Анна Б. Риал (2003) Online

It would be nice if someone were to tell all those budding filmmakers that all it takes to make a film is to assemble a few amateur actors and a video camera.

This film looked like a home video! It was so poorly shot it gave me a headache and almost made me sea-sick.

As to the story, it was annoying as with the majority of those movie that try to appear "real" but only come across as being caricatural. It should be called Anne B. Unreal.

In my video store, the copies were up for sale right away because nobody wanted to watch it. What a surprise! Do yourselves a favor and pass on Anne B. Real

Take a bunch of amateur wanna-be actors and shoots them with Dad's camcorder.

Take the resulting "brilliant" footage and slap it together on the home computer and you get Anne B. Real.

Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people getting experience by making a feature-length project

I do have a problem, however, with hyping it as if it were a real movie when in fact it is a painful-to-watch home video that you would only sit still for if it were made by your family.

In other words, avoid at all costs.

At some point black artists and producers must understand that the image of the struggling black person in the ghetto trying to be a rapper or trying to get out of the ghetto because they are in a gang is so over done in America these days that there is no more room for another black exploitation film. The two worst movies of all time right now at IMDb both deal with this black/gangsta/rapper/basketball/hoodlum/fu ck the man attitude. This image fails for several reasons:

1) Filmmakers have already beat this to death. The best of these films like Boyz in the Hood, Do the Right Thing, Sweet Sweetback, Cooley High, even Breakin are now almost 20-40 years old. the ghetto is boring, old news, as contemporary as Tin Pan Alley.

2) Regardless of what most people think, white people are not turned off to the image of a story about a black person in the ghetto. the truth is most people,including many black people, are tired of the image of the hoodlum playing basketball, rapping, being in a gang, and being inner city. this is because civil rights was very successful and now people, black and white, see a large black middle class. so they know this doesn't really represent many black Americans anymore. when a movie ad comes across the TV screen advertising the new hip black movie about life in the streets, most people sigh and flip the channel. no originality, done before a million times over, not really even representative of many black people.

3) being a rapper in a gang and being from the streets doesn't carry the weight it did 20-30 years ago. now many people want to be from a safe, normal neighborhood. Black society has seen enough of crack epidemics and collapsing neighborhoods to want to celebrate gangsterism. the tide is turning against the black hoodlum image. Inner cities are being renovated and gentrified. black society is stabilizing.

Simply put, we as Americans have had enough of the black rapping ghetto. It's just not original anymore. Rap is becoming classic rock. Please come up with a new and original storyline like what black people are doing in suburbia and how they mingle with other ethnicities there. this hasn't been done yet, although it is now a huge part of the American lifestyle.

I think that this film being on IMDb's Bottom 100 list of the lowest rated films of all time is a bit sad. Sure, it's NOT a good movie but it's not quite that bad. I might put it in the Bottom 500 if they had such a list.

This is a story about a teenage girl who loves to write rap songs and sulk. Her family situation is pretty bad--with a drug abusing brother (who she lets walk all over her) and a sister with a baby. There's more to the story than this, but frankly I didn't care much for any of the characters and had a hard time caring when a particular teacher of the girl tried hard to encourage her to go to college and pursue her dreams.

The biggest single problem about the movie is that the characters are unappealing. While you are supposed to care about Cynthia, her semi-catatonic character was not particularly endearing. In addition, no one around her was particularly interesting. While a few story elements were good (such as the theft of her music), you just didn't care. It also didn't help that the film was so slow-paced and the characters behaved rather stupidly.

The second problem is that there is a tie-in between this character and Anne Frank--a completely ridiculous thing to say the least! Anne frequently reads the writings of Frank and it almost seems, at times, that the film makers are trying to almost make a sort of moral or situational equivalence between the two! Offensive, yes. Dumb, oh yes.

Perhaps this film might mean more to some others--particularly inner city teens (in particular Hispanics and lovers of hip-hop). But for this 45 year-old White guy, there wasn't much appeal. Actually, while I think about it, my 19 year-old also disliked the film...as did all those who rated it so poorly. Wow...perhaps this film ISN'T for much of anybody.

By the way, the film seems to have a lot of very, very poor reviews as well as some that give it a ten. While perhaps the ones were a bit too low, the tens would imply that this is a perfect or near perfect film--which it clearly is not. While I could understand someone liking the film, the characters needed work and the film lacked focus at times.

I don't think this movie deserves to be the worst movie of all time. Because of its awful directing, poor composition and lack of budget (along with lack of known directors and actors) it shouldn't even be listed. If my dad gave me a camcorder for Christmas when I was 12, does that mean that anything I make can be listed on IMDb.com? Exactly, so neither should this movie.

What happened to really BAD movies making first? Baby Geniuses 2 and Manos: the Hands of Fate have been pushed back for this crap, and I have yet to see SpiceWorld even coming close to touching this. I'm disappointed.

Anne B Real takes the foundation of an artist with a gift for rhyming lyrics and it expands on it. It uses the Diary of Anne Frank for inspiration, citing passages through voice over, and explores a number of realistic problems. These problems include the fact that the main character is a female rapper in an idustry that is dominated by males. They include her troubled family members and a world where even family will sell you out if the price is right. The movie works so well because of both the intensity of the conflicts and also the emotion behind each character. Every part has been perfectly cast so that not one character is forgetable. They take a strong story and they fill it with energy. 8 Mile was good, but it only had one note and one idea. This movie does what 8 Mile wanted to do. It really explores the lives of the characters in this world and lets the audience feel like they are a part of it.

Anne B. Real has all the makings of a modern version of what the American dream is all about. It is filmed in the gritty streets of Spanish Harlem giving the viewer an unsanitised authenticity not often seen. We follow our heroine on her journey to find her voice amid self doubt, made worse by non-supportive and deceitful family members.The lack of profanity in the film is hardly noticed because we are so focused on the well written and well acted words.

I saw Anne B. Real at the Maryland Film Festival. It is great!

The lead actress (credited on screen as JNYCE and credited on IMDB as Ja Nice) Richardson is fantastic as Cynthia, going to high school in greater NYC, who dreams of a career as a hip hop artist, but who is surrounded by people who want to use her, or who tell her she won't amount to anything. She is fantastic. At the Festival, the director, Lisa France, told us that the young woman was an R&B performer, not a hip hop artist, and was not an experienced actor. The producer, who was there at the Q&A, credited Lisa France's direction as contributing to the excellent acting job by JNYCE.

Jackie Quinones plays her friend Kitty. She is a hoot! From the first time she comes on screen you know this is going to be a fun movie because she's in it -- very loud and brassy and New York, funny and appealing. Every filmmaker, I think, hopes for a scene-stealer like this in his/her movie. What a find! What a great job! Many of her lines are improvised, since they re-wrote the script to give her more screen time, and they didn't have dialogue ready.

Most of the audience at MFF was grown-ups, and the prevailing idea during the Q&A was that this was a great message movie for kids, especially teen-age girls (I have one, 16). I bought the DVD, and raved about the film when I got home. My daughter watched it and I'm happy to say she loved it. It's not a given that something that adults think is good for kids is something the kid herself will enjoy, but mine likes the film a lot. She's coming with me to see it again at a thank-you screening for MFF volunteers.

Interestingly shot, excellent performances from a mixture of brand new actors and veterans, well-written and exciting! A great film for adults, and a great film for teen-agers of any color from any part of the world.

I could not get this movie out of my head. It's message is so beautiful, and so universal. The tie in with Anne Frank is so original and so great.

My 12 year old now wants me to buy her the Diary of Anne Frank. I am so impressed with this effort on the part of first time director Lisa France.

Stuntwoman and first-time director Lisa France has somehow created an F-word-'free' rap move that works! If you want profanity, just re-rent "8 Mile," but if you'd like to see a highly original rap movie then this is the one to check out. How often do you get to see movies about impoverished teens using historical literature to translate their feelings to others, as well as to fuel their customary outlets of creativity - in this case rap.

You can guess how it all ends up but this is still an effective drama and with its mild language a definite must-see for family viewing as well as young aspiring rappers. Literature and rap - who'd a thunk it?

I'm no fan of most rap and hip hop or most poetry, for that matter, so I was amazed by this movie. It captured me. Not only did it give me a new appreciation for the art of "rhyming," but the compelling story and talented cast really won me over.

At the risk of mis-branding this film a "chick flick," Lisa France has tapped into an inner voice and angst that's too typical of American teenage girls (and women). When we allow others (let alone ourselves) to discourage us from pursuing our dreams and talents, we are our truly own worst enemies.

In reality, this is no "chick flick." It's a gritty slice of city life, with its share of violence and loss. You won't find any incarnation of Meg Ryan here (not even in the pleasant surprise of Jackie Martling's brief stint as a curmudgeonly teacher).

Simply put, I was swept away, by the music, by the energy, by the writing, by the acting, by the vision and visuals, and, of course, by the unique play of words flowing from the experience of this aspiring teen "rhymer" against the inspirational words of Anne Frank and the resulting evolution of this teenage girl.

This is a movie you will want to own and share with friends of all ages and watch over and over again.

I really enjoyed this film. Though the title is misleading, i can recognize what the title was trying to accomplish. The influence of Anne Frank's Diary has never been so eloquently shown. By applying the diary to the life of an inner-city young adult is to put the past into the future. Carlos Leon and Ja Nice Richardson did wonderful jobs and i am upset that she has been in few other films. She puts the watcher in the mind of Michelle Rodriguez from Girl Fight and Fast and the Furious.

Ja Nice's character is somewhat weak through out the whole film in my opinion and could have gained her strength much earlier in the film. Aside from that the film has a strong storyline and good basic message.

What i enjoyed the most in this film was all of the music. being a HUGE fan of underground hip-hop i EASILY recognized many of the songs. I also appreciated the fact that music from the West Coast in a New York based film. Kudos to the music director.

What first drew me to rent, "Anne B. Real" on my weekly trip to Blockbuster, was when a friend picked up the dvd and read off the back that "GirlFight" and "8 Mile" were recommended for those who enjoyed "Anne B. Real" I had seen both movies, so I decided that I would give it a chance. And, I must say, I am overly glad I did.

When watching, "Anne B. Real" I felt as if I was there with the characters, especially the main character, her inner turmoil brought tears to my eyes. I truly enjoyed it, it's one of those movies that for whiles to come, you'll still gasp "Fantastic..."



ManiacMallRat

Directorial debut for first time feature film director, Lisa France proves success out of the box. She was able to get an incredible performance out of first time actors young and old. It is not easy for a director to capture the perfect performance, but it's even more of a challenge when working with new talent. Lisa France could very well be the first female director to win an Oscar. I can't wait to see what she has in store for her audience next.

I was impressed by the maturity of this film. The interlacing of The Diary of Anne Frank with the life of a modern young woman infused this piece with an element of timelessness. I have a hard time listening to rap not because of the lyrics, but because of the bass… this story has encouraged me to seek out written versions of rap, and take the opportunity to enjoy the poetry of this unique and compelling genre.

I was most pleased with the realism of the story line and ending. There was no false-fairytale-Hollywood ending, but rather an engaging and surprisingly inspiring conclusion to a tale that could take place anywhere around the world today. I hope that this film offers some hope to other young people in similar situations. We truly are responsible for our own upbringing.

I'm the kinda of person who enjoys watching low budget, critically acclaimed indy films. When I came across "Anne B. Real" on the wall of the video store, I was intrigued by the story. I didn't expect the movie to be that awesome, but with comparisons to "Girlfight" and "8 mile" I thought it was worth checking out.

I wasn't disappointed. The story was great and engaging and the characters were believable. I really like the perfomance of Janice Richardson as Cynthia. She was great and I hope to see her in more films in the near future.

The film does address a lot of issues without being to preachy. It touches on things such as sexism in the rap industry, being a product of your environmnet, and trying to rise above even when it seems the people closest to you are against you. However, the story also shows that one positive influence can be enough to give someone the boost they need to rise above.

"Anne B. Real" is not only a great film, but it has a strong, positive message for kids. And, it has none of the usual racist slang and filthy language that are so often a big part of this type of film. Kids everywhere, especially teens, should see this movie.

Anne B. Real crosses over every cultural, age, ethnic and religious boundary. Unlike most urban films it challenges the viewer with multi-levels of plot. I haven't seen a film this well composed since "Fresh." It makes you think! Finally! I'm happy to say that the emotional content was there without the typical colorful terms we get with an urban film. The way The Diary of Anne Frank was woven throughout the film was amazingly clever. The music was an extraordinary combination of hip hop and classical composition lending us to both the history of Anne Frank, but at the same time being utterly present to the gritty New York City backdrop. The performances were so real! Carlos Leon was fantastic! People can finally stop referring to him as Madonna's baby's father. He is a talent to be reckoned with. Hat off to the director for getting such extraordinary performances out of newcomers Jnyce Richardson and Jackie Quionnes. Hard to believe it was a first effort by even the director. Photographed beautifully too! Again, hard to imagine it was shot on HD24P- look

First of all, I should mention I'm 49 years old and white and don't care for rap music.

But this appeared to be a quality production, with important lessons, positive messages, good writing and good acting. Just don't get too attached to anyone because in this neighborhood, you can't be sure anyone will survive to the end.

Cynthia's father was a dedicated teacher at an aging New York City high school in a bad section of the city. When she was young, he gave her Anne Frank's famous diary to read.

Now Cynthia is a student at that high school. Her father is deceased and her family is on welfare. They include Cynthia, her mother, her grandmother, her brother Juan, her sister Janet, and Janet's baby. Cynthia's mother is Latina and doesn't look black. I'm not clear on her father's racial background but he had a Spanish-sounding name. Anyway, Cynthia looks black and thinks of herself as black.

Several teachers at the school, particularly Michael, believe that at least some of these kids can be reached, despite what the neighborhood is like. Cynthia is one of them, though she has had difficulty since her father's death. But reading about Anne Frank has inspired her and she now writes rap lyrics inspired by Anne. As "Anne B. Real", she raps in front of a mirror. In the same mirror she imagines people she knows criticizing her.

Meanwhile, Juan supposedly has had a job, but the only way he seems to make money is by selling lyrics to up-and-coming rapper Deuce. Deuce wants to impress those who can make him a star, so he claims the lyrics are his own. Of course, so does Juan--who, by the way, uses too much of his money to buy drugs, and gets into situations that could put him behind bars.

Cynthia's friends include Kitty, who looks very white but is more street in her speech than most of the movie's characters. She could be considered comic relief. There is also Jerome, who has been on his own since age 12, and he has to get by delivering drugs. Darius is a very European-looking Latino who seems to want a romantic relationship with Cynthia.

Deuce has a girlfriend who is quite pretty and thinks she is "all that". I didn't catch her name but she adds a lot.

The stories of Deuce and Cynthia are interesting, and both characters have a lot of determination, but Cynthia is the strongest character here. She needs to be strong, too, because she will be put through a lot (so will the audience), and JNyce is quite effective.

But despite this movie taking me out of my comfort zone, I think it was a worthwhile experience.

Yeah movies are about what actors are in them, who they are (fam-wise), and how they perform. I didn't know who any of those actors were... but one thing I do know is that I Love that movie,I just watched it like 3 days ago and started to search for it today, I even registered today just to post my comment. The movie was straight up real, not to sound cliché, Anne B. Real was real. People always go along with the crowd and give peopl3 props who are known already, people gotta start from somewhere to get where they want to be.... This movie is now one of my favorite movies, well I late to work it's 4:32 and I'm supposed to be there at 5:00, let me go make my paper.... A note to all of you all, be REAL with yourselves. Much love... now it's 4:34 bye now it is 4:35, did not know I had to write all correct, with out slang

This is a pretty good movie. I borrowed this from my Aunt, and I wound up really liking it. I was skeptical at first, but I was drawn into the story line. I thought the story was really touching, and I liked that it was something different at the time. I definitely think being a teen and a minority it was appealing only to a certain demographic. As a former writer familiar with the publishing industry, I think the script read very strong, but it didn't come across that way compared to watching it on the screen. This propably worked a lot better for book or teaching segment in a college course. Overall, I thought this was an underrated movie. It's defiantly not among the worst. This good for an evening night when you need something to watch.