When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) Directed by Spike Lee

From Wikipedia: When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts is a 2006 documentary film directed by Spike Lee about the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana due to the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina. The film runs for 4 hours, and premiered at the New Orleans Arena on August 16, 2006. The television premiere aired in two parts on August 21 and 22, 2006 on HBO. The film was shown in its entirety on August 29, 2006, the one-year anniversary of Katrina’s landfall. It has been described by an HBO executive as “one of the most important films HBO has ever made.”

The documentary was also screened at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival on August 31 and September 1, 2006. It won the Orizzonti Documentary Prize and one of two FIPRESCI awards. In addition it was shown at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival on September 15 and September 16, 2006. On July 19, 2007, it was nominated for five Emmys, and it won three on September 16.

The title is a reference to the blues tune “When the Levee Breaks”, by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie (later repopularized by Led Zeppelin) about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.

The film’s original score is by Terence Blanchard, a New Orleans-born trumpeter who also appears in the film with his mother and aunt as they return to their flooded home.

The documentary consists largely of news footage and still photos of Katrina and its aftermath interspersed with interviews. Interviewees throughout the film include politicians, journalists, historians, engineers, and many people from various parts of New Orleans and the surrounding areas who give first hand accounts of their experiences with the levee failures and the aftermath.

Hustle and Flow (2005) Directed by Craig Brewer

From Wikipedia: Hustle & Flow is a 2005 independent film written and directed by Craig Brewer about a Memphis hustler called DJay, played by Terrence Howard, who experiences a midlife crisis and is compelled to face his aspiration to become a rapper.

The film, like its own plot, has had a hard life. It experienced many years of near-misses and outright rejection from major studios and potential financiers before finally being backed by its longtime supporter John Singleton (who says in the DVD extras that he decided at last to put up the money himself because he was exasperated at his friends not getting what their film deserved). Once it got made, it was nominated for two Academy Awards: for Best Actor for Howard, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for Three 6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp”.

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Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Directed by Martin Brest

From Wikipedia: Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American action-comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Ronny Cox. Murphy stars as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop, who heads to Beverly Hills, California to solve the death of his best friend (although the trailer says that he’s on vacation).

This first film in the Beverly Hills Cop series shot Murphy to international stardom, won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical (1985). It earned an estimated US $234 million at the box office, narrowly making it the biggest hit of 1984 (ahead of Ghostbusters).

Trivia: Beverly Hills Cop was Nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay

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The Wiz (1978) Directed by Sidney Lumet

From Wikipedia: The Wiz is a 1978 American musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October 24, 1978. An urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, The Wiz was adapted from the 1975 Broadway musical of the same name. The film follows the adventures of Dorothy, a shy schoolteacher from Harlem, New York who finds herself magically transported to the wonderland of Oz, which resembles a fantasy version of New York City. Befriended by a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion, Dorothy travels through the world of Oz to seek an audience with the mysterious “Wiz”, who they say has the power to take her home.

Produced by Rob Cohen and directed by Sidney Lumet, The Wiz stars Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor. The film’s story was reworked from William F. Brown’s Broadway libretto byJoel Schumacher, and Quincy Jones supervised the adaptation of Charlie Smalls and Luther Vandross’ songs for film. A handful of new songs, written by Jones and the songwriting team of Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, were added for the film version.

The film received four Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design,Best Original Music Score and Best Cinematography.

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Jo Jo Dancer Your Life Is Calling (1986) Directed by Richard Pryor

From Wikipedia: Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling is a 1986 film starring Richard Pryor in his directorial debut.

Though Pryor insisted the film was not autobiographical, Pryor plays Jo Jo Dancer, a popular stand-up comedian who has severely burned himself in a drug incident. The film came out after Pryor had severely burned himself while freebasing cocaine in 1980. Though he later claimed the incident was not an accident at all, but actually an attempted suicide.
As Dancer lies hospitalized in a coma, his spiritual alter ego revisits his life, from growing up in a brothel as a child and struggling to beat the long odds to become a top-rated comedian. However, his success leads to extensive drug use and womanizing that takes its toll on his life. Jo Jo’s spirit watches and attempts to convince his past self to end the cycle of self destruction.

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