Machine Gun Kelly is just a ‘player’ from ‘The Land’

Even though rapper Machine Gun Kelly told the Call & Post he doesn’t consider himself a celebrity, the thousands of screaming fans in front of whatever stage he’s performing on we’re sure would beg to differ. Now, a different set of fans can enjoy him outside of the arena and in the theater as he’s made the transition from “Wild Boy” artist to thespian and executive producer with two back-to-back films.

Last week MGK starred in “Nerve,” a daring social media thriller, that premiered after he popped up in Cleveland during the RNC for a special sneak peak screening of the film at Shaker Square Cinemas taking pictures and talking with adoring fans.

This week, MGK’s back in Cleveland premiering the highly anticipated film, “The Land,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The rapper not only stars in, but has executive produced the film alongside hip-hop legend Nas. Co-stars include singer Erykah Badu, “The Wire’s” Michael K. Williams and fellow Clevelander and rapper Ezri “Ezzy” Walker. “The Land” was also written and directed by Clevelander Steven Caple Jr. who will be on hand for Q&A Wednesday night at the Cleveland premier.

“The Land”

A “vivid look at an inner-city saga set amidst Cleveland’s hip-hop underground. Teenage buddies Cisco (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), Junior (Moises Arias), Boobie (Walker) and Patty Cake (Rafi Gavron) shrug off school to practice skateboarding, which they hope will be their ticket to a better life. In the meantime, they steal cars to finance the dream.

But when they get mixed up in a drug deal and cross a ruthless queen pin (Linda Emond), they put their friendship – and lives – on the line. Set to a choice hip hop soundtrack and featuring an impressive ensemble cast, ‘The Land’ crackles with the energy and poetry of the streets.” (Taken from the synopsis)

See it exclusively at the Cedar-Lee Theatre starting Friday, Aug. 5.

“Nerve”

First thing in the morning, the commute to school or work, lunch breaks, before you fall asleep at night… How many times a day do you post, scroll or secretly troll on social media? More than likely the answer is, countless. A better question would be, do you just thumb through living vicariously through others or do you have the nerve to actually feed the machine?

Venus “Vee” Delmonico (Emma Roberts) watches life as a Staten Island high school senior from behind the lens of her camera, snapping shots of everyone else’s lives as social butterflies including her best friend Sydney (Emily Meade). Venus is anything but audacious, but when Sydney challenges her ability to be an extrovert (and ultimately their friendship), Vee finds herself in a trap disguised as a fly new Internet-driven game that forces her to decide, “are you a watcher or a player?”

Nerve is a Truth or Dare style game that accesses a player’s personal online information from their Facebook account to their bank account giving viewers the ability to dare players based on their wildest dreams or deepest fears. Players perform stunts that vary from funny to risky to outright life threateningly dangerous with each completed dare resulting in more viewers and more money in their bank accounts. As a player, should you fail the task or not accept the dare, the truth will be known that you are a loser.

Vee finds herself knee-deep in nerves when the game oddly pairs her with a mysterious, but cute, total stranger named Ian (Dave Franco) who’s also playing for keeps. Their chemistry instantly makes them fan favorites and Vee the underdog everyone’s placing their money on for the win. But, not if Ty has anything to do with it. Colson “Machine Gun Kelly” Baker brings his badass rap persona to film as Ty, a menacing player who serves as Vee and Ian’s primary competition.

Will Ty’s antics be enough to tie the two up long enough to not complete their dares, or will his threatening presence turn out to be the factor that causes the words Game Over, and possibly their lives, to flash in front of them? Guess you’ll have to get the nerve up to watch and find out.

A cute film that runs the gamut of thrills, romance, comic relief, a bit of drama, a rage against the machine factor with some classic teen movie genre elements. Parents can watch with the kids without using the big barrel of popcorn as a blindfold. And, after it’s over, “Nerve” serves as a teachable moment in social media etiquette.

Worth checking out, even if it’s just to see Cleveland’s own MGK on the big screen. See “Nerve” is in theaters nationwide.