I knew this episode of "Scandal" was going to be epic when it opened with The Isley Brothers’ “Summer Breeze”. Let me tell ya’ll that it did not disappoint. Olivia has gotten back into the habit of swimming. If you recall that’s how she coped when she and Fitz stopped speaking when he discovered her part in the election fraud. Jake’s fate is still undetermined and she’s having nightmares about him, Fitz and her daddy. Liv and Abby have come to some sort of a truce after Abby arrives to Liv’s house and finds her in shambles over Jake’s MIA status. Pained to see Olivia in such a state, Abby puts on her big girl panties and goes to confront Fitz. She bursts in to the Oval Office and tells Fitz, “ I need to talk to you about Jake Ballard.” Fitz tries to intimidate her but then she says, “ I’m not asking the Commander in Chief. I’m asking the married man who use to sleep with my friend what exactly he has done with the man she is currently sleeping with.” #WHELP Fitz tries to play her by calling her Gabby but this is ABBY’S season and she’s coming for him Gladiator-style. Despite all of the drama, Olivia’s personal life must be put on the backburner because there are things that need to be handled. Former President Edward Cooper has died and the man who was convicted of attempting to assassinate him wants desperately to clear his name. Now that Cooper is dead, the bullet still lodge in his head can be extracted for further examination. The convicted assassin is convinced the bullet will help clear his name. Meanwhile, Cyrus is apparently getting it REAL good. Mr. Beene is over here trying to play Richard Gere in Pretty Woman. Male Escort Michael has got him so worked up that he’s offering to put him up in an apartment and open bank accounts. Cyrus is even late for work letting himself be all vulnerable and exposed. I’m not here for this Mr. Beene! He knows good and well that Fitz can’t run the country without him. I’m going to need him to pull it together. While Cyrus is off tickling his fancy, the Gladiators are working two cases… (well Olivia and Quinn are working, Huck is obsessively playing a video game.) Though Olivia’s friend’s murder case isn’t at the forefront, Huck and Quinn have discovered that the swallowed key goes to a locker. They just have to figure out what locker it is. Liv has also decided to take the convicted assassin case, in an attempt to establish the man’s innocence. The Gladiators figure out that in order to get the bullet, they most get the attorney general to charge the attempted assassin with murder. Finish reading at Shadow and Act. xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxo 
'Scandal' Season 4, Episode 5 Recap: A Tad Lackluster, Especially in Comparison to Last Week’s
Olivia is back on her friend Catherine’s case. If you recall she is the one who is being accused of murdering her daughter. (She was also caught having sex with her daughter’s boyfriend). Catherine is rotting away in jail claiming that she’s done nothing wrong, while the Gladiators (which now seems to be just Olivia and Quinn with Huck working part-time hours) dig for more leads. As they search for more clues, the team discovers that Caitlyn’s father may have had something to do the murder. He’s hired some shady ex-cop to work at his company and Quinn and Huck find surveillance photo of the daughter’s best friend Faith being assaulted by the man. While Quinn and Olivia are working, Huck apparently doesn’t have time for OPA at. He’s desperately trying to reconnect with his wife and son; which really means he’s stalking and spying on them. Though he tries telling his wife the truth that he was trapped in B6-13, she’s not trying to hear it and she attempts to have him committed. I felt back for Huck he was really excited to see his son, but he can’t really think that his wife would allow him anywhere near the boy. (We all know that Huck isn’t the most mentally sound.) While Huck is slacking on the job, Liv is lounging around at stakeouts with her silk suits on. Even Quinn is alarmed by her presence. Perhaps in the aftermath of Harrison’s death and Abby’s exit, Liv is trying to open up to the people she loves and trusts. In a rather vulnerable and un-Olivia Pope-like fashion she candidly tells Quinn. “My boyfriend is avoiding me.” I was as shocked and appalled as Quinn was to hear those words. (Since when did Jake become Olivia’s man? Was it because he went to Sunday dinner at her daddy’s house? Did I miss something?) Bottom-line is, Jake isn’t answering his phone and for once Ms. Pope is noticing. Read more at Shadow and Act. xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxoxo
Film Review: Dear White People
On my first day of college at NYU, I dragged my three bags up eight flights of steps to get to my assigned room. Many years later now I don't recall what type of door tags the Resident Hall Advisor had made for the first semester, but I do remember how the names on the door, how they looked and how they made me feel. My dorm door read, "Sarah, Susan, Sally and Aramide". So began my freshman year of college; a strange and often troubling prologue to my college experience as a whole." Justin Simien's Dear White People felt very much like relieving that experience.
I went into the show with extremely high expectations. The film has been garnering serious buzz for well over a year. It centers around the fictional Ivy League Winchester University in or around Chicago. Samantha "Sam" White (Tessa Thompson), the film's protagonist is a mixed Black nationalist airs a campus radio show entitled "Dear White People". The show exposes the hypocrisies and racial injustices that are ingrained within the university, as well as the micro-aggressions that students of color experience on a daily basis along with with the spaces of privilege and power that the white students on the campus continuously occupy.
Though often humorous scoldings like "Dear White people, please stop dancing", Sam also points out completely inappropriate
There's also tensions between the President of the University's son Kurt (Kyle Gallner) constantly antagonizes standing proudly on his pedestal of privilege. Not the only douche bag in the film, Kurt is constantly at war with Troy (Brandon Bell), the head of the Black dorm and the son of the Dean of Students (played by Dennis Haysbert). Troy also just happens to be Troy's ex, confused about his own identity and place at Winchester, he's constantly seeking his father's approval while trying to accepted by Kurt and his crew.
There's also tensions between the President of the University's son Kurt (Kyle Gallner) constantly antagonizes standing proudly on his pedestal of privilege. Not the only douche bag in the film, Kurt is constantly at war with Troy (Brandon Bell), the head of the Black dorm and the son of the Dean of Students (played by Dennis Haysbert). Troy also just happens to be Troy's ex, confused about his own identity and place at Winchester, he's constantly seeking his father's approval while trying to accepted by Kurt and his crew.
Lionel (Tyler James Williams), a black gay student who can't seem to find his footing anywhere, is the object of both Kurt's ridicule and Troy's disdain. (Tyler is brilliant by the way, just as he was in Everybody Hates Chris). Though he's being constantly shoved into
I'll admit the film started off slow for me, the narrative was like a weaving basket and I struggled first to understand how all the threads aligned. Perhaps it was because my expectations were so high. I found my mind racing, desperately trying to figure out where the story was going before it picked up speed. When it did however, it was not at all what I expected. In fact it was much much more.
Instead of the collective story of the token black kids that I and I'm sure many of you know. Simien chose to focus on the complexities of Blackness. What if you don't really have a place in the Black Student Union? Perhaps you find the idea of wearing your hair in it's natural state abhorrent? Maybe the person you love is someone society has tried to shame you into hiding? All of these ideas are assessed in the film. Teyonah Parrish who plays "Coco", the upwardly mobile bougie Black girl whose looking for a Robin to her Paula is freaking brilliant. (Much more range then she is afforded on either Mad Men or Survivor's Remorse.) And yes, it's also made clear that it's NEVER OK to just reach into ANYONE's head and rub your Hands through it. Nor is it EVER acceptable to wear Blackface. (Dear White people, STOP WEARING BLACKFACE!)
The film isn't perfect, it's not as alternatively sound as I would have hoped and there are some questions left unanswered in the end that I felt as viewers we are owed an explanation.It did however make me think, as it will many of you. It brought me back to that day freshman year of college when my roommate looked at me with disgust and pity when she found a strand of my hair by the refrigerator. (Early on I gave her the "Black people don't wash their hair everyday talk.") Apparently she thought that meant I was just filthy. It also reminded me of the awkward encounters that I had with the other black kids that made up the entirety of NYU 5% black student body at the time. (Like the incident of the girl who acted a fool at a restaurant and didn't tip, or the guy at that frat party who tried to "hook up" with me because I was the only other black person there, or the times when I went to Black history month club and the older students were rude and snooty and wouldn't speak to the freshman.)
The film also reminded me of the time last year when I was leaving my thesis class for my graduate programs (where I was the only black person) at my Ivy League slams matter and I said "that got on my black nerve." And, one of my classmates turned to me and said, "Why does it have to be a "Black" nerve?" 0_O
Dear White People, lets it be known loud and clear that despite the fact that we live in Obama's America, we are not and no where near post-racial. Its unapologetic and brass in your face. It screams loudly and clearly that race and racism are still issues so lets talk about them. Go see Dear White People, and tell me what you think.
xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxoxo
'Scandal' Season 4, Episode 4 Recap: The Show That We Once Worshiped Has Returned!
Shonda has given us our "Scandal" back! She’d been giving us "Scandal Lite" for the past few weeks, but it was all building up to something. After last night not only has the Scandal that we worship returned, but Ms. Olivia Pope herself has finally shown up!
The show opens with Jake in some back alleyway looking real shiftless and suspicious. If you recall, the last time Jake was roaming around in the dark he ended up murdering James. Anyway, I was correct, the man was up to no good because he promptly blows up a car.
Shortly thereafter, he shows up at Liv’s and for once she seems to be paying him some mind. She attempts for genuine and normal conversation. (Girl what?! I thought you and Jake had an understanding and “talking” had nothing to do with it.) Jake’s zoned out anyway, he’s completely consumed with this whole Rowan situation. Of course when he finally decides to come clean to Olivia about her father’s involvement in Gerry and Harrison’s deaths, she has not one second for him and rushes out of the house on assignment.
Liv’s mysterious phone call turns out to be Karen Grant, the President’s daughter. Ya’ll she is both drunk and high, laid out in some frat house bedroom in her drawers. Quinn is not amused. (Karen is such a cliché, but I will give the girl some credit, she was able to slip her secret service detail.) Anyway Liv slips into fixer mode and gets the girl out of the party unnoticed, disturbing poor Cyrus from twenty- five hundred dollar Male Escort Michael in the process. (It was rather dope when Huck shut down all of the cell service in the party so no one could video Karen’s walk of shame.) Now of course this isn’t the end of this saga, because that really wouldn’t be much of a scandal.
Continue reading at Shadow and Act.
xoxox Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxox
'Scandal' Epsiode 403 Recap: David Rosen Finally Learns That in Order to Be a Real Winner, You Have to Be a Goon
It seems that despite all of backlash from the Republicans, David has been officially been named United States Attorney General. This concession from the Conservatives does not mean that they are willing to give up their right to bare arms. Not at all! Even with Fitz’s moving State of the Union address, David is not faring well on the gun control bill. That is until he decides to get a little dirty, and put some of the information Jake turned over to him to use. More on that later.
In other news, Cyrus has let Michael the Male Escort turn him out. This is extremely disturbing to me because even though I know Cyrus is heartbroken and lonely, he’s usually able to spot foolishness like this coming from a mile away. Not only did he let the man call him “sweet” but he also paid him $2500 + gratuity for his favors. (I guess to replace that dry lump in his throat with something more “satisfying”….ummm no comment.) That MBA/Business school line was for the birds. This smells like a setup from a mile away, and as much of a Monster as Cyrus can be, I really did not want to see him be the demise of the Grant Administration.
Poor Mellie seems to be doing better this week; she’s graduated from her robe to an oversized sweater. She also seems to be seeking out some way to contribute to society. It’s almost tragic really. Even before her son’s death, I think that Mellie was constantly trying to find her place, discovering how she would be useful as the First Lady. She takes the case of the “Killer Cliff Bride” using all of the resources at her disposal, only to humiliate herself and revert back into her depression. I’m going to really need Shonda to let Mellie have her due because this is getting sadder and sadder by the week.
Olivia once again finds herself trapped between two men. This time it’s Papa Pope and Jake. I really need Liv and Abby to make up because at the point when Liv is bringing her crazy daddy coffee, and doing Sunday Dinners at his house with Jake, her gut is really not working. Also, Jake has come to play. He knows all about Papa Pope’s role in Fitz’s son and Harrison’s death and he’s out for blood. Shit can and shall hit the fan I’m sure. A war is coming.
Continue reading at Shadow and Act.
xoxox Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxo
'Scandal' - “The State of The Union” Recap (Season 4, Ep 2)
The Union is in a rather poor state if you ask me. Olivia is firmly back in Washington, and thankfully back to work. Most of last season we watched her sulk and mope over Fitz, while the Gladiators did her bidding, so I was thrilled to see Liv back in her element.... even if Cyrus had to blackmail her to do so.
This episode, her clients were James and Lisa Elliott; American heroes and the faces of gun control. And yet, as thrilled as I was to have a throwback to when Olivia actually “fixed” situations, the Elliott’s story wasn’t all that interesting. I was pleased when Olivia’s solution was for them to either stay miserable or get a divorce. Sometimes the answer is really that simple.
Quinn and Huck have reinstated themselves in Pope and Associates (wearing matching plaid shirts). However, their creepy and very twisted lusty affair is making it more and more difficult for them to work together. Quinn is desperate for Huck to acknowledge her existence, while Huck acts as if nothing has occurred between the two. After all, it’s Quinn’s nosiness and blanket disregard for boundaries that has destroyed their relationship.
Abby continues to muddle her way through the White House, while both Cyrus and Fitz resent the fact that she is not Olivia. (Fitz even thinks that her name is Gabby, which I suppose is better than Red.) Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for this season being the season of Abby but to be quite frank, she’s really not all that good at her new job. Olivia attempts to help her out on the sly, while David has to take control of his own confirmation as Attorney General because Abby gives up on him.
Continue reading at Shadow and Act
xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxox
"Randy, Red Superfreak and Julia" - 'Scandal' Season 4 Premiere Recap
Where on earth is Olivia Pope? That’s the question that we’ve been asking ourselves since we saw Olivia hop on the plane with Jake at the end of last season. As season four opens, we find a curly headed Olivia frolicking on some private island with Jake. She has not one care in the world, she’s not at all the Olivia that we know and love. In fact she’s Julia.
(For those of you who did not catch the reference, Julia Baker was the name of Diahann Carroll’s character in the television show Julia (1968-1971) Prior to Scandal’s start in 2012, Julia was the last primetime television drama with a Black female lead.)
Though Olivia and Jake have seemingly dropped off the face of the earth, someone has figured out where they are. Their red wine delivery brings with it the news of Harrison’s death. And just like that their island paradise bubble is popped.
I must say that I wasn’t too torn up about Harrison’s death. Columbus Short’s personal life aside, I was increasingly irritated by his lack of back-story and I couldn’t understand his unwavering loyalty.
Read more at Shadow& Act
xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxox
Series Premiere: Blackish
When I initially heard about Blackish I'll admit I was a tad hesitant. I live for Tracee Ellis Ross and Laurence Fishburne but I wasn't too sure about Anthony Anderson. However, after reading up on the series I knew that the show was worth a watch.
Black people like everyone else in America strive for the "American Dream", often when you are the first one with a college education and well paying job, you find yourself in a drastically different environment from the one that you grew up in. Also, as you become more upwardly mobile there will be fewer and fewer people who look like you; at school, in your work place, and even in the neighborhood (the place where you are supposed to feel most comfortable)
Most of America does not look like the Huxtable's Brooklyn. You almost have to go out of your way to stay in Black neighborhoods or find employment at Black companies; if that's what you choose to do. As someone who went to two predominantly white universities let me tell you, being the the token Black gets old REAL quick.
Blackish explore all of these themes and chile, the show is everything. I knew I was in for a real treat when the show opened with Kanye's "Jesus Walks". Anthony Anderson's character Andre Sr narrates the show. He seems to be going through a mid-life crisis of sorts. He is concerned that with the advent of mommy and social status, Black folks have lost their culture.
Andre's starting to feel like a puppet at work, especially after he gets promoted to the SVP of the "Urban" division at his job. Horrified he gives us a bit of Dave Chappelle's "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong." (I mean anyone who has been on the receiving end of white people attempting Black vernacular in order to appear "down" understands the struggle.)
This will never not be funny to me
Andre's also concerned that his children don't know what it means to be Black. His younger children have only known Obama as president and the poor tots had no clue he was the first Black president. The kids seem shockingly colorblind, describing the only other Black girl in their class not by her Blackness, but instead by the fact that she smells of turkey burgers.
Throughout the entire pilot episode Andre Sr, is trying to grasp where it all went wrong. He feels like he's in the twilight zone, like he's somehow betrayed his Blackness. (His son's friend walks into their house and opens the fridge to grab a grape pop like he lives there, Andre Jr, wants to be called Andy.... so many things are not as he feels they should be.)
Lawrence Fishburne is also low-key hilarious, he even wears as what my bestie described as the "Old Black Man Uniform. Or in other words, the monochromatic walking suit. (You know the same one your Daddy wore to your college graduation. Even my daddy had on a version and he was African.)
I thought Blackish was truthful and honest, its definitely NOT The Cosby Show, but that was 30 years ago, we are dealing with different things now. Cosby will always be epic which is why everybody and they mama still watches it on a regular basis.
When I write about Black films and television I always hear backlash, someone always has some issue with how whatever is being portrayed is not truthful enough, or this person is a misrepresentation or a stereotype and on and on. The thing is, we are a culture of people with both shared and varied experiences. And that's the point isn't it? To have popular culture and the media display the shared and various experiences.
If you want perfect characters, and that's the only way you thing Black people should be depicted the The Cosby Show is on Hulu Plus. If you're looking for a hump day laugh, some things to get you thinking and some quality acting from brown people then tune into Blackish, Wednesday's at 9:30PM EST on ABC. What I'm not going to be pressed about is Black people on a major network during primetime.
xoxoxo Chocoalte Girl in the City xoxoxoxo
PS. I read on twitter that some parents were concerned that the show came on too late and that their babies would miss brown faces on television because of it. (Um Ma'am... DVR, they can watch that joint on the weekend. After all, The Cosby Show aired Thursday nights during primetime as well.)
Bonds, Deceptions & Dreams: An Overview of Starz's 8-Episode Freshman Series 'Power'
Who are we? Is there a difference between who we truly are at the core of our beings and the image that we present to the world? Or are these various versions of ourselves simply illusions?
The Starz Network original series Power, from creator Courtney Kemp Agboh explores all of these issues. The series surrounds the life of James “Ghost” St. Patrick as he attempts to leave the street life behind him in search of a legitimate enterprise. Ghost is fractured, literally split between two different worlds. He straddles the line between his new “legitimate” nightclub Truth where he presents himself as James, and the street empire that he’s operated for years under the pseudonym Ghost.
At first reflection the character seems to operate in the very same vein as The Wire’s Stinger Bell (you’ll see some familiar faces from The Wire throughout the season.). And yet, the characters aren’t the same, not by a long shot. Unlike Stringer, Ghost has become very skilled at hiding who he is, almost to a fault. He desperately yearns to be James, the man who made it big in New York City. He wants a legacy that he can show off to the world, something that he can be handed down to his children. He’s exhausted, motivated by fear. He realizes that there is only a matter of time before he’s either locked up or killed and he has children to consider. Unable to reconcile that image with himself, he seeks asylum within the walls of legitimacy, or more literally within Truth.
Continue reading at Shadow And Act
xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxoxo
Film Review: Get On Up
*****SPOILER ALERT ****** I want to say that the most epic biopic that I've ever seen aside from Malcolm X (which despite its brilliance had its issues) was Taylor Hackford's Ray staring Jamie Foxx. The Best Actor award was well deserved and since then I've compared every single biopic of black people to Foxx's performance.
Despite the fact that I'm obsessed with history, I feel a way about biopics especially because it seems like one of the ways for Black people to be seen in film. is Hollywood only comfortable if we're stuck in the past? Hopefully we are ushering in a new era of cinema but, I'm over seeing us as slaves, sharecroppers, maids and even iconic but troubled public figures.
Though I feel like I have a good handle of what's going on in Black Cinema, I hadn't heard of Chadwick Boseman until the press circuit for 42 started. Obviously, I went to see it (as I do most things having to do with black film and TV) and I thought it was a well done film. Chadwick was really good as Jackie Robinson. The film was a bit fluffy, but so are most biopics and I didn't think much else of it, or him for that matter
That changed when photos from this project leaked. Boseman, hair fully conked and dressed as the Godfather of Soul. To say I was apprehensive was putting it lightly. To get down James Brown's mannerisms and the intricacies of his character seemed literally impossible. I was certain that the film would be a complete train wreck.
And it would have been, had it not been for Bosemen pulling of the performance of a lifetime.
I'll admit, I enjoyed The Help for what it was. Octavia Butler, Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Jessica Chastain are incredible actresses and Tate Taylor stayed within him realm as a director, perhaps the book provided the guidelines that he needed.
With Get On Up, Taylor took a lot of risks and unfortunately they didn't really work. To begin with the coloring was overly saturated, pulling the audience out of the time period and right back into the 21st century. Where Ray was gray and muted, sucking you further and further into the story, Get On Up was way too flashy where it didn't need to be.
The flashbacks were also exhausting and extremely clumsy. The story cut back and forth dropping the audience down without giving us any real guidance into which point of Brown's life we were being shown. Only cheesy title cards and Brown's clothing choices helped ground us in space and time. This really did a disservice for younger generations, yes, we all know James Brown's music but perhaps not a chronological discography.
There were also many unanswered questions in the film, I'm not sure if things were cut for the purpose of time or if the editor was just not in sync with the rest of the project. At one point there was mention of Brown's son Teddy having some highly contagious disease and then it was never mentioned again. We never get a complete understanding of how he met either of his wives. His tax issues came up out of the blue and the entire story was very disjointed. (Perhaps there were holes because Brown's family wasn't comfortable airing all of his dirty laundry.)
In spite all of this, the performances alone made it well worth my $14. I've stood for Nelsan Ellis since I first got hooked on True Blood my freshman year of undergrad. He's an exceptional actor who deserves so many more roles. He was fantastic as Bobby Byrd. Also, ya'll needed to find Brandon Smith (he plays Little Richard) and give him a full leading role in Little Richard's biopic. The man was EPIC. And finally, as I've mentioned Chadwick Boseman should be so proud of his performance. And quite frankly, I wouldn't be mad if I saw him portray another ten iconic Black men.
Overall, the film was certainly worth seeing, though perhaps I'm one of the few who felt that way. The film barely grossed $14 million which is kind of sad making it number three at the box office this weekend.
xoxoxoxox Chocolate Girl In the City xoxoxoxoxoxox
Review: BET Makes Its Dramatic Entry with the Fresh & Entertaining 'Being Mary Jane'
Hey peeps :)
I don't know if you remember, but in one of my previous posts School Was My Hustle: On Grad School & The Job Hunt (Part 1) I mentioned that I got the go ahead to write for a really dope website. Well that site is Shadow and Act: On the Cinema of the African Diaspora. I'm EXTREMELY excited about this opportunity. Though I'm working hard to always improve my writing, Black Cinema has been a passion of my forever. I hope to one day make a career out of it. But until then, I am thrilled to support and write about it.
My first piece BET Makes Its Dramatic Entry with the Fresh & Entertaining 'Being Mary Jane' was published today and I just wanted to share it with you all.
xoxoxo Chocolate Girl In the City xoxoxox
The Best Man Holiday and the Second New Wave of Black Cinema
When I was younger my parents didn’t allow my sister or myself to watch television during the week. They were very education-minded and wanted us to find joy in books and explorations instead of focusing our energies on screens. Don’t get me wrong, film and television were still very prominent in my house. Some of my most vivid childhood memories are Friday evenings with my dad and sister renting videos from Hollywood Video store and pizza from Pizza Hut. On Friday my sister and I sat down in front of the PBS afterschool shows and then the TGIF line up on The WB(we never had cable in our house). We ended our evening with whatever video we had rented. Though we subjected our poor parents to every Mary Kate and Ashley film that was ever made, it was our father, a Nigerian immigrant who introduced us to the classics. Through him, we were introduced to films like The Sound of Music, It’s A Wonderful Life, Sense and Sensibility and so forth. In return, we got him hooked on Harry Potter (both the books and the films).
As I got older I began seeking out images for myself. UPN was still on at the time and there were always reruns of The Cosby Show and A Different World. Not to mention more contemporary shows like Moesha, One on One, Family Matters,Martin (the list goes on in on). During the day on Saturdays, many networks played films like What’s Love Got To Do With It, The Color Purple, Sounder, and so forth. It was on these Saturday afternoons in the TV room in my childhood home, that I got introduced to Black Cinema. It was these images that I repeatedly retuned to time and time again. By the time I got to high school the ban on weekday television was lifted. I got my own room and my own TV set and I somehow convinced my mother to add me to her video rentals card. I became obsessed with the Black image onscreen. Already a history nerd I sought out older films like Imitation of Life and I hid rentals I wasn’t suppose to have like Monster’s Balland Menace II Society. (In my house unless you were thirteen you weren’t watching a PG-13 film). There was something comforting, something that felt like home for me when I saw these brown faces onscreen.
When it was time to go to college, I knew that I had to continue studying film. At the time, and perhaps even now, I realized that I didn’t have the balls to try and make it as a Black female director or even a screenwriter. (Ava Duvernay , Kasi Lemmons Dee Rees, Issa Rae, Shonda Rhimes and so many other wonderful women are saying everything I could have much more than I would have.) Instead, I chose to keep consuming, to keep studying and to keep writing about what I loved so much. During my undergrad I was lucky enough to study under some of the top Black Cinema Scholars of all time. Ed Gurerro and Manthia Diawara to name a couple.
Still upon my undergrad graduation and, making my decision to continue on with my education there wasn’t much Black Cinema being produced that reached a wide audience. (Aside from what was coming out of Tyler Perry studios.) This year, everything seems to be changing. It seems that we in a magical period that we haven’t been in since 1990’s (The Black New Wave). This year I was able to get on this pre-screening list. I’ve gotten the opportunity to and attend a ton of screenings and Q&A’s. I’ve seen 12 Years A Slave(I saw it twice), The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, Fruitvale Station, American Promise, Mandela: Long Road to Freedom, Mother of George, Best Man Holiday and these are just films from the Black Diaspora. This doesn’t even begin to cover what’s happening on television. Every week like many other Black Americans I turn in to see Kerry Washington on Scandal but there is also, Sleepy Hallow, Almost Human, Being Mary Jane, New Girl (Damon Wayans Jr is back) and let’s not forget the tale end of the mini series Many Rivers to Cross: The African American Experience 1500-2013 on PBS. There is so much more out there that I don’t have time to mention and much more that is coming. Shadow & Act will keep you updated.
When I talk about my excitement to my contemporaries, some don’t understand my excitement or why I’m so enthusiastic. It’s the history component that I think they are missing completely. Black people have been hopelessly scarred and traumatized by racism. Invisibility only adds to that trauma. In the past years the sheer absence of people of color onscreen has undoubtedly had a detrimental effect not just on young people (those who completely missed the Black New Wave of the 1990’s) but people of color in general. I’m an avid believer self-image can be directly correlated to how the mainstream media portrays you. Invisibility is detrimental. Black Cinema/ Media and Television is so important it helps reaffirm our existence as a people. I’m no longer making claims for ideal Black figures (Cosbyesque) but instead for a variety.
With that being said, I f*ckin thrilled about the The Best Man Holidayand its success and well as the success of the other films and shows that are coming as well I watched the original Best Manthis morning and I laughed and smiled like I was seeing it for the first time. The sequel was EVERYTHING!!!!! (LIKE FOR REAL IT WAS AMAZE). I laughed, I cried. The dialogue was spot on, the acting was amazing and the two films fit beautifully together. It just worked perfectly. And let me just take a moment to pause and say thank the Lord for LANCE SULLIVAN (Morris Chestnut)…Jesus what a MAN!
Hollywood has said and will probably say in the future that the reason they don’t like to make Black films is because they don’t make money. (A “regular” film must make back what it spent 3:1, to be deemed successful and Black films must make 5:1) Black films don’t really sale overseas, so its pretty much always a gamble. Honestly though that’s just an excuse. If Hollywood can find the money to make trash films about teenage vampires in academies then they can find the money to make stories about Black American Life. But why should we be so depended upon the studio system? Its up to us to tell our own stories, and to keep showing up for those who have been so gracious and selfless to share their talents with us. (Coming up was have, About Last Night, Black Nativity, Ride Along,) When I went to see to see The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & PeteI asked director George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food, Notorious) about this renaissance in Black Cinema. He said, that for some reason right now people are paying attention to Black Cinema in a way that they haven’t been since the 1990’s. The platform is there, its up to us to stand up on it.
xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxo
PS. I hope to be back more regularly soon peeps. I'm finishing my Master's thesis on Black Girlhood & Parental Loss in Contemporary Black American Film
I Will Follow: Film Review
I rented this film early last semester and being the bum that I am (I have yet to see Pariah or The Middle of Nowhere) I have neglected to put it out there. (Shame on me, the self proclaimed Black film geek). Anyway director Ava DuVernay tells a really beautiful story with this film. It moves pretty slowly, however if you give it the time and opportunity that it deserves then you'll be very pleased with the feeling you take out of it. Now lets get into the specs:
The film follows, Amanda (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) who has put here career and her relationship on hold in order to move across the country to take care of her dying aunt. As she cleans out the now deceased woman's home, the viewer is invited into Amanda's flashbacks getting to know more about her and her Aunt Mya's relationship. Its very strange to watch grief being acted out onscreen especially when its something that you've personally gone through. This especially resonated with me as I watched Amanda and her cousin Fran (Mya's daughter) battle it out for Mya's possessions. They'd never really gotten alone, but I know from first hand experience that death always brings out the worst in people. Since the film only follows the main character through one day, I think that what is most important is what isn't said. I Will Follow is definitely worth the watch if for nothing else then to see Omari Hardwick (yum:))
