GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Steineded How sad is this?

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

derekchatman I appreciate the attempt to tackle a serious subject. Children are dying over something as simple as a pair of sneakers. I wanted to like this movie but the acting was horrible and over exaggerated. Yes, the N word, underage drinking, violence and drug use is rampant in an urban environment, but not the way it was depicted in this movie. It was so overdone that it was both laughable and depressing. If your not from this environment please understand that this is a terrible depiction.

Larry Silverstein Definitely not for everyone, this brutally stark drama centers on 15- year-old Brandon (Jahking Guillory), who's mired in poverty in the East Bay, Richmond, California. He's constantly bullied for his diminutive size and for the fact that his footwear is so poor, in a culture where sharp sneakers mean status.Brandon finally gets enough money together to purchase his dream sneakers from a street vendor, a pair of original red and black Michael Jordan's. As soon as he begins to wear them, he can see his confidence soar, as well as his status among his peers.However, soon thereafter a bunch of thugs confront him, beat him, and steal his new shoes. Brandon decides he's going to get them back no matter what the cost. Thus, he embarks on a dangerous odyssey, with his two best friends, to Oakland to retrieve his sneakers, which will result in lots of tragic violence.There's pervasive explicit and raw language here, lots of on screen drug usage, and various sexual situations.The acting in the movie is incredibly realistic on all fronts, and I read that director and co-writer (with Joshua Beirne-Golden) Justin Tipping grew up in that area, which would account for this stark realism. All in all, if one has the stomach for it this film can be painfully intense, yet it left me with a lingering sense of sadness as well.

ipulito-45220 I was fortunate enough to be in the audience of the first screening of Kicks at the Tribeca Film Festival. It's an incredibly fresh and original film that addresses issues of masculinity and violence in modern times. I was actually left in tears as the credits rolled at the end of the film -- contemplating how violent the world we live in is. Yet, there's hope in Kicks, a beautiful hope that we can change and choose to move away from violence represented by the youngest character's choice at the end of the film. The performances from the cast are astonishing, especially the three young actors that play close friends in a frightening world with an honest and humor that is essential in real life. It's entertaining and touching. The use of music and visuals -- all the tools at a filmmaker's disposal are embraced to their fullest. It's hard to describe in words. You just have to experience it. So, go see it. I'm excited to see what's to come from these filmmakers.

samf2006 1. Jordan Bred 1's 2. Fresh perspective from director Justin Tipping.3. The first film to my knowledge to incorporate BART as a character.4. The first film to shine some light on the sneaker culture.5. The film has characters who feel real to their environment.6. My favorite character in the film was Flaco, I like flawed people who are more than what they seem on the surface, he had a certain presence that was haunting.7. I loved the astronaut, once he appeared the film took on a somewhat surreal feel for me, it added a unique flavor to the picture.8. I really admire the director Justin Tipping, he made the film he wanted to make and that's what I plan to do.