In its first weekend, the movie, Not Easily Broken brought in 5.6 million dollars and came in at number 9. I had to choose between Gran Torino and Not Easily Broken this weekend and after The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last week, I wanted something I knew would be over in 1:20 so I went with “Not Easily Broken”.
Folks the damage Tyler Perry has done to Black cinema is unparalleled. It cannot be quantified. When you go to a movie and are just happy if the actors manage to make it through without becoming caricatures and give bonus points for no guns, no cross dressing, and no Ebonics, then we have truly reached a new low as we hurl towards the abyss. So on a positive note, “Not Easily Broken” had excellent casting! Morris Chestnut and his shoulders, a charming and empathetic Neicy Nash, Jennifer Lewis playing the same role Jennifer Lewis always plays well, Kevin Heart stole the movie, Taraji P Henson did the best she could the script she got. Now for the fill-in-the-blank portion of our review. Why fill-in-the-blank? Because we’ve seen this movie before. Let me give you my interpretation of the plot. Fill in the Blanks.
The person who guesses the most correctly will win a copy of Returning to My Mother’s House: Taking Back the Wisdom of the Feminine by Gail Straub or Come On People by Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint ( I’ll be sure to take the post-its out before I re-gift it to you 
)
Dave is a _______ Black man. He’s married to Clarice and she’s a complete and total _ _ _ _ _. . Clarice is a __________________ Black woman who works in a suit. Dave is _______ _______. All she want’s to do is work and and spend all of their _ _ _ _ _ to keep up appearances. Dave’s true love is coaching a little league baseball team. Clarice doesn’t want ________ and doesn’t understand why Dave spends so much time coaching the team instead of building his small business.
Clarice’s mother, Mary, is a ______ too. She’s a ________Black woman who didn’t need a ______. Mary is a meddling _______ ___ _____ and is all up in Clarice and Dave’s _____________. Clarice listens to _________ more than she listens to _________. Watching Mary and Clarice double team Dave was painful and left many in the audience comprise of Black women openly grumbling as Clarice and Mary _________ Dave. In fact at one point, Mary lobs the highest insult Dave’s way by saying that Clarice is more of a _____ than he is.
Clarice treats Dave so poorly that she eventually drives Dave into the arms of a ________ ________.
But Dave is a ______ Black man. Which in case you didn’t figure out from the heavy handed script, Clarice’s friend reminds her of that fact. In the end its all good because Clarice and Dave go to ________. Hear a word from ______ and voila all than almost-infidelity and whatnot is forgotten.
So the “moral” of the story is Y’all gotta let a man be a man. Treat your husband right and nurture his “manhooded-ness” or even the most devoted man will stray, unless he’s a character in a TD Jakes movie where only the women cheat on their husbands
To tell you just how bad Clarice was, Clarice was in a major car accident and couldn’t walk, yet you ended up feeling sorrier for Dave who was trying to take care of her. Just like in The Day the Earth Stood Still, I was hoping that the aliens would tear up Jaden Smith’s character. It wasn’t a bad movie in the sense that while I cringed throughout, there wasn’t a point a la Tyler Perry that I just wanted to just get up and leave. “Not Easily Broken” was better than “Glitter” and on par with most African American oriented films these days.
Question to my LA readers: Is it just me or does every Black movie that has a church scene use the same Black Church or sound stage?
I can’t even knock TD Jakes or Tyler Perry’s Hustle. Why Not? because Black men seem to have absolutely no problem getting their vision and dreams about Black women up on to the big screen. So if we’re tired of the same old movie about the overbearing, nagging Black women beating down the manhood of the noble and morally upright Black man who can’t seem to get a break from the “ebil’ wimminz”, then y’all had better start writing and producing. And I don’t want to read a bunch of comments about why you aren’t doing it? They are getting it done. Which is why I wasted $9 and an hour and 20 minutes of my life and hard earned money watching TD Jake’s fantasy and not my own.
Although it wasn’t a total loss. Morris Chesnutt’s shoulders and chiseled jawline were worth $4.50. RICKY!!!
Gran Torino is next. No, I shan’t be going to see Notorious. I lived it already, I don’t need to see the glorified film version. That East Coast - West Coast foolishness was the most ri -dayum- diculous concoction record executives ever came up with and ended in the unnecessary loss of at least two lives. I’m glad we let that mass go.
50 comments ↓
good, b****, professional, blue collar, money, mediocrity, b****, mad, man, next door neighbor, business, Mary, disrespect, man, another woman, good, church, God/preacher
BTW I did not watch the video. LOL
HAHAHA! Watching the video is not necessary to fill in the Blanks! Its one big humongous cliche.
Really funny review. Yes, its unfortunate that TD Jakes has made another fill-in-the-blanks Black drama. BTAIM, I’m glad its here. Cliche-ridden as it may be (I haven’t seen it yet but I watched Why Did I Get Married on video last night - probably not too different) the more movies like this one that do well, the closer we get to Chris Rock’s promised land: the point where he has just as much right to suck as a White guy (i.e. Pauly Shore/Adam Sandler) and still have a career.
Wow the fact that Glitter actually came to you mind is enough to convince me not to see this movie. Let me stop I wasn’t going to go see this movie anyway, I am not into the evil educated BW routine. The fact that this movie flopped and wasn’t able to capture the TP audience could mean that maybe BW are waking up and not supporting this stereotype anymore.
I enjoyed the movie and thought it was great and did have a great message. I think my expectations were lowered from “Woman Thou Art Loosed.” Trajai is improving in her acting, I was getting irritated by her. Jennifer Lewis’s role…she played same role she usually does, but she put on a twist on it. I hated her from beginning to end, I have never seen her that evil an twisted. Her bitterness was too much for me.
Excellent casting because Hollywood is so crappy for black actors that they must take roles like this. And thousands of ignornat clowns and church ladies will buy into it. Why can’t we (1) make and (2) see films like the The Wrestler?
Dave is a good Black man. He’s married to Clarice and she’s a complete and total bitch. Clarice is an angry (goldigging or trifling) Black woman who works in a suit. Dave is unemployed. All she want’s to do is work and spend all of their money to keep up appearances. Dave’s true love is coaching a little league baseball team. Clarice doesn’t want children and doesn’t understand why Dave spends so much time coaching the team instead of building his small business.
Clarice’s mother, Mary, is a bitch too. She’s an angry (or a trifling gold digger) Black woman who didn’t need a daughter. Mary is a meddling mother-in-law and is all up in Clarice and Dave’s bidness (mix). Clarice listens to Mary more than she listens to Dave. Watching Mary and Clarice double team Dave was painful and left many in the audience comprise of Black women openly grumbling as Clarice and Mary degrade Dave. In fact at one point, Mary lobs the highest insult Dave’s way by saying that Clarice is more of a man than he is.
Clarice treats Dave so poorly that she eventually drives Dave into the arms of a another woman.
But Dave is a good Black man. Which in case you didn’t figure out from the heavy handed script, Clarice’s friend reminds her of that fact. In the end its all good because Clarice and Dave go to counseling (chuch). Hear a word from God and voila all than almost-infidelity and whatnot is forgotten.
LMAO @ your review - wanna write for my blog?
I didn’t see it because it looked like something out of the 1970’s and I’d rather just remember Taraji’s work in Benjamin Button and pretend she never did this.
But to be fair, this film did a lot better than most people expected. Only 742 theatres and it made almost $6 million- that’s btter than a lot of the Oscar-buzzed films that are out right now like Frost/Nixon and Milk.
Also, Bill Duke gets props for actually getting this film made which I hear was no easy task - he had about four companies reject it and him and his casting. I heard the only reason it made it was because of morris being cast. You know the ladies love Morris.
Anyway, as an Angeleno and industry “insider” I will tell you that NO ONE respects Tyler Perry except black people. And his “success” in the business is hurting a lot of talented black writers and riectors because they look at his track record and just want to emulate it.
The church thing? Yeah, apparently white people think all black people spend their time in church which is why any black film with at least one church scene with people acting a fool will get greenlit. “Furst SUnday” was picthed as an”urban church comedy” - no joke.
PLEASE see “Gran Torino”. CLint Eastwood bring his A-game and the film is so real. None of this PC Hollywood crap about race relations like “Crash”. He derserves an Oscar for it but probably won’t get one. It’s Archie Bunker meats Dirty Harry. Outstanding.
I read a story that the Delta sorority in Miss. decided to get together and go see this movie in masse. Did they even try to go in masse to see Secret Life of Bee’s (black female director & producer Jada P Smith).
Black women are the audience for this movie and they throw stereotypes right back in your face.
Here’s my stab at it:
Dave is a good Black man. He’s married to Clarice and she’s a complete and total bitch. Clarice is a professional Black woman who works in a suit. Dave is blue collar. All she want’s to do is work and and spend all of their money to keep up appearances. Dave’s true love is coaching a little league baseball team. Clarice doesn’t want kids and doesn’t understand why Dave spends so much time coaching the team instead of building his small business.
Clarice’s mother, Mary, is a bitch too. She’s an independent Black woman who didn’t need a man. Mary is a meddling mother in law and is all up in Clarice and Dave’s business. Clarice listens to Mary more than she listens to Dave. Watching Mary and Clarice double team Dave was painful and left many in the audience comprise of Black women openly grumbling as Clarice and Mary emasculate Dave. In fact at one point, Mary lobs the highest insult Dave’s way by saying that Clarice is more of a man than he is.
Clarice treats Dave so poorly that she eventually drives Dave into the arms of another woman.
But Dave is a good Black man. Which in case you didn’t figure out from the heavy handed script, Clarice’s friend reminds her of that fact. In the end its all good because Clarice and Dave go to church. Hear a word from God and voila all than almost-infidelity and whatnot is forgotten.
So the “moral” of the story is Y’all gotta let a man be a man. Treat your husband right and nurture his “manhooded-ness” or even the most devoted man will stray, unless he’s a character in a TD Jakes movie where only the women cheat on their husbands
If it’s true about the Delta sorority, than I feel sorry for them. They spent all that money to be thrown under the bus. Aren’t there more important Black films out there to organize mass viewings of?
“Is it just me or does every Black movie that has a church scene use the same Black Church or sound stage”
LOL, I said the same thing to when I saw the trailer for this film.
I’d like to see stories such as this one in order to ensure that a young child who desires to have a career in film has an example of such on the screen to know that it is a possibility for them. If you want the movies to be able something else, then get off of your chops and make the movie.
It was pretty much a given that someone was going to go to church, have on a robe, possibly pray, and even believe in God at some point in this movie. Remember that Jakes IS a minister and this movie is a part of his MINISTRY. Folks who support this movie do so in an effort to cause persons to have an introduction to Biblical principals to encourage a relationship with Christ. Ministry can not simply be contained in the walls of the church, music, and fish fry’s and bake sales. Our talents as Christians are so much larger than those segments, so it is imperative that EVERY gift that we have be used to lift up the name of Jesus.
Tyler Perry has NOTHING to do with this situation - it is not his movie, but if we all did a portion of what he does with what he’s been blessed with, then the world would be a better place. There is shackingly a demographic of people who actually DO go to church every Sunday.
When other movies were made that showed NO dipiction of the place, were you screaming then? What is so offensive about folks who have a scene in a church?
It amazes me how one can be so critical of people doing the best that they can do with the limitations that are obviously in the industry. Just like you want to work in your chosen profession - so does Jennifer, Taraji, Morris, and anyone else. The majority of the movies that get all of the attention have nearly made the black woman extinct. While one black man may be cast in a movie, his leading lady is typically going to be of another race to ensure that it is not placed in the ‘black movie’ category. Each day that I go to work, I have to do it the way that it is required that I do it until I get to a point to do it ‘my way’. I press towards that goal everyday to be able to do what I WANT to do, but until then I am going to do what I HAVE to do. I’m crazy enough to believe that GOD is going to grant that request and will also go to church.
“Tyler Perry has NOTHING to do with this situation - it is not his movie, but if we all did a portion of what he does with what he’s been blessed with, then the world would be a better place. ”
Sorry, but LOL. So if we all screwed union writers out of money and then cried “racism” when we were caught red-handed, the world would be a btter place?
If we wrote stories with plot holes so big a truck could be driven through it, the world would be a better place?
If we were constantly trying to spend as little money as possible so we could reap the greatest rewards for ourselves, the world would be a better place?
“It amazes me how one can be so critical of people doing the best that they can do with the limitations that are obviously in the industry.”
This statement is exactly why black people have REGRESSED in terms of getting quality black films made. We can’t say anything, we can’t criticize, we can’t judge. We just have to be happy with the table scraps and thank godfor those because we all know how hard it is for black folks in Hollywood. Without criticism there is no progress. But if y’all want to have Tyler Perry be the standard because of his “gifts from god” go right ahead. The opportunities for black WOMEN especially will get much worse.
I have no plans to see this or ANY Black film (Unless it has a 100% BLACK female cast, is written, directed, and produced 100% by Black FEMALES, and tells a story 100% dedicated to/about the Black FEMALE experience) because it is the typical anti-Black female mess that defines and makes up Black cinema/media. These fools ARE NOT getting my money to slander/insult/belittle Black females!
Naima, you are SO ON-POINT with your comments!
Gem, and the rest of you movie critics, I am taking you to task for your criticism of Tyler Perry. Its time to move on. First I must say that I liked one of his stories BUT I also realize that his films, as far art is concerned, is to the medium what Jet and Ebony are to fine literature. It sounds like you were expecting to see some Julie Dash type of stuff. Not happening, at all.
When you guys guys gonna learn? Some movies are for discussion and others are just to be watched and forgotten. I saw “Daddy’s Little Girls” and liked its simplicity HOWEVER, I understood that it had virtually no resonating quality.
I dare say that this angst of yours is a class thing. What I mean is that you may be having trouble accepting the fact that your tastes are refined. Yes, thats right, I accuse you of having bourgie negro tastes, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Your problem is that you went and read a Harlequin Romance novel expecting to encounter Jane Austen or Alice Walker. Not happening.
I offer, as a suggestion, that black people of high culture and refined tastes create a bank or category of black films that appeal exclusively to our sensibilities. Of course, if we do this, we will see folly in entertaining the notion that a Tyler Perry film, at this stage of his career, will fulfill our demanding palates. This will be our way of acknowledging the reality of a cultural schism within the black family. There are, among us, those who like Tyler Perry and there are those who like Julie Dash.
We are no different from the “old heads” who, in their search for exotic foreign flavor with black faces, discovered and appreciated “Black Orpheus”. Unfortunately, many of us had to wait for “Love Jones” and “Hav Plenty”.
I meant to say 100% BLACK FEMALE cast in my previous post.
I don’t give a damn WHO wants to “Take me to task” for not liking this stupid movie. It is anti-Black female GARBAGE, and I REFUSE to like it, let alone waste my hard-earned money to see it, period, end of story!
lol @ the church reference.
anything with Tyler Perry and TD Jakes in the title, is something I avoid altogether. (confession: I did watch Why did I get married and it was decent)
Fed up observer, you missed my point - completely. In a nutshell, why do you have these high artistic expectations for a Tyler Perry film? This is mind boggling. The mere fact that a Tyler film (and I do like them) even made it to discussion is absolutely fascinating. You must be taken to task for this.
We could have devoted this same effort to Star Trek: The Next Generation episode #518. This was the “Cause and Effect” episode in which the crew is trapped in a causality loop but they only have limited memory of the events that led up to being trapped in the loop. This episode was the first of several that had a Bhuddist subtext. Now that is art. If you are gonna get into a hissy over something, this is more worthy than Tyler Perry. ‘Sa mattuh wit you?
Al From Bay Shore,
I think people are upset because we have very few black filmmakers making a variety of films in Hollywood and on the indie scene. I’m sure if we had 35% of the variety that white filmmakers have you wouldn’t have people crying over a Tyler Perry or TD Jakes’ movie. Where is our Jane Eyre? Or even Star Trek? What about our own indie Kill Bill? We’re usually regulated to the comedy or drama categories with the latter typically involving poverty, crime, and racism.
Perhaps the other commenter is right. Perhaps most of us are coarse and silly re: our tastes. We should likely admit this as much as we should admit harsh truths about violent crimes in our communities and crimes against women and girls in our homes?
(In other words, perhaps Bill Cosby is right and Prof. Dyson’s wrong? LOL)
Al, save your candy-coated excuses and fancy rhetoric for someone else. You are simply spouting anti-Black female nonsense and attempting to (Poorly, I might add) disguise it under some psuedo-intellectual veneer. You will NOT have a captive audience for your anti-Black female garbage from me, so do not even try it.
Just me…but I actually think Al may have been saying that many of us have outgrown this particular genre (that’s if we ever liked them). So, for those of us still attempting to watch these films, we’re destined to be disappointed. We’re looking for something Tyler Perry is either unwilling or unable to deliver and we need to look elsewhere.
So, I agree. I’m waiting to see some films written and produced by black women. The best movies have always been books first, in my opinion. Has anyone seen a book you’d like to see as a movie?
@YME Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. BeBe Moore Cambell’s “Brother’s and Sisters” Would love to see the Mae Jemison Story.
As a black man. I’m actually glad that they showed a black man who wasn’t cheating. It’s funny how black men and black women interpret the same thing differently. I wonder if it’s a man and woman thing or just a black thing. I hate Tyler Perry movies because it always shows the woman as the victim of the Big Bad black man. This movie actually surprised me because it came from a man’s perspective, regardless the women caricatures. I was expecting to see 4 bad black guys and 1 black man that was a suck up and then considered the hero. This is a whole lot better than the BULLSH*T - SOMETHING NEW. And for the record 5.9 million is a success for a movie released in only 724 screens.
I’m absolutely stunned that Butler’s Parable stories haven’t been optioned. Those stories are unbelievably apt for film treatment. As for Bebe Moore Campbell, I love Your Blues Aren’t Like Mine better than Brothers and Sisters, and of course, I’d have to throw my own story in. Rock Star anyone?
@Roslyn I liked Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine as well, but I think that I read Brothers and Sisters in undergrad right before prof school and for some reason the themes about Black women and Black men navigating corporate America stuck with me. It was an interesting look.
I also forgot “Good Hair” and “The Seven Year Itch” I think that was Benide Little.
I was almost scared to mention Octavia butler because I don’t want Oprah to butcher the Parables the way she butchered Beloved. On one hand the books were amazing. on the other hand, you wonder what would happen to them if they were turned into a screen play.
I saw the movie this afternoon on a fluke…I sneaked in! Anyway, I was adamant about not going to see the movie, but I figured what the heck?!?! Umm, it was an alright movie. There were some instances where I cringed because of the ‘woman, believe in your man’ hype. There was a scene where the wife was in church and the pastor had to give her a few words, but when the husband was in the church, the pastor just looked at him and it went to the next scence! Oh HELLO! Where’s the husbands talking to???????????????
All female cast–Bring it on!
I won’t be seeing “Not Easily Broken” or the new Madea movie. I liked Tyler Perry at first, but now all his movies seem the same.
There is one movie I’m interested in, “Of Boys & Men.” It’s a Robert Townsend movie. Not much has been said about it, but I think it’s making the film festival circuit. I hope it makes it into theatres or DVD. The website is: http://www.ofboysandmen.com/flash/obm_flash.swf
“Not Easily Broken” was better than “Glitter” and on par with most African American oriented films these days.
Which is why I wasted $9 and an hour and 20 minutes of my life and hard earned money watching TD Jake’s fantasy and not my own.
Although it wasn’t a total loss. Morris Chesnutt’s shoulders and chiseled jawline were worth $4.50.”
LOL, girl, you are not right! everything you wrote was much better and entertaining than whatever movies you suffered through. I hate these black man victimization movies *barf*. I remember a friend of mine convincing me to watch Medea at her house, I suffered so much that day I can’t even tell you, such a stupid film!!! I just didn’t understand what was so funny about a grown man cross-dressing and then acting loud and obnoxious *barf again*
“No, I shan’t be going to see Notorious.”
I hope no one goes to see puffy’s movie. I can’t believe he had the nerve to flap his lips and actually say that “Notorious” is the biggest movie of the century, B**** PLEASE!!! (please excuse me Gina, puffy just KNOWS how to work my nerves!)
Speaking of female writers and books that should be movies:
I’m still waiting with bated breath for My Soul To Keep, Tananarive Due’s story about an immortal Ethiopian man who knew Jesus. Blair Underwood/Goldwyn Meyer, IIRC, owns the rights and has filmed a trailer for the movie. As of 2008, it was still in Development Hell.
Maru I do truly love seeing how ri-day-um diculous I can make foolishness appear to be. I was actually looking forward to writing about the movie while I was sitting there watching it. In fact I almost started writing the review sitting in the theater, but that would have been rude.
Gina,
I think that has to be the funniest movie review of all time.
For the record, I hate Tyler Perry stage plays but I’ll go and see the movie. I’m not interested in anything from TD Jakes.
One poster asked where’s our Jane Austen. One Jane Austen was enough. Why duplicate what’s been done already?
Compelling stories with interesting characters and universal themes are going to always be appealing. Whether you like it or not, the idea that a higher power can guide and support you during your struggle is appealing.
I liked “Diary of an Mad or Angry Black Woman” I can’t remember the exact name, but it was fun to watch on a Saturday real quick on TNT. I liked “Why Did I Get Married.” Mr. Slim and I both cried at Janet Jackson’s scene with Malik Yoba lol. We’re “emotional” like that.
Hmmm…I like Tyler Perry. I think he has a way to go in his filmmaking abilities, but I am TOO happy that it’s not another “we is negroes and we dance and stomp and play basketball then go kill each other” movie. I also didn’t feel like seeing this movie and won’t because I could see that it was contrived and he didn’t reach. I agree with people’s observations, I just think that he’s a niche director, not very multifaceted and the only way for him to gain more respect is to expand his artistic visions.
I’ve never written a screenplay, but unless I miss my guess the Parable stories wouldn’t be that difficult to translate to film. I don’t think Oprah would be interested. There’s not nearly enough incest and rape in them. Besides, she probably feels the same way about science fiction that she does romance, they’re not licherchure, so they’re beneath her. Praise be to God.
“…“we is negroes and we dance and stomp and play basketball then go kill each other” movie.”
I don’t know why this comment reminds me of what people said about the Million Man March. “A million black men came together and there was no violence.” I think it’s sad that the best we can say about something is, “At least there was no booty shaking.” Sad commentary, that.
@Roslyn - re: Oprah - There’s not nearly enough incest and rape in them.
OMG. We are here -><- when it comes to stuff that Oprah likes. I never want to read any of her selected books, because I know those are her favorite subjects. That’s what irritates me about her.
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Can anyone in the Hollywood movie industry explain why it’s so hard to get a decent multicultural studio or movie created, and distributed? I mean, we have all these media outlets, and the shows are whiter and more stupid than ever. It’s not like black people don’t have the money.
I could swear that once every blue moon, I read that someone black, or whatever, is going to make a series of black / multicultural films, and then I never hear of them again.
Why does that happen? Why is it so tough?
I have no plans to see this or ANY Black film (Unless it has a 100% BLACK female cast, is written, directed, and produced 100% by Black FEMALES, and tells a story 100% dedicated to/about the Black FEMALE experience) because it is the typical anti-Black female mess that defines and makes up Black cinema/media. These fools ARE NOT getting my money to slander/insult/belittle Black females!
_______________________________________
FED UP, how many black women filmmakers have you supported with your money, time or effort to get their films up and going?
Sorry, FED UP, I hear vitriol like that all the time, but at the end of the day, it’s these same folks who don’t go out of their way to support black women narrative filmmakers.
Can anyone in the Hollywood movie industry explain why it’s so hard to get a decent multicultural studio or movie created, and distributed? I mean, we have all these media outlets, and the shows are whiter and more stupid than ever. It’s not like black people don’t have the money.
__________________________________
Black people have the money, but do black people have the balls and foresight?
No.
Unfortunately we live in a time where true creativity means nothing. The bottom line is $$$ and that’s based on the artificial success of some film or paperback novel that came before. That’s why actual original screenplays by actual black women are never considered.
I’m not in the film or television industry, but from my dealings with publishing I’ve gotten a little insight into what some of the problem may be. First, to be so-called ‘creative industries’ there is shockingly very little creativity in film or publishing for that matter. Filmmaking is expensive and no one wants to make a mistake, so everybody is trying to make a blockbuster. So, when one film’s a hit, they keep making it over and over again. That’s why we get these endless recycling of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Ya Ya Pants movies. All you have to have is one hit, it doesn’t matter how inane it is, it just has to be a hit.
So, in actuality, instead of rewarding creativity and technical ability, the industry just keeps recycling the same old crap. Even as the market for their product continues to shrink because they keep making the same old crap.
On almost a monthly basis I read a book that I think would make a fabulous movie. Of course, I’ve written a couple that I think would be incredible, as well, but this isn’t about me! -lol- But unless I happen to fall into whatever formula is ‘hot’ at the moment I don’t have much of a chance.
Sorry for the long posts, but I also have to point out the ‘white hero’ phenomenon as well. Hollywood is convinced that unless a movie has a white hero. And since they’re compelled to make movies with as broad appeal as possible they’re unlikely to greenlight movies with a non-white lead. Some black men have gotten through this in the action hero, or magical negro roles, but certainly neither option is open to a black female.
I suspect that as time goes on we’ll see more and more ‘internet movies.’ People have been spoiled by the specialization available on-line, the niche market as it were. Movies will be something you download directly onto your tv or computer, and you’ll see an explosion of genres and tastes.
Roslyn: I love that you mentioned online movies. Some go viral and rival the comparable levels of Hollywood fame. If Blacks believe that financial backing represent the biggest hurdle, why not exploit the inexpensive options on the internet, gain a name/reputation, and go from there.
Some may consider this a back door, but what’s the difference if it’s successful and lucrative for the Black film market? I also believe we have more Blacks than Will Smith with great crossover appeal.
I don’t complain about the slim pickings (e.g. Tyler Perry and TD Jakes). I enjoy their movies for what they are. I know where to go when I’m ready for an adrenaline rush or a seriously cerebral drama.
gem2001
Co-sign on Octavia Butler & the Parables stories! Or anything by Butler. I’d also add anything by Louise Erdrich for her stunning Native American epics. (On another note your blog is fabulous… a thoughtful & cosmopolitan oasis of humanity, honesty, & callin’ out foolish behavior!)
Hawa said “I love that you mentioned online movies. Some go viral and rival the comparable levels of Hollywood fame. If Blacks believe that financial backing represent the biggest hurdle, why not exploit the inexpensive options on the internet, gain a name/reputation, and go from there.
Some may consider this a back door, but what’s the difference if it’s successful and lucrative for the Black film market? “
OOps I mean to reply to Hawa’s observation.
@hawa THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Maybe the reason all of these people in Black Hollywood keep complaining about not being able to make their films is because they are playing the rules by someone else’s game.
IF the rules aren’t working for you, then play another game.
There is no reason whyw itht he advent of digital technology that you and ten friends couldnt’ get together a distribute a film. It might not be a block buster, but it would be a start.
Tyler perry started out with stage plays, then to DVD, then low budget movies now TV.
People act as if they can’t get everythign they want in one fell swoop that they cant get anything at all.
Strongly seconding Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
Tananarive Due’s “The Good House” would be my personal favorite. It has everything: suspense, magic and mystery, romance, history; a good story about real people you’d want to know, and a smart, savvy Black woman at the center of it all.
Did you just compare “Not Easily Broken” to “Glitter” ? LOL. Now that is a low blow.
Sidebar: Is anyone going to see “Nortious” this weekend??
Effingfilmaker, save your “effing” crap. Do YOU support Black female entertainers? Somehow I doubt that. I doubt that VERY much. And you DON’T have to worry about me supporting sistas, that is what I LIVE for.
Typical you know what trying to make excuses and pass the buck, probably while laughing at anti-Black female junk like Madea movies while listening to gangsta pimp rap calling sistas “B” and “H” every five seconds.
SassyJ, right on girl! That ALL Black female cast is just what we need!
Well I least there is no Beyonce in the movie!!!
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