Need that quick movie review fix before heading to the theater...
Wanna know what's going on in Hollywood Cinema...
Wandering what is about to hit in theaters and what DVD's are set to hit the shelves...
Well Black Savant Cinema (BSC) is just what you need!!
A sneak peek into the cinematic world of movies!! Enjoy the ride!!
Looks like director Anthony Hemingway's (HBO's "Treme") film Red Tails has finally got a release date. It appears as though it will be released January 2012. After much speculation on whether this film will even make it out of the starting blocks, looks like the skepticism can go out the window, this according to Hemingway's Twitter Page (via Shadow and Act). The upcoming film will be executive produced by George Lucas as part of the Lucasfilm Ltd.
Red Tails is based upon the Tuskegee Airmen, a gout of African American combat pilots during World War II. "1944. World War II rages and the fate of the free world hangs in the balance. Meanwhile the black pilots of the experimental Tuskegee training program are courageously waging two wars at once -- one against enemies overseas, and the other against discrimination within the military and back home. Racial prejudices have long held ace airman Martin "Easy" Julian (Nate Parker) and his black pilots back at base -- leaving them with little to do but further hone their flying skills -- while their white counterparts are shipped out to combat after a mere three months of training. Mistakenly deemed inferior and assigned only second-rate planes and missions, the pilots of Tuskegee have mastered the skies with ease but have not been granted the opportunity to truly spread their wings. Until now.
The following folks have been confirmed Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Tristan Wilds, Method Man, Jazmine Sullivan, Ne-Yo, amongst many others.
And to add icing to the cake it has been said that world renowned composer Terrence Blanchard is set to construct the musical score (definitely keeping my attention now).
We will definitely be keeping our eyes and ears open about this one! Are you still interested?!!
For all my 007 fans, here is some music to my ears...The 23rd installment of the Ian Fleming's James Bond series is set to hit theaters November 9th, 2012 (October 26th, 2012 in the UK & Ireland). Thank goodness!! I was getting a little worried that it would not see the light.
Now that we have a release date set we can now stay tuned for casting updates as well. So far on the roster we have Daniel Craig returning along with Sam Mendes directing.
It will be interesting to see who will be joining the cast, it has been rumored everyone from Javier Bardem to Ralph Fiennes could be boarding this ship. In addition to the male heavy hitters, I'm curious to see who the "Bond Girls" will be will they get some fresh blood or some seasoned ladies.
Whatever the result is, I look forward to seeing it on the big screen.
Today's review's are going to be short, sweet, painfully to the point. I had high expectations for both of these flicks and they both let me own. Since both flicks were a disappointment I figure they deserve to be in a post together.
Well well well, what can I say The Hangover Part II did one thing right and that is bring in a lot of hype and huge box office numbers ( I guess that's what counts...). This is a movie that tried just a little bit too hard to make us laugh. I think Director Todd Phillips was on such a high from the first one that with this one is pretty much missed the mark. For the most part "Hangover II", plot wise, is very similar to the first one. All the themes and characters from the first one make a return appearance but just in a different fashion. From what I can gage they wanted us to relive the first one and at the same time take it to another level.
So in this one we get to see Stu and the crew travel to Thailand (versus Las Vegas) for his wedding. And of course the night before the wedding something has to go wrong. The stakes (no pun intended) are much higher now that they are on foreign soil. The pre-wedding escapade is definitely one to remember! Missing family members, silent monks, a drug dealing monkey, face tattoo's, hotel rooftops, and some type of drug pretty much describe what this movie entails. And to top it off we even get a surprise guest appearance in the end.
The Hangover II, is a prime example of flick that is too raunchy for its own good. Put it like this some things are better left unspoken. There were even a few scenes in which I felt slightly offended as an African American and I'm sure some Asians felt the same way. This movie was "too hot" for the film screen. As mentioned earlier they tried to hard to make us laugh, using the same gags and switching out some old tricks for some new ones (ex. Monkey instead of a Tiger). Think of this movie like a car that was washed with just water only no soap. To make the car look real pretty it needs to waxed and shined up, and that is what this movie lacked, a good soap & water washing with a wax-on finish.
I will say this, I will not be making another trip to see this movie again, like I did the first one. Now don't get me wrong I laughed but it just didn't hit the core like the first installment did. Actually as I think about it, The Hangover concept could be a great television series, the Wolfpack solving mysteries of trying to find "missing person's"...or maybe not.
Rating: 2.5 out 5 stars
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Now this next one really hurt my feelings. I think I really hyped myself with this one, and once again I got my feelings were hurt!!
Kung Fu Panda 2 takes the viewer on another journey with Po and his crew of kung-fu masters to take on an old enemy, with a new weapon. I'm glad that they brought everyone back, but it just didn't have the pizazz, I just cannot put my finger on it.
I will give kudos to the animation and the voice-acting definitely a good job. And it does provide some historical Chinese elements. But overall for me not enough to make me say wow!! One thing in particular is that of the final battle it was like pulling teeth, just dragged out way too long.
Kids may enjoy the movie depending on the age, but adults not quite sure what to make of it. Maybe it was not meant for us, this would not be the first time this has happened.
I knew it...I knew it...I knew it...Despite the mixed reviews The Hangover Part II overwhelmingly took the Number #1 spot with Kung Fu Panda 2 coming in second...Check out the numbers below...
1.The Hangover Part II $103,426,875
2. Kung Fu Panda 2 $60,871,175
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $50,012,338
This week's feature spotlight is from my home state of Illinois and she definitely represents it to the fullest. I must say upon reading her submission I was very impressed, Mya B is a true example of versatility to its finest! Her story is truly motivational. And it is always refreshing to see someone work with such passion. She makes you want to go out and do big things in the world. (I see a lot of me in her...wow!!) So without further a do let me introduce this week's Black Savant Cinema Feature Spotlight Mya B. Check her out and see for yourself this true talent...
Mya B. is a young filmmaker born and raised in Chi-town. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY where she came to be around people of like mind in the independent film industry. Graduating from Columbia College with a concentration in film studies gave her the writing and production skills to pursue her passion as an independent filmmaker.
Her first documentary, ‘Warrior Queens’ was shown in 1994 at the Dusable Museum of African American History in Chicago. From working as a PA and interning on several independent films, she decided to venture into her first documentary project. After two years of groundbreaking interviews and historical information to research, she completed her first documentary entitled, ‘Silence: In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America.’ The film has won many accolades, festival acceptance, and awards. Segments of her film, was also show on VH1’s, “Can’t Get a Date”. Since then, her writing has gotten recognition.
Her short script, Maya: The Illusion, won honorable mention in the American Gem screenwriting competition and she was a BET finalist in the Rap It-Up competition in 2006. She is currently in production for the follow up to her first documentary, “Black Men and Sex: The Real Deal”, finishing up her first novel working as a video instructor at a high school and middle school. In addition to this, she has worked as a DP on many projects: The Dark Seed, Curtain Call, and Monkey Gang.
It doesn't stop here...now you know I had to delve in a little bit more!!
How did you get started? I have always been a film lover, especially the horror genre. My parents always took us to the movies, so I had a lot of exposure to them. That love for being able to lose my self in a good story, motivated me to want to study it in school. I went to film school at Columbia College in Chicago after starting off as a fiction writing major.
In one word, describe yourself and why… Determined. I am determined to make films that I can be proud of and leave behind a legacy of works for the people here now and beyond.
What do you feel is the strongest asset you bring to the film/media industry? I think my strongest asset is the storytelling I bring to the film/media industry. To me it is important to tell a story about black people in its entirety; create a voice for us from our own eyes and mouths. With this determination I create films that deal with social issues in the black community. I want to revolutionize the cinema world again.
How long have you been making films (directors & filmmakers)…or How long have you been acting? I have been making films since College in 1993. In 2002, I wrote, directed and produced my first documentary, “Silence: In Search of Black Female Sexuality.”
Why did you get involved in the film/media industry? When you started making films, did you have a specific aim? Cinema is my release from the outside world. I go to the movies almost every week because that is the time I can loose myself in the theater. I got involved in the film industry because I always wanted to see my writings have movement. It was then that I went to film school for it. However, when I first start creating my documentary on black female sexuality, I was coming from a point of view of voicing the diversity in sexual experiences that we have, making it more like a sexual testimonial. After doing years of research and analyzing sexual stereotypes about black women, I felt that it was my duty to discuss these stereotypes and the effects that slavery had on that. It became much deeper than I planned. From that point on I knew that my path was different. Now I am working on a documentary about black manhood and sexuality.
What is the most important thing you've accomplished so far in this industry? The most important thing I have accomplished so far in this industry is finishing up a documentary that I wrote, directed, and produced myself regardless of the several hardships I went to. I did it and made it happen. The biggest accomplishment was finishing.
What has been the biggest influence on your film/acting/media career? My biggest influence on my film career is thinking about black folks who revolutionized our minds, from Malcolm X to Assata Shakur. There stories make me want to tell mine and share other’s. My films are going to wake up people, create dialogue and for that I am thankful.
From your perspective, what would you like to contribute to the present day film/media? From my perspective I want to contribute to the present day film world films that give us our power back. Make quality black films that are relatable. EVERYBODY IS THINKING IT, BUT NOT SAYING IT type of movies.
Who is the person you admire most in the film/media industry? I really admire Spike Lee a lot. I have a lot of his films in my collection and I have seen all of his films. I love his vision and would love to one day get to that point where I am making features about Assata Shakur, Nehanda, Fred Hampton, etc. He has def made his mark as a revolutionary filmmaker to me with his portfolio of work.
What TV show, movie or play produced in the last year has been most inspiring to you, either personally or professionally? My most inspiring film that I saw in the last year that inspired me personally was Frankie andAlice and professionally it was Paranormal Activity 2.
If you weren't doing what you're doing now, what would you be doing? If I wasn’t doing what I am doing now, I would be doing nothing. This is my life. I have so many films in my head that I want to create. I am not going anywhere for a longtime. I have to do it.
Here's a taste of what Mya B. has already done in the film industry...
For more information on Mya B. and her upcoming projects please check her out at Shoot Films, Not People Production . Here is a sista you definitely want to be on the look out for..."Big Things Poppin'!!"
Also if you would like to be featured on Black Savant Cinema we would love to share your story. Please send all inquiries to blacksavantcinema@gmail.com .
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