Sherazade This has got to be the worst excuse for a movie I have ever seen in my life thus far. Seriously, somebody paid 1.2 million dollars to finance this movie? It fails me. It's like there was no director, the actors and actresses were just doing whatever they felt like doing without the faintest idea or presence of a script. The soundtrack sounded like a bad demo tape/CD that should only be heard by the record executive about to reject it and dump it in the nearest trash can. Okay, the film is supposed to be a modern day telling of Romeo and Juliet right? So why is the theme more like Othello and Desdemona? I'm confused. If only it was possible to get back the time, effort and money I spent on this fiasco, there would be some justice in this world after all. AVOID THIS HORRIBLE MOVIE LIKE THE PLAGUE.

Max Million Rome and Jewel is a fine musical that I truly hope gets picked up for theatrical release. I was lucky enough to see it when they showed it at the high school where I teach. At first I thought "Oh, not another take on Romeo and Juliet..." but I was really drawn into this story, mainly because of the strong acting and the catchy and memorable songs. And let's face it, anything that gets our kids to accept Shakespeare is a good thing. I show Baz Luhrmann's excellent movie when I want to ease them into the nuances and rhythms of Elizabethan language.But Rome and Jewel is even more accessible viewing.Set in Los Angeles (present day -- hence contemporary dialects and language) it tells the story of a young white girl who falls instantly in love with a young black guy who crashes her sweet sixteen party. This causes a clash between the white kids and the black kids at the party that spills out into the streets of LA. Meanwhile there's an intense political back story (just as in Shakespeare's play) and the lovers do their best to keep their romance secret...The actor playing Mercury was fantastic. I hope he gets discovered soon. Okay, I just looked him up and he will be playing a character named "Goatee" in the fourth Die Hard installment. I hope it's a substantial role.This movie is gorgeously shot and well edited. See it whenever you get the chance. Now I want to look up and watch everything this director has done, because he really knows what he is doing behind the camera.

David Cubero I happen to have been an Uncredited Actor in this film-I played one of The LAPD Officers in the scene where we shut "The Pool Party" down.Admittedly, because I appear in this film, I might be biased in favor of this production, but I think that this is a wonderfully produced, directed and written work.The actors took the filming of this movie very seriously! Everyone was as professional as anyone on any set that I've ever been on! I worked most closely with Les Feltmate, (The Other Police Officer,) Lindsey Haun, (Jewel,) Stephanie Dyann, (Kara,) Nate Parker, (Rome,) Cole Griffin, (Jay,) Russel Howard, (Perry,) and a host of very young Extras. Everyone was great on this set and I have extremely fond memories of working on this film last August and Sept.Working with Director Charlie Kanganis was a distinct pleasure! Charlie is a very intense, yet a personable and fair director with an extraordinary eye for detail. One of my favorite memories is when he took the 78 pound, 35mm film camera on his' own shoulder to demonstrate what he wanted done in one particular shot. He was awesome to work with and I would like to work with him again someday.I happen to have had three films playing in The Film Festivals this year, but of all, "Rome And Jewel" was the best and it was my only full-length feature in the festivals this year.Furthermore, this movie was done on a very tight budget. I thought that with our budget that this turned out to be a very good looking film! Of course, it isn't Oscar-worthy, it wasn't mean't to be such a film. This is more of a film with a message and I hope that it's message is understood and heeded to by today's young people.See this film! Don't see it because we worked hard to make it, but because it's a good movie, it is entertaining and the message against racial bigotry is strong and it is a good lesson for all audiences that prejudice can lead to extraordinary tragedies. This is a message that is timely even in the early 21st Century. David Cubero

jaclark2 i saw this at a screening during the Carolina Film and Video Festival in Greensboro. Not that good. Can't say that I'd really recommend it and would be surprised if it was bought by anybody other than BET or Mtv. Decent directing, but ultimately a tired and weak production. Acting was pretty bad. No actors possessed any musical skill in my opinion and the lyrics were absolutely horrid. I don't like to trash anything with out good reason and if you take my word on anything about how bad this film is, trust me on the lyrics. they're sad. not to mention there's some character in the movie which should not have been given a "rap" line at all... including an old stubborn white guy and a snobbish white girl. The actors playing the rappers couldn't even really pull it off. The actress playing Jewel was the only real upside to the entire project. She was beautiful and had a decent voice, but nothing that could save this project from disaster.