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.