Review and Re-Cap: "Notorious" NYC Premiere
Thanks to an invite from Sprite's new naturally sweetened drink, Sprite Green, and Ali from 21st Century Hustle, I had the opportunity to attend the "Notorious" movie premiere last night. Check after the jump for pics and for the inside scoop of how it all went down...
The night started off somewhat slow, as I got to the theater about an hour before the movie was scheduled to start. I really had no idea what to expect, or what was to come, and since I was solo, I knew I was going to spend most of the night observing everything. After grabbing my ticket, I ran into a couple of friends and even my former bosses, and managed to hustle a good seat right near where all of the action took place. While doing so, I spotted several notable celebs, including Nas (Who was DEFINITELY trying to keep a low profile), Ed Lover, Mary J. Blige, and Miss Jones (Who looked pretty nice and seemed to have lost a considerable amount of weight). I was pissed, because they made all of the premiere goers check their cameras at the front, so I couldn't get any pics inside of the theatre.
While sitting down and waiting for the show to get on the road, I, of course, people watched and talked smack with some nice girl who was sitting next to me. D-Nice and his wife, actress Malinda Williams came shortly after and took a seat behind us. Next came Lil' Mama, who had a new, natural hairstyle and baggy clothes, and was with some chick that just would not sit her tail down and kept bumping into everyone's seats. Next thing I know, I hear Malinda Williams going off on her telling her to basically go sit down somewhere (In a nice way, though). There was a lot of down time, because the movie started a lot later than it was supposed to. During the down time, I spotted video chick turned rapper, Angel Lola Luv, Jay-Z and Beyonce, (who came in and caused quite a frenzy), stylist Misa Hylton Brim, (who looked gorgeous!), Vinny from Naughty by Nature, and Tyrese.
Check out some pics of some more celebs who attended the premiere. (Courtesy of Wireimage and Whatspoppin.net)
Now on to the actual movie:
Having just read Faith's autobiography, I was really excited to see this film, because I knew that it would bring everything to life. I was right. "Notorious" managed to capture many of the key moments in the rapper's short life, from his childhood, to his stint as a drug dealer, to his life as a celebrity, and finally to his death. The East Coast vs. West Coast feud was also highlighted in detail, as Tupac also had a major role in the film.
The movie opens with C.J., Biggie's real son, playing a young, shy Christopher Wallace. Even though his part was somewhat small, it was really endearing to watch. He did a great job, and it seems as though Biggie definitely passed on his sense of humor and personality to his son.
Jamal "Gravy" Woodard then took on the role of an adult Biggie, and by the middle of the movie, it felt like I was actually watching the real deal. I was definitely skeptical at first, but he sounded like him when he rhymed, moved like him, and managed to entertain me throughout the whole movie.
Diddy was played by actor, Derek Luke. Watching him was pure comedy, because he definitely captured his personality and flamboyance. I still felt that he could have been a little more over the top, though, but his performance was enjoyable all the same.
Junior M.A.F.I.A. was also portrayed in the movie, and of course you know that meant appearances by Lil' Kim, (played by Naturi Naughton of 3LW) and Lil' Cease, (played by Marc John Jeffries formerly of "Losing Isaiah"). When watching Jeffries play Lil' Cease, I couldn't help but continue to picture the little boy in "Losing Isaiah" the whole time, because he still looks exactly the same. Naughton, however, was great as Lil' Kim. Check a clip below:
Lil' Kim was no where in sight during the premiere, and clearly you can see why. The movie basically depicted her as being Biggie's jump off, showed him disrespecting her, etc. "Notorious", however left out a key part that was mentioned in Faith's book - the incident when Faith rolls up in the studio and beats Lil' Kim down. It did, however, show Faith beating up a Biggie groupie in a hotel room, which is what she was definitely known for.
I don't want to give away too much, but I will say that I was lucky to see this film in the company of many of the industry insiders who were actually involved in Biggie's real life. It definitely made a big difference. There were several moments when there was not a dry eye in the whole theatre, as friends and family of the rapper reminisced during the scenes and sang along to many of the songs featured in the movie.
If you are a fan of the Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy Records during its prime, and just hip hop in general, I suggest you go see this movie to re-live some of hip hop's greatest and most memorable moments. Make sure you bring a group of friends, so that you can share the moments together.
Now on to the actual movie:
Having just read Faith's autobiography, I was really excited to see this film, because I knew that it would bring everything to life. I was right. "Notorious" managed to capture many of the key moments in the rapper's short life, from his childhood, to his stint as a drug dealer, to his life as a celebrity, and finally to his death. The East Coast vs. West Coast feud was also highlighted in detail, as Tupac also had a major role in the film.
The movie opens with C.J., Biggie's real son, playing a young, shy Christopher Wallace. Even though his part was somewhat small, it was really endearing to watch. He did a great job, and it seems as though Biggie definitely passed on his sense of humor and personality to his son.
Jamal "Gravy" Woodard then took on the role of an adult Biggie, and by the middle of the movie, it felt like I was actually watching the real deal. I was definitely skeptical at first, but he sounded like him when he rhymed, moved like him, and managed to entertain me throughout the whole movie.
Diddy was played by actor, Derek Luke. Watching him was pure comedy, because he definitely captured his personality and flamboyance. I still felt that he could have been a little more over the top, though, but his performance was enjoyable all the same.
Junior M.A.F.I.A. was also portrayed in the movie, and of course you know that meant appearances by Lil' Kim, (played by Naturi Naughton of 3LW) and Lil' Cease, (played by Marc John Jeffries formerly of "Losing Isaiah"). When watching Jeffries play Lil' Cease, I couldn't help but continue to picture the little boy in "Losing Isaiah" the whole time, because he still looks exactly the same. Naughton, however, was great as Lil' Kim. Check a clip below: