Alright, first:
Jack black appears in blackface in the film.
This makes sense within the context of the film, and is addressed as unacceptable by the members of the community his character is living in.
It doesn't add anything to the film, and it's a pretty surprisingly low note in a film that is otherwise about community unity.
I'm not remotely qualified to discuss this aspect of the film, but I felt it would be irresponsible for me to talk about the strengths of the rest of the film without mentioning it.
The movie stars Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), Jack Black, Danny Glover, and a bunch of other people.
It's about a video rental store in a poor neighborhood in NJ that is condemned and going to be demolished. The store sells VHS tapes and is not financially successful.
This provides the set dressing for a film in which a community gets together and makes movies, including a fictional biopic about Fats Waller.
A community producing it's own media is Very Much my shit, and the movie is good.
I love Yasiin Bey as an actor, and his character in this movie is great.
I'm avoiding spoilers as I discuss the movie because it's new enough and obscure enough that chances are good that not everyone who might want to see it will have seen it already.
It isn't actually new or obscure, but still.
Sweded films
Sweded films
The idea, basically, is short films that revel in their own mediocre production values.
The music is people's voices. The special effects are cardboard, and are done in camera. The production is Bad, but it gets the point across.
Within the context of Be Kind Rewind, this meant a single VHS camcorder, minimal editing, and in camera effects.
There's something Freeing about this approach.
Get out and tell a story with your friends.