Curtis \u201c50 Cent\u201d Jackson wants to show the world that he is more than what people have labeled him.<\/p>\n
The rapper turned actor is tired of being cast only in villainous roles. He wants it to be known that he is serious about film and more versatile on screen that people might think. Which is why he teamed up with producer Randall Emmett and director\/actor Mario Van Peebles to create the film Things Fall Apart.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201c[Jackson] said to me, \u2018We need to show people how serious I am about acting,\u201d said Emmett, a graduate of New World School Of The Arts.<\/p>\n Emmett advised Jackson\u2014who wrote most of the screenplay\u2014that the film might not be a success because they were making a family drama and not an action film; he said that it would be tough getting a studio to fund the movie. But Jackson wouldn\u2019t let this stand in his way\u2014he funded the project from his own pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cHe takes everything he does very seriously,\u201d Emmett said. \u201cHe proved it by writing his own check.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackson also took on the burden of losing 54 lbs. in just nine weeks in preparation for the role in which he portrays a promising college football player stricken with cancer. Because he was funding the film himself, he was able to take the time to lose the weight. Something, he says, no studio would have allowed.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t do that unless you\u2019re Tom Hanks,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n Jackson initially brought in Van Peebles as an actor, but after seeing how dedicated Jackson was to the film, he decided to stay on board as director.<\/p>\n \u201cThis brother has an incredible work ethic,\u201d Van Peebles said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re working on a film and your star is a cat that\u2019s already ran three laps around the trailer that morning, rewrote his scene, and brought the music in, it\u2019s like \u2018Hey, this is easy.\u201d<\/p>\n They are in negotiations with distributors and hoping to land a deal soon, if the movie generates enough buzz, that is.<\/p>\n And here lies the problem. Despite the hard work of all involved, the final product was not all that good.<\/p>\n The film is centered on Jackson\u2019s character, Deon Barnes, a college running-back with dreams of going pro. Those dreams are shattered when a tumor is found by his heart, putting his football career\u2014and life\u2014in jeopardy.<\/p>\n One of the main problems with the film was that the primary concern through most of the movie was not of Barnes losing his life, but of what his future would be without the glitzy life that comes along with being a number-one pick in the NFL draft.<\/p>\n A film should have a struggle that people can relate to. So Barnes might have to live a regular life, and find himself a 9 to 5 job like the rest of us. Big deal.<\/p>\n Jackson\u2014and his alias \u201c50 cent\u201d\u2014accomplish a lot; between the albums, the clothing line, and the vitamin water promotion, he cannot be expected to do everything with the same skill he exhibits in other ventures. That said, I\u2019ve seen better plots unfold in porn films. On a positive note, the acting itself wasn\u2019t bad at all. Jackson wasn\u2019t exactly Oscar material, but he held his own on screen. Although, he is better in comedic scenes than in the more dramatic moments.<\/p>\n Overall, it was about what you might expect when you consider that most of the movie was written by 50 Cent. \u00a0Maybe screenwriting isn\u2019t your thing, 50. It\u2019s OK, you gave it a good shot. (Just don\u2019t do the same to me.) At least you chose an appropriate title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Curtis \u201c50 Cent\u201d Jackson wants to show the world that he is more than what people have labeled him. The rapper turned actor is tired of being cast only in villainous roles. He wants it to be known that he is serious about film and more versatile on screen that people might think. Which is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":7375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7374","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ae"},"yoast_head":"\n
\nAt the end of the movie I was left with questions that were never answered; it was never apparent how much time had elapsed and how certain events unfolded.<\/p>\n