Final : "Scorned"

 *DISCLAIMER* THIS IS STRICTLY FOR MY BLACK FILM CLASS, NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED* (i.e.. PICTURES BEING USED. HOW EVER THE PLOT, SYNOPSIS, ALL MY OWN WORDS)

"Scorned" is a movie about a girl name Danielle. Throughout her life Danielle never knew her father. She never knew any family but her mother, Patricia. Although, Danielle's mother was loving, caring, and kind the men in her life were cruel, disrespectful, and abusive. At a young age Danielle witnessed men abuse, destroy and break her mother. This caused Danielle to really have hate towards men and even more of hate towards her father. Danielle's hatred towards men caused her to never trust them and ultimately caused her to become a serial killer towards men.

"Scorned" was definitely a good movie. You would never think someone in Danielle's situation would end up like that.  African American communities have a high percentage of single mothers. I could definitely relate to Danielle because as a child she experienced a lot of pain. Danielle's father abandonment issues to her mother tolerating disrespectful men within their lives.  "Scorned" takes you on a real journey. The journey of a forgotten child in a sense. Danielle was just like many other children in that situation, she suppressed it but never sought help. I think the point where Danielle decided that every man was evil was the scene with her mother. Danielle was coming home from school, and witnessed her mother being abused in front of her. Danielle had heard  it, seen the bruises, but never physically saw it happen in front of her eyes, Patricia's boyfriend at the time, was a drunk, lazy, and did nothing for the betterment of Danielle or her mother.

In the movie the first murder that Danielle committed was very symbolic. She had graduated from college, found a good job and was working in the corporate world. Something she had always wanted so that she would never have to rely on a man, she valued her independence. Danielle was working under Devin Smith, a prominent investment banker, who seemed like a respectable gentlemen, then one night of late working he tried to force his self on Danielle and though it was by accident Danielle did enjoy stabbing Devin in the neck with those scissors. At that moment Danielle felt she had done society, her mom, and herself a justice.

"Scorned" does not have you look at Danielle as a villain but rather as a female Robin Hood. In her mind she felt the killings were a way of judgement. In her eyes the men she murdered were the real villains. They were the ones causing society harm and it was her duty to ensure that no one experience that type of injustice. This movie had me looking at the opposite sex differently. Don't get me wrong I'm not about to be like Danielle and go on murder killing spree, but I do feel that women in a way are victimized and too many do not come forward but suffer in silence, until they finally snap.

The ending was very bittersweet. Danielle had murdered so many men. But she still felt that void, that anger. She felt the only way to fix that void was to kill her father. The man who ultimately in her mind was responsible for all the damage in her life.I felt that this part was very metaphoric. Danielle in her own way felt that she would never receive closer until she finally murdered her father. Just like many people who grow up without a certain parent there is always that want to get questions answered, receive that closure needed to finally move on and live life.

The conclusion was a stunning yet display of irony. This ending is so unforeseen that viewers will watch it over and over again this is a seat gripping suspense that will leave viewers captivated. I would give this movie 5/5 stars. We all can relate to being scorned.


 *DISCLAIMER* THIS IS STRICTLY FOR MY BLACK FILM CLASS, NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED* (i.e.. PICTURES BEING USED. HOW EVER THE PLOT, SYNOPSIS, ALL MY OWN WORDS)

"Bamboozled"

Bamboozled is a 2000 satirical film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning "black face" makeup and the violent fall-out from the show's success. The movie stars Damon Wayans as Pierre Dekacroix, a Harvard graduate who is a program executive at a cable TV network. He works under a boss who is, in his own eyes, admirably unprejudiced, Dunwitty says Delacroix's black shows are "too white," and adds: "I have a black wife and two biracial kids. Brother man, I'm blacker than you." Well, Delacroix isn't very black; his accent makes him sound like Franklin Pangborn as a floorwalker. But he is black enough to resent how Dunwitty and the network treat him, when he's late to a meeting. In front of his office, he often passes two homeless street performers, Manray played by Savion Glover and Womack played by Tommy Davidson. Fed up with the news that he's not black enough, Delcroix decides to star them in a "black face" variety show set in a watermelon patch on an Alabama plantation.  Spike Lee's criticism is against black performers and image makers who allow the negative representations of their people.

 "Bamboozled" is a harsh indictment not only of Delacroix, for letting down the African-American community, but of the talented tap dancer, Manray, who prostitutes his talents towards the negative depictions of black people. The hubris of Manray and Delacroix is juxtaposed with the guilt and better judgement of Womack and Sloan. The greatest and most devastating aspects of "Bamboozled" lie in Spike Lee's ability to visually articulate the racial psychology that resides on several subliminal levels in minds of many Americans, some blacks, many whites and others about African Americans and their depiction in the media. Whether it be the contribution of some rap/hip hop artists to degradation of African American women in music videos or the inner-city proclivity to send money on indifferent big-name clothing fashions like Tommy Hilfiger or some African American's habit of openly calling each other the "n-word". Also how some modern-day Black entertainers will do anything to be accepted. 

Bamboozled" shows all of these popular attitudes and issues "Bamboozled" has some truly disturbing scenes though it's not in a dark context, the disturbing thing is that you have the first sellout of a Black man who has these puppets that represent the terrible history of racist name-calling towards black people . Then the second sell-out is the one who depicts these puppets on TV for entertainment purposes which brings me to my second realization.The puppet metaphor in this I found to be absolutely frightening in a sense as the white executives for the TV company love the idea that Damon Wayans character proposes and decides to use him and his bad idea. Jada Pinkett- Smith plays  the most difficult of these roles as the one who knows that this is entirely wrong but instead goes ahead with it. This may sound a little wrong but I understood the part where Manray is forced to tap dance because of gunfire at his feet which he eventually eats by some really angered thugs in an alley. The ending, in which cartoons are showed in conjunction with the black actors in black and white prior 1950s style, is truly unpleasant but effective with the cartoons with the monkeys being replaced by the black actor finally to fit a horrible spitting image. At first I did not notice it because I never looked at it that way but now that I see it, it really is disturbing.   The central dynamic of this film was how the black audience was the pull for the fictional show, exploiting narrow stereotypes.  The old stereotypes relied on blacks as stupid, lazy, sex-obsessed, lawbreaking, and fundamentally different. Both then and now have demeaning visuals, just minstrel ones are rejected by today's society and the urban ones are embraced. "Bamboozled " seems to skirt with the fact that all entertainment is pornographic and it is hard to tease out who is the exploiter and who is the exploited.

But In my opinion, "Bamboozled" is only controversial because everything hurtful happens to African Americans due to the actions of African Americans, and if you are unable to universalize the lessons, it overloads the significance of African Americans and all the stereotypical devices in the coon show, as grotesque as they are, so moviegoers may end up in twisted knots thinking about "the black thing"  and what they are supposed to think of Spike Lee. Even though, "Bamboozled"  may exploit a very particular venality of television, there is something very deep and eye opening harsh in Lee's critique of the business, and as didactic as many critics have called "Bamboozled" you would think more people will truly get it, but I think many will be stewing in their own juices. 

The Black Candle

"The Black Candle" is a documentary that uses Kwanzaa to explore and celebrate the African American experience. This is a documentary about struggle and triumph of family, community and culture. "The Black Candle" was shot across the United States, Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean. The film focuses on why the seven principles of Kwanzaa are relevant today. The several principles are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and space. The film traces the holiday growth from the first celebration in 1966 to its present-day reality as a global holiday embraced over 20 million celebrants. The sensible mixture of Maya Angelou's poetry and narration, with pieces of interviews, statements, and academic snapshots by distinguished African American intellectuals and activists; the blend of archival materials and lively reports of several community organisation underlined by an outstanding musical soundtrack, all reflect the serious and committed research conducted by M.K. Asante Jr. not only in America but also in Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean. This was a beautiful documentary that not only spoke to Kwanzaa but the Black Power Movement as well. It was very educational and should be included in the study of the history of kidnapped, sold, bought, and enslaved African people in relation to their journey to North America. The Black Candle is a documentary that should have a place in any institution concerned with cultural understanding as an extremely important piece of scholarship towards African resurgence. I really enjoyed watching the movie because it really takes you back to your roots. I can honestly say I never really understood why people celebrated Kwanzaa. I knew that it was a holiday celebrated by African Americans in the world but I never knew that the candles each stood for a principle. In school, while growing up they never made it clear as to why Kwanzaa was celebrated. It was just mentioned but never fully explained for us to get a better understanding. I also never knew how old the holiday was either. I was very impressed with the caliber of people that participated in the film. The film brought to light how African Americans are not educated on the reason Kwanzaa is celebrated. I believe though as a race we fail to educate ourselves on things that we have not yet mastered and why we celebrate it. No matter who you are, you should celebrate all the wonderful things about yourself and your community. A lot of people of African decent in the U.S. are taught to hate themselves or to love themselves and hate others. Your worst enemy and your best friend is the person you look at in the mirror every day. I believe though as a race we fail to educate ourselves on things that we have not yet mastered and are unclear on so we defiantly cut ourselves short.Yes racism and white supremacy may be barriers but you and I decide whether these barriers will keep us from striving. We need to call for black accountability. Unless we do that we will continue to walk on psychological crutches instead of mobilize. The seed of change is not within the end of racism or white supremacy. It's within every one of us, brothers, and sisters.  

"Attack The Block"

"Attack The Block" is set in South London, the movie opens up with a young women on the phone walking home through her neighborhood when she is then robbed at knife point by an underage group of hoodlums (gang members). During the mugging something suddenly falls from the sky and crashes into a parked car. The gang suddenly gets attacked by an alien who ends up cutting the gang leader Moses face, and in revenge the gang and Moses hunt the alien down and kill it. Shortly, after more aliens start to fall down from the sky and land on the estate. However, these aliens are different, they are bigger, more vicious, and kill any human they come into contact with. Moses and his gang become aware of what if going on and take it upon their selves to defend their block and retaliate against the aliens.

The gang in the movie are kids no more than 16 years old (despite there appearance). Moses the leader of the gang leads the viewers through many different emotions. At the beginning of the movie were made to believe that Moses is a common hoodlum with no feelings or morals. But towards the end we see this character and just exactly who he really is. I think the writer did a good job naming the main character Moses. Just like in the bible he saved his people from harsh enslavement and that is exactly what Moses in the movie did. Saved his community, at the end of the movie it is so touching and very symbolic when the people are chanting his name. "Moses!" "Moses!" Just like the in the bible Moses was made to look like a troublemaker when in all actuality he was a hero that saved many lives.
                           
                              
Attack the Block also carried an underlined message as well. Despite the dramatic, and comedic parts, the real message was judgement. The nurse pre-judged the kids and the kids pre-judged the nurse. They all lived in the same neighborhood, and building for who knows how long and not once did they ever speak or just say a friendly hello to one another. Just like the movie the world is filled with may stereotypes and many people go through life sticking to those stereotypes they have for one another. If there was never an alien invasion, who knows just exactly what would have happened. Moses nor the nurse would have not gotten a chance to redeem their selves and see each other for who they really were. The wall would have never been broken down.

 

This movie also shed a little bit of light on the issue of poverty. The kids lived in a neighborhood where in London seemed like one of the worst ghettos throughout the UK. They did not come from rich families, and the drug life surrounded them. Just like many people living in poverty, they were not blessed with many options. Especially Moses, he is a key example of just what poverty will do to you. He was the leader of the group, the top drug dealer in the neighborhood asked him to do a job for him, and when the police found the gang he is the one who got arrested. Not being blessed with many opportunities or even having some type of adult guidance in his life. From the beginning of the movie you can already see how Moses character is doomed from the start. Moses character represents many kids not only in London but worldwide, and how poverty is affecting their lives. Just like Moses many of those kids suffer in silence not making it aware of what they are going through, and having to survive by any means necessary. Even if it means robbing an innocent woman at knife-point.

Attack the Block also focuses on community and togetherness. When watching the movie I thought of Africa and the villages there. They work as a community looking after one another, focusing on one common goal, for the village to prosper and grow. In the movie, the people of the community had one common goal, to save their neighborhood from that invasion. The characters set aside their difference and worked together. Everyone played a part, and without everyone doing their part nothing would have been accomplished. This is definitely a feel good movie that will have you questioning yourself and the way you treat people. It is a family movie and I do recommend that everyone sees this movie. But when you watch it do not just watch it purely for entertainment but try to grasp the message the director wanted everyone to. Tolerance, because everyone needs a chance to redeem their self and show their true character in the end.

"Dead Presidents"

 "Dead Presidents" is the story of a young man who gets involved in too many complicated things and it all goes way over his head.  It is a very, brutal and intense film, and you are able to take a little bit of a sad story than I recommend to watch it. During the 1960s a young adult named Anthony can't take anymore school, so he drops out and works petty crimes at the billiard hall with the owner who has no legs. When he finally gets tired of that lifestyle, he decides to enlist in the army. Since the Vietnam war going on, he goes in and becomes mentally unstable due to the atrocities. When he gets back home, his girlfriend has had his child and he tries to support her and his daughter. Unfortunately, the food place with the part time job that he had been contending to has gone bankrupt, leaving him with no job, no money, no food, and no choices. His desperate search descends into a downward spiral of war flashbacks and his overall loss on morality.

The film has characters who eventually resort to really desperate measures in order to survive. One of the focuses in the film were Anthony Curtis, played by Larenz Tate, a young African-American in the late sixties hanging with his other young friends Jose, and Skippy. All of them have finished high school and hope to enter some sort of employment  However two things require Anthony to grow up way before his time, the impregnation of his girlfriend Juanita and also him volunteering to go to Vietnam to fight the cause for America in the war. 

 One of the most interesting aspects of the film is the character Skippy, played Chris Tucker. Skippy was a childhood friend whose life ends up being worse off then Anthony's. He becomes addicted to heroin, has flashbacks almost all the time, and is about ready to self-destruct. Chris Tucker does a great job bringing out Skippy's as this tortured character.  

The film's war sequences are super gruesome. The film has Anthony jumped back into the world four years after Vietnam, where viewers witness the domestic turmoil the war brought upon Anthony and Juanita. The violence between these two characters in the film is very ugly. It is very believable, when they argue and fight with each other, viewers can really feel the two's hate for one another. 

The film's war sequences were very gruesome, but not as much as the bank robbery's. During the bank robbery scene a part of you hopes that Anthony and the rest of the characters involve steal the money, get off scott-free, and never being seen or heard from again. However, this movie had a message to convey and audiences would have not understood nor got it if that happened, One by one each character dies, Skippy's being the worst due to an heroine overdose. Until the only one left is Anthony who is caught by the proper authorities and later trialed, receiving a fifteen to life jail sentence. I think the final scene of the movie is very important, Anthony is sitting on the bus on his way to prison and he is contemplating. Questioning how a country he served for and gave up his life for, give him such a harsh sentence and not a second chance at life. Vietnam took away his first chance, and now America was taking away his second. 

Dead Presidents has many underlying messages but one of the most important ones of the film was that the Vietnam war veterans deserved way better than what they received when they came home. The government seemed to have done them no favors and granted them no opportunities. It is very sad, especially since people like Anthony come home to below poverty lifestyles and need government support just to be able to survive. Despite whatever circumstance that might have brought them to join the army, they are still human beings, and no human being should live their lives regretting something they thought was honorable and worth fighting for. 

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"Wattstax"

 Wattstax a documentary about African-American life in Los Angeles in the early 1970's. The concert is to commemorate the Watts riots of 1965, and some of the positive changes that took place in the area. Although there is a lot of humor to be found in some of the comments that the residents make about changes in their area, it's sad to realize that the lingering problems of racism and unequal opportunities still exist to this day. However, there's a lot of joy and hope expressed throughout the film. This is one of Richard Pryor's earliest appearances on film, and he is definitely entertaining. Ted Lange  and Raymond Lewis, are some of the Watts residents who give their thoughts about the political changes. This is also a concert documentary that showcased some of the biggest as well as some of the soulful groups and R&B singers during that time frame. This is also a true picture about US as a people too when we didn't act so crazy,and it shows. The overall beauty of this film is at the impact of seeing African Americans when we had some dignity as well as pride about ourselves and our culture plus we have a lot of soul and self respect in being what we were. We were one with our own music and we were able to express that individuality by feeling what was deep inside us. Wattstax was based on a two day event which was the Woodstock for African-Americans that was held in 1972 at the L.A. Coliseum. This was the kind of show that made you stand up and dance up if you wanted to and also to express yourself. Some of the people that are in this are a very youthful and radical looking Rev. Jesse Jackson who was incredible to watch and he gave various speeches as well as providing laughs from a young looking Richard Pryor. The acts that performed were very entertaining and it shows. You had acts that included The Staple Singers,The Emotions,Carla Thomas,Rance Allen,Johnnie Taylor as well as one of the greatest acts ever, the incredible Issac Hayes.t features lots of footage other than performances - crowd shots, interviews with the man on the street, a gospel performance at a local church, some B-list celebrities, etc, all of which help add to the atmosphere of both the concert and of Watts itself. There's even some very funny and casual footage of Richard Pryor in his prime, as he raps about all sorts of topics in a local bar. Wattstax, was released in the midst of the "blaxploitation" movie trend, was a then-unheard of snapshot of the state of black America as it moved through the music of its artists. There are many establishing shots of storefronts in black neighborhoods: ramshackle churches abound, as well as other starkly blighted structures. As one resident puts it, "some things have changed for the better... some for the worst... a lot of things have stayed the same.." Whatever the physical costs of the civil rights movement ,there is brief footage included of Dr. Martin Luther King's final speech and the emotional wounds were still fresh. "Black is beautiful" was the catchphrase of the day, and Afrocentric styles of hair and fashion were at a pre-disco peak. The film also captures "black power" at it's highest. The film offers many different definitions  of blackness that are featured as much as there are the different kinds of music performed at the show. it was also a very socio-politically charged event, with its emphasis on black pride and the simple opportunity for African Americans to assert that, in opening speaker Jesse Jackson's words, "I am somebody." This movie is a must-see. Aside from the [great] music, there are interviews with working-class black, which give you a look at the political and social climate at that point in time. Jessie Jackson's opening speech is inspirational. While Richard Pryor adds the comical relief to top it off.   

Baadasssss!

Melvin Van Peebles stunned the world with his making of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. A film that was turned down by every major studio including Columbia, where he had a three-picture deal, Melvin was forced to basically self-finance. Risking everything he had Melvin delivered to the world the first Black Ghetto hero on the big screen. More than 30 years later, history is being fashioned again in the telling of this very tale. In the movie "Badassss", Mario Van Peebles, Melvin's son, directs an honest and revealing portrait of his father. Mario tells the story of the making of Melvin Van Peebles' landmark 1971 film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, including Melvin's struggles to raise money to fund the film under the guise of creating a black porno film. Melvin had ducked creditors, the unions and had to bail out his camera crew after they were arrested because a white cop decided a bunch of Negroes and hippies couldn't have come by that camera equipment honestly. Despite death threats and temporarily losing sight in one eye, Melvin somehow finished the film. The same film that would give birth to birth of a new era which was about to explode, the Blackxploitation era. 

The basic concept of the film works out like a documentary because Van Peebles takes us from the pre-production all the way up to the premiere and in between for a very exciting ride.This has been seen in countless films before but viewers are seeing it for the first time because we actually get to see . Melvin Van Peebles was very upset about how African Americans were being portrayed in films during that time, so he set out to make a film where the black man, fought back being seen as a hero, and got away with it. Mario shows a deep sense of love and respect for his father's achievement. 

But Mario definitely doesn't sugarcoat his depiction of Melvin. Some very serious issues dealing with his father's anger, cheating other cruel things are brought up. The Melvin we see in this film is a driven, obsessive man who loves his friends and family deeply, but won't let anything or anyone stop his film, including the weekend jailing of his crew. Mario's reluctance about being forced to be in a "sex scene" in his dad's movie is one of the film's highlights.Those scenes between the father and son are very touching, honest and interesting to view because we know they're real and it's all the more interesting seeing the director of this film work out problems on camera that he had with his father. 

Another interesting thing the film tackles is why Melvin wanted to create an independent film when he had offers from major studios. Black people in American movies were always used as comic relief, usually appearing on screen bug eyed and telling silly one-liners.The film has some wonderful flashback scenes where we see these stereotypes being played out in a theater with the white children laughing at them and the black children hiding their head in shame because they know what they're seeing on screen isn't how black people really act.

Mario Van Peebles, the actor, turns in the greatest performance of his career and easily one of the greatest performances I've seen in quite some time. I'm sure he knows his father inside and out, but sometimes  it's not easy playing someone you know or playing yourself. Van Peebles does a brilliant job at showing off various emotions and the scenes where he has to rally his crew is full of such monumental force that you can help but get pumped up. The best scene in the movie involves the father falling on the ground only to have his young son come to his help.

Baadasssss! is a beautiful love story from a son to his father but thankfully Mario doesn't hide anything and instead gives a film, which certainly looks and feels like the truth. In the film Melvin is shown as a hero for starting the Blaxploitation genre but the film never hides the fact that he did a lot of bad things and certainly shows the bad things he did to his kids. This movie took a lot of motivation and determination to make and it took even more by showing things how they really were. He said f-you to everyone who told him he couldn't live out his dream on his terms. This man did not take no for an answer. He bucked Hollywood, the machine, whatever.This movie was mind-blowing and very inspirational. Melvin Van Peeble's drive as well As Mario's was unbelievable. I recommend that audiences this film to learn about the true story subject, see it to get some courage to do something you are being told you cant do and also just see it you will be be glad you did Baadasssss! is a one-of-a-kind film.

Moolaad'e

The film "Moolaade" follows the story of Six girls from a rural village in Burkina Faso escape from a “purification'”ceremony, the female circumcision ritual that is still practiced in 34 of the 58 nations in the African Union. Two head for the city. The other four know of a woman in the village who, some years earlier, had prevented her own daughter from being cut. They run to her home, where she is the second of three wives of a man whose brother is a figure in the town's power structure. To protect them, she pronounces a Moolaadé, an unbreakable spell of sanctuary that can only be dissolved by her word, and which is marked simply by stretching some colored strands of yarn across the doorway. All these questions are literally put on the table in the first ten minutes of this remarkable film. How will the townspeople react to this open rebellion against female genital mutilation? How will the men who govern the town respond? What about the women who actually perform these ceremonies, presented in the film virtually as a coven of witches dressed entirely in red? And, especially, what about the town's other women? Will Collé Gallo Ardo Sy recant the Moolaadé? Will the village ever again be the same?Colle's moolaadé stirs the anger of the Salidana, a group of women dressed in red gowns who perform the mutilation. She is also forced to stand up to the intimidation of her husband and his brother and the male elders in the village who see her as a threat to their values. As a gesture of control, the men confiscate the women's radios, their main source of news of outside life. Rigidly defending their traditions and what they questionably see as a practice sanctioned by Islam, they also turn against an itinerant merchant they call Mercenaire (Dominique Zeida) who comes to the aid of Colle in a shocking scene of public flogging. As the issue becomes crystallized, many women rally to Colle's support whose courage in the face of determined opposition is of heroic proportions. The term 'purification' speaks volumes of the perception of females and sexuality held by those in favor of the custom. Other arguments supporting the practice as expressed in 'Moolaadé' speak of a long-held tradition traveling so far back into the mists of time that no-one seems able to explain the actual reason for it, and finally, that it is a requirement of Islam. Certainly there will be many Muslims who will take issue with this, and the director makes a point of showing Burkina Faso's complex cultural potpourri. On top of its indigenous animist roots, the society also shows traces of its French colonial past, as well as being a melting pot of many religions, the lines between which are heavily blurred. Add to this the increasing influence of modern technology and it is not hard to comprehend how beliefs have played a steady game in that. Indeed technology is seen as the greatest threat of all to the preservation of the strongly patriarchal society, with the village serving as a microcosmic stand-in for many cultures the world over. With the dreaded radio spewing forth subversive ideas from distant, and not s distant lands, the local women find they increasingly able to articulate a 'worrying' desire for independence and opposition to values never-before challenged. In a wonderful display of irony, the most celebrated man in the village is the only one to have swapped the illiberal world of the tribe for the free market corridors of corporate France. Those responsible for challenging the status quo fight their corner in the flickering shadows of burning torches, mob rule and genuine fear. Not all, however, are so easily cowed into submission .In the end, Colle is triumphant, rallying the women in the village to vow that their daughters will not be subjected to this torture anymore. "Moolaade" deals with other aspects of Africa as well. It comments on the adherence to traditional values that are good six women get protection through a code word and piece of cloth tied in front of the entrance to the house. It comments on materialism (including a bread vendor with a good heart for the oppressed who is called a "mercenary" by the women who claim to know the meaning of the word) that pervades pristine African villages (the return of a native from Europe and the increasing dependence on radios for entertainment and information).The radios are set ablaze near the mosque but the imams are stunned when the tribal chief's son declares that he will not give up his television. Colle has found an old radio and keeps it hidden from others. The frustrated and defeated males in the tribe realize that the waves of change are too numerous to hold back any longer. They will have to adapt to a world of sneakers and televisions. Moolaade is an ode to the courage of a brave and visionary woman. Then there's the colorful story. It's hard to believe that this type of lifestyle is still very common in parts of Africa. Moolaade is an amazing film colorful, in-your-face, thick with intense conversation -- and because of the subject matter, it's simultaneously fascinating and repellent to watch.It is not without moments of humor, such as the burning of radios to keep the women from learning too much, but it is a heartbreaking picture, courageous ending notwithstanding. Despite legal bans on female circumcision, it is still a reality today in several countries.The urgency of this message will captivate you. It may make you appreciate living in a country like the US, that seems to have come so far when it comes to woman's rights, but even more than that, it will hopefully create a common tie across the board knowing that every human desires and deserves their right to life. The humanity of this film is painfully clear. There's no avoiding a change of heart and mind. All this said, Senegal has some difficulty finding actors that can handle the depth of this subject. 

"Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song"

The legendary film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, was the first film specifically made for the black community, by the black community, in order to not only give the black community a hero in the cinemas but also to replicate the black experience. It became the first blaxsploitation picture as well as one of the highest grossing independent films of the 1970s. Melvin Van Peebles not only self-financed the film, but also starred in it, wrote the screenplay, and directed it. He also allowed his children to play in it, as well as many of his closest friends. It is one of the most groundbreaking films of all time. It not only helped change the shape of black cinema, but also independent film making at large. It tells the troubled story of a male prostitute named Sweet Sweetback who, after witnessing police brutality against a fellow black man, beats up a police officer. Now on the run from the law, Sweetback must do what he can to avoid and evade the police, even if that means involvement from the Hell's Angels and using his "talent. This is an important film for the black community because it portrays the realities of how in many places blacks were treated by whites. This had never been done before in the movies before Sweetback. Prior to this, Hollywood preferred portraying blacks as either average or mediocre  as long as they acted white, otherwise they were minor bit players or caricatures of how the white community saw blacks. 

The film is paced by the Director like a journey that we as the viewers are on as we follow Sweetback as he runs from the police and meets up with various friends, lovers etc.,not unlike a road picture after he killed a couple of white cops who unfairly beat up a black brother. We become more interested in him than what he's running from and I believe that was the intent of the filmmaker. The movie is filled with unique styling and music that works with the movie, with chanting for the main character and motivation for him to keep on keeping on. To me this seems like Van Peebles pushing the black community to do the same.

The content or message of "Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song" can be summarized in the following words you will see at the beginning of the film: "This film is dedicated to all the Brothers and Sisters who had enough of the Man." Most probably before this film no film had ever tried to show a black character hitting and knocking out a white cop, and for better or worse, the way the film does it is amazingly raw and crude.The "Man" is represented by several non-descriptive white cops who beat up a black. When star and director Melvin Van Peebles says he had enough, his character shows it by beating the cops senseless. The police, who are largely whites are not competent enough to chase Sweetback, and he gets away very easily from them. By the conventional standard of narrative, the film is almost pointless, going on and on without showing where it is leading us. Occasionally we see Sweetback helped by some and betrayed by others including blacks, or the strange episodes of Sweetback drinking the water in the mud.

The most important thing to understand about this film is that if you're getting it just because you expect to live up the expectations of its genre, you better not. In fact, that was the debate over Sweetback for years. What was it ? The world's first blaxsploitation film or the world's first black social empowerment movie, a black porno flick or deep social satire ? B-move trash or a brilliantly inspired art movie. The truth is, the strength and weakness of Sweetback is that its really all of those things. If you're expecting it to meet the mold of any one of these genre's you'll be disappointed and that is the part of  fun of the film.Getting past the shock to see the message, and the message to receive the shock and just riding along with Sweetback. With its gritty, funky tale and soundtrack, controversial story no doubt that there's something in it to both please and offend just about anyone that watches it. The best thing to do is put it like this  Sweetback is a genre all of its own, just sit and watch it in suspended judgement and disbelief.  Watch the movie, again and again and again. Depending upon who you are you'll either find it powerful and entertaining or well, revolting and disgusting, either way the fact is when you watch it there's one thing you won't come away seeing, no one really did it before Melvin Van Peebles, and no one, despite all the films it inspired did it after and that's why you should see it.

"How To Eat Your Watermelon in White Company" ( And Enjoy it)

“How to Eat Watermelon” (And Enjoy It) is an exciting and positive biography. The documentary shows a great visual of the pioneering African-American filmmaker’s career. In the documentary you see Mr. Van Peebles as a father, pioneer, lover, artist, businessman, trickster, and intellectual. The documentary also gives a record of American racism and one man’s crafty, angry and resourceful answer to it. From the documentary you see how Van Peebles made his way in the world on his own terms. Van  Peebles grew up on the notorious South side of Chicago at the time racial tensions were very high. The documentary allows you to open up your normal view of him and look t him as a human being. His side was not based on a white or black view in particular he just narrated as one views based on what he observed from all his years of life , the title in its self shows brilliance in that he articulated a way of thinking where you can be you and not feel guilty because of any barriers. It was more of a self help documentary as far as seeing yourself as a serious person without being serious because thoughts have been taught act like that because someone is judging the race as a whole. His thoughts were provocative and unapologetic because it was coming from views of a man who grew up in Chicago and experienced different walks of life and expressed it as very few can. Like most movies the scenes and nature could rub some the wrong way but I would argue that those who are meant to understand will see he drove the his assertions of uniqueness and drove his point home verified by commentary by other black film makers such as Gordon Parks and Spike Lee. The genius is how he was viewed in the movie as anti black establishment and anti white establishment and showed that you can be you without any constraints or an "oughtness" based on another race of pre determined thoughts. in a way he gave us incite on how he thinks everyone should be; An individual where his genius shows us how he showed how regular he was as a man.  Also I loved how he cleverly made the title to make everyone think the movie was going to be a certain way but as the movie continued he couldn't help but make the viewers elevated there pre conceived judgments from ethnic backgrounds. He exposed how we all collectively are bias but in that it shows how much we are alike.  I found his views on relationship really funny in the fact he was fearful of monogamous relationships in the film his daughter even joked that he organized his women the weekdays and she said "If you're Tuesday night's girl, you better not call on Wednesday." All in all "How to Eat Watermelon in White Company." is a must see he has a rare honesty that seems to make viewers travel throw a roller coaster of a modern renaissance man. 

"When We Were Kings"

The documentary "When We Were Kings" was very interesting  film. It  is a documentary about the 1974 heavyweight championship fight between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman, known to many as "Rumble In The Jungle." In my opinion it was a very inspirational film, and it let's you see exactly why people look at Mohammed Ali as such a great athlete. Ali was working on a comeback, and he knew the "Rumble In The Jungle" was going to be it.  When we were told we were going to watch it in class I was excited. My father used to talk about that same fight that took place in the documentary. He was very young at the time, but is a Congolese native and remembered how upbeat, and live Zaire was during that time.

 The film shows the build up until the fight. I found it particularly interesting how it focused on Mohammed Ali belief's  regarding African's and African Americans. Also how he had much love for the people of Zaire. Ali would personally go around promoting the fight, and getting the natives of Zaire hyped for the fight, and seeing him defeat George Foreman. He took advantage of the fact he was in another land, with different customs, and people.  The part that I enjoyed the most was the documentary opens you up to the fact that Mohammed Ali was more than a great boxer. He was an intelligent man who knew how to articulate his self  very well. The film shows him using the fact he was a well known celebrity to his advantage. Speaking about racial pride, peace, and hope. You can see in the film that Ali is proud to see Africans who are able to live, and governed their own selves.

Before watching this film I felt it was appropriate to classify it as a black film. I heard about it from my father, as well as previous documentaries, and movies about it I watched. What stuck out to me was that there was another main attraction besides the fight. It was the concert. Performers like James Brown, B.B. King, Miriam Makeba, and other big stars performed. People looked at it as a black 'Woodstock."  Many people talked about how it was a time of black pride and togetherness. The concert brought focus on the black culture of the U.S. and Zaire. The black culture that is defined by it's people, athletes, music, politics, as well as business. The artist who perform were at the peak of their carers, and were inspired by the Zairian people. From the film and little bit they show of the concert you can tell it was a sense of African pride in the air. It was a wonderful and life changing experience.

The documentary also causes you to open your eyes to how the fight was a black political statement. At the time Zaire was under the fierce dictatorship of  Joseph Mobutu. Mobutu put up the prize money for the fight, 5 million for each boxer, and 10 million being the cash prize. Don King and Mobutu served as the masterminds behind this fight. The film makes you look at the questionable ethics of locating the fight in Zaire. During that time Mobutu was looking for away to legitimize his regime, which had overthrown and assassinated former leader Patrice Lumumba with the help of U.S. and Belgium aid. The Western interest of Zaire mines enriched Mobutu, who in turn enriched Don King. Mobutu looked at the fight as a public relations investment. The 10 million was to help win the favor of black Americans, who were very aware of Mobutu's U.S. government backed overthrow of Lumumba. The documentary was not clear on whether or not Ali was aware of what exactly was going on from the political standpoint, but you see that the fight was way more than just a rival between two fighters.

"When We Were Kings" was a very touching documentary. The story of Ali and his comeback is definitely something many people can relate to. When he won the fight you felt as if you won too. The documentary in my opinion was not more so on the match but more so on Ali the man, and what he has come to represent. Everyone seemed to doubt Ali except the people of Zaire. Ali was standing in a ring with a man he knew he could not bully, who was stronger than him, who could hit harder than he could, and was determined to force his will on Ali as Ali was determined to do likewise. This was definitely a great moment of epiphany. Ali was a man who was surpassed  in almost every department, who with the power of athletic skill, determination, and self-belief managed to overcome a ferocious and worthy opponent. This documentary can be seen as very moving and touching. Just like Ali everyone has doubts but he did not let them stand in his way. He came out on top, with just believing within his self. Just like Ali people are faced with many obstacles, and just like Ali we as people should never let them stand in our way of reaching success.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

'Beasts of the Southern Wild" is a great and touching movie. When I first started watching the movie I was confused. I was thinking how can this movie be classified or viewed as a black film.  The story line in the beginning was very confusing at first for me to grasp. After watching more of the movie I began to realize the story line spoke not only to one particular group of people but many. This film brings a universal message about acceptance of life and things we cannot change,but still try to. Also, how the lessons you learn in life help you to gain understanding and progression as an individual.   The film takes place during Hurricane Katrina. You meet this tough little girl, living in poverty, without a mother, with her only parent and role model being her  alcoholic, and maybe even bi polar father. She is taught many adult lessons at an early age that she may have not fully understood but attempted too.

 This movie revealed a real message. It shows the value of togetherness in a family and community facing overwhelming odds. In the movie Hush Puppy searches for her absent mother as well as answers to things she does not understand. We as human beings do the same. Constantly searching for answers and for things we need, but can't always get. In the movie Hush Puppy greets the answers she finds with gratitude, instead of with bitterness and anger. She accepts the death of her father with sadness, but also with the understanding that death is apart of life. The prehistoric monster figures from her imagination are in a sense death which towards the end of the movie she no longer fears it but looks at death as her friend.

Overall, the film is a good film. It shows the story of a survivor, the uncommon hero. Learning life lessons at an age earlier than most, from a dying father who knew of his impending fate. Trying to prepare his daughter the best way he knew.  All things that grab an audience and make them fall in love with the main character. The film ends on a sweet but bitter note. It left me questioning what exactly will happen to Hush Puppy now? Will she experience any psychological damage in her adult life?  She just like many other children have to grow up too fast and learn life lessons that may ultimately affect them throughout life.

After watching Beasts of the Southern Wild you  realize it was never a black film.  It did portray certain problems and issues African Americans face. However each character especially the main one did carry a common want and need that most human beings desire. Knowledge, we all desire to learn, search, and discover the unknown. Build up knowledge of things that cannot be explained, and things we cannot understand. Only in the end finding out that we understood and knew all along. This movie is a great watch and inspiring tale, and if viewers open their minds and hearts the same way as Hush Puppy, they will be sure to gain a new understanding on life as well.