Robert Patton-Spruill Movies
- 2007
In 1987 Public Enemy emerged as one of the most formidable forces in rap music with the release of their landmark sophomore album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back; nearly 20 years later, Chuck D and the crew still have what it takes to get their powerful message across while whipping the crowd into an absolute frenzy. On the heels of Public Enemy's 2007 release How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul, a wide variety of musical artists including Henry Rollins, Jonathan Davis, Tom Morello, Talib Kweli, and the Beastie Boys come together in order to reflect on the power of a group whose influence continues to be felt even as they move forward to blaze new trails. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck D, Flavor Flav, (more)
Producer, writer, director, and kung-fu "Hall of Fame" champion Jason Yee pays explosive homage to the legendary Bruce Lee with an bone crushing tale about a man whose dark past threatens to cast storm clouds over a bright future. Derek Wu (Yee) was a violent gangster who once took the fall for his vicious boss. It's been four long years since that fateful sentencing, and now that Derek is out of prison all he wants is to start a new life. Redemption doesn't come easy to the damned though, and when various members of Derek's old gang start to turn up dead, the police soon come looking to the notorious ex-con for answers. And the police aren't the only ones looking for Derek either, because when his old boss finds out that Derek is back in town, he puts a price on his old employee's head that has assassin in town gunning for the stealthy martial artist. Now, with no time to spare and death closing in from all sides, Derek must learn to outrun a bullet if he ever plans on outrunning his past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2002
From a script by director Wendall Adams comes Draftdodging, the first film from Hugh Eaton and Gavin Wiesen's independent Jimmyfilms. Anson Scoville stars as Berg a twenty-something Wall Street drone who is becoming more and more fed up with the hustle and bustle of the business-world rat-race. Finally deciding to leave it all behind, Berg moves to his grandmother's Summer home in the small town of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. With his girlfriend and four cousins along for the ride, Berg is able to relive his youthful days spent at the house. After some relaxation and soul-searching, Berg announces a major life decision that shocks everyone. Draftdodging won an Honorable Mention at the 2002 Cinevegas Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anson Scoville, Hugh Eaton, (more)
- 1998
- R
After the low-budget Squeeze (1996), Boston director Robert Patton-Spruill climbed to a higher plateau by assembling a strong cast of top names for this art-heist actioner, but even so, the film went straight to video in the USA. Four men botch a Boston art museum theft, blaming Latino Chino (John Leguizamo) for the death of group leader Crane (Forest Whitaker). Security-systems expert Pike (Ving Rhames) wants to get to Miami to sell the stolen paintings solo, but eroding trust keeps the group together as Pike, Chino, driver Hobbs (David Caruso), and Booker (Donnie Wahlberg) travel south through Maryland and West Virginia. An argument between Booker and Hobbs ends with Booker's death, so Hobbs then turns his attention to baiting Chino, while flashbacks recap the original robbery plan. Then suddenly the road movie veers in another direction as the gang gives a lift to a woman (Linda Fiorentino) sporting a black eye after a car crash. Forest Whitaker is seen only in the flashbacks. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, (more)
A real-life inner city Boston youth shelter yielded the plot, characters, actors, and director of this urban drama about three ghetto youths trying to make something better of their lives while surviving on the streets. Tyson (Tyrone Burton), Hector (Eddie Cutanda), and Bao (Phuong Duong) are a trio of 14-year-old friends attempting to figure out which direction they'll go in life. As they work at a legitimate job sweeping up at a gas station and attending a youth center with the facility's adult leader J.J. (Geoffrey Rhue), they also run drugs for the local gangsters that mock and taunt their efforts at self-improvement. When one of the boys' mother kills herself, the ensuing crisis leads the three friends to choose different paths. Director Robert Patton-Spruill, a drama teacher at Boston's Dorchester Youth Collaborative, cast the three star pupils from his workshop in Squeeze (1996) and based the film on their real-life stories, bringing a palpable sense of realism to the proceedings. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Burton, Eddie Cutanda, (more)
