Black & White reviewed by Paul Perkins 

Hip Hop Music also know as rap music has come a long way through the years from Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Eric B and Rakim to Run Dmc and now Wu Tang Clan, Buster Rhymes, and Biggie Smalls. We also saw movies about the music and people like Krush Grove, Breakin, and House party. Movies about hip-hop and life on the street called Beat Street. They was a whale ago time changes so music the area of rap music has climb to an outstanding level but some of the music is not want was meant to be now we have gangster rap. So in the time of this we need a movie to tell the story of rap now days and here it’s comes Black & White, which is the new film from director James Toback, he also wrote the screenplay.

Black and White" stars (in alphabetical order) Scott Caan, Robert Downey Jr., Stacy Edwards, Gaby Hoffmann, Allan Houston (of the New York Knicks), Jared Leto, Marla Maples, Method Man, Joe Pantoliano, Bijou Phillips, Claudia Schiffer, William Lee Scott, Brooke Shields, Ben Stiller, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Elijah Wood, as well as Power and Raekwon of the popular hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. In addition, "Black and White" features appearances by Mike Tyson and "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner as themselves the story is about  an high school hipster Charlie (Bijou Phillips) and her friends start hanging out with Harlem's aspiring rap artist Rich Bower (Power) and his group, the American Cream Team, each faction starts to ponder the other's true motivation. Fascinated by this collision of cultures, documentary filmmaker and former rich girl herself Sam Donager (Brooke Shields) attempts to capture the phenomenon on camera with the help of her intriguingly unhinged husband Terry (Robert Downey Jr.).

Meanwhile, NYPD detective Mark Clear (Ben Stiller) wants revenge on his heartless ex-girlfriend Greta (Claudia Schiffer), who dumped him for Dean (Allan Houston), a black star basketball player and friend of Rich Bower. Before long, everyone wants something from someone else. As the chain of casual acquaintance comes full circle, worlds collide -- black and white, wealthy and wanting, uptown and downtown -- until it becomes clear that nobody is really who they seem to be.  In life everyone is judge by their color of their skin or how much money people have and everyone is out to hurt everyone else which is a shame if you ask me.

Black & White has a lot of issues which need to be address we know we heard it before but maybe the way the director showed it maybe it will change some people thinking and acting. Some of the basic issue that is associate with hip hop music are drugs, violence, sex and money which is destroying the hip-hop world. This movie will make you see that this world we all live in  is really mess up and we all need to change. The old  saying goes can we all just get along we all will be here for a long time and everyone please loves each other not hate each other.

This was a great film the cast was outstanding and the story was hard hitting and came right to the point don’t miss this film it’s one of the best this year

4 stars out of 5

Paul Perkins

The King’s Room www.kingroom.com