Slam (1998) is an Indie, co-authored by the principle cast. It is set in the Washington DC inner city. Saul Williams plays Ray Joshua, small time marijuana dealer and talented "slammer." (Slamming is a half rap half poetry performance art). When his best friend is shot shortly after handing him half a lid, he runs, and is arrested and held on possession. He is told that he has three choices: he can cop a plea and get two years, take his chances in court and probably get 10 years, or rat out his friends and get off. None of the three appeal to him. During a very eventful few days in jail, he meets an English teacher named Lauren Bell who works with prisoners (Sonja Sohn), is nearly killed by rival gangs, and discovers that there is another way to deal with the violence, poverty and unrest around him with his art, and that true freedom is something you have inside you, not something under the control of others.

A fellow prisoner arranges bail for him, and he convinces his shot friend, who survived, that retaliation for the shooting is not the answer, and actually plays into the establishments hands. He then finds and beds Sonja. Sonja is very hot in the sex scene, mainly do to facial expression. The rest of the film concerns Ray's relationship with Sonja, and how he struggles to face his upcoming court date. Much of the cast was amateur, and included real poets, but both Sonja and Williams were very strong. The "Slamming" was powerful and expressive, and the camera work was top notch, using a perfect mix of static shots and hand held, and included many more artistic shots than you would expect in a film about the inner city.

The film won numerous awards including Sundance and Cannes. The critics can't agree. Ebert says 2 1/2, Berardinelli says 3, and Maltin awards 3 1/2. Apollo says 88/100, and Apollo readers give a whopping 90/100. IMDB readers say 7.2/10. Made for $1m, it grossed just under that in theatrical release. Sonja shows glimpses of breasts during the one sex scene, and pokes through a white t-shirt for over half the film. She has been getting steady work since her appearance in this film. I give it somewhere between three and three and 1/2 stars. It was a very pleasant surprise visually, the performances were far better than I expected, and they managed to present a good picture of ghetto life and the prison experience without being too depressing.

I eventually went back and listened to all Stone's commentary and watched all the deleted scenes. Some powerful stuff. I still think the film has a lot of structural problems, but it is often very beautiful, consistently educational. For me to spend 6 hours on a DVD, I think there must be something special there. I know a lot of you guys don't like Oliver Stone or his politics, but I don't care about who he votes for, or if he alters a fact to improve a story. I look at it this way. If there was an incident where Hitler or Nixon was kind to a dog, and Stone retells the incident with them kicking the dog, I figure that is a case where the facts

Dear Scoop:

Having now caught up to date on the Funhouses I missed, I offer the following comments:

o On 2/24, Tuna asks someone to help ID two women from "Love By Appointment": the "Unknown" black girl is Cathy Rosier, a French actress of the late 70s and early 80s. The "Madam" looks to be Francoise Fabian, but the blonde wig makes her almost unrecognizable, so I can't be sure...

o I can confirm that it definitely is Andrea Thompson in "Manhattan Gigolo" {she often used to go by the name, "Andrea Thompson Kelly" back then...and claimed to be Grace Kelly's niece!}.

o The link #10 in Blackshine's "Unknowns" is model Cecilia Nord. That's the only one I'm positive of {few have faces}.

o How can one {such as I} get a copy of "Big Brother Uncut: the UK Version"...does Watty have it in VHS/NTSC or can it be transferred?

o FYI Trivia: Sheila Kelley, nude in upcoming festival flick, is married to The West Wing's bearded Richard Schiff.

o Now appealing to your expertise {or that of your contributors}: There are two great Yamila Diaz-Rahi topless shots, that are not in the Encyclopedia, but yours truly {the scion of Internet Incompetence} can only capture them as thumbnails. They're very small on this site: http://yamiladiaz.www.2.50maps.com. Perhaps you or a contact knows how to enlarge and capture them. They're the best ever of her... (Scoop's note - I couldn't find that site. Maybe one of you knows what he means.)