ATL (2006)

I may be biased because I love T.I. but I was pleased with the movie!! I thought it was good to finally show something other than the usually cliché movie about urban kids who all want to sell drugs and smoke. It shows the "real" side of urban kids. The side the media never wants us to see. All kids are not bad; and no we do not all perpetuate the stereotype. Great movie, but I will admit the end of the movie did not lend to the imagination and could have expounded more on what other possibilities there were for the conclusion. However, T.I. is amazing in this movie; especially considering this was his big screen debut. Natural, funny, and real.

Fmovies: What many people refuse to believe is the accuracy in socio-economic depictions of dramas and routines of young black teens that ATL brings to life in theaters. As I glance over the several reviews written by critics who seem rather shocked that skating is actually a hip-hop trend makes me even more convinced the world knows very little about what really goes on in the vines of trends and threads of hip-hop. (Skating has been "in" for a while now...anyways) ATL expressed reality artistically, which makes the movie more, in my opinion "fun." The movie scopes into the lives, gives reasons for deprivations and answers from where, what and why do people find a haven in where they "kick-it," and who they "kick it with" I think ATL is a good movie because what it really expressed to me is the strife to... just making it.

Heck, I never went skating, I mean, I'm not a very trendy or hip-hopish type of person to boot, wouldn't fit in. So the movie provides a perspective and although I may not be so into rap, the movie still gives a strong statement, so I like it. It motivates me, kind of like, Hustle and Flow.

Overall, ATL was a lot better than I expected, especially the acting, who knew Rapper T.I. can light up the screen.

I just got back from an advance screening of ATL--the movie that cannot be marketed as a roller skating flick because Roll Bounce "didn't make money."

OK, so I guess that's a major spoiler in Warner Brother's eyes. But I think it's kinda cool to see a PG-13 movie set in current times that shows young men and women battling with the process of growing up. If you've seen lots of movies like me, you'll know where ATL borrows it's cues from--the friendships of Juice, the house party from House Party, the fat girl from Cooley High a dash of Purple Rain the broad tapestry of Last Picture Show or American Graffiti and the swagger of Saturday Night Fever. It also owes a lot to John Hughes' early work. That being said, director Chris Robinson, in his feature debut, delivers strong visuals and an excellent soundtrack/score that constantly reminds you that these are real places, people and problems. He gets excellent performances from his cast--a mix of veteran actors and musicians in their film debuts.

The big plot twist in the story (which I won't give away) raises a very interesting question that the movie with as broad a scope as ATL has no way to answer--do these young girls project a "grown-up" attitude because it's fashionable or is it the only way to find love and attention from these young boys who are, in their own way, desperately in search of their own manhood without the guidance of true role models? ATL tels a very familiar story but with interesting hues and nuances that defy the typical "hood" flick. I encourage you to check it out in theaters.

ATL fmovies. I really liked this movie. I didn't expect it to be very good because none of the actors are A-list actors and there are several characters played by rappers, including T.I.'s debut as the lead character Rashad. I'm not saying rappers don't act well because some of the best actors are also rappers, such as Ice Cube, LL Cool J, and Tupac. But, it just seems like these days a lot of rappers who can not act are trying to anyway. But, my point is that T.I. and Big Boi are really good in this film. I wasn't even thinking of them as being rappers trying to act in this movie because they just seemed like the characters that they were playing.

I enjoyed the whole movie and was entertained from start to end. It was even quite touching and emotional for those of you like that kind of thing. It was fun and had a great soundtrack too. I would highly recommend checking this one out. In fact, I just saw it yesterday and I'm going to go buy the DVD for my collection. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a while.

A story about young people struggling to overcome the darker side of the neighborhood. Rashad Swann (Tip Harris) comes of age and takes responsibility for himself and his brother Antwone (Ross) to move toward getting out of the hood. Rashad meets a great girl named New New (London) with a secret that almost costs them their relationship. Antwone gets involved in dealing and suffers from a boss that isn't very understanding. Rashad and his skating buddies spend their time at the Cascade roller rink competing in skating events in preparation for the annual skating tournament that they've won several times. The main characters are all pretty likable and the dialog was a good compromise between reality and prime time TV. They even had an old timer speaking some Jive. You won't find an abundance of emotion from the righteous characters, but it is well worth seeing. Even with all the daily troubles, it doesn't leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.

There gotta be some HATERS out there cuz this movie score is way outta wack at a 3.6. This movie was glamorized but T.I. kicking it with his crew and trying to figure out a good life was a true to life performance. The direction was beautiful and it really gave people a taste of hot-lanta. Everything combine for an accomplished finish and a smooth fun ride. I am so glad I watched it you will be too.

I wondered, as you would, how can a movie capture the ATL? The attitudes, style and environment puts you right on the streets down south. To represent the south I think this movie adds pride to it's image right now. Other then that, Chris Robinson is a killer behind the camera. The shots really hooked me into the film. If that's not enough, the cast was dead on, especially for some new comers.