Q-Tip Movies

A young man with a religious calling begins following a very different path in this independent drama based on a true story. Sam Gold (Jesse Eisenberg) is a Hasidic Jew in his late teens who lives with his family in Brooklyn. Sam's father, Mendel (Mark Ivanir), runs a fabric store and Sam helps out when he isn't busy with his rabbinical studies. But Mendel isn't an especially good businessman, a fact that's become very obvious to Sam, and his uncertain financial future has caused his fiancée's parents to call off the couple's upcoming wedding. Sam is also suffering from a bit of jealousy toward his best friend, Leon (Jason Fuchs), who seems to have better luck in both life and academics, so when Leon's older brother, Yosef (Justin Bartha), offers Sam some good-paying part-time work, he's more than interested. Sam is instructed to fly to Amsterdam, pick up a parcel, and bring it back; it's not until he comes home to New York that it dawns on Sam that he's transporting drugs, but between the hefty payroll, the charm of Amsterdam-based ecstasy wholesaler Jackie Solomon (Danny A. Abeckaser), and the beauty of Jackie's sexy paramour, Rachel (Ari Graynor), Sam begins to think life in the drug game might be just the thing for him after all. The first feature film from director Kevin Asch, Holy Rollers received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Chris Rolle was born into poverty in the Bahamas and found himself forced to fend for himself as a child when he was abandoned by his mother. Rolle came to America in his teens but soon found himself homeless on the mean streets of Brooklyn, NY. Rolle had a natural talent as a rapper, and had the good fortune of meeting Scott K. Rosenberg, who was the founder of Art Start, an organization that brings arts education to New York City's underprivileged. Encouraged by his contacts at Art Start, Rolle began developing a potent reputation as rapper Kharma Kazi, and soon he came to realize he wanted to give back to the community that helped lift him out of poverty. With the help of Art Start, Rolle helped found The Hip Hop Project, a workshop for aspiring hip-hop artists. Instead of simply teaching aspiring rappers about rhyming techniques or microphone handling, Rolle and his crew urged them to use rap as a way to speak out about the issues they face in their daily lives rather than rhyming about violence, sex, bling, and the gangsta lifestyle. In time, hip-hop powerhouse Russell Simmons partnered up with movie star Bruce Willis to donate a recording studio to the group, thus enabling the musicians to record and release their own record, HHP Vol. 1: Are You Feelin' Me?, issued in May 2007. The Hip Hop Project is a documentary about Rolle and The Hip Hop Project crew that offers a behind-the-scenes look at their work and their impact on a group of young people eager to hone their musical skills. The film received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Directed by Spike Lee, She Hate Me follows John Henry "Jack" Armstrong (Anthony Mackie), who is fired from a posh job in biotechnology after informing the proper authorities of some sketchy business dealings from within the company. Unemployed and desperate for some quick cash, Jack accepts a strange offer -- his ex-girlfriend Fatima (Kerry Washington) says she will pay him generously if he successfully impregnates her. Once word gets out among the lesbian community, Jack is inundated with requests, and is initially quite happy with his new direction in life. However, things -- as they are wont to do -- get complicated. There's his former employer, who is actively trying to pin the blame for their wrongdoings on his shoulders, for one thing, and it isn't long before the moral implications of his life as a sperm donor come to the forefront. The film co-stars John Turturro, Ellen Barkin, Woody Harrelson, Monica Bellucci, and Q-Tip. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Elijah (rapper Q-Tip) has been bounced from group home to group home throughout his turbulent young life. What has sustained him is his art. After a promised scholarship is taken away, Elijah ends up in a fight that result in the death of another boy. Now, sentenced to a minimum of fifteen years, the young man must find a way to keep his soul alive behind bars or turn into a hardened bitter criminal. This gritty drama is directed by Darnell Martin. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi