Omar & Pete (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Omar and Pete is a poignant look at these two longtime friends that have spent a considerable portion of their lives in and out of the prison system. Before examining the world outside, as Omar is about to be released from yet another stint in the correctional system, he reveals his thoughts and fears regarding his past and his uncertain future of freedom once again.
Upon re-entering society, this story begins by following Leon `Omar' Mason in his sometimes difficult and painful journey to start a new life. Despite the best of intentions and making decent strides to improve himself, Omar eventually suffers from multiple relapses due to a drug addiction, he deals with the agony of a death in the family, and his battle with other personal problems threaten to consume him altogether.
Pete Duncan, a resident manager at a transition house where Omar is placed, is a recovering drug addict who has been out of prison for 10 months now and he helps others to repair their broken lives. Time is spent here looking at Pete and his rewarding efforts and it is evident that he has found the correct mindset to keep himself productive and healthy in society.
I'd like to say that the ending to Omar's story ended up being a happy one but I can't do that. After failed attempts at detox programs and counseling plus new felony offenses, Omar was once again incarcerated and he faces a long prison sentence. Pete, on the other hand, is still going strong these days. He is drug free and out of the transition house and was subsequently promoted from a drug counselor to a residential supervisor.
`Omar & Pete' is a well produced documentary in my opinion and emotional in its content. There aren't any easy answers or quick fixes regarding transition from prison back to mainstream society but this story looks at the struggle from several distinct perspectives and it does an admirable job in that regard.

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A "vivid, sobering portrait" that "packs considerable cumulative punch" (Variety) OMAR & PETE is a compelling and highly personal film that examines the social, economic, and personal barriers two ex-offenders face as they try to reintegrate into their communities and families. In and out of prison for more than 30 years, Omar and Pete are determined to change their lives. Upon release, both participate in the Maryland Reentry Program, which is designed to help long-term repeat offenders stay out of prison. This intimate and penetrating film follows the two long-time friends for several years after what they hope will be their final prison release. In that time, their lives take divergent paths as one wrestles with addiction and fear while the other finds success and freedom through helping others. Their story boldly exposes the many barriers to successful reintegration and the complex, often frustrating challenges that men who were formerly incarcerated face when reentering society. Written, produced, and directed by Academy Award nominated and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Tod Lending, OMAR & PETE provides an honest and unflinching portrait of how challending life on the outside can be for men who have lived much of their lives behind bars. DVD Features: Deleted Scenes; Filmmaker Interview; Filmmaker Statement; Filmmaker Biography; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection [NOTE - Aspect ratio 16:9 Widescreen]

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The Wire: The Complete Series (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)On the basis of previous reviews, you'd never know that this series was on the verge of being canceled at least twice, that it never made satisfactory numbers for HBO, or that it was almost universally ignored by award committees despite its fervid following.
There's a number of things for the faint-hearted or first time viewers to know about The Wire before you jump in:
1.There is no denouement, no simple, clear resolution at the end of every episode ala CSI, NCIS, or any other typical police drama. On the contrary, The Wire is the epitome of the "slow build", it takes episodes to get started, much less finished. As in life, there are rarely any easy, clear resolutions at the end. Unlike the black and white worlds of network tv, The Wire is all gray.
2.There is not a simple, single story line. Rather The Wire is characterized by complex, multiple story arcs that can extend over more than one season. It demands (and rewards) concentration, rather than escape. Redemption and revenge are possible, but not in one episode or one season. The Wire requires patience.
3.There are no clear cut heroes and villains (this is the anti-"Heroes" tv show.) There are only human beings, all flawed. McNulty, a hero, is an alcoholic who cheats on his wife. Even Marlowe, the apparently soulless villain, grapples with very human issues of loyalty and pride.
4.Though there are great, fully realized characters (almost too many for escapist viewers to follow), and though to some degree Baltimore, the city, is a central character, the abiding presences in The Wire are Baltimore's institutions and organizations: courts, city government, educational system, labor unions, police, newspapers. Even gangs are seen as just another organization. Unlike any other show I've ever seen, The Wire demonstrates how institutions are built from a complex web of relationships and motivations and seem to have an existence independent of those who participate in them. And it does so in such a subtle way that it's not automatically obvious. It doesn't appear to be about institutions, but it is. That's subtlety.
That's only a start. There's more that makes The Wire a challenge for viewers: it's non-linearity (it's more like a spiral), it's bleak view of cities and urban institutions; the seeming randomness of so many events that impact lives, etc., etc., etc.
All that said, The Wire, for those willing to make the investment of time and attention, is a transcendent, moving experience. However downbeat it's subject matter, it is, in the end, a true work of art, a masterwork, and as such ultimately enobling and uplifting. And just a thrill to watch.

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In the projects. On the docks. In City Hall. In the schools. In the media. The places and faces have changed, but the game remains the same.

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The Corner (HBO Miniseries) (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)Before viewing this miniseries, I had only read the book (of the same name) by David Simon and Edward Burns published in 1997. Still, the world of decaying neighborhoods, the havoc of street drugs and hopelessness among the disadvantaged has deepened in the Bush era. It took an ingenious director like Charles Dutton to recount one family's troubled history gripping miniseries that doesn't miss a beat. And he's selected a cast of relative unknowns who assume their roles with dead-on realism
The film follows a year in the life of one impoverished family against the backdrop of their neighborhood during the 1990's a drug-ridden quarter-mile from Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Dutton, like Simon and Burns, dwells on the humanity of his cxharacters and the universal themes of their day-to-day struggles. You needn't have been an alcoholic or drug addict to enter the hearts of these people or understand how they swing between hope and hopelessness.
As political commentary, THE CORNER couldn't be more timely, especially in its grasp of urban education, inner city commmunties, underage pareenthood and America's Dickensian juvenile justice system. Viewing what these potentially gifted people endure, viewers may ask how many good people we discard because of our cultural myopia, institutional racism and apathy.
The core performance here is T.K. Dutton's "Gary" -- the father of his broken family. The ways in which he struggles to overcome present shame in light of past success is something most of us will recognize -- race aside -- if not today, then tomorrow.
There is no score to speak of except for Corey Harris's blues track which occurs on splash screens and during the credits for each of six episodes. Dutton frames each episode with interviews of different principal characters to evoke the feel of a documentary, and he more than succeeds.
Dutton understands the lives of these characters because he grew up in their neighnorhood and experienced first-hand the dissolution of life on these corners -- where red tops and spider bags are the basis of life and death. He knows that the pain of addiction is potent, but not always as devastating as the cruelties of the real world "clean."
Every facet of this production suggests HBO should rebroadcast THE CORNER on its tenth anniversary. You wil laugh, weep, wince and cheer; and when it's over, you will hate to leave these good people.
While there are segments that are bleak, Dutton didn't intend to shock. He wanted to remind us that these men and women are fully human, and that --like Gary-- we have the potential to stumble, too. We might be doomed to the Corner but for the grace of God.
Five glowing stars for the DVD set -- and the book on which it's based.

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The Wire: The Complete Fourth Season (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)The fourth season of HBO's critically acclaimed The Wire picks up after the explosive events the conclusion to the third season, as cop Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) finds himself patroling the streets of Baltimore and seemingly out of the loop (McNulty is relegated to more of a supporting player in these episodes than ever before) as this season focuses on the coming election between Mayor Royce (Glynn Turman) and Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen), and a group of young corner kids getting ready to go back to school. What makes this season of The Wire so surprisingly compelling isn't the drama between the cops and the crooks like we've seen before, but what this group of young corner boys (Maestro Harrell, Julito McCullum, Tristan Wilds) experience and the choices they make, which not only effect their own lives, but inexplicably effect the lives of everyone else involved as well. In the meantime, new kingpin Marlo (Jamie Hector) makes even more of an impact as the cops try to nail him, Herc (Domenick Lombardozzi) finally gets his stripes, Prez (Jim True-Frost) becomes a teacher, and Omar (Michael K. Williams) gets in over his head when he goes toe to toe with Marlo. By the end of season four, it is apparent that the end is near, and that McNulty and his crew are sitting on a powder keg that will be as explosive as anything that has ever been seen on HBO. Undoubtedly one of the finest and most realistic TV dramas ever crafted, The Wire is once again spectacular entertainment.

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With the fall of Barksdale and the ascent of young Marlo Stanfield as West Baltimore's drug king, the detail continues to "follow the money" up the political ladder in the midst of a mayoral election that pits the black incumbent, Clarence Royce, against an ambitious white councilman, Tommy Carcetti. The theme of urban education is explored through four new characters â€" Michael Lee, Namond Brice, Randy Wagstaff and "Dukie" Weems as they traverse adolescence in the stunted, drug-saturated streets of West Baltimore. The world that awaits these boys and the American commitment to equal opportunity are depicted brilliantly in the edgy, all too realistic Season 4 of The Wire.

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The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)That quote by Bunk (Wendell Pierce) in the opening episode of the final season of David Simon's brilliant The Wire sets the stage for the events that unfold in these final ten episodes of the beloved HBO series.
Picking up from the fourth season, Mayor Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is pouring money into the Baltimore school system, which prompts the police force to work without paid overtime, and also finds the ever self-destructive Jimmy McNulty's (Dominic West) wiretap on murderous drug dealer Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector) put to a premature end. Things begin to change however, when McNulty, along with Freamon's (Clarke Peters) help, manipulate and orchestrate an imaginary, homeless preying, serial killer that garners national attention, all in an effort to put Marlo away once and for all.
Also, much like the previous season focused on the broken education system, the fifth season focuses on the impact of the media in the form of the Baltimore Sun; as editor Gus Haynes (longtime series director Clark Johnson) deals with the downsizing of his staff, and the rise of a reporter (Thomas McCarthy) who may be making up his stories. In the meantime (proving that The Wire is indeed the most multilayered television drama ever created), other subplots abound, including a revenge driven Omar (Michael K. Williams) returning with Marlo in his sights; young Michael (Tristan Wilds) and Dukie (Jermaine Crawford) learn just how dire their situation is; Bubbles (Andre Royo) finds light at the end of the tunnel; and Daniels (Lance Reddick) prepares to take on the role of Commissioner. Most notably however is the impact of the actions of McNulty and Freamon; an impact that ends up effecting everyone in striking distance and beyond, and sets the stage for the final episode of the series, which is one of the most brilliant pieces of television to ever materialize. Not everyone walks away clean (or walks away at all) and rides into the sunset, but it is a perfect way to end a perfect series, and with appearances from familiar faces aplenty along the way, things couldn't have been wrapped up better.
All in all, the final season of The Wire further proves the frequently mentioned point of just how unbelievably good this show was, and how much of a shame it is that it never achieved the kind of uber-popularity that it deserved compared to many of HBO's other shows. Either way, longtime fan or late newcomer, there is nearly nothing better than The Wire, even to its bittersweet end.
"...you gotta keep the devil way down in the hole..."

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In the projects. On the docks. In City Hall. In the schools. And now, in the media. The places and faces have changed, but the game remains the same. Times are tough for the detail. Mayor Carcetti has slashed the departments budget to the bone. Police are operating without overtime some without cars and radios. Angered, McNulty is off the rails again and headed down a dangerous path of deception and lies that will ally him with an unscrupulous reporter. The drug trade still rules the corners, all you have to do is read between the lines.DVD Features:Audio CommentaryFeaturette

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