Notorious Trailer - Nobody Produces like Brooklyn Roots

Hopefully this'll be better than Get Rich or Die Tryin', because that was a bad movie from a great director (Jim Sheridan) and a great cinematographer (Declan Quinn). Notorious comes from director George Tillman, Jr., who previous did Men of Honor, which was well made but kind of underwhelming, and the '90s hit Soul Food. What's somewhat interesting is Reggie Bythewood, who co-wrote the film, whose credits include episodes of New York Undercover as well as Get On The Bus which was very engaging. However he did write Biker Boyz. Hmm....

I don't have high hopes, but I'd definitely like to see if I can spot some great location shots (a couple of buddies saw them filming in Crown Heights this past year). What would be great is to get a real slice of Brooklyn rap history; I think Get Rich didn't have an organic or natural feel as to how an artist develops out of a particularly New York upbringing. Getting a cast that includes Derek Luke and Anthony Mackie with Angela Bassett as B.I.G.'s mother, that's a start. The problem with a biopic like this is it can get simplified and sometimes there's no depth. As far as hip hop dramas go, it could be another Get Rich, or it could be an 8 Mile.



Notorious opens wide on January 16th, so if you are celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., maybe take two hours to represent!