Three Burning Questions About Red Tails...And Yes I Loved the Movie

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

So, I took my kids to see Red Tails this weekend and I'm glad I did. I thought the movie was a wonderful vehicle to introduce young and old to the heroics of the Tuskegee Airmen. Yes, it was a little cheesy and some of the lines were corny but it was a war film. I expected nothing less. I cheered and cried at all the right places. Most importantly though, I loved seeing a movie with a bunch of Black men being heroes. All of them. Heroes in uniform, fighting for their country. That I could take my sons to see that on the big screen was priceless.

So, please, go see the film. Support George Lucas's passion project. Show Hollywood that a film that features an all-Black cast (that isn't made by Tyler Perry) can make money.

Now, here are some random facts about me and the Red Tails experience that perhaps will entice you to see the film if the whole George Lucas using his own money thing isn't grabbing you.

1. Did you know that Red Tails producer, Geroge Lucas is married to a Black woman, the beautiful and whip-smart economist Mellody Hobson? I kinda forgot about that until el esposo reminded me. And even though this movie has been in the works longer than their relationship, I'm wondering if being attached to Ms. Hobson, in any way influenced his desire/passion to get this done? What do you think? It couldn't hurt right?

2. For those of you who have seen the film and noticed the off-handed insult about my hometown of Milwaukee, did you think that was random? Probably not as I just found out that the co-writer of Red Tails, John Ridley, is from Milwaukee and apparently we didn't live very far apart. Small world, right?

3. Are you surprised that the Saturday afternoon showing of Red Tails that I took my kids to see was packed? There wasn't an empty seat in the house. Are you surprised that everyone single seat was filled by Black people, save four older White people who I know from the Unitarian Church by my house? Love those Unitarians! Do you think a movie about the Tuskegee Airmen isn't relevant to White audiences?

 I'm listening for your answers.

Peace!

Black is...?

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Sadly, babygirl and I are battling a nasty snotty virus. But I didn't want to leave you with nothing to chew  today. Check out the following news clip that comes after it was recently announced that Tyler Perry is the richest man in Hollywood! Say what? Yes. So does he speak for Black America or is he as Toure says in the clip, "malt liquor for the masses?" Take a peek and let me know what you think.



Peace!

Stories of Inspirational Black Men

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

This weekend I overdosed on inspirational stories about Black men. In about three sittings, I read the stirring memoir, The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore. If you haven't heard about it, it's the book about two young Black men with the same name (Wes Moore), who grew up in the same tough Baltimore neighborhood without fathers, but who ended up in two very different places in life. The author of the book became a Rhodes Scholar while the other Wes Moore is serving a life sentence for his role in the murder of a police officer. Even though the story of the "other Wes Moore" is chilling and ultimately a great tragedy, the story is also hopeful. In some ways the reader gets to see where "things went wrong," where an intervention of some kind might have saved a young boy on the brink of disaster. At least that's the way I saw it. I wept for the other Wes Moore as he languishes in prison, because his is a life lost. But if somehow his story can be used as a teaching tool for others, than he doesn't suffer in vain. (Although I'm sure he doesn't see things that way.)

The other inspirational story I drank in this weekend was, The Ben Carson Story. No I didn't read his memoir, I watched the film, Gifted Hands, that was based on his life story. Sad but true, the DVD has been in my house for months and I just never got around to watching it. Last night, with three baskets of clothing waiting to be folded, I finally popped it into the TV and got totally hooked. Carson is a neurosurgeon who grew up poor in Detroit with a secretly illiterate mom and an absent father. He was never a star student in elementary school, in fact he often got failing grades, but when his mother turned off the TV and forced him to start reading two books a week, his world changed. As a mom who wants her sons to never limit themselves, I was just impressed that he literally taught himself to achieve, but his work in the field in neurosurgery is even more impressive. He was the first doctor to successfully separate conjoined twins, who were connected via the brain. Not to mention that most of his educational and career achievements were tempered by the nasty sting of racism which he had to confront over and over again. But that never stopped him.

Here's a short clip of the good doctor speaking about the secret of his success.



So, we're a little bit early for Father's Day, but if you're thinking about inspiring the men in your life, both young and old, consider either one of these stories.

Peace!

Pop Culture: The Black Version

Why do we need Black versions of popular (or not so popular) movies and/or TV shows? I'm not asking because I think they're inherently a bad idea -- I loved The Wiz-- I'm just asking. And I'm asking now, because on April 16th, the "Black version" of the 2007 British film, Death at a Funeral, will be released, starring Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Martin Lawrence and a lot of other famous Black comedians. Considering the original film just came out three years ago and it only performed moderately well, why are we seeing a remake so soon? And why do we need a Black version of this movie? Again, I don't think it's a bad idea, I just can't figure out why? And for what it's worth, I watched the original version on DVD and laughed myself silly.

And why you're all scratching your heads trying to come up with a satisfying answer, perhaps you can also help me understand why Jamie Foxx is penning a script for the Black version of Laverne & Shirley, the movie? No, you did not read that wrong. According to The Root.com Foxx is writing the screenplay for a Laverne & Shirley film that Gary Marshall will direct. (crickets chirping). Would you go see that? Part of me thinks there may be potential. Part of me wants to know if there's a part in there for me, seeing as I really am Black and really did grow up in Milwaukee. But I digress.

What about you? Do you want to see Black versions of popular movies and TV shows? Are these remakes supposed to make Black people feel included somehow? Will non-Black people want to see Black versions of White shows? And finally, why stop at the Black versions? What ethnic remake would you want to see? I'd really like to see The Brady Bunch where Mrs. Brady was Black and Mr. Brady was Chinese. And Alice was still played by Ann B. Davis.

Peace.

PS You still have time to enter in the drawing for the autographed copy of the Kitchen House. Read the post below and enter by 9pm tonight.

My Name is Not "Precious"

So I think I'd have to hand in my 'race and identity' blogger card if I didn't take a moment to write about Precious. In case you've been snoozing under a very big rock (or you live abroad) and hadn't heard all of the buzz and noise about the Precious movie , based on the book Push by Sapphire, here's what you need to know to get caught up.

The book Push came out in the early-mid 90's but took place in the Regan era 80s. It's about a morbidly obese, poor, Black teen named Precious, who has been repeatedly raped by her father, sexually abused by her mother and is pregnant for the second time by her no-good daddy. Oh, and she's illiterate. How's that for a feel good read?

I remember reading that book in one sitting and throwing it against the wall at least three times during that time. It pained me to read. It disgusted me and it saddened me immensely because I knew that this slim little volume was fiction, yet somebody, or rather a lot of somebodies, probably recognized it as truth. Needless to say, the story haunted me for years and I always wondered what would have happened to that girl named Precious. I can't say I liked the book, but I appreciated its ability to take me to a place I've never been to before and make me consider my own life, family and relationships differently.

Well, no pun intended, Precious is Huge today --doing well at the box-office and with critics. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry have teemed up as producers on the film and are widely pimping, I mean pushing the film to mainstream audiences with great success. But even though reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, much of the Black blogosphere and some other media outlets are crying foul.

I haven't seen the film yet and don't want to. The only reason I might is so that I can be more thorough in my criticism. Rather than tell you why I'm so not feeling Precious on the big screen. I will beg you to read journalist Akiba Solomon's fierce review on her blog smallmediumlarge.

Here's a taste of what Solomon wrote:

"I saw Precious on Saturday. Two days later, I’m still traumatized and overwhelmed by the sheer degradation of the thing.

This film is marketed–by Oprah and Tyler Perry–as a story of individual triumph over savage abuse. Thanks to newcomer Gabourey Sidibe’s excellent performance, I somehow believed that Clareece Precious Jones—a morbidly obese, illiterate, often greasy incest victim with skin the color of soil–reflected some form of reality. And to me that’s what’s so dangerous and seductive about this fucking thing.

Precious heaps so much context-free, visually engaging emotional and physical abuse on its 16-year-old protagonist that I couldn’t think straight. When her nasty, faceless, AIDS-infected daddy rapes her, when she gives birth to her second child by said daddy, when her sexually abusive, sadistic, welfare cheat of a mama beats the shit out of her, I was so fucked up, so fucking sad, so at a loss for any word or thought besides fuck! that I forgot that this fucking film was an overwrought throwback to Reagan-era tall tales of urban savagery and Black maternal neglect.

Solomon concludes towards the end of her review:

"One could argue that Precious should be evaluated as an individual work of art, a faithful adaptation of Sapphire’s problematic Push. But the same way I won’t laud the technical accomplishments of Birth of a Nation or blissfully ignore how Breakfast at Tiffany’s features Mickey Rooney as a bumbling Chinese neighbor who enters each scene with a gong, I won’t allow the transcendent performances in Precious to distract me from what it says and repeats about [Black People]."

I urge you to read the entire piece and the follow -up postings about the film and its critics at SmallMediumLarge. Oh, and by all means, check out the comments.

I swear between Chris Rock's Good Hair and now Precious, I feel Hollywood is throwing out the worst stereotypes of Black life for public consumption. And it's Black people behind it this time! And I'm not saying we can't have real-life stories up on the big screen, but what is the point of a film like Precious? I don't care what Oprah says, "We are not all Precious." I don't see any Precious in me. None. In fact, I pray to God most people can't find a scrap of themselves in Precious. Author Carleen Brice writes about this on her blog today.

At the end of the day, maybe Precious wouldn't get so much hype and attention if there were more movies about Black people to choose from. And maybe some of those movies wouldn't have to be about pathology and degradation but about things like, oh, I don't know, the power of bedtime stories or two people falling in love via the internet, or maybe a young Black woman's search for true love in Spain. Just for example.

I am throwing my hands up and shouting, "Why?" (School Daze flashback, anyone?)

(sigh) Can anybody convince me that Precious is worth watching. I dare you to try. Has anybody seen it and have a comment to share? As always, I'm listening.

Peace.