The scale I came up with to determine the 25 Most Important Films and TV Shows to the Black Experience is pretty simple: five categories, each with a scale going from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).  The higher the overall score, the higher the ranking.  All ties broken by this one man committee.

So what are the five categories:

Relevance:

Calling something a ‘black film’ or ‘black TV show’ covers a very wide range these days.  A higher score in this category indicates a higher ‘black’ presence (actors, director, actual story, etc.)

Perfect example: Beyonce was one of the stars of Dreamgirls (very easy to argue as a black film).  Beyonce was also one of the stars of the remake of the Pink Panther (not so much).

Legacy:

The words “Most Important” make this category essential.  What did this project mean to black people when it originally aired/premiered?   What does it mean to black people now?  Were the careers of any black actors/actresses/directors given a significant boost by working on this project?

Craft

This is where I put on the ‘film snob’ hat and ask the simple question: did the storytellers tell the story they were trying to tell?  I try to be as objective as I can when I rank here.

Crossover Appeal

This was almost a bonus category, but if something is that important, everyone has at least heard of it right?  A high score in this category means I can go to one of my non-black friends, not in the industry, and they a) know of the project, b) know who’s in it, or c) can quote lines from it.  Any combination of a, b, and c raises the score.

“The Apollo Factor”

Let me be clear on this: it is never cool to yell or talk at the screen at the movie theater.  If that’s what you do, do us all a favor and wait for the DVD to come out.

Now, that said…

If a film makes you want to react to the action onscreen, then that’s reflected in this category.

Perfect example: I’m stealing this story but it really is the perfect example.  A friend of mine went to an opening weekend screening of Ang Lee’s Hulk.  About a half hour in, the frustrated 9 year old sitting in front of him yelled at the screen, “M****f*****, turn in to the Hulk!”  Nuff said.

Now that you know the rules, check back around the first of the month as the countdown begins…