All Articles Tagged "films"
1993: The Golden Year For Black Movies?
From The Grio
Whether you love him or hate him, it seems as though Tyler Perry is the only game in town these days when to comes to movies targeted specifically at black audiences.
His melodrama Temptation is set to hit theaters this weekend and will surely do big business, but will its success be a tribute to Perry’s popularity or largely a reflection of a minority movie-going audience that feels underrepresented and under-served?
Director Spike Lee, who once averaged about one film per year, has become far less prolific in lately. And his colleagues like John Singleton and the Hughes Brothers have transitioned from making epic urban films to helming big budget genre pictures with multiracial casts.
What is a “black film”?
Meanwhile the definition of a ‘black film’ has grown more fluid in the age of Obama.
It’s now no longer groundbreaking for an African-American A-lister like Denzel Washington or Halle Berry to anchor a film by themselves. And while the smash hit Django Unchained touched on distinctly black themes with a bevy of African-American stars, its appeal was broader because it reflected the vision of its white director, Quentin Tarantino.
Just twenty years ago, the multiplexes presented a very different picture of black Hollywood.
There were a variety of choices for black film fans: There were star vehicles (Sister Act 2, Philadelphia,The Pelican Brief), biopics (What’s Love Got to Do With It), comedies (CB4, Cool Runnings), action (Demolition Man) and hard-hitting dramas (Poetic Justice, Menace II Society).
In comparison, last year there was the romantic comedy Think Like a Man, the WWII drama Red Tails, and three different Tyler Perry vehicles. Perhaps it’s no wonder that black audiences are frequently nostalgic for the 90s.
Read more at TheGrio.com
Sisterhood Movie Mania: Top Female Bonding Movies We Love
Grab the tissue and half pint of cookie dough ice cream. With classic sisterhood movies playing all day on your big screen one rainy Sunday afternoon, you simply can’t go wrong. The mere mention of these movies will have you dusting off old DVDs, yanking on some sweats, and cuddling in that Lazyboy, ready to revisit your favorite film with your girls.
The Women Of Brewster Place
The women living in the rundown housing projects on Brewster Place pumped it full of love, gossip, grief and joy. The black women are strong-willed and pitted against the dreadful brick wall and weak, oppressive black men. Oprah Winfrey’s matriarchal role comforted us as character Lucielia as we wept over the loss of her baby, Serena.
Were They Better Or Worse? Memorable All-Black Movie Remakes
Movies, reinvented with an all star black cast, make for huge talent and entertainment. Actors must ‘bring’ it, providing their own twist to the original version of the story in order to make viewers fall in love with the film all over again. At times, the remake may prove to be better than the original, while in other cases, they may as well have ceased production rather than infiltrate TV screens with a version worse than the original. We know some folk question why there’s even a need for black remakes in the first place so when it comes to the following movies, should they have left well enough alone? You be the judge.
Lifetime Television
Steel Magnolias (2012)
Queen Latifah heads this all-star, black cast, replacing Sally Field’s heart-wrenching role, in the recent LifeTime movie. Alfre Woodard, Phylicia Rashad and Jill Scott take over roles played by Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis and Dolly Parton. Did you all pay attention to the reception music? Wedding patrons were grooving to Wobble With It; one of the many cultural differences in the movie.
Leave It Alone: 10 Books That Should Not Have Been Made Into Movies!
Source: Warner Bros
When will these movie producers learn? Not every amazing book will become an amazing movie. Some books are just filled with way too much literary genius to be accurately portrayed in a film. Even the books that aren’t literary genius still can be difficult to portray in movie. So why do these film producers even bother? Well, they always seem to think that theirs will be different. Instead, it ends up failing just like the many movie adaptations before it. In these cases, the situation was no different. Here are some movie adaptations that failed to impress not only those who read the books, but probably those who did not even read the books.
This Is Going To Make Me A Sex Symbol: Kevin Hart Talks Having Sex On-Camera In New Role
From Eur Web
By now most people know Kevin Hart’s hilarious style of comedy.
He’s a great storyteller with all the perfect punch lines, the voices, and the extras. The comic is on top of his game right now with additional big screen gigs as well as growing popularity.
Recently he wrapped up filming for yet another flick, “About Last Night,” a remake of the 1986 original about two single men living wild lives until love catches hold.
The film stars Regina Hall, Michael Ealy, and Joy Bryant; and Hart admits he gets to play a different role this time around.
See what part he’ll be playing over on EurWeb.com.
And…Action! Tyrese to Mentor Aspiring Filmmakers
bumpshack.com
Oh Tyrese, we didn’t know you cared so much!
According to EURweb, Tyrese has teamed up with Sprite Films, a Coca-Cola product, to coach eight finalists in their quest to become the next “it” director in Hollywood. Tyrese said he was excited to do anything the company asked because they were the first people to give him the opportunity in front of the camera – we all remember Ty singing on the bus in the Coke commercial, yes? When they presented him the idea of being a mentor, it was just something he couldn’t pass up. For his part, he says:
“The gist of the stuff that I was telling them was, we are as dreamers, perception creators and the world is an empty canvas waiting on new thoughts to think. And however way you get them out, whether it’s through clothes, whether it’s through technology, music, filmmaking, the world is waiting for us to create those new perceptions and concepts.”
But Tyrese was likely believing the words he was telling the finalists because the singer/actor/”rappper” would also like to direct films. He said he just needs a four or five month course so he can understand specific questions because he already pretty much knows what to do and how to do it. Well, nothing wrong with that.
If you want to check out the filmmakers’ short films, head over to Sprite.com.
Back to the Drawing Board: 9 Black Films That Were Disappointing…
I’m a big movie fan, and a big black movie fan at that. Therefore, when new movies come out by black directors and with interesting, hot or amazing actors, I try to support them. But in my years, I’ve seen a lot of overrated movies. This list isn’t to be mean, I’m just being honest about the fact that these nine films got my hopes up pretty high, only to leave me feeling jilted, confused, and of course, disappointed.
Source: cnn.com
Red Tails
I know we here at Madame Noire, like many people, pushed really hard for this film. It was mostly done in the hopes that we could make Hollywood see that big budget black films could be marketable. And while it was a valiant effort, this movie was just not what I was expecting. The action sequences were pretty good and the men were FINE with a capital F, but the dialogue was horrific. Allegedly they were trying to make the characters sound like individuals from films back in the ’40s, but I’ve seen movies from the ’40s (thanks college film class) where people didn’t talk so cheesy (i.e., “Thank goodness those Red Tails were here!”). I’m not saying it was the worst film ever, and I do appreciate the information it provided me on the Tuskegee Airmen, however, within the first 10 minutes of watching, I was blown away by the writing (and not in a good way). And that love story they threw in there? Raaaaaandom.
You Can Call Me Crazy: 7 Women Who Acted a Fool On-Screen…And We Loved It
Source: buncheness.blogspot.com
I think we’ve all learned from watching television that the last thing you want to do is call a crazy person, crazy. Juice anyone? Everyone’s definition of “crazy” is different for one, and plus, calling someone that isn’t nice, even if men like to say that about women on the regular. But the women on this list from some very influential, good and bad movies played crazy so well and almost so real that it was scary. These are just a few of many, so feel free to add more in the comment’s section. So, crazy? I GOT YOUR CRAZY! Just keep a’clicking…
Dude Looks Like a Lady: The Best and Worst Attempts at Men Playing Women in Movies
Men have been dressing up as women on camera for years. Check out Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot, or even watch Martin Lawrence do Sheneneh Jenkins on his classic show Martin. And while most attempts are funny, they rarely come close to the essence of a true lady. The men on this list, well, some of them did actually come close, while others looked and sounded nothing like women (maybe linebackers in a dress), but all of them were pretty entertaining if I must say so myself. Check ‘em out!
Source: EW.com
Ving Rhames as “Holiday Heart”
I know Rhames was really trying to be taken seriously in this role with his long nails and long hair, but everytime I look at that man I can’t help but look at him as crazy Marcellus Wallace from Pulp Fiction, or even Melvin in Baby Boy, a role he played just a year after doing the TV movie, Holiday Heart. Playing a colorful and popular drag queen with a big heart, Rhames can be pretty touching in the movie, but something about his big ‘ol self in all that makeup just seems too unreal. Sorry, he’s just better off as a crazy man in his film roles. But I can’t lie, everytime this movie comes on, I have to watch…
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drag, films, impersonation, Madame Noire, men, movies, Sheneneh Jenkins, Some Like it Hot, women8 Documentaries You Should Check Out During Black History Month
It’s day two of Black History Month and if you’re looking for a way to expand your mind about the people in our history who helped shape the way we live, the way we dance, the way we do our hair (yes, that too), I would recommend doing the easiest and most fun form of research–watch a movie! But not just any ‘ol movie or random attempt at recreating black history. We’re talking documentaries! They keep it real. Literally. If you need help finding a few to pick up from Netflix or to watch online, and can’t sit through 14 hour-long parts of Eyes on the Prize, we’ve got you covered. Happy Black History Month!
