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Awwww Poetic Justice, Jasons Lyric, The Wood, Soul Food, Love Jones, Best Man, The Brothers, Deliver Us From Eva...those were the good ole days.
But yeah the storylines got predictable. They kept casting the same actors (I am SO tired of the auntie from Fresh Prince being in EVERY black movie). Tyler Perry came along. I think the 90s was probably the height of entertainment as far as black films go.
I got in an argument with someone the other day about Tyler Perry being the best black filmmaker ever...let's see if any of his Madea movies stand the test of time like The Five Heartbeats then maybe we can discuss him alongside Townsend, Spike Lee, John Singleton, the Van Peebles & Hughes Brothers. Until then he's just the latest fad. Its like putting the winner of Comic View in the same pot with Richard Pryor & Red Foxx. I personally think 50% of his success is because black folks are thirsty for black faces on the screen
This is a very good question, and is true for not just movies, but television. The late 80s thru the mid to late 90s had a ton of popular black movies, that depicted more than just the lowest common denominator. In addition, I believe both George Lopez and Maggie Cho had series' around the same time.
So what happened? Just like the "trend" right before it, showing the realities of poor, urban life, ran its course. There were only so many writers, directors, and bankable actors to do this with. It became a matter of "same script, same cast." Tyler Perry is in a similar boat. The difference is he's writing and directing it, and I don't know to what extent, but he's a major factor in green-lighting and bankrolling it, which can be the major roadblocks in getting these movies made.
I think there's a place for movies that depict a particular race or subculture, whether it be black, Hispanic, Asian, etc. I'd love to see movies that are more inclusive of all races. Fast and Furious 5 was one of the most recent movies, where, while watching a scene, I realized that of the ensemble, only one actor was non-Hispanic white.
People give Spike Lee a hard time because he comes across as too pro-black but I have yet to see a movie that captures the social underlinings of HBCUs like School Daze. Anadyr21 is right though. Sometimes I watch reruns of black tv shows on TVone or Centric & so many of them had the same plots, same characters and it just isn't entertaining. My Wife & Kids managed to be different from all the ones that preceeded it but I think that's just because the Wayans are comedic brillance.
On another note does anybody realize how far ahead of its time NY Undercover was?
That show was really great! Great plot lines and compelling characters.
I watched a family movie a few weeks ago and was shocked and amazed the stars of the movie were a nerdy black boy, south Asian girl and a white kid. In the end they had the black guy date the south Asian girl. Very unmainstream.
There was a really good article about the problems with lifetime's new show devious maids.
The author of the article, and the book she mentioned, talked about the limited roles Latinas are allowed to play. I read the Dirty Girl Social Club when it came out and enjoyed it. I found it very informative and loved how it had educated Latinas of all races as the stars. Typically we don't see the racial diversity of Latin America. It was really disheartening to see the changes the network wanted to launch the show.
On another note does anybody realize how far ahead of its time NY Undercover was?
NY Undercover was my favorite for a long time...didn't like how they killed off some of the main characters though. NY Undercover was "The Wire" before "The Wire" gritty and surreal.
I myself often wonder what happen to black movies in general, everything is Tyler Perry driven. I remember when I got married last year and a few of my friends and I were chatting about our childhood and the different stunts we pulled, it reminded me of The Wood minus me running off, getting drunk,and sleeping over my ex's house
I loved the New Jack music at Natalie's at the end of the show.....and I dug the theme song at the beginning.....Thursday was "black" night on FOX.....
I loved the New Jack music at Natalie's at the end of the show.....and I dug the theme song at the beginning.....Thursday was "black" night on FOX.....
Yeah, NY Undercover never gets enough credit for being a great show!
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