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I recently saw 'The Butler', and I enjoyed it. Great performances by the cast (including Oprah). 'Django Unchained' was excellent, of course. 'The Help' was good, too, but felt too much like a "chick flick". I've yet to see '12 Years A Slave', but plan to see it as soon as possible. I'll get around to seeing '42' eventually.
Take note of the fact that I've listed five titles that have been released in the span of only two years. It truly bothers me that the only Black stories Hollywood is interested in telling are the ones from yesterday, so everyone can frown, shed a few tears, and soak in their white guilt for two hours out of their day while they watch reenactments of how bad black people were treated.
White people have films that depict every single facet of life, from fantastical to grassroots, across every genre there is. Where are all of the movies that tell our stories of today? 'Precious' and 'Fruitvale Station' were a decent start, but even with those the dominant theme is the "poor black person". From the 1970s until the 1990s, we seemed to have a solid string of great black movies that were being released. What happened? Why does it seem like we're moving backwards?
We need to start questioning why minority films have such a problem breaking into the mainstream nowadays. Quite frankly, this is an issue that all races should be concerned with.
I would take this opportunity to rant about the Tyler Perry and Kevin Hart stuff, but no true movie buff really enjoys that junk anyway.
I think what's happening is Hollywood banking on a trend. You see it all the time where two movies about the same topic will come out back-to-back, such as Armageddon and Deep Impact, or movies in the same genre will come out in clusters. Remember the westerns making a comeback a few years ago, and several came out around the same time or within the same year or two.
Hopefully some great black movies will come out that will have large commercial appeal. I will be honest, there have been several movies with all black casts that I had never even heard of because I never saw any advertising for it. I would be perfectly willing to see a movie with an all black cast if the subject matter was interesting, but I normally only hear about them after the fact. It seems like the big name black actors who have broken into the mainstream are reluctant to be in movies like that for fear of losing the mainstream appeal. I wish they didn't feel this way as it would take a mainstream black actor to helm an all black cast to appeal to other audiences. I wonder if their agents steer them away from black movies.
I have never had any objection to watching shows geared towards black audiences, even when I was a kid (especially when I was a kid). I was a big fan of Good Times, What's Happening, The Cosby Show, etc. There is an appeal to make to white audiences, but the studios have to advertise.
We need to start questioning why minority films have such a problem breaking into the mainstream nowadays. Quite frankly, this is an issue that all races should be concerned with.
I would take this opportunity to rant about the Tyler Perry and Kevin Hart stuff, but no true movie buff really enjoys that junk anyway.
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I agree 1000% with the second paragraph. However, we must remember that movie making is a BUSINESS!! Which the objective is to MAKE MONEY!! It's all in the demands of the market. Are people racist because they'd rather pay the extreme prices for admission and popcorn to see Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise than spike lee or arsenio hall?
Spike Lee used to be a very appealing director. I really liked his movies and felt they had something useful to say. Unfortunately, he's said some things lately that don't play well to a white audience. I could kind of see his point on the gentrification issue with calling the police on drummers in the park who have been doing it for forty years, but it's the way he said it. However, I will never forgive him for tweeting the address of George Zimmerman, or Roseanne Barr for retweeting it. It turned out to be the wrong George Zimmerman, but even had it been the right one it's still inviting violence and retribution on the Zimmerman family, all but one of whom was not responsible for Trayvvon Martin's death.
I think what's happening is Hollywood banking on a trend. You see it all the time where two movies about the same topic will come out back-to-back, such as Armageddon and Deep Impact, or movies in the same genre will come out in clusters. Remember the westerns making a comeback a few years ago, and several came out around the same time or within the same year or two.
Hopefully some great black movies will come out that will have large commercial appeal. I will be honest, there have been several movies with all black casts that I had never even heard of because I never saw any advertising for it. I would be perfectly willing to see a movie with an all black cast if the subject matter was interesting, but I normally only hear about them after the fact. It seems like the big name black actors who have broken into the mainstream are reluctant to be in movies like that for fear of losing the mainstream appeal. I wish they didn't feel this way as it would take a mainstream black actor to helm an all black cast to appeal to other audiences. I wonder if their agents steer them away from black movies.
I have never had any objection to watching shows geared towards black audiences, even when I was a kid (especially when I was a kid). I was a big fan of Good Times, What's Happening, The Cosby Show, etc. There is an appeal to make to white audiences, but the studios have to advertise.
Look at all the zombie stuff out there now (World War Z, Warm Bodies last year, Walking Dead on TV) - is that discrimination against vampires & other undead?
China, Japan and India all have successful movie industries in their own countries. Other than an occasional kung fu movie and all the Godzilla movies, it's rare for for Asian movies to make it here in America. (And, didn't the original Godzilla movie insert Raymond Burr to increase appeal to Americans?) And Mexican movies also have had a limited appeal, even with stars like Antonio Banderas, Sofia Vergara or Salma Hayek in them.
So, it's not just "black" movies that have trouble making it here.
Eddie Murphy was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s with Trading Places, Beverly Hill Cop, and 48 Hours. He could have continued, but then he made some bad career decisions and we got Vampire in Brooklyn, Norbit and Pluto Nash afterwards, and other than doing a great job with animated sidekicks in Mulan and the Shrek movies, most of his work the last 20 years since has been forgettable.
Look at all the zombie stuff out there now (World War Z, Warm Bodies last year, Walking Dead on TV) - is that discrimination against vampires & other undead?
China, Japan and India all have successful movie industries in their own countries. Other than an occasional kung fu movie and all the Godzilla movies, it's rare for for Asian movies to make it here in America. (And, didn't the original Godzilla movie insert Raymond Burr to increase appeal to Americans?) And Mexican movies also have had a limited appeal, even with stars like Antonio Banderas, Sofia Vergara or Salma Hayek in them.
So, it's not just "black" movies that have trouble making it here.
Eddie Murphy was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s with Trading Places, Beverly Hill Cop, and 48 Hours. He could have continued, but then he made some bad career decisions and we got Vampire in Brooklyn, Norbit and Pluto Nash afterwards, and other than doing a great job with animated sidekicks in Mulan and the Shrek movies, most of his work the last 20 years since has been forgettable.
No, Eddie Murphy's not bankable anymore. I was thinking of someone like Denzel Washington. He's big now and has been for a long time. He has done some movies like Malcolm X, but for the most part I've seen him in big action films that appeal to wide audiences.
I didn't say "black movies" should stop. I said these types of movies should stop. You're welcome to your opinion and I'm welcome to mine.
We are saying you are welcome to your opinion just don't rant on the fact that people like movies about history, yes even black history. Your whole premise is there are too many movies like 12YAS, I actually don't think there are enough. Take WWII movies. There are a ton of movies about it that feature big movie stars and huge budgets. This for a war that America was in for 4 years and while it was a huge event in our history I would unequivocally argue that slavery had a much bigger impact on our past and our future as a country. To me and others it's silly to say that because they made three big budget, big screen slavery movies (one that was satire) in the last 50 years, it's too much.
I sometimes feel these movies about slaves and the horrors of slavery are made to continue the victimization that is still being harbored among some black people. I probably won't go see 12YAS because I just don't want to see it. I am more than fine with Steve McQueen winning honors for the movie, as well as the other actors but, I am not going to see it.
I go see what I want to go see and usually just want to be entertained. I like westerns and will watch John Wayne, over and over. I like the big guy and his stories. I also like Samuel L. Jackson. I am kind of over Denzel because of some gossip items I read.
I recently saw 'The Butler', and I enjoyed it. Great performances by the cast (including Oprah). 'Django Unchained' was excellent, of course. 'The Help' was good, too, but felt too much like a "chick flick". I've yet to see '12 Years A Slave', but plan to see it as soon as possible. I'll get around to seeing '42' eventually.
Take note of the fact that I've listed five titles that have been released in the span of only two years. It truly bothers me that the only Black stories Hollywood is interested in telling are the ones from yesterday, so everyone can frown, shed a few tears, and soak in their white guilt for two hours out of their day while they watch reenactments of how bad black people were treated.
White people have films that depict every single facet of life, from fantastical to grassroots, across every genre there is. Where are all of the movies that tell our stories of today? 'Precious' and 'Fruitvale Station' were a decent start, but even with those the dominant theme is the "poor black person". From the 1970s until the 1990s, we seemed to have a solid string of great black movies that were being released. What happened? Why does it seem like we're moving backwards?
We need to start questioning why minority films have such a problem breaking into the mainstream nowadays. Quite frankly, this is an issue that all races should be concerned with.
I would take this opportunity to rant about the Tyler Perry and Kevin Hart stuff, but no true movie buff really enjoys that junk anyway.
Why? It's an interesting subject and it's something that should never be forgotten. Why would you want to sweep it under the rug?
My only problem is Hollywood thinks the only 2 things in black history are slavery and the civil rights movement. Like... Where are the major movies on anything else?
The assertion that 'white folks won't see black movies' is downright asinine; '42', last spring's biography about Jackie Robinson, made over $95,000,000 at the US boxoffice, 2004's outstanding 'Ray' for which Jamie Foxx won the Best Actor Oscar, made over $75,000,000 domestically, to which one can add boxoffice successes such as 'Sounder', 'Dreamgirls', 'Jackie Brown' and many others.
I certainly hope that we do get more movies about slavery and/or civil rights, since films such as '12 Years A Slave' will always find an audience and win tons of awards from every corner of the globe if they are felt to be deserving of them.
Yes, I consider much of the civil rights/slavery movies to be propaganda.
And wow, the movies that heap scorn on Nazis and German.......please Hollyweird, do not make any more.
That filthy and disgusting movie, Inglorious Basterds......what a Piece-Of-Clooney.
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