Diaspora - Color in Hollywood

Diluting The Coffee: Minority Movies Fade in 2010

One Of These Things Are Just Like The Other...One Of These Things Are Kinda The Same...

It was a very sad time in the movies when it came to our choice of movies about and regarding People of Color (mainly in regards to African Americans) in this year's 2011 Oscars and the Golden Globes before that, had nothing to celebrate when it came to minority actors.

Of the select fare that did make it to the screen, there was nearly anything that stood out as a serious dramatic cinematic experience. What happened, when only last year we saw such amazing performances as "Precious", and Oprah Winfrey had her finger in the producing pool. There was also the great surprises of both Michael Jackson's "This Is It," as well as Disney's "The Princess and the Frog (which I will have a word or two to say about soon)." Tyler Perry had a good year with two movies that year, "Madea Goes to Jail," and "I Can Do Bad By Myself (another comment about those coming too)." And there were good reviews for "The Soloist," with Jamie Foxx (he also starred in Law Abiding Citizen - which I was surprised to enjoy).

But this year, the pickings were slim, and not very well done. There has been a lull in the types of scripts that Hollywood includes for the Black Audience, and I believe that it stems mostly from the fact that although there are many actors to fit the bill, we need to have more of our actors make use of their celebrity and money in producing and funding their own films. And while we have a very large caliber of female actresses: Loretta Devine, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, and Jennifer Hudson - with the exception and the example of the last - we Hollywood seems to put our black talent into a box, and is not producing new talent in the film industry. Even with Jennifer, it was her helm in American Idol that brought her into popularity, stemming the way for an ready-made audience for her.

Tyler Perry is in a good position - but what happened to our other constant directors like Spike Lee and John Singleton. Directing too is power in Hollywood, but funding and the ability to distribute your own films can also determine if a film not only is made, but can be given a wide enough net for audiences to catch. Tyler Perry is assisted in his distribution by Lionsgate; yet even his "For Colored Girls", didn't have the staying power to remain in theaters very long. And it becomes hard for a story of that genre (created from another work, and scripted very meticulously I may add) to be accurately supported and marketed through its actors. They could hardly talk about a film that had no baring to any of their real life situations, and the subject of talking about a woman's struggles with the men in their life made it appear once again the same subject of all of Tyler Perry's films.

Of their Oscar-Worthiness, I can see why nothing made it to the discussions of Oscar Judges. "The Book of Eli," was a great story - but with Denzel Washington in the lead, the expectations were already high (it was also a pretty good script), but nothing compared to his more dramatic roles (Glory, Malcolm X). And although Tyler Perry was there once again with a better-than-the-last-film with "Why Did I Get Married Too" (thanks in part to Janet Jackson's Madwoman performance), it was still filled with actors that were too familiar in a story that was too predictable.

Others I liked (and some I had not seen) were: Lottery Ticket, Unstoppable, The Karate Kid, and Death at a Funeral (which in itself, although very funny, was a remake of something that was already funny).

And unfortunately, when one is not backed by a major studio, one is considered an Indy-Type film, relegated to the art houses and film festivals across the country. This gives us a broader net, but many African Americans don't attend these, and truth be told, this is how we can start to improve what is going on in Hollywood - and bringing out new talent to the greater masses by attending these events in large numbers. As with Halle Berry's attempt in funding and acting in her own film "Frankie & Alice" (which is a mesmerizing experience), that it too was brought out into the open for Oscar consideration, but remains to be shown in local fine arts theaters - limiting our exposure to it.

I believe that this message has reached the minds of many People of Color in Hollywood, for the 2011 season appears to look a little brighter, with John Singleton presently shooting a film called, "Abduction" and Halle Berry starring in a film titled "Dark Tide". I am looking forward to the comedy starring both Jamie Foxx & Martin Lawrence called, "Skank Robbers", as well as Tyler Perry's "Medea's Big Happy Family (although I am not expecting much, I am enjoying the upward path his directing has been going); he is also producing a film called "We the People".

There will be a lot of familiar names in: Jennifer Hudson, Terence Howard (who I have not tired of visually or performance-wise), Loretta Devine, and Eddie Murphy. Old standards, fitting in the same molds I am sure - but I hope that within these films there will be some new talent shining through.

So, last year I took my coffee with way too much cream; this year I'm hoping to make it a little strong.