Movies/TV
Back to Fairytale 'Narnia'
Unless you count the appearance of a half-human, half-horse minotaur, "The Chronicles of Narnia; Price Caspian" presents its young audience with a fairytale land void of "people of color." Still, this sequel is best appreciated by our children-who-read, if not by parents.
By Esther Iverem
May 16, 2008,
13:50
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Movies/TV
A Fighter's Heart
In "Redbelt," a moody film about the competitive world of jiu-jitsu, Chiwetel Ejiofor takes on his most physical role to date and delivers a moving performance.
By Esther Iverem
May 9, 2008,
01:27
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Movies/TV
Gaye's Genius and Demons
Two documentaries airing on PBS offer an immersion into two hours of unadulterated soul and into an era when soul music shaped American culture and society.
By Esther Iverem
May 7, 2008,
09:32
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Movies/TV
Rich (White) Guys Rule!
Is Iron Man an elitist? (Ha-ha) He attains his superhero status through a first-class education and, like Batman, through lots of wealth and spare time. The comic book Iron Man grappled with the Vietnam War. Today’s Iron Man mixes it up in the Middle East.
By Esther Iverem
May 2, 2008,
11:48
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Movies/TV
New Orleans--Old and New
A new documentary, “Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans,” tells the story of a New Orleans Black neighborhood that existed while most African Americans were still enslaved. Its residents were the nation's first civil rights pioneers. Now, some say, the neighborhood must fight the same battles 200 years later.
By Astride Charles
Apr 25, 2008,
15:00
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Movies/TV
Visitors to a Strange Land
The new independent film, “The Visitor,” explores the plight of Black and Arab immigrants—as well as that of dazed Americans—in the United States during the post 9/11 era.
By Esther Iverem
Apr 18, 2008,
08:15
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Movies/TV
88 Bi-Polar Minutes
Intended to be a taut murder mystery, police drama and psychological thriller, “88 Minutes” winds up feeling instead like a made-for-TV movie.
By Esther Iverem
Apr 18, 2008,
08:01
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Movies/TV
Here Comes the Po-Po!
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| Common in 'Street Kings' |
“Street Kings,” an action-packed police drama, is mainly a vehicle for Keanu Reeves to be a tough guy but Forest Whitaker steals some scenes. Common also appears.
By Esther Iverem
Apr 11, 2008,
09:28
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Movies/TV
Lights, Camera, and Africa
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| Mahen Bonetti |
The African Film Festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Its 2008 program launches April 9 at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. Founder Mahen Bonetti speaks to SeeingBlack.com. Second of three parts.
By Astride Charles
Apr 8, 2008,
11:37
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Movies/TV
The Black World in Film
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| Bi Kidude, probably the oldest singer on the world, is profiled in the film "Old as My Tongue." |
After attending the African Diaspora Film Festival in New York City and, three months later, the Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles, Astride Charles offers notes and interviews from Los Angeles about the state of presenting Black independent film. First of three parts.
Apr 2, 2008,
14:25
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Movies/TV
War That Won’t Let You Go
In “Stop-Loss,” there is an authenticity in little moments that draw us into the life-and-death reality for soldiers that have fought in Iraq.
By Esther Iverem
Mar 28, 2008,
09:53
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Movies/TV
Tyler Perry’s Baby Mama
One thing about Tyler Perry, he seems to believe that both genders have equal opportunity to be trifling. In "Meet the Browns," Perry makes a hardworking, well-intentioned single mother (Angela Bassett) the star of the show.
By Esther Iverem
Mar 23, 2008,
15:53
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Movies/TV
Magical Djimon Hounsou
In "Never Back Down," Djimon Hounsou plays a new and improved “magic Negro” who helps a White person out of a bad predicament.
By Esther Iverem
Mar 14, 2008,
09:52
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Movies/TV
'Down Low' and Undercover
“Cover,” an independent production playing in limited release around the country, tackles the issue of homosexual or bi-sexual men on the “down low” in the Black community.
By Esther Iverem
Mar 14, 2008,
09:40
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Movies/TV
Tarzan Goes to Egypt
"10,000 B.C." is proof that Hollywood’s stereotypes and delusions — as well as its worn-out theme of the White damsel in distress—seem to be only getting worse.
By Esther Iverem
Mar 6, 2008,
20:15
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Movies/TV
Mos Def Makes Movies
“Be Kind Rewind,” the new movie starring Mos Def, Danny Glover and Jack Black, revels in its silliness. "Ghost Busters" anyone?
By Esther Iverem
Feb 22, 2008,
07:40
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Movies/TV
‘Jumper’ Misses the Mark
In "Jumper," Samuel L. Jackson plays a hater who hunts a man with special powers.
By Esther Iverem
Feb 14, 2008,
20:53
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Movies/TV
Expanding Pan-Africanism
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| Actress Kimberly Elise walks the red carpet. |
The 16th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival is in full swing in Los Angeles. The festival is furthering its pursuit to showcase the diverse landscape of Black cinema.
By Astride Charles
Feb 14, 2008,
15:34
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Movies/TV
Roscoe-A Quartet of Comedy
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| Ain't nobody dope as me... |
“Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,” featuring Martin Lawrence, Mo'Nique, Mike Epps and Cedric the Entertainer, is a rough-and-tumble comedy that spoofs celebrity and dysfunctional family relationships.
By Esther Iverem
Feb 8, 2008,
10:37
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Movies/TV
A Sayles Southern Beauty
Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Charles Dutton all star in "Honeydripper," a jewel of a movie by John Sayles that you might not see unless you look for it. (Don't sleep!)
By Esther Iverem
Feb 1, 2008,
09:27
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Movies/TV
Does It Move Us?
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| Profiling in the annual dance movie. |
“How She Move" attempts to freshen the dance movie genre by tapping into the Caribbean flavor that popular crossover artists such as Sean Paul and Beenie Man have brought to play lists and the dance floor. But does it succeed?
By Esther Iverem
Jan 25, 2008,
07:14
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Movies/TV
Get Mad, Get Money
“Mad Money,” starring Queen Latifah, is the perfect, funny antidote for U.S. financial angst. In it, she plays the part of a struggling Black mother who summons the nerve to risk it all for the big score.
By Esther Iverem
Jan 17, 2008,
19:32
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Movies/TV
'First' is Last in Laughs
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| Perhaps matching prison jumpsuits provide a hint about one man's choice in friends. |
In “First Sunday,” Ice Cube continues to spend too much time socializing with a buddy, played by Tracy Morgan, who seems to have serious challenges.
By Esther Iverem
Jan 10, 2008,
18:40
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Movies/TV
Iron Ladies Who Bend
In both "Bamako" and “Iron Ladies of Liberia,” which premieres on PBS in March, there are fresh narratives about leadership and gender dynamics within African countries.
By Astride Charles
Jan 10, 2008,
18:32
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