In Praise Of Precious....

This is a repost of a guest blog I did on my blogging brother Rippa, aka Rip Dem Up's spot: "The Intersection Of Madness and Reality". Please check him out...he mixes things up over there on a daily basis. Warning--he may piss you off and he loves to do that! PS Thanks to my new followers for doing so, tho I haven't posted in a millennium--love you!



I haven't blogged in a long time--it's not that I haven't wanted to, or had writers block, but somehow I couldn't seem to make the effort. Rippa challenged me to write my thoughts regarding the movie Precious, and the hoopla surrounding it, after reading my heartfelt tweets/anger about the sad folks that started a website to recruit people not to see the film. I mean WTF??

Listen people. I am what you would call the hugest Black Cinema enthusiast. I am completely involved in it every day, whether directly or indirectly via the internet. And for the life of me I cannot understand this backlash on Precious on any level--especially because the bulk of it seems to come from folks who've never even bothered to see it.

I have a blog on Black Cinema, entitled Black Cinema At Large...and on it we have discussed quite often and many times over the problem with Black film today. Most of the common complaints that I have read on my blog are actually addressed and handled beautifully in this film. Want some examples? Here we go:

All we ever get to represent us on screen is either a Tyler Perry film or a Black man in a dress.

This one is easy. Though Tyler Perry executive produced this film, there is absolutely no whiff whatsoever of any Perryism, and only real women play the women, and even 99% of them weren't wearing dresses.


1) Why can't we have a film starring Black people that is just a story? 2) Why do we always have film that puts our pain on screen?

The themes in Precious are universal. There are far, far too many people in the world that are suffering because of poverty and ignorance, not just us. Incest, poverty, and violence are real, in every culture, and happen every single day. Are they never to be addressed on film? This story could happen to anyone, and director Lee Daniels keeps the scenes involving the incest and violence to a minimum, if only just to show the challenges Precious had to break away from. The very focal point of the story is Precious' journey toward enlightenment from darkness. Would it have been easier to view if Precious was light, or was thin, or had long hair? Be honest when you answer that.


1) We are so tired of rappers and singers instead of Black Hollywood actors getting all of the roles in Black film. 2) We never get to see any up and comers given a chance, we see the same actors over and over.

Okay, so Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey are in it. But guess what? Their parts are small, and they actually added some good performances to the story. Lee Daniels made sure that they earned their place in his film--they were not missteps. The main roles are played by someone who has never sang or rapped, Mo'nique, and by newcomer Gabby Sidibe. As I'm sure you've heard or saw by now, both of these actresses put their FOOT in it. Even Paula Patton, who I've never been particularly impressed with as an actress, did an amazing job as Precious' teacher. The students, all unknowns, were completely natural and believable.



When we get a decent Black film made, it never gets any hype or publicity and fades away. All we are left with is coonery.

Ummm...even if you haven't seen this film, you know that it has gotten publicity in a major way, along with tons of major accolades. It broke box office records in it's limited release, and has slowly been expanded it all major markets. This film causes us to actually think, which Americans are probably not used to when watching a movie, and is a Black film that is completely coon free as well--can most wrap their mind around that?


The music and soundtracks in Black film are so awful--what happened to the soundtracks we wanted to buy in the 70's (and 90's)?

When I worked for The Studio That Will Henceforth Remained Unnamed, I was always saying that the soundtrack is an essential tool in creating and effective and compelling film. Daniels seriously knows the value in it as well, and weaves throughout the story added layers of amazing narrative through music; Labelle, Mary J. Blige (produced by Raphael Saadiq), Mahalia Jackson, Queen Latifah; all strong and talented women that came from humble beginnings. And he didn't take the easy way out by filling it with Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey.


The Black Hollywood elite never use their money or clout to back Black films.

Oprah and Tyler Perry? Nuff said



The fact is, if you are paying attention at all, you would know that Precious isn't all about pain, or being ghetto, or fathers raping their daughters, or Black stereotypes. It is about Precious breaking through a foundation of generations of ignorance. Her mother has no value for anything but the basest human functions--food, sex, and TV. Her mind cannot expand beyond what is happening inside of her house, and can barely expand beyond her own animal instincts and thought. Precious lives in the peripheral vision of her mother's mind, only to be recognized when she is hungry, angry, or horny.

The sheer weight of the legacy Precious has to handle, not alone her real weight, make her life almost unbearable. The only difference between Precious and her mother is that Precious has a small ray of hope (though she has no reason to), that she desperately clings to like a life preserver, hoping that one day someone will pull on it and lift her up. She escapes her real life through daydreams and fantasies, until the real life and daydreams start to meld. Yes, tragedy does bring her to a place of enlightenment, but isn't that the case with everyone on this planet? Isn't that why we're here? Does anyone learn anything from having it easy all the time? If you know someone like that, I would be interested to hear about it.

The ignorance of parents passed on to their children is absolutely real. I have been blessed in this life to have two parents that both have their master's degrees, and I have had some very hard and severe challenges in my life with both of them and in life, even on that foundation. But doing some volunteer work in West Oakland (historically a poverty ridden area for a few decades) years ago brought my awareness to a new level....I had always taken for granted so many things that the youth in the community had no knowledge of---the level of ignorance was absolutely crushing....it made me very sad, and very reflective for quite some time. Most of the sadness came from knowing that most of these kids were good, and had so much potential, but it would never be realized because these kids would never be able to move beyond the tools their parents gave them, which was barely above survival level. Most of them had never even been to San Francisco, across the bridge and only 4 miles away.


Precious was able to break free, and the joy of this film is seeing her journey--how when she hears her teacher and her lover speak, she says that "they sound like a channel I don't watch" and instead of being intimidated, strives to be more like them. We see her in a fantastic scene--where the images and sounds surrounding her from all angles; Malcolm X, Shirley Chisholm, the race and civil rights struggle--are slowly but surely chipping away her blindness. Her sheer determination and inexplicable force of will propel her to a life outside of the one she inherited, and though her life does not end up being challenge free, she is a testament that our lives are what we make them to be, and we are the ones solely responsible. And if that is cause for protest, then I got nothin'.

On an added note, anyone who knows anything about producer/director Lee Daniels knows that he consistently and repeatedly steps out of the box. I actually started my blog because of his film "Shadowboxer", because of the unfairness I felt is received from the critics. From that film (with elements of stepmother, son incest), to the very excellent and underrated "The Woodsman" (with pedophilia) to "Monster's Ball" (interracial love and sex) to Precious, Daniels creates images and themes that stir up a myriad of emotions in folks--admiration, reflection, sadness, excitement, anger--everyone has their own interpretation.....and after all, isn't that what art's ultimately supposed to do? If you can't support the content of his films, just be glad that something creative is being done by and for Black people--the studios are watching your every move!

To all of the people who still hate this film, and continue to be vocal about it, I invite you all to marinate on all of the recent studio greenlit Black films coming to a theater near you: Why Did I Get Married 2, Big Mamma's House 3, and Beverly Hills Cop 4---carry on!

The Return Of The Crazy Critic....

Okay, so there is a term that I came up with called "Obamatized", a play on words from a condition women sometimes have called being d*ckmatized. You see, after Obama was elected, folks got all infatuated and/or caught up and started throwing Black folks out there left and right, sometimes with epic "FAIL" results. Take ineffective goofball Republican Chairman Michael Steele for instance, or adulterer and head of Citigroup Dick Parsons. 10 years ago, a Black man in either one of these positions would have been as unthinkable as Obama being president. Just like this this dude being the president of the New York Film Critics Circle, at one time arguably the most powerful and influential critic organization on the planet, was unthinkable, and probably should have remained so.


My blog homie, pop culture writer Micheal A. Gonzales (do yourself a favor and check him out HERE) sent me an article from NY Magazine* on the latest shenanigans of Armond White, the aforementioned head of the NY Film Critics Circle. I wrote an article on this dude a couple of years ago, which you can read on the post after this one. I was bewildered at why he just seemed to be so contentious all the time, serving no real purpose or adding anything to the world of cinema except for his dissension.

There are those that just seem to have received zero love as a baby and child, and spend the rest of their lives trying to get it back through attention whoring or "look at me!" antics...in my opinion, Armond White seems to be one of them. How else do you explain these oddities taken from the article?

"In the category of $100 million–budget comic-book action-adventure films, White declared the “genre expertise” displayed by his great hero Steven Spielberg in the criminally ignored Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was “better than” the overpraised “dunglike banality” of Iron Man."

And this:

"White’s assertion that the “kinetic art” to be found in assumedly schlocky Transporter 3 was “better than” that favorite of “impressionable teenagers,” The Dark Knight and also said this of The Dark Knight: [it] “fabricates disaster simply to tease millennial death wish and psychosis.”"" (from IW-what the eff does that even mean?)


After the Dark Knight opine he was raked over the coals:

"This opinion generated a mini-firestorm of hate mail on Rotten Tomatoes, the widely skimmed Internet movie-review site currently featuring a forum titled “Armond White of the New York Press May Be the Worst Film Critic Ever.” Among the more than 300 postings—for other critics, two comments is a groundswell—White was described as “sad,” “crotchety,” a peddler of “Cold War platitudes,” a hater of the common people, a “Christian boy,” an abuser of affirmative action, and a mindless typist".

He also trashed "The Wrestler" only one of four major critics to do so. Everyone, especially a critic, is entitled to express their opinion, but from what I have seen, Armond White continuously goes against the grain, again and again, and his views and explanations don't seem to carry much weight. It seems that he does it for attention, and not because it's really what he holds in his heart. It all seems very disingenuous.

White says, “I don’t say these things to call attention to myself or to get a rise out of people. I say them because I believe them. We’re living in times when critics get fired if they don’t like enough movies. People don’t need to hear what mouthpieces for the movie industry tell them. They need to hear the truth.”

That may be true, but why are his "truths" always so different from absolutely everyone's, in addition to being extremely negative? Consider this:


"At the City Sun, the borderline-radical black weekly where he regularly slammed Spike Lee’s movies, referring to Clockers as “40 acres and a bunch of bull.”"

Or this head scratcher:

"White took a similarly purist stand when he railed against critics lobbying for free DVD screeners. “This is about the aesthetics of film reviewing,” he says. “We are obligated to see movies the way the public has to see them. If not, then become a DVD reviewer, don’t become a film critic.” Asking for product from the movie companies is a compromise of journalistic integrity, White says, declaring “the New York critics have been corrupted.”"

Or this quote:

In a post called “White Noise,” [Glenn] Kenny wrote, “White’s known for spewing bile at his peers in print, and then turning around and being quite affable to said peers in person—I’ve experienced it. And I’ve had it. So: Screw you, Armond.”

Or this bit of wisdom from White:

"The “comically humane” films of Wes Anderson, maker of Rushmore, are infinitely “better than” the “toothless Robert Altman gumming” of Paul Thomas Anderson, whose There Will Be Blood is a “symptom of everything wrong with the American experience.”

Or this:

"It is in this way that White can confidently tell you a film like Blade Runner is “effective for about fifteen minutes” and probably should have never been made, because there was no way it was ever going to surpass Fritz Lang’s Metropolis as a dystopic vision of the future. "

*sigh*

If Mr. White is married, or even has a pet I would be very surprised. What I am not surprised to find out, however, is that is he the youngest of seven children. Make of that what you will.


*source

Urkel, Is That You?

This is a repost of a piece I did 2 years ago on crazy critic Armond White. I reposted it so you can get a bit more of a feel of what I'm talking about on the post above...

I thought that Armond White was a bit rough on "Talk To Me" and Kasi Lemmons....sure, it wasn't the greatest film, but it was no "Soul Plane" either. (I posted his review yesterday).

So I did a bit of snoopin' around on dude, and found some interesting tidbits. Even though they kinda speak for themselves, I will give up a bit of commentary:

-He is known for his support of Steven Spielberg, Brian DePalma, D.W. Griffith (?!!), and Charles Stone III (who directed the classics "Mr. 3000", "Drumline", and "Paid In Full") *1

-He started at the New York Black weekly newspaper "The City Sun" extolling the virtues of Morrisey, The Pet Shop Boys, and Erasure. *2

-Goes on about people like Spike Lee "sullying the Black Experience". *3

-Gave high praises to the films "Torque", "Little Man" (?), "Sahara", and "Against The Ropes" *4

-Had the audacity to write a book about Tupac. *5

*1 He gives big love to the richest man in Hollywood, a misogynist director who has never featured anyone black in his films, the director who made "Birth of a Nation", the most racist film in history, and some bootleg director to show he is "down"? Dude seriously knows what side his bread is buttered on.

*2 That's like your grandmother buying Jet magazine to find out about all the latest going-ons of Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Jessica Simpson.

*3 Huh?

*4 No comment necessary

*5 Do we really want someone who was writing reviews before I was born and who emulated Pauline Kael to write a book about the effects of Tupac on the world?

He reminds me of another mainstream "expert" who also had his origins in the non-black world decades ago, whose "expertise" is also questionable, but not his ability to generate controversy. "Stylist" Andre Leon Talley:

Top 10 Black Movies Of 2008? You Be The Judge...

Last year I put out a list of the 10 Worst Black Films Of 2007. I really wanted to do the 10 best, but couldn't think of 10. This year, sadly, is not much different, but I don't want to seem whiny about how much is so wrong and nothing is right about Black Cinema, as I am very optimistic about 2009. I've seen some things stray from the norm, "Medicine For Melancholy" and "I'm Through With White Girls" just to name two, and I believe it is the beginning of a positive trend.

So there is this guy Kam Williams that I never hear about except at the end of year where he gives his opinions on the year in Black film. Here are his views as he sees fit that I saw on The Obenson Report...what do you think?


Ten Best Black Feature Films:
1. The Secret Life of Bees
2. Cadillac Records
3. The Family That Preys
4. The Express
5. Miracle at St. Anna
6. Meet the Browns
7. Never Back Down
8. Seven Pounds
9. Soul Men
10. The Longshots


Best Independent Black Films
1. I’m Through with White Girls
2. How She Move
3. Ballast
4. All about Us
5. Blackout

Best Black Documentaries
1. The Souls of Black Girls
2. A Man Named Pearl
3. America the Beautiful
4. Meeting David Wilson
5. All of Us
6. Trouble the Water
7. One Bad Cat
8. The Dhamma Brothers
9. Very Young Girls
10. Disappearing Voices


Best Actor (Lead Role)
1. Rob Brown (The Express)
2. Evan Ross (Gardens of the Night)
3. Anthony Montgomery (I’m Through with White Girls) 4. Djimon Hounsou (Never Back Down) 5. Derek Luke (Miracle at St. Anna) 6. Bernie Mac (Soul Men) 7. Boris Kodjoe (All about Us) 8. Don Cheadle (Traitor) 9. Forest Whitaker (Ripple Effect) 10. Will Smith (Seven Pounds)


Best Actress (Supporting Role)
1. Alicia Keys (The Secret Life of Bees) 2. Taraji Henson (The Curious Life of Benjamin Button) 3. Viola Davis (Doubt & Nights in Rodanthe) 4. Beyonce’ (Cadillac Records) 5. Sharon Leal (Soul Men) 6. Tre’ Armstrong (How She Move) 7. Kellee Stewart (I’m Through with White Girls) 8. Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield) 9. Tasha Smith (The Longshots) 10. Gabrielle Union (Cadillac Records)

From IW: There is so much I could say about this, but it would make me weary. What is up with that top 10 list? Seriously, Boris Kodjoe as best actor of anything? In this lifetime? In this universe? Just wow. Best actress Beyonce? Gabrielle Union? Really, dude? I know our choices are limited, but Gawtdamn. I have a hard time taking his lists seriously, and I definitely don't want him speaking for our community. I have even spotted his same lists on a couple of YT blogs--they seem to feel as if he is speaking for all of us, and the comments are marveling in what "we" consider excellence.

Please. please, please, let me know your thoughts on these lists and let me know if I'm being too harsh.


Update: Got this in my inbox this morning...apparently Mr. Williams is one of those whom Googles himself daily. Maybe I would too, I dunno. Anyhoo, for those of you who were wondering who he is, here is the deal from the horse's mouth, as well as said horse letting me know about my very opinionated self, haha!

Dear Invisible Woman,

Thanks for posting my list on your blog.

As to who I am, here's a brief bio:

Voted Best Male Entertainment Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2006, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S. and Canada. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee, and Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, he has an MA in English from Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.

I see about 500 films a year, as many as the handful of top black film critics who also see a large number. I might be the only one who puts out a top list of black movies in addition to a general top 10 list. I do not presume to speak for black people anymore than a white critic presumes to be speaking for anyone besides him or herself in putting out a list.

Kam

News From My Comrades...

Saw this on Obenson's blog yesterday. It is the supposed top 10 films of 2008 as per Time magazine. Do you agree?

1. WALL-E
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. My Winnipeg
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
5. Milk
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Iron Man
9. Speed Racer
10. Encounters at the End of the World

Considering I haven't seen half of these films yet, I won't comment too much. But isn't looking good as I have absolutely no idea why The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Speed Racer (?!) are on there.

For those of you that have or haven't seen Cadillac records, feel free to check out my beloved Sergio's review of it HERE. Following is his review of "Seven Pounds" with Will Smith:

IW

I've seen Seven Pounds and I'm sure you and everyone would like to know how it is.

First of all you know that I CAN'T STAND Will Smith. The guy just grates on my nerves. His enormous popularity just puzzles me. I guess because he's so inoffensive, so aggressively eager to please, so relentlessly happy and friendly that everyone just likes him. The safest black man on the planet. Even safer than Tyler Perry in a dress. I sorely miss the old days of a mean, ultra masculine Jim Brown killing white guys and banging every chick regardless of color who came across his path.

But having said that and getting off my chest. I have to admit that I really liked Seven Pounds. SAY WHAT??? First Beyonce in Cadillac Records, now this? This surely most be the sign of the apocalypse! But the film is really quite different from anything Smith has done before. A serious, thoughtful tear jerker with some real depth with something actually to say unlike Benjamin Button which snoozes its way for nearly three hours with nothing interesting or important to say except that make up effects have advanced pretty nicely over the last ten years, but CGI effects still suck.

The structure of the film is quite interesting and I think the best thing about it. It's mostly told in a non-linear fractured structure going backwards and forwards in time making it a challenge to figure out what's going on, though believe me, everything is eventually made clear. I don't want to give away too much of the plot which is the reason why Sony Pictures has been rather quiet about it. Basically it tells the story of a guy (Smith) who because of some personal tragedy decides to help a group of strangers of people in need. There are two big plot twists, one which takes place halfway which explains up confusing aspect regarding Smith's character and the final one towards the end which explains everything that you've seen before including the title of the movie makes quite a powerful impact.

Personally I think Smith gives the best performance I've seen him gave in a film, way better than his overrated turn in the equally overrated The Pursuit of Happyness and the the disappointing Ali. Granted Smith is not a naturally gifted dramatic actor like, say, Jeffrey Wright or Phillip Seymour Hoffman. In serious dramatic moments, like in Pounds, you can see him "working" to get the right effect, but overall it's a solid compelling performance. No doubt he's getting an Oscar nomination for this film. I'm also surprised by Rosario Dawson's performance in the film. I've never been crazy about her either mainly because of her previous comments denying that she's black. You know that she's Irish-Chinese-Asian-Hispanic-everything-else-under-the-sun-except-black-God-forbid-anything-but-that! but she really gives an outstanding touching performance in this film as well.

Hey look, every time I see a film I always go in hoping to like (or love) it despite at times who directed it or who's in it is someone I don't like (with the exception of a certain cross dressing no-talent) and sometimes even if I not wild about someone involved in the film I get really surprised and this is the case here. I really recommend Seven Pounds. Will wonders ever cease?


Sergio

From IW: Sergio likes a Will Smith movie? And he thought Bey was OK in Cadillac Records? I think it might be time for all of us to invest in bomb shelters, as surely this is the end of days....I guess we're even about me liking "Soul Men" huh, Serg? haha



Since this seems to be big up Sergio day, he sent this over to me too...it is the movie poster for "Notorious":

Please, Please, Please--Just Be Quiet

So there is this "black" film critic that is seemingly starved for attention, Armond White, who is always going against the grain. I don't really speak on him, cause I think he does it on purpose so he can see and hear his name in public. He said some pretty f'd up things about the Don Cheadle/Kasi Lemmons movie "Talk To Me", which I commented on this summer in my post "Urkel Is That You?" and here.

Well, it seems that Mr. White is still riding the crazy train to senility based on an article I read on The Politic.Com:

Black Cinema & White Criticism

Armond White rides to the defense of mediocre black director Tyler Perry. Why is Perry consistently slaughtered by the critics? Yep, you guessed it. If you have an ear for the absurd with an intellectual bend, this may be one of the funniest articles you ever read. Some excerpts [including a spirited defense of R. Kelly’s “vernacular”]:

"Most critics don’t “get” Tyler Perry basically because most critics are whites who are not only clueless about Perry’s African-American culture, but unsympathetic to his particular expression.

"It’s alarming that American film critics alienate themselves from the aspects of Perry’s films that should be universal.

"Perry’s critical beat-down isn’t an issue of knowledge—or taste—so much as cultural preference.

"Nothing in Knocked Up is as meaningful as Perry’s spectacle of men who must restrain their anger physically or his politically incorrect fashion show of women proudly, luxuriously wearing furs as signs of pleasure and achievement.

"This happens to be the basis of R. Kelly’s extraordinary music-video opera, Trapped in the Closet—a work of true genius that the media has also underrated and ridiculed. The media mocks R. Kelly’s vernacular (calling it “crazy” is the easiest way to avoid its daring and brilliance) just as Perry’s comedy and Eddie Murphy’s in Norbit are disdained as unsophisticated or vulgar.

"Besides, Denzel will take us back to modern slavery next month.

From IW: What?

Let Me Know...What Are Your Favorite Black Films?

O.K. Listen up. I am going to be taking a sabbatical in North Carolina (whassup Blogxilla and Bohemian Hippie Chick!) to write and chill. I have to get things together here in S.F., so posting may be spotty or not at all over the next couple of days.

In the meantime, I would really, really, like to have a readers poll of the Top 10 Best Black Films. I got the idea from Mrs. Grapevine, who commented that there was a college poll of the 10 best films of all time, and none of them were black (she nominates Sparkle and Lady Sings The Blues). I kinda forgave these kids cause they are probably young and dumb. This is the list, from ten to one:

Garden State
Gladiator
The Departed
Office Space
Fight Club
The Boondock Saints
Old School
Anchorman (?!)
The Notebook
Wedding Crashers

See what I mean? I mean, I might be able to get with The Departed, and I know Office Space is a college classic, but The Boondock Saints and and Old School? Pure college cult tomfoolery. There must be at least one black film that's better than those, even "Car Wash".

Anyhoo, Just Judith cosigned. This is a list that she did early on in her blogging career of the Top
25 Black Films. She proposed an interesting question....what makes a black film "black" is it a black director, a black cast? That is a good question, as most people would automatically say a black cast. But "Hustle and Flow" is considered a black film, and was directed by a non black.
Here is JJ's list:

Boomerang
Jerry Maguire
Colley High
Glory
Coming to America
Love & Basketball
Boyz 'N The Hood
The Color Purple
Do The Right Thing
House Party (original only)
Let's Do It Again/Uptown Saturday Night (that's 2 films Judith, recount! :-) )
What's Love Got To Do With It
Sparkle (on the list thanks to the soundtrack)
Claudine
Malcolm X
Ray
Devil In A Blue Dress (agreed with the Cheadle comment JJ)
Eve's Bayou (one of my faves)
Hoop Dreams
Def By Temptation
Fresh (another one of my faves)
Jackie Brown
Soul Food
Love Jones

One reason I want a list that reflects our community is that stankonia AFI top 100 films of all times. Pure BS. I posted what I thought about their unapologetic invisibility list here when I first started blogging.

Please leave your votes in the comment section....you can list one or two or ten or twenty, any # of your favorite black films. They can be from the year 1900 to 2007. I'll give the results at the end of the week, then post them on the sidebar and leave it up until next year (hopefully I'll still be blogging). I appreciate everyone who responds...cheers!

Urkel, Is That You?

I thought that Armond White was a bit rough on "Talk To Me" and Kasi Lemmons....sure, it wasn't the greatest film, but it was no "Soul Plane" either. (I posted his review yesterday).

So I did a bit of snoopin around on dude, and found some interesting tidbits. Even though they kinda speak for themselves, I will give up a bit of commentary:

He is known for his support of Steven Spielberg, Brian DePalma, D.W. Griffith (?!!), and Charles Stone III (who directed the classics Mr. 3000, Drumline, and Paid In Full) *1

He started at the New York black weekly newspaper "The City Sun" extolling the virtues of Morrisey, The Pet Shop Boys, and Erasure. *2

Goes on about people like Spike Lee "sullying the Black Experience". *3

Gave high praises to the films "Torque", "Little Man" (?), "Sahara", and "Against The Ropes" *4

Had the audacity to write a book about Tupac. *5

*1 He gives big love to the richest man in Hollywood, a misogynist director who has never featured anyone black in his films, the director who made "Birth of a Nation", the most racist film in history, and some bootleg director to show he is "down"? Dude seriously knows what side his bread is buttered on.

*2 That's like your grandmother buying Jet magazine to find out about all the latest going-ons of Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Jessica Simpson.

*3 Huh?

*4 No comment necessary

*5 Do we really want someone who was writing reviews before I was born and who emulated Pauline Kael to write a book about the effects of Tupac on the world?

He reminds me of another mainstream "expert" who also had his origins in the non-black world decades ago, whose "expertise" is also questionable, but not the ability to generate controversy. "Stylist" Andre Leon Talley:

And The Academy Award Goes To....Norbit! (Kidding)

In honor of Norbit's release this week, I'll give out a little info. This movie was the secondary motivation for me to start this blog, as I found all of the hoopla surrounding it's theatre release interesting and a bit confounding.

After seeing any film I generally go to various websites and message boards to see the general consensus, and the people were outraged; outraged I tell you! Things like "stereotypical in the worst sense of the word", "insulting and ignorant", "this movie confirms the age of "Idiocracy" is here", "sets blacks back to a time of 'Birth of a Nation' " and similar comments were repeated over and over. I found this a bit confusing, as I thought Norbit was to be taken with a grain of salt, and it was the first Eddie Murphy movie I've paid to see since "Beverly Hills Cop", and definitely the first one of his films that I've laughed at since then. Trust, Eddie doesn't normally move me at all. And who goes to an Eddie Murphy movie expecting Greek tragedy?

But upon closer inspection, I found that these comments were written by....wait for it....non-blacks! WTF? Comments like "only someone that is completely uneducated, on the lowest fringes of society could enjoy this movie" was far and beyond more insulting to me than anything Eddie could have done it a fat suit. My friends and family are, for the vast majority, educated and upstanding contributing citizens and we all thought it was hilarious. And the repeated "unrealistic" part of Rasputia? Sorry, but I actually have met women like that, and I'm sure you have too. The rare comment that I did see from someone of color telling these "authorities" to relax was met with hostility, and barbs that they were "ignorant" to the situation and the "long term effects" this movie would have.

Interesting. Best believe that most people forgot about this film until it got released on DVD this week. My take? Rent it, buy it, the ish is hella funny! (Take it from one who doesn't feel "ignorant" about the situation).

My Honorary First Posting Goes To........."Shadowboxer"

It is only fitting as it was my motivation for creating this blog to begin with. The unfairness of how this movie was treated was compelling. It blends together so many unlikely story elements, that at worst, it is intensely interesting.

It is the tale of 2 hired hit people, Cuba Gooding and Helen Mirren (?!) that also happen to be lovers, that also happen to be mother and step-son. They are hired to kill the wife of a nut ball mob boss (Stephen Dorff, who actually does the hiring) and the body guards that are protecting her. While spraying the guards goes smoothly, Helen Mirren, about to kill the wife, discovers that she is in the last stages of pregnancy as her water breaks as she is about to shoot. Helen promptly delivers the baby on the bed, and decides to save them, perhaps trying to atone for the fact that she has made a career of killing and is dying of cancer. Cuba, who also shadowboxes as a hobby, all the while gives his intense silent disapproval during the course of events. All of this by the way, happens in the first 15 minutes of the film and are not spoilers.

What happens next is a journey of major proportions for Cuba, Helen, and the mob wife. I have to say, with as many films as I have seen, some of the imagery is quite fascinating. To see a 38 year old Cuba (who in this movie has a body of total chiseled perfection) naked and having soft core sex in the open woods with a sixtyish Helen Mirren is.....how shall we say......wow.

Sure the story is a bit far fetched (most films these days are), but I think it was this image of the violation of the sacred alter of St. Mirren of England that was this film's undoing, and caused the critics to tear it to shreds. They, should we say, were just not ready. In a world of big screen television remakes and threequels (i.e. Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, and Pirates of the Caribbean 3, all of which I have absolutely no desire to see) it is obvious that Hollywood is completely and utterly creatively bankrupt. If anything, it should welcome a film of formerly unseen imagery and viewer challenges, like water to a thirsty man in the desert. Macy Gray has a role as the wife's best friend, and steals every scene she's in. It is also the first time I have gotten into a performance by Cuba since.....well....ever. It is actually very nuanced, powerful, and affecting. But, dear reader, it is a perfect example of how far we still have to go in Hollywood, and the reason for the existence of this very blog; to point these things out to you.

This film is a first time direction for Lee Daniels, who produced "Monster's Ball" and the seriously criminally overlooked and ignored "The Woodsman". BTW, "The Woodsman" and "Shadowboxer" were also produced by Damon Dash, former cohort of Jay-Z. Who woulda thunk? All due props to Lee Daniels, but honestly, bro, what's up with the hair?