February 26–March 5, 1998

movie shorts

Caught Up

Toward the end of this increasingly violent and twisted plot—just as a murderer put a gun in his own mouth—someone in the back of the theater yelled, "Man, this is one vicious flick!" Indeed. Written and directed by Darin Scott (who wrote Tales from the Hood and produced Menace II Society), it concerns the vigorous attempts of two-strike offender Bokeem Woodbine to get straight, even as he's waylaid by dreams of his former good girlfriend (Cynda Williams), a seductive psychic (also Cynda Williams), and various creeps and wannabe players, including smartguy Clifton Powell, parole officer Tony Todd, good father LL Cool J, gangsta Snoop Doggy Dogg (as someone called Kool Kat Daddy), and Rasta bully Basil Wallace (a.k.a. Screwface because he played a Rasta bully in a Steven Seagal movie). Partly wack (incoherent and silly) and partly wacky (strange and exhilarating), this wild ride is tolerable if you're willing to go with the cheeseball insanity of it; otherwise you'll be annoyed.

—Cindy Fuchs