Invisible Woman And Afronerd In The Fortress Of Non-Solitude....

Hey guys....I'll be mixing it up with Afronerd on Sunday on his radio show....talking about the state of Black Cinema going into 2008. He is a pretty intelligent brother, but he also has a sense of humor, so I hope you can check us out. For a link on how to get his internet radio show, click here.

In the meantime, here is a ditty he wrote on his blog on the current movie "Honeydripper" with Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Keb Mo' and others:

Special Hat Tip and a Soul Brother handshake to Undercover Black Man for highlighting this movie on his respective blog. Check out the film's synopsis according to the official site:

Iconoclastic filmmaker John Sayles, in his 16th feature film, continues his extraordinary examination of the complexities and shifting identities of American sub-cultures in the new film “Honeydripper.” With his usual understated intelligence, Sayles uses the rhythms of the citizens of Harmony, Alabama to immerse the audience into the world of the Jim Crow south. It’s a fable about the birth of rock n’ roll-a quintessentially American subject, but with a fidelity to time and temperament that is unusual in an American director.

It’s 1950 and it’s a make or break weekend for Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover), the proprietor of the Honeydripper Lounge. Deep in debt, Tyrone is desperate to bring back the crowds that used to come to his place. He decides to lay off his long-time blues singer Bertha Mae, and announces that he’s hired a famous guitar player, Guitar Sam, for a one night only gig in order to save the club.

Into town drifts Sonny Blake, a young man with nothing to his name but big dreams and the guitar case in his hand. Rejected by Tyrone when he applies to play at the Honeydripper, he is intercepted by the corrupt local Sheriff, arrested for vagrancy and rented out as an unpaid cotton picker to the highest bidder. But when Tyrone’s ace-in-the-hole fails to materialize at the train station, his desperation leads him back to Sonny and the strange, wire-dangling object in his guitar case. The Honeydripper lounge is all set to play its part in rock n’ roll history.

I must admit that I am a bit more optimistic about this film than Undercover. He did make a valid point about the rash of juke joint films that were made in the last few years however, the amount of those celluloid efforts pale in comparison to the onslaught of ghetto-centric films that have been made and promoted in the past. I will reserve judgment as the stellar cast and period early 50’s backdrop may be just what the film doctor ordered. Let’s cross our fingers.

From IW: Here is the trailer for the movie....things may be looking up in 2008: