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Roach & Seals Reels
By Chris Roach Assistant Editor and Donnie Seals Photography Editor
For those of you who don’t know, the term “mo better” is slang for getting it on. So, let’s say that you are a musician. One that can ultimately only love your own music. One that has the love of two women that you cannot choose between, as they are both booty-giving safety nets. What is it that you are most likely suffering from? That’s right, the mo better blues. This exact scenario happened to be the subject of the 1990 Spike Lee Joint of the same name, “Mo Better Blues.” Denzel Washington plays Bleek Gilliam, a trumpet player who has risen to certain success in his work, but not with love. At his side are two women, Indigo (Joie Lee) and Clarke (Cynda Williams). He cannot commit to either as he goes down a path that will not only shatter his potential at love, but also his music career. The first half of this film is truly sensational. We are taken into the world of this musician with realism and never a lack of entertainment. Every aspect of Bleek’s music world is great; from his other band mates (including Wesley Snipes) to the club owners played by the Turturro brothers John and Nicholas. This movie actually loses some momentum when the romantic aspects are introduced. Not that I have a problem with love scenes, and many are quite good in this film, it is just that my suspension of reality can only go so far. What I mean is, I don’t believe for a damn second that a talented musician that looks like Denzel Washington would be with Spike Lee’s ugly—ass sister. Now, maybe that comment is rash and superficial, but let us look at it within the realm of the movie. Bleek is a musician who could have any woman he wants. The two he has he is not committed to. He is obviously looking for the “mo better” until he knows what he wants. So why in the hell would he go for the ‘least better’ of the whole damn city? First of all, she looks exactly like Spike Lee who plays Bleek’s best friend and manager in the film. What man would date a woman that looked like his best friend? Second of all, even if she didn’t look like Spike Lee, she still looks like a man. It is just not fitting for Denzel’s character to date a woman so damn ugly. On top of that, she couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag. Perhaps though a paper bag is just what the doctor ordered in this case. AUDIO “Mo Better’ Blues”suffers from what all of Spike Lee’s DVD releases suffer from: Front Channel Syndrome. What is that you ask? Front Channel Syndrome is when a majority of the films sounds comes from… you guessed it, your front channels. There are no surround effects, no cool directional scenes and no subtle ambiance such as street noise and applause. All of those would have been greatly appreciated in this release, but it is disappointing because the format has come such a long way since 1997. Dramas such as “American Beauty” and “The Hurricane” have great soundtracks (some even in DTS). But these Spike Lee Joints just continue to hit the average mark every time. VIDEO The hue of colors Spike Lee uses in “Mo Better Blues” is really breathtaking.”Mo BetterBlues” is what some would call one of Spike’s most beautiful films visually. Earnest Dickerson’s cinematography and Spike Lee’s direction…and more so overall film feel, go hand in hand on this DVD. What’s ‘Mo Betta’ is that this DVD is enhanced for widescreen televisions. Fantastic! Back to top | Home The Columbia Chronicle is a student produced publication of Columbia College Chicago and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of Columbia College administrators, faculty or students. |
February 26, 2001
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