Random Movie News...

Not much going on in the world of Black Cinema--or any cinema, really. I went to a preview of the new Morris Chestnut/Taraji Henson/T.D. Jakes/Bill Duke movie "Not Easily Broken"...more on that after it opens, but here are a few tidbits....

Can I say what's up with Sundance? They are showing all types of...I don't even know what this year...to wit (spotted on The Obenson Report):

"[Michael Clarke Duncan] is starring in a film called Slammin’ Salmon, which will premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in a couple of weeks.In the film, a brutal former heavyweight boxing champion Cleon “Slammin’” Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan), now owner of a Miami restaurant, creates a competition to see which of his waiters can earn the most money in one night, with $10,000 as the winning prize, while the loser will endure a beating at the hands of the champ.

Of course, hijinx and hilarity ensue... what else, right?

The film also features Vivica Fox."

From IW: Hmmm...after some investigation, I see the makers of this film are "Broken Lizard", responsible for a few weird, low budget comedies. I don't know what to make of it, especially what is going on with Vivica's hair...it just seems to get bigger and bigger every time I see her. Here is the trailer:




It pays to be married to someone who knows the true meaning of "parlay", and this applies in volumes to both of the Smiths:

"TNT had greenlit the medical drama "Time Heals," with a 10-episode order. The series is produced by and stars Jada Pinkett Smith. David Julian Hirsh (TBS' "Lovebites"), Laura Kenly, Christina Moore ("90210") and Suleka Mathew ("Men in Trees") will co-star.

"Time Heals" is set in a Charlotte, North Carolina hospital, with Smith playing the director of nursing who takes on hospital administrators, apathetic colleagues and heartless doctors."

From IW: I would normally have lots to say on this, but I know Undercover Black Man was working on a project with Jada, and this may be it, so I'll be quiet and be nice...but oh! how it huurrtsss....



Got this in my inbox from Sergio:

IW-

So I've seen Notorious and I have to say that I think it's really really good. The plot may follow the standard basic formula of a bio-pic but then it's with real visual flare and style by the director George Tillman.

However the sake of openness I have to admit that I'm a long time close friend of Tillman and his producer partner Bob Teitell so course I'm biased. Also I have to be upfront and say that I really don't know anything about hip-hop so I ask you and all your readers to give their opinions about the film and say if they feel the film really captures Biggie Smalls since, though of course I know who he is, I don't nothing about his music except that he was a real big fat guy who got shot. At the screening there were several radio DJ's and local radio execs and they were enthusiastic about the film so I take it that they felt it worked for them.

One fault though is that damn Angela Bassett. Subtlety is definitely not a word she's familiar with. Once again she goes overboard with her usual overacting and speaks in that THE VOICE OF GOD tone especially in her final closing narration in the film. As you said once that black people tend to confuse intensity and over acting with good acting. It's not. Basset is a straight up ham actress pure and simple. I mean she would overact just brushing her teeth.

Sergio

From IW: I'll also keep my mouth shut (for once) about Angela Bassett, 'cause I don't want the chix from "Angie B. News" bringing down their special reign of Bassett terror on me. I will say that I am not checking for this movie--but I said the same thing about Cadillac Records at one time, so we'll see.

Here is the trailer, tho I'm sure most of you have seen it:



And finally, for all you strong. Black, female screenwriters and filmmakers:

"The International Black Women’s Film Festival was established in 2002 by Adrienne Anderson, a San Francisco Bay Area-resident and San Francisco-native. Though an academic and collaborative technology trainer by profession, Ms. Anderson is also a journalist, writer and cultural activist. It was through her contact with music artists and filmmakers that she found that many films being presented had little, if any, fair representation of the complexity and human emotions of Black, female characters. Surprisingly, she found this consistency among films from other countries as well.

She decided to create a festival where the accomplishments, talents, creativity and filmmaking skills of Black women could be celebrated, featured and fairly represented. Looking beyond the usual Hollywood-style stereotypes of Black women, she introduced new and innovate cinema, primarily directed by Black women, and/or featuring Black women in non-stereotypical roles.

To date, the festival has received over 400 entries and has garnered international attention around the world from the Netherlands, Germany, Paris, Ghana, Canada and Australia! The festival has also received personal support and sponsorship from STAR WARS director and creator George Lucas and his media company LucasFilms, Ltd "


From IW: There is a call for entries going on right now. To find out more, click HERE.

The Good, The Kinda Bad, And The Completely Wack.....

I went on one of my "mmm's" this weekend (mini movie marathons). So here are my mini reviews of what I saw.....


First up, The Good:


City Of God


I have read so very, very many wonderful things about this film. I have avoided it before, as I am ashamed to admit, sometimes I do not feel like reading subtitles. There I said it.

But my laziness has made me late on a completely amazing film on every level. It is a story of young hoodlums trying to rise above their poor and desperate hardscrabble life in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. But it is so much more than that. There were twists and turns and multiple storylines everywhere, and it worked. Beautifully.

It conjures up memories of Scorsese's "Gangs Of New York", and Quentin Tarantino when he is good. It sometimes has the look and feel of a spectacular 70's black exploitation flick, and the high tension "anything could happen at any time" dread of "The Sopranos". Yet though you are reminded of all of these things, this film has a look and voice that is completely unique.

I once took an Italian Neo-Realism film class (not to sound uppity, but it's relevant). These films were well noted worldwide because it was the first time that cinema was shown in a ultra realistic way, and not Hollywood script style, right after WWII. They showed the human condition in a way that was in your face and unflinching, and the actors did not seem like actors at all, but folks really living the experience.

City Of God is like that; it shows Brazil in all it's beauty and it's seedy ugliness of the poor and working poor--the people are amazing to look at in this film (Brazilians are legendary for their diverse beauty, with good reason) from the darkest black to pale ginger red heads. It shows how people are forced to make choices out of desperation, cause they don't want to be left behind in a bleak hopeless world that they had no part in making, and how those choices can be so very f**ked up, to say the least.

To put it simply, this film was the s**t, the kind that you think about for days after you see it.




Also on The Good:


The Great Debaters


Yes, I finally broke down and saw it. In my opinion, though the film had high quality content, I think it would have been an even better film sans the overly sappy soundtrack. I'm just being honest.

I think one of the reasons I am such a fan of independent film is that it's lacking the swelling, manipulative music that is a staple of the Hollywood Machine. You know, the Disney-esque crescendo of the orchestra "happy music-feel happy here!" "serious, slow, tender music-feel sad here!" "uplifting loud music-feel happy again here, especially at the end!"

You know what I'm saying. That type of sound is preachy and tiresome. And I think The Great Debaters would have been a very solid film, taken a bit more seriously, and been a little longer lasting without it.

I felt the same about "Talk To Me". Just my opinion.




Next up, The Kinda Bad:



Meet The Browns


I don't want to straight out call this film bad, cause it wasn't. But it wasn't what you would call good either. Meet The Browns was pretty much everything you expect from a Tyler Perry movie, but this time with a couple of minor attention grabbing aspects.

Angela Bassett gave one of her Angela Bassett performances, and she can't help it---she is soooo serious. Even scenes that call for her to laugh light-heartedly seem very forced and unnatural. But she keeps your attention at all times, something that Tyler Perry's movies haven't really been able to do for me before. Seeing her very well toned body, jaunty, well placed hair scarves, and calm, sensible demeanor really didn't fit in that "Good Times" style project apartment she lived in either. Also lmao off at the babysitter scolding Angela multiple times, talking about "You young mothers these days". Ummmm.....Angela is 50?

Of course there is the "family-and-friends-sitting-around-the-dinner-table-while-major-life- changing-revelations-are-brought-to-life" scene (that honestly I am beginning to loathe). The one in this film is particularly out there and over the top, even for Tyler Perry.

Insert everything else from every other Perry film, and you have this one. It's almost comforting in it's sameness: a good man is a cure for all a woman's ills, the sassy/nosy/blunt neighbor/relative, the moral of "Put your faith in the Lord first", and the ever classic "Family is family, no matter what".

On a side note, even though he really hasn't done anything at all for me in the past, Rick Fox was looking mighty...."magically delicious" in this film. In other words...that negro was fine as hell! haha




*sigh* On to The Completely Wack (and inexplicable)




"Alvin And The Chipmunks"


Don't ask.




Miss B's Hair Salon


Holy sh*t. I don't even know what to say about this one. Let's first start off with the fact that the women on the DVD cover were nowhere to be found in the movie. It seemed like it was one of those films advertised on Craigslist calling for actors and crew with the line "no pay, but food and credit will be given!" They then proceed to film the movie on the cinematic equivalent of a camera phone, have everyone change "costumes" at the Exxon gas station, and have the movie take place in one room, two at the most. The script and dialogue seems like it was self-generated and wrote itself, as no breathing human being could possibly be this talentless. It makes Vivica Fox's "The Salon" look like "There Will Be Blood".

It was about a bunch of very badly done stereotypes and cliches rounded up in some sort of scary beauty shop, with Tiny Lister somehow involved. He is the only person with even a glimmer of recognition in the whole movie. The almost hypnotically insane side story was about some dude whose face they never showed-- only his crusty, blackened, weed smoked lips that he kept licking and crooked teeth, who had a parade of women coming to this house, supposedly lusting after him. He would proceed to have some type of level 3 sex offender type pre-coitus dialogue with them, all the while brushing his nappy chest hair above his open to the navel shirt (?!!) with a wig brush (?!!) as he was talking. WTF?!

This film was "written" and "directed" by some dude named Jean-Claude La Marre , who is a repeat offender on the horrible Black Cinema list. He has brought us such classics as "Don't Touch Me If You Ain't Prayed", "Gang Of Roses", "Voodoo Curse", and "Nora's Hair Salon".

Two abhorrently dismal hair salon movies? Someone arrest this man before he writes/produces/directs again!

Interesting.....

The long search is over. Jamal "Gravy" Woolard will play Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. in 'Notorious", a biopic on the infamous rapper.

According to Variety, the story will follow Biggie "from his beginnings as a Brooklyn crack dealer to his rise to the top of the world of hip-hop." Though he only lived to the age of 24, there's still going to be a lot of ground to cover in that two hour movie. Angela Bassett will play Voletta Wallace, Biggie's mother. Derek Luke will play his friend/producer Sean "Diddy" Combs. Anthony Mackie will portray Biggie's hip-hop rival Tupac Shakur.

Newcomers Antonique Smith, Naturi Naughton, Dennis White, and Julia Pace Mitchell round out the supporting cast.

George Tillman Jr. will helm Notorious from a screenplay by Cheo Hodari Coker and Reggie Rock Bythewood. Filming is set to start March 24 and take place in all five boroughs of New York. Fox Searchlight also has a date set up for the release: January 16th, 2009.

From IW: I don't know who this "Gravy" dude is, but Anthony Mackie as Tupac is not making it for me. He always seemed...how shall we say....a bit "sweet". Not that there's anything wrong with that, haha. At least Angela Bassett's mixing it up a bit....finally.

I'll let you make your own comments on this next one...I never really have any words when it comes to Bey. Idris seems to be continuing his 'crap-o-rama tour' tho. From Filmwad:

Beyonce Knowles, Ali Larter, and Idris Elba have been hired to star in Obsessed, a thriller for Screen Gems. According to Variety, "Elba [last seen in American Gangster] will play an asset manager who has a knockout wife (Knowles) and thriving career until a temp office worker (Larter) begins stalking him."

Television director Steve Shill is directing his first feature from a screenplay by David Loughery (Money Train, Star Trek V, Tom and Huck). Will Packer is producing along with Beyonce and her father Mathew Knowles. Production begins this summer.

This N' That

Note: Please forgive spelling errors as Blogger spellcheck is not working, and I am the world's worst speller.

Hope you guys are having a good weekend...it's Super Sunday so I know I won't be seeing a lot of you until tomorrow, haha. I was a chosen blogger by Nielsen to rate the Superbowl commercials...tho I come from a football lovin' family, it's never been my thing (I like to watch the puppy bowl), but the commercials are always a big discussion in the public for the past few years, so it might be interesting....is anybody else doing this rating? Let me know....

Billary and Obama's camp were in Cali over the weekend for rallys, Hill in San Francisco and Ted Kennedy with one of the women I absolutely adore, Representative Barbara Lee across the bridge in Oakland for Obama. I noticed that when Hillary speaks now, it is so overly careful and heavily modulated...extremely unatural. It's like somebody told her "try to speak calmly the way Obama does". You can see her concentrating so hard to keep a level oration that you can't even focus on what she's saying, and the long pauses between words don't help. I wonder how many people she's fooling with that mess.

Normally I try to go to as many film festivals as I am able, both Black and non-black. While looking at the advance program for The San Francisco Independent Film Festival there was not ONE black film featured. WTF? To me that is just blatant "we don't give a f--k, and we don't care if you know it" and I cannot support an independent film festival with zero diversity. One reader, I forget who it was, said that Black film festivals are pretty much useless as far as getting your film distributed, but the white ones are where all the money is made. At this point in time, regretfully I would have to tend to agree, so it's extra f'd up that we get no love at fests like these. There was ONE six minute preview short about some rap group from Oakland. That figures. There was one film out of like 25 that featured a person of color, a Dominican kid from Brooklyn. If you would like to call the film festival on their BS (which I think is very important we start doing) click HERE, and tell director/founder Jeff Ross about himself and the policies of his festival. If you care about Black film and how we are represented, these are the things we need to do.

Anyway, over at BygBaby's blog, I found out about a film called "Touissant", which is being directed by Danny Glover about the infamous former leader of Haiti. Don Cheadle plays Touissant, and it co-stars Mos Def, Chiwetel Eljiofor, Angela Bassett, and my favorite wierdo, Roger Guenveur Smith. I see that Jonathan Rhys Myers is getting top billing, so I hope it's not another one of 'our stories' told by some YT's perspective once again....I would like those to go away for a while, imho.

Speaking of opinions, I will be giving mine (of which I have many, haha) along with Qadree from Culture Critical, The Black Actor, and Mr. Obenson on his podcast "The Obenson Report" tomorrow, Monday, at 9pm EST. We will be discussing all things Black Cinema, of course. If you want the info, click here.

And finally, some things I see I want to post here; alas they are not fitting with the content of this blog, but I could not resist this one. Someone seems to be keeping company with Jasmine Guy in the club of "aging rapidly and not well":

The party's over, Pam, please read the memo in it's entirety.

Hello There...

Aaannnndd we're back! haha

Missed you guys.

I now know I'm hopelessly addicted to the blogosphere, no point in denying it. It's only been a few days and it seems like weeks!

My posting is still gonna be a bit spotty this week due to my move....bear with me. And thanks so very, very, much for the well wishes and comments about my laptop....at least I know you notice if I'm not around, cause I sure notice when you're not :-)

Anyhoo, some interesting things have happened---I'll give you a couple of coming attraction updates and dedicate the rest of the day to Carl Gilliard as promised a few days ago.

I was saying a few times recently that I wished more of our historical heroes would be portrayed on screen. It looks like that is happening a bit here and there....this one very much peaked my interest:

Jeffrey Wright has been tapped to play Muddy Waters in "Cadillac Records," a musical biopic that follows the turbulent lives of such bluesmen as Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf in 1950s Chicago. Adrien Brody will replay Matt Dillon (who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts) as Chess Records founder Leonard Chess. btn

From IW: Jeffery Wright in this will be off the hook, if he loosens up just a bit. I also think Adrian Brody is infinitely more interesting for this than Matt Dillon.

By the way....the following had the headline "Back By Popular Demand" (??!!). Hhmmmmm......somethin' in the milk ain't clean:

Kim Wayans' ("In Living Color," "Juwanna Mann") one-woman show, "A Handsome Woman Retreats" returns January 25th playing Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm through February 23rd at the 2100 Square Feet Theatre in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles.

From IW: Alrighty then.

And finally, from Robert Townsend, who I think almost all of us have love for:

The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) will host the world premiere of director Robert Townsend's "Of Boys and Men" starring Robert Townsend, Angela Bassett, Victoria Rowell, Dante Boens with Faizon Love, Vince Green, and Bobb'e J. Thompson. The premiere will take place on February 13th as part of the PAFF's Centerpiece program.

From IW: Yamo be there.

Black Hollywood Bringing You The Word....

Wow. While snooping around, I came upon a list of the cast of the Bible Experience (which Simo from Angie B. News informed me Wesley Snipes couldn't join cause of his "issues").

Tisha is on this, as well as these others:

Blair Underwood

Denzel Washington

Angela Bassett

Common

Tatyana Ali

Samuel Jackson (of course)

Mo'Nique

Faith Evans

Meagan Good

Cuba Gooding

The "Bible Experience" is described as this:

The Bible Experience is an inspiring audio Bible that features an unprecedented cast of nearly 200 of today's distinguished Hollywood actors, actresses, and musicians. It also features movie-quality sound effects and background music. This fully dramatized version of the TNIV New Testament was developed by entertainment veterans, and is a ground-breaking undertaking. The phenomenal quality draws you into Scripture and makes the Bible come alive in a new way you have never experienced before.

OK, I'm A Sap...

I know I'm on the late train...I avoided seeing "Akeelah and the Bee" forever, cause if you've been paying attention to this blog at all, you know I have a high aversion toward stand and deliver/against all odds type films. I find them very formulaic, and ultimately very, very, boring.

I also kinda avoid Angela Bassett; one more film of her being strong jawed and strong willed and I think I'm gonna scream. A friend's kids were watching it, so I started watching it too...

Oh my God. I must have cried 10 times, trying to hide it all the while cause I felt like an idiot. The relationship between Laurence Fishburne and Akeelah was soooo sweet, and I loved Laurence being quiet and gentle-it didn't seem affected at all. That little girl didn't get on my nerves even once (as some kids in movies do), and she kinda reminded me of myself at that age-I was a nerd who hung out with the cool folks-don't ask me how that happened.

And guess what? Angela came across as a real mom with real life child rearing issues, and only got strong jawed once or twice...I loved everything about this movie; how the community was proud of her and what she represented, how the mom and daughter got to really see each other as people for the first time, how Akeelah and her coach healed each other just by being able to talk about their hurts, and how in life it's not always about the win, but the journey to get there.

It's About Time

Giancarlo Esposito, a veteran actor that I've always found compelling to watch (he's also easy on the eyes), has finally stepped up his game to director. He also wrote and stars in the film "Gospel Hill".

According to IMDB: Gospel Hill is about haunted men, the former sheriff of the southern town dealing with past sins, and the former civil rights worker withdrawn since the martyrdom of his brother thirty years before. Their final confrontation comes when a corporation descends on the town, echoing a struggle thirty years old.

The movie also stars Samuel Jackson (of course), Danny Glover, Angela Bassett (shout out to the angiebnews crew), and my third husband, The RZA.

If aren't familiar with Giancarlo, I suggest you rent his standout performance in "Fresh"....it is the story of a preteen drug runner who really just wants to go to school.....it's very interesting and un-Hollywood. Giancarlo plays a drug dealer that has Fresh's drug addicted sister on lock....and guess what? It also stars Samuel Jackson. I'll post a clip of the film later today.

Just A Little More Angie B. News....

I read on this on "A Hot Mess" blog today....Is this 4 real? Angela Bassett just received a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood today (ceremony in 2008)..... get this: Judge Judy and Charlie Murphy (WTF????!!!) already had theirs.

Sometimes I really wonder what life is all about.

Angela Bassett Stans Stand Up!

I received a comment from "Simoniquea -pissed off BassettHound" today that disputed the comment I made in yesterday's post about Angela Bassett. I agree wholeheartedly that Angela has more talent in her little finger than most of Hollywood. And believe it or not, I am not a huge fan of Halle Berry's acting...."Monster's Ball" would have been infinitely much, much, much, more interesting if Angela was playing the lead role instead of Halle. But even though she was happy at the Academy Awards for Halle, and posed for pictures, I do believe she probably thought she was robbed in the aftermath. I do stand by the things I said about her referring to Halle, though she never said her name directly; it was reported several times over.

Believe me, Simoniquea, if I could put Angela Bassett in every role that Halle ever played (even Catwoman) I would! Maybe that is the thing.....take more risks! I actually loved her in "A Vampire in Brooklyn".

Here is the link for all things Angela Bassett....enjoy! http://angiebnews.blogspot.com/

Casting Trivia.....

The Smiths are continuing their acting dynasty with daughter Willow in "Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl Mystery" (?) a story set in The Depression. Jill Scott (my girl!) will play a lead role in an upcoming Tyler Perry movie (?) called "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" (??). We'll have to see how these 2 turn out, they both sound pretty sketchy right now. Ludacris and Nick Cannon have been cast in the basketball movie "Ball Don't Lie" about a b-ball player and his conflicting life on the streets.

Speaking of casting, here is some interesting trivia:

-Did you know that Halle Berry turned down the Sandra Bullock role in "Speed"? (Probably busy making the classic "The Rich Man's Wife")

-Will Smith turned down the role as Neo (that went to Keanu Reeves) in "The Matrix"? (Whew!)

-That Angela Bassett turned down Halle Berry's Oscar winning role in "Monster's Ball" and then had the audacity to be pissed that Halle won (she probably thought that legacy should have been hers) and talked greasy about Halle , saying that "it's amazing what happens when someone decides to show their body?" Sour grapes, girl. By the way, has anyone seen Angela lately?