BLACK INDY FEST

A common complaint about Hollywood is their lack of films dealing with minorities. Yeah, we get our occasional The Secret Life of Bees, Dreamgirls, and Notorious, which are good and  a step up from the often "white only club" controlling the film industry. But sometimes we do need to dig a lot deeper to discover the truth. And the truth is that the film industry is oozing with black films, they all just don't make it to theatres. However, as Slumdog Millionaire proved (which was considered becoming a straight to DVD release) just because a film is an "indy" doesn't make it any worse in quality or content. 

Below are four black "indy" films that you should be made aware of. They may not all get theatrical releases, but if you dig deep, you should be able to find a way to view them in your area. 

A MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY

Medicine for Melancholy is a love story of bikes and one-night stands told through two African-American twenty-somethings dealing with issues of class, identity, and the evolving conundrum of being a minority in rapidly gentrifying San Francisco—a city with the smallest proportional black population of any other major American city.

Status: On IFC (Video on Demand)

Website

PRECIOUS 

(formerly PUSH)

Based on the novel PUSH by Sapphire, Precious is about a teenage girl growing up in harlem. She is physically and emotionally abused by her parents and pregnant with her second child. The film is directed by Lee Daniels, co-stars Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz, and championed by both Oprah and Tyler Perry. 

A GOOD DAY TO BE BLACK & SEXY

Press play on A GOOD DAY TO BE BLACK AND SEXY. A mixed tape of deftly arranged vignettes on Black Love, Sex, and Reciprocity. What you hear may be unrecognizable at first… Neo-realistic intimacy between black people found in rare grooves previously drowned out by the sounds of modern hook-ups and bougie preoccupations, a cacophony of mass-produced beats created with drum machine loops and software. A Good Day to be Black and Sexy is that dusty LP you find in the crates. But as soon as you put the needle to wax, all the forgotten lyrics return to your lips in this dreamy love sonnet to the beautiful and chocolate coated. The intro track is a prelude into the heavily sensual world of expectations - the rhythm that drives the film. Erotic moments are lullabies that turn into syncopated groves without notice. This record skips, and jumps to the hook of a Millie Jackson remix. An anthem belted out by a minx who knows her limits, but can’t resist testing the boundaries.

Status: Now on DVD 

Website

I'M THROUGH WITH WHITE GIRLS

After years of dating white women, an unconventional "brotha" vows to try his luck with some "sistahs" of his own race. But when he falls for a self-described "half-Rican Canadian", it is possible he's found his soul mate? True, she isn't black - but her race is only part of the problem. For this longtime commitment-phone to settle down, he'll have to drastically change his ways. 

Status: On IFC (Video on Demand), DVD & Netflix

Website

HANCOCK REVIEW

Will Smith is clumsy.

Not the person, the filmmaker. But more on that. 

Hancock (Will Smith) is the tale of a vigilante superhero. He fights crime, but does it recklessly prompting public outrage. He saves the life of P.R. Rep Ray Emrby (Jason Bateman- Dodgeball, The Break-Up, Smokin' Aces) who repays the favor by trying to change his public image. But unbeknownst to them, Embry's wife (Charlize Theron- Monster's Ball) holds the secret to Hancock's past and bitterness. 

 

Back to my earlier claim: Will Smith is a clumsy filmmaker. After the critical success of The Pursuit of Happyness & I Am Legend, Smith missed the mark twice this past year. Once with Seven Pounds (which I haven't yet seen but heard it's not good) and again with Hancock. 

Biggest mistake in Hancock - the story is not tight. It's really two stories that don't go hand in hand. SPOILER ALERT: Embry's wife confesses to being the same species as Hancock. She then explains his origins in which Hancock was unaware of. The problem here is that the story was never about that. It was about Hancock changing his public image, yet they drop that storyline midway for this new so-called twist? It seems contrived, coming out of left field. Hancock's origins isn't even discussed or emphasized. It really seems like two movies in one. 

There are many other chunks of clumsiness spread through the film. At the beginning, Hancock finds a young fan that wants to have sex with him but warns his superpowers makes things complicated. After a very short love making session (less than 20 seconds) she goes flying across the room and his specimens create holes in the trailer. Now his climax can puncture the trailer yet the girl walks away unscathed? Also, afterward we clearly see Hancock has his cargo shorts on and the woman is still wearing her underwear. Were they dry humping? And wouldn't this powerful superhero be able to go a lot longer than 20 seconds?

The scene below is a scene from where Embry is showing Hancock the mistakes of his past behavior. He shows a youtube clip of someone taping Hancock with a home video camera. Yet we clearly see this clip films from multiple angles.

 

There is another scene with Hancock lifting off from in front Embry's house. Now everytime Hancock takes flight, he crumbles the pavement beneath him. This time is no different yet. We see the pavement dispersing yet when he lifts off, the road is unscathed. There are others, such as the beginning when Hancock is flying while drinking. He grabs the fleeing criminals car window with no bottle in hand, then gets pushed back with the bottle clearly back in his hand. 

Hancock does have some funny scenes but overall, Smith comprised the storyline in his film for marketability and a faster release date. 

CULTURAL INTROSPECTION:

This scene sparked a huge outcry from G.L.A.D. calling Will Smith and Hancock homophobic. Ten years ago, a scene like this would have been overlooked, but it says a lot about the times we live in with these simple lines get so much attention. Coupled with the Isaiah Washington heat a few years back, it looks like we do live in a society where we have to be careful what we say. Is freedom of speech getting curbed a little? Maybe. But in this debate I kind of side with G.L.A.D. The homo remark was not necessary for story purposes. It was a cruel joke they could have done without. 

BLACK PERSPECTIVE:

There's good and bad to the black community in this Will Smith project. With Hancock, Will Smith undeniably became certified as the #1 movie star in America. As bad a film as it was, it did great at the box office pulling in the usual Will Smith 4th of July weekend numbers. For a black filmmaker, that's a huge accomplishment. Also, it's about time we represented with a black superhero and Steel doesn't count.

The negative: our new black superhero is a wreckless, alcoholic asshole already playing into stereotypes of the modern day (pre-Obama) Negro. Also, Will Smith is a bit whitewashed. A lot of his success can be contributed to moviegoers no longer noticing the color of his skin which is both a blessing and a curse. It's great to rise above the problems of race relations but negating one's race to do it sends a clear message about denying one's identity. 

Another problem I had with the movie was the casting. When Hollywood controls the movie, they control the casting. If Will Smith and Ms. Embry are soulmates, then why couldn't Ms. Embry be black? This is not about interracial relationships. It's about the belief that to market a movie like this, white audiences would not respond to a black heroin. I love Will Smith to death, but I constantly feel he is turning his back on the black community. Since he started flexing his Hollywood muscule, he has done very little to increase the status of black filmmaking. Even in I Am Legend the heroine was a white female. 

Will Smith's Leading Lady Track Record

Seven Pounds - Rosario Dawson

Hancock - Charlize Theron

I Am Legend - Alice Braga

The Pursuit of Happyness - Thandie Newton

Hitch - Eva Mendes

As you notice, none of these past leading ladies are black. Some of them have African-decent in them, but Smith has yet to cast a true "sistah" since Gabrielle Union in Bad Boys II. As I said before, Will Smith is a bit white-washed, intentionally taking the focus of his race to increase his marketability. It's nothing that we're not use to, though. Both Beyonce and Obama did the same. 

RATING:

= 1 Star
= 1 Black Fist

EXTRAS:

• Hancock grossed over 624 million dollars. 
• Hancock costed over 150 million dollars.
• A sequel to Hancock is being discussed.

MUSIC VIDEO KILLED THE MOVIE STAR

Two recently released music videos come to mind that interact with the film community. One of an Oscar winning song and the other by an Oscar winning artist.

BLAME IT (Jamie Foxx):

Now how come this video doesn't trigger epilepsy?

This video has been getting a lot of attention. Mostly for it's odd cameos of parading Oscar nominees. Samuel L. Jackson (which isn't too strange), Forest Whitaker (getting in strange territory), Jake Gylenhall (?????), and Ron Howard (seriously wtf!). And they do no more than the regular club video cameo; enjoy big booty girls dancing around them seductively and raising their glasses. I seriously need to know what it took to get these people involved in something like this. All of them (bar Jackson) are extremely careful about their choice of movie roles, yet they'll act foolish in a "Blame it on the alcohol video" featuring T-Pain? I thought better of Whitaker and Howard. Gylenhall, not so much, I mean he was the Bubble Boy. 

As catchy as the song is, I do wish Jamie Foxx would show more originality and not jump on the T-Pain/club video bandwagon. 

 = 1 Star

 = 2 Black Fists

JAI HO (Pussycat Dolls):

Why is Nicole Scherzinger the only active member in PSD, yet failed miserably as a solo artist?

As much as I despise the Pussycat Dolls, I'll give them credit for this. The tone of Slumdog Millionaire's original Jai-Ho fits them perfectly and the little tidbits of distinct PSD don't bother me too much. I still really like the song and with this version at least I can listen to it in English.

Now what I don't like: the music video. While Slumdog Millionaire was hailed for being culturally authentic the music video is an exploitation of Indian culture. The only thing Indian in it are Nicole Scherzinger's outfits, A.R. Rahman, and maybe the drums. The only thing Slumdog Millionaire about it: A.R. Rahman and the train station. They could at least show clips from the movie. What does this do to promote Slumdog? I'm not exactly sure. Definitely not up to the standards of the Oscar winning song. A.R. Rahman deserves better. 

 = 2 Stars

 = 1 Black Fist

THE DARK KNIGHT REVIEW

Superhero movies have finally grow up. This is what critics roared after The Dark Knight premiered. Christopher Nolan (Memento) helms this sequel after successfully restarting the Batman franchise with Batman Begins. The Joker (Heath Ledger) is on a crusade to bring high crime back to Gotham. Thus opposing Batman (Christian Bale) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) dubbed "The White Knight" for his public image of the relentless pursuit of justice. Bruce Wayne's ex-flame Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is engaged to Dent.  Joker savagely gets to her, turning Dent into the disfigured vigilante Two-Face and endangering the public's hope in saving Gotham. 

So much has already been said about The Dark Knight. In my attempt not to repeat anything, let me get these out of the way. 

1) Yes, Heath Ledger was brilliant as the Joker. 

2) No, it's not a perfect film. It has many flaws in both story and direction.

3) It probably did deserve a Big Picture Nomination, but it my humble opinion, did not deserve the top prize. 

Got that out of the way. Now onto the new stuff:

I believe the single reason for The Dark Knight's huge success is it's clever crafting of the story. Most superhero films deal with the plight of our protagonists having to save the world, dealing with the huge pressure of saving lives and living their own, or some rational revenge trip and getting over a personal conflict. The Dark Knight is different. The film's victim isn't the superhero. It's Gotham. The city can either rise from it's ashes or sink back into a era of darkness. This is what is at stake. Bruce Wayne's personal issues take a back seat. 

I relate The Dark Knight to No Country For Old Men. Not only is it's best action in the middle of the film, but it also really has three leads. Batman, Joker, and Harvey Dent (the least discussed yet the most important character in the movie). The cities' hope rests on Dent's shoulders. Batman fights crime behind the scenes, but Dent is the public figure everyone can get behind. In this post-Obama era, we are all more than aware of how important image is to the community and hope of the people. The influence of Harvey Dent is shown in a highly crafted scene where two boats full of people (one of citizens and one of criminals) is told they have to blow up the other in order to survive. How they react is very telling. 

What Happens?

SPOILER ALERT: In the end, Batman catches The Joker  as we all knew he would. But more important, again, is Harvey Dent. Transformed into Two-Face, he goes on a killing spree avenging the death of his fiance.  Now the people already have hope. But happens when their "White Knight" goes dark? Batman agrees to become the rogue and take the heat for the murders including Dent's. That way Dent could be looked on as a martyr and the people still have something to believe in. 

Now the Bad:

There are some clumsy scenes in this film that don't make any scene. Joker's escape scene for one. The Joker, surrounded by cops, has a hostage and demands to be able to make a phone call. This triggers a huge explosion in the preceint. In the aftermath, the Joker is all alone. Somehow this explosion managed to kill everyone else yet conveniently bend around the Joker leaving him unscathed?

Nit-picky yes, I admit. But it still bothered. As did Christian Bale's horrible Batman grunt. Please, anyone that was touting Bale for Best Actor, get real. I would have seriously rioted. 

Also, there tended to be a sub-story that wasn't quite all the way explored. The trailer's sold the movie as Batman having to do the unthinkable in order to stop the maniacal Joker. But in the film, him tapping into people's cell phones was as bad as it got. George Bush-like, yes, but unthinkable no. However, Nolan originally did plan for the film to be a two-parter. So look for this storyline to be continued in the next installment. 

CULTURAL INTROSPECTION:

For me, The Dark Knight's theme was the effect image had on the community. I feel this is interesting due to President Obama's historic win almost half a year after the film premiered. Touting phrases like "The Audacity To Hope", and "Yes We Can". His whole campaign was built on hope and faith. At a time when the country was in dire straights, this is what the people needed to hear. The tough economic climate has hit hard, but to some people, just the belief that Obama will pull them through gives them strength to hold on. 

THE BLACK PERSPECTIVE:

The Dark Knight adequately displayed black people, probably better than any other superhero movie I've seen. 

Morgan Freeman plays Lucius Fox, the CEO of Wanye Enterprises. Other than Alfred, he is Wayne's most trusted confident. Providing all of Batman's gadgets of being the voice of reason for the wiretapping stunt. Fox is intelligent, capable, and morale, rising above the stereotypes of most African-Americans in power. 

Tiny plays a prison inmate, which would seem stereotypical at first. But when Joker serves the two ferry's the ultimatum, it is Tiny who acts and throws the detonator off the boat. This also rises above the savage-like stereotype of African-American inmates.

EXTRAS:

The Dark Knight is the second highest grossing movie of all time behind Titanic.

RATING:

= 4 Stars
= 4 Black Fists

BLACK FILM WATCH: THE LENA BAKER STORY

Lena Baker is an African-American maid who was executed in 1945 for killing her employer. During her testimony, she claimed her boss had imprisoned her and threatened to shoot her if she fleed. Defending herself, she took the gun and shot him. 

In the new movie, The Lena Baker Story, Tichia Arnold (Martin, Everyone Hates Chris) plays the tragic hero. For those complaining they're aren't enough movies out there featuring talented black actresses, this is a must see, must support.

The Lena Baker Story is adapted from the novel by Lela Bond Phillips, which chronicles the life and death of Lena Baker. It was written and directed by African-American Actor Ralph Wilcox. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and is set for a theatrical release in April.

From The Black Film Academy:
The Lena Baker Story takes place in the early 1900’s through 1945 in Cuthbert, Georgia. It’s the story of one woman’s attempt to rise above the challenges of life, the choices she makes, and the consequences of those choices. The moment she thinks she has overcome her inner demons, she is called to work for Elliot Arthur, a father, a millworker and a drunk. As their relationship unfolds, it becomes strange, strained, and highly unacceptable for the time. Elliot Arthur needs Lena and in return Lena seems to need him. He abuses her and keeps her from her children by imprisoning her in his home. When she has finally had enough, Lena stands up and attempts to break free from the bondage of Elliot Arthur. A struggle ensues, and Elliot Arthur, a white man, is shot by Lena Baker, an African-American woman, on a hot, humid night in Southwest Georgia in 1945.

BLACK FILM HISTORY SPOTLIGHT

African-Americans and Oscars did not exactly go hand in hand. Before the turn of the century, out of sixteen overall nominations, only one African-American had ever been awarded the Academy’s highest acting award. Sidney Poiter took it home in 1963 for Lillies Of The Field. However, when the 74th Academy Awards rolled around in 2001, blacks remained hopeful. For the first time ever, between Best Actor and Best Actress, three blacks were nominated and everyone was sure either Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, or Will Smith would be leaving with a statuette. Not only did we get one, but we got two. Denzel Washington won Best Actor for his role in Training Day and Halle Berry became the first black Best Actress winner for her role in Monster’s Ball. The wins grouped with the Sidney Poiter’s Lifetime Achievement Award had people dubbing the show The Bloscars. In an odd turn of events, after Halle’s win, Lee Daneils also became the first black to solely produce an Academy Award winning film. Also, Washington became the first black actor to win two Oscars, having won Best Supporting previously for his role in Glory.

Watch Medley of Bloscar Wins

CONTROVERSY:
With so many firsts, many felt Hollywood was sending a clear signal about racial equality in America, however the night was not without controversy.

Halle’s and Denzel’s wins were dubbed bittersweet for African-Americans. It was great they broke the glass ceiling, but their respective roles did little to break old racial stereotypes. Washington, known for playing acceptable, heroic roles, was also nominated for playing Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s epic, and Rubin Carter in The Hurricane. However, he finally won  for playing a dangerous, crooked cop.



Berry’s win was an even worse firestorm. Berry's role was the wife of a criminal, used sex to solace herself after her husband’s execution, and was a mother of questionable competence (her mordibly obese son ends up dying too). Berry also had an intense, graphic, and nude sex scene with a white racist in Billy Bob Thorton. With Berry being mulatto, the scene brought up past racial stereotypes as mulattos being oversexualized. Black women had been snubbed for decades, and the big win finally came for portraying a black woman with animalistic qualities.

Even Angela Bassett had harsh words about the role (in which she was previously offered): 

"I wasn't going to be a prostitute on film. I couldn't do that because it's such a stereotype about black women and sexuality. Film is forever. It's about putting something out there you can be proud of 10 years later. I mean, Meryl Streep won Oscars without all that."

Halle Berry Sex Scene - For more funny videos, click here

Many remembered Hattie McDaniel winning Best Supporting Actress for playing the stereotype of Mammy and felt the Academy still had a long way to go in honoring Black Actresses. Since 2001, Jamie Foxx and Forrest Whitaker have gone on to win the prestigious Best Actor award. To this day, Berry still remains the only black female to win Best Actress, and the last to be nominated. Dorothy Dandridge, Diana Ross, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett have also competed for the Best Actress Award.

MELVIN VAN PEEBLES FILMMAKER PROFILE

As Actors, Directors, Writers, Producers, Musicians, Playwrights, and Scorers – the Van Peebles clan are truly a jack-of-all-trades, inspiring those minority filmmakers who feel they have so much to do and so little time.                             

Melvin Van Peebles was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1932. After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University, he joined the Air Force, serving for 3 ½ years. Afterwards, he moved to Mexico where he earned a living by painting portraits. He soon moved to San Francisco where he drove cable cars. Writing and capturing his experience with still photography, he wrote his first book The Big Heart.

Here, a passenger suggested he try filmmaking. Van Peebles completed his first short, Pickup Men for Herrick in 1957. After producing a couple more and off the strength of these films, he was invited to move to Paris by Henry Langlois, founder of Cinematheque Francaise. Rewarded a $70,000 grant, he completed his first feature, The Story of A Three Day Pass (1968), a romance tale between an American soilder and a French woman. Mistaking him for a french auteur, Hollywood producers sought him out. In 1970, he directed his first Hollywood feature, Watermelon Man, the tale about a white racist that wakes up black.



Peebles managed to keep the costs of Watermelon Man low enough to carry over some of his pay to the making of Sweet Sweetback’s Badasss Song, an independent film he produced, directed, wrote, starred, and scored. "Dedicated to all the brothers and sisters who have had enough of The Man", the movie about a black’s man’s revenge against a crooked white police force turned out to become an enormous hit, grossing 10 million, more than any independent film of that year and sparking the Blaxplotation Era.

He followed it up with 1972’s Don’t Play Us Cheap. Then developed a TV show pilot in 1977 Just An Old Sweet Song. Since, Melvin’s only directorial effort has been 1990’s Identity Crisis and 2008’s Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha, based off his 1982 Broadway musical Walts of the Stork.



Despite the lack of helmed films, he’s still kept busy. He wrote the screenplay for 1977’s Greased Lightening where Richard Pryor plays black race car driver Wendell Scott. He co-produced Panther, chronicling the rise of the Black Panther Party. Don’t Play Us Cheap also became a Broadway musical he wrote, scored, and co-produced which garnered him three Tony and Two Grammy Awards. In the late 1950’s, he released two spoken word albums, Br’er Soul and Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death which is noted for being a precursor to rap music. These are only a small fraction of the projects completed by the pre-Tyler Perry multi-hyphenate.







AWARDS
Won 1 Daytime Emmy (1987, Writing, CBS Schoolbreak Special)
Won 1 Humanitas Prize (1987, Writing, CBS Schoolbreak Special)
2004 Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

SOURCES:

Culturekiosque
IMDB
Moviefone Biography

Nelson, George (1994). Blackface:Reflection of African-Americans and the Movies. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers
Wikipedia

THE WACKNESS REVIEW

“I look for the dopeness in life, while you look for the wackness.” Touche Olivia Thirlby. The Wackness is the tale of the neurosis of an 18 year-old pot dealer set to the backdrop of New York City and 1994’s hip-hop scene. Josh Peck from Nickelodeon’s Josh and Drake stars in the lead as Luke Shapiro. Oscar Winner Ben Kingsley (Ghandi, Schindler’s List) plays Dr. Squires, his shrink whom trades therapy sessions for pot. Him and Shapiro build a strange friendship, and in turn, Shapiro falls for his step-daughter Stephanie. Method Man and Mary Kate Olsen co-star respectively as Luke’s supplier and Squire’s conquest, rounding out the oddest cast I’ve even seen together.



I love slow films that allow you to breathe in the settings and characters, however, this film drags. Despite it’s richness, the energy definetly seems to be lacking. Writer/Director Levine may have been going for the sultry summer New York Vibe. Whatever it was, it didn’t connect with me. On a better note, who knew Josh Peck could breathe life into a role completely opposite from his Nickelodeon TV persona. He holds his own against Kingsley and even becomes more pleasurable to watch as the film progresses.



The muted cinematography is interesting and there are some beautiful, well-composed shots...



...but at times some scenes come of as amateurish and ironically they mostly involve Kingsley. I don’t feel his performance was worthy of the Razzie nomination, but his character did not seem fully drawn. A lot of his motivations didn’t make sense and I often found myself wondering which Squires we were going to get. The feeling of nostalgic 1994 and hip-hop really pop, but sometimes seem to bang you over the head with referencing. For example, in 1994, Rudy Gulliani had just been inaugurated as mayor and began to implement “punishments” for carrying noisy portable radios, and obstructing public with graffiti and public drunkenness. The characters seemed to reference this every twenty minutes, yet it had no influence on anything that happened past Squires and Shapiro’s jail sentence.

CULTURAL INTROSPECTION:
Shapiro has a social awkwardness, which causes him to be friendless, hence his dependency on Dr. Squires, and quick obsession with Stephanie whom only has to give him the time of day. He attributes this awkwardness to the fact that he thinks too much. Throughout the film, people tell him to relax and enjoy being young; Look for the “dopeness” in life, they allude to. SPOILER ALERT: At the end, when Stephanie won’t return his feelings, he leaves. She tries to explain herself, but he says no. He’s never had that feeling before. She asks him what feeling and he responds, having his heart broken. He leaves for college, seemingly glad that even though it didn’t work out, he’s had the experience. He found the “dopeness” out of a wack situation and feels he’s grown from it. It’s often said that depression is self-serving. Tragedies pile on because we lose the ability to appreciate any good in life. With the country in economic turmoil, it might not be a bad suggestion for people to chalk up their losses and start appreciating what they’ve learned about fragility.

BLACK PERSPECTIVE:
Even though the 1994 hip-hop scene serves as its own character, the other two black characters lack any interest or even a second look. As complex as the leads are, the blacks are as dense as any other stereotype you might come across. Method Man plays Luke’s supplier and with a horrible Jamaican-accent. All he does is supply Luke the weed. He doesn’t give us any insight into Luke’s life or even the New York scene (besides the perpetual Gulliani bashing). He could disappear and the movie would still function without losing a step. Hip-hop is highly regarded by Shapiro, sharing his discovery of music from Biggie and A Tribe Called Quest, although we’re never really given any understanding to his love of hip-hop and it seems to be challenged by everyone else in his life. At the end, he listens to a rock mix tape given to him by a buyer. Subtext being he’s expanding his horizons. While the ideology is fine, the problem is that blacks nor hip-hop music never seem to be fully valued in this film.



EXTRAS:
The Wackness garnered Levine a Best First Screenplay nomination at the 2009 Indpedent Spirit Awards and The Grand Jury Prize at 2008’s Sundance. He won the 2008 Audience Award at Sundance as well.

RATING:
= 2 stars
= 2 black fists

***Note: This rating misrepresents how much I liked the film. I would recommend this to anyone craving something different from the normal Hollywood blockbuster. 

MARIO VAN PEEBLES FILMMAKER PROFILE

As Actors, Directors, Writers, Producers, Musicians, Playwrights, and Scorers – the Van Peebles clan are truly a jack-of-all-trades, inspiring those minority filmmakers who feel they have so much to do and so little time.

Marion Van Peebles is the son of Melvin Van Peebles and a French woman, born in Mexico City in 1957. He made his acting debut in his father’s film, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, playing the young version of the main character. One of his scenes involves him being naked, climbing on top an equally naked adult woman.

Refusing to join the Entertainment Buiness, Mario went to Columbia to study Economics. Upon graduation, he served as a budget analystst for the New York City Department of Enviornmental Protection. He soon quite to chase his long-time despised dream of becoming an actor. Modeling and making small appearances to pay the bills, he finally landed his first real role in One Life to Live, an early 80’s soap opera. He returned to movies in 1984’s Cotton Club, and then had his break-through performance as a Marine in Clint Eastwood’s Heartbreak Ridge (1986).

This subsequently led him to star in Sonny Spoon, a 1988 TV-action/comedy. Even though short-lived, the series gave him his directorial debut. Honing his skills, producing and directing several music videos, he went on to direct many episodes for 21 Jump Street and Wiseguys.

He graduated to directing features with 1991’s New Jack City, a crime-thriller about a rising drug dealer in New York City during the Crack Epidemic, starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, and Chris Rock. The film went on to gross over 47 millions making it his most successful movie to date.



He’s gone on to direct several films that were never able to reach New Jack City’s success. Most notably Panther (1995), the fictionilzed account of the rise of the Black Panther Party in which his father produced. And 2004’s BAADASSS, the depiction of his father’s struggles to make Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasss Song, in which he also starred, wrote, and produced, much like his father in the original. Through-out this time he continued to act. One of the more high-profile roles being Malcolm X in the Oscar Nominated Ali.



AWARDS:
2 Black Reel Award – (2005, Director & Writer, How to Get a Man’s Foot Outta Yo Ass)
1 Black Reel Nomination – (2005, Acting, How to Get a Man’s Foot Outta Yo Ass)
1 DGA Nomination (1991, Directing Daytime Show, CBS Schoolbreak Special)
1 Image Award Win (1989, Acting, Heartbreak Ridge)
2 Image Award Nominations (2002, Acting, Ali); (2005, Acting, How to Get the Man’s Foot Outta Your Ass)
3 Independent Spirit Award Nominations (2005, Direction, Feature, Screenplay, How to Get the Man’s Foot Outta Your Ass)

SOURCES:

Box Office Mojo
Film Celebrities
IMDB
MSN Celebrity Biographies

Nelson, George (1994). Blackface:Reflection of African-Americans and the Movies. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers
Tribute.Ca
Wikipedia

BLACK FILM WATCH: AMERICAN SON

If you're wondering what Nick Cannon's been up to lately,  rest assured he hasn't been taking a break from the business. Leaving the Hollywood Blockbusters behind, Cannon has gone the indie route. In 2006 Cannon played a featured role in Emilio Esteves' BOBBY (centered around the night of Bobbby Kennedy's Assassination). In American Son he plays  a 19-year old Marine who's just graduated from Boot Camp. The film encompasses his last weekend back home before departing off to Iraq. I've never been a fan of Nick Cannon's, but I applaud him for the courage to take on more serious roles in his career.