Pretty Good

Lack of good storyline.

Absolutely the worst movie.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Some movies you watch because they are classics. Some movies you watch because they mean something to you in particular. Some movies you watch to be enlightened. But a huge number of movies you watch you watch for fun and nothing more or maybe to remember a time when things were different. Such is the case with "BEAT STREET".In 1984 when the movie came out hip hop music was on the rise as was hip hop dancing. The jerky movements, the spins, the flips, the musically influenced dance style was the rage. Hollywood, never one to let a fad go by untapped, made the choice to bring out several films involving the hip hop scene, almost always by a low budget studio. That year Cannon popped out "BREAKIN'" and its sequel "BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO". "KRUSH GROOVE" gave Shelia E. a chance to hit the movie screen. "WILD STYLE" featured the music of Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash.BEAT STREET came out in 1984 and was one of the first to hit the screens. All of them seemed to play off of the same things, the music, the New York locale and the graffiti art. "BEAT STREET" takes on all of those themes. Kenny is a young DJ living in the Bronx with dreams of being a star one day. Along with his brother Lee who wants to be a professional hip hop dancer and his friends they hit the clubs and private parties held in abandoned buildings.The possibility of success arrives in the form of Tracy (Rae Dawn Chong), a grad student who invites Lee to show off his moves for her classmates. With no pay and no chance to use it as a stepping stone, Kenny gets upset since Lee had told him Tracy promised him a chance at both. This leads to a parting of the ways until Tracy finds a way to make things right with Kenny. Later he gets that chance at stardom and an opportunity to show his skills at a major nightclub. He just has to show them what he can do.In addition to this story we have that of Kenny's friend Ramon, a gifted graffiti artists who also dreams of making it big. Ramon also has a young child with his girlfriend and he's trying his best to make things right with her and her family. He works as well as doing his art and finds himself in a battle of wills with another spray paint artist who keeps ruining his works. A face off is inevitable.But story isn't the main reason for these movies. Much like the musicals of the past it was the song and dance portions of the films that made fans go to them. The movie offers plenty of that for hip hop fans who craved seeing that as often as possible. The film is filled with dance offs and party sequences that are filled with hip hop dancing. Not only that but songs are provided by some of the best performers on the scene at the time including Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Mel and the Furious Five and Africa Bambata among others.The movie fits into the drama category because it's about hope and dreams, some achieved and others that crash to the ground before they can even begin. Yes there is tragedy as well as joy in this film. In the end it is a movie that for those who grew up in the 80s when the music and dancing was just taking off will bring back fond memories. For those young enough to like the music they can now see what their parents were up to at the time. And for movie fans it's another one to just sit and enjoy. Those interested in adding it to their collections will be the die-hard fans. All others will just have a bit of fun and move on.

"...with a kung-fu grip that don't even work!"Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! Here we go...Kenny is an aspiring mixmaster/deejay. He mans the wheels-of-steel at Kool Herc's happening hangout, The Burning Spear. Kenny's brother is Lee. Lee participates in subway platform breakdance battles. Lee befriends serious dance student Tracy. Tracy falls for a guy from the wrong side of the split-open cardboard box, Lee's brother Kenny. They have snowball fights, roam subway passages together, and have arguments about what it really means to be "down".Oh, and Kenny has a friend named Ramo' who bombs (spray-paints graffiti on) the endless number of clear, white, subway trains that were seemingly in circulation during the filming of this movie. Only, there's some jagoff named "Spit" that keeps painting over Ramo's mobile masterpieces. "Why does he do it", asks Ramo's homey. "'Cuz he can't do no better" comes the response. Yup. Intense stuff.But "Beat Street" was never about plot, or acting, or even breakdancing (there are but a few short scenes featuring any at-length dancing at all). It's all about rap songs with lyrics like: --"My name is Brenda Starr, and I, move to the beat/I go to the Roxy just to move my feet"... or: "Jingle, and Jangle, a Jingle-Jangle for the poor/and when you get your welfare check, you can buy reindeer by the score!"It's all about juicylishus wet dripping Jerri-curls and goose down coats. It's about Fila suits and sneakers with the tongues hanging out. It's about girls named Sha-Rock and guys named Cosmic Pop, Crazy Legs or Powerful Pexster. It's about manly-man rapper Grandmaster Mel E. Mel, wearing zebra-print scarves, thigh-high black leather boots, dreadlocks with Christmas ornaments on the ends, and a wrap shawl that looks like a mutant-sized tarantula crawled onto his shoulders, threw-up, and then died.Stay tuned for the film's "Showtime At The Apollo/Welcome To Your Own Personal Hell" grand finale. It's true-- white men can't jump and not all black guys can rap either. Word.

I had not seen this movie since the late '80s and decided to pick up the VHS version of it. The plot is very slow, and the actors almost seem robotic in this breakdance flick. The music, hip hop/freestyle artists and the breakdancing scenes are what make this movie special. The breakdancing is actually better in this movie than in "Breakin'", but I have to say that "Breakin' 1&2" carry the energy & excitement to the screen a lot better. It's a movie I will keep in my library, but it's not a movie that I can watch over & over again, just once in a blue moon.

It's fine to appreciate this film through the sieve of nostalgia. Even I have a hard time viewing this film without reciting all the words- I've seen it many many times. But the important thing to note here is that while Harry Belafonte made a noble effort to shape a story out of the Bronx's greatest cultural export, it's only successful half of the time. The result is a film that garners lots of groaning through scenes while waiting for the 'good parts'. Rae Dawn Chong is flimsy and ineffective as usual, in the role of the dance school instructor who 'discovers' Lee and KK. The ensuing romance that KK and Tracy have is terribly trite and makes for sleepy viewing. Likewise the sopping wet story of Ramon and his girlfriend, who have a child and disapproving parents. Heavy handed and poorly acted to boot- even for the time period. All the graffiti was designed by stage painters, and looks like it- distant and plastic. This is a depiction of a corny world indeed.What Beat Street is notable for, is managing to compile many notable music artists and b-boys/b-girls in performance. The Rock Steady and NY Breakers footage, the Us Girls group assembled for this film, Busy Bee, Melle Mel and the Furious Five, Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force, Tina B., Brenda Starr, Treacherous Three and Doug E. Fresh- there's loads of it which greatly outweighs the mindless fluff of the so-called plot. The soundtrack (co-produced by Arthur Baker of "Planet Rock" fame) is extremely notable as well. It was originally sold in 2 volumes, and while each record has several watery ballads, the classic songs like "Frantic Situation", "Son of Beat Street", "Santa's Rap" and "Battle Cry" are very much worth the purchase. If you're like me and miss 'old New York' (it was only 20 or so years ago but NY is totally different) it's really great to see painted trains, old street scenes and the Roxy. Beat Street has been contrasted to Wild Style many times, especially with the scorn of Beat Street being the Hollywood retread of Wild Style's gritty budgeted reality. This might be the case, but it would seem that Beat Street has a better focus on b-boying (breakdance) whereas Wild Style's actual graffiti by famed writers remains the strong point of that film. There's a hokey wholesomeness present in Beat Street that just isn't realistic. Regardless, Beat Street is certainly worth viewing- particularly when it pops up on TV- but be prepared for some stale, hackneyed drama strewn into the great music and killer scenes. "Beat Street Breakdown--- RUAHHH!!!"