It’s only March, but Mo’Nique is indeed the frontrunner for the Best Year Ever Award. In a little less than a week, the self-proclaimed queen of comedy and Golden Globe (and Screen Actors Guild) Award winner, will probably win an Oscar for her work in Precious, despite her reluctance to “campaign” for the little gold statue.
Talk about a come up. Read more »
Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry said Precious was awesome and that everyone should go see it. Since I am the most obedient of Negroes, I saw it last Friday. If Flavor Flav is the world’s greatest hype man, this duo is officially the world’s greatest hype machine. I found Precious slightly underwhelming, uninspiring, and lacking much of what makes the novel, Push by Sapphire, so powerful. Sorry, Ms. Winfrey. I had no “A-ha!” moment. Read more »
Note: I know this post is mad long. I’ll be more succinct in the future. I know you have better things to do.
Last week, I didn’t take the opportunity to blog about Maia Campbell, something that I had fully intended to do. Instead, my only significant output was a blog about Tyler Perry taking over command of the for colored girls film. I worry that not allowing myself time to post my thoughts about Campbell was an implicit, unspoken participation in the suppression and dismissal of her situation, her struggles. I want to correct that. Further, I want to make a connection to both events, which is something I haven’t seen folks do, but I find especially necessary at this juncture. Read more »
When we talk about interracial dating in the new millennium, we are facing a new reality in America. In the above clip at UNC Chapel Hill, we see how youth feel about interracial dating. Unsurprisingly we find that many are open to interracial dating, except for the two black women Litesha and Ally. Additionally, Si-on lm, an interviewee, admits that her parents would be concerned especially if her chosen partner was black. Yet the prevailing feelings (or at least the director’s closing statements) were that the “deciding factor” should be about love between two people regardless of race.
Uh oh. It’s a code red (black and green). The bat signal is out. bell hooks has started spelling her name in all CAPS. Call up your elders, pray to your ancestors; conjure up your inner fairies, spirits, and goddesses. Tyler Perry is turning your favorite play, excuse me, choreopoem into a movie.
If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to add Trouble the Water to your Netflix queue, or rent it–people still do that, right? It was released on DVD today. I wrote a response/review of the documentary after seeing it at the Black Harvest Film Festival last year. Trouble the Water, which follows the before, during and after Hurricane Katrina experience of ninth ward residents Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband, Scott, got nominated for an Academy Award, but I guess a French guy on a wire–voluntarily danger–was a lot more compelling than being reminded of this country’s EPIC FAILURE during the disaster. That shit is a movie-going buzzkill.
The other week, my dissertation writing partner and I were talking about extreme sports. Neither one of us could understand why folks find watching and/or participating in them so much fun, so fascinating. In response to our lackluster feeling about the genre she quipped, “Being black is an extreme sport.” Remembering Trouble the Water, maybe she’s right. Check it out.
Just last week, I stumbled upon a movie trailer on YouTube that really caught my attention. The independent film, Precious, tells the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones, a Harlem-bred, morbidly obese, pregnant, HIV-positive, illiterate, junior high school student who struggles with low self-esteem. If that isn’t already an earful, Precious’ story is further complicated by the presence of her welfare-collecting mother (played by Mo’Nique), who verbally and physically abuses her on a daily basis. While the film’s overall tone appears to be overwhelmingly bleak, Precious manages to find refuge with her compassionate and empowering schoolteacher.