Belly

Rating:
Summary: Another horrible 1990s Black film
Review: I just cannot believe how terrible the acting in this film was. Hype Williams needs to stick to making videos. While Belly had the sleek look of Williams' MTV fare, it lacked substance, as most videos do. Also, would someone PLEASE tell these wanna-be actors that just because you sell 1 million records, IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN ACT! The performances of Nas, T-Boz, DMX, and the others are just horrid. I was shocked that Taral Hicks was in the abysmal waste of time. Like many black actresses, here career has gone nowhere fast. Boy the 1990s black films have just been an embarrassment to the black actors, actresses and filmmakers who worked so hard and suffered so many indignities to get black people in films to where they are today.

Rating:
Summary: Belly.....Drugs, Life, God, and Redemption
Review: I luved this movie. It captivated me since the opening scene. Since the movie is a little hard to follow u have to pay CLOSE attention to it. But...in order to appreciate it you have to be able to understand it.

It's a movie shot like a music video. It's about a lot of different things all mixed in together, as it is in real life. Theres money , greed, envy, love, betrayel, drugs, and the struggle of life. Most of all it's about Redemption and accepting God. I think if you pay attention and try to understand the plot you'll enjoy this movie as much as I did. The movies filmed very differently, but that just adds to the authenicity of the film.

Last but not least...It has a tight soundtrack. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants something a "little different

Rating:
Summary: I liked it
Review: Belly, I thought, was a pretty good movie. At first it may seem boring and stupid, but by the end it turns out to be an interesting film. DMX did a great job acting, but I am sad to say Nas' acting wasn't as well as D's. Still, Belly is a surprisingly good movie, with only a few errors.

Rating:
Summary: Should be rated PG for Pure Garbage!
Review: Another in a long line of cinematic ghettto garbage which pretends to be a cautionary tale but actually glorifies the high rolling lifestyle of dope dealing thugs, with fancy cars, fancy clothes, fast women, ad nauseum. The prentense of positivity reaches it's peak with a sermon at the end by the infamous Min. Benjamin Chavis Muhammad. To keep from adding further misguidance to kids who are already misguided, Magic Johnson wisely banned this ... from his theater chain! Go Magic! You da man!

Rating:
Summary: really poor
Review: i was extremely disapointed by this film after hearing it was excellant. its basically an 2 hour music video where very little original ground is covered. what bothers me most is the way that "gangster" rappers always get the roles in this genre. the fact that these people with very basic acting skills gives the film an instant dent, especially when there must be so many young black actors in all areas of america who would give a film like this some sense of reality. also all fans of this film check out scarface (brian de palma 1984). belly has stolen this great films pinicle moment for itself......poorly. these rappers look almost scared the camera. no story no decent performances. really bad film.

Rating:
Summary: Confusing Story?? Still a solid Movie!!
Review: Hype Williams directorial debut was solid yet confusing. Belly gives you the feel of an overextended music video gone awry. The first few minutes are focused on a glossy holdup of NYC's Tunnel Nightclub. The two main characters, Sincere and Tommy, played by rap stars, Nas and DMX have masterminded a scheme to expand their local empire and popularize a new underground drug. In their efforts, they enlist a Jamaican drug lord (played by Louie Rankin who's authentic but small part is noted:)to front them the cash for quick profits. This sounds like a simple plot, but unfortunately a terrible editing job has made this story difficult to understand unless you view it more than five times. After some reasonable success, the operation is depleted and Tommy and Sincere go in opposite directions. Sincere, played horribly by NAS, and his wife, (Tionne Watkins)who is equally as bad, agree that Africa is their safe haven, and they decide to make the move. This, in my estimation is another confusing part of the story. Why Africa? What sensible black couple would just pick up and travel to Africa to start another life? It just doesn't make sense. The story takes another weird twist when Tommy (DMX) becomes entangled with the Federal authorities to conspire an assaniation plot on a Louis Farrakhan character they foolishly call "The Minister". This Minister character is a cameo role for Dr. Benjamin Chavis, who recently embraced the Nation after a heated ordeal as leader of the NAACP. This climax is fitting since the story has us totally bamboozled by now. Your probably wondering why I gave it four stars, but my explanation should be suffice. DMX holds this picture on his back, he literally carries it from start to finish. Watching him is like seeing Tupac for the first time as a crazed "Bishop" in Juice. Critics say that he simply played himself, if that's so it was a hell of an acting performance..........Otherwise this is a silly story filled with several holes....And whoever is responsible for distribution, should redistribute with the unedited segments. Hopefully, Hype is given another chance to direct a full feature length film ;since he so aptly displayed his potential in "Belly".

Rating:
Summary: The longest hip hop movie clip ever
Review: If Hype Williams is on the set the the hip hop cream follows.... He does the best music video clips and so is Belly. Due to heavy cuts at the film budget some good ideas of the storybook are not in the movie. But its still good.

Rating:
Summary: one of a kind
Review: People might call this kind of movie "hip hop" movie.But comapre to others.,I gotta say this is different.Great music,production,story.Believe me,worth buying dvds.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it more than i thought i would...
Review: as far as hip hop movies go, this is a better movie than "friday" or " set it off,"; while its shows the harsh realities of drug dealing and the "G" life style, it also shows you that you can turn your life around and do something positive. Nas and DMX don't really "act," they just bring their rap personas to the screen. but they give decent enough portrayals to make the film worth watching. the soundtrack is good also.

Rating:
Summary: A Dynamic Masterpiece From Hype Williams
Review: Hype Williams feature length debut is an artistic masterpiece of visual, musical, and character dynamics. Like musical masterpieces such as The Planets, by Gustav Holst, Hype touches every point of the spectrum. From a cappella to slammin' rap joints, from the absence of color to nothing but a kalediscope, this film is anything but a two hour adaptation of William's music videos. The story, centered around two best friends, explores their growth apart and there eventual redemption when they step back from the life they have lived and gain some knowledge of self. The violence and calousness of the characters is the foundation for the greatest of contrasts. The absence of the value of life to the understanding of the importance of all life. Very good performances from first timers DMX and Nas, as well as amazing cinematography and lighting place this film in a whole different category than Boys in the Hood and Menace II Society. To believe that this is another violent "Hood/Gangsta" movie is only one of the many reasons that Belly is among the most underrated and misinterpreted films of the 90's.