Saw this when it was in theaters, and was pleasantly surprised it did not disappoint. What put this film over the top was the excellent casting; the characters of Biggie, Faith Evans, Lil Kim, and even Tupac and Voletta Wallace (played by Angela Bassett) made this a believable account of what happened between these intersecting lives that left such a mark on musical history, and ultimately, a tragedy. You really felt for young Christopher as he grew up in the 80's admiring the rising hip hop stars of the day, and perfecting his rhyming skills on the street, while trying to avoid the perils of drugs and crime. What I liked most about this film was the humanity they brought to his character, making him seem like more of a real person than a musical icon. He wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he was trying to be a good person, no matter what obstacles life threw in his way. Ultimately this is a tale of a flawed individual, as we all are, who was lucky enough to raise himself out of the conditions he found himself in, and tried to make his mark on history, which ultimately, he did.
The events preceding his death was well-known, well-documented in the media in regards to the major riff with the East Coast vs. West Coast hip hop feud.
Considered as one of the greatest hip hop artists ever, "Notorious" is a biopic that documents the life of Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace and grossing over $43 million worldwide.
The film was directed by George Tillman, Jr. ("Soul Food" and "Men of Honor") and a screenplay co-written by Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker (the author of "Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G.") which showcases and celebrates the rapper's life.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
The NOTORIOUS Unrated Director's Cut Collector's Edition Blu-ray Disc is presented in widescreen format (2.55:1 ration) with English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Audio with French and Spanish subtitles. English subtitles will also be available for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Picture quality for "Notorious" looked amazing as you can see the skin pores quite clearly on high definition but what is most amazing is how New York was captured on film. From the beauty of the city to its gritty side, the level of vibrancy in the colors, beautiful cinematography and wonderful editing really made this biopic come alive.
As for the audio, audio is presented in English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio. Audio is crystal clear during the dialogue department but its even more exciting during the musical segments as your speakers really showcase the drum and bass, giving your subwoofers a workout. From the performance of "Party & Bulls***t"to the overall atmosphere with the crowd going wild, the soundtrack is well done!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The "Notorious" Blu-ray Disc is jam-packed with special features. The 2-Disc Blu-ray version includes a digital copy and also the unrated director's cut and theatrical version of the film. Special features included are:
* Commentary with Director George Tillman, Jr., Co-Screenwriter Reggie Rock Bythewood, Co-Screenwriter Cheo Hodari Coker and Editor Dirk Westervelt This commentary features the filmmaking side of "Notorious". Really well-done and there is a picture-in-picture segment featuring the screenplay and interviews with the talent.
* Commentary with Producer/Biggie's Mom Voletta Wallace, Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Wayne Barrow and Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Mark Pitts This is a very unique commentary. For one, Ms. Wallace was very instrumental for the film but what I enjoyed abut this commentary and hearing his co-managers talk is them actually chiming in what was different in terms of the real Chris Wallace and the version portrayed on the film. Small situations such as when Chris goes to prison for the first time, his first and only call is to his mother and for Chris, panicking he cusses. His mother was clear that her son knew better than to cuss around her and never did. So, that was quite interesting to hear.
* Behind the Scenes: "Making of Notorious" Featurette (27:22) Interviews with Voletta Wallace, Director Frank Tillman, Jr., Christopher Wallace's friends and the talent. Learning on how the casting director's searched for the right talent to play the certain roles for the film. Behind-the-scenes footage of the planning for the film from casting auditions to how authentic the crew wanted to make this film and making sure New York during that time was captured correctly. Interviews with the actual people close to Biggie and the people portraying them.
* I Got a Story to Tell: The Lyrics of Biggie Smalls (9:28) How Notorious B.I.G. was an icon. Interviews with radio DJ's, magazine interviewers, friends and family of Biggie explaining to the viewer how great a guy he was and how humorous he is.
* NOTORIOUS Thugs: Casting the Film (9:05) Interviews with the casting directors Twinkie Byrd and Pamela Frazier and how and why they made their final decision in casting the main characters for the film.
* Biggie Boot Camp (6:48) Interview with Director Frank Tillman, Jr. and how the characters had to go through a boot camp in order to prepare for their roles and make the film as authentic as possible. From acting coach to the live performances.
* Anatomy of a B.I.G. Performance (5:15) Interview with Director Frank Tillman, Jr. & Little Cease about getting the details right for Notorious B.I.G. shows. And basing the live footage of the film from the actual recorded live performances. How there was no lip syncing and how the talent had to make the crowd move.
* Party & Bulls**t (never-before-seen footage of the real B.I.G.) (3:42) Oldschool never-seen-before live footage of Party & Bulls**t.
* The B.I.G. Three-Sixty A segment featuring the filming of the murder of Notorious B.I.G. near Wilshire Blvd. and Fairfax Ave. A 360 segment which the viewer can go left and right and each section has a video of certain segments that deal with the shooting of the murder scene.
o The Petersen (1:13) Going behind the scenes of the Petersen Museum for the party that Biggie attended, hours before he was murdered. Interview with producer Trish Hoffman, Wayne Barrow, co-writer Cheo Hodari Coker and Director Frank Tillman, Jr.
o Directing the Last Moments (2:10) Director Frank Tillman, Jr. discussing how difficult the scene was to shoot.
o It Happened Right Here (1:23) Interview with Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Wayne Barrow discussing the spot where Biggie was killed.
o The Petersen Exit (2:15) Interviews with crew and talent in regards to the scene when Biggie and his friends leave the Petersen Exit minutes before he is killed at the stoplight.
o The Shooting (4:12) Interview with Director Frank Tillman, Jr., Cheo Hodari Coker and Reggie Rock Bythewood (co-writers) and Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Wayne Barrow and producer Robert Teitel discussing how difficult it was to shoot the heartwrenching scene and shooting in the actual corner of where it all happened.
o The Impala (1:12) Interview with Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Wayne Barrow discussing the Chevy Impala that the killer drove.
o The Unfortunate Violent Act (1:09) Interview with Reggie Rock Bythewood (co-writer) on how they shot the scene because the investigation to Biggie's death is still ongoing.
o The Window (1:30) Interview with FX Technician Larz Anderson on how they made the broken glass window affect without firing a bullet.
* Deleted Scenes (12:13) A total of nine deleted scenes and an extended scene with a brief text introduction to each scene.
o Assassin assembles his gun
o Taking care of business
o Big on his own
o Finding inspiration
o The assassin watches
o In the hotel pool
o East Coast in the house
o After the accident
o The assassin backs up
o Extended Concert: Primo Street Rap
* BD-Live Feature The Music: get even closer with the music of B.I.G. with this interactive trivia track and tag and track your favorite songs throughout the movie.
* BonusVIEW Life After Death: Making NOTORIOUS
"NOTORIOUS" was an absolutely, wonderful film and the Blu-ray Disc was magnificent!
What I loved about the film is how much was put into making the film look authentic when it came to the kind of clothes, the type of haircut, the type of vehicles, the live performances and of course, the talents.
The crew's determination to achieve authenticity was just amazing, James Woolard as Christopher Wallace was well-acted and his mannerisms was well-captured. I also thought that it was so touching for Biggie's son, Christopher Jordan Wallace playing his father at a young age. The young man did a great job portraying his father.
Angela Bassett really showcased Voletta Wallace's strength and caring for her son as a single mother and portrayed her quite well with emotion of happiness, sadness, anger, etc. Bassett definitely gave a powerful performance especially capturing the moment when Voletta realized how important her son's music was to his fans.
Derek Luke also portrayed Sean "Puffy" Combs quite well and capturing his mannerisms, especially onstage and doing Puffy's dance moves.
You also have give credit to Biggie's entourage as Dennis L.A. White did a great job as Damion "D-Roc" Butler, capturing the time they were hustling on the streets and then afterward as a friend and being there when he died. Marc John Jeffries as Lil Cease as Biggie's small friend but with a big heart and always there for him. Also, Kevin Phillips as Biggie's manager Mark, did a good job showing his concern and for his sake, as well as his mother's sake, taking care of him.
The ladies in Biggie's life was well played by Antonique Smith as Faith Evans, Amanda Christopher as Keisha and Naturi Naughton as Lil Kim. Antonique having an impressive voice and having grown up listening and singing Faith Evans songs, definitely brought her beauty to the film. Naturi Naughton as Lil Kim was well-cast, especially for the actress showcasing the actual talent's sexiness and how she became the sex-driven hip hop artist. That was quite interesting to know.
Well-cast and again, kudos to the crew for making sure these talents got down the mannerisms of their real counterparts.
Another major positive for the film is the cinematography and editing. Cinematography and capturing New York in a variety of forms from the area Biggie grew up to capturing the buildings and bridges and overall, Brooklyn. Director of Photography Michael Grady ("Wonderland", "Hotel for Dogs", etc.) did a phenomenal job. Editing was also done very well by Dirk Westervelt ("Journey to the Center of the Earth"). Cuts are tight and just the overall amount of editing from capturing New York to the live performances and making sure you feel the energy of the performance was well captured in the final cut.
And last, this film would not be successful without the well-written script by Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker, who knew Biggie Smalls and worked with his family and friends in making sure they got certain parts as accurate as they can. Overall, pacing of the story was just right and made you care for the characters.
If there was anything negative that I found, the film tends to focus on the more positive sides of Christopher Lawrence and less on his well-publicized bad-boy past which he has gotten in trouble for. Aside from the drug dealing, Lawrence has had some major problems in his life with the law that were not shown in the film. But then again, there were so many layers that needed to be covered in the overall film such as his many relations with the women in his life, his best friends, his manager and other performers, if anything, the people who made this film are those who loved the man for what he did for them and the music he created for people. He touched a lot of lives and this film produced by the people most close to him, wanted to celebrate that.
I just can help but be amazed by how much is on this blu-ray disc. You get the original theatrical and unrated director's cut, you get a digital download disc, you get a film showcasing the beauty of New York and the gritty side of the city with amazing picture quality.
Audio quality was just great especially with the music of Notorious B.I.G. and hearing the subwoofer's lower frequency and the bass drum making things sound amazing during the musical segments. Audio is crystal clear and easily understood.
And of course, the Blu-ray features many special features with in-depth footage of the making of this film and getting to learn about the life of Christopher "Biggie" Wallace and also the heartbreaking scenes of his murder and having to shoot those scenes for the film. Also, kudos to the idea of including Voletta Wallace for the commentary segment a reality. Just a nice touch to hear Biggie's mother speak about certain scenes and about her son.
Suffice to say, you're getting your money's worth with this Blu-ray release. Awesome picture quality, magnificent audio and jam-packed with features. I give "NOTORIOUS UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT" a high recommendation and for Biggie fans, this Blu-ray disc is definitely worth having in your collection!When this movie first came out, I was so excited to see a biography of such a talented artist. Boy, was I disappointed.
The movie was quite obviously engineered and manipulated by Puffy and Bad Boy Records. Throughout the film, Puffy was portrayed as a virtual saint--always "saving the day" with his words of wisdom and innocence. He was never shown doing drugs (despite nearly everyone else smoking blunts throughout the whole movie), participating in the sex-filled music scene, or doing anything that would shed even a hint of a shadow upon him. It was quite sickening how saintly he is portrayed, especially when we all know better.
Tupac's portrayal was also hard to believe. His character made odd appearances throughout the film, always appearing as a paranoid, hyper-acting, shallow punk. As a huge Tupac fan, I was quite offended by the way he is portrayed.
The east/west feud was knocked down to a simple misunderstanding fueled by Tupac's baseless paranoia and the media. Biggie was portrayed as a victim of the feud. He just couldn't understand why Tupac would suddenly turn on him, since they had always been friends. (Poor little B.I.G.) All responsibility for fighting and fueling the feud was put on the media and Tupac. None was put onto Biggie or the saintly Puffy. They were helpless victims in the whole thing.
Biggie and Faith Evan's relationship was poorly developed. The movie seemed to focus more on Big and Kim's relationship than his and Faith's marriage. It was quite confusing.
Big's first child with his high school girlfriend was ill-developed and just plain confusing. His girlfriend was not even introduced until she showed up to tell him she was pregnant. Then, she was virtually dropped, making minor appearances from then on. The best way I can describe it is just plain weird.
Throughout the movie, song lyrics were dropped in as dialogue, such as "mo money, mo problems" and "to change the world, you have to change yourself." It seemed fake and engineered--a real eye-roller.
Though the movie was quite long, it was difficult to understand. Characters were abruptly introduced and had sudden major roles, but I couldn't figure out who they were. I actually had to review Biggie's biography while watching the movie to figure out exactly what was going on.
The film did have some positive notes. Some of the casting was wonderful. Lil' Kim and Biggie were both spot-on believable--the way they spoke, their mannerisms and their rapping. And the music was, of course, fantastic.
Maybe Shug will now produce a rival, west-coast rendition of Tupac's life. :-P
I'm sure if he does, it will have the nerve and gumption that Notorious does not.
Read Best Reviews of Notorious (2009) Here
***1/2The biopic "Notorious," directed by George Tillman Jr., tells of the life and career of Notorious B.I.G., the gangsta' rapper who was gunned down on the streets of L.A. at the age of twenty-four. B.I.G. began life as Christopher Wallace, a kid being raised by a single mother in Brooklyn who, despite her best efforts, was unable to keep her son from falling prey to the destructive influences of life on the street. For by the age of twelve, he had already begun dealing drugs and, by seventeen, had dropped out of school and served time in prison on a weapons charge. But it was his talent for rapping for putting into words and music his reflections on what it meant to be a black man living in the inner city that brought him to the attention of Sean "Puffy" Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, who signed Wallace, now known as Biggie Smalls, to his first recording contract.
Soon, B.I.G. was a major figure in the gangsta' rap scene, adored by his fans, hated by his enemies and partaking in the fruits of all that the "high life" of a mass market celebrity had to offer: namely, wealth, fame, fashion, women, and an unlimited access to guns and drugs. But as with all such tales, it would seem, Biggie ultimately found himself on an irreversible slide towards self-destruction, culminating in his assassination on Wilshire Boulevard on March 9, 1997, a victim, in part, of the life he lived and of outside forces he was simply unable to control (his killers, incidentally, were never identified).
"Notorious" is less interesting for the admittedly rather predictable cautionary tale and domestic drama it relates than for the glimpses it affords us into the hip-hop and gangsta' rap scene of the 1990s. The sounds and fashions of the culture are successfully recreated on screen, backed by generous helpings of B.I.G.'s music that come in the form of stage performances and background accompaniment for much of the action.
The film really hits its stride when it focuses on the famed and ultimately bloody feud that developed between Bad Boys Records on the East Coast and Death Row Records on the West, whose figurehead, Tupac Shakur, came to believe that B.I.G. had a hand in a botched attempt on his life. This real-life thug opera that played itself out in the media ultimately turned deadly when, first, Tupac, and then B.I.G. himself met similar fates at the barrel of a gun.
The movie is most notable for the performance of rapper Jamal Woodard in the title role, who not only looks amazingly like the original Biggie but manages to sound quite a bit like him as well. It is Woodard who makes B.I.G. both the larger-than-life figure and the regular human being he needs to be to be believable. He receives strong support from Derek Luke as Combs; Anthony Mackie as Tupac; Naturi Naughton as protégé and sometime love interest Lil Kim; and Angela Bassett as his longsuffering mother who seemed to be the one rock-solid moral force B.I.G. had in his life. In fact, it is the scenes between mother and son that ultimately serve as the heart and soul of the movie.
For purposes of mass consumption and in the interest of burnishing B.I.G.'s posthumous reputation, the screenplay by Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker provides a sunnier and more upbeat assessment of the man's final days than is, perhaps, warranted by the facts, but those who made the movie can't really be blamed for wanting to cast their subject in the most positive light possible, especially in the summary moments. It may take some of the edge off the movie in the final analysis, but not enough to spoil the many fine things it still has to offer.
Want Notorious (2009) Discount?
The movie was okay, but it looked as if the movie was rushed. The actors were excellent, and I felt that it could have been put together a little better, because it jumped around too much so I rate it a 3 1/2.Save 57% Off
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