Tag Archives: black movies

Where’s The Love Jones?

Posted on by
423

love-jones

***After watching Love Jones again last weekend, I was urged to revisit and revise something I wrote about the film for the Loop21 a few years ago***

Approximately halfway through Love Jones, the iconic 1997 romantic drama centered around a Chicago-area couple, protagonists Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate) and Nina Mosley (Nia Long) attend a dance together—their first real “date” since a few somewhat contrived situations caused them to momentarily break away from each other. Predictably, the date goes extremely well. The otherworldly connection and chemistry Darius and Nina share is palpable, and, despite any romantic roadblocks (contrived or otherwise or just named “Bill Bellamy”), you know that things are going to work for them.

But, while this date night dance scene’s main purpose was to give the audience a visual segue from Darius and Nina’s short-term separation to their impending romance, writer/director Ted Witcher does something else, something a bit subtler and a bit more poignant. With the vibrant music, colorfully coordinated dance steps, and equally colorful (and equally coordinated) attire, Witcher introduces the audience to the world of Chicago steppin’—a derivative of swing dancing popular in the South and Midwest. Although the scene is only a couple minutes long, Witcher presents this dance phenomenon and the anonymous steppers to us with the same regard, enchantment, and love exhibited when the lens is focused on any of the main characters.

Says the late Roger Ebert:

“There’s electricity when they go on a date to the weekly steppers’ ball hosted by Herb Kent the Cool Gent, who plays himself. Steppin’ is a Chicago dance style that comes out of jitterbug, cooled down, and as we watch this scene we get that interesting feeling when a fiction film edges toward documentary and shows us something we haven’t seen before.”

In the 16 years since its release (damn, just typing that made me feel old as f*ck) Love Jones has gone from underappreciated romantic drama with a banging soundtrack to the cinematic standard for realistic black romance. (Well, “realistic” other than the fact that it featured a bunch of underemployed negros living in lofts…with exposed brick…in Chicago. But, who’s nitpicking?)

And, while the story and the chemistry between Tate and Long are the most memorable aspects of the film, Love Jones is held in such high regard because Ted Witcher was so obviously in love with everything he put into this movie. More than just a drama, it was an ode to Black culture, to Chicago, to music, to movies, to love, to words, to sex; a paean to the possibilities of people not constrained to 140 characters or less. It’s loved and appreciated because it loved and appreciated both its characters and its audience, a trait also found in Soul Food—a movie that, although not necessarily a romantic drama and not as universally praised as Love Jones, shared Love Jones’ love for its characters and their customs.

These movies, and the level of love and exuberance they were shot with, stand in stark contrast to much of today’s Black romantic fare—both at the theater and on the small screen—which seems to be content with browbeating the audience with messages so heavy-handed it feels like you’re being kicked. (Before this devolves into another angst-ridden conversation about all things wrong with Tyler Perry, I do think that Perry loves his characters. But, Ike loved Tina too, didn’t he?) Instead of a peek into a world we may not have been completely familiar with, we’re left with 60 to 120 minute long psychotherapy sessions and self-help pamphlets featuring people who have never existed on Earth, After Earth, or any other planet humans have ever lived on—movies where writers and directors use the screen as a palate to work out their own issues instead of allowing the audience a chance to be vicarious.

Maybe this cinematic shift is our doing. Maybe our expectations have devolved to the point that we wouldn’t be able to handle a Black movie with more love and nuance than ill will and temple knocking. Still, after watching Love Jones again last weekend, I think we’re ready for another one. We just need to find the love needed to pull it off.

—Damon Young (aka “The Champ”)

8 Little Known Black Movie “Facts”

Posted on by
8

From wondering how different The Matrix would have been with Will Smith—the original choice for “Neo”—in it to reading up on the parallels between Coming to America and The Lion King (James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair were the parents of the lead character in both movies), I’ve always been obsessed with finding trivia and other tidbits about particular movies. IMDB.com is a great source for this type of information. There, I found a few fun bits of trivia from our favorite movies that you may not have known.

1) Boomerang’s original script called for Marcus (Eddie Murphy) to lose both Jacqueline (Robin Givens) and Angela (Halle Berry).

Apparently, one of (director) Reginald Hudlin’s friends advised him that the movie ending with Eddie getting no girl would have upset the audience. And, if the hundreds of thousands of young Black men who wanted to be an “ad exec” after seeing this movie (and wanting Marcus Graham’s life) are any indication, he was definitely right.

2) The list of actresses and entertainers considered for the role of Shug Avery in The Color Purple reads like a “Who’s Who?” of early 80′s pop culture.

Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle, Phyllis Hyman, Lola Falana, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, and Sheryl Lee Ralph all were considered for the role at one point. Basically, if you were a famous Black woman who happened to be in her mid 30′s to early 40′s and you weren’t considered for this role, you probably needed to fire your agent.

3) They apparently start very early in South Central. Like, very, very, very, very, very early.

This is the only way to explain the peculiar parent-child casting decisions in Boyz n The Hood. Although they were father and son in the movie, Laurence Fishburne is only six years older than Cuba Gooding Jr. Adding insult to very early parenthood is the fact that Tyra Ferrell is only seven years older than the actors who played her sons, Morris Chestnut and Ice Cube.

Read more at EBONY.com

Most Iconic Black Movie Characters (Post-Blaxploitation)

Posted on by
501

This guy.

If there’s one thing I love in life it’s Black movies. I can’t get enough. I like it, I love, I want more of it. It’s like that. In fact, my Netflix queue is full of movies that most people don’t know exist, and largely for good reason. But me? Naw, I want to see more productions by people who are just trying to create riveting entertainment that will stand the test of time.

Now, most directors and movies fail horribly at creating anything worth remembering, much less seeing again. However, they’re all chasing that elusive goal of creating a piece of art that inspires ripples through the community through development of characters and story lines that impact our lives. So with that in mind – and as I hope to one day create one of these movies – I created a list of the 10 most iconic Black movie characters, post blaxpoitation. You may disagree with a few of these, but that’s what makes for good television. Well, actually today what makes for good television is crazy women talking about who shook the table and what not. And pure ratchetness. But that’s another talk show. Moving on…here’s the definitively debatable list of characters that have changed your life.

Allons-y.

1. Darius Lovehall (Love Jones)

This character has single-handedly ruined more relationships than any other on this list. Ever since Love Jones (the quintessential educated ninja Black movie) dropped, every. single. woman. has wanted to date a man like Darius. You know the guy…actually you don’t, because he doesn’t exist. He’s the perfect mix of intelligence and cool and artiness and focus and hell, everything. And the ninja makes omelets. Who can compete with that? Yeah, he’s #1.

2. Madea (The Tyler Perry Suite)

Did this ninja Panama lose his mind?? No, he didn’t and suck my left toe. Like it or love it, Madea is iconic. Nobody said this individual had to be positive or negative. But Tyler Perry wasn’t no fool. He created a character that nearly EVERYBODY knows, white or Black, who either makes people cringe in disgust or laugh in understanding. My parents love Madea. I hate Madea. If that isn’t success, I don’t know what is. Anyway, we all know somebody like Madea and she’s invaded our consciousness. Sucks for us.

3. Nina Mosley (Love Jones)

This may or may not be accurate, while Darius Lovehall is THE Black movie character and sh*t, Nina was more or less a siren for his intricacies. She allowed us the ability to get to know him as the unicorn that he is. I don’t know that she truly shined as anything more than a muze. But any muze that could create the most beloved Black male in history right after MLK and Malcolm X…and Obama, well, she deserves some credit as being written and created perfectly for him. It helped that Nia Long had that one scene where she wasn’t wearing a bra and sitting in the window. I haven’t watched this movie in years and I remember that vividly.

4. Smokey (Friday)

Not sure anything has to be said here. I mean, it’s Smokey. He was the most outrageous character in an outrageous movie with more one liners than Mitt Romney impersonating a presidential candidate. His energy alone made him an automatic mainstay in quotables and our consciousness. Plus, he let us know that Red was going to cry in the car AND that he had mind control over Debo…two lines that I used to hear weekly in conversations with white people studying to become friars.

5. O’Dog (Menace II Society)

That damn Larenz Tate sure was diverse. He’s both the most beloved and one of the most concerning characters in Black movie history. O’Dog was “young, Black, and just didn’t give a f*ck” and had the nerve to almost curse in religious household. While we were afraid of his potential, we also respected him…especially for telling Kaine not to be “actin’ like a little ho” when it was time to put in work. He was the originator of the true Cali Swag district.

6. Nino Brown (New Jack City)

He probably could go to the top 2, but whatever. Nino Brown is one of THE scariest ninjas on the planet because he had only money on his mind to detriment of all else. Hell, he’s the impetus for three Lil Wayne album titles. A movie from 1991 made its presence felt in the late 2000s (never mind that Lil Wayne’s last name is Carter). Plus, I’ve been telling ninjas to cancel motherf*ckers ever since. Nino Brown was not his brother’s keeper. Well, at least not after he had to kill him.

7. Bishop (Juice)

He could probably be #1 on most lists of most iconic. Tupac played the HELL out of this role. So much so that we learned he was never in character; he WAS Bishop. He was crazy. And he didn’t give a f*ck. And for worse, a lot of young Black men could relate. That hightop step fade he had was a bad look though.

8. Doughboy (Boyz N The Hood)

Of all the characters in Boyz N The Hood, the only two that truly mattered were Dough and the cop that hated Black people. Ricky and Trey were cool, but Ricky’s best shot at iconic was getting shot, and I live in DC. That happens all the time. But Dough was a conflicted character who was struggling with his moral compass and just wanted love, you know while he wasn’t out there doing dumb sh*t. But those thug tears when he shot the ninja that killed Ricky? That was poetic. Plus he delivered the most significant lines in Black movie history: “either they don’t know, don’t show, or just don’t care about what goes on in the hood.” Classico.

9. Marcus Graham (Boomerang)

Okay, this list makes no sense. Because he could totally be #2 or #3 and I have him at #9. Reason being? Somehow I forgot that Boomerang even existed despite it being one of my favorite movies. I suck. So what? But Marcus Graham is THE man. Until he isn’t. And then is again once he learns how to be his true self and find happiness in the heart of a woman. Yadda yadda, he was who 90 percent of us envisioned being before Darius told us we all needed to become poets. Forget the corporate job, let’s all get notebooks!

10. Celie & Mister (The Color Purple)

Controversial double pick here, but seriously, them ninjas  – hell the whole cast of this movie needs its own article – are the shining of example of life gone wrong and making both the best and worst out of the hand your dealt. Plus, Mister forced Celie to become the woman with “the fingers”.

Alright, that’s my list. What say you? And who do you think are the most iconic Black movie characters??

The floor is open.

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka MR. THESE MOVIES BE ACTIN’ UP aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

 

The Five Most Underrated Black Movies Of The Last 20 Years

Posted on by
307

Although I still maintain that Black movies can and should do better, I definitely don’t think all is lost with Black cinema. In fact, along with the quotable classics such as “Do The Right Thing,” “Coming to America” and “Love Jones,” there are quite a few (relatively) recent Black movies whose quality and “unforgettableness” has been overlooked to the point where you can justifiably call them underrated.

Here’s five of them.

(Also, before I continue, let me clarify what I mean by “underrated.” You won’t see movies like “Ghostdog” and “Fresh” on this list because, while not many people have seen them, most of the people who have actually seen them think pretty highly of them. The flicks I’m mentioning today have been seen by many, but just aren’t rated as high as they should be.)

“Drumline”

This movie had a very great chance at being shitty. In fact, I remember specifically not seeing this in the theater because I literally said “This movie will very likely be very shitty” when I first saw the trailer and realized that it was starring…Nick Cannon.

Now — and I will definitely devote an entire day to this topic at one point — is there another person in Black culture whose level of cultural (dis)respect is so vastly mismatched with his actual production? Seriously, Nick Cannon has been legitimately successful in everything he’s done, and has helped launch the careers of numerous actors and comedians, and has been with some of the most fantasized-about women in the world, but he still doesn’t get the type of love that his success should warrant. Seriously, Nick Cannon is the reason why this movie doesn’t get the props it should, which is crazy because he’s the main reason why it deserves props!

Anyway, I (obviously) finally got around to seeing it. And, aside from the fact that they cast a 49 year old actor as a college senior, everything about this movie works. The band scenes are cool. The story line is believable. Zoe Saldana and Nick Cannon had genuine chemistry. Shit, they even brought Jason Weaver back from wherever the hell Jason Weaver hangs out when he’s not making movies about drummers.

“Life”

This movie was extremely funny, had a great cast (Seriously, take a minute and go look at its IMDB page), and had a few signature/quotable scenes. (My favorite? The Boom Boom Room bit)

So, with all of this in place, why don’t people talk about it more? Three words: The ending sucked. Now, it wasn’t just the ending that sucked, but the fact that we knew Eddie and Martin were innocent and we still had to watch them stay in prison for 50 years. At first, the whole wrongly convicted thing was funny, but after about an hour or so you can’t help but wonder when the hell they’re going to get out of prison. It would have been a much better movie if they let them go to the major leagues with Bokeem Woodbine and followed their hijinks there.

“Undercover Brother”

Let’s just say that any movie where Dave Chappelle is only the 5th or 6th funniest person in it definitely deserves a shitload of love.

“Hoodlum”

Let’s forget for a minute that Vanessa Williams’ and Larry Fishburne’s romance took up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much screen time and was about as compelling as a Mitt Romney mixtape. Let’s also forget that Andy Garcia definitely was definitely given a suitcase full of 20 dollar bills to be in this movie. In fact, let’s even forget about the fact that, to be quite honest, the movie wasn’t really that good.

What made “Hoodlum” memorable was the fact that the actors — Tim Roth and Chi McBride, specifically — clearly had fun with their characters, and this made the movie pretty enjoyable. You could even tell that Cicely Tyson probably hadn’t had that much fun since those crazy-ass loft parties Frederick Douglass used to throw.

“Deep Cover”

This movie is largely (and understandably) forgotten about because it was released in that 1989 to 1992 period where heavyweights such as “Do The Right Thing,” “Boyz in The Hood,” “X,” “New Jack City,” “Menace to Society,” “Juice,” and “Boomerang” were made. (Wow. Look at that lineup again. All released within a 30 month span)

Still, this movie is definitely entertaining, and so rewatchable that they decided to remake it 7 years later and call it “In Too Deep.”

Anyway, people of VSB, did I forget anything? Can you name any other underrated Black movies you’d add to the list?

—Damon Young (aka “The Champ”)

***For all the folks in the DC area, this Saturday, April 7, from 930pm-3am at Liv Nightclub (11th and U Street, NW) is another edition of #REMINISCE, the party dedicated to all 90s everything brought to you by VSB, Shine On Me, and Just Cause Events. It’s FREE BEFORE 11 w/RSVP (reminiscedc.eventbrite.com), a Courvoisier sponosred open bar from 930-1030pm, and no dress code! It’s cheaper to come out and party. Last month’s party was OFF THE HINGES! Somebody shook my hand when they left and just said, “Thanks P, for throwing this party…” <—- not lying. So come and make it do what it do this Saturday at Reminisce!***

Five Ways Black Movies Can Do Better

Posted on by
400

Um, yeah.

“…while there have been quite a few entertaining Black movies produced in the last decade or so, the only ones that would be categorized as “very good” or “great” in the same way a “Boyz n the Hood” or a even a “Devil in a Blue Dress” would be are films like “Precious” that deal with subjects so unrelentingly heavy and depressing that moviegoers should watch them with buckets of hot buttered Zoloft instead of popcorn.”

This quote is from “Three Ways That Black Movies Can Do Better,” an article published at Ebony.com yesterday that discusses how the best term to describe the Black movies made in the last decade or so is “instantly forgettable,” and lists some things that can be done to reverse this trend.

And, while I think the three things I listed (1. Bring The Sexy Back, 2. Chill With All The Church Scenes, and 3. Hire Angela Nissel) represent a good, safe start, my word count limit and the fact that, for obvious reasons, I can’t be as, um, “colorful” as I want to be when writing there limited what I was able to say…and how I was able to say it.

Today, here’s the rest of what I would have said yesterday if I wasn’t strong-armed by the Team Ebony Drop Squad.¹

4. Chill With The Got Damn Positive F*cking Messages All The Damn Time

Two of the three best Black movies I’ve seen in the last decade² both had cameos from numerous porn stars and strippers, both revolved around pimps who did some truly effed up things during the course of the movie, both dealt with a seedy urban underworld, and both featured dozens of hilariously misogynistic, racist, and homophobic jokes. And while “Black Dynamite” and “Hustle & Flow” were entirely different types of movies, part of what made them as entertaining as they were was the fact that they reveled in and had fun with some very “unpositive” subject matter. Yet, despite the fact that they were both good movies that featured numerous working Black people, neither got anywhere near the guilt-trip marketing push that “positive” or “important” movies like “Red Tails” usually receive.

I understand why Black filmmakers may feel burdened to always have some type of positive message in their movies. Generally speaking, we (Black film goers) are some thin-skinned motherf*ckers who will think nothing of creating a petition to protest anything less than an onscreen depiction of a “Black life” that never actually existed.

Still, despite the inevitable push back from the Black Blog Tea Party, I think there’s enough of us who don’t necessarily need to have positive and/or message-laden shit pushed down our throats to have a good time at the movies, and I think we’re ready for some Black filmmakers to start having some more quality and ratchet fun.

5. More Nicole Beharie

I don’t believe in the Illuminati, but I do believe that there’s a secret Black society led by Steadman Graham (Why Steadman? Because he doesn’t have shit else do to.) that forces each burgeoning Black producer or director to cast either Paula Patton, Taraji P. Henson, or Meagan Good in their movies. I know it seems far-fetched, but it has to be the only reason why one of those three chicks has been in every single Black movie made in the past eight years.

I know secret societies love them some fresh blood to hold their ceremonies with, so why not cast Beharie in one of those roles? She’s hot, she’s talented, she’s wicked smart, and, wait…did I mention how hot she is?

Anyway people of VSB.com, what do you think needs to happen to make Black movies less damn forgettable? What additions or subtractions would you make if you were Black Movie Czar for a day?

¹Just to be clear, I realize there are a ton of indie Black films that would definitely qualify as quality and entertaining. Today though, I’m more focused on major motion pictures. 
²The third movie? “Akeelah and the Bee”

—Damon Young (aka “The Champ”)

***For all the folks in the DC area, this Saturday, April 7, from 930pm-3am at Liv Nightclub (11th and U Street, NW) is another edition of #REMINISCE, the party dedicated to all 90s everything brought to you by VSB, Shine On Me, and Just Cause Events. It’s FREE BEFORE 11 w/RSVP (reminiscedc.eventbrite.com), a Courvoisier sponosred open bar from 930-1030pm, and no dress code! It’s cheaper to come out and party. Last month’s party was OFF THE HINGES! Somebody shook my hand when they left and just said, “Thanks P, for throwing this party…” <—- not lying. So come and make it do what it do this Saturday at Reminisce!***