Mozell Entertainment Group (LIFESTYLE)

This would have been a fantastic excercise in storytelling genius if someone, Producer, Writer, Director could have decided what story to tell & what the movie would be about. Without that clarity & commitment from the filmmakers, Da Sweet Blood ended up ... an everything but the kitchen sink ... indulgence. This has happened to many a movie and so-called beloved filmmakers get to do this all the time.... eventually. Maybe it's a status symbol to get to make a movie about so many things all at once that it ends up being about nothing at all. (Woody Allen's September. Steven Spielberg's 1941. Barbra Streisand's The Mirror Has Two Faces ... just to name 3.) The difference between those & Da Sweet Blood is they each had at least one actor who found a way to have their skill & craft & excellence extoll redemptive value onto the entire film. No such acting in this cast except Rami Malek who didn't get to do much but was compelling somehow everytime he was on screen. Black Vampires rooted in Afrocentric culture - fascinating. Religion versus daily life - fascinating. The rich versus the poor - fascinating. Quiet versus noise - fascinating. Death versus eternal life - fascinating. Hip hop as ultimate social commentary - fascinating. However when the great Spike Lee & great Chiz Shultz put it all together we got far less than fascinating. A pretty boring, heavy handed ... I'm getting to do what I want because I am at that level ... snooze fest of a weak, albeit sometimes pretty & even stylish, lame movie remake. I found myself more interested in redecorating the Martha Vineyard house & wondering who did such a good job keeping the grounds during the poorly executed, too long, bergmanesque attempted, 1-2 person scenes. Those curiosities are also known as your mind is wandering because the movie is not holding your attention with its non-action, action scenes. Even the gore wasn't gory. Best scene was the final church scene & all the fervor over a single phrase. A brilliant observation about the desperation of the human spirit. The need for revelation. If you say anything with enough passion and pathos, repeat it enough times, especially in song, something will happen. This...however long it was scene...was better than the entire movie. Not for the scene itself, but for the masterful subtext & undercurrent it deliciously Communicated. Nevertheless, every filmmaker should be indulged at least once this way in their career, as early as possible. We'd have more surprisingly great cinema to enjoy. Maybe. -rwj-

Watchable movie. Strong writing for the most part. However too tight cinematically. Only a couple of scenes open up the film visually. Felt very Claustrophobic. Although likely on purpose it hurt the overall viewing experience Strong performances throughout. The Viv Vance & Bill Frawley humor was hilarious! Javier Bardem is brilliant as Desi. Nicole Kidman is good as Lucy. The problem with the character and the entire movie is that they never crack Lucille Ball as a three dimensional human being. The woman. We got the tough exterior. We got the comic genius. But never got the person. She doesn't even hold her baby once. So we don't get a full sense of her humanity. Sad about that. Maybe s different director. 1 out of 10: 7. Okay movie but a little disappointing. ☹️🤔🙂

The first thing that catches your attention is the score. And if it weren't for it the movie would not be entirely watchable. The White washed silliness of the 1950s lifestyle set to music was very over and you can feel it throughout this movie. Everyone is trying so hard to find and capture the magic that they pass right by it. (The director's name itself is even in the song that's about the WHITE Hollywood legendary stars. Sigh. 🤐) Nevertheless, the score in places which is very catchable with a couple of memorable songs. Dean Martin is the Wrong choice. Judy Holiday is past her prime. Vicente Minelli seems bored. The entire piece feels tampered with by producers leaving a sense of ALMOST hovering over the entire film. Just ill-fitting with low stakes & pretty boring imitations of Judy Garland and Gene Kelly at their height. Decent background on a Sunday because of it's one arriving grace: the MUSIC. It's Jule Style so good songs are predictable. Although the lyrics were busy, too literal at times & sub-par in places. But it features JUST IN TIME & THE PARTY'S OVER. Genuine classics ... Inadequately performed. Unfortunately, this movie offers almost nothing or no one to care about. Scale of 1-10: a 6.... Because... The music and some of the clothes and the occasional cameos by the has-beens are nice. 🙄 -rwj- ps... The cigarette smoking is off the chain! Pun intended! 🥴