‘This dogg’s got a bone to pick’
Bones is a 2001 American supernatural horror film directed by Ernest Dickerson (Demon Knight; Masters of Horror; The Walking Dead) from a screenplay by Adam Simon (Brain Dead; Carnosaur; Salem) and Tim Metcalfe (Fright Night Part 2; The Haunting in Connecticut).
The film bombed at the box office, earning just $8,378,853, so falling way short of its $16 million budget.
Main cast:
Snoop Dogg (Hood of Horror; Scary Movie 5), Pam Grier, Michael T. Weiss, Clifton Powell, Ricky Harris, Bianca Lawson, Khalil Kain, Merwin Mondesir.
Plot:
In 1979, Jimmy Bones (Snoop Dogg) is a numbers runner who is loved in his neighbourhood as its respected member and protector. When he is betrayed and brutally murdered by corrupt white cop Lupovich (Michael T. Weiss) and drug pusher Eddie Mack (Ricky Harris), Bones’ elegant brownstone building becomes his own tomb, and is closed.
The timeline flashes forward to 2001, where the neighborhood has become a black ghetto and Jimmy’s brownstone building is a condemned ruin. Four teens, Patrick (Khalil Kain), his brother Bill (Merwin Mondesir), their white step-sister Tia (Katharine Isabelle) and their best friend Maurice (Sean Amsing), buy the property and they want to renovate it as a nightclub. In the process, Tia finds a black dog who is actually the spiritual manifestation of Jimmy’s tortured spirit. As the dog starts to eat, Jimmy is slowly resurrected…
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Reviews:
“The picture isn’t particularly well-constructed, but Ernest Dickerson’s direction is stylish and the performances are solid, making it very watchable — even though overall, Bones lacks many genuine thrills. Or brains. The weakest part of the film is, unfortunately, the most important: Bones himself. That is, Snoop as Bones. Snoop just isn’t a good actor, even for a rapper.” BlackHorrorMovies.com
” … the people behind Bones wanted to give us something special and I sometimes caught glimpses of those intentions throughout the movie. Yes, the film’s script is far from novel, yes, the film doesn’t always take the right path and yes, the ending goes too far. But the flick still gave me razor atmosphere, wet gore and a hip villain to bite into.” Arrow in the Head
” … the movie’s kill scenes are quick and lack originality. The bodycount is way too low for a slasher film, and Dickerson and crew seems to think throwing gallons and gallons of fake-looking blood at us will help drown out (pun intended) the movie’s obvious lack of entertainment value. And is it me, or did those blood look…pink?” Nix, Beyond Hollywood
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“The much less interesting visuals in Bones are low-rent-looking long-fingered shadows on the wall, the silly swirling mists, flames that are obviously licking no one, and the jet-black wolf-dog who serves as Bones’ earthly familiar, and whose red eyes make him look like a battery-powered toy.” Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters
“Snoop’s character is a complete joke of total silliness, but this was not a bad thing for the most part. Additionally, most of the cast actually impressed me, especially the younger characters. The movie is filled with both intentional and unintentional comedy that will keep you in a good enough mood to no complain about the shitty flaws in the second half of the plot.” James Toomey, Awful Horror Movies
Cast and characters:
- Snoop Dogg as Jimmy Bones
- Pam Grier as Pearl
- Michael T. Weiss as Lupovich
- Clifton Powell as Jeremiah Peet
- Ricky Harris as Eddie Mack
- Bianca Lawson as Cynthia
- Khalil Kain as Patrick Peet
- Merwin Mondesir as Bill Peet
- Sean Amsing as Maurice
- Katharine Isabelle as Tia Peet
- Ronald Selmour as Shotgun
- Deezer D as Stank
- Garikayi Mutambirwa as Weaze
- Erin Wright as Snowflake
- Josh Byer as Jason
- Kirby Morrow as Palmer
- Ellen Stephenovna Ewusie as The Death Lady
- Lynda Boyd as Nancy Peet
Filming locations:
Vancouver, Canada
Trailer:
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