North Dallas Movie Review was a publication created to let filmgoers know about free screenings in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The monthly publication was published monthly from 1984 to 1999. The publication had free screening information, movie reviews, interviews, contests and more.
Selig’s John Strange was a partner and assignment editor and Gary Murray was the lead writer.
This review appeared in the August 1991 issue.
BOYZ IN THE HOOD (1991)
By: Gary Murray
Directed by: John Singleton
Cast:
MPAA Rating: R (for language, violence and sensuality)
Selig Rating: FULL PRICE
Runtime: 112 Min.
Original Release Date: 07/12/91
Boyz in the Hood is the kind of film that I could talk about for days and still never convince anyone to actually go and see it. It is a tough, honest portrayal of life in South Central Los Angeles. Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays Tre, a bright young man who is sent to live with his father Furious Styles (Lawrence Fishburn) in, what was once, a safe area of Los Angeles. As Tre becomes more a part of the neighborhood, the neighborhood becomes the ‘hood’, a violent, crime-infested gang zone. There is the constant twirl of police helicopters and machine gun fire is more common than birds singing.
Furious tries to instill values, both personal and communal, into Tre while the reality of the hood offers another view to Tre. There is an overwhelming no-win feeling throughout Boyz, but Furious and others offer a true glimmer of hope for both the youth of the neighborhood as well as the neighborhood itself. Boyz in the Hood is a FULL PRICE, a must see. It is one of the best films of 1991.
The Selig Rating Scale:
FULL PRICE – Excellent movie, well worth the price
MATINEE – Good movie
DOLLAR – OK movie
CABLE – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
FREEBIE – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn't paid for it.
COMMERCIAL TV – Commercials and cutting to the allotted time will not hurt this one.
FORGET IT! – Bad. If you see this one, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself.
GET YOUR TORCHES – BAD! – Burn the script, the writer, the director and maybe even the actors!
