I didn’t know the artist that goes by the name Logic. I know! I’m just as surprised as all of you. Being that I’m hip. Cool. And have that finger on the pulse of pop culture. Ya dig….? *Ahem* Who I DO know, is Kevin Smith. A while back, Kevin was telling listeners of his podcast Fatman Beyond about directing a music video for a rapper named Logic. Some time had passed and he updated his listeners that one of the many irons he had in the fire was working with Logic on his first film. That film, as it turns out, is Paradise Records.
I thought he was going to direct but I would be wrong. Logic would write, direct AND star in Paradise Records. A film close to his heart. Being that it’s semi-autobiographical. Kevin would put his editing cap on (most likely wearing it backwards) and help produce. It made its way around some festivals and I didn’t hear much more about it. That was until I was scrolling through my streamers and lo and behold…a familiar name had lit up like neon! Yep; Paradise Records.
At no point did I even view a trailer. I went into this purely on Kevin Smith’s credentials. And I’m glad I did. Paradise felt like watching a spiritual successor to Clerks. I don’t know if that was Kevin’s influence on Logic when he put his script together or Kevin’s style in the edit but the humor and sensibility was all on screen. It’s the chicken or the egg debate.
Speaking of influence. Yes, the Clerks vibe was apparent but so was the story of a failing record store that money needed to be raised to save it. Sound familiar…? If you guessed Empire Records, you WIN*! One part Clerks. One part Empire Records. One part Dope. Give it a remix and you get the styling of Paradise Records. Don’t get me wrong, there’s influence but Paradise is uniquely its own.
For its perfect runtime (approx 1:46), there is a moment at the end where it drags but oddly enough, it picks up again and saves it. Will it be everyone’s taste? Probably not. Does the n-word get dropped freely throughout the movie where even Tarantino would blush? Possibly. I mean, it gets thrown around as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, etc. It’s a lot. So, be warned. However, there’s heart among it all. And some laugh-out-loud moments as well.
If this sounds at all appealing, then check it out. Logic did good for his directorial debut. Not too shabby. I’ll be interested in his follow-up. That is, if he has one in him. For all I know he could be back to rapping. Either way, he’s got his fan base. I, for one, am in the movie column side. If you need me, I’ll be at the record store flipping through Logic’s music catalog…
*you win my admiration.
Arguing With Myself 