Poetic Justice (1993)
Directed by John Singleton
Still grieving after the murder of her boyfriend, hairdresser Justice writes poetry to deal with the pain of her loss. Unable to get to Oakland to attend a convention because of her broken-down car, Justice gets a lift with her friend, Iesha, and Iesha's postal worker boyfriend, Chicago. Along for the ride is Chicago's co-worker, Lucky, to whom Justice grows close after some initial problems. But is she ready to open her heart again?
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Between bouts of getting bullied, taking SATs and applying to schools, they shove themselves into a way-out-of-their-league underground birthday party at a hip-hop club which just so happens to be attended by Malcolm’s secret passion, sexy, math-challenged Nakia (Zoe Kravitz, deliberately channeling Poetic Justice-era Janet Jackson).
It’s a frenetic piece brimming with references to other films, from a narrative similarity to “Risky Business” and “Go” to in-jokes of giving Kravitz the same hairstyle as Janet Jackson in “Poetic Justice.”
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
Directed by Paris Barclay
To understand most of its references, you should know, for example, John Singleton's "Boyz N the Hood" and "Poetic Justice," the Hughes brothers' "Menace II Society," Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and "Jungle Fever" and at least one music video by Dr. Dre or Snoop Doggy Dogg.
Singleton followed "Boyz" with the disappointing "Poetic Justice," and now, still in his 20s, comes his third feature, and its youthfulness shows in more than its college setting.
"Higher Learning" is Singleton's third film, after the great "Boyz N the Hood" (1991) and the more meandering, romantic " Poetic Justice " (1993).
Singleton's last film, Poetic Justice, was a gooey, pretentious mess, so it's a relief to see him drawing on the kinds of sturdily middlebrow storytelling verities that served him in Boyz N the Hood.