Homegirl Quel (kel) in Austin

Just Felt This Flick: Pariah

When I got home with my latest Red Box rental, I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this coming out film about a black teenage lesbian living in New York. I had recalled seeing a trailer for it on Facebook around the time the film was released. I had also read about the acclaim the film has received. Still, having never seen a story like this one told on film, I sort of braced myself for some over the top stereotypes and kind of simplification and dumbing down of a very complex issue. Don't judge me for my low expectations of a black film. I know there are good black writers, directors, producers and actors putting out great work constantly. Somehow, it seems like the black films that make it to the masses are usually not those great ones. So I was skeptical.

I pop the film in, it opens in a lesbian strip club, blasting music about a very female body part. I'm thinking, ooookay so we're jumping right in. Moments later, Alike (ah-lee-kay), played by one of my new favorite actresses, Adepero Oduye, is on a bus ride home after the club with her friend. Both girls are dressed like boys. Alike urges her friend to get off the bus before her stop. Once her friend is gone, Alike removes her boy clothes and puts on her gold hoop earrings before walking into her home after curfew. Somewhere between the moment when Alike slid off her do rag and put in her first gold hoop, I was hooked. 

This film, written and directed by Dee Rees, tells the story of a high school girl who is tyring to find her identity as a lesbian. The girl has never had a girlfriend, but knows that she wants one. Her tragically Christian mother (tragic in that it hampered her capacity to love her daughter unconditionally) and emotionally absent father are both afraid to confront what they already know about their daughter. Her sister accepts her for who she is, but Alike's friends have their own idea of who and how she should be. Her journey towards understanding and self-acceptance is beautifully chronicled in Pariah. Aside from the female body part song, the soundtrack to this film is amazing. 

I talked about it with my BFF on our vlog, GirlDidYouSee. Here is our conversation...

Please join in and share your thoughts on our Youtube page, or here if you don't have a Youtube account.

Have you seen Pariah? 

Just Felt This Flick: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter is awesome! Obviously this film could have been all cornball and cheese, but it was pure entertainment. If you know Lincoln's life story and the history surrounding the Civil War (especially the Underground Railroad), and love vampires, go see this movie! You will appreciate how the writers maintained the integrity of the historical facts while telling the story of how vampires and slaves were major players in the outcome of the Civil War. For an incredibly informative comparison of Lincoln's History vs the film, click here--you will be surprised and impressed. And when you  watch the film, don't blink during the last two minutes --all I will say is OBAMA EARS! Oh, and I have totally added aggressive axe wielding to things that manly men do that are hot. Benjamin Walker, the actor portraying Lincoln is attractive enough, but by the end of his wax-on-wax-off sequence with the axe I was all...

and...

And speaking of hot, when Anthony Mackie showed up, girl... anyway...

Enjoy this clip of Tim Burton and the stars of the film making light and answering fan questions about the film on MySpace...yes, there is still a MySpace. 

 

 

Just Felt This Flick: Red Tails

Let me get my one real criticism of this film out of the way. Ok. The romance. I didn't need any romance in this film. I would have been happy if the romance had been left out altogether and left for Spike Lee to handle in the prequel or Lee Daniels in the sequel. George Lucas was quoted in a NYT article saying the film's target audience was black teenagers--boys I'm sure. So for the one depiction of love in the movie being one airman's head-over-heels love for an unattractive Italian woman he could barely communicate with was awkward and out of place in the film, and off-putting to me. I just needed to see at least one of the airmen writing home to his sweet Odessa, or going on about how his Caroline smells just like sweet honeysuckle off the vine, or getting letters from Bessie and the kids back home, or tucking a picture of his mother into his vest pocket before leaving on a mission. SOMEthing.  If I was gonna see some love, particularly in a film like this one, I needed a black woman to be the recipient and/or giver of it. The closest thing we got to seeing black love was the one airman who took his picture of Black Jesus on every mission. I actually quite liked that relationship. 

Other than that, I enjoyed Red Tails. It was cheesy and corny and whatever other food-word that connotes being uncool. It was kind of awesome in that way. I totally agree with George Lucas' NYT interview when he says, "They have a right to have their history just like anybody else does. And they have a right to have it kind of Hollywood-ized and aggrandized and made corny and wonderful just like anybody else does. Even if that's not the fashion right now."  Among black films that have made it to the big screen with content quality ranging from the lows of Soul Plane to the heights of The Color Purple, there has to be room for black films with decent-quality content sprinkled with a little cornball. 

Red Tails has made about $48 million since the film opened last month. That's still $10 million shy of the film's budget, but not a bad showing for an all black, non-comedy. Plus, if I know George Lucas like I think I do, aside from a prequel and sequel, I'm sure there are action figures and video games in there somewhere. There is money to be made off this film yet.

No film starring mostly black people would have gotten a $58mil budget without having some historical significance. Hollywood and the mass consumers love a good black-struggle nostalgia film (see "The Color Purple" and "The Help"), but you'll never see a black "Garden State" (one of my favorite movies) because the masses don't care to see depictions of our ever day unless we're on "The Wire" or in a Tyler Perry film (but big ups to Tyler Perry's newest film Good Deeds in theaters Friday, which promises to have me eating my words here--we'll see). I'd love to see dark comedies and mellow dramas like "Young Adult" featuring all black actors on big screens, but as long as good black non-comedies trickle into theaters at barely a film-a-year pace, I rely on straight to DVD films for that. Unfortunately, people say "straight to DVD" like that's a bad thing, but there are many, very well-done low-budget black films that go straight to DVD. Perhaps, just as unfortunate, is the fact that in a post Tyler Perry America, where Hollywood likes a bankable formula, I'm afraid that "Red Tails", which was a good, but not great, movie won't open any floodgates of financial backers for good quality black stories. I hope I'm wrong. At any rate, hoorah and amen for a story about young black men who found pride in working towards and acheiving excellence. 

Oh, and y'all know I can't get through a review of a film featuring an all black male cast without objectifying those men by talking about the eye candy. Too much for a married lady like me to go into, but let me just say this...Ne-Yo has the most beautiful smile in Hollywood and the rainbow of young and older chocolatey goodness presented in Red Tails thoroughly satisfied my sweet tooth. David Oyelowo, oh my. 

Here are most of them in a really funny interview. I HEART Cuba Gooding, Jr. he's so funny. Enjoy!

Did I say David Oyelowo? Ok. Just checking.

Naturally, The Help is #WINNING During The 2012 Awards Season

It was a great night for The Help at the 2012 SAG Awards. But how great was the night for the future of black actors in film? 

 

Just Felt This Flick: Sex And The City 2

Actually, I didn't feel this flick. The costumes and set designs are insanely pretty. Other than that, the film is just a hodgepodge of awkward dialogue and underdeveloped storyline. It's as if the creators had all these awesome (and they are awesome) fashion ensembles and needed an excuse to show them on film.  I went to see it with some girlfriends and was more entertained with our what-the-eff-moments chatter than I was by the actual film.

My rant review (and spoilers) begin now ...

A Christmas Movie List!

There are a handful of Christmas films that I look forward to watching every year. There are some movies that I wanted to add to this list like Soul Food and Bridgette Jones' Diary and The Wiz and Why Did I Get Married and Serendipity, but they only had snow in them or scenes that occurred during Christmas, so they really aren't Christmas movies per se, and thus did not make the official list.

Here's the quick and dirty in no particular order...

Just Felt This Flick: New York I Love You

Friday night I went to see New York I Love You. I hadn't heard about the film until I checked our local art house theater to see what was playing. Whenever I have free moments to get out without my son, I like to take in films there. If you are not familiar with my film reviews, I really enjoy films about love and random glimpses into everyday lives, especially ones with multiple stories that are not connected, where characters overlap, you know? Like,one story might be about a couple breaking up over dinner, then the next story would be about their waiter who goes home to an alcoholic wife. The stories are sometimes sad and depressing, but sometimes love is too-- teenage hearts break, spouses cheat, relationships dissolve or carry on in unhappily. Then there are the uplifting ones where relationships start and last forever in spite of seemingly impossible circumstances. I've written about some of my favorite films and HBO shows from writer/director Rodrigo García, Nine Lives, Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her, Tell Me You Love Me and In Treatment. These kinds of films are always PACKED with some of the most amazing actors and are like reminders that everybody has a story.

New York I Love You features more than 20 awesome actors including Andy Garcia and Ethan Hawk (yow.za!). This film is reminder that everybody has a love story--whether it's new love, love lost, familial love, everlasting love, unrequited love, forbidden love,or love only hoped for. The one story this film was missing was black love. I know there's some black lovin' goin' on in NYC--just sayin'. Still, it was an awesome theater experience. I highly recommend this film. Watch the trailer:

Just Felt This Flick (but not in the good way): Good Hair

If I had seen the actual preview for the film before going to see it, I might have been prepared for what I was about to see. But I didn't see the preview, which has a very lighthearted, comedic edge. Going into the film, I had only read bloggers' reviews and overheard conversations about the Oprah episode and the backlash from women who where not pleased with the film. So I went in expecting too much, I think. 

The documentary, Good Hair, was supposed to be a look into the black woman's quest for "good hair", but it should have been promoted as a look into everything you never thought you ever wanted to know about The Annual Bronner Brothers Hair Show, with a few segments about chemical relaxers and the hair weave industry in India. It's a good documentary for what it is--a Chris Rock comedy. Not sure I agree with the rave reviews. After watching it, I'm just annoyed. I guess you can visit a couple of hair salons in a couple of cities and interview a few Hollywood actresses and claim to have lifted the veil of mystery behind back women and their hair issues. Whatever, if that's what you want to claim--free country and all that, but it's just annoying.

Just Felt This Flick: Rachel Getting Married

I saw this film last week on my "day off" from SAHMing (stay-at-home-momming) while Billy was home for vacation. I was prepared to see a film that was a bit light, but heavy and a bit dark (which I gathered from the previews), but I had no idea how emotionally draining and wonderful this film would be.  I heart films about family dysfunction and screwed up individuals and this one is sufficiently depressing. There is so much love between the members of Rachel's family. There is a beautiful wedding, quite possibly the most beautiful wedding I've seen in terms of the focus on the love between the bride and groom and their soon-to-be blended families, still there's a cloud so thick over the events leading up to the wedding. The resentment and anger and bitterness and baggage all stemming from a past tragedy is palpable. It's all there and there is no redemption, no forgiveness (of self or others), and no sign that there ever would be any. There is only the gut punch from reality that at the end of the day, some things are just going to suck. Period. Deal with it. And that's real, you know? Sometimes, in life, there is no bright side--some things will just always suck, you know?

I cried mixed tears of happiness and of sadness pretty much throughout the last two-thirds of the film. I watched it during the day too, so I couldn't hide it from people as I exited out into the daylight.  And the music! Y'all the music! There's rock, folk, reggae, samba, jazz, a little soul, some R&B. The cast is an eclectic mix of folks of different races and cultures--it's delightful. And if Anne Hathaway doesn't win an Oscar for this role, somebody needs to reevaluate whose voting, because she took it there in this film.

Here's the preview in case you haven't seen it already. Watch it.

Just Felt This Flick: Once

Ok. So Once is film that you could totally watch with your eyes closed. I netflixed it last week and watched it once (pun, however weak, still intended) and then immediately played it again just so the music could float through my house as I hung out with my kid. If you like acoustic guitar music and awesome lyrics, you might like this film. I say might because it's a musical that's just short of being an opera...there's probably more singing than speaking lines...which is awesome! The film made the secret acoustic guitar playing, free living artist inside of me want to hang out with my imaginary musician and artist and dancer friends in an apartment that's way to small to hold all of us and sing and play our instruments and smoke and drink wine and obscure beers and be artsy and talk about how much pocket money we made in tips during our street performances and waiter jobs that day. There is something exciting about people who live their passions. That's what this film is.

It's a love story. It's a musical. It's Irish. It's Indie. It's awesome.

Just Felt This Flick: Stomp The Yard

I know I'm late, but I finally watched Stomp The Yard today. I was flipping channels and caught it from the beginning on Starz. It was a little dramatic with the beefs between the college step teams, but was good still. Very entertaining. It's funny how Meagan Goode is the same girl in every film she's in. Her style doesn't even change. As for the guys in the film...lots of handsome, young, brown, strapping, bare-chested gents.  *clearing my throat*

Anyway, the film was actually better than I thought it would be. I'd actually watch it again. I usually do enjoy the films about black college life. I didn't go to a  historically black college, but they always look like so much fun on film. This film was all about stepping . The tradition of stepping among black college fraternities and sororities is so cool. I don't know the history of it, but it's the closest thing we have to tribal dancing...since we were stripped of our various African tribal traditions during slavery...so I wonder if the roots of college stepping are based in recreating those traditions. Some quick google action could answer that for me, I'm sure. Basically, this film left me thoroughly entertained and impressed in general. Black people have so much flavor.

Just Felt These Flicks: Why Did I Get Married? & We Own The Night

We saw Why Did I Get Married? on opening night. I have high hopes that Tyler Perry will add at least one seasoned screenwriter to his staff. His movie could have been SO good if it weren't for [fill in the blank here with the parts of the film that a good screenwriter would have re-written or edited out completely]. I've seen all his movies so far, and am sure I'll watch future flicks of his. Not so much because I think he's a great filmmaker, he's SO just OK, but how am I supposed to not watch a film with Gabrielle Union, or Idris Elba, or Janet other good black actors in the cast? Really. This latest installment was his best yet, so it has to get better from here.

We Own The Night was awesome. Joaquin Phoenix is such a great actor. Mark Wahlberg is Mark Wahlberg--hot and awesome. The only downside to the experience was that we went to see it at our new neighborhood theater and they didn't have the film set right for the screen. We saw mics almost touch the actors' foreheads all through the film and couldn't read any of the Russian-to-English subtitles. The manager was waiting outside the exit to give us all vouchers for a free show. We'll probably use them to go see Dan In Real Life or The Kingdom this weekend.

Just Felt This Flick: Eagle vs Shark

A friend of mine invited me to a pre-release screening last night. Eagle vs Shark is a bit of a screwball love story and we loved it. It's full of laugh-out-loud moments. It's like Napoleon Dynamite 10 years after high school. I didn't know anything about the film before seeing it, but the moment I saw Jemaine Clement from HBO's Flight of The Conchords on screen, I said "Oh shit" out loud because I knew we were in for some serious laughs. I think it's in theaters in August. This film is going to be huge.

Just Felt This Flick: Shopgirl

I'm glad I finally saw this film. It's been on my list forever and I got it from netflix a few days ago. I was in the mood for a slow Sunday morning, so when I woke up, I popped it in. I thought this was a romantic comedy, but it's actually more drama. Steve Martin was very impressive, and I was surprised that I actually took him seriously...he's such a goofball usually. I didn't know he was a writer. I bet his novella is a great read. I'm guessing since he wrote the book and the screenplay that there's probably not much difference between them, but this story must be just as enjoyable in black and white. The characters are sad and lonely and interesting. For whatever reason Steve Martin's character was closed off, crippled in a way, and lonely, not knowing how to have relationships outside of sexual ones. And nobody plays a sad, melancholy, lonely girl better than Claire Danes. I think she's really beautiful. This is definitely my kind of film. I'd watch it again, I'm sure.

Just Felt This Flick: Transformers

I remember the cartoons. I wasn't crazy about the cartoon, but my brother, sister and I watched it growing up. I'm not one of those thirtysomethings (like Billy and my sister) who remember the theme song to the cartoon and the characters. When I went in to see the movie, I expected to be entertained...it's a theatrical comic book throwback, of course it was going to be good. My expectations were FAR surpassed. Transformers is AWEsome! I started to feel nostalgic as I was reintroduced to The Autobots and The Decepticons and Optimus Prime (the Mac truck) and Megatron. Although the old theme song didn't make it into the film, the line "more than meets the eye" was cleverly written into the script. And Bumble Bee got a sexy upgrade from the old yellow VW bug ...which was also cleverly revealed in the film. Great throwback.

Every once in a while I would squeeze Billy's hand (we always hold hands during movies) and say, "Man, this movie is good!" I haven't been as entertained in a long time. There was good drama and just the right amount of cheese. It was funny (a couple of awesome black comic actors showed up in this film unexpectedly) and even the robots had jokes. The action was great and none of it looked fake. The two females in the film are ridiculously gorgeous and smart and cool and Shia LaBeouf (the little Disney kid from Even Stevens and Holes?) ain't a baby no more, y'all. He's well on his way to beefcakedom. Oh, and consider GMC vehicles officially plugged.

This film is 144 minutes of PURE EN.TER.TAIN.MENT. Please, let this be a trilogy! *fingers crossed*

Just Felt This Flick: Annie Hall...actually not so much.

Diane Keaton was wonderful, as I expected. I realize now that she totally plays the same character in all her films. She's always great, but always the same...kinda like Drew Barrymore. Woody Allen was odd and awkward, as I expected, and was also very, very annoying. It was a task to not fast-forward through some scenes, because he was equal parts annoying and funny. Not so much love for Woody Allen though. I'm sure if this movie featured Diane Keaton and some other actor (like Larry David!...the Seinfeld creator?), I could love it.

Just Felt This Flick: Reign Over Me

Good movie. The pace of Reign Over Me is really slow in the beginning, but that's OK 'cause it works for the story. The way the back story (which has everything to do with the main story) is unfolded slowly throughout the first half of the film then suddenly revealed all at once made it really emotional for me. I actually cried. It's a serious, real, relevant story and is treated as such. Just like in real-life, in this film, even in the darkest of times there are moments of levity. Adam Sandler did a really great job of bringing that to this film (he did it in Punch Drunk Love too, which is also an awesome film). Adam Sandler was amazing in general--nobody does "mentally imbalanced guy" better than him. Don Cheadle was great...and sexy as always. I enjoyed this movie, but it isn't one of those films I feel like I'd watch again. It's a film that I'm glad I had a chance to experience, and that I'm sure will resonate with anybody who's ever lost anyone in a tragedy.

Soundtrack=Awesome.

Update: Actually, I would watch this film again. The more I think about it and see the trailer, the more I remember how touched I was by certain parts of this story, and the more I realize I would totally watch this film again.

Just Felt This Flick: 300

Blood, guts, glory and a courageous fight for freedom against unbeatable odds. One too many decapitations for me. Ab.so.lute.ly no shortage of manly man ab and  thigh flesh. Partly because of the decapitations and largely because of the man flesh, this is an awesome film. I haven't checked to see where it was shot, but the scenery with the lighting and everything was beautiful. It was like one of those museum pieces come to life.

The King, this quintessentially powerful, strong, hyper-masculine Spartan King wears no armor across chest in battle and wears his heart on his sleeve with his wife--very sexy. His wife is the one prominent female in the movie (other than the unfortunate oracle girl) and she is feminine and strong at once. There are just enough ghoulish, monster-looking creatures to make this historical flick a bit fantastical. Sometimes fantasy has a way of making the realistic more bearable for those who need the occasional departure from reality.

The film is violent (at times for no good reason) with just enough gratuitous boob and butt shots sprinkled in between battle scenes, which I did watch out of one squinted eye--the battle scenes, not the nudy shots. 

Tuckergurl's all up in my spot!

Tuckergurl's the first blogger who blogrolled me when I started this site. A film she's consulting producer on, Election Day, is a Premier Pick at SXSW film festival in Austin this year, so she's down here from NYC for a few days for the festival. Haven't seen the film yet, but we're going to the screening Tuesday night. It's a documentary that follows voters from around the country on election day 2004. Should be interesting. Anyway, we met up last night at Ruta Maya Coffee House for the film party. Although we only know each other through typepad it felt like we were old friends meeting after a long time away. We both met each other with smiles and enthusiastic hellos and familiar hugs. I was relieved that she was as excited to meet me as I was to meet her and that she's as awesome in person as she seems online. Fun times.

And shout-out to L.Britt. Tuckergurl told me you'd be excited that she and I met.

Random Note: I found this site in search of free wireless Internet spots in Austin. I usually don't use free wireless Internet, but I had my laptop with me today 'cause I wanted to get this post up @ lunch and the storm knocked our service out last night and I didn't want to do it at work. Anyway, it's a cool site. Hope somebody finds it useful: Free Wireless USA.

Just Felt This Flick: Black Snake Moan

Great movie. Between the blues songs performed by Sam Jackson as Lazarus (who reminds me so much of any one of my uncles), smokin' & drinkin' & cussin' Christian black folks, gold grills, Justin Timberlake's southern, country white-boy accent, and awesome (and familiar) one-liners from Sam Jackson like, "That girl will be on your [mmhm] like stank on shit", I was feeling pretty home-sick for Memphis after this show.

Sam Jackson is amazing in Black Snake Moan, of course. Christina Ricci could have been better, but no other actress could have been Rae. Justin Timberlake is so hot...in general. In the film, as Ronnie, he's sweet and loving and vulnerable, which makes him even hotter.

Speaking of hot, part of me is ashamed to admit this, but the other part is compelled to share...David Banner has officially been added to my Sexy Beast list. I'm not a fan of popular rap music or rap music videos, so I hadn't seen him before. I found out he was a rapper from reading about the film online. I don't know what he sings, I don't love gold teeth on men, and so far every picture I've seen of him online looks more beastly than sexy, but there's something about this man in the film that's nice...real nice.