Mos Def v T-Pain? The former would CRUSH him. I do think MDef is talented and intelligent but of late…what has he been doing? What about Dead Prez? Why were they not supported?

You are right about “my turnism” — I like that phrase. Everyone wants instant validation instead of instant coffee. People want want want instead of thinking what they could do to further a society or cultural group. And black people are definitely culprits in that sphere.

Are there any films that you think would have a good impact if they were made? I would like to see a film done on the literary artists of the Harlem Renaissance. That would be magnificent. Like perhaps a biopic of Langston Hughes or Jean Toomer?

African films are also receiving a boost with the accolades that Tsotsi received. I hope that black films find their way back to the early days of spike lee et al. I do also think the cloud of multiculturalism shrouded a great deal of potential success for black films. I dont mean that in a bad way because multiculturalism is a good idea however it has meant that many good ideas for black films may have been washed down the drain because people think they are “too” black and wont appeal to the mainstream.

If you as a film maker have something to say to the population u are marketing too , they will support you . Look at spike lee when he did “she’s got to have it “. He had only 175,000.00 to produce with but he had something to say , the movie was promoted by word of mouth , it put him on the map .. Can we say that was then and this is now ; we are now are in a age of “my turnism ” , where we believe we must get paid above all else especially before we create ,we now want to be the pimps the REIGNING majority overlords have taught us to be ? Why to create w/o knowing the benefits one will reap, isn’t that considered stupid now ? Are we afraid to take that chance? Is it because all the media and shows focus on 15 mins of fame and quick money to do disgusting acts and or humiliate/ remodel yourself , so a nation votes for you ? Is it fear of failure? Or is it studios and investors don’t want to support it ?

If black movies are easy to produce , how come halle berry had to take a decrease in salary to produce dorthy dandrige , did the producer of the ” hbo series Rome ” has to take a decrease in salary , since Rome failed , due to rising production cost against viewer ratings ? what about jack black did he take a cut to produce ” Nacho Libre”?

I think if we really want to watch great movies , they will have to be shown in makeshift upscale themed moving theaters or by pay on the internet, downloaded and burned by the client on a dvd. Gone our the days of the early spike lee’s and john singleton ( the latter who only had 1 hit )

I particularly loved “akeelah and the bee” which was written by a Doug Atchison a white man and it took him over four years to find funding , they wanted to change the actresses / actors , to white or light , but thankfully the movie in all it’s glory subsquently did well do to heavy promotion at starbucks ( a new promotional angle )..

On another note Halle Berry is supposed to be producing the movie on Phillippa Schulyer the pianist, they have been talking about it for 3 years !! What is taken so long, is it the funding ?

I really liked the Malcolm X film by Spike Lee (I have a big soft spot Denzel so I try and watch anything he is in) and the fact that it was about a luminary like Malcolm X was fantastic. It should have done better but it probably upset big wigs because it was so passionate.

I think Halle Berry did a great job in Monster’s Ball. I do agree that it was a stereotypical role and it did make people very uncomfortable but in terms of her acting, she was magnificent. The reaction it provoked does highlight how much race and relationships with the white mainstream still irritate and cause problems for black people.

I think it is so important for films like Eve’s Bayou (Samuel L.Jackson needs to start doing more films like this) to be supported by black communities. Black actresses need more vehicles like this in order to shine. It was a stunningly made film but because it does not conform to all this gangster/50 cent tripe, films like that do not get their just do.

Another question we have to ask ourselves is being applauded by the mainstream what we really want? Is it really that important or is being a top-class actor and making roles for yourself AND your community what is needed?

For all of the great roles that Halle Berry has played in; this one was the absolute worst and did a ton of damage to the psyche of many African people in this country. She received numerous awards for the role which provided evidence of what “mainstream” America will recognize as applaudable behavior for African American women. (Did the movie Malcolm X directed by Spike Lee receive an Academy Award? of course not.)

Kudos to Angela Bassett (who played Betty Shabazz in the Malcolm X movie by the way)for having enough self respect and dignity to refuse this demeaning role.

I have heard a lot about Octavia Butler and I would hope that film versions of her work comes out. Although are we black people to blame? I remember reading a comment by Elliott Wilson, the editor of XXL and he stated that when he puts people like Mos Def on the cover, the magazine does not sell as well as G-Unit people. Can this same perspective be applied to certain black films? I think so. I do think that many black films that do incredibly well are ones that are HEAVILY HEAVILY stereotyped (Tyler Perry’s ridiculous Madea/Norbit) and that annoys me because we could do so much better than that. What about more dramas? I heard about Pride with Terrence Howard and I very much want to see that. I also remember commenting on a post on another blog (I cannot remember whose) and I think it was a blogger on my blogroll who was talking about a Huey Newton biopic and who could play that. I would LOVE to see something like that.

I do think black films need to give more variety for black actresses. Black women should not always be the temptresses OR the mother figure — it is time for the leading ladies roles to be created.

I completely agree with you on Murphy’s films with most of the leads being lightskinned. Even Eartha Kitt in Boomerang as the woman he did not want! I do think that it is a correction that should be imbalanced but one that can only be done by black directors since light skinned actresses are preferred over dark-skinned ones in a mainstream market. Both light skinned and dark skinned black actresses should have equal weighting but we must be careful to represent all shades of the black woman and not to have a skewed vision of what the black woman is.

I want the energetic days of Spike Lee and John Singleton’s filmmaking to come back. We need a kick in the teeth for black actresses and black film in general to be regenerated. Dreamgirls was good but in hindsight, it has not provided that oomph for black actors. I would like for once to see a brilliant black film that does not solely rely on music too.

I also think multiculturalism , plays a big part in the way black movies are and will be shot … In the black persons world there always have to be whites but in the white persons world there does not always have to be black or anyother nationality ..

The actresses you name chronologically , starting now and moving backwards , it seems as though those actresses fought more equality and black women’s as well as people’s rights , than the actresses of now . Angela Bassett is great and plays strong roles , but we hardly get to see her because of non-existant roles. Marie Baptiste is good , but i have not seen her in much .. Halle Berry makes stupid movies gone are the days of jungle fever, or Boomerang.

So to sum it up , blacks in film still have to live up eurocentric ideals on and off film , no matter how many forward steps these actresses might try to take , it seems there is always someone to throw a wrench in the plot. Watching Eddie Murphy a black man play and market a movie globally based on a overindulging stereo type such as Rasputia , should really have put these women over the edge. Have u ever noticed all murphy’s movies has a lightskin lead?? Who ever wrote this movie and funded it , must really have self hate as well as hatred towards black women in general to stoop so low to put that image out there globally!!!