|
||||||||
|
Crooked Home
CROOKED
Basketball and rap represent two legitimate routes out of the ghetto. But
for every Michael Jordan and Puff Daddy, there are millions of youths living
below the poverty line, who will never make it--largely due to to
circumstances beyond their control. Sensational, a member of this nameless,
faceless multitude is determind not to end up as a statistic. He is
strong-willed, confident, and charismatic, and makes some the most innovative
and original music ever heard. His dream--really his sole aim in life--is to
break into the music industry and become a rap star. But trouble follows him
like a shadow.
Crooked presents the real-life story of Sensational, who pursues his
dreams despite harrowing odds, facing numerous trials and tribulations along
the way. It is not the typical urban tale of another thug or drug dealer, but
of a true artist and eccentric trying to fit into a mainstream world of
commerce and mass culture. In this crooked world where cash rules, hype
prevails over truth, illusion over reality, and loyalty and trust are
precious commodities.
Sensational's aspirations are given a tremendous boost early on when he
meets Xane at an open-mic competition in Brooklyn. A Hispanic kid from the
'hood who made good and went to an Ivy league college, Xane combines street
smarts with worldliness and social savvy. He is also heavily into deejaying
and music, but works as a marijuana delivery man while trying to figure out
his calling in life. One of Xane's customers turns out to be Brad Lombardi,
a former collegemate and typical Trustafundian, whose well-connected father
set him up with a cushy A&R position at a major label, Reaction Records. It
is also at Reaction where Xane meets and falls for Mo, a Dominican beauty who
works as a publicist there.
When Xane almost gets busted by an undercover cop on the subway while
carrying his deliveries, he decides it's time for a career change, and
resolves to become Sensational's manager. Planning to pursue a traditional
record deal with Brad, Xane also works on putting out Sensational's music
independently, on a label he hopes to start.
Sensational suffers a major setback when he is evicted from his
apartment, and finds himself living a hand-to-mouth existence on the streets.
He winds up spending the night in jail for selling marijuana to an
undercover cop. In a desperate attempt to make money, Sensational, with the
aid of Sachs, a computer hacker buddy of Xane's, concocts a scheme to
counterfeit money. They are successful, and Sensational goes on a huge
shopping spree, only to alert the feds with his reckless and excessive
spending.
At a Reaction Records party, Xane introduces Sensational to Brad,
securing a meeting with Brad to play him Sensational's demo. Sensational,
who has some crack cocaine that a friend gave him to sell, ends up giving it
to Brad, a serious cokehead, to curry favor. Later, at the meeting, Brad
seems to be more interested in Sensational's drug connections than his music.
Ever the opportunist, Sensational offers to help Brad get a kilo of cocaine
in exchange for some free studio time to finish his demo. When Xane
discovers Sensational's plans they have a falling out. Xane also splits with
Mo after he discovers that she and Brad have been involved with each other.
Meanwhile, Sensational convinces Sachs to help him counterfeit one more
batch of money. He substitutes the fake money for Brad's real money, and
uses it to pay for the coke in a deal that goes down at the Brooklyn Navy
yard. With money in his pockets and a week of free studio time to complete
his demo, Sensational's dream finally appears to be within reach. But with
the feds on the case and an angry drug-dealer, who finds out he's been
cheated, everything is far from straight.
About Crooked
Crooked trailer (heavy - 14 MB)
Behind the Scenes Clips
Crooked Credits
Crooked Director/Producer/Writer
Crooked Poster: download a PDF (large -10MB)
Sensational
Mentol Nomad
by S.H. Fernando Jr.