Author Topic: (VIDEO) Crips and Bloods: Made In America doc. (produced by Baron Davis) (Read 323 times)

Elano · « **on:** February 08, 2009, 04:32:23 AM »

http://www.cripsandbloodsmovie.com/

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/qN4pP-1NWoA" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/qN4pP-1NWoA</a>

LENCH · « **Reply #1 on:** February 08, 2009, 04:36:58 AM »

heard about this, didnt know Forest Whitaker was involved tho, thats cool

mlk93 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 08, 2009, 05:09:59 AM »

I saw it great one

Shango · « **Reply #3 on:** February 08, 2009, 06:02:19 AM »

is it already out ?

~Lucien~ · « **Reply #4 on:** February 08, 2009, 06:41:13 AM »

This film was alright. I have the screener at home.
I think it was released January 23rd 2009 in the US.

Shango · « **Reply #5 on:** February 08, 2009, 07:20:41 AM »

anybody got a link ??

Elano · « **Reply #6 on:** May 12, 2009, 01:39:38 PM »

Crips and Bloods: Made in America DVD Review
The root cause of gang warfare is examined in this taut documentary.

May 4, 2009 - In the middle of an interview, director Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z-Boys) takes a moment to record the surrounding audio. The moment is cluttered with sirens, gunfire, screams, helicopters and more sirens. His subject, a former member of the Crips, simply waits in silence while Peralta grabs the audio. When Peralta returns to the subject, the former Crips member quietly says, "For us, that's a way of life."

While Crips and Bloods: Made in America may offer some history on the turbulent lifestyles of the two notorious street gangs (most of the history of these two gangs is now lost), Perlata's documentary is much more explorative, seeking out the root causes of these gangs, taking his audience back a few years before the origin of the Crips and Bloods.

Told with a flashy, pop-trendy style, similar to what Peralta employed in his last two documentaries, Dogtown and Z-Boys and Riding Giants, and edited with the fury of a Ginsu knife, Crips and Bloods is not your average documentary. It's the very definition of a docudrama – a film that transcends the talking head, single-camera interview format to become something far more compelling, alive and real. The film draws up anger, sadness, compassion, but scholarly explores the history of South LA black culture with a fine-tooth comb. Crips and Bloods gives a human face to a vicious enemy we've long feared and hated.

The film takes you back to the early days, when gangs were called clubs and the roughest turmoil was a quick fist fight that ended in handshakes and respect. It moves forward to show us the mounting racial turmoil between white police officers, government and black culture in South L.A. It all comes to boil with the Watts Riots in 1965 and from there, hate gangs emerge – brutal, primal, soldiers without a cause and with no guidance like their ancestors before them. Now, the hatred is not just spilled upon oppressive whites, but between various cliques within black culture.

Peralta shoots back and forth, pairing interviews with former and current Crips and Bloods members, along with parents of deceased members as well as Watts riot survivors. The documentary also shares with us hundreds of compelling (and often graphic) photos and startling archival videos that explore the positives and negatives of black culture, from its successes in the "America dream" to its poisons – the ultimate undoing of those successes.

The film is lightning fast and quick to judge government and police officials for creating a deep-rooted self-loathing within black culture, but it's pretty clear Peralta has made the right choice when choosing his side. He does tend to ignore judgment on his gang subjects, clearing them of years of genuine wrongdoing. But judgment of their actions isn't really the point of this documentary. Everyone interviewed seems to know that what they do, or did, is wrong and immoral. More so, the film examines possible causes and potential solutions to the problem – and those solutions might be as simple as creating positive club-like environments where education, community pride and friendship are highly encouraged.

While the film does paint a bleak picture of the nasty darkness of white culture (something we tend to ignore in the history books), Peralta seems keen to point out the potential for hope. His interview subjects tell their stories, and many of them break down in tears, but never once do these interviews feel pointed or manipulative. These are men and women who are truly, honestly thankful they survived their own personal hells and overcame their demons.

They weep for the future generations, pouring out their love and concern. As former Bloods member T. Rodgers passionately warns, "Your ultimate reward for gangbanging is death! And you don't come back from that!"

Score: 9 out of 10

Video and Presentation

Crips and Bloods is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen on a dual-layered disc. Mostly shot on hi-def video, this transfer does boast a few minor flaws like motion blur but this is a top notch encode with virtually no digital flaws whatsoever. The disc is clean and crisp with solid colors, sharp images and fine details and textures. As far as documentaries are concerned, it doesn't get much better than this.

Score: 9 out of 10

Languages and Audio

Audio choices are English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. A Dolby Stereo track is also provided. No subtitle options were offered. Obviously this is a dialogue-rich, center-heavy listening experience but sound designers do manage to create genuine atmosphere with well placed discrete front and rear effects that surround the listener. Bass is also quite active during the film, giving impact to the emotional core of the narrative. Overall, this is an incredibly engaged listening experience that ranks among many top-tier releases.

Score: 9 out of 10

Extras and Packaging

This single-disc DVD comes packed in a black amaray case. This is a fairly decent special edition, though there aren't many features. Starting things out, we're treated to two incredibly thin interviews, one with Snoop Dogg (it runs just over 4 minutes). Mr. Dogg doesn't offer much insight, but he's always a joy to watch and listen to. The second interview features Lil' Wayne (it run even shorter at 2 minutes). Lil' Wayne provides even less insight.

Topping this disc off, there's a fairly insightful 30-minute making-of featurette which explores the reasons behind the film as well as the often dangerous and challenging task of observing and exploring a highly volatile subculture – particularly for the interview subjects, many of which are putting their life at risk simply by being interviewed. It's well worth a look for fans of the documentary or those interested in the process of making a documentary. Finally, there's a pretty exhaustive 30-minute deleted scenes reel packed tightly with even more interviews.

Score: 6 out of 10

The Bottom Line

Stacy Peralta does it again with this absorbing, exhaustive, even angering, history of racism and gang warfare in South L.A. This DVD is a solid complement to the film with a fantastic A/V presentation and a few worthwhile special features.