THE OBENSON REPORT

Covering Cinema From All Across The African Diaspora
Showing posts with label you'll never work in this town again?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label you'll never work in this town again?. Show all posts

UPDATE: Christopher Scott Cherot Lives!

Posted on 8:30 PM comments (2)
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A few weeks ago I posted a "missing persons" alert for Hav Plenty writer/director, Christopher Scott Cherot (You can read that entry HERE).

Yesterday, reader Naoe posted a comment with a link to a press release from July detailing Mr Cherot's current adventures - a film called The Untitled Bathroom Project, described as a "don’t-judge-a-book-by-it’s-cover comedy about one woman’s unforgettable experience in a ladies’ bathroom." I'm assuming it's a feature-length production, but the press release doesn't say.

The film, which will be funded with "financial support from family, friends, colleagues and business associates," is set to begin shooting this fall, under the umbrella of 2 newly formed indie production shingles - Apphia Productions, created by Délé Ogundiran and NeW•YiLLy Entertainment run by Adenrele Ojo - both Los Angeles-based movie producers.

No other info was provided, but you can read the entire press release here: Untitled Bathroom Project.

You'll Never Work In This Town Again? - Part 2 - Theodore Witcher

Posted on 4:45 PM comments (4)
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I started this series almost 3 weeks ago as a sort of homage to those black filmmakers who enjoyed success (whether critically, commercially, or both) with their first feature films, and haven't been heard from since - a kind of "milk carton" alert you could say.

As I said in that initial post, I sometimes wonder what some of these filmmakers are doing today - whether they lost interest in filmmaking, whether they are indeed still productive, but are maybe creating work that I simply just don't know about; or whether they are putting their talents to work in other areas of the business. You can read that entire initial post HERE, where I started off by profiling Christopher Scott Cherot, the writer/director star of the 1998 indie hit, Hav Plenty.

I continue the series this week with a filmmaker whose one and only film is said to have helped start the trend of the so-called "buppie, urban" romantic comedies we saw in in the late 90s through the mid-2000s. Of course I'm referring to Theodore Witcher, and his 1998 forever loved opus, Love Jones.

I actually didn't see Love Jones until several years after its initial release - I'd say 2003/2004 - and I think that was to my detriment (and maybe the film's as well) because I had seen almost all the children it helped give birth to - I'm referring of course to films like The Best Man, Brown Sugar, Love And Basketball, Disappearing Acts, and some could even argue that my film, Beautiful Things belongs in that group). So, it felt dated. I tried to mentally place myself in 1997/98 when the film was initially released, hoping to embrace the zeitgeist of the time, so that I could maybe really understand the film's significance - at least as suggested by many cinephiles. But my attempts failed. That's not to say I thought it wasn't a decent film. I actually quite enjoyed it... but just not as intensely as others seem to have, or as I may have if I experienced its "novelty" in 1998.

But I suppose one can't deny that, what Boyz In The Hood did for "hood" movies in the early 90s, Love Jones did the same for "urban buppie romance" flicks of the late 90s through the early 21st century - a crown that I think Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It certainly could have worn in its day, but had very little follow-through to afford it such a title.

Even though I do wonder if we're giving the film too much credit for the trend it supposedly started, I think it's obviously made its mark on black cinema, given how much I read and hear it referenced by black cinema lovers alike, constantly showing up on top 10 lists and such. And it will probably continue to be referenced for years to come.

So, certainly not what I'd call a flawless film, but one that could have gotten me excited to see what the filmmaker would have followed it up with. Too bad he never quite took advantage and satisfied the hype that accompanied Love Jones after its release.

A Google search turned up very little on Theodore Witcher - mostly Love Jones mentions as one would expect. On his IMDB page, he's only other credit is as writer of a film called Body Count, also a 1998 film which starred a post-NYPD Blue David Caruso, Ving Rhames and Forest Whitaker. Nothing to get excited about, from all I read about it. Like Chris Cherot, I could only find 1 single picture of him - the one you see above. Granted I didn't search too deeply, meaning there might be some information about him online that I missed altogether. So, if anyone has any knowledge of Theodore Witcher's current whereabouts and dealings, please let the rest of us know. I'd like to have seen where his talents would have taken him - hopefully Body Count was strictly a paycheck job.

You'll Never Work In This Town Again? - PART 1

Posted on 1:37 PM comments (9)
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Most filmmakers will agree that seeing a film through the entire production and distribution process can deter one from ever wanting to live the experience again. It's draining - physically and mentally. And without the right amounts of strength and courage (or deep pockets), living through the experience will cause long term psychological damage! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my point! And I'll venture out on a limb here and say that the experience and post-strain can be much more intense for "minority" filmmakers, compared to their Caucasian counterparts for several reasons, many of which I'm sure you can figure out on your own.

So, it should be no surprise that there've been a cadre of black filmmakers who enjoyed success (whether critically, commercially, or both) with their first feature films, and haven't been heard from since... or have been playing in the shadows post their debuts.

I sometimes wonder what some of these filmmakers are doing today - whether they lost interest in filmmaking altogether, due to their challenging first experiences; whether they are indeed still productive, but are maybe creating work that I simply just don't know about; or whether they are putting their talents to work in other areas of the business, as producers or editors, for example.

It's not as if they lack talent (which is subjective anyway). A few of them are responsible for some of the more worthy films in black cinema history; and some even started trends. But yet, they seem to have simply left the stage, or are hiding behind the curtain.

I thought about some of those filmmakers (those I remembered) whose first features I liked and appreciated, and looked them all up, hoping to find some answers, and in most cases, learned very little. Granted my research wasn't extensive...

Regardless, starting today, I'll feature those names I've wondered about in recent times. If anything, you can consider this an homage of sorts to these men and women, as well as the work they created.

First up: Christopher Scott Cherot
- Hav Plenty, his 1997 debut, was picked up by Miramax (when it was still run by the Weinsteins), with the help of Baby Face and Traci Edmonds, who saw the film at the then Acapulco Black Film Festival and loved it, carrying it on to the Toronto Film Festival when Miramax signed on as its distributor, providing some completion funds before taking it to the 1998 Sundance film festival. I loved the movie when I saw it and still do, despite its obvious non-existent budget look, questionable acting, and shitty soundtrack - although the music score wasn't his doing... Babyface and Traci fucked it up as far as I'm concerned, which is my one major complaint about the movie. They apparently thought that cheesy R&B tracks were best suited for the content. I disagreed then and still do now! The film had a wonderful charm and wry humor about it that won me over, despite its flaws, and it sits comfortably in my DVD collection. The last film Cherot directed was a silly soap opera called G, released in 2005, which I did see and didn't like at all. It was a retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, hence the title G., starring Richard T Jones, Blair Underwood, amongst others, and was described as a "Gatsbyesque love story set against Hip-Hop's invasion of the Hamptons." It was simply NOT a good movie, and I was disappointed in the effort by Mr Cherot, who co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by, of all people, Andrew Lauren (fashion Icon Ralph Lauren's son), who also produced the film. According to IMDB, Cherot has worked on some short films since G., although not his short films, but rather acting as either an actor, editor, or producer. He also directed one episode of BET's reality TV series, College Hill, in 2004.

I couldn't find trailers for either Hav Plenty or G. anywhere online, but you can check each film out HEREand HERE.

I couldn't find very much on Christopher Cherot actually. Not even a decent picture! Just a few mentions here and there, mostly in articles about Black cinema. Here's a poignant snippet of an interview he did in 1998 with IndieWire Magazine, just after the theatrical release of Hav Plenty:

IndieWire: How do you think this film is going to help your career?
Cherot: I think that Hav Plenty has done what it can do for my career, which is open the door. Whether people like it or don't like it, it's established me as a filmmaker. And will afford me an opportunity to continue to function as filmmaker and make more films. I don't really see it as a career-maker, but I definitely don't see it as a career-breaker either. I think it's a stepping stone towards higher and better things. Given the resources that I had, I think I did the best job I could do with "Hav Plenty." However, I do not think it is the best thing that I have inside of me.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of this now 40-year old filmmaker, please do share! It's been 10 years since Hav Plenty, a romantic comedy in a similar vein, and that preceded the slew of so-called "buppie" romantic comedies that would follow over the next 5 to 6 years after it.

Another one tomorrow...

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