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AllThumbs Champions GIRLFIGHT
Folks, Harry here... Before I let All Thumbs take over... I have to say... SHE'S DEAD RIGHT! THIS IS A WONDERFUL MOVIE! I'm writing about it right now and hopefully will have my review ready tonight. Here's the lovely All Thumbs...
Director Karyn Kasuma's "Girlfight" is a tough movie.
From the first shot of a ferocious glare from the main character, Diana, you
know this movie isn't going to be one of those typical flicks about the girl
who balances her man and her sport. This also isn't a sports movie where the
most important thing is the character making it to that "final fight" where
she squares off against a big bully.
Michelle Rodriguez is perfect as Diana, a girl who has to fight her way
through a life that is going nowhere. She fights at school. She fights with
her abusive father. She finally decides to take it into the ring and joins
the local boxing club. Rodriguez gives us a perfect example of a girl who
has to balance her temper and her strength in order to maintain some control
and sometimes resorts to indifference to the obstacles in her way.
I liked how the movie didn't stereotype Diana's experience of being one of
the few women to belong to a man's sport. When she first tries to join the
club, the trainers think she's only looking for a good workout and tell her
to join an aerobics class. After she shows seasoned trainer Hector that she
is willing to work and ready to sweat, he sees her potential and decides to
train her. He becomes the main father-figure in Diana's life and gives her
the tough but positive support she needs to succeed.
I was afraid that Diana's romance between her and another boxer, Adrian, was
also going to be stereotyped, but their relationship builds naturally. Diana
asks Adrian where it is going to lead and he answer realistically, "I don't
know." The relationship is not a focus of the film, but a way to show how
Diana changes and grows during the course of the picture. Like many of the
male boxers in the club, Adrian seems to be a little insecure around Diana
as a boxer. He shows her respect, but at first doubts and then lets his
insecurities come between them as he fears she is getting better than him in
the ring.
One of my favorite things about this film was the noise. Kasuma uses the
sounds to bring the viewer into Diana's world. In her apartment in the
projects you hear the distant sounds of car alarms and sirens as you are
aware how paper-thin the walls are that let in sounds of people shuffling
and arguing in the surrounding apartments. The sounds make you feel the
force of the punches Diana takes and throws during her fights. Music with a
steady rhythm is used during many of the fights, giving you the feel that
this is not a sport, but a dance. The same music also is used during some of
the interaction between Diana and some of the other characters and shows how
her life is like her boxing. She must always be alert and ready for
anything.
Kasuma also makes good use of the visuals. The film looks grainy and
textured with muted colors except when Diana fights in and out of the ring.
During one fight between Diana and a female opponent from another district
many parts of this scene are shown from the perspective of Diana and the
other girl. When a punch hits the face there is a flash of white from the
boxing glove. It confuses the senses and messes with the tempo of the fight
so the audience never relaxes during the fight.
The fights in this film, even the final fight, are not cheesy and
romanticized. They aren't the type of fights where every punch brings a
spray of blood, but when a boxer is hit, you feel the punch with them. The
stress is on the force of the fighting and the emotions inside and out of
the ring. Diana doesn't always win and even when she wins, she loses in some
way. The film does not wrap up with a happy ending, but with a realistic
view of how things are unsure for Diana and many of the other characters in
the future.
Basically, anyone who doesn't go see this movie because they don't want to
watch a movie about a woman boxer or are turned off by the romance aspects
of the story is definitely missing out on a great film.
All Thumbs
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Female Sports are on the way up and its about time. Everyone I know was watch the Gymnast's part of the Olympics and okay maybe part of was due to the "jailbait" factor. GirlFight could have done no worst than put Muhammed Ali's Kick Ass Daughter in there!
www.lukeskyywalker.net -
I tried a pitch on a female boxing movie at Corman's three years ago and they didn't get it. I did the same thing at another cheap ass company and the lady in development said, "Duh, gee, I wouldn't know how to market it!"(Get a clue here...get another fucking job, lady!) This movie will be successful because it has heart. Go for it, ladies!
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It's not easy to go from a good talkbacker to a good reviewer. Thanks for the informative review, it said a lot without being rambling...I'm convinced about Girlfight, and will be sure to check it out. Harry should be a little more picky about which reviews are worth putting up on this site. This was one of them.
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Sep 27, 2000 9:13:39 AM CDT
Dammit! I applied to a local newspaper contest to see the scree
by lenny nero
Dammit. This sounds awesome.
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Sep 27, 2000 10:26:00 AM CDT
I saw Girlfight at a screening in NYC the movie's a piece of shi
by the guy
Featuring some of the worst fucking acting around. Girlfight had an afterschool special to it. Very cliche, very predictable.
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BTW has anyone thought of making a Harry gif based on Homer Simpsom wearing the mumu (the episode where he gains weight so he can claim handicap-ness and works at home).
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...where's your film?
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Cheers for the review, Allthumbs. Good to see a film like this out there. There has been a real hole in the market for a movie like this, unless you count the mud wrestling in Stripes. I wouldn't. And since Corman ignored our main pitchman Uncapie, it looks like Karyn Kasuma got there first. Bad luck, mate!
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I've been looking forward to Girlfight since I first started hearing about it. Finally saw a trailer a few weeks ago and it looks damn interesting. Glad to hear that All Thumbs liked it. I've noticed that she is one of the few Talkbackers who always has something intelligent to say and whose posts aren't filled with mindless profanity (not that I give a shit about profanity) and poor spelling. Good to see her in the spotlight.
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