From time to time I will feature reader comments on theblackactor.com.
I’ll pick any arbitrary parameters. In this instance (and because I was slowed by the holiday :), I decided to pick five comments from five commenters left during this month (as of 3:00 EST, Nov. 25). In the future, I will use other parameters.
Commenters on theblackactor.com bring meaning and insight to theblackactor.com. They also share useful and valuable information with me and the other readers of theblackactor.com. The commenters on this blog contribute -- in many ways – much like the author does, to the extent they raise awareness, inform and offer an opinion. All readers of theblackactor.com are important to me but those who comment on theblackactor.com are uniquely valuable to this blog’s intention. And I thank them for their participation.
November 25, 2007
Five reasons why I'm not a Spike Lee fan - Part V
Aulelia says…
@ Kimi + The Black Actor.com = I loved Eve's Bayou too. Excellent film. I think one reason why there is a dearth of black female directors/producers is because of the stereotypes that exist in most films. The Black female character is never the centre of a mainstream film and if she is the centre or one of the key figures, she will be singing or dancing. I like musicals just as much as the next person but do black people always have to be singing to be seen? Do black women always have to be looking pretty and singing? I don't know if many black female producers would purposefully promote that stereotype but since many people watch films and make assumptions from them, it is safe to assume that the black woman has become a stereotype. deeply saddening because the black woman needs to be carved and portrayed truthfully. and to an extent, i only think black female directors can do this. black male directors of course can try but i think what they will mostly achieve is create an image of what they think is a real black woman. is that fair?
November 25. 2007
Show me your tits, black man; I'll make you a star
Moonlightwater says…
Thank you for this post. I've often wondered why so many AA males (dating from my childhood watching Flip Wilson) would regularly agree to perform in drag. Though other comments allude to white counterparts doing the same; it appears as though the percentage of drag performances in our community is quite high... particularly in recent memory. I do think that this is a subtle emasculation/feminization of the black male and a further continuance of the 'sassy black female' image that is so pervasive in film and TV. Unfortunately, each of the Group II performances have been portrayed in this manner..realizing that this 'sassiness' is indeed part of the humor.
November 25, 2007
Spike Lee and those chi chi's
ListentoLeon says…
Although Spike's movies aren't perfect, I think you can cut him a little slack on some of the examples.
I liked the way that the womanizing angle was used in Mo Betta Blues as one of the things that led to Bleek's personal downfall, then ultimately his "redemption"(or basically, coming to terms with himself and his life). Spike was kind of creative with that one.
*obligatory unnecessary guy moment*
Plus, Cynda Williams was fine as Hell back then!
*end obligatory unnecessary guy moment*
In Clockers, I think the rap video/commercial clip was the only real bad depiction of women in the film. The male characters were the ones with the obvious and in some cases fatal flaws.
Crooklyn was a coming of age story, so I don't really think that was a good example
I DO, however, agree that I can make no argument at all in defense of She Got Game, Girl 6, She Hate Me, or She's Gotta Have It. You definitely have a point about those ones!
November 13, 2007
Terrence Howard
Kimi says…
I can't say a bad word about Terrence Howard's acting abilities & he definitely has range. He should give some other AA actors lessons on choosing varied material successfully.
He seems a little strange on a personal level based on some interviews I've read but haven't seen him in a role yet I didn't think he did a good job in.
November 5, 2007
The chitlin' circuit
Shion says…
Morris Chestnut is very underrated.He has what it takes to be a leading man and should get the same support that Taye Diggs gets in his career...seriously to see his growth from Boyz in the hood to Four Brothers..he has it.Denzel is 50 and some change.Jaime Foxx is a great actor but does leading man potential just like Kevin Spacey.Will Smith is too busy feeling the sci-fi/adventure niche.Morris Chesnutt and Malik Yoba should get more exposure quality wise. I saw an interview that Morris did with a white anchorwoman.She made a comment about how great smelling his cologne was since she was sitting next to him. You could see the woman swoon. lol
Boris seems too much like an pretty boy like Shemar moore..nothing personal against him but it just the way he comes across.
Don’t trip. Y'all know as well as I do, that when people leave comments (myself, included), they are shooting off their views uaually without significant regard to spelling, grammar or usage. I posted the comments as the authors wrote them. I saw no reason to do otherwise; particularly since I believe their intent is obvious.
Aulelia blogs over at Charcoal Ink.
ListentoLeon blogs over at… well, ListentoLeon.
thanks 4 the shout-out. this is a wicked niche blog :)
Posted by: aulelia | November 27, 2007 at 04:22 PM
@ Aulelia
... and thank you for your support. :) And for your kind words.
Posted by: theblackactor.com | November 27, 2007 at 05:06 PM