George Lucas' Red Tails

[roach]

If this movie does good maybe studios will be willing to make movies with all black cast.

they already make movies with an all black cast...but maybe next time they'll have a bigger budget

 

[chamber-music]

^same fanboys who bash lucas for ruining star wars with prequels go to conventions honoring the originals with dressing up as storm troopers and such ignore the fact that without lucas they would have no star wars

LOL funny is it not

Also as Mark Kermode said all things about Star Wars fans hate about the prequels can be found in the original trilogy

Anyway

2. Red Tails (LucasFilm/Fox) NEW [2,512 Theaters]
Estimated Friday $6.2M, Estimated Weekend $17M

It will probably end up second behind Underworld Awakening which is opening in 3,078 Theaters and is an already exisiting franchise so its doing not too bad.

The real test in overseas as that was what the studios main beef was that all black cast movies don't sell overseas.

 

[ClarkLuther55]

There's apparently massive gulf between what the critics and the audiences thought about this movie. Random sampling of regular moviegoers by CinemaScore gave Red Tails a very strong "A" grade.

 

[QBComics]

Man, I disliked this movie. My main problem with it was that it was so bland and so uninspired at certain scenes that I just couldn't care. The dialogue was awful, and I was laughing at it as soon as the movie opened up. Plus, it felt repetitive. Lightning does this, Easy yells at him, Lightning does this, Easy yells at him, Lightning complains Easy drinks too much, and repeat. I think the one word to describe this movie, for me, is monotonous.

That said, there were good parts in this movie. I liked the setting, it was very refreshing looking, and as much as I hated the dialogue in some scenes, the cast did have chemistry together even if a lot of it was very two dimensional. The set pieces were nice and very fun (although, it seems that everything in the movie blew up on a dime. ) and the sound, as with every Lucasfilm movie, was very, very good. I just wish, given the great subject matter, Lucas could have hired a better screenwriter to give the characters more life and depth. Oh, and Ne-Yo needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. He was funny in a couple scenes, but boy did he get on my nerves.

2/5

 

[roach]

Thats not Ne-Yo's fault...blame the screenwriters, director or editor

 

[DaveMoral]

As to the critique that the movie seems too "modern" for a period piece. What kind of feel is a period piece supposed to have? I mean, the difference between say 13 Assassins and Seven Samurai in film and writing style is pretty wide... but they are both still chambara period piece films. Being a "period piece" is simply a film set in and showcasing a certain historical era. It has nothing to do with the style or feel of the film. A period piece is not necessarily "retro." If the whole "modern" thing comes totally from green screens and CGI effects... well, that's just a different method of accomplishing the same thing. If reviewers are saying this movie feels more old school, then the movie was written and directed in a "retro" way with new technologies. So it could come off exactly like an old John Wayne WWII movie but with guys in cockpits with green screened backgrounds and CGI dogfights. Hells bells, that's pretty much exactly what the Star Wars OT Special Edition is and even still, the original OT was blue/green screened guys in cockpits with model kit bashed fighter dogfights instead of stock footage like an old WWII movie was.

 

[SuperSoldier985]

When it comes to a movie, I don't care who produced it, because nine times out of then, when people really enjoy a movie, no one gives a damn to the producer nor do they give any credit to them.

Here's a game---think of your top ten movies form 2011--Who directed those movies? Who wrote them? Do you remember? Who produced them?

Odds are, you'll know the star(s) and maybe the director, but no one remembers the writers and especially the producers most of the time.

I'm not gonna break trend of placing the majority of my feelings and understanding into how a movie is made because at the end of it all, the writer(s) and the director(s) need to be the ones who make or break the movie. Sure, most people will look at George Lucas when it comes to what they liked or didn't like about the movie--totally understandable. But for me, I'm keeping my perspective the way it's always been.

 

[terry78]

Though it's kind of a toss up with 2011 because like no less than seven movies were produced/directed by Spielberg.

 

[chamber-music]

Most of the reason Spielberg gets producer credits these days is because of his Dreamworks studio he co-founded and co-owns.

 

[EML420]

they already make movies with an all black cast...but maybe next time they'll have a bigger budget

Thats what I ment.
This weekend seems packed im really wondering how its going to do.

 

[roach]

Seems to be doing good

Fully financed and produced by George Lucas, Red Tails grossed a better than expected $6 million on Friday for a projected $16 million weekend.

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/anthony-hemingway-red-tails-treme-the-wire-interview/138671/

Director Anthony Hemingway Talks RED TAILS, TREME, and THE WIRE

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub Posted:January 20th, 2012 at 11:39 am

Opening today is director Anthony Hemingway‘s World War II action-drama Red Tails. Produced by George Lucas andRick McCallum, the movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country. They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible. Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelly, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, Daniela Ruah, and Michael B. Jordan.

Last week I did an exclusive phone interview with Hemingway. During our wide ranging conversation we talked about how he got involved in Red Tails, what it was like to meet and collaborate with Lucas, how much of the film was “Hollywoodized,” the boot camp for the actors, deleted scenes, test screening, and if they ever think about releasing the film in 3D. In addition, with Hemingway having worked on The Wire and Treme, we talked about both of those series and what it’s like to direct TV. Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

As usual, I’m offering two ways to get the interview: you can either click here for the audio or the full transcript is below. Red Tails opens this weekend.

Collider: So how is your day going? How have you enjoyed doing press all day since yesterday?

Anthony Hemingway: I feel like I am about to throw up. It is so amazing and it is just overwhelming. I have to be honest, I have been a part of some great things, but this is just magnificent. The whole meaning, relevance, and importance of this film and this story is just so awesome. I can’t even form words to describe the feeling of this. It is beyond anything that I ever imagined.

I’m sure that there were a number of people that were considered for the gig. Can you talk about how you managed to get it and your first meeting with Mr. Lucas?

Hemingway: I got the phone call one day from my agent saying that George Lucas wanted to meet with me and I was like, “Yeah, right. Come on. Me? Why?” and he told me and then it really happened. I went and had a meeting where I was as confident as I can always be. The minute I walked into the building to meet him I lost all composure. I started sweating profusely and it was pretty intimidating I have to say in a way. Just to meet someone of his magnitude and to even be considered to be a part of this project was just already great. To sit down and listen to him convey his vision for the film; I was on board. In my mind, there wasn’t anyone else to be considered. That just went on to a series of meetings where I had a presentation where I presented my vision for the film and things that I felt needed to be strengthened with the script and just how I thought. The day Rick McCallum called me to offer me the job I lost it. I almost wrecked my truck. [laughs] It was just very emotional. To digress a bit, several weeks before even that first phone call it was out of the last writer’s strike. I remember sitting in my living room on my couch talking to a very close friend of mine. This was about the time of not knowing how long that strike was going to last. It was really kind of bouncing off conversations about passion and the type of material I want to do. I really prayed and asked God for my first film. At that time I had been reading a lot of scripts that my agent and managers were sending me and nothing really spoke to me. At that time I really, really wanted to really step into the film world having conquered everything that I could have imagined and dreamed of doing on the TV scale. I prayed and asked for something with integrity, something that means something, and that makes a statement. To get that phone call after several weeks after that – I felt like my prayers had been answered. It has been an amazing ride.

George Lucas has been on this thing for like 23 years. Can you talk about what you suggested in how the script could be adjusted? Can you talk about what you brought to the table and how it differed from what George was thinking and how you worked together to make it all work?

Hemingway: I think with me coming on board and not being a part of this for 20 something years was just a fresh pair of eyes. To really take the material and say, “Hm. How can we focus this? What is the point of view of this story?” I think with that…taking what George’s vision for it was, which was to speak to youth. I honestly and initially had trouble with that. Knowing this story and knowing the history behind it and not even knowing who the Tuskegee Airmen were growing up and knowing that it’s not even part of any school’s curriculum. No kids really know who these men are. They don’t know or care about World War II, and it’s going to be very difficult. My feeling at first was that we have to kind of go at them through the back door. I didn’t know if this was really going to hit them directly. I was really more about focusing on the story and the characters and knowing that we both collaborated on this effort together. In the beginning he told me not to worry. Not that he told me not to worry about the action, but he definitely had my back and that I was completely supported with all of that. So he really wanted me to focus on the other 90% of everything. That is where we came together I think. I really helped shaped character and story and he really helped focus on the…he is a buff on the dog fights, combat, and all of that. That was just a joy even for me to be educated about all of that and even the process. So I think together we, I feel, brilliantly connected and made it happen.

I’m sure that George has been imagining the dog fights for about 23 years.

Hemingway: Yeah. He has been living with this for so long. He just breathes it.

How much of the story was Hollywoodized and how much was actual fact? How do you balance telling a movie while also trying to be honest to something that is so important in history?

Hemingway: I think it is a pretty fair balance. First and foremost, telling historical stories is very tricky because it is something that is known. It is not like you can tell a lie or change something that is written in black and white. There was a huge sense of responsibility in telling this story for me about the Tuskegee Airmen. The fact that these men were so courageous and what they did in helping this country and our world and to not be known was something that I felt we had to hit truthfully and really honestly and give them the credit that they deserve. I think that was the foundation. With anything, and especially with the pallet of viewers in watching anything on TV and film, you have to entertain them. I wouldn’t really say it was “Hollywoodized” or “too commercial”. It has the sense of that because of the scale of it and the action. But I think every move we made was backed with “These are true facts” and that “These are true events and that nothing we are telling didn’t happen.” However, yes, we may need to have a creative license here or there to try and pump something up or to make it a little bit more appealing. But I think everything that is there and anything that anyone will see is rooted in reality and truth.

From what I understand you guys had an interesting boot camp. Was that your idea to do that or whose idea was it to beat up the actors a little bit?

Hemingway: It was my idea. I just felt that in this day and age: 1) A story like this is so important 2) Being true to the story and wanting to…these pilots were very young. They were between 19 to 21 years old and most of our young actors today are very contemporary. So I felt that there needed to be certain steps that we all, including myself, needed to take to make sure that we were representing who these men were at that time and really staying in the time of the period. I had the boot camp instructors research what the Tuskegee Airmen program did and everything they did to prepare them to get to war. So that way everything was about making sure that we did it. It was stripping everything contemporary from these guys. We took their cell phones, Blackberries, computers, iPods, and everything away. I feel like we are in a time now where we have lost contact with each other and there is a huge disconnect. Back then there was a bond. Those guys stuck together. They talked, supported each other, and they depended on each other. I think everything including the boot camp, the pilot training, and all of that stuff…in my opinion, I wanted it to transfix these actors and these young guys and to really give them this sense of camaraderie so that they understood every step and every day what we were doing so that we wouldn’t forget it.

Did you let them know before they got there that this was happening or was it a surprise?

Hemingway: They knew that they were going to do it, but they didn’t know to what degree it was going to be done. It was a huge shock to all of them. But every last one of them will tell you that when they came out of it it made a difference. It was major.

Ben Burtt was involved with this film. Can you talk about working with him? He is a legend in the field.

Hemingway: Ben and I worked a little bit together in the very beginning when I did a process that they call pre-visualization. Before I left to go overseas I had the fortune of doing this process where I was able to really build all of the action sequences before we started shooting, which was a huge contribution because myself and the actors got to connect with what we were doing together in all of the green screen and gimbal process. So he really tried to help me see it largely and to help me open up and to step back and see things. He has been there and done it. So he really helped me take it up a notch.

I would imagine that there were deleted scenes along the way. Did you have a lot of deleted scenes or did you shoot very close to the script? Can you talk about that?

Hemingway: There are a fair amount of scenes that are missing from what we originally did. It’s only to focus it, streamline it, and make it clearer in getting the point of view across and helping the story focus on the adventure, fun, the combat, and to really show the excellence of what these men did and who they were.

Are you a fan extended cuts? Do you see all of the deleted scenes being on the DVD or Blu-ray? Sometimes things are cut for a reason. Can you go into a little bit more detail?

Hemingway: I would love for the deleted scenes to be on the DVD, but I don’t know. We haven’t talked about that process. So I am not sure when that will come.

Just to be specific, do you have 10 minutes or 30 minutes? Is there a number?

Hemingway: There are about 30 minute of scenes that are not there.

That is a healthy number. Are you a fan of the extended cut or is the cut that you realesed the “Director’s Cut”?

Hemingway: I would not call that the director’s cut. There was a huge collaboration in focusing the film in the end in what is being shown.

Were you involved in the test screening process or any friends and family screenings? How did those screenings impact the way the film finally looks?

Hemingway: I don’t believe that there were too many changes from once we started going out and doing these influence or test screenings. What I think was really helping us to see what really was working and what people were taking away and what they were responding to, and for me it really helped me personally really understand what we have, was knowing that this is an amazing story, that it is important, and that I am proud of it. I still think that it is affirming when people tell you and when they walk away being affected by it and empowered. That is to me where it really resonates.

There are a lot of 3D movies right now. Was there any talk of doing this in 3D?

Hemingway: No, we never talked about that in the beginning, or I guess since I was on board.

I’ll be honest, this might have been even cooler in 3D.

Hemingway: It could have been, yeah. Just with my personal taste, I just would not have wanted to have followed suit with everything going 3D just because.

You were the first AD on one of my favorite shows of all time and I’m pretty sure you know what I am going to say – The Wire.

Hemingway: I started directing on The Wire.

I definitely want to ask what you remember about working on that show and the fact that the show never won the awards but everybody who has seen it thinks it’s one of the best shows ever.

Hemingway: I am proud of that show, very much. I had a lot of growth out of that show. I spring boarded out of that show. Everyone there and a part of it is my family. It is a show that is larger than life, really. It is being used at universities such as Harvard for sociological studies. That is another situation where being a part of the show and working on it; so many of us never really knew the magnitude of what it was and how it would speak to people. We knew that we were a part of something great, but I don’t think to that degree. So it is really kind of…it makes me proud to walk around and people know that I am a part of The Wire and even Treme, which kind of follows suit. It is the same thing – people aren’t on it yet. It is different than The Wire, but I still think it is as important and speaking to a larger message.

You’ve worked on Fringe, Falling Skies, Community, and True Blood. You’ve done a ton of TV shows as well as directing Red Tails. How is like bringing the energy and feel that the fans of the show follow without putting too much of yourself in it? Can you talk about the balance of making the show work while putting yourself in it?

Hemingway: It’s a huge balance and a challenge. I think people that are not used to television come to it thinking that they can reinvent the wheel and that is putting yourself in it and not really respecting what has been created. My analogy for that is always that I have been given a circle and I am allowed to color that circle in whatever color I want to color it, but as long as when I return it and give it back it is still a circle. That opportunity at least allows me to bring something to the table. Pretty much every show that I do I am a fan of before I go there. So I feel like I have been a part of that ride the whole time. So I am able to go in there and really speak the same language as all of the actors, producers, and creators. It is always a fun experience. Most of the shows that I do and return to allow us as directors to do our job. In TV you are a visitor. You go, you do your job, and you leave. Sometimes you don’t know what it is going to end up being until you see it on the screen. It is an amazing opportunity and practice because it keeps you loose. It is almost like school because things evolve and things process. For me it has been a really amazing experience to work in so many different genres because I have to really almost start over every time I do a new show and forget what I was just doing. It is a challenge because you get so engrossed in something while you are doing it and it is still with you. When you leave and go to the next project it is like “Wait a minute. That is that show and this is something different.” It is a challenge, but I love that challenge. It drives me.

What have you been working on? What other stuff is coming up? Are there any scripts that you are developing or you are directing any other TV shows?

Hemingway: I’m a co-executive producer/director on Treme still and we are on our third season. So they have given me their blessing, love, and support to come out and continue this journey of this awesome experience of doing Red Tails. I’ll be going right back to New Orleans next week after we do The White House screening and a couple of other press junkets. I’ll be down there and I’ll actually be able to go opening night with my Treme family and watch the film. So that is going to be awesome and really exciting. As far as other films and TV shows that I am passionate about and trying to develop…first and foremost, I love humanistic stories about really remarkable people. Everything that I am doing are things that could be in the same vein as Red Tails. That may be difficult to do and challenging in the eyes of the Hollywood system, but they are important. I really want to champion to get them done.

Red Tails is now playing in theaters everywhere.

 

[Lencho01]

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/01/20/aaron-mcgruder-george-lucas-interview-red-tails/

Jan 20th 2012 By: Eric Larnick

Aaron McGruder of 'Boondocks' on Working with George Lucas and His Future In Comics

Red Tails, the George Lucas action adventure about the Tuskegee Airmen, opens this weekend after twenty years in development. The project features a cast and crew of notable black talent, and one of the names on the project that has drawn the most eyebrows is co-writer Aaron McGruder, creator of the popular comic and cartoon The Boondocks, which courted acclaim and controversy with McGruder's biting satires and blunt opinions on everything from Ronald Reagan to corporate media to Tyler Perry. One of his favorite targets was none other than George Lucas and the "Star Wars" franchise, a property McGruder had grown up loving and repeatedly took to task for becoming soullessly corporate and racially insensitive. In spite of his critiques, he jumped at the chance to work on Red Tails when Lucas personally sought him out, and their complicated relationship has made the creative team-up a unique pairing.

During an interview with CA sister site Moviefone in promotion for Red Tails, McGruder spoke in detail about his collaboration with George Lucas, offered his thoughts on the changing audience of geek culture and explained why he and The Boondocks probably won't return to the world of comics.

Moviefone: I had no idea you were involved in "Red Tails" until your name came up in the credits and it took me by surprise, honestly.

Aaron McGruder: A lot of people didn't know. I came on to the project kind of late so it really wasn't public knowledge until the trailer and posters started coming out.

MF: It's interesting that it was actually George Lucas who personally reached out to you.

AM: Yeah, this was after principal photography; [director] Anthony [Hemingway] was already done with all his duties, and I was brought in in 2010 to initially to do some minor tweaking and punch-ups, but I started working with George and I had some ideas, he liked those ideas, so we ended up doing more. It was very cool.

MF: How crazy was the experience of working one-on-one with George Lucas?

AM: It was a big deal. I followed this project, pretty much for the twenty years that it existed. I first heard of the Tuskegee Airmen when I was ten years old, and I was probably a teenager, when I first read that George was doing it. You never think you're going to work on it, you just think "Oh, this will be cool." You look forward to seeing it, and be happy that somebody is going to tell the story on that scale. They called and a week later I was there at the ranch. What I did a lot of, was listen to George in terms of what he wanted out of the movie and I think the more he talked about it, it was not exactly the movie he had. I think the movie he had was a very serious historical drama, and I had always envisioned it more like Star Wars, particularly the old Star Wars, the first one. I think that's what George wanted to. It was a question of "How do you get there while still respecting the weight of the subject matter?"

MF: You're a huge Star Wars fan but you're also someone who parodied Star Wars calling Lucas out for the racial stereotyping of Jar Jar Binks. In the NY Times profile on George, they asked if Jar Jar ever came up and you said "no." But did you get any indication of his sense of humor regarding Star Wars parodies and criticisms?

AM: No, I really didn't. It's obviously the elephant in the room, and I get why you're asking, but I went there with: "He's the boss, he's giving me this huge opportunity, and he's the studio." He's the actual studio. They didn't need me on this project; I was asked to show up and I genuinely wanted to do the best job I could for the movie. I really appreciated the opportunity. I was really happy that George and I clicked creatively, and I had that experience. He allowed more changes to be made than originally intended. I went there with the idea: "I am not going to deviate from the plan at all, not go into fanboy mode, I'm not going to go there." [Laughs]

The movie is bigger than George because it is about the Tuskegee Airmen who were heroes to me most of my life. This is going to be their movie, and I wanted to do the best job I could. Being a Star Wars fan -- I mean come on. I got plenty of Star Wars fans to talk to about Star Wars.

MF: In the Times profile, you're quoted as saying the black audience hasn't had "the John Wayne treatment." And this movie very much feels like a John Wayne throwback. The challenge to me is how you can get a modern audience -- especially a young audience -- to buy that sincerity without rolling their eyes and laughing at it. Is America too cynical to accept clear heroism like that at the movies?

AM: It is a very serious tonal choice that George had made already. I was the cheerleader to that. "Yes, go in that direction, do that." Nobody's more cynical than me. About everything.

But my first memory in life was three years old: my dad took me to see Star Wars and it's not just the first movie I remember, it's my first memory. If you ever watch Boondocks, a lot of times it does become more of an action comedy than just a pure comedy. I've always had a passion for all that, and it was a big deal to get the call. In terms of the tone, coming from the comic book world, that's what I wanted to see. I think that part of me weighed over the cynical satirist. When it came to these guys, you had the opportunity to tell a clean story with over-the-top heroes and a simple Star Wars good vs. bad thing. The more comic book-y the better.

The big challenge with George knowing so much about the history and having a very personal relationship with these pilots for so long, was I think he just got overwhelmed with trying to do right by these guys. I came in with fresh eyes and ears, as someone who still loves the first movies and I wanted to do anything I could to get George back into that place of capturing that charm. I feel there's a charm to Red Tails that I haven't experienced in a long time at the movies. I'm hoping that kids go to this movie without that grown-up cynicism. If you're my age, just enjoy the ride and have the experience that we had when we first saw Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark. That would be 100% the goal. I feel like the history is easy to put out there, there's already a familiarity with it, or at least the broad strokes of racism and segregation. Some people are going to like this tonal choice and some people are going to say, "Oh it should've been heavier and it should've been more dramatic." But there's a version of this that doesn't have to be Saving Private Ryan. We can be Star Wars, as crazy as it is.

MF: We've seen so many clear anime influences on "The Boondocks" and so many references to Star Wars in the original comic strip. What else shaped your your geek upbringing?

AM: The biggest thing is Star Wars. It was Star Wars and comic books, mostly because I was into illustration, I wasn't the guy who knew everything about the X-men or Superman or Spiderman. I used to work at a comic book store in high school, but I was more interested in the illustration side. The other big thing was Charles Schultz and Peanuts. And all of those animated specials together. As a kid, there was a lot of Jim Henson and a lot of Speed Racer. As I grew up I developed an interest in Garry Trudeau, and that's what took me into the direction of being a syndicated cartoonist. Anime obviously was a big influence; anime is really Japanese animation directors imitating American cinema, so it all ties together in a sense. Boy, I really was a geek.

MF: Do you have any plans to return to cartooning in the near future? I was a big fan of Birth of a Nation. Are you looking at another graphic novel?

AM: Birth of a Nation was a script; we really wanted that to be a movie. We had the opportunity to turn it into a graphic novel, and that was great, but my focus is pretty much entirely on television and films, and to continue to be employed in Hollywood.

MF: Where do you think the creative opportunities lie in cartooning right now? Pundits say "print is dead." Did that push you away from the Boondocks strip?

AM: My issues were totally about: one, I just burnt out on the strip and the deadlines were brutal. Two, I didn't feel like there was much of a future in print. I thought I needed to quit because I saw the newspapers slowly going away. I didn't want to be caught off guard. I felt more comfortable being a screenwriter, and as I learned how to become a producer, it seemed like a more natural fit for me than cartooning. I still do animation, and I think animation will always be a part of what I do, but I'm trying to do more live-action stuff and I think that's really going to be my focus.

MF: Do you have a preference between animation and live-action?

AM: It's whatever is the best tool to tell the story. I don't nearly have as much experience with live-action as I do with animation, but ultimately storytelling is storytelling.

MF: Talking about the broader idea of geek culture: I feel like it's predominantly driven by white older males. It's marketed to them first, and then it trickles down to every other demographic. The white older male is the stereotype of geek culture. Do you see that evolving?

AM: I don't think the word is "stereotype." I think you're more referring to a center of gravity. Just look at the epicenter of what that world is, between George Lucas and Marvel and DC comics, that whole world is predominantly white men. But the truth is, now, particularly because of the last decade where it became very profitable in Hollywood, geek culture is so all-encompassing. It has become this pervasive thing through American pop culture as a whole. Everyone has their different versions on it.

There's a lot of geek girl stuff: Tokidoki, Hello Kitty, it's creeping into the fashion line with Black Milk, which is just super cool. You go to Comic-Con and see a cross section of everybody. It used to be niche, and now it's so enormous that it's hard to categorize. But ultimately, the epicenter of who's creating this stuff still ends up being the comic book companies, the Hollywood movies or whatever. All of that is very much white male-centered. That's what it is. I don't look at it as a bad thing. Most of Hollywood is like that. I don't trip on it.

What makes Red Tails so remarkable is that it's an all-black movie. That's unique in this world. Boondocks the same thing. It's our attempt at anime, but it's very, very black. [Laughs] I think it's a world that cultivates people's imagination, allows people to be themselves even if it falls outside of what can be sometimes a very narrow definition of what is hip and cool. It's a world that accepts people more for who they are, and whoever you are, at this point, you can find your thing.

MF: In an interview you did with HardKnocksTV in the summer of '08, you were asked about the upcoming election and why you pulled away from critiquing the Bush administration. You said, "We're no longer at a point where people don't know what the problem is." In the last year, looking at the Wisconsin labor protests, Occupy Wall Street, the changing cultural discussion about class warfare with corporate control, how would Huey Freeman would respond to these changes?

AM: Well the only way for you to know would be through The Boondocks. I decided a long time ago to stop engaging in the conversation. If I had anything worthwhile to say, I should say it in the work. I stopped running around and arguing on Bill Maher. I lost an appetite for it. I feel like my personal passions are elsewhere. What happens to this crazy world is going to happen.

But I think there's as much impact doing movies like Red Tails that are not controversial in any real sense, but can still have a real effect on the audience and affect people's perceptions of themselves. I try to imagine what it would be like if I was six going to see this movie, and I tried to keep that in mind as I was working on it. That's the really cool thing that "Boondocks" can't inspire. The Boondocks can be a rough education of satire, politics and social issues; it's hardcore and brutal. This is a sweet, charming movie. That also has it's place in society.

MF: Will "Boondocks" ever return to TV in some kind of format?

AM: I'm just going to have to pass on that question. [Laughs]

MF: Looking back on the Adult Swim show, what lessons did you learn for the next time you mount a TV production?

AM: Too many to name. I had not worked a day in television when I showed up to work and had my own show and my own staff. I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I still probably couldn't function on a real production. [Laughs] I think I'm a better writer now than when I started. I certainly know more about producing and working with actors. You take every single bit of it into the next project.

MF: Have you ever thought about mounting -- directing and designing -- an animated feature? Making an American anime for American audiences?

AM: All I can say, um [Laughs] All I can say is, I can't say anything.

MF: Did I stumble on something?

AM: What did you say: "interview's over"? Interview's over!

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Seems to be doing good

Fully financed and produced by George Lucas, Red Tails grossed a better than expected $6 million on Friday for a projected $16 million weekend.

I'm glad it's doing better than expected. Hopefully it will be the start something good.

EDIT: And it could make as much as $20 million!

 

[terry78]

Very interesting interviews there. McGruder said before that Boondocks may be getting another season. He likes to be cryptic about that **** for some reason.

 

[RockSP]

Just got back from a viewing....I also enjoyed it.
The audience reactions were positive....they laughed when they were supposed to...got sad when they were supposed to...and at the end they applauded.

Same thing happened when I saw it. I always find that kinda weird...

 

[Ultimatehero]

I thought it was a fun and entertaining flick. It didn't take itself too seriously. Reminded me of the tone war comics and serials must have had back in the day. Yeah, it was cheesy at times but to me that was part of it's charm. If this was the 80s no one would have criticized it for being that way. 8/10

 

[roach]

current BO for Red Tails is at 19.1 million

 

[craigdbfan]

Could be with TDKR. Some people are already disliking the 8 year time skip with possibly him being in a complete lull throughout those 8 years.

Taking this back to Red Tails it's a shame another team couldn't have tackled this.

Edward Zwick could have made a great Tuskegee Airmen film.

 

[roach]

nothing stopping him from doing it...WW2 is rife with stories
Spielberg told 6 WW2 stories...1941, Raiders, Last Crusade, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, Empire of the Sun
...that doesn't include his involvement with Band of Brothers and the Pacific
Clint Eastwood did 2 Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima
Even Spike Lee got in on it with Miracle at St. Anna
and Tarantino with his Inglourious Basterds

 

[terry78]

The thing is most people want to simply hear the stories about the Nazis getting it from the cliche all American soldier types. And that wasn't what the Airmen were viewed as. There are some that still view this flick as being a heavy handed P.C. agenda push.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Could be with TDKR. Some people are already disliking the 8 year time skip with possibly him being in a complete lull throughout those 8 years.

Taking this back to Red Tails it's a shame another team couldn't have tackled this.

Edward Zwick could have made a great Tuskegee Airmen film.

It would have all been seen through the eyes of a white guy if he had made it.

 

[Project862006]

does nolan come up in every thread now

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

does nolan come up in every thread now

Unfortunately yes. But don't worry, one day he will commit a sin in fanboy world and then will subsequently be labeled the worst director ever.

 

[craigdbfan]

He was brought up just to make that point though. It wasn't even a "fanboy" who brought him up randomly.

Straw man argument should be renamed to Chris Nolan because if I had a dime for every time he's mentioned in a completely irrelevant section as a point of comparison I'd be a billionaire.