In continuing with my love of films that take place in one day, what better time to talk about all that goes down in the Barbershop. Barbershop opened in theaters on September 13, 2002 and for a production budget of 12 million dollars, it went on to gross $77,063,924 worldwide. If you wanted to describe …
It is a dream of mine to go back in time and relive the 90s. Right now, I secretly want to find a friend that I grew up with and then find my cousin and get a brownstone in Brooklyn and have my other best friend come over all the time and have two great …
I must admit that I am a die-hard, why fix what ain’t broke, fan of the film Sparkle that premiered in 1976. I could probably never accept anything other than the original. Therefore, the remake released in 2012 was probably doomed from the start which is why I waited until February 2013 to watch it on DVD. … Continue reading
When I first saw a Tyler Perry play, I was intrigued. It was the right tone of easy laughs, simple plots, uplifting tunes, and fairy-tale endings for a high school student with a simple part time job at the local library, track and field practice, and no bills to pay. The black man in a … Continue reading
The Jazz Singer (1927) is directed by Alan Crosland. It tells the story of Jakie Robinwitz,, later known as Jack Robin, played by Al Jolson, the son of Cantor Rabinowitz, played by Warner Oland. His father wants him to become a cantor, the role of generations that came before him but Jakie wants to be a jazz … Continue reading
A McDonald’s commercial premiered in 1985 that featured a group of young Black girls playing Double Dutch while reciting items off of a McDonald’s menu. Not only does this commercial utilize Black cultural traditions (Double Dutch), but it also utilizes features of the Black oral tradition as well in its use of rhyming and repetition. … Continue reading
On August 17, 1990, David Lynch’s Wild at Heart opened in theaters across the United States. Followed by credits set against a black background entrenched in flames, the film opens at a hotel in Cape Fear (between the border of North and South Carolina). Swing music commences the entrance of white couple Sailor (played by … Continue reading
Okay, so I was watching Children of Men on television the other day. For those who have not seen it Children of Men tells the story of the future world where human beings can no longer have children, a man finds himself transporting a miraculously pregnant woman to sea to meet with scientists to save … Continue reading
Although, this blog is dedicated to the black experience presented on film, I decided to take a commercial break (literally) and address other media representations of blacks in advertisements after reading a few excerpts from Style & Status: Selling Beauty to African American Women, 1920 – 1975 by Susannah Walker. From the 1920s to 1970s, black … Continue reading
