Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Get Rich Or Die Tryin

—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (50 Cent)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (New International Version) — “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.�
enlargeCinematically, if you’ve seen Juice, Menace II Society, or any other variant of hip-hop infused crime/gangster movies, then you already know the plot of Get Rich Or Die Tryin. Kid gets abandoned by a parent (in this case, the abandonment was forced due to his mother’s death). The rest of his family ridicules and/or ignores him. Kid turns to street life and drug dealing as a way of escape. Kid becomes man and attracts the eye of the kingpins in charge… and steadily collects his fair share of enemies. Gunshots ensue. Man meets ghetto princess and falls in love. Man gets involved in ill-advised shootout where he eventually ends up in prison. After the requisite prison attack and forced solitary confinement, man gets enlightened and decides that it’s safer to become a rapper than a drug dealer. Man gets out of jail and tells kingpin that he’s pursing his rap career. Kingpin won’t let him off the leash so easily and executes act of revenge. More gunshots ensue. Man sticks to his guns, survives the requisite final confrontation, and lives happily ever after.

What gives this “hood movie� a higher level of pedigree is that it stars one of the hottest hip-hop artists in the country: Curtis “50 Cent� Jackson. In addition, this film, just like 8 Mile—starring 50 Cent’s "mentor" Eminem—is directed by a director who hasn’t got the slightest indication of having a hip-hop bone in his body, but, nevertheless, is somehow fascinated by the culture. Jim Sheridan, who directed Daniel Day Lewis to an Oscar in My Left Foot, takes the command of this ship to share with audiences the (semi-autobiographical) life and times of “Fiddy.� As the Scripture says above, it’s nothing any of us haven’t seen before. But, this time, I see a parallel between this story and our own lives.
Proverbs 23:4 (NIV) – “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.�
GET RICH OR DIE TRYINIn an ironic, obviously God-inspired twist of fate, my wife received this Scripture from her Daily Bible Verse email on Wednesday November 9, 2005—the same day this film opened in theatres. The words of this Scripture were easily echoed and reverberated within the depths of my soul as I watched the film. As I thought about Fiddy’s story as it played itself out on screen, I thought about life in America. Whether it’s the ghettoes of New York City or the suburbs of Orange County, American culture is obsessed with riches. We wear our bodies out, fry our brain cells, and sacrifice our own souls in the pursuit of riches. Only God knows how many marriages, children and other relationships with family and friends have been unwillingly sacrificed on the altar of the pursuit of riches. We, as a culture, have allowed the mentality of getting rich or dying trying to define us. Our identity in the world has less to do with our integrity and our pursuit of Christ-ordained righteousness and more to do with the number of zeros in our bank account, the emblem on the bumpers of our cars, and the tags sewn inside of the fabrics we wear.

It’s even poisoned us in our approach to Christianity. Some ministers of the Gospel are utilizing the principles of God’s word not in an honest and genuine desire to be more like Him, but, rather, in pursuit of prosperity. We’ve all seen firsthand how Satan can deceive prominent ministers and pastors through the “gospel of prosperity.� Many of us proudly boast that we give our 10% as required in the Word. But many of us do so not out of love and respect for Christ, but rather what He can give us in return. Through our pursuit of riches we reduce God to nothing more than an ATM machine where if we see something we want, we “name it/claim it/blab it/grab it!� God does indeed desire to bless us with the things that we need in life. But Christ Himself also proclaimed that the poor will always be with us (Matthew 26:11). God has even decided that, for some of us, poverty will be the hand that we’re dealt with.
James 4: 1-4 (NIV) - What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
We as Americans view poverty as shameful—like Fiddy’s character in the film. His ambition for riches is shown is a scene where some kids laugh at him for wearing second-hand shoes. This mentality is prevalent in the inner cities and ghettos of America. The kids in “da hood� have bought into this false mentality that who you are is defined by what you have and how much money you’ve got. That is why modern day hip-hop culture is infused with this “bling-bling� mentality which is also heavily displayed within this film. Fiddy’s fans who see this movie—along with his and other rappers’ videos—will be treated to glamour shots of our heroes driving their Mercedes Lexuses and SUVs, smoking weed, and having parties with scantily clad women. That becomes their aspiration. They willfully sacrifice integrity and morals. Their desire for riches doesn’t just stem from an honest desire for a better life. Chasing the cars, the money and the girls becomes their identity and purpose. Ultimately, some of them turn to a life of crime because they feel that’s the only way they’ll gain “respect� (also defined by the amount of money and power one has). They’ll kill anyone who’ll stand in the way of their pursuit of riches. Whether it’s sworn enemies or former friends or their former bosses, the mentality is defined with a simple statement: “I gotta get mine… so I’ll take yours.�

The film has the prerequisite amount of killings, stabbings, beatdowns, ambushes, double crosses and the like. There’s also the prerequisite “moment of clarity jail cell scene� in which our hero decides to turn his back on drug dealing to pursue a rap career. His decision is based on the same reason he decided to sell drugs: to get more riches. With a girlfriend and infant son to take care of, it's an understandable decision. We could applaud this change in life strategy and direction (as well as his real life alter-ego’s decision) to pursue his rap career if its purpose was to tell the kids listening to this music the truth about the life he chose and how that life is ultimately destined for destruction. But with songs like “Hustler’s Ambition� (featuring lyrics like “Nigga you get in my way when while I'm tryin to get mine and I'll buck you, I don't care who you run with, or where you from, nigga f**k you�), “I’ll Whip Ya Head, Boy� and “Window Shopper� (a song where he graphically taunts his enemies about how richer he is than they are), we don’t get the sense that he’s remorseful about his former life.
Matthew 16:26 (NIV) – “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?�
The more I think about it, the more I see that there isn’t much difference in the drug dealers in this film and our own lives. We lust and desire for fame, power and riches. And we’re willing to sell our souls in the process. The most troubling thing about this film is the fact that this issue of the soul is totally ignored. We don’t see guilt, anguish, remorse or even a hint of repentance in Fiddy’s actions on screen. Many of us have done shady and terrible things in pursuit of fame and riches. We may not have taken a gun and shot anyone as the characters in this film, but we’ve done things to sabotage our enemies in the workplace and even in the Church. And, just like the characters in the film, we show little to no remorse for our actions... even going so far as to use Scripture to justify our behavior.

In the end, it's Satan playing out his final temptation to Jesus all over again… only this time, we’re the ones being tempted (All these things I will give to you if you will bow down and worship me – Matthew 4:8-9). We have indeed, like the characters in this film, chosen to bow down and worship him. As a result, we have lost a huge chunk of our soul in the process—again, like the characters in the film. Jesus Christ offers us a life rich in integrity, wholeness and peace. But instead, we have chosen to follow Fiddy’s footsteps with one mission and one mission only: to get rich or die trying.

—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (50 Cent)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads

posted by Chris Utley at 11:10 PM  

4 Comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.kstreetfriend.blogspot.com provides the following:

I write the following because Tom Birdsong, Assistant Managing Editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on Wednesday, November 9, 2005, said, “No one is going to write about your family’s plight.� Thereafter, Mrs. Estelle B. Richman’s staff (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania‘s Secretary of Welfare) became very rude and indifferent to our emergency situation. In fact, Ms. Richman’s chief of staff, Linda Hicks no longer accepted our calls. Christian Bowser actually laughed about our situation. Inez Titus, became even more stubborn with her unlawful position. The Executive Director for Western Pennsylvania Department of Welfare, Tim Cornell (Mrs. Titus’ supervisor) has yet to return any of our calls.

Nonetheless, a man was shot to death in a cinema lobby shootout after watching gangsta rapper 50 cent’s movie “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,� prompting the Loews Cineplex at the Waterfront in West Homestead (just east of Pittsburgh) to stop showing the film. I was there with my family (common-law wife and three minor children). That is, although determined eligible, my family has again been denied the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (“LIHEAP�) federal entitlement for the fourth or fifth straight year. Without heat during the cold winter months a theater provides temporary shelter (allowing my family opportunity to give relatives “a break� from our nightly sleep-overs).

What happened at the Waterfront? Shelton Flowers, 30, of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, was shot three times and died later at a local hospital. Flowers had just watched the movie and got into a confrontation with three men in the bathroom. A fight ensued and spilled out into the concessions area, where Flowers was shot. Immediately, Loews Cineplex pulled the movie as a precaution. The R-rated movie is based on Curtis “50-cent� Jackson’s own life which includes drug dealing, time in prison, and getting shot nine times. Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom, Inc., removed billboards for the movie near some inner-city schools after Los Angeles area community leaders complained last month.

Wilkinsburg, just east of Pittsburgh, is a town that was once synonymous with white supremacy. It is a town that had a mere 502 black residents in 1950 when its population hit 31,000, and only 224 more black residents 10 years later. But, over the next few decades, almost like a prophecy, the black population rose to 90 percent. That is, just a little more than 200 years ago Andrew Levi Levy, Sr. named the town “Africa.�

The borough grew from Levy’s land and other plots (such as the curiously named “Pious Purchase,� and others called Rippeyville, McNairsville and Sterrett Township). It was incorporated some 118 years ago and given the name Wilkinsburg after Judge William Wilkins, the Secretary of War under President John Tyler. Nonetheless, many of its current residents still believe Wilkinsburg is no different today than it was in the 1920's when hooded knights of the Ku Klux Klan cavorted. They say whites still control the town with black “puppets� politicians.

While other cities the size of Pittsburgh has seen a steady growth in gun crime, our gun violence trajectory appears to have exploded. Community activists, politicians and crime experts all have brainstorm strategies for stemming violence. The residents here had hoped for a comprehensive plan of action that would have addressed part of the root causes that lead our neighbors to take up guns. But, the answer given is more of the same. The local politicians have taken a page from the George W. Bush handbook (Madison Avenue to sell our reputation).

We have our three rivers, a beautiful skyline, a romantic culture district, a few of the country’s best hospitals, excellent universities, and the like. But, there's never anything mentioned about our blighted downtown business district, the high unemployment rate of black males, increased gun violence, and the growth of conservative republican complacency.

It's no secret any more that economic conditions for blacks in Pittsburgh and its surrounding communities is precarious. Black residents rank low compared to the national average of income, employment, and education. We have chronic problems of gang and drug violence, family breakdowns, soaring incarceration rates for young black males, and abysmally failing public schools. Wilkinsburg residents are, in fact, the best example of the 13 percent of the United States’ (black) population still living chained in by a Bush presidency, with our eyes riveted on the wall of the white media (Madison Avenue) in front of us, where we see nothing but shadows made by powerless leaders hiding behind us.

We could debate endlessly the role of such squeamishness in concealing and exacerbating the problem with race relations in both Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania. We could also discuss the minor role played by gangsta rap music. But, what we should consider is how right-wing conservatives, such as Senator Rick Santorum, have convinced so many blacks that shadows from behind (self-indulgent grab for expensive cars, clothes and money of black republican conservatives living in our affluent North Hills neighborhoods) are reality.

Many of the black residents of Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities believe a lot of the Madison Avenue nonsense. They believe things that are just not true. And, the Republicans gets their strength from this.

The bottom line: The root cause of the shooting at the Loews Cineplex is the apparent political cleansing of true democrats from local politics. Gerrymandering and electoral manipulation (just plan “punk ass� democrats) have left the city with zones of endemic poverty, an absence of social services, crumbling infrastructure, and appalling schools. After the radicalized poverty of black America was laid bare in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina almost everyone expected some change from white America. But quickly the Bush administration and the Republican party have lapsed back into policies to further divide America.

In the 1990's white America built prisons to house the disproportionately black inmates it had planned to toss into jail (in the years that followed) to reassure the affluent majority it complacency with race issues. One of every eight black males between 25 and 29 years old is behind bars on any given day according to the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit group that seeks to reduce incarceration rates. If this rate continues, one of three black males born today will be imprisoned at some point in their lifetimes.

A local daily “conservative right� newspaper, “The Pittsburgh Tribune Review� recently feature an article written by Walter Williams, a professor of economics at George Mason University. In the article “Ammunition for Poverty Pimps� Mr. William suggested the Census Bureau’s 2004 current Population Survey found two segments of the black community. One segment suffers only 9.9 percent poverty rate and another suffers 39.5. He surmised that one would be a lunatic if they believed white people practice discrimination. He concluded, among other things, that the only distinction between the two segments was marriage. Adding, “If today’s black family structure were what it was in 1960, the overall black poverty rate would be in or near single digits."

I guess Mr. Williams failed to consider the proof that demonstrates blacks are denied opportunities in forms of employment, education and even human treatment. For example, on October 18, I borrowed a little more than $50 to buy a bus ticket to travel halfway across the state for an oral test given by the Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission. I was well dressed in a dark business suit and could have been easily mistaken as a black republican conservative. However, while on the elevator headed for the floor for the testing, a white woman asked me if I was allowed on the floor where the testing was being held. She suggested that because I was black, "I had no business on their elevator." She ordered me off the elevator on a lower floor and said that she would have to call up stairs to let the staff know I was on my way.

Soon thereafter she was advised that I was scheduled for an oral test on the floor I was trying to get to. But, she still refused to compromise. She announced that I wasn't permitted to travel through their office without an escort. Interestingly, it was additionally odd that the State required a monitor to sit in with me during my testing.

Nonetheless, getting back to the LIHEAP issue, the federal entitlement program provides waivers and reduced heating rates to low-income households. It is a federal program that assists those who cannot pay their bills. Eligible households can receive assistance through a direct payment to energy vendors that supply their fuel, or through a crisis component during weather-related emergencies. To be eligible for the program, household income cannot exceed 135 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines: $12,920 for a one-person household; $17,321 for two persons; $21,722 for three persons; $26,123 for four persons; $30,524 for five persons. For larger households, the guidelines increase by $4,401 for each additional person. Homeowners, renters (including those whose rent includes heat), roomers and subsidized housing tenants may be eligible.

I have a good understanding of the program because I was previously employed by Allegheny County as a planner and wrote grant applications for the agency that implements the program. However, in 1989, I was fired in retaliation for organizing a union. The political sub-division said I was terminated for being tardy four times in a four-month period. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission ("PHRC")identified a white female working in the same office as having been tardy 71 times during the same time period and not disciplined. But, the PHRC ruled it was bad management and not discrimination.

Ever since my termination the political-subdivision has found some way to retaliate against my household, i.e., always reaches from any available loophole to frustrate the process and deny my family the federal entitlement. In the past, I have complained to the State, federal government (FBI), courts and media to no avail.

Consider this, when the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan passed through Western Pennsylvania in September 2004, the LIHEAP offered free water heaters and furnaces. Income restrictions were waived allowing the affluent to participate. My family was denied relief because the deed to our house is recorded in our minor son’s name. But, LIHEAP allows renters and other non-homeowners to participate.

The current issue involves Duquense Light Company’s termination of our electric service immediately following the close of last year’s LIHEAP program (March 31, 2005). Although they already had $371 as a security deposit the utility company terminated service and demanded $866.01. And, despite the fact that we didn’t have any electrical service, the next month we received an unexplained bill for almost twice the amount actually due: $1,646.17. Because we are current living on “food stamps� we were forced to go without electric until the start of the 2005-2006 LIHEAP program.

As a “food stamp� participant we received our LIHEAP application early and returned it weeks before the November 7 start. In fact, as we do each year, we contacted Mr. Cornell’s office to advise him of our situation (requested that he process our application to allow the electrical service to be restored on November 7 without a 72-hour wait). Mr. Cornell didn’t respond.

Mrs. Titus, Mr. Cornell's assistant did call on November 7, just before the closing (3:00 p.m.) of her office. She advised our application would be denied - "Duquense Light now demanded $2,600.� To memorialize the outrageous response I requested permission from Mrs. Titus to allow a "three-way" connection with the local media Channel 4). I called Channel 4 because I was given its “gold medal� for outstanding community service in 1989. However, during the three-way conversation Ms. Titus refused to acknowledge her previous position (Duquense Light demand of $2,600). She would only say our family was being denied the federal entitlement. Immediately, I voiced a complaint to Mr. Cornell’s secretary. She suggested that I call Harrisburg (Department of Welfare’s main office). She provided me the number.

Precious Perry answered the Secretary of Welfare’s telephone. She transferred me to Ms. Richman’s chief of staff (Linda Hicks). Mrs. Hicks promised to have Christian Bowser call before five p.m.. But, it never happened. At 9:00 a.m. the next morning (November 8), I called Mr. Cornell’s office and left another message requesting a return call. I also called Mrs. Hicks again and questioned why Mrs. Bowser never called.

This time, Mrs. Hicks promised to have Ms. Bowser call before 11 a.m.. Mrs. Hicks asked us to “call back if Mrs. Bowser failed to call.� It never happened.

I did call Ms. Hicks at 12:00 noon but she rushed me off the phone. She gave me Mrs. Bowser’s telephone number and requested that I call her directly. I called the number but got Mrs. Bowser’s voice mail. I left a message explaining the situation. Mrs. Bowser never called back.

On November 9, 2005, I called Mrs. Hicks again to advise Mrs. Bowser' failure to call. But, Mrs. Hicks quickly rushed me off the phone again. She said that she would no longer address the issue. She said “communicate with Ms. Bowser from that point.�

Thereafter, I called Mrs. Bowser’s and spoke with her secretary. I left another message. Even more frustrated now, I called the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I spoke with Mr. Tom Birdsong. I advised him of our situation and asked if he would investigate the issue in a “confidential� manner. He said that he would forward the information to Larry Walsh. I informed him that in the previous years I have communicated with Mr. Walsh but nothing was done. I even told Mr. Birdsong that I once connected a Post-Gazette columnist, Tony Norman, and allowed him to participated with a three-way telephone call (allowed him opportunity to monitor a call to prove how rude the LIHEAP program staff was acting). Mr. Birdsong said he would have Mr. Walsh call.

At approximately 4:00 p.m., I was finally able to get Mrs. Bowser on the telephone. She laughed at our situation!

After laughing, Mrs. Bowser would only reiterated Mrs. Titus position, “Duquense Light can demand funds that are not owed.� She added, “Mrs. Titus’ position is final.� She said she would have Mrs. Titus send us a rejection letter.

Immediately, I called Mr. Birdsong. But, he became rude. The conversation concluded with Mr. Birdsong saying “No one is going to write about your family’s plight.�

50 cents, during an interview on ABC’s “The View,� said he was saddened by the fatal shooting: “I feel for the victim’s family in this situation.� He added, “But you know, these weren’t kids. This was a 30-year-old man (who) had a dispute with three other guys.�

I’m older than 30. But, what is rage? How come I’m able to control my anger? Would I have controlled my anger if one of my family members was hit by a stray bullet during the shootout?

http://www.kstreetfriend.blogspot.com

2:21 AM  
Chris Utley said...

Thanks for sharing...

3:10 PM  
Reviews by Matthew Hill said...

Chris: Great review, brother. I appreciate the scripture intertwined--isn't it interesting that "nothing is new under the sun" and that God gave advice thousands of years ago that is still relevant to attitudes today . . . I take comfort that "those who have ears to hear" will hear God's message through this kind of take on this kind of movie.

As for my part--just to cast that net--I'll be having my middle school students read and analyze your review next week. Yes, we'll talk about author's purpose, determining biases, etc., while we read, but it'll also be another opportunity for God to change minds and hearts. Way to be relevant. Thanks.

4:52 AM  
Chris Utley said...

Thanks for the encouraging words, Matt. If possible, have your students reply and respond to this review (both mine and Maurice's). I'm interested in hearing what they have to say.

2:23 PM  

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