THE OBENSON REPORT

As a super-hero comic book fan, I mostly dug the first 2 X-Men flicks, the second especially, even though poor Halle Berry was given very little to do in each. The third one in the series really stunk! However, my opinions certainly aren't enough to persuade or dissuade 20th Century Fox from continuing on with the series - this time in what has come to be anointed a prequel, detailing the origins of the always cantankerous Wolverine, of course played by Aussie star, Hugh Jackman, who has assumed the role since the first film in the series, almost 8 years ago (wow, it's been that long? Time certainly is flying on by).

In what I think is an interesting, curious casting choice, Black Eyed Peas front-man, Monsieur will.i.am, (aka William Adams) is confirmed to join Hugh Jackman, and a short list of mostly impressive character actors, as yet another delightfully genetically altered organism (read mutant) who goes by the name of Wraith, described as a mutant with the power to turn himself translucent. This will be will.i.am's big screen debut, by the way. It'll be interesting to see whether the producers of the film alter his appearance for the role... will he keep his braided hair style? Will they make him shave? Will his mutant outfit be just as flamboyant? Will Wraith be as stylish with the multi-colored hats? Might there be a musical number thrown in just so he can perform? Questions... questions... questions...

The film will also star Liev Schreiber and will be directed by Gavin Hood, the South African filmmaker responsible for Tsotsi (didn't see it; no interest), as well as one of Variety Magazine's "Ten Directors to Watch." Gavin Hood is white, by the way.

And incase you were wondering, as I'm so sure you were, the word "wraith" is defined, according to Webster, as a ghost or specter; a barely visible gaseous or vaporous form.

All together now... Oooooooohhh... :o)

Anyway, you can read the entire article on EURweb.

Possibly Chiwetel Ejiofor's "break-out" role? I use the term "break-out" loosely, since his face and name are (or should be) familiar to more than the average film enthusiast. He's certainly been around, and even starred in a few successful indie flicks (Dirty Pretty Things and Kinky Boots immediately come to mind); although one can't really zero in on that one specific role of his that really made audiences sit up and take notice.

Well, here, Ejiofor is assuming starring role duties in possibly the most important film of his career, directed by author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and film director, David Mamet, one of the more revered talents working within the studio system today. You may be familiar with some of his award winning efforts: Wag the Dog, State and Main, Glengarry Glen Ross, and of course, The Untouchables.

The film is called Redbelt and is said to be set in the west-side of Los Angeles fight world, inhabited by bouncers, cage-fighters, cops and special forces types. Redbelt, is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai’s code. Terry and his wife Sondra (Alicia Braga), struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. An accident on a dark, rainy night at the Academy between an off duty officer (Max Martini) and a distraught lawyer (Emily Mortimer) puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry’s life dramatically introducing him to a world of promoters (Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna) and movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life.

Interesting story and cast of characters. I'm guessing Ejiofor will get to throw a few kicks and punches, which could be fun! The film is labeled as action/drama, and is scheduled for an April 25th release. Expect Mamet's usual clever, terse, stylized dialogue, and some commentary on masculinity.

Here's the trailer (audio and video are a little out of synch):

"Black film." "Black cinema." We've attached both labels to several different works of cinema since the dawn of the medium. But on closer inspection of many of those titles, one will discover that several of them are not deserving of the marker. So, what is a "black film?" Are there any specific characteristics that a film must adhere to for it to be considered "black cinema?" Is this something that can be readily defined?

Here are 3 characteristics that I believe every "black film" should contain:

1. The core team behind the production is dominated by people of African decent. By “core team” I mean, the writer, the director and the producer must be of African decent; or, at the very least, the writer and the director must be of African decent.

2. The core team in front of the camera is also dominated by people of African decent. And once again, by “core team” in this case, I’m referring to the actors and/or actresses in the film. Essentially, the film must primarily tell a story (or stories) of a person (or people) of African descent.

3. This is a tough one, for obvious reasons. The film must be financed either fully or partly by a person of African decent. This poses an obvious problem, notably that it eliminates the vast majority of Hollywood movies, because Hollywood movies are funded almost entirely by studio money - white-owned and operated studio money - with very few exceptions, like when Spike Lee funded Get on the Bus entirely with the financial assistance of capable black people, as well as Malcolm X, which was partly funded by a few of the black elite.

Those are my 3 criteria for any film to be labeled a "black film." Or, it should at least meet 2 of the 3. Actually, in thinking about it a little more, the first two criteria are the most crucial. The last one isn’t as crucial, although one could make a strong case for the influence that the financier might have on the production of the film; meaning that, for example, a script might be altered for one reason or another because the financial backer of the film might oppose a specific plotline or theme, and might push for the removal of what he/she/they oppose, whether aggressively or passively, putting the filmmaker into a situation where they are forced to choose between maintaining the integrity of the original story they wanted to tell, versus just getting the film made, by any means necessary, regardless of how much sacrificing must be done to do so. Obviously, this hypothetical setup could involve either a white financial backer or a black financial backer; we shouldn’t take certain things for granted simply because the person sitting across from us at the contract table is the same skin color as we are!

But, I’ll say, for now, every film must meet at a minimum, the first 2 criteria; and if they meet the 3rd one, then that's even better.

What says you? How do you identify a "black film?"

While you're thinking about it, be sure to check out Mark A Reid's book above, Redefining Black Film. It's definitely a worthwhile read!

Poor Kenan Thompson... as the ONLY black member of the current Saturday Night Live cast, he would have been the obvious choice to play Barack Obama in any sketches involving the presidential candidate - a job that could have possibly become quite lucrative for him, if Obama does become the next president of the United States. We're talking at least 4 years of guaranteed employment! However, Mr Thompson clearly isn't being considered for the task, as the producers of SNL are on the hunt for a black comic to join the SNL cast and assume the job of portraying Obama. Apparently, according to the below article, Kenan Thompson is thought to be a little too plump! Let's just hope that the SNL producers don't get too "creative" and instead have a white actor in black face play Obama.

FROM THE NEW YORK OBSERVER:

Who Will Play Obama on SNL?

On a recent episode of 30 Rock, an NBC sitcom about the making of a Saturday Night Live–like comedy show, a dilemma arises when the cast’s only black actor goes missing.

“Can I play Barack Obama?” asked an opportunistic white cast member.

The answer, of course, was no.

It just so happens that the real Saturday Night Live is faced with that very conundrum every week.

Only one current cast member, Kenan Thompson, is black, which would seem to be a desirable trait in portraying Mr. Obama.

But Mr. Thompson—who starred in a movie called Fat Albert—possesses a body type that makes him better suited to execute impressions of Al Sharpton than the lanky Illinois Senator. The result: an Obama-free show.

A spokesman for Lorne Michaels, the show’s longtime producer, said that there was no word yet on who the show would cast as Mr. Obama, or when an Obama character would make its debut.

“We’ll know when we know,” the spokesman, Marc Liepis, said in an e-mail. “Truthfully, there’s no timetable on these things.”

Read More Here...

From Variety Magazine...

"Madea" set for animated adaptation

Perry's production company has partnered with Exodus Film Group to produce an animated series based on his signature character, an opinionated, larger-than-life African-American woman.

Much like Perry's hit TBS laffer "House of Payne," the untitled "Madea" toon will be funded and produced before the show is shopped to potential networks. "Madea" could also wind up being distributed directly to video.

"After receiving thousands of letters from parents telling me how much their kids love Madea and realizing that a lot of the plays were not kid friendly," said Perry, "I wanted to do something more appropriate, and this seems to be it. A 'Madea' animation looks like the best way."

Exodus will finance the project.

"Exodus recognized that there was a void in the marketplace for animated properties geared toward the African-American family," said Jerome Williams, Exodus VP of business development.

Perry will create, write and exec produce the animated project. Exodus CEO John Eraklis, prexy Max Howard and Williams will also serve as exec producers.

In thinking about how we judge black cinema today, I recall a quote by Frantz Fanon, the preeminent black psychoanalyst, activist, thinker and philosopher, who wrote Black Skin, White Masks and The Wretched of the Earth. In Black Skin, White Masks, Fanon states, "There is a fact: White men consider themselves superior to black men. There is another fact: Black men want to prove to white men, at all costs, the richness of their thought, the equal value of their intellect… For the black man there is only one destiny... And it is white... The analysis I am undertaking is psychological… It is apparent to me that the effect disalienation of the black man entails an immediate recognition of social and economic realities. If there is an inferiority complex it is the outcome of a double process: Primarily, economic; subsequently, the internalization of this inferiority."

So, essentially, he’s attempting to deconstruct what appear to be innate feelings of dependency and inadequacy by Blacks in a world dominated by whites, and how black people have effectively lost their native cultural originalities and are essentially forced to embrace an Eurocentric culture that’s being imposed on them; and as a result, this inferiority complex, whether consciously or unconsciously, manifests itself in many ways, throughout our lives.

Thus, there’s a much larger issue at work here - one that maybe isn’t being directly dealt with. And that issue is multi-leveled – first, it’s whether we as black people are judging each other, or in this specific case, for the sake of this blog, whether we are judging our artistic expressions, specifically film, based on some Eurocentric model, as opposed to an Afrocentric model. And secondly, I'm led to wonder where European influence ends and blackness begins… or, are we forced to reconsider that age-old question, what is blackness? How can one define blackness? Can it be defined, or has black culture (or maybe more specifically African culture) been completely co-opted and essentially absorbed so much that it doesn’t even exist anymore, and that black culture is in essence American culture? How does one really begin to answer those questions? I don’t know. We can spend hours wondering what Africa could have been like today if the Portuguese never landed on Africa’s western shores in the 15^th century, beginning the exporting of slaves to Europe and America, through the 19^th century. What would Africa be today? Where would black people be today? Our culture(s), arts, music, language, philosophies, attire, cuisine, and of course, in this specific case, cinema? Impossible to say I think, but certainly something to always keep in mind, especially as we consume cinema bred from a system that's been operated exclusively by white men and women who have no genuine interest in our evolution.

But maybe all of that is irrelevant, and we should simply accept the cards that we’ve been dealt in life, and try to make the most of what we do have… whatever those things are. But, yes, I wonder whether those of us who are dismissing films like those by Tyler Perry for example, should be doing so with a little more awareness of the various hierarchical currents prevalent in our societies; essentially, those of us who have been exposed to films made by the majority… those with the real power in this world… and those, as Frantz Fanon said, whom we are consciously or unconsciously trying to emulate. Here we are dismissing Tyler Perry’s films, for example, essentially comparing them to these white “masters,” or some specific Eurocentric style, or formula that we’ve been conditioned to accept, and not realizing the potential danger in doing that. Who’s to say that this model - this Eurocentric standard that we all seem to have anointed as THE model to emulate, is indeed THE preeminent standard that ALL films (all art) should be judged by.

Then again, what is this Eurocentric model? How does it differ from an Afrocentric standard? Are they the same thing, or are their individual elements interchangeable?

Again, I don’t know… I don’t have all the answers.

But the point of all this I suppose, is that this rabbit hole (this notion of black cinema in crisis today) goes a lot deeper than we may realize, and it’s a much more complex issue; not one that can be resolved with a singular statement, or act. There are several factors to consider here, some that I didn’t even get into; but there’s much more to this than we might be able to actually do anything about.

One thing I do know, is that we simply just can’t sit back on our hands and wait for the others to identify our problems, and resolve them… we have to be much more aggressive, assertive and proactive, as I’ve said many times before.

It is worth noting that in my research, I learned that the word "Afrocentric" isn't listed in some dictionaries, but "Eurocentric" always is. In my Oxford Dictionary, copyrighted 2006, so it's not an older version, Afrocentric isn't listed, but Eurocentric is. Even as I typed this in Microsoft Word, the program has one of those squiggly red lines underneath "Afrocentric" indicating that it doesn't recognize the word. However, it doesn't have the same squiggly red line underneath "Eurocentric." That's actually quite telling, don't you think?

More later...

I've never watched Noah's Arc, and don't know much about the show, but I've heard and read about it, usually quite positively. I can't think of any other program on American network or cable television that tells stories primarily about the lives of gay black men. That alone should make it a groundbreaking series!

I read that the show has been on hiatus for some time now (possibly cancelled), but the good news for fans of Noah's Arc is that a feature-length film has been green-lit and is currently in development. The film is expected to be out by late 2008 or early 2009.

Check out JasmyneCannick.com for more info including a clip featuring the star of the show, Darryl Stephens and Patrik-Ian Polk, the creator of Noah's Arc, announcing the above story. Afterwards, be sure to read her critical article entitled, Hollywood’s Black Gay Conundrum. It's a solid, revelatory piece! We rarely give much "airtime" to those black films that tell the stories of that "other" group of marginalized people. Of course I’m referring to the gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual BLACK population - a group that is even more invisible in cinema, both mainstream and independent. We are all connected, and are all in this struggle together. For those of us talking about affecting overall change, and helping empower marginalized groups of people around the world, we simply cannot ignore any one specific group of people who fall under that umbrella as well. If we claim to be against oppression and marginalization of any kind, then it should be an all-inclusive fight, and not just selectively so.

Whoa! Look what I found folks :o)

The film is called Cover, and it stars a rather notable cast of performers - Aunjanue Ellis, Louis Gossett Jr., Paula Jai Parker, Roger Guenveur Smith, and Obba Babatunde; it's directed by Bill Duke. Those may not be traditional "A-list," names, but they've all done some pretty good work in the past, based on their resumes.

In Cover, when someone is murdered on New Year's Eve, the prime suspect is a church-going home-maker whose life unravels when she discovers that her husband of many years has been leading a double life. Her strength of character and faith keep her going as the revelation of her husband's betrayal threatens to destroy all that they have known.

Hmmm... let's see... hmmm... I can only wonder what secret double life her husband has been living... hmmm... what could it be? What could it really be? I'll let you figure it out on your own, but I have my ideas... or rather idea.

Even though the trailer says to expect the film in theatres soon, I doubt that will happen; instead it'll be another straight to DVD release, just like so many others of its ilk.

The film played at this year's Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, but I haven't read much else about it.

So, ladies and gents, I present to you, the recently released trailer for Cover (cue dramatic score here):

Check out my Q&A session with the Invisible Woman of the Invisible Cinema blogspot - her 7 questions along with my revealing answers... CLICK HERE to go there! You'll be glad you did! I appreciate all the awareness she has raised for all my efforts; so while there, be sure to scroll through her site to see all that she has to offer. After all, we're all in this together!

Cheers!

I've seen this clip in about 5 different places in the last 48 hours, each one accompanied by oodles of comments dissecting it. I'm not so sure it's worthy, but I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and post it as well for those who haven't had the pleasure of deconstructing it.

What is it? It's supposedly a music video for Kanye West's hit "Flashing Lights," (a track I like, by the way), directed by both Kanye and Spike Jones (director of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and countless music videos for a wide variety of artists). At just over 2 minutes long, I doubt it's the full-length video, but rather a trailer for what will likely be a series of videos. Or it could just be a publicity stunt! Either way, it's working, as it seems to be generating quite a bit of pub for Mr West, who probably doesn't need it.

Anyway, check it out, and leave your thoughts... the woman in the video is apparently a known model who goes by Rita G (never heard of her), and the guy tied up in the trunk towards the end of the video is Kanye himself.

Poll Results

I've been running a poll for the last month which ended last night. Here are the results...

The questions was: Are Hollywood's black elite obligated to foster overall change within the realm of black cinema, or should their only allegiance be to themselves and those close to them?

The choices were:

1. Yes, they definitely are obligated, and should act accordingly.
2. No, that's ridiculous - they are not at all obligated.
3. Well, it would be nice if they innately felt some obligation/responsibility, but I will not hold it against them for not doing so.

Of all the responses, 78% voted for #3, while the remaining 22% voted for #1. Absolutely no one chose #2, which I find quite revealing.

Be sure to vote on my next poll listed to the right, on this page. The question this time around is: Is there a necessity for a black funded, owned and operated film production and distribution studio - one whose core focus is to finance, produce and distribute films that tell the varied stories of people from all across the African Diaspora - completely independent of any already established entity, akin to the likes of the big 6 studios (Disney, Sony, Fox, Viacom, Universal, and Time Warner)? Go vote NOW!

Ouch! I'm not even a regular viewer of the show, but I can't help but feel for the cast. I know it was in its final season, but, damn, at least give them some kind of a send-off, instead of an abrupt ending and notifications via phone!! After all, they've given you 8 pretty good years.

From Black Talent News:

The CW's "Girlfriends" Quietly Gets The Ax; Series Ends without Finale
Feb 13, 2008

The CW network quietly cancelled the long-running series "Girlfriends." Monday night's two episodes were the last episodes ever - no goodbye, no farewell, no finale. Cast members were notified by telephone by creator Mara Brock Akil that the network had decided to end the show. "The prolonged strike has changed business conditions and our programming strategy for the balance of the 2007/08 season. To better focus its creative and financial resources, The CW will only resume production on shows that are in consideration for renewal next year. As a result, we will not order additional episodes of the long-running comedy, `Girlfriends,' which planned to conclude its 8-year run at the end of this season. This was a very difficult decision for us, and was based solely on the considerable cost to license each episode in an extremely unusual business environment," read a statement issued by The CW. The series, produced by Kelsey Grammer, was in its eighth season and was one year way from being the longest-running African American sitcom in television history. It starred Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White, Jill Marie Jones, Reggie Hayes, Khalil Kain and Keesha Sharp. Prior to the strike the series had nine remaining episodes to shoot. Series star Tracee Ellis Ross directed the last episode. The network is reportedly in discussions with Akil and the cast to bring closure to the show with a retrospective special to air this season.

Presenting, the so-called "hybrids." This is something that I believe most of us are fairly cognizant of; after all, many of the names mentioned in the article below have been working in the industry for years; although this might be the first time that a major non-race specific periodical like Variety Magazine is addressing it.

Thanks to Wigger Lover for sending me the link.

From Variety Magazine...New stars blur racial divide
By Peter Debruge

Look out, Hollywood, there's a new kind of hero in town. Call him the hybrid, as represented by stars such as Vin Diesel, Wentworth Miller and the Rock.

Neither black nor white, these actors thrive on the ambiguity of their multiethnic heritage -- and so do audiences. It's no longer just little white boys and girls who see themselves reflected onscreen, but black, Latino and other audiences as well, all in the same faces. The new "everyman," once defined exclusively by actors like Jimmy Stewart and Harrison Ford, now packs cross-cultural potential.

It's a relatively novel concept for an industry that relies so heavily on typecasting, and one that seems to throw an event like the NAACP's Image Awards for a loop. Nominees like "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Heroes" all reflect the standard politically correct definition of diversity, featuring casts peppered with actors of all colors. Increasingly over the years, the NAACP awards have honored Latino actors and creatives. But how does the org deal with diversity reflected in a single star?

Take an actor like Daniel Sunjata, nominated for his portrayal of Reggie Jackson in ESPN mini "The Bronx Is Burning." A year earlier, the light-skinned thesp (of African-European descent) was honored by the Latin Pride Awards for his work as Puerto Rican firefighter Franco Rivera on "Rescue Me." But wouldn't his color-blind Broadway turn opposite Jennifer Garner and Kevin Kline in "Cyrano" be the true coup?

Hollywood has a long tradition of casting cultural chameleons in "ethnic" parts. Actors such as Joe Mantegna, Andy Garcia and John Turturro made their careers alternating between Italian, Jewish and Latino characters. The Image Awards even nominated all-white Angelina Jolie for her sensitive portrayal of Mariane Pearl in "A Mighty Heart," proving that such roles needn't always be defined by the character's skin color.

In 1994, before he was a star, Diesel made a semiautobiographical short film entitled "Multi-Facial" in which he played a young actor stuck in a series of dead-end auditions. He nails each one, but misses out on the roles because he doesn't look Italian, black or Latino "enough" for the casting directors.

The happy ending came later. Steven Spielberg saw the short and cast Diesel in "Saving Private Ryan" (the part called for an Italian-American, just one of the ingredients in the actor's cultural heritage). And so, what had been a liability at entry level became an asset once he reached leading-man status. In addition to the distinctive voice and physique of another Schwarzenegger or Stallone, he boasted a look that resonated with nonwhite audiences, too.

Hyper-hyphenates

The same goes for Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson (half black, half Samoan), who breaks the mold of the Jackie Chans and Eddie Murphys before him by trading on his kilowatt appeal rather than some caricature of his cultural identity. Just as Tiger Woods did for golf, the Rock's approach broadens his appeal and unites audiences.

For "Prison Break" star Miller, his big career break came with "The Human Stain." As Anthony Hopkins' younger self, Miller played a black man so pale he decides to pass for white. Offscreen, the actor embraces his diverse roots. As he explained to TV Guide, "My mother is Russian, French, Syrian, Lebanese and Dutch; my father is African-American, Jamaican, English, German and part Cherokee." While many white audiences probably don't even notice the complexity of Miller's heritage, such nuances certainly aren't lost on viewers of color.

Multicultural appeal isn't just a boys' game, either. Consider breakouts like Rosario Dawson ("I'm Puerto Rican, Afro-Cuban, Irish and Native Indian," she told Britain's the Independent) and Jessica Alba (who informed BlackFilm.com, "My father is Mexican-American-Spanish and my mom is French and Danish"). Such actresses serve as role models for a wide-ranging audience, provided they are allowed to break free from narrowly defined ethnic stereotypes -- and therein lies the key.

White actors regularly enjoy diversity of a different type: namely, picking their projects from a broad selection of well-rounded roles. Plug one of these progressive new "everymen" into those movies, and things stand to get really interesting.

Again, not black cinema related, but shit like this certainly amuses me...

First Natalie Cole slams Amy Winehouse, calling her crazy and suggesting that she doesn't deserve the 5 Grammys she won. Now, Aretha is going after Beyonce and Tina Turner! Who would have thought that there would be this much drama at the Grammys this year. I'm now wishing that I actually bothered to watch the ceremony... well, not quite :o)

From the Associated Press...

Franklin slams Beyonce Grammy intro

When Aretha Franklin is unhappy, she does not mince words. On Tuesday, the longtime Queen of Soul slammed Beyonce Knowles' intro to Tina Turner at Sunday's Grammy Awards, in which Knowles called Turner, not Franklin, "the queen."

"I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce," Franklin said in a statement issued by her publicist. "However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy."

E-mails to Knowles' publicist Yvette Noel-Schure and calls and e-mails to Recording Academy spokeswomen Jaime Sarachit and Barb Deghan were not immediately returned.

In the first few seconds of Knowles' intro to Turner's performance, she name-dropped Franklin and a long list of famed female singers. Then the "Crazy in Love" chanteuse focused on Turner.

"There is one legend who has the essence of all of those things: the glamour, the soul, the passion, the strength, the talent," said Knowles, strutting in hot pants. "Ladies and gentlemen. Stand on your feet and give it up for the queen."

At a party later that night, Knowles called Turner her "ultimate icon."

Still, Franklin ended her brief criticism on a gracious note, thanking the Grammys and the voting academy and saying, "love to Beyonce anyway."

Known for such hits as "Respect" and "Chain of Fools," Franklin tied with the Clark Sisters for best gospel performance trophy for her duet "Never Gonna Break My Faith" with Mary J. Blige.

The PERFECT Valentine's Day gift for her or him! Click the image above to order it from Amazon.com, and get it in time for V-Day tomorrow :o)

Here are a few reviews from those who have seen it, lifted from Amazon.com where you can read each full review:

A beautiful movie... I loved this movie. At times I was shouting at the characters. I love that it was simple and really forgot that it was a movie cause it seemed so real. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Paulette Wiley

Excellent! I was asked to view this movie and I'm glad I did! I purchased the movie here on Amazon and it became the talk among my friends. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cush the First

I found the film "Beautiful Things" very interesting and very realistic. I didn't know until I watched the director's commentary afterwards that these were actors! Read more
Published 1 month ago by A Christian's Review

A play about relationships... Most films are variations of the "Boy meets girl, boy struggles with girl and boy eventually wins back girl" theme, but, few exist as imaginative and stylish as Beautiful Things... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Claire N

Here's a trailer. You can see more on YouTube.

SO, what are you waiting for? Click the image above to order it from Amazon.com, and get it in time for V-Day tomorrow! You won't be disappointed :o)

New films out on DVD today of note:

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? - The big screen adaptation of Perry's stage play about the trials of marriage. I reviewed it on my podcast, and will post that review on this blog shortly!

Dirty Laundry - A modern-day prodigal son story with a twist. It follows Patrick, a magazine writer, who seems to have the "perfect life," until one day, there is a knock at the door. On the other side stands a secret that brings him face to face with the traditional southern family he hasn't seen in over 10 years. Haven't seen it, but I've heard mostly positive things about it.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (40th Anniversary Edition) - Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play a couple whose attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fiancé who is black. Details: Color, Widescreen, 1.85:1

Blade The Series - The Complete Series - The adventures of the half human/vampire vampire hunter. A TV adaptation of the big screen trilogy made popular by its star, monsieur tax dodger himself, Wesley Snipes.

Recorded Monday, February 11 2008, 9PM
TRT 60 Minutes

SHOW TOPICS:

- Filmmaker Dennis Dortch talks about his feature film, A GOOD DAY TO BE BLACK AND SEXY, a Sundance Film Festival selection, and an upcoming release from Magnolia Pictures.
- John Henrik Clark - A Great And Mighty Walk.
- St Claire Bourne tribute at the Museum of The Moving Image.
- Podcast going to once per month and other announcements.
- Tambay laments on the state of things.

Got something to say? Call the show's voicemail hotline at 1-800-765-7249 and leave a message there; and if it's worthwhile, I'll play your message on the show. OR, email me you comments at talk@obensonreport.com.

Not black film related, but I just wondered...

I've never been an Amy Winehouse fan. Nothing personal... just haven't heard anything she's done that I like. I could care less about her personal struggles, and they have no influence on my lack of interest in her music.

This will probably be the only time I'll ever mention her on this blog :o)

She won 5 Grammy Awards last night, and apparently, there are some people out there who don't think she deserved any of them, because of her personal struggles. One of those people is Natalie Cole.

From FOX News (Yeah, I visit Rupert's domain from time to time):

--- Not everyone was happy about Amy Winehouse’s big win at the Grammys Sunday night.

“I don’t think she deserved it,” previous Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole said. “I think she needs to get her life together first, and then get the awards later."

Winehouse took a break from rehab to perform via satellite from London at the Grammys and collect five awards.

Cole also called Winehouse “crazy,” and complained that we are teaching youngsters that they can get rewarded for bad behavior.

Winehouse won in the categories of best female artist, best female pop vocal performance, best song, record of the year and best pop vocal album ---

So, dost Natalie Cole protest too much, or is her criticism warranted? Do you give a damn?

Ho-hum weekend at the box office. Absolutely nothing new of interest to me. Truly dismal days for the studios it seems... in my opinion anyway... BUT, apparently, there are a few people who thought that Fool's Gold and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins were worth the rapidly increasing price of the ticket, as both films opened at the #1 and #2 slots with respectable numbers. These were likely both rather "lower-budget" films (relative to Hollywood standards anyway), in the $20 to $30 million range. So, at those numbers, both films will likely earn back their individual investments, and maybe even a little profit as well. Juno continues to surprise, raking in a total of $117+ million. My favorite film so far this year, There Will Be Blood, continues to build interest, thanks in large part to recent award nominations and wins for its star, Daniel Day Lewis. If you haven't seen the film yet, you should!