#30: Dead Presidents (1995)

This movie was a serious disappointment. The Hughes Brothers always get me like that. Their movies are never quite as cool as the concepts from which they were created. This feels like a mashup of a lot of different movies: 1) coming of age story; 2) gangster story; 3) fighting a war story; 4) the big heist gone wrong story. Which is it?!! You can pick one, maybe two. But four!!!! Plus, a lot of things these characters did just didn't make sense. I love Chris Tucker as a comic actor, but his dramatic acting is a little weak, especially in a movie where he's cracking jokes and acting a fool in earlier scenes and then later becomes a troubled heroine addict. And why would a Vietnam vet born again Christian preacher ever agree to participate in a bank robbery? Just ludicrous.

#29: Foxy Brown (1974)

Watching this film was mostly a reminder to me of how far we've come as a people (women and minorities), and also how far we still need to go. Supposedly this film depicts a strong woman avenging the wrongful death of her man. However, I see it as mostly exploitation.

My first Pam Grier film was her performance in Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film Jackie Brown. Thank goodness for that because I definitely would've thought of her as a terrible actress if I saw this movie first. I guess you can only do so much with the material you're given. Pam Grier isn't given anything but a stereotype in Foxy Brown.

I know there is a lot of contention about whether or not the term "blaxploitation" is appropriate to describe the action films of the '70s that were made by and starred black people. From what I've seen thus far, I think it's fair. Perhaps there were some that bucked the trend (still haven't seen Gordon Parks' Shaft which has a long wait on Netflix), but most of these films are filled with horrible caricatures that put down more than they uplift the black experience in America. 

Even before Civil Rights in the most downtrodden communities in Black America, we were more than just pimps, drug dealers, and hustlers. Those people exist, yes, but they're not the norm and that's not the typical life of a black person in the US. And if those are the people you choose to focus on, don't make them all into fools. Granted, Jackie Brown was a drug mule for an evil ass man, but she was at least intelligent. She was a fully developed character, and you understood from the beginning that she was doing it as a means of survival. She wasn't going around screwing everybody. If you're going to make a film about that kind of person, at least give them that.

#28: The New Black (2013)

This documentary made me cry. It masterfully depicts the intersection between the black community, the black church, and LGBT rights in America. The story focuses on the historical fight to win marriage equality in the state of Maryland in 2012 after California passed Proposition 8 in 2008 and the impact that black voters had on both of those votes. Being a resident of Washington, DC during the 2012 election, I am very familiar with Question 6 having seen ads on local t.v. stations for both sides of the issue as Prince George's County, just outside of DC, was a major battleground. It's always remarkable to me that, with all black folks have gone through in this country, many of us fail to recognize that universal truth that we as a human race are all interdependent. To take away rights from one man, is to take away freedom from us all. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, "I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be." Amen.

#27: The Notebook (2004)

I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for these kinds of films. I watched this one the morning after Valentine's Day while on vacation. Yes, it's sappy and sentimental as all get out. Yes, there are a lot of cliches and the ending is a little too convenient. It's still a beautiful love story. The film effectively recreates the world of 1940s America. Rachel McAdams, James Garner, and Gena Rowlands totally own their roles. Ryan Gosling is hot as ever. This is definitely one of the most romantic films I've ever seen. Cheesy? Maybe, but I loved it.

#26: Clockers (1995)

Like all Spike Lee films, this movie has style. It's like a Shakespearean version of a street tale. It's a solid film. The actors are great. The story is compelling. It's beautifully shot. I feel like the cinematic way in which this story is told may overshadow the narrative. Definitely one of Spike Lee's best though.

#25: Super Fly (1972)

OMG! This is a movie that I thought I wouldn't be able to appreciate but I totally dig it, baby. Sometimes you have to appreciate things simply for what they are. Ron O'Neal as Priest is the black man's John Wayne. Yes, he's a hustler and a drug dealer, but in his world, that's what you have to do to survive. He's trying to do better though. One last big deal and he's out of the drug game. I mean, who can hate on a movie with lines like...

"You're going to give all of this up - 8 track stereo and a color TV in every room? That's the American dream, nigga!"

Stupendous! I get why this movie was a hit. This movie came out at the beginning of the '70s which was just as the Civil Rights Movement was winding down in America. Black people had gone through a lot and needed a movie where the man got what was coming to him. Priest's story is cathartic. And the soundtrack? Wow! Curtis Mayfield is amazing. His music tells a story all unto itself.

That last line of dialogue... "Can you dig it?" Yeah, man. I can dig it.

#24: This is 40 (2012)

I don't really like serious Judd Apatow. Just Plain Funny Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) is fantastic. Serious Judd Apatow (Funny People, this movie) is just sad and way too self-obsessed. This movie reminded me of that '80s t.v. show thirtysomething, which makes me feel old that I even remember that. It's just middle-aged people upset that they're middle-aged. I feel like I'm watching Judd Apatow's mid-life crisis dramatized, and it's not particularly interesting.

#23: To Sir, With Love (1967)

This is my second Sidney Poitier film. My first was Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Both are just okay. I'll reserve judgement until I see my third. I love the mod 'dos and duds though.

#22: Soul Plane (2004)

I really have nothing to say about this movie. I simply watched it because it was written and directed by black people and stars black people (click here for an explanation) and it was available via Netflix instant streaming. However, this is one of those movies that I knew when I first saw the trailer in the theatre that it wasn't for me, and I was correct.

'Nough said.

#21: Argo (2012)

I've been a fan of Ben Affleck The Actor since my college roommate introduced me to the movie Chasing Amy on VHS (yes, I'm old) our sophomore year. I've been a fan of Ben Affleck The Writer since seeing Good Will Hunting with one of my friends during the winter break of my freshman year of college. I remember renting Gone Baby Gone and having very low expectations. This was after the whole Bennifer mess and my fandom had waned. All I knew of Casey Affleck was that he was Ben's brother and I had seen him in small roles in movies like To Die For. I was blown away. I was shocked that I was blown away, and with each subsequent film, Ben has impressed me more and more as a director. In fact, I'm not sure I care so much about Ben Affleck The Actor or Ben Affleck The Writer anymore.  Ben Affleck The Director is way more talented than those other two. I actually think he's one of the most talented directors out there right now. He's possibly the best director of his generation.

I love Argo. I've seen this movie at least three times, and it's amazing. What Ben Affleck manages to do with this film - to keep the audience on the edge of their seats when they know what's going to happen in the end - is incredible. I love that the CIA, for once, isn't the bad guy. Sometimes the US government does shitty stuff but they do a lot of good too. It's nice to be reminded of that occasionally. This is not propaganda though. It's about a very specific event in history and how that story unfolded. It's about the heroes that are never seen or publicized, the real people behind the big curtain. As an aspiring writer, it's a lesson in good storytelling.

#20: About Last Night (2014)

This movie is what a romantic comedy should be as far as I'm concerned. It's hilarious. It's frank. It's real. It has three dimensional characters with rich, complex personalities. No one is perfect. No one is pining after someone else. This is not a cute story about a boy meeting a girl. This is a story about how relationships happen in real life. Everything happens for a reason.

The cast is mostly black but this is not a "black" story. It's a universal story that was originally dramatized with a white cast. In fact, screenwriter Leslye Headland wrote an awesome piece in The Hollywood Reporter about adapting the original play and first film into a screenplay for this movie that is a MUST read.

"There was no discussion of changing the characters’ lifestyles or any of the storyline as a result of casting black actors. I had written a script. The studio had decided to go with the strongest cast for that particular script. That cast happened to have black actors, " she writes.

I love it! I love that the movie performed strongly at the box office too. Hopefully Hollywood studios will do what they always do (follow the money) and there will be more films like this to come. Well done!

#19: The Monuments Men (2014)

This is another disappointment from a director that's normally on his game. I loved George Clooney's directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and I've heard his Good Night, and Good Luck is the standard for biographical films on early broadcast journalism (haven't seen it but adding it to the queue). He's also an amazing actor. The Monuments Men isn't a bad film. It's just not a particularly good one. The cast is great. George knows how to get great performances out of top-notch talent. However, the tone of the movie is off. I'm not sure if this film is a comedy or a drama. I guess it's a little of both, but the combination in this case is awkward. It's like... joke, joke, someone dies... joke, joke, Holocaust. It's just strange. Also, there are far too many coincidences. I think the general rule is one coincidence, maybe two, but after that you've lost the audience's confidence. It's war time, and we're canvasing at least four different countries. How are they happening upon the same guy in Germany that stole the statue of the Madonna in Bruges and happen to have dinner in the house of the dude that stole the art from Paris? Not to mention that they not only discover a mass of artwork but the Nazis entire gold stash? Ridiculous. I actually think what really makes this movie just so-so is that this is yet another WWII story, and I think at this point every story that needs to be told from that period has been told. Hitler sucked, yes. Let's move on. Never forget but move on. The events that happen in this story are a nice anecdote, maybe an interesting read, but not really worthy of a movie.

#18: The Jazz Singer (1927)

I have to admit I was a little surprised by this film. This movie is famous for being the catalyst to the talkie revolution - the first feature film to ever use synchronized dialogue. I guess that depends on what your definition of dialogue is. I only observed synchronized singing with a tiny bit of dialogue in a couple scenes before or after Al Jolson sang. The rest of the film is title cards and orchestral music. The story was slightly interesting - a young Jewish cantor runs away to become a jazz singer. Okay? Supposedly it's autobiographical, based on Al Jolson's real-life experience as a performer singing in blackface. Oh, yeah. There's that. I'm going to give Jolson the benefit of the doubt. This movie was filmed in the mid-1920s. This is pre-civil rights America. The practice of blackface performance gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky on the plantation" or the "dandified coon". It's definitely offensive by today's standards, but this film takes place during an era before anyone cared about offending black people. Hell, this film was praised by black publications as well as "mainstream" publications. It is what it is.

Black History and Cinema

Okay. So we're 36 days into the new year and I've only seen 17 films thus far. I'm not going to panic. I am going to try to make up for some of my movie viewing laziness this weekend. Hopefully I can watch a couple movies a day and have a nice marathon viewing this weekend to get caught up. I have decided to do something a little different for the month of February. Since it's Black History Month, I'm going to try to watch more films that have either black actors as lead characters, are directed/written by black filmmakers, or tell stories that have some kind of influence or impact on black culture. I've got a bunch of films queued up in Netflix that fit this, but of course, I'll still be watching some films that don't. I'm looking forward to learning a little something about black cinema. Let the history lessons begin...

#17: After Hours (1985)

I love Martin Scorsese. He is the filmmaker behind one of my all-time favorite films - Goodfellas.  He's a genius in many ways. However, I really didn't get this film. This is another one where the director has clearly gone into territory that they aren't well-equipped for. The cast is lead by Griffin Dunne back when Griffin Dunne was the shit and Rosanna Arquette was in everything. It's definitely not my kind of movie though. It's a puzzlement. I do see some of Scorsese's quintessential camera moves. It's just a strange film.

#16: Courage Under Fire (1996)

This is definitely one of my favorite military films of all time. The ending scenes with the napalm death and the accidental friendly fire get me every time. I shed real tears for those characters. Such a touching film about the difficult and tragic things that happen during war.

#15: Labor Day (2013)

Great acting. Silly premise. Unrealistic from beginning to end. How desperate must a woman be to let a convicted felon on the lam stay in her house with her young son for the weekend so she can get some? I will admit the peach pie baking scene was as steamy as it was eye-rolling ridiculous. I have no idea what drew Jason Reitman to this Lifetime drama-esque story. It's so out of his wheelhouse.  I hope his next film is way better.  He's a talented guy and I'd hate to see it all end for him.

#14: Apocalypse Now (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola is a master of style. There are certain directors that just have an approach to cinema that is all their own. This movie is a wild ride.  There are so many famous faces before they were to become even more famous.  Harrison Ford and Laurence Fishburne both have bit parts.  The opening montage with the helicopters flying, the bushes burning, and Martin Sheen lying in bed in psychosis while The Doors This Is the End plays is absolutely amazing. Of course the classic scenes with Robert Duvall and Marlon Brando are cinematic art in and of themselves. I can't say it's my favorite Coppola film (nothing will ever beat The Godfather), but it's a masterpiece.

#13: Ordinary People (1980)

Wow... It's amazing how much a young Timothy Hutton reminds me of a young Jake Gyllenhaal. This was a quiet but beautiful movie. It's also my first time seeing Mary Tyler Moore in a serious role. Donald Sutherland is another guy I always forget was once young. I have to admit I'm surprised this won Best Picture. It's a sweet film about how a family is rocked and torn apart by the death of one of the clan. Today it would definitely be a low budget indie. This was Robert Redford's directorial debut and it's a great one. Although Quiz Show will always be my favorite Redford film.