The Last Days of Left Eye (2007)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

So much average

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

This is the last film by TLC group member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. She filmed most of it in Honduras in late March and throughout April 2002, and the idea behind it was to give her fans an inside look into her life.The film starts off with Lisa leaving the U.S. and heading off to her spiritual retreat in Honduras. While Lisa narrates (with voiceovers and audio clips from previous interviews she did), you see rare photos and old film clips of Lisa Lopes when she was a baby and as a teen. She talks about her turbulent childhood and growing up under a very strict father. And she tells the story about how TLC began, talks about her ex-boyfriend Andre Rison and the infamous fire incident at his mansion. She also talks about her interest in numerology and being spiritual.Unfortunately Lisa did not live to finish this documentary, but after seeing what she did film, in my opinion, I felt I got to know her much better. I definitely saw a different side to her as opposed to what i've seen previously (ex. the interviews, videos, etc). I see she had a sense of humor. She was gifted (could play the piano by ear at the age of four), and she was artistic. But she also had deep emotional pain/problems too (ex. carving the word "hate" on her arm).The picture quality is good and the sound is in stereo. But for some reason, the song "Let's Just Do It" isn't on this DVD (at least not my copy). I received an email response from the Left Eye Legacy website and they stated that VH1 was provided with the song, but for some reason they didn't put it on the DVD. Hmmmm. And the DVD is also censored (any nudity is digitally concealed). Also it would have been great to have had more clips, and any other interviews she did when she was alive. The video extras are OK, but they are the same ones you can see on the VH1 website. I understand that the upcoming "Eye-Legacy" cd will have more deleted scenes from this documentary, but why couldn't they have just put those scenes on this DVD? That would have been more appropriate in my opinion. Also, there are two things regarding this film that I believe are not accurate:1. At least as best as I can tell, after watching this DVD in slow motion a few times, Lisa Lopes was NOT wearing a seatbelt. I didn't see ANY type of restraint device in use - no shoulder belt or lap/waist seat belt. Nothing. It's also ironic that after the accident clip where she loses her life, you see the following sentence come up on screen: "Lopes, who was wearing her seat belt, was the only fatality." I didn't see her wearing any seat belt.2. Another thing that isn't accurate is the timeline. In the film, after the graphic: "day 25 of filming" is shown, you then hear about the accident that happened while she was in Honduras - a child ran in front of the van Lisa was riding in. The van hits the child (Bayron Fuentes Lopez), who later dies at a hospital. The film gives the impression that the accident happened in late April and then Lisa Lopes lost her life two or three days later. From what i've read this is not true. The accident involving the boy took place on April 6, 2002. Which is in early April. Lisa Lopes lost her life on April 25, 2002. Late April. So this is a few weeks difference, NOT a few days as the documentary seems to state. Or at least gives the impression.I first remember seeing Lisa Lopes back in 1992, at the beginning of the "Ain't to Proud to Beg" video taking off those huge sunglasses and showing those big, round, beautiful eyes she had. I was infatuated with her ever since.If you are a fan of Left Eye and/or the group TLC, you should definitely get this DVD.Michael White.**Originally posted by me on Amazon.com 12/2008**

Lisa Lopes, better known as "Left Eye" by her millions of fans, was 1/3 of the best selling girl group in history, TLC. Left Eye was the eclectic rapper in the group, and was often known for her rebellious behavior and quirky style. She got a lot of press when she burned down the house of her boyfriend, NFL star Andre Rison, in 1994. She rode the wave of 10 years of highs and lows with TLC, until she was involved in a fatal car crash in 2002. During the last few weeks of her life, she took her and her family and close friends on a trip to Honduras. The place where she would die three weeks later. The footage she documented in Honduras was made into this incredible documentary, "The Last Days of Left Eye".This documentary is a breath-taking portrait of a misunderstood young woman. Some moments are captured of her in Honduras, but most of it is made up of Lisa giving us the story of her life, intercut with nostalgia like home movies, old photos, and concert footage and music videos with TLC. Through this film, Lisa is able to tell us the truth, everything she has experienced from her own point of view. Everything from her rough childhood, her rocky relationship with her father, her past alcohol problem, the infamous house-burning incident, and her ups and downs with TLC are discussed and explained both openly and honestly. This film will give you a new perspective and respect for her. It makes you feel like you knew her personally. She is intelligent, brave, spiritual, funny, and loving. She had her problems in the past, but was always working to become better and move past them.However, one of the most striking things about this documentary is how you get the feeling that Lisa is speaking directly to you. The few frames where she stares at the camera, with her intense eyes, and the narrative style of the film makes you feel as if she's right there with you. Also, one has to wonder if Lisa knew if she was going to pass (something else that makes the film remarkable). Lisa was very spiritual. She was into astrology, numerology, and often traveled to Honduras to do her own form of "spiritual cleansing". She spoke of premonitions and deep dreams. The last week of her life she was very paranoid of what might happen to her. Maybe leaving this film behind was her way of making sure her own side of the story was heard, before it was too late. Lisa seemed as if she was reflecting on her life, had let go of a lot of things and was ready to move onto the next "phase". Physical transformation. Because as she said near the end, there is no such thing as death. Only transformation.The loss of Left Eye was a blow to the music industry. She was creative, energetic, and had a great mind. She may not be here on earth, but this film is a great way to capture her short but remarkable life. It is truly one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, and something I would recommend to anyone.

I saw this on VH-1. I was aware of TLC but their episode of "Behind the Music" enabled me to get to know them better. I liked how, unlike the Supremes, all three entertainers played an equal role. But, Left Eye always struck me as gifted but a little disturbed. She made you look. By watching "Last Days", what struck me about her and her family was all of that talent was constantly butting up against torment and turmoil. Her talent also enabled her to express that torment in innovative ways. The show also showed what a leader she was, managing Egypt, bringing them and her family with her to Honduras. What made that vehicle swerve and turn over? That spirit or her whole family tree?

While I'm familiar with Lisa Lopez ("Left Eye") and with the three women hip hop group, TLC, that she was a part of, I'm not a fan per se of their group. However when I became aware of TLC in the late 1990s I was curious enough to watch their videos and gather some information about them. When Lisa died I remember thinking how sad it was that a woman of her talent and energy died so young. This film is what it's title says -- it is literally a documentary filmed during the last month of Lisa Lopez's ("Left Eye") life. What it does also is give background and insight into her life up to that point (age 30) as Lisa herself saw it; included are photos of her growing up, her family, her former husband, and her music and performances with TLC. What makes this unusual is that the film chronicles her upbringing from her own viewpoint and allows you the viewer to see the changes that she has made. What makes this ultimately eerie and sad is that Lisa seemed to have some foreshadowing of her death and yet her attitude toward this strange inevitability is one of acceptance and deep spiritual transcendence.