This is a touchy subject...

[Bubonic]

Its hilarious, actually sort of sad that your coworker would get on your case saying you have a responsibility to support all black films.
The caliber of movie of which you speak, imo goes to negate the black public image, it reaffirms stereotypes in the ignorant, and is almost as bad as watching old Amos and Andy sketches, because it presents blacks as fools there for white peoples entertainment.
All these movies with black men in fat women suits is humiliating.

 

[Chris Wallace]

My point exactly!

 

[Tojo]

yeah that is pathetic. So mindless.

Also, The Wayan brothers are a crime to celluloid. White Chicks, Little Man...the trailers say it all. I wonder if in their darkest moments they feel the blistering shame that should accompany the making of those films.

 

[SuGarRush]

This is a shockingly lucid and intelligent thread.

I cannot help but agree with the majority opinions voiced here...
Wow, I don't think I've ever done that on the Hype before...

 

[Chris Wallace]

There's a first time for anything. But the trend of substandard, Jim Crow films needs to stop. It kills me that the filmmakers defend it by sating that's what Black moviegoers want to see, & Black moviegoers defend going to these movies by saying that's all that Hollywood gives us.

 

[GhostPoet]

I think we are seeing some great black actors lately. It's awesome to finally see them breaking out of the stereotypical roles. Unfortunetly, you do have certain directors/writers (black ones no less!!) that are creating films that shove them back into stereotypes. sigh

 

[terry78]

Did anyone even see Talk to Me? Seriously, did they?

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

I know I was so wounded, and worried for my culture, when those stereotypical White comedies like, "National Lampoon's Vacation", and "Happy Gilmore" and "American Pie" came out.
It really eroded my credibility and standing in the community, because, like, all those idiots in the ******ed lackluster movies have the same color skin as I do.

 

[Ender Durden]

as a mexican, the most latino movie a major studio has put out recently is Happy Feet.

damn good movie tho

 

[terry78]

as a mexican, the most latino movie a major studio has put out recently is Happy Feet.

damn good movie tho

You haven't seen my thread on Beverly Hills Chihuahua yet, have you.

 

[Bubonic]

I know I was so wounded, and worried for my culture, when those stereotypical White comedies like, "National Lampoon's Vacation", and "Happy Gilmore" and "American Pie" came out.
It really eroded my credibility and standing in the community, because, like, all those idiots in the ******ed lackluster movies have the same color skin as I do.

Thats one of the things, when movies like those are released, they are acknowledged as being idiotic but aren't automatically attributed to it being on account of it being a "white" movie.

When these generic movies, mostly cast with black people come out, the danger is that people who just don't simply see it as a shame, might further internalize preexisting stereotypes that they've held.

 

[TNC9852002]

Yep. Previous movies with predominantly Black casts have totally polarized and damaged the credibility for all others that have come after it.

It's why I have to work so hard to try and convince people when something actual decent comes out because most non-Black people won't even bother to see it if they think it's like some other movie that it looks similar to.

Now, I never think of myself as one of those guys that has to support any movie with an all-Black cast or a leading Black actor or actress. I always take any movie for what it is and what it represents. If the movie is good or looks good, I'll watch it. If the movie is bad or looks bad, I won't it's just that simple. Race is never played a main factor in my movie tastes. If you saw my Blu-ray/DVD collection (about 200+), you'll find maybe 3% of my movies have all Black casts.

I guess what I'm ultimately saying is, it's time for the return of good, strong Black films to turn this whole thing around, because it's been a terrible slippery slope for most of them, which have led to a lot of missed opportunities.

-TNC

 

[Spider-X]

The way I see it...and I firmly believe this to be true is this:

we shouldn't have a "black community" in america where "black people" act black and are defined by their color. It's destructive and separatist.

There is nothing different about Whites, Blacks, Yellow, Brown, Purple...there's no difference other than skin color. Some would argue culture...I would agree. But the mistake that a ton of people make is that if you are black then you have to fit into this B.S. black subculture and fit this artificial African-American mold we've created...and it's not a good one. It's very diffensive and polarizing.

Enough of this "black community"...we are all americans here! It's the American community...color doesn't establish who we are. I didn't pop out of the womb a hill billy nascar loving cracker and black people don't pop out of the womb as diffensive "ghetto" gangstas.

As for black history in america (slavery)...it's a problem because we let it effect us today...how about growing past it and acknowleding it was in the past and stop using it as a cruch for sh&t. Yes you WERE oppressed...but continuously bringing it back up is doing nothing to help us move past it.

Lets be progressive here.

 

[terry78]

^I think you're trying to sweep a lot of **** under the rug there. You're making it sound like, "hey, just forget that you're black and that some stuff has happened, get on with your life." It's not that cut and dry.

 

[Spider-X]

^I think you're trying to sweep a lot of **** under the rug there. You're making it sound like, "hey, just forget that you're black and that some stuff has happened, get on with your life." It's not that cut and dry.

ok...explain.

 

[Bubonic]

The way I see it...and I firmly believe this to be true is this:

we shouldn't have a "black community" in america where "black people" act black and are defined by their color. It's destructive and separatist.

There is nothing different about Whites, Blacks, Yellow, Brown, Purple...there's no difference other than skin color. Some would argue culture...I would agree. But the mistake that a ton of people make is that if you are black then you have to fit into this B.S. black subculture and fit this artificial African-American mold we've created...and it's not a good one. It's very diffensive and polarizing.

Enough of this "black community"...we are all americans here! It's the American community...color doesn't establish who we are. I didn't pop out of the womb a hill billy nascar loving cracker and black people don't pop out of the womb as diffensive "ghetto" gangstas.

As for black history in america (slavery)...it's a problem because we let it effect us today...how about growing past it and acknowleding it was in the past and stop using it as a cruch for sh&t. Yes you WERE oppressed...but continuously bringing it back up is doing nothing to help us move past it.

Lets be progressive here.

The whole colourblind America thing doesn't work.
Every sub-culture is going to live a different experience no matter how high the heat is under the melting pot.
Black people were taken from there homeland, robbed of their culture, and put through a lot on a count of racism and the American institution.

I am definitely not saying that these horrendous movies are representative of the black experience, but to suggest that blacks should completely assimilate, well its wrong, and it ain't going to happen.
You guys took away almost everything, but one thing you can't take is there identity... A lot of it is unfortunately anti-institutional, but there is obviously going to be some hard feelings between black America and "the man" due to that sordid history.

Telling a group of people tough luck, get over it, it was in the past is no more constructive then dwelling on it.
The past remains in the past, yet there is still a substantial after effect that needs to be dealt with as conditions are still worse from blacks then most others in America, and its a result of institutional problems and all sorts of things.

You got to think about equity, not equality.

Anyways this is the room forum for this kind of talk...

 

[Spider-X]

Let me do a little segway here as to why these posts belong in this thread:

I feel that one of the root problems with "black" comedies and movies being such crap so often is due to the african american stereotypes that have penentrated and polarized our culture and thusly these movies. The reason for this is, what I feel to be, the artificial "black community." In my opinion, the existence of a "black community" is just another way of separating and polarizing people.

The whole colourblind America thing doesn't work.
Every sub-culture is going to live a different experience no matter how high the heat is under the melting pot.
Black people were taken from there homeland, robbed of their culture, and put through a lot on a count of racism and the American institution.

Excellent point...I'd be unhappy if my ancestors were forcibly taken from their homeland and put into slavery, but they've been free for many many years now and are equal citizens in every respect of the law now...so why still hold a grudge? What needs to be done to stop all the anger in the "black community"?

I am definitely not saying that these horrendous movies are representative of the black experience, but to suggest that blacks should completely assimilate, well its wrong, and it ain't going to happen.

so you are saying that this is not a "color of the skin" issue so much as a cultural issue then? That black people are born black and instantly have to have a chip on their sholder living in the US and are put into this american "black community"?

You guys took away almost everything, but one thing you can't take is there identity... A lot of it is unfortunately anti-institutional, but there is obviously going to be some hard feelings between black America and "the man" due to that sordid history.

You guys? You mean white americans?

and, once again, what needs to happen to make these hard feelings go away? or should they even go away? is it a permenant stain on the american culture?

Telling a group of people tough luck, get over it, it was in the past is no more constructive then dwelling on it.
The past remains in the past, yet there is still a substantial after effect that needs to be dealt with as conditions are still worse from blacks then most others in America, and its a result of institutional problems and all sorts of things.

You got to think about equity, not equality.

What is getting in the way of black people living like everyone else in this country today?

 

[Spider-X]

 

[Chris Wallace]

The other night I was watching an episode of "Til Death", in which Eddie's black friend led him to boycott the local multiplex over what he believed to be racial discrimination. The friend was at the head of the concession line & couldn't make up his mind about what he wanted, so the cashier immediately went on to serve the customer behind him-a man who was old, cripple, & white. Eddie eventually convinced the friend that this was not a matter of race but rather brought on by the fact that he takes forever to order food. Of course, at the end of the show, they'd returned to the theater & Eddie apologized to the cashier for their previous behavior. At which point the cashier said "It's okay. I don't have a problem with YOU; I only have a problem with the 'coloreds'."
I was informed later by Yvette Nicole Brown

-an actress who appeared in the episode as a Chicken & Waffles cashier-that the episode was filmed on the anniversary of King's assassination. She also told me that the ending line was originally written as "I don't have a problem with you-you're white." I found that very interesting. On the one hand, I'd hate to think that all predominantly white sitcoms would depict us as paranoid clowns who see every issue as a racial one, but I think in this particular instance it was handled tastefully.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Let me do a little segway here as to why these posts belong in this thread:

I feel that one of the root problems with "black" comedies and movies being such crap so often is due to the african american stereotypes that have penentrated and polarized our culture and thusly these movies. The reason for this is, what I feel to be, the artificial "black community." In my opinion, the existence of a "black community" is just another way of separating and polarizing people.



Excellent point...I'd be unhappy if my ancestors were forcibly taken from their homeland and put into slavery, but they've been free for many many years now and are equal citizens in every respect of the law now...so why still hold a grudge? What needs to be done to stop all the anger in the "black community"?



so you are saying that this is not a "color of the skin" issue so much as a cultural issue then? That black people are born black and instantly have to have a chip on their sholder living in the US and are put into this american "black community"?



You guys? You mean white americans?

and, once again, what needs to happen to make these hard feelings go away? or should they even go away? is it a permenant stain on the american culture?



What is getting in the way of black people living like everyone else in this country today?

Are you suggesting there should be no distinction of culture in this melting pot? Would you do away with the Italian, Hispanic & Polish communities as well? It ain't gonna happen.
I'm sorry, but to say that the problem lies in the existence of a black culture is narrow-minded & hypocritical. I like having a brand of music I can call my own. (not RAP) I like being an individual with an individual background. And as James Earl Jones put it best years ago, it's a matter of "consciousness without conceit". We can have our heritage without being depicted as modern-day minstrels, it's just going to take a concerted effort on both parts-filmmakers & moviegoers-to make it happen.

 

[bullets]

I've seen movies with entire casts being either black or white. It just not realistic and it stands out sometimes.

 

[Chris Wallace]

What do you mean? Are you implying that someone of one race couldn't go the bulk of their entire life without interacting with somone of another?

 

[Sloth7d]

I can't agree with this thread. Maybe a few years ago I would have, but now I don't.
To which I will state I like White Chicks, but not just White Chicks. I like I Am Legend. I like Blade, The Art of War, In the Pursuit of Happyness, Crash, Ghost Dog, I Think I Love My Wife, Gothika(some-what), I Robot (lol Why does Will Smith always start in these films with grammatical errors) MIB, Rush Hour, Cradle to the Grave, Dream Girls, The Wiz, Romeo Must Die, and other movies with black protagonist or co-black protagonist. I admit, I'm not a big fan of some of these typical black films that always pop up, like Norbit, First Sunday, ATL, Soul Plane and the such, but that doesn't mean all of them are bad just because our people generally distribute only a few specific categories of movies. Just like not so typical ones like Catwoman aren't always good. Though, I admit, black film makers should expand their horizon. A Weseley Snipes type film is rare to come by for us, and we hardly have ANY films like Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissor Hands, or The Prestige. We're also lacking in the Harry Potter, Bridge to Tarabithia, and Lord of the Rings department. But what can you do? When the majority of the black audience wants stereotypical dark humor, guns, ****s, sports, and rap the film makers have to comply to that to make money , I guess.

 

[Poeman]

i agree, these black people themed movies suck so much...i cant stand some of the humor or fake gangsta theme movies

now on the other hand if it has some realism then i would like it

such as a spike lee joint or something along the lines of the wire when it comes to straight up hood movies

 

[Poeman]

btw YOU GOT SERVED and GET RICH OR DIE TRYING are the worst movies ever