Movies/TV
Five Years After Katrina
Spike Lee's follow up to his Emmy Award-winning documentary about Hurricane Katrina is fierce and exhaustive.
By Esther Iverem
Aug 27, 2010,
13:25
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Movies/TV
Dream Versus Reality
"Inception" takes us from silliness to terror, from the cheesiest moments of a summer action flick to scenes of wonder, beauty and the deepest of human emotion.
By Esther Iverem
Jul 26, 2010,
12:29
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Movies/TV
'South of the Border '
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| President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela proudly claims his African ancestry. |
"South Of The Border" is a moving and exhilarating movie that sets the record straight on politics, race and history in Latin America.
By Esther Iverem
Jul 26, 2010,
10:43
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Movies/TV
War For Real and Up Close
If it is true that “war is a force that gives us meaning,” that meaning is surely lost on us after viewing “Restrepo,” the new devastating documentary about the war in Afghanistan.
By Esther Iverem
Jul 13, 2010,
15:45
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Movies/TV
Black Woman As Poster Child
When I watched both "Sex and the City 2," based on the popular former TV series, and "Just Wright," the new romantic comedy starring Queen Latifah and Common, I had on my mind the ways that Black women are always made the poster children for being frustrated and single (or unhappily unmarried).
By Esther Iverem
Jun 3, 2010,
11:24
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Movies/TV
Keeping Up With The Joneses
The subject of "The Joneses" is our drive toward materialism and the competition to have something more than, better than, bigger than, more expensive than the folks next door.
By Esther Iverem
Apr 16, 2010,
11:53
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Movies/TV
Oscar's 'Precious' Monster
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| Mo'Nique as Mary in "Precious" |
Oscar Notes: Why "Precious" fits into the Oscars tribute to horror films...Why Lee Daniels should not be the first African American director nominated in the Best Picture category...The bumrush of the mic...And "Avatar" versus the haters.
By Esther Iverem
Mar 9, 2010,
12:07
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Movies/TV
Dark Crimes...
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| Wesley Snipes and Don Cheadle star in "Brooklyn's Finest." |
Though “Brooklyn’s Finest” might be dismissed easily as yet another cop movie, it has several strong points that raise it above what we have come to expect from this graft and guns blazing genre. It also raises the question, Is dark the color of my true criminal’s skin?
By Esther Iverem
Mar 5, 2010,
13:07
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Movies/TV
'A Man Called Hawk'
Robert Parker, the man who imagined "A Man Called Hawk," died last month, at the age of 77. Parker was primarily known for his series of detective novels based on the character Spenser. The novels were the inspiration for the television series "Spenser for Hire," which debuted in the fall of 1985 on ABC television.
By Mark Anthony Neal
Feb 9, 2010,
18:51
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Movies/TV
Can We Cheer Our Heroes?
Why no Internet buzz about Denzel as a Black hero in "The Book of Eli"? Are we Black film goers conditioned to not see our heroes? Or conditioned to see and cheer only Black stereotypical heroes? If Neytiri of the Na'vi (played by Zoe Saldana) in �Avatar� was not a hero, then I don�t know what a hero is.
By Esther Iverem
Feb 4, 2010,
19:46
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Movies/TV
SB's Best 2009 Films
In terms of the directors and producers included, this is surely the �whitest� best Black film list ever created by SeeingBlack.com. Because even fewer Black filmmakers are finding opportunities to have their work produced and distributed, there are fewer movies by us or about us on the big screen in 2009. But here are my bright spots, with excerpts from my reviews.
By Esther Iverem
Dec 24, 2009,
11:03
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Movies/TV
'Avatar'--Fight the Power!
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| Zoe Saldana as Neytiri in "Avatar." |
Who would have thought that "Avatar," this year's computer-generated masterpiece, would be a narrative taken from real-world conflict? Or that the stars would be a "people of color"?
By Esther Iverem
Dec 22, 2009,
14:36
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Movies/TV
Post-Modern Mammy?: The Oprah Legacy
Oprah Winfrey announced that she will be ending her popular talk show in 2011, after 25 years on the air. Though the program made Winfrey one of the most visible and wealthy women in the world, some thought her little more than a post-modern �mammy.�
By Mark Anthony Neal
Dec 18, 2009,
10:45
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Movies/TV
Invictus Needs to Get Real
Despite the regal performance by Morgan Freeman, it may be difficult for those who fought for a free South Africa to see the narrative presented by "Invictus" as anything other than a diversion from the true gravity of South African history.
By Esther Iverem
Dec 11, 2009,
12:15
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Movies/TV
Seeing 'The Blind Side'
Truth is what gives “The Blind Side” its teeth and bite. Enough of the realities of race, class and gender disparities in Memphis, Tenn. are laid bare to steer the narrative away from the typical: magnanimous, wealthy Whites help poor, hapless Blacks.
By Esther Iverem
Nov 25, 2009,
13:30
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Movies/TV
'Precious' and Painful
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| Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibi in the title role in "Precious" |
In "Precious," Lee Daniels returns to the formula that won him acclaim and won Halle Berry an Oscar for her role in "Monster's Ball"—poor Black women are pathetic, sick and incapable of caring for themselves or their children.
By Esther Iverem
Nov 13, 2009,
10:51
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Movies/TV
NEW TO DVD!
“American Violet,” is a raw and honest movie based on the true story of how a wide swath of a Black community in Texas was arrested one day in a massive drug raid.
Nov 9, 2009,
15:39
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Movies/TV
The "It" Man
“This Is It” is a poignant snapshot of Michael Jackson’s work in the weeks before his death. It may be selected viewing but it still offers insight into Jackson’s creative process and energy.
By Esther Iverem
Oct 30, 2009,
00:32
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Movies/TV
Relax and Get "Good Hair"
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| A young girl gets her hair relaxed in "Good Hair." |
In his new film, "Good Hair," Chris Rock approaches the subject of Black women's hair—all at once—like a man, like a novice, like a voyeur, and like a comedian in his investigation of hair weaves and hair straightening relaxers. In this world, natural hair is not an option.
By Esther Iverem
Oct 9, 2009,
11:18
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Movies/TV
Bombing Capitalism
In his documentary masterpiece, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” Michael Moore explodes some serious myths: One myth is that people of color, who bought houses that they couldn’t afford, caused the U.S. financial meltdown. Another myth is that mainly Blacks and Hispanics are losing their homes to foreclosure.
By Esther Iverem
Oct 2, 2009,
14:27
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Movies/TV
Why Tyler Perry Matters—and Why We Should Be Concerned
Tyler Perry’s take on Black gender politics—not much different than the everyday rapper we are so willing to label as misogynistic—is not something marginal to the Black community.
By Mark Anthony Neal
Sep 14, 2009,
14:27
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Movies/TV
The Everyday Hero
On the other end of the telephone line is a man who has just hijacked a New York City subway car. Our man Denzel Washington takes the call.
Esther Iverem
Jun 12, 2009,
14:33
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Movies/TV
A Revved Up 'Star Trek'
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| The new cast of 'Star Trek.' |
Despite some annoyances, the new “Star Trek” succeeds where few other movie remakes or re-imaginings have in the past. For one, Zoe Saldana as Uhura pushes the envelope and updates the image and persona of the Black, sexy techie.
By Esther Iverem
May 8, 2009,
11:06
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Movies/TV
Claws and Heart
When I first thought about writing about Wolverine, I toyed around with the idea of posing the question of whether Wolverine is Black but there wasn’t much evidence, material or jokes for me to work with. (In contrast, for example, the Hulk can at least be referred to legitimately as a person of color.)
By Esther Iverem
May 1, 2009,
11:21
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