For those of you in the Charlotte, NC area, Lady In My Life will be coming to a screen near you after the New Year. We’ve been invited to the 6th Annual Delta Film Showcase over the King holiday weekend. More details to come as I get them. Just riding the momentum…
Archive for December, 2009
For those of you in the L.A. area, if you’re interested in seeing my short film “Lady In My Life” with a live audience, it will be screening as part of the S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase put on by the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center. The date is next Saturday, December 19th at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 West Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90016. Right now we’re scheduled for the afternoon program (2-6 P.M), but as always with these things, the schedule may change. Hope to see you there.
First, the TV list…
| Roots |
| The Cosby Show |
| Chappelle’s Show |
| In Living Color |
| Boondocks |
| Oprah |
| Eyes on the Prize |
| Fresh Prince of Bel-Air |
| Def Comedy Jam |
| A Different World |
| Saturday Night Live |
| Soul Train |
| Arsenio Hall Show |
| Living Single |
| The Wire |
| Good Times |
| The Jeffersons |
| Martin |
| Different Strokes |
| Video Soul |
| Roc |
| The News |
| Flip Wilson Show |
| Sanford and Son |
| Benson |
I was still debating Chappelle’s Show being #3 a couple days after I wrote it. Then I realized I wrote that post without mentioning Lil Jon, Prince, ‘When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong,’ ‘Piss On You’, or Tyrone Biggums coming up at all, so I’ll still argue for that one. I might be influenced by her name being in the news so much, but Oprah should be higher. One of my favorite TV shows of all time, The Wire, didn’t crack the top 10. Not enough of a crossover audience, and the Legacy issue is still debatable. Don’t say I didn’t make an honest attempt at being as objective as possible though. A few shows not on the list that people have suggested or made arguments for: New York Undercover, Girlfriends, and Comic View. The great thing about lists like this; there’s no right or wrong answer. I didn’t hear any of the shows mentioned and think “Are you insane?” You can make an argument for all three of those.
The film list:
| Malcolm X |
| Do the Right Thing |
| Birth of a Nation |
| Boyz N Da Hood |
| Glory |
| Coming to America |
| Sweet Sweetback |
| Shaft |
| Gone With the Wind |
| Richard Pryor on the Sunset Strip |
| Waiting to Exhale |
| She’s Gotta Have It |
| Beverly Hills Cop |
| Monster’s Ball |
| New Jack City |
| The Color Purple |
| What’s Love Got to Do With It |
| Madea’s Family Reunion |
| Blazing Saddles |
| In the Heat of the Night |
| Boomerang |
| Purple Rain |
| Hollywood Shuffle |
| I’m Gonna Git U Sucka |
| Car Wash |
As expected, I got called out for putting Birth of a Nation so high, but I stand by my argument. For the various complaints we have about the current state of black cinema, I have to say I could have easily gone 50 deep with films, and they’d all be movies you’ve heard of. In no particular order: School Daze, Bamboozled, Four Little Girls, When the Levees Broke (all Spike films), Menace II Society, Don’t Be A Menace to South Central while drinking your Juice in the Hood, I Am Legend, Eddie Murphy Raw, the Original Kings of Comedy, Superfly, Coffy…that’s more than 10 off the top of my head (I know I’m a film geek but you’ve heard of most if not all of those movies at some point). A lot of people assume Malcolm X is my favorite film ever. It’s in the top ten; in truth the book The Autobiography of Malcolm X is my favorite book. Like most adaptations, the book has a lot of nuance that you won’t get in the film. Neither are perfect films, but on a personal level I like Mo’ Better Blues and Crooklyn as much as I like some of Spike’s more overtly political stuff. If you’re familiar with my own style as an storyteller, you see I gravitate more towards the ‘personal’ stories, and less the ‘political’ stuff. But that’s just me.
Speaking of such, got one more ‘personal’ blog to put up before year’s end. Working on that now. ‘Til next time….
Roots is based on the popular epic novel by Alex Haley. Based on Haley’s real life search for his African ancestors, Roots begins with the story of a Mandinka warrior, Kunta Kinte, and traces his family history through the Middle Passage, the Civil War, and into modern day America. Very few works of art can legitimately claim to changing the way an entire culture looks at itself, but Roots could make that claim.
On to the tale of the tape…
Relevance: While there continue to be great novels made about slavery and its long lasting effects on African-Americans, no story before (or since) has put a ‘face’ to the history of blacks in America as Roots. African-Americans are, as a culture, the only group of Americans who didn’t immigrate here by choice; Roots goes into vicious detail to remind the audience over and over again the impact of this.
Legacy: From a show biz point of view, the cast including John Amos, Levar Burton, Louis Gossett. Jr, Leslie Uggams, Shelly Duncan, Robert Reed, Chuck Connors, Ed Asner, O.J. Simpson, and Ben Vereen were an absolute murderer’s row for the late 70s (and this doesn’t include the heavy hitters that came in for the sequel). From a larger cutural point of view, Roots encouraged many African-Americans to research their own genealogy. An entire industry was born out of the search by many to discover their own roots.
Craft: Immensely watchable, the miniseries was must see television before the term existed (more on that in a minute). For many years, Roots was a holiday staple on cable. With an ensemble cast of that size, it’s impressive that each arc of the story is memorable in his own right.
Crossover: Nominated for Golden Globes, and Emmys, the series finale was at the time the most watched hour of television ever (now I believe it’s third). It’s on the short list of pieces about black culture that completely penetrated the mainstream.
Apollo: Hoo boy…take your pick. Was it the one everybody instantly recognizes, Kunta Kinte being strung up and whipped until he accepts that his name is now Toby? Was it my personal favorite (within context of course), of Kunta being tied to a tree after getting caught trying to runaway and having half his foot chopped off to stop him from running? Was it Kunta’s daughter Kizzy being sold to another family as punishment for knowing how to read and write? Was it Kizzy being raped by her new master and giving birth to Chicken George? Was it Chicken George learning his master was also his daddy? Was it just the collective chill that ran down black and white audiences when they realized, “Wait, THAT’s what slavery was like?!?” Is it the subtle racism and self-hatred elements that still exist in black culture that can be traced back to slavery?
OK, I’m clearly close to starting a new rant, I’ll stop there. Thank you for taking the time to read the two lists I’ve put together; they’ve become one of the most popular staples of this blog. I’ll come back later this week for some after the fact reflections now that both countdowns have ended.
While we all have different ‘favorite’ films in black cinema, it is my argument, using the criteria I’ve established (relevance to black culture, the legacy or shelf life of the project after the initial release, the actual craftmanship of the filmmaking, the degree to which the film was noticed/recognized by the mainstream, and the Apollo or ‘Wow’ moments that stand out from the project) one film stands as more important to black cinema than any other film made to this point. It probably comes as little surprise that I feel the most important film has been made by black cinema’s most important filmmaker, Spike Lee. After the production and response that came with the second most important black film, Do the Right Thing, Spike was well versed in the good and bad of controversy.
Because of that, there really wasn’t anyone more qualified than Spike to do a film about one of the most controversial and polarizing African-Americans in history. For those of us who admire and respect him, the film is a fitting tribute to his greatness. For those of you who ‘don’t get it’ or simply can’t stand him, you (as always) will find elements in Spike’s film to validate your point of view…
Kobe Doin’ Work is a 2009 Spike Lee documentary that shows us what a typical NBA game is like through the eyes of the best player of his generation, and one of the best ever, former MVP, four time NBA champion, and future first ballot Hall of Famer, Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bean Bryant.
Put down the cell phone. Delete that hostile text message, email, or comment you were about to send me. It’s called sarcasm people. GOTCHA!!!
OK, now I’ll ‘make it plain…’
Malcolm X is a 1992 Spike Lee film based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Anchored by an Oscar worthy performance by Denzel Washington, the film is a 210 minute epic that rode in on a new wave of black nationalism, and in large part it delivered on the hype that surrounded it.
On to the tale of the tape…
Relevance:
Fade in from the Warner Brothers logo. The introductory speaker hypes the crowd and introduces Malcolm. Malcolm (Denzel), also in voiceover, starts in with a vicous tirade, charging the white race with all the genocide that’s happened throughout history. The visual over this is two-fold: footage of the Rodney King beating that sparked the Los Angeles riots, and an American flag burning, until it forms an “X.”
Any questions?
Legacy:
If you want one reason why this is the most important black film made to this point, here is my argument: Spike always had it in mind to make a 3 hour epic. Warner Brothers had the money, they wanted a 2 hour movie tops. Spike shot everything he wanted to shoot, put most of his salary back in the movie, hoping WB would get on board after the film was nearly done. Nope. Spike ran out of money, the bond company (i.e. the insurance if you’re not familiar with film lingo) wasn’t chipping in. This project was dead. So Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Tracy Chapman, Prince, and Peggy Cooper-Cafritz gave Spike the money to finish the film. Read that last sentence as many times as you need to. Those were at the time, and continue to be some of the most wealthy and influential African-Americans of this or any other generation, and they all chipped in so Spike could finish his film. Warner Brothers eventually manned up and provided the financing, but with the possible exception of the election of the last President of the U.S., there may never be a better example of a harmony between a philosophy (blacks supporting/investing in our own) and seeing that philosophy carried out.
Craft:
“You see, Islam is the only religion that gives both husband and wife a true understanding of what love is. The Western ‘love’ concept, you take it apart, it really is lust. But love transcends just the physical. Love is disposition, behavior, attitude, thoughts, likes, dislikes – these things make a beautiful woman, a beautiful wife. This is the beauty that never fades. You find in your Western civilization that when a man’s wife’s physical beauty fails, she loses her attraction. But Islam teaches us to look into the woman, and teaches her to look into us.”
- From the Autobiography
I’ll be the first to admit it often gets lost in the shuffle of the politics and messages of this film, but on repeated viewings, it’s harder to ignore how well written and acted the relationship between Malcolm and Betty (Angela Bassett) is played out. Although it’s obviously based on two real, high profile figures in black history, it still deserves to be mentioned among the best love stories in black film. Their courtship is sweet and very high-school sweetheart-ish, she’s devoted to him and him to her. When the people he’s representing stab him in the back, it’s his wife who calls him out on it and challenges him. As played in the film, she is truly his best friend. The revelation struck me so hard I asked a few of my happily married friends, “Is your wife your best friend?”, and they all answered without hesitation, “Absolutely.” I have friends who are looking for their Claire Huxtable or Michelle Obama (the woman who can be bad by herself and together they will be a power couple). And obviously, there is nothing wrong with that model in the least. Personally though, I’m looking for my Betty Shabazz (as played by Angela Bassett): loyal, nurturing, maternal, but who will challenge me without hesitation if I’m wrong or out of line. A true ‘partner in crime’, or as the young people say, a woman who will ‘Make Me Better.’
Crossover:
Absolutely; even today this might have been the most hyped black film made to date. They were rocking X baseball caps in the suburbs; it wasn’t even politics, it was fashionable. Denzel lost the Oscar to Pacino who won for ‘Scent of a Woman’. Definitely a career Oscar, similar to when Denzel did finally win Best Actor…for ‘Training Day.’ Spike was still in his prime pissing Hollywood off in general, so no little golden men for him. Still hasn’t gotten any; will be interesting to see if he gets the Scorsese treatment somewhere down the line.
Apollo:
The dead man walking sequence of Malcolm going to the Audobon. It was the first time I remember hearing Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,”; in all of black cinema there may never be a more perfect use of music with images. But that’s just the beginning. You have the cross cutting of Betty and the kids, the assassins, and the ‘Agency’ all converging on the Ballroom. You have the signature Spike Lee ‘shot’ of Malcolm floating down the sidewalk. And the coup de gras is the nice bystander telling an exhausted Malcolm to keep ‘doing what he’s doing’, followed up with the line, “Jesus will protect you.” And yes, I’ll admit personal bias here and say that line and Malcolm’s (Denzel’s) reaction is my single favorite shot/reverse shot in any film.
So there you have it. Later this month, the most important black television show…
