This Is the Life
How the West was One
Genres
Overview
In 1989, a collective of young hip hop artists gathered at a health food café in South Central Los Angeles. Their mandate? To reject gang culture and expand the musical boundaries of hip hop. DuVernay's documentary chronicles the historic legacy of the Good Life Cafe — the open mic nights that became an L.A. institution, the eclectic array of talented young MCs that emerged there, the alternative hip hop movement they developed, and their worldwide influence on the artform.
Details
Budget
$0
Revenue
$0
Runtime
97 min
Release Date
2008-02-08
Status
Released
Original Language
English
Vote Count
8
Vote Average
5.8
Abstract Rude
Self
Big Al
Self
Busdriver
Self
Chali 2na
Self
Cut Chemist
Self
Ellay Khule
Self
Fat Jack
Self
NgaFsh
Self
Tray Loc
Self
Riddlore
Self
Wreccless
Self
Ganjah K
Self
Born Allah
Self
Medusa
Self
Myka 9
Self
P.E.A.C.E.
Self
Pigeon John
Self
T-Love
Self
Volume 10
Self
2Mex
Self
Jyant
Self
Ava DuVernay
Self
B. Hall
Self
Roderick Hall
Self
Brian Cross
Self
Keen
Self
Sheena Lester
Self
Monique Matthews
Self
Monalisa Murray
Self
Mear One
Self
Mike Nardone
Self
Garth Trinidad
Self
Omid Walizadeh
Self
6.7
Step Up 2: The Streets
When rebellious street dancer Andie lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the schools hottest dancer, Chase, to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete in Baltimore s underground dance battle The Streets.
2008-02-14 | en
5.0
What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?
Amanda is a divorced woman who makes a living as a photographer. During the Fall of the year Amanda begins to see the world in new and different ways when she begins to question her role in life, her relationships with her career and men and what it all means. As the layers to her everyday experiences fall away insertions in the story with scientists, and philosophers and religious leaders impart information directly to an off-screen interviewer about academic issues, and Amanda begins to understand the basis to the quantum world beneath. During her epiphany as she considers the Great Questions raised by the host of inserted thinkers, she slowly comprehends the various inspirations and begins to see the world in a new way.
2004-04-23 | en
0.0
Léa devant la caméra
Revisiting her film set photos, director Léa Pool reflects on her prolific career. The filmmaker left Switzerland at the age of 25 to settle in Quebec and embark on a surprising career. She reinvents herself from film to film, exploring themes that deeply resonate with her: identity, exile, maternal absence, transitional spaces... In both documentary and fiction, she has directed 20 feature films that feature strong female characters and contemporary issues. Somewhere between a masterclass and an intimate conversation, this documentary invites Léa to share her cinematic journey in front of the camera.
2023-11-02 | fr
0.0
California Schemin'
In the late '90s, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd had their musical ambitions consistently ridiculed for having the 'wrong' accents, so they went for broke and reinvented themselves as Californian rappers. The duo re-recorded their own tracks with fake accents and turned up in London claiming to be an established duo on the Cali scene as well as childhood friends with Eminem. They quickly bagged themselves a record deal, a hefty sum in advances, and an appearance on MTV... until it all came crashing down.
2025-09-06 | en
7.5
Microcosmos
A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.
1996-09-06 | fr
6.4
You Got Served
At Mr. Rad's Warehouse, the best hip-hop crews in Los Angeles compete for money and respect. But when a suburban crew crashes the party, stealing their dancers — and their moves — two warring friends have to pull together to represent the street.
2004-01-30 | en
0.0
Adele and Everything After
The moving story of a lonely, isolated woman with a heart condition whose life is transformed by a service dog, and what happens when she has to let go of the loyal companion who changed her life.
2017-04-06 | en
6.7
Startup.com
Friends since high school, 20-somethings Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman have an idea: a Web site for people to conduct business with municipal governments. This documentary tracks the rise and fall of govWorks.com from May of 1999 to December of 2000, and the trials the business brings to the relationship of these best friends. Kaleil raises the money, Tom's the technical chief. A third partner wants a buy out; girlfriends come and go; Tom's daughter needs attention. And always the need for cash and for improving the site. Venture capital comes in by the millions. Kaleil is on C-SPAN, CNN, and magazine covers. Will the business or the friendship crash first?
2001-01-21 | en
7.1
Cadillac Records
The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.
2008-12-05 | en
6.9
Mad Hot Ballroom
Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes humorous perspectives, these kids are transformed, from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen," on their way to try to compete in the final citywide competition.
2005-05-13 | en
8.0
Quiet Riot: Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back
An inspiring documentary chronicling the rise, fall and resurrection of '80s metal band Quiet Riot. The career of Frankie Banali, the band's drummer, reached a serious crossroads when his best friend and bandmate died in 2007. Years later, Banali realizes he must forge ahead and make a new life for himself and his daughter and he goes on a quest to reunite the band and fill the immense void left by his bandmate.
2014-04-29 | en
6.7
Underwater Dreams
Underwater Dreams, narrated by Michael Peña, is an epic story of how the sons of undocumented Mexican immigrants learned how to build underwater robots. And go up against MIT in the process.
2014-07-11 | en
8.0
Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All
An intimate look into the lives of one of the most iconic folk-rock bands in America - the Indigo Girls. With never-before-seen archival and intimate vérité the film dives into the songwriting and storytelling of the music that transformed a generation.
2024-04-10 | en
6.0
I'm Still Here
I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the film follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip-hop musician. The film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads and explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.
2010-09-10 | en
6.1
Freakonomics
Some of the world's most innovative documentary filmmakers will explore the hidden side of everything.
2010-10-01 | en
6.8
The Wolfpack
Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed ‘The Wolfpack’, the brothers spend their childhood reenacting their favorite films using elaborate home-made props and costumes. Their world is shaken up when one of the brothers escapes and everything changes.
2015-06-12 | en
7.8
Pressure Cooker
A committed, passionate teacher tries to make all the difference in the lives of disadvantaged students.
2008-01-01 | en
6.0
Beijing Rocks
A rock and roll story that portrays the decay of political and cultural lacunae that have separated China and Hong Kong for so long.
2001-10-25 | cn
7.0
Splashing
An experimental piece of film-making by Margaret Tait, featuring three children at play in a burn and garden, splashing and having fun playing with water.
1966-01-01 | en
0.0
Aspects of Kirkwall 4: The Ba
The streets of Kirkwall, Orkney come to a standstill as the "Down the Gates" and the "Up the Gates" battle it out in this traditional Norse ball game. Margaret Tait records the sights and sounds of this game 1954 - 1980, the commentary featuring interview with Ba' winners, music and poetry.
1980-01-01 | en