John Singleton was 21 – 21! – when he made one of the most acclaimed debuts of the 1990s, one which led to him becoming the first African-American to get a Best Director nomination at the Oscars. It would be the perfect punchline if it was bad, but annoyingly for this deeply unserious podcast it’s great: a frontline dispatch from a world plagued by violence and poverty that still feels vital, and also finds room for more humour and tenderness than you might expect.
Join Rob and Graham as they discuss this landmark film and its star Ice Cube, then perhaps the most controversial music star in America, now a reliable, familiar presence in all kinds of movies. They also discuss the film’s unexpected inspiration, its heartbreaking ending and venture a cheeky but probably-accurate guess as to why there are so many movies about gentrification. Plus: hot takes on gangsta rap from early ’90s political columnists that have not aged as well as this movie! If you don’t want us to be drawn into the terrible gang culture that surrounds podcasting, you can give us some money over at our Patreon, where in return you’ll get a bonus episode of this show every month. We also have no less than two podcasts – Last Night… and From the Video Aisle – and we give you weekly written reviews of Red Dwarf, The X-Files and Doctor Who.
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Episode 118: Ice Cube in Boyz n the Hood
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