Boyz In The Hood

Boyz in the Hood
directed by John Singleton

I came of age during the gangsta era, so the first criminal culture I turned to for entertainment was the one created by Ice Cube, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. Boyz in the Hood, starring Ice Cube (and unleashing Cuba Gooding Jr. on the world) and named after an Eazy-E song, is one of the high water marks of that culture. Less of an exploitation flick than Menace II Society, Boyz in the Hood spends more time exploring the hood in all its crimey, malt-liquor-soaked glory. This stuff was all new to middle America at the time, and the film made quite an impact. It's aged better than expected thanks to the solid performances and the continued prevalence of gangsta rap in America. And the violence that finally arrives at the end of the movie is heartbreaking. Great stuff.

Discussion question: What the hell is up with Ice Cube these days? Don't you wish he'd make a good movie again, and maybe do the soundtrack with Dr. Dre? Wouldn't that be cool?