THE OBENSON REPORT

Covering Cinema From All Across The African Diaspora

DVD Spotlight - Nothing But A Man

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In the deep south of the early 1960s, Duff, a somewhat reckless young man (the late Ivan Dixon who would go on to direct The Spook Who Sat By The Door) is drawn to Josie, a grounded preacher's daughter (played by the late Abbey Lincoln, star of stage and screen); they unite; they part, he realizes he prefers stability to freedom, and they reconcile.

Like most "black-themed" films of its era, Nothing But a Man was written, directed and produced by whites: Michael Roemer and Robert Young, two Jewish filmmakers with documentary, American cinema verité backgrounds and Harvard degrees.

Most of the film was shot in New Jersey and not in the south, where the story is set; however, it's worth noting that the production team earnestly researched southern life and Jim Crow custom, reportedly staying with Black families throughout the South for an entire year before production began.

The original soundtrack features Motown stars like Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, Martha and the Vandellas, The Miracles, and The Marvelettes.

I'll review Nothing But A Man fully during a future podcast. In the meantime, if you haven't seen it, do yourself a big favor and pick up the DVD.

Here are the film's first 6 minutes:

Film Finds - The Redemption Of General Butt Naked

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Found this on my desk this morning...

The film is called The Redemption Of General Butt Naked (don't laugh) - the true story of a blood-thirsty Liberian warlord turned Christian evangelist.

A friend's friend is the filmmaker. No idea what the film's future plans are.

Here's its trailer:

FESTIVAL - The International Black Women’s Film Festival

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My first time hearing about this festival... found at Must Love Movies.



According to the festival's website:

The International Black Women’s Film Festival was established in 2002 by Adrienne Anderson, a San Francisco Bay Area-resident and San Francisco-native. Though an academic and collaborative technology trainer by profession, Ms. Anderson is also a journalist, writer and cultural activist. It was through her contact with music artists and filmmakers that she found that many films being presented had little, if any, fair representation of the complexity and human emotions of Black, female characters. Surprisingly, she found this consistency among films from other countries as well.

She decided to create a festival where the accomplishments, talents, creativity and filmmaking skills of Black women could be celebrated, featured and fairly represented. Looking beyond the usual Hollywood-style stereotypes of Black women, she introduced new and innovate cinema, primarily directed by Black women, and/or featuring Black women in non-stereotypical roles.

To date, the festival has received over 400 entries and has garnered international attention around the world from the Netherlands, Germany, Paris, Ghana, Canada and Australia! The festival has also received personal support and sponsorship from STAR WARS director and creator George Lucas and his media company LucasFilms, Ltd.

Below is a trailer for the festival competition:




via MLM

Good Wednesday Morning!

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Good morning earth people!

It's cold and raining in New York City today; the stock market's in the red, as is my portfolio.

Bleh...

But as Gloria Gaynor once sang, "I will survive!" Although I'm neither afraid nor petrified... just bleh!

She also did sing, "Anybody want to party?" That's one sure way to lift one's spirits during days like this.

Maybe this'll cheer you up:



The image above shows the 8 actors recently enlisted to star in Sylvester Stallone's next epic titled, The Expendables (although the spelling on the image is incorrect - I didn't create it).

Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke (his next after his award-winning performance in The Wrestler), Dolph Freaking Lundgren (where the hell has he been? Recall he fought Stallone in Rocky IV, as the imposing Russian boxer Ivan Drago - ha-ha; now they meet again, except this time, they're both playing for the same team), former UFC heavy-weight champion Randy Couture, my man Forest Whitaker, whose been in a few films lately, but none that's packed much of a whallop (I hear he's a bad-ass in this film), and last but not least, Sir Ben Kingsley who's usually reliable, regardless of the role!

Interesting, eclectic cast, don't you think? A mixture of what we could term genuine actors in Rourke, Whitaker and Kingsley, and real life martial artists in Jet Li, Randy Couture and Dolph Lundgren, a 3rd Degree Black Belt. Although Rourke was a professional boxer 20 or so years ago, and still hangs around the gym with other fighters. Also both Stallone and Statham certainly aren't slouches when it comes to throwing punches and kicks.

Needless to say, this is likely going to be one rump of a movie!

The film is about an “expendable” team (the men above), hired to do jobs that no one else can or will. The team is sent to infiltrate a South American country to overthrow its ruthless dictator and liberate the country.

Hmmm... just once, I'd like to see a film about a team sent INTO the US of A to overthrow its ruthless dictator and liberate the country :o)

Although, I wonder what South American country will be in focus, or whether the country's name simply won't be spoken. I'm no South American scholar, but I'm certainly not aware of any South American countries with "ruthless dictators" that need American jackals to intercept and liberate them.

The most likely would be Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, given how vocal the man has been, and continues to be about American imperialism - especially over the last 8 years, under Bush's reign; but I wouldn't consider him a "ruthless dictator," nor say that the people in Venezuela need to be liberated... far from it actually.

So, Stallone and company need to tread carefully about the message they might be sending with The Expendables. I know it's "only a movie," as some might be quick to state, but American movies have long vilified groups of people, notably Arabs, which I think we can all agree has contributed (whether intentionally or not) to the ignorance and xenophobia that plagues much of our society. The moving image is probably the most powerful educational tool there is!

So, if one is going to make a film about an American-lead force invading another country to "liberate its people from their ruthless dictator," something that some Americans would like to believe is their raison d'etre, then the story had better have some real factual information to support it. Now isn't the time to help engender even more fear and ignorance... even if it's "only a movie."

Or, maybe there's a plot twist within the film's second act... maybe the "expendable" team goes south, enters whatever make-believe country they intend to liberate, only to learn that the information given to them about this "ruthless dictator" and his/her people, is all false and intentionally fabricated, and, in the process, they uncover some American government conspiracy to assassinate this make-believe South American country's supposed "ruthless dictator," who they learn is actually a Marxist in the mold of a few real-life South American leaders, both historically and currently, intent on keeping his country free of American-like materialism, consumerism, and greed - and the "expendable" team sides with the South Americans in a battle against the North American conspirators, which unfolds in the film's 3rd act!

Now that would be true-to-life! After all, how many South American leftist leaders from yesteryear were assassinated by American-backed insurgencies?

Principal photography for The Expendables is set to begin in Brazil and Louisiana in March, aiming for a summer 2010 release.

HO-HUM - A Boring Day In The Neighborhood...

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La-di-dah...

It's that time of year again - the January doldrums, which means slow news days like today. There just isn't much going on in the world of cinema - specifically "black cinema;" so, there's not much worthwhile to report.

Glad to say that I'm starting feel better than I did over the last 4 days. Bouts of sneezing, blowing, sniffling and coughing have dwindled to just bouts of coughing. So, I'm almost there!

So what's new, you ask? Not much...

1.
Director F. Gary Gray's return to the big screen is starting to take shape as four more actors have joined Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in the vigilante thriller, Law Abiding Citizen.

The Hollywood Reporter states that among the new additions are Michael
Gambon, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney and Theresa Randle.

Citizen is set in motion when a district attorney orchestrates a plea bargain that sets free the killers of another man's family. The aggrieved victim then seeks personal justice from the D.A. Not sure who's playing who. I'll guess that Jamie Foxx plays the said "aggrieved victim" and Randle plays his wife?

Randle, whose film credits include Spike Lee's Girl 6 and Sugar Hill, was last seen on the big screen in 2003 with Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys II.

The film will start shooting this month in Philadelphia.


And...

2.
Here's a pic of Terrence Howard on the set of his next outing titled, Fighting, which stars Channing Tatum, also pictured with Howard.

The synopsis: “Barely earning a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets, his luck changes when scam artist Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) sees that he has a natural talent for streetfighting. When Harvey offers Shawn help at making the real cash, the two form an uneasy partnership. As Shawn’s manager, Harvey introduces him to the corrupt bare-knuckle circuit, where rich men bet on disposable pawns. Almost overnight, he becomes a star brawler, taking down professional boxers, mixed martial arts champs and ultimate fighters in a series of staggeringly intense bouts. But if Shawn ever hopes to escape the dark world in which he’s found himself, he must now face the toughest fight of his life.”

And lastly...

3. Prince is planning to release three new albums in 2009 without the assistance of a record label, according to an interview with the Los Angeles Times. A "major retailer" is in talks with the artist to release the music physically, while a new Prince Web site will sell it in digital form.

The two new Prince albums are the tentatively titled "MPLSOUND" and "Lotus Flower." He was also heavily involved in a third album titled "Elixir" from his protege, Bria Valente. "We got sick of waiting for Sade to make a new album," he said of that project.

As for "MPLSOUND," recorded at Prince's Paisley Park compound in Minneapolis, the Times describes at "electro-flavored" and full of "trippy, experimental pop songs." Q-Tip guests on one track.

"Lotus Flower" is more guitar-driven, an approach Prince says he came to after touring as the guitarist in singer Tamar Davis' band in 2006. Tracks include "Dreamer," a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson & Clover," "Colonized Mind" and "Wall of Berlin."

Like I said... a slow news day...

Cheers mateys!

via BLACK VOICES//SLASHFILM//THR

Movie Posters - 1970s

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In this 1970 drama, Calvin Lockhart of classics like Uptown Saturday Night and Cotton Comes To Harlem fame, must keep tensions in control at a predominantly black high school faced with the busing in of a few white students.

A young Jeff Bridges and Rob Reiner also star along with many familiar faces.

I found a "special report" on the film at a site called ShoeString.org, which states some interesting facts about the film:

"Halls Of Anger" was intended as a smash hit for United Artists. It starred Calvin Lockhart as Quincy Davis, yet another Wonder Teacher from that era who achieves the impossible in a biracial setting, this time a Los Angeles High School. Black and white grownups would like it, black and white kids would like it, U.A. would make a fortune, the careers of the cast would be assured and the charismatic, handsome and talented Mr. Lockhart would be the next Sidney Poitier, right? Wrong...

From the start, there was extreme hostility on the set and why wouldn't there be? Whose brilliant idea was it to make the black kids the unmitigated villains of the piece?

[...]

Since there had already been movies about black discrimination, why not make one about the discrimination white students face when they're bussed to a predominantly black high school?

Positive black role models? Only a handful are mentioned, including O.J. Simpson. Moreover, white principal Boyd Wilkerson (John McLiam) acts like he's actually the Warden of San Quentin. Now this already looks like a terrible idea on paper. Imagine how it played out when the mostly unknown cast members realized that making "Halls Of Anger" might be all the careers they would ever have.

I haven't seen nor heard of the film, and the above write-up certainly doesn't make me want to. Anyone?

Check out a 4 minute clip below:

CONTEST - Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival

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This just in... Sent to me via email a few hours ago for interested filmmakers:

The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival announces a competition to find the official trailer for the 2009 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. For the first time in the three-year history of the Festival, Tribeca and ESPN have created a unique competition to find the official Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival trailer that will be scheduled to play prior to all of the films in this year’s sports film festival. The 2009 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival will take place during the Tribeca Film Festival, April 22 through May 3, 2009.

To participate in the competition, contestants will need to shoot a reenactment of a scene from a classic sports film. Three scenes from two classic Walt Disney Pictures, Remember The Titans and Cool Runnings, have been preselected for contestants to recreate. All recreations of the scenes should keep within the spirit of the original film and be under 30 seconds. A panel of Tribeca and ESPN notables will select the top submissions and choose the final winner. The competition begins Monday, January 5, 2009 and ends Saturday, March 7, 2009.

[...]

Contestants should log on http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=tribeca/trailer/contest to download the script pages to both films and then submit their videos.

In addition to having the scene play as the official trailer for the 2009 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, the grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to New York City (including airfare and hotel accommodations) for two nights to attend the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, dinner for two at the ESPN Zone, one Apple TV with an I-Tunes gift certificate in the amount of $100, and a 17-inch Apple Mac Book Pro fully loaded with Leopard OS and Final Cut studio.

Sounds good - especially the 17-inch Mac Book Pro fully loaded with Final Cut Studio. That alone is a $4,000+ package.

Interesting that they picked 2 films with predominantly African American casts.

Although, it seems pointless to recreate a scene from an already existing movie, doesn't it? How much flexibility does one have with each rendering? What exactly are they looking for here?

Some suggestions:

• Have your friends and family play the roles of the tough football players in Remember The Titans.
• Get your kids to play the surly, yet inspirational coach.
• Have one person play all the roles.
• Swap genders in the roles.
• Set the scene in a different place and time.

In short, be as creative as you want to be!

For a refresher, I included clips from both films below.

Here's a clip from Remember The Titans:


Here's a clip from Cool Runnings:


So, what are you waiting for? You've got 2 months to put something together. I just might participate this time!

Here's the link again: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=tribeca/trailer/contest

AUDIO - Movie Soundtracks?

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Sitting at home all day today, feeling ill, yet utterly restless - a deadly combo - combing YouTube for entertainment, since I can't bring myself to focus on anything that requires any intellectual maneuvering, I had a moment of sudden revelation, otherwise known as an epiphany: it's rare that we talk about movie soundtracks, specifically those created by a single composer, as opposed to some mosh pit of singles by a select group of "top 40" musicians.

As a filmmaker, I have my eclectic wish-list of artists whom I'd like to work with some day, in producing a soundtrack for future films I direct.

Here they are:

- From the moment I heard her Bitter album, one of the few that I can listen to from beginning to end, without skipping a single track, songstress Meshell N'Degeocello has been at the top of my wish-list. She's one of those pure musicians who refuses to be categorized, or relegated to one specific genre. She incorporates a variety of styles and musical elements quite effectively, from one album to the next, and I cheer in response, given just how often rich, complex, and moving each track on each album can be. She doesn't quite get the attention and the radio play that I believe she deserves. But, we can say that about a lot of other artists. So it goes...



- Cliff Martinez: His ethereal work with long-time collaborator, filmmaker, Steven Soderbergh, is inspiring - notably Traffic and Solaris; as was his work in Narc.



- Little Dragon: They are a relatively new Swedish band featuring a Japanese female lead singer, with music that nearly runs the gamut - electronic/soul/folk/lounge/jazz and more. Their 2006 debut LP is the self-titled Little Dragon.



- Johnny Greenwood: My introduction to his work was in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. I'm not even quite sure how to categorize the sounds he created for the soundtrack of that film. Maybe that's a good thing. He's described as a multi-instrumentalist; many will know him as guitarist and keyboard player for alternative rock group Radiohead!



- Jon Brion: Speaking of P.T. Anderson... Brion scored 3 of his 5 films (Hard Eight, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love); But the Brion composition I love the most is the work he did for Michel Gondry in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, one of my favorite films.



- Last on my short but evolving list is Michael Nyman, the English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, perhaps best known for the many films whose scores he composed during his lengthy collaboration with one of my favorite filmmakers, Peter Greenaway - The Draughtman's Contract, Drowning By Numbers, and, of course, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover - all highly recommended viewing, by the way.



Soooo... for you filmmakers reading this, who is at the top of your wishlist of musicians you'd like to work with? And for you non-filmmakers, who are some of your favorite composers, or what are some of your favorite movie soundtracks? I'm always on the hunt for new music and musicians to check out, so, I'm looking forward to seeing your selections.

Good Monday Morning!

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Still feeling icky today... my voice sounds like Darth Vader on crack... so, I canceled tonight's podcast recording.

In the meantime...

Turner Classic Movies put together a beautiful video montage remembering the actors, actresses, directors, writers, producers, and musicians who died in 2008. Eartha Kitt was not included - likely because this was produced before her death.

The song you hear is called “God Only Knows” by Joe Henry.



via SLASHFILM

FYI - Bleh...!

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FYI


I've been holed up in my apartment since Friday, thanks to a nasty virus that I caught.

Coughing, sneezing, sniffling, nose-blowing, sour throat, almost non-existent voice, etc, etc, etc...

STINKS!

I tend to get rather irritable and unable to focus when in this state, so don't look for any new postings on this blog until, at least, sometime tomorrow, or soon thereafter!

In the meantime, watch Tom Cruise kill Oprah Winfrey... cracks me up every time:

Good Saturday Morning!

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A tribute to the 2008 year in movies... he missed a few; but most of the biggies are here:

FYI - Project Direct Finalists Announced!

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This just in...

The judges have settled on 10 short films, out of several thousand submissions, for Project Direct, the annual short film competition brought to you by the Sundance Film Festival and YouTube.

What is Project Direct?

In a nutshell, filmmakers submit a 5-minute or less film that meets specific criteria, as provided by the competition's organizers.

This year, each film submitted had to somehow incorporate 3 items from a list of props.

The winning short film gets a special screening at the Sundance Film Festival this month, along with other prizes. Accolades are also awarded to the 2nd and 3rd place winners.

I wanted to participate, but found out about the contest with just 2 weeks before the December 14th submission deadline, and decided not to, given the limited amount of time I had available.

Today, I received an email announcing that the contest's judges have selected 10 films from all submissions, and they request that we all watch each film finalist, and vote for the piece we like most.

The film with the most votes wins the first place prize, and so on.

I watched all ten shorts, and can't say that there's any that I really love.

You can see all 10 of them for yourself here: YOUTUBE PROJECT DIRECT.

This below is one of the better of the bunch:

MOVIE POSTERS - 1950s

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As I read the plot for the above film, I realized that there are very few sci-fi films with blacks in starring roles, or any prominent roles at all!

It also seems rare that Black filmmakers wrap their stories in sci-fi lore.

If I'm wrong about any of this, I'm sure someone will say so!

I think the sci-fi genre provides filmmakers with a world of opportunities to explore issues of race and diversity... something to consider as you begin writing your next opus.

The above film, The World, The Flesh and the Devil, is one that I've never seen, nor heard of. It reads mighty appealing as yet another take on the "last man on earth" scenario we've seen as the basis for many stories, both in print and on celluloid.

However, this one was made in 1959, and stars Harry Belafonte, in the prime of his career.

Reading the plot outline, similarities to several recent "last man" settings should be immediately obvious:

African-American Ralph Burton (Belafonte) becomes trapped for many days underground in a cave-in while inspecting a mine in Pennsylvania. Eventually, he digs his own way out. Reaching the surface, he finds a deserted world. Apparently everybody on Earth has been killed in a war.

Traveling to New York City in search of other survivors, he finds the city vacant. (Although the bridge into New York is jammed with abandoned cars, no bodies are ever seen.)

Ralph busies himself restoring power to a building where he takes up residence. He regularly broadcasts on the radio, listening for other people.

Just as the loneliness starts to become intolerable, he encounters a second survivor: Sarah Crandall (Inger Stevens), a white woman in her twenties.

They become fast friends, but Ralph grows distant when it becomes clear that Sarah is developing stronger feelings for him. Despite living in a post-apocalyptic world, he can't overcome the issue of race that pervaded society before the disaster.

Things become vastly more complicated when an ill Benson Thacker (Mel Ferrer), a white man, arrives by boat. Ralph and Sarah nurse him back to health, but once he recovers, the white man sets his sights on Sarah and sees Ralph as a rival.

Cue staccato dramatic score here!

I'm definitely intrigued!

I searched YouTube for a trailer, and instead found the entire freaking film, divided into 10 ten-minute blocks of time (it's a 95-minute film); so you can head over there and watch them all, in small-screen glory, or you can wait until it's available on DVD (I was surprised it wasn't already; I read that Warner Bros is working on one).

If anyone has seen this, do share your thoughts...

Here are the film's second 10-minutes:

CALENDAR - January 2009

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CALENDAR


I'm populating my calendar with notable film-related events for the month - specifically, cinema of the Diaspora.

If you know of something I'm not aware of that should be on my calendar, please do share.

I'll update as I learn of new events.

In theatres this month:

On the 9th, look for the second adaptation of a T.D. Jakes novel, titled, Not Easily Broken, starring Morris Chestnut and Taraji P Henson. A couple's love and faith are tested when the wife is injured in a car crash and the husband becomes attracted to another woman. Surprisingly, it's getting a wide release! Sony Pictures, the distributor, must have high box office hopes for it! Dill Duke directed it.

Also on the 9th, a "slimmed-down" version of Steven Sodebergh's 2-part Che Guevara bio-pic, simply titled Che, will see a limited release. I already saw the full 4 1/2 hour version, which I reviewed on The Obenson Report podcast.

The following week, on the 16th, the Biggie Smalls bio-pic, aptly titled Notorious, will be released in select cities by Fox Searchlight. Newcomer Jamal Woolard stars as the notorious one, aka Christopher Wallace, capturing both his life and death. George Tillman Jr of Babershop fame is director.

In limited release, on the 30th, is "Best Picture" Cannes winner, from French filmmaker Laurent Cantent, titled, The Class (or, Entre les murs). Based on an autobiographical novel, the film follows the year in the life of a French schoolteacher working at a high-school in a tough neighborhood of Paris. Ethnicities, cultures and attitudes clash in the classroom.

Also on the 30th, Barry Jenkins' feature debut, Medicine For Melancholy, which I'm sure you've all heard or read about, especially if you've been a reader of this blog, will open at IFC theatres in New York City. Not sure about the rest of the country.

And lastly, of course, from the 15th through the 25th, Park City, Utah will be the place to be for cinephiles like yourselves, as the 2009 Sundance Film Festival begins another year of film festival peaks and valleys. You can read my Sundance prep entries HERE and HERE.

Competing for press attention will be the Slamdance Film Festival, which takes place from the 15th to the 23rd, also in Park City, Utah! Read my Slamdance preview HERE.

That's all I've got! All of you hosting "microcinema" screening events this month (and in the future), feel free to send me info on your film and all other relevant facts, and I'll add to the calendar.

Happy 2009!

FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE - Dreams On Spec

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If you've been a reader of this blog in recent months, then I'm sure you're fully aware of a site called SnagFilms.com, where anyone with a computer and broadband Internet access can watch documentary films, both short-form and feature-length!

Yesterday, on SnagFilms, I watched the below documentary titled, Dreams on Spec, a film I think many of you screenwriters will appreciate.

Every year screenwriters across the globe finish tens of thousands of screenplays, but only a tiny percentage are produced as movies - whether for the theatrical or television screen.

Dreams on Spec takes an intimate look at how far some will go - and how much they will sacrifice - for the chance to pursue their screenwriting dreams. It delves into the lives of three aspiring Hollywood screenwriters, each with ever-evolving scripts, pitching their ideas to anyone with an ear, from one meeting to the next, all while working at low-level day-jobs, with the hope that someday, they will see one of their beloved creations produced as a film.

It's not going to blow your mind with its rawness and revelations, but it's worth a viewing.

Screenwriters, you're not alone in this :o)

Click below to watch it now!

Good Friday Morning!

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Vacation's over! But unfortunately, I'm fighting a cold/cough! So far, I'm winning the battle. Wish me luck!

A reminder: This Monday, January 5th 2009, from 8PM to 9PM, Brandon Wilson and I will countdown our top 5 films of 2008, on The Obenson Report Podcast on black cinema (you can listen to past episodes of the program via iTunes. Just search for "Obenson Report" in the iTunes store).

Your participation is strongly encouraged. We would love to know what your top 5 films of 2008 are, so please do share! The January 5th recording of the podcast will be dedicated entirely to top 5 lists of 2008, and we will read some of the submissions we receive on the air.

You can post your selections here, on this blog, or you can email them to talk@obensonreport.com; or call and leave a voice message on our toll-free voicemail with your choices at 1-800-765-7249, and we'll play your message on the air.

We're looking specifically for films that were released in 2008 - but the format on which they were released is not important. So, they can be films you saw on DVD, that weren't released theatrically, or films that were only released on television (whether network or cable), or films you saw at film festivals, or other microcinema screening events that have no distribution, etc...

Brandon and I will share ours on the podcast.

So... let the good times roll!

Cheers to 2009!

Happy New Year!

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I'm outta here until Friday folks!

An immensely joyous New Year to you all!

It's been a reflective 2008 for me, and I learned a lot about myself and the world around me; and I hope you all have as well!

As trite a saying as it might be, it's always worth mentioning that life is indeed short. Enjoy it fully while you can, because you only have one chance at it!

A toast to cinema of the African Diaspora in 2009!

Cheers to you all!

TAO

DIVERSIONS - Sita Sings The Blues

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Roger Ebert heaps plenty of praise on this 2008 "best film not playing at a theatre near you," titled Sita Sings The Blues - described as "an animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw," by cartoonist and filmmaker Nina Paley.

Ebert states,

It hardly ever happens this way. I get a DVD in the mail. I'm told it's an animated film directed by "a girl from Urbana." That's my home town. It is titled "Sita Sings the Blues." I know nothing about it, and the plot description on IMDb is not exactly a barn-burner... I carefully file it with other movies I will watch when they introduce the 8-day week.

[...]

I put on the DVD and start watching. I am enchanted. I am swept away. I am smiling from one end of the film to the other. It is astonishingly original. It brings together four entirely separate elements and combines them into a great whimsical chord.

[...]

I obtain Nina Paley's e-mail address and invite the film to my film festival in April 2009...
The stuff filmmaker dreams are made of...

You can read his entire enthusiastic entry HERE.

As of today, despite all the attention Nina and her film have received thanks in large part to Ebert's mention last week (although it did play at several prominent film festivals over the last 12 months), Sita Sings The Blues is still without a distributor.

HOWEVER, that certainly hasn't stopped Paley from attempting an effort of her own. You filmmakers reading this will certainly appreciate her thorough explanation of her plans to get the film in front of audiences, by any means necessary! You can read it all here: Nina Paley announces her new distribution plan.

Here's the film's fun little trailer (not quite Waltz With Bashir, but it still intrigues):

Good Wednesday Morning!

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GOOD
Courtesy of Interview Magazine...

I didn't realize they'd ever met... then again, I shouldn't be surprised.

An odd interview between director Steven Spielberg and artist Andy Warhol, while Bianca Jagger watches on...



Happy New Year!!

FIGHT! - Time Warner Cable To Lose All Viacom Owned Stations!

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UPDATE - 9AM, 1/1/09

No surprise... According to Variety,

Viacom, Time Warner Cable strike deal

After running past the initial midnight deadline and into 2009, Viacom and Time Warner Cable reached a tentative deal to keep MTV Networks' 19 channels on the MSO's 13.3 million households nationwide.

Although Viacom threatened to shut off the signal in Time Warner Cable's markets of New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, Viacom granted a one-hour extension just before midnight ET Wednesday and the two sides announced they'd reached an agreement in principle soon afterward. The move avoided the looming blackout of MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, among other channels.

In a joint release, Viacom and TWC said they expected to finalize the details of the agreement over the next several days.

"We are pleased that our customers will continue to be able to watch the programming they enjoy on MTV Networks," TWC's president and CEO Glenn Britt said. "We are sorry they had to endure a day of public disagreement as we worked through this negotiation."

Viacom's president and CEO Philippe Dauman stressed the company's long relationship with TWC.

"We're happy to be renewing that partnership for the benefit of their customers and our loyal viewers," he said. "It's gratifying that we could reach an agreement that benefits not only our audiences but that is also in the best interest of both of our companies."
The agreement followed a last-minute offer by TWC on Wednesday that was rejected by Viacom, which qualified it as "a pittance."

Viacom had been seeking about a 12% fee increase, or $39 million on top of the estimated $300 million it is paid by TWC every year. TWC had said it was no time, given the economy, to raise subscriber fees that would have to be passed on to consumers.
As I said, no surprise... there was too much at stake for a deal not to be reached. Everyone's happy... for now anyway...

UPDATE - 2PM, 12/31

Time Warner retaliates, responding to Viacom's initial statement, and scrolling warning messages on subscriber television screens earlier today... releasing the following statement. It's like little kids having an argument (where's a grown-up when you need one):

Christmas is over, but Viacom is still playing Scrooge, threatening to pull its MTV Networks off of Time Warner Cable at midnight tonight unless we ask our customers to pay exorbitant price increases.

Viacom claims their demands equate to “pennies,” but that is misleading and insulting to our customers, from whom Viacom is trying to extort another $39 million annually – on top of the hundreds of millions of dollars our customers already pay to Viacom each year. That doesn’t sound like pennies to us. Demanding that our customers pay so much more for these few networks would be unreasonable in any economy, but it is particularly outrageous given the current economic conditions.

We sympathize with the fact that Viacom’s advertising business is suffering and that their networks’ ratings have largely been declining. However, we can’t abide their attempt to make up their lost revenue on the backs of Time Warner Cable customers. We’ve negotiated in good faith and made several concessions to help reach a fair and reasonable deal. We’ve asked for an extension of the current contract while we continue to negotiate. But Viacom doesn’t appear to be interested in what’s fair and reasonable for American consumers – they’re only interested in propping up their sagging bottom line, and they are poised to pull their networks from Time Warner Cable customers tonight.

Huge price increases like what Viacom is demanding threaten the ultimate value of cable TV. Time Warner Cable is a retail distributor of products we purchase wholesale. Wholesale programming costs are rising dramatically every year, and, like all multichannel distributors, we have to pass on at least a portion of the increases to our customers. Viacom’s MTV Networks are just a few of the hundreds of channels we carry. If every channel demanded huge, double-digit increases like what Viacom is trying to force our customers to pay, it would be impossible to keep the price of cable reasonable for our customers.

Time Warner Cable has reached hundreds of distribution agreements with other networks. In fact, we currently have deals with every other cable programmer. The negotiations aren’t always easy, but we work hard to reach agreements that are fair to our customers and to both businesses.

We hope Viacom won’t pull the MTV Networks from Time Warner Cable customers, and we’ll negotiate up to the last possible minute and beyond. But ultimately, it is Viacom’s decision. We implore them to join with us to reach a fair resolution or grant an extension, and we hope they won’t carry through with their threat to take their networks away from our customers tonight.
Story continues below...

UPDATE - 11AM, 12/31

According to Deadline Hollywood Daily,

It appears Time Warner Cable customer service was unprepared for the onslaught of complaints from subscribers flooding into call centers. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many reps were unaware of the dispute with Viacom, which began running news crawls below its programming that 19 channels would go dark on the cable system operation at 12:01 AM on January 1st. Viacom also placed full-page advertisements in some major market newspapers today featuring protests by its media programming characters, including Dora the Explorer who is shown crying because she is being taken away from her fans. The cable company says it is prepared to refund customers for the lost programming if a deal can't be reached by New Year's, though the amount hasn’t been determined yet.
Story continues below...

UPDATE - 1:55AM, 12/31

I'm watching SPIKE TV (a Viacom channel) at the moment, and for the last several minutes, a warning message (obviously sponsored by Viacom) has been scrolling at the bottom of my TV screen, instructing Time Warner Cable subscribers to call their local Time Warner Cable offices ASAP, and demand that they keep all 19 Viacom channels as mentioned in the press release below. I'm sure the same message is on display in every city in which Time Warner has a subscriber base.

INITIAL POST - 9PM, 12/30

I just read this over at Deadline Hollywood Daily.

I'm sure a deal will eventually be reached! There's too much at stake!

However, as it stands currently, per the Viacom press release below, at 12:01AM on January 1st, 2009, all Time Warner cable subscribers, across the USA, will lose all Viacom owned cable TV stations - and that includes, MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, and Nickelodeon, amongst many others - all prime small screen real estate! I don't watch any of those channels, so even if I was a Time Warner Cable subscriber, I wouldn't think much of the loss - other than the fact that I'd still be paying my regular fee despite having 19 fewer channels, which obviously wouldn't go over well with me!

However, I do catch clips of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart online, from time to time.

Here's the just-issued statement from Viacom. Of course it's all about money. Viacom wants more from Time Warner, but Time Warner doesn't want to give:

This move by Time Warner Cable to force such channels as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV off the air is another example of a cable company overreaching for profit at the expense of its viewers.

The renewal we are seeking is reasonable and modest relative to the profits TWC enjoys from our networks. We have asked for an increase of less than 25 cents per month, per subscriber, which adds up to less than a penny per day for all 19 of MTV Networks’ channels. We make this request because TWC has so greatly undervalued our channels for so long. Americans spend more than 20% of their TV viewing time watching our networks, yet our fees amount to less than 2.5% of what Time Warner generates from their average customer.

Throughout the country, we have negotiated equitable license agreement renewals, or are in the final stages of renewals, with virtually every cable and satellite carrier. Nevertheless, Time Warner Cable has dismissed our efforts at a fair compromise and has effectively chosen to deny its customers some of the most popular TV shows on the air.

As a result, we are sorry to say that for Time Warner Cable customers our networks will go dark as of 12:01 on January 1st, denying Time Warner customers shows like Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, and The Hills.

Ultimately, however, if Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV and the rest of our programming is discontinued – over less than a penny per day - we believe viewers will see this behavior by their cable company as outrageous.

Time Warner Cable subscribers who are being handed a January 1st $3 monthly increase in Raleigh, Orange County, Los Angeles, and New York City are simultaneously facing the removal of beloved shows across 19 channels.

We find it a shame that Time Warner Cable remains unreasonable at this time. We hope its leadership will have a change of heart and will seek to negotiate a fair renewal agreement.

Any Time Warner Cable subscribers out there? If this does occur as stated, on January 1, I'm guessing Time Warner's customer service lines will be immensely busy that day, and beyond. But, as I said at the top, I'm sure a deal will be worked out - if not by tomorrow, then, sometime soon thereafter!

I'll keep you updated...

via DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD DAILY

DID YOU KNOW...? - "Best Picture" Eligibility

Posted on 3:51 PM comments (3)
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Did you know...

In order for a feature film to be considered for "Best Picture" Academy Award honors, it has to meet the following 2 relatively simple criteria:

1. It must open in a commercial motion picture theatre in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31 of the year of consideration.

2. It must be given a minimum theatrical run of seven consecutive days, also before the December 31st deadline.

That's it!!

Yes, I know, I know... it's not quite that simple - a robust marketing budget will certainly be of some help. However, there's just something thrilling about the fact that anyone with a feature film, as well as several thousand dollars to four-wall a theatre in L.A. for a week, (assuming you have no other distribution agreements), will be within the Academy's consideration radar!

Knowing all of that, any filmmaker with a completed feature - especially one with some critical acclaim on its resume, no matter how minor - should look for ways to exploit the awards process to their advantage. I'm not quite sure how, but I think there's some potential there. You likely won't be nominated for any awards, but you just might be able to generate some publicity for your film!

This year, 281 feature films are eligible for the Academy Award for Best Picture of 2008. The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22 at 5:30 a.m. PST in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

via OSCAR

ILL DOCTRINE - Hip-Hop Wargames

Posted on 3:20 PM No Comments
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Sometimes... "the only way to win is not to play."

Checking in with Jay Smooth over at Ill Doctrine...

TRAILER - Dance Flick

Posted on 12:43 PM comments (7)
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trailer
Apparently, the Wayans brothers still think they're funny... and, apparently, some studio executives still believe so as well, because they continue to give the brothers money to make these horrible, horrible spoofs!

Here's the trailer for the next one titled, Dance Flick. I'm sure you can guess what it's spoofing based on the title alone.

Paramount Pictures will release the film on August 6, 2009. I pray that it bombs!

DVD Spotlight - Vidor's 'Hallelujah' Added To Film Registry

Posted on 11:42 AM comments (2)
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The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress.

The National Film Registry is meant to preserve up to twenty-five "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films" each year, to showcase the full range and diversity of American film heritage, and includes films ranging from Hollywood classics to newsreels, silent films, experimental films, films out of copyright protection, significant amateur footage, documentary films, independent films, home movies and even TV movies. As of 2008, there were 500 films preserved in the National Film Registry.

Add Hallelujah to the list of 25 film titles selected this year by the Library of Congress for inclusion in its National Film Registry - King Vidor's 1929 all-black cast musical (quite a gamble at the time - Vidor is said to have deferred his salary for the film's sake).

Centered around themes of religion, sexuality and family, Hallelujah tells the tale of a cotton sharecropper who loses his year’s earnings, his brother, and his freedom, as well as his relationship with a dance-hall girl (played by the then unknown Nina Mae McKinney).

It was one of the first films by a major studio that featured an all-black cast, and its treatment of the lives of African Americans sharply contrasts the racist revisionist portrayals in films like Birth of a Nation.

Hallelujah was Vidor's first sound film, and he was nominated for the "Best Director" Oscar for his efforts.

I couldn't find any clips of the film on YouTube (I'll grab some from my copy and upload shortly), but the film is available for sale at Amazon.com.

It's recommended viewing for any of you who have yet to see it!

via VARIETY

RANT - Holocaust Movies

Posted on 10:24 AM comments (8)
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RANT


Good Morning!

A quick rant...

Today, I'm calling for a moratorium on Holocaust-related movies! Yes, that's right! I'll likely receive some flack for this, but I've done enough research on my reasons to feel comfortable enough to say it!

This weekend will see the release of just 2 films - one called Defiance, starring Daniel Craig in the true story of Jewish brothers living in Nazi-occupied Poland who escape to become resistance fighters; the other titled Good, starring Viggo Mortensen as a German professor who is forced to choose between his career and a Jewish friend during World War II.

Last weekend, Tom Cruise donned an eye patch to star in the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and the daring plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, in Valkyrie.

Can anyone name another historical tragedy that's been given as much big screen treatment as that which occurred between the years of 1941 and 1945, commonly now referred to as The Holocaust?

More than 6 million Jews, as well as members of other persecuted groups, were murdered in concentration camps such as Auschwitz.

By some estimates, the number of African slaves who died during the transatlantic slave trade is as much as 5 times the number of Jews who died in Nazi concentration camps (possibly a lot more); yet, the number of films (both theatrical and for television) that tell stories about Holocaust-era occurrences, dwarfs in multiples those told about the lives of the enslaved black men, women and children who lived and died - whether killed during their storage, shipment and initial landing in the "New World," or as a result of their actual labor, slave revolts or diseases they caught while living among "New World" populations.

Why?

As the death toll continues to rise in the centuries-old clash between Jews and Muslims in the Middle East - specifically between the Israelis and the Palestinians - be sure to arm yourself with knowledge of all accounts of the story before taking a side. Just about every article I've read on mainstream American news websites on the subject, as well as reports on television, unabashedly favor the Jews, while completely vilifying the Arabs.

Clearly, there's a powerful machine at work here that intends to ensure America doesn't forget one tragedy (The Holocaust and its victims), even though it seems to want to completely ignore another (slavery and its effects) - one that we can arguably consider has had a much more significant overall impact on the current state of world affairs!

Groan...


Good Tuesday Morning!

Posted on 9:34 AM comments (1)
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GOOD
The Predator Rap.

A rap video based on the 1987 sci-fi thriller Predator, starring AhNuld - a film I've seen countless times, as well as its sequel, Predator 2, which starred Danny Glover.

The rap video summarizes the film in 6 1/2 minutes, and took almost 9 months to create. It's actually not bad!

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