Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with our first review of the Michel Gondry doco DAVE CHAPPELLE'S BLOCK PARTY, where Chappelle MCs a huge hip-hop extravaganza. Our spy, Peppermint (not to be confused with the lucious Junior Mintz), also caught the Elijah Wood starrer EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, so enjoy the odd double feature review!
Hey Quint,
Peppermint here with another Toronto festival report. Surprised to see there hasn't been anything on Dave Chappelle's Block Party, which got one of the big distribution deals of the fest.
Anyway, if you are even remotely into hip-hop, this is one of the most incredible concert docs you will ever see. It follows the recently minted millionaire Chappelle organizing a one-day hip-hop extravaganza in Brooklyn with all of his favourite rappers from the area. We follow Dave to his home-base in rural Ohio, where he starts handing out golden tickets to the people in his small community to come to the show. This footage is interspersed with performances from the actual show and interviews during the rehearsals for the show.
Now, the show itself is jaw dropping (there are some spoilers ahead, but it's not like there's a plot and if you follow hip-hop news, you already know how the movie ends). It kicks off with performances from Blackstar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli), with Common and everybody's favourite bestselling lightning rod, Kanye West. Then there's Dead Prez with Big Daddy Kane. Erykah Badu does a hilarious performance where she ditches her ridiculous afro whig and performs with Common, her ex-fiance. Then Jill Scott blows the roof off the block. She sings with Erykah and host of other performers from the show. The Roots, who were the house band for most of the day, do a set. Then Dave comes out to announce that Lauryn Hill's performance had to be cancelled. Instead, The Fugees come out and play together for the first time in like, six years.
If Michel Gondry didn't film it, you would be hard pressed to believe it actually happened.
Though the Digital Video footage isn't always pretty, the movie does sound great, and for all intents and purposes, I think anyone who wants to see the document of this unbelievable show would probably agree that's all that matters. The interviews and behind-the-scenes footage are also fantastic. First and most obviously because Chappelle is fucking hilarious, and second, to see all these hip-hop stars reflect on growing up in the projects in Brooklyn actually instills a huge amount of humility in guys who usually show off nothing but their egos.
Besides Jesus Is Magic, this was the most fun I had at a festival movie. I got chills. No shit.
Also caught Everything Is Illuminated.
Liev Schreiber's debut is pretty, but as someone who has read Foer's novel, it's hard to reconcile the book against the movie. Eugene Hutz of punk band Gogol Bordello is definitely the reason to check out the film. His portrayal of Alex is one of the most dead-on in the movies this year, both touching and hilarious. As a road movie, it's decent, but it just feels like it's lacking a little bit of substance that it could have used to gel a bit better.
Still, it's a more than decent debut for Schreiber, it shows he definitely has good vision and promises to produce some really excellent work in the future.
I also forgot to mention in my last review that The Devil And Daniel Johnston is yet another great music portrait film in a recent string of excellent music portrait films, which include The Fearless Freaks and DiG! Unlike those movies, where The Flaming Lips, Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre are all well enough known to get people to check out the films, this movie relies on the viewer taking a chance on the inspiring and tragic Johnston. I highly recommend you take that leap.
That's it. That's all I'm seeing. Til another year when I have time to check out overpriced movies (by the way TIFF, $20/ticket, WHAT THE F???),
Peppermint.
