That was an excellent one.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Prince. The kissing in this film is ridiculous and off putting, The acting is natural yet very shallow. There are plenty of films that deserve a far lower rating than this though. I would not probably watch this twice, yet once was quite enjoyable. The dance routines were very well done,there were inconsistencies in the film, but you can overlook them easily considering it is a light hearted film; The idea of the film felt slightly lame here and there, but not slow enough to break my concentration. I like Prince and understand what he was trying to achieve' This is not as good as purple rain, but a close second musically.

Under the Cherry Moon (1986)** (out of 4) Christopher (Prince) and Tricky (Jerome Benton) are brothers working Miami Beach where they seduce women for their money. Their latest target is Mary (Kristin Scott Thomas), a woman who just turned twenty one and is about to inherit fifty million dollars. Tricky soon finds himself falling in love but the girl's rich father isn't going to go for their relationship.UNDER THE CHERRY MOON was released to very little noise and it was pretty much forgotten the minute it hit theaters. I doubt many people in 1986 were wanting to see a B&W movie and I doubt even more that they wanted to see anything other than PURPLE RAIN 2. This film has gained a pretty bad reputation over the years but I honestly didn't find it to be that bad. Yes there are all sorts of problems but I thought there was still some good stuff as well.For starters, the cinematography is downright beautiful and I thought it really captured a fairy tale like quality. The B&W images are perfectly used to highlight the beaches and the sexy locations. I also thought there were some rather funny moments scattered throughout the picture. As far as Prince goes, his acting had certainly gotten a little better since PURPLE RAIN. Benton is decent in his supporting role but I thought Kristin Scott Thomas and Steven Berkoff were quite good.I'm going to guess that Prince wanted to do some sort of romantic drama that had the flare of the 1930s. This probably explains it being shot in B&W and they even name drop Bela Lugosi in the picture. The biggest problem with the movie is that the story itself is just way too predictable and I'd argue that there's really not any drama and the ending certainly doesn't hit like I'm sure Prince wanted it to. Still, there are much worse movies out there than this.

The people who dislike this film because it doesn't fit into popular convention or wasn't a bock office success are missing the point. At best it's an elitist point of view. Here's why:This film is about control. It's about people who are the gatekeepers of things (wealth, a lifestyle, accolade, whatever.) and the lengths those people will go to to keep it. Mary is one example, she thinks she's the odd, charming, center-of-attention. In fact, she is, until the strange gigolo, Chris, comes into her life and is even stranger and more narcissistic than she is. At first she hates him because he offends her, possibly poses a threat to her world view.Mary's father is another example, he's clearly a control-freak reveling in the hold he has over his daughter, wife, and everyone else around him. The third example is the film itself. It's genre-mashing and disjointed, juxtaposing many elements that seem to conflict from the presence of two black playboys in South France to the contemporary music and the choice of black & white. The movie deliberately is clearly and deliberately making a mockery of cinema standards. He went to great lengths to cast some of the finest acting talent, execute beautiful cinematography, and evoke a certain feel just to walk in an unapologetically represent a point of view that isn't often referenced on screen. Film critics love to cite films that speak to their own cultural references, their own aspirations for beauty and prestige, or their own tastes or history. But that's only a perspective, Prince not only challenges that perspective but defies it by being himself -- comedic, crass, sexual, even borderline offensive in his role.Critics call UNDER THE CHERRY MOON awful, amateurish, a 'disaster' and all sorts of other names. But I often wonder if they've ever considered that maybe that was the whole point -- part of Prince's artistic point of view?One could say as much about his entire career: he is a control freak, he plays all the instruments on all his albums, he writes songs that don't conform to popular convention, he isn't always at the top of the charts as a result - but in spite of all these this he remains a success. He thrives in the opposite of conformity and his three movies are perfect examples of that. This one, in my opinion, being the most "Prince".Before he made this movie and after, he couldn't care less what you thought about it. Some might call that arrogant. I see it as a very distinct confidence in being able to do exactly what you want -- not expecting everyone to love it but equally not caring either way. In the placing of two black-American hustlers in South France and telling a love story while shooting a contemporary film in the style of the early 20s, this film is deliberately challenging a lot of social norms. The only real shame here is how dismissive the entire industry has been to a film that was clearly a carefully crafted message of disdain for their very existence. Razzie? This movie deserves an Academy Award.

This movie is nowhere near as bad as it's reputation. The acting is better in this movie than in most daytime soap operas. Prince & Jerome Benton are actually quite funny. That may be due to the fact that they're friends in real life. The worst part about this movie is the way Prince dresses in most of it. The soft white jumpsuit with the (hijab-like) headpiece was terrible. Prince overacts towards the end of the film. The jokes are somewhat ethnic without trying to be. The scene that comes to mind is when Tricky is suggesting that he could wed Mary Sharon. Christopher implies that if Tricky even approached Mary, the police would lock him up. Christopher gets into some dialog about being light-skinned(butterscotch) and Tricky being dark-skinned(chocolate) and how they have different fathers. This is to suggest that he wouldn't bail Tricky out of jail once he's locked up. Trickey informs Christopher that he'll "Slap the waves out yo head!". Prince & Jerome Benton were "Bling Bling" before the "Bling Bling Era" came into fashion during the mid 90's. Overall, the movie is a 6.5 on a 1-10 scale.