George Lucas' Red Tails

[RockSP]

if this movie doesn't do well you won't get one. George Lucas hit it on the head:

"I realize that by accident I've now put the black film community at risk [with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions]," he said. "I'm saying, if this doesn't work, there's a good chance you'll stay where you are for quite a while. It'll be harder for you guys to break out of that [lower-budget] mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let's make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there."

One Tyler Perry is more than enough.

As a black filmmaker I am very much excited to see how this movie does. This will determine if I get to do the movies I want to or if I am relegated to Morris Chestnut/Vivica Fox romcoms.

Kinda sounds like you've been defeated already. You're going to let a film that you are in no way connected decide how your career goes?

Think back to when the superhero movies came on the scene and when hollywood took notice. The first few were ok maybe even good but they evolved to the point of getting Oscars.

This movie might be ok but if its profitable that means there will be more...and the next one will be better...and the next one will be better....and the next one will be better....until Tyler Perry isn't the only action in town.
...and then we'll get our black superhero movies

I'll definitely be glad for a few more black directors to get some limelight so people can get off this fantasy that Perry is the only black person working.

 

[GoldGoblin]

Doesn't Spike Lee make movies anymore?

 

[Mike_D202]

I'm with the minority here, this movie looks like dung. It's supposed to be set in WW2 and they are all talking with modern slang. Against a green screen.

 

[Project862006]

^not really they are'nt talking modern slang

 

[bullets]

Modern slang? I must of missed something in the trailer.

Doesn't Spike Lee make movies anymore?

Not sure. He hasn't done anything since Miracle at St. Anna (2008)

 

[Mike_D202]

"...BOOM!"

I'm no history buff but I don't think people used that when they won in a card game.

 

[Project862006]

boom is modern slang lol

 

[chamber-music]

All that boom stuff reminds me of Not Another Teen Movie where the token black guy only lines are generic slang like saying "Damn, Thats Wack,"

Doesn't Spike Lee make movies anymore?

His doing the Oldboy remake.

There are good black directors out there like Steve McQueen that aren't Tyler Perry and Spike Lee.

A new black director is George Issacs who is directing a Action Thriller 'All Things To All Men' starring Gabriel Byrne, Rufus Sewell, Toby Stephens, Julian Sands and James Frain

 

[Project862006]

steve mcqueen is'nt really casting black actors tho

 

[chamber-music]

Steve McQueens only done two movies. one is a prison movie about IRA hunger strikers in the 1980s so there wasn't much room for black actors in Hunger.

Nicole Beharie is in Shame.

McQueens next movie is Twelve Years A Slave starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and his going to do a movie about Afro Beat legend Fela Kuti.

 

[dark_b]

George Lucas Talks Red Tails on The Daily Show





Edit....sorry I didn't see this was already posted.

this was a fantastic inetrview. you could see that Lucas loves this story and payed a lot money from his own pocket.and he even makes jokes about the prequels. fantastic.

 

[roach]

One Tyler Perry is more than enough.

Right now Tyler Perry is the black director getting all the attention...so he's not saying he wants to see more Tyler Perry he wants to see more black directors

Kinda sounds like you've been defeated already. You're going to let a film that you are in no way connected decide how your career goes?

Not really. Everything in Hollywood is predicated on what its done in the past. Which is why when people pitch movie ideas they usually say "its The Dark Knight meets Jaws" as an example. So if I go in to the gatekeepers of Hollywood to pitch a movie with a predominately black cast the first thing they are gonna think about is if this movie(Red Tails) made money or not.


I'll definitely be glad for a few more black directors to get some limelight so people can get off this fantasy that Perry is the only black person working.

a lot of the other black film makers I am around want to change that

 

[Grillz]

Add me to the list of black film makers that want to change that idea.

 

[bullets]

"...BOOM!"

I'm no history buff but I don't think people used that when they won in a card game.

It's actually possible.

http://www.answers.com/topic/boom

 

[C. Lee]

B.C. LEE, I'm not telling you that you have to think that it looks unappealing or that the special effects look iffy, I'm saying those things because that's what I believe. You are free to disagree of course but I wish you had did it with words instead of one word because I'm not exactly sure what you are objecting to.

Also I'm tired of Hollywood telling me that the only good period for blacks were anytime before the 1990's. I want a modern black action film.

You said this - I don't think it's going to succeed because it looks largely unappealing in every way. I see no really good selling point to the film besides iffy looking special effects.

I didn't think that I would have had to explain it to you, but here goes...

Selling points:
Features an Academy Award winning actor
Features an Academy Award nominated actor
Features a large cast of young up and coming actors
Produced by George Lucas, the producer of many of the most beloved action adventure movies in history
Story is largely unknown true moment in history that needs to be told
Story is largely ignored true moment in history that needs to be told
Story is about part of the African American participation in the "greatest generation"
Large scale action adventure movie
Story of men fighting oppression and prejudices on both the home front and against the Nazis
A proud story about a group of Americans in general and African American's in particular that needs to be told
A story about young men in the past that's still relevant today

 

[kaypain]

Or a story about Black people killling each other in the Hood

 

[RockSP]

So this morning a friend of mine forwards me this e-mail that's been going around:

"I am writing regarding the new movie Red Tails. This movie was 23 years in the making. George Lucas (Star Wars) wrote the movie with the Tuskegee Airmen. When he started writing the movie there were 42 men alive, now there are only 7. He said their stories were so compelling he did not want to leave anything out. There are 3 movies. This is the first all black film. He is using his own money, because the big companies will not finance an all black film. If the movie does not do well the first weekend, we will never see the other two! The movie comes out Jan 20 Friday! Please make a date with someone and see it the first weekend! Please forward this email to everyone you know, so we can support this movie!"

Here we go again. Asides from the fact that Red Tails is definitely not the "first all black film" (has this guy been living in a barn???), this is it yet another example of what I call "castor oil" movies that black filmgoers are commanded to go see as sense of duty and obligation.

As I wrote in S & A back in June there's always this pressure that: "We-must-support-this-movie-even-though-it'll-be-as-dry-as-toast-and-even-less-entertaining-because-it-is-a-positive-movie-that-will-uplift-the-race-and-if-it-fails-then-they-won't-make-any-more-movies-like-this-anymore.

The simple fact, and I've said this several times before, is that NO ONE sees a film out of duty or obligation. People see a movie because they WANT to.

People went in droves to see The Devil Inside last weekend despite horrible word of mouth and terrible reviews because they wanted to.

When Tambay asked a few weeks ago what films people were most anxious to see in 2012, films like The Hunger Games, Django Unchanged, Prometheus and The Hobbit were named by all the commenters. I can't really recall anyone saying Red Tails.

And from what I've always seen, even the most ardent "castor oil" supporters encouraging people to go out and see the films never even watch the films themselves. They always seem to find some sort of excuse.

Also, the fact that people are sending out e-mails like this, and trying very hard to convince people to see it means that even they know that there isn't a lot of enthusiam for the film itself. And I absolutely resent this idea that the future of black cinema lives or dies because of one film. I mean seriously?

How many times have we heard that in the past? If Red Tails tanks (which I suspect it will - I've seen it) believe me, black cinema will still be around, epecially in the independent film world, where it's always thrived. It's been around since the silent film era, and it's definitely not on its death bed.

You're just not going to see another film about the Tuskegee Airmen; but there are SO many other stories to tell.


http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/but-does-anyone-really-wants-to-see-red-tails

 

[Incrediblejeff]

Damnit Rock I was just about to post that story.Beat me to it.LOL.

And Sergio is known to be a critic of blockbusters.I got into an argument with him about it one time.

 

[terry78]

And so it came to pass.

 

[craigdbfan]

So this morning a friend of mine forwards me this e-mail that's been going around:

"I am writing regarding the new movie Red Tails. This movie was 23 years in the making. George Lucas (Star Wars) wrote the movie with the Tuskegee Airmen. When he started writing the movie there were 42 men alive, now there are only 7. He said their stories were so compelling he did not want to leave anything out. There are 3 movies. This is the first all black film. He is using his own money, because the big companies will not finance an all black film. If the movie does not do well the first weekend, we will never see the other two! The movie comes out Jan 20 Friday! Please make a date with someone and see it the first weekend! Please forward this email to everyone you know, so we can support this movie!"

Here we go again. Asides from the fact that Red Tails is definitely not the "first all black film" (has this guy been living in a barn???), this is it yet another example of what I call "castor oil" movies that black filmgoers are commanded to go see as sense of duty and obligation.

As I wrote in S & A back in June there's always this pressure that: "We-must-support-this-movie-even-though-it'll-be-as-dry-as-toast-and-even-less-entertaining-because-it-is-a-positive-movie-that-will-uplift-the-race-and-if-it-fails-then-they-won't-make-any-more-movies-like-this-anymore.

The simple fact, and I've said this several times before, is that NO ONE sees a film out of duty or obligation. People see a movie because they WANT to.

People went in droves to see The Devil Inside last weekend despite horrible word of mouth and terrible reviews because they wanted to.

When Tambay asked a few weeks ago what films people were most anxious to see in 2012, films like The Hunger Games, Django Unchanged, Prometheus and The Hobbit were named by all the commenters. I can't really recall anyone saying Red Tails.

And from what I've always seen, even the most ardent "castor oil" supporters encouraging people to go out and see the films never even watch the films themselves. They always seem to find some sort of excuse.

Also, the fact that people are sending out e-mails like this, and trying very hard to convince people to see it means that even they know that there isn't a lot of enthusiam for the film itself. And I absolutely resent this idea that the future of black cinema lives or dies because of one film. I mean seriously?

How many times have we heard that in the past? If Red Tails tanks (which I suspect it will - I've seen it) believe me, black cinema will still be around, epecially in the independent film world, where it's always thrived. It's been around since the silent film era, and it's definitely not on its death bed.

You're just not going to see another film about the Tuskegee Airmen; but there are SO many other stories to tell.


http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/but-does-anyone-really-wants-to-see-red-tails

I couldn't agree more. Incredibly well said.

 

[roach]

So this morning a friend of mine forwards me this e-mail that's been going around:

"I am writing regarding the new movie Red Tails. This movie was 23 years in the making. George Lucas (Star Wars) wrote the movie with the Tuskegee Airmen. When he started writing the movie there were 42 men alive, now there are only 7. He said their stories were so compelling he did not want to leave anything out. There are 3 movies. This is the first all black film. He is using his own money, because the big companies will not finance an all black film. If the movie does not do well the first weekend, we will never see the other two! The movie comes out Jan 20 Friday! Please make a date with someone and see it the first weekend! Please forward this email to everyone you know, so we can support this movie!"

Alot of misconceptions...whoever wrote the email obviously didn't get the Star Wars reference...there aren't three films. This is not the first all black film....this is however the first all black big budget film.

Here we go again. Asides from the fact that Red Tails is definitely not the "first all black film" (has this guy been living in a barn???), this is it yet another example of what I call "castor oil" movies that black filmgoers are commanded to go see as sense of duty and obligation.

As I wrote in S & A back in June there's always this pressure that: "We-must-support-this-movie-even-though-it'll-be-as-dry-as-toast-and-even-less-entertaining-because-it-is-a-positive-movie-that-will-uplift-the-race-and-if-it-fails-then-they-won't-make-any-more-movies-like-this-anymore.

The simple fact, and I've said this several times before, is that NO ONE sees a film out of duty or obligation. People see a movie because they WANT to.

People went in droves to see The Devil Inside last weekend despite horrible word of mouth and terrible reviews because they wanted to.

When Tambay asked a few weeks ago what films people were most anxious to see in 2012, films like The Hunger Games, Django Unchanged, Prometheus and The Hobbit were named by all the commenters. I can't really recall anyone saying Red Tails.

And from what I've always seen, even the most ardent "castor oil" supporters encouraging people to go out and see the films never even watch the films themselves. They always seem to find some sort of excuse.

Also, the fact that people are sending out e-mails like this, and trying very hard to convince people to see it means that even they know that there isn't a lot of enthusiam for the film itself. And I absolutely resent this idea that the future of black cinema lives or dies because of one film. I mean seriously?

How many times have we heard that in the past? If Red Tails tanks (which I suspect it will - I've seen it) believe me, black cinema will still be around, epecially in the independent film world, where it's always thrived. It's been around since the silent film era, and it's definitely not on its death bed.

You're just not going to see another film about the Tuskegee Airmen; but there are SO many other stories to tell.


http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/but-does-anyone-really-wants-to-see-red-tails

No one is claiming that this film is gonna kill black cinema. If this movie is successful then Hollywood would feel comfortable in putting money towards another big budget "black film".
I find a lot of your logic faulty. Just because people aren't anxious to see Red Tails means nothing. TDKR and Avengers wasn't named either....guess we shouldn't go see them either.
Trying to build up word of mouth means the movie is bad....every movie does this.
Black Cinema is not going to live or die but this movie...all that this movie could change is the budget black films

 

[RockSP]

Uh...the link is there to the original site, it's not something I wrote.

 

[terry78]

This topic is always gonna be kinda heated because on the one hand if we don't support it, naysayers will say, regardless of us caring or not, "see, they don't even support their own films." Yet I do agree that we can't be the end all, be all when it comes to this thing either.

 

[KenK]

"...BOOM!"

I'm no history buff but I don't think people used that when they won in a card game.

Can somebody say "nitpicking"!!!

 

[Incrediblejeff]

If Red Tails fails we still have this guy.

[YT]uG_Pmre-OtM[/YT]