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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Idlewild

01:32 / 28.02.06

Only it's a period piece.

That's right, what appears to be a biopic plot is a fiction set in Harlem during Prohibition. Looks, and sounds, good.

Trailers here.

Site with synopsis, players, and forthcoming links

Starring:
André Benjamin
Antwan A. Patton (Big Boi)
Bruce Bruce
Macy Gray (?)
Terrence Howard
Faizon Love
Ving Rhames
Cicely Tyson (!)
Ben Vereen (!!)
Patti LaBelle (!!!)
...who didn't call Whoopi?

What's funny is this: Everything says it's out in August... but it's coming out in April.

17:41 / 01.03.06

Last I heard it was scheduled for March, having been previously delayed from last year, so I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up coming out in August. I'm not sure what the holdup would be, the presence of a trailer would indicate that they're finished with filming and I doubt this is the sort of film that has a five month holdup in post production. I guess it's just the studio trying to find a better time to release the movie.

Regardless, when it finally comes out, I'll be there.

17:54 / 01.03.06

Perhaps I'm being obtuse, but what are the chances that this will go on general release over here in the UK?

At the moment, I get a kind of Kill or Cure feeling from this film, in that it will either go massively big or stay under the radar. I hope for the former.

I really like the look of the film from the trailer, and the concept is a good idea - Music Film! Well-publicised group with goot dunes behind them! 1930s Prohibition?

So my hopes remain high.

18:07 / 01.03.06

dunes?

Their director is the chap who did "Hey Ya!"

17:17 / 21.03.06

I'm really looking forward to this. The trailer blew me away at the theater.

Here's what Big Boi told Comingsoon.net about the delay:

"What happened was it usually takes me and Dre a couple of years to get the music right. When we first started the movie we didn't really have a whole lot of the music done. And a lot of the music came after the movie. We had a couple of songs but now whether to rush it and to put out something not complete. We chose to wait.

"It was supposed to come out this month but the reason it didn't was because we had a couple of singles to choose from. We just didn't feel like it was ready and they said we could come out these dates but then you have 'Superman' and all these blockbuster movies coming out. They're like, OK you won't be on the maximum amount of screens. You can be on 1200 screens now or you can wait till August and be on 2500 screens. So we're like, OK we'll wait.

"I mean 1200 screens or 2500 screens. You know, if it was on 1200 screens, 300 would be in Utah somewhere. We'll wait, you know what I mean. Now that we're waiting, the music is incredible. Dre and I are both pleased with it. The world is going to be shocked."

Regrettable Juvenilia

21:50 / 23.03.06

This looks absolutely bloomin' fantastic. And it's made me realise how much Big Boi looks like a younger, slightly trimmer version of Bunk from The Wire.

17:13 / 21.08.06

Ze album of ze film is out today - I have my copy primed and ready for listening!

(That and it has a frankly sexy image-switching cover.)

02:16 / 23.08.06

Ten to one this comes out the same day as Ghost Rider, and all the other films they expect to tank.

05:08 / 23.08.06

Listened to the album today and it is... well... it's Outkast. It's not... conventional.

I am looking forward to the flick to see the songs in context and with visuals. I predict sumptuous cinematography.

05:22 / 26.08.06

I am looking forward to this movie because I have a deep, deep love for everything prohibition-era, but I am afraid to actually go see it. I live in Mississippi, and down here it would be considered very, very strange for a white person to see this movie. I'll probably go see it anyway, and if there's a mob waiting for me outside the cinema, at least I'll die happy.

21:40 / 27.08.06

I saw it today and loved it. I read a bunch of reviews, with a lot of criticisms and I feel like they didn't watch the same film I was watching. The music worked great and the story was top notch as well. It may have some elements of the 8 Mile narrative, but there's enough in there to keep it fresh. If you're on the edge, definitely go see it. My review's up here, though there are spoilers towards the middle, so beware.

23:26 / 27.08.06

Thanks for that review PatrickMM, my interest in the movie is slowly reviving after listening to the album.
Maybe i was thinking this whole project would be a noughties 'Under the Cherry Moon/Parade', campy and playful comic book of a movie/concept album...but with deeper levels and melancholy...like all great pop i suppose.
I am in two minds if Outkast can do something like that without a cringey level of irony.

20:08 / 27.01.07

This never - to my knowledge - was put on general release in Britain; in fact, the only thing that came of it was the album's release a way back.

However, thread revival, because soon it is out on DVD.

The Wiki also states that it met with lukewarm reviews; but that never stopped me before, to be fair, which is probably why, even coming up on a year after this thread, I still want to see the film.

Anyone else seen it in the interval with any thoughts to share?