaefer. Fishburne will be in the two "Matrix" sequels reprising his role as Morpheus in the back-to-back films being released ala "Back To The Future" 2 and 3, in May and November, with Nona Gaye and Keanu Reeves.

There’s something for all viewers in ‘Biker Boyz" from glistening machines; lots of vroom-vroom; rump-shaking short-skirted biker babes; to flexing Brothas and Others for the ladies. The movie puts it right in our faces – really—from the very first frames, with a pair of bodacious buns in tight shorts undulating right in our faces as a hootchie honey switches along to get on the back seat of a bike. We never even see her face. There is lots of dizzying SteadiCam work shown in the busy film, so don’t sit too close in the theatre if you’re headache prone. You’ve been warned.

The cyclery shown had some of the intimates in the preview audience Monday night oohing and ahhing over biking and motor minutiae only they knew. All I know is that putting Nitrous Oxide gas in your tank makes you go really, really fast, but Mel Gibson and Tina Turner’s "Road Warrior" showed that.

You might think as I did at first, that interest in the culture is the farthest thing from your mind. But "Biker Boyz" makes it interesting, while serving up lots of racing and stunts, many of which anyone would be ill-advised to perform although that doesn’t stop people --usually young males-- from subtracting their defective DNA from the gene pool in a splendid display of Darwinian Natural Selection.

There is lots of Man stuff going on in the film, which is hosed down with plenty of testosterone. "I’m callin’ you out!" Kid tells Smoke, who nevertheless treats him in a fatherly way, because his father was his best bud, and Jaleel’s mom Anita and Smoke used to kick it back in tha day.

This romantic subplot and flash-backing gives "Biker Boys" a sop-opera-ish feel that was not unwelcome; it was a break from the racing and made for a better film. I was pleasantly surprised and so were quite a few others at the preview. There is also some aspects of "He Got Game" and "Love and Basketball’ in the film, as some high stakes are raced for, and some surrogate father-son, son-mother tension in "Biker Boyz."

"It doesn’t matter if he shows up with a Space Shuttle today, he’s going down!" says Kid Rock’s Dawg as he strokes his souped-up Nitro-fueled street rocket racing machine, after he’s challenged by Kid. The upstart works his way up the ladder until he can challenge Smoke, the leader of the pack in the illegal street cycle racing scene whose car expression was seen in "The Fast And The Furious."

There are some veterans sprinkled in amongst the fresh young faces. Orlando Jones, who co-stars in the surprise commercial and critical hit "Drumline’ is going two-for-two in a film with a predominately African American cast that nevertheless has strong crossover appeal. Jones was seen plenty in the last year in films such as the Sci-Fi actioners "Evolution" and the big-budget remake as the Library Griot in "The Time Machine." Then there are those soft drink commercials.

As Night Train the freestyle rapping mouthing-off herald of Smoke who commands other to "bow y’all asses down!" he is the only one who has a life that is shown apart from racing. By day he’s a lawyer, after taking off the ripped blue jeans, the ring out of his ear, combing the naps out of his hair, and putting back on his Good English for the workplace.

Here even "The Fast and The Furious" failed to show that somebody has to be working or doing something to be able to afford vehicles that hover near the $50,000 mark after the extensive customizing kicks in. Here in Milwaukee we know that Harley-Davidson bike owners are more likely to be dentists doctors and architects instead of the unshaven blue collar types from back in the 1950s. Hell, even our past Governor Tommy Thompson, now head of Dept. of Heath and Human services rode his Harley across the length of the state of Wisconsin every year.

The previews of the film are being accompanied by exhibitions of motor bikes and bike clubs, who were invited to this week’s preview Monday night. Laurence Fishburne has been into biking for he last seven years or so, since he and one of the Baldwin brothers starred with two fast Ducati motorcycles in the cop/buddy/drug busting "Fled."

They were shown racing all around the Stone Mountain monument roads, and Fishburne stuck with it, even buying his own after the film shooting was completed. After "Boyz" wrapped he bought the Jap Sazuki cycle he rode in this one, too. In a nod to overseas marketing, the bikes shown in the movie are largely the plastic Japanese rice burners.

(Oops, I mean motorcycles. Remember I’m from the city that makes the powerful and throaty Harley’s, not those with Asiatic plastic lawn mower or hedge-trimmer motors). And the Biker Boyz’s insignia is shown in Japanese kanji characters, with two Asian members shown prominently. Make that money!

Fads get started in these popular films, and "The Fast & The Furious" already had municipal authorities tearing their hair out as the illicit but organized races started popping up all over the country, much like the Fight Clubs did after that film with Ed Norton of spike lee’s "The 25^th Hour" became a phenomenon.

Of course, some fads are self-limiting, like the suicidal-flirting Russian Roulette clubs from Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken’s "The Deer Hunter." Oh, here’s a couple’a tips that some of those mentally challenged club members who are no longer with us must’ve missed.

One: you play Russian Roulette with a six-chambered PISTOL, not an automatic handgun. Those have ammo clips that go in from the bottom of the handle, and you’ll be a guaranteed loser as soon as you pull the trigger; and (Two) and this is really important, its ONE BULLET in the six chambers. But I imagine you know that by now. Wherever you are.

Actually, one of the stars of "The Deer Hunter" killed himself after taking up the dubious sport. Jonathan Cazale, the tremendously talented actor who played the wimp Fredo Corleone in two of "The Godfather" movies, died playing Russian Roulette. But I digress again.

Of course, there’s a sequel to the "Fast & The Furious," but without sorta-brotha Vin Diesel, who is pursuing a faster and furious 007-type character in the hoped-for "XXX" franchise–to-be with Samuel Jackson as his M. His place will be taken in "Furious 2" by Omar Epps, no doubt hoping to erase the stink of "Mod Squad" from his film resume.

Vin Diesel will be in the remake of ‘Pitch Black" as it picks up on the group led by Diesel’s super-criminal turned hero and saviour after their adventures on the desert planet full of monsters. Now we’re talking! That science fiction siege/trek film was one of he better action films of its year, with sometimes local guy Keith David from "Armageddon" in another Hollywood-Brewtown six degree connection, as his lovely fiancée lives here in Milwaukee.

You know, if these stars keep from taking our people away like they’ve been doing maybe we’d have some mates, do you hear me, Keith and Hale Berry? And ABC News lady Carole Simpson, whose longtime Boo lived here.

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Kevin J. Walker, Netitor, THE WORD NetPaper

(414) 454-9673 P.O. Box 1324-53201

Milwaukee, WI USA 53201

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