For Colored Girls DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Tyler Perry Adaptation of Black Feminist Classic Comes to DVD

Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf made a big splash when it debuted on Broadway back in the Seventies. The emotionally-draining “choreopoem” was essentially a series of soul-baring monologues plumbing the depths of the African-American female psyche on sensitive subjects ranging from sexuality to spirituality. Performed by a nameless cast of seven troubled women, this hybrid of drama and poetry met with critical acclaim, although it particularly resonated with sisters.
Ms. Shange subsequently wrote the screenplay for a made-for-TV version of her opus which aired on PBS’ American Playhouse in 1982. And she also appeared in the movie version opposite Alfre Woodard, Sophie Okenedo and Lynn Whitfield.
The unenviable challenge of adapting her much-beloved production to the big screen has now fallen to Tyler Perry, a man who proves himself up to the challenge. He ostensibly began by abbreviating the original’s cumbersome, grammatically-challenged name, which only makes sense, since it had been coined back during a more loquacious era when wordy was fashionable not only in terms of movie titles (Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) but in advertising slogans (“Vicks’ Nyquil: The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head fever so you can rest medicine”) as well.
Next, the inventive Perry fleshed out the lead roles, while adding a number of support characters to the ensemble and updating some themes (ala AIDS and the down-low) as concessions to 21st Century cultural sensibilities. More importantly, however, he has preserved the source material’s relentlessly-harrowing tone.
Loyal Perry fans will appreciate how the enhanced plotline emulates those of his ever-popular morality plays, sans Tyler’s trademark touches of humor. The stellar cast assembled to execute his vision includes Janet Jackson, Thandie Newton, Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Phylicia Rashad, Macy Gray, Anika Noni Rose and Whoopi Goldberg.
The story is set in a seedy, Harlem tenement inhabited by several of the protagonists. Each, we learn, is already deeply enmeshed in some sort of family dysfunction, from promiscuous bartender Tangie (Newton) to her pregnant, teenage sister (Tessa Thompson) to their clueless, cult member mother (Goldberg). Then there’s the apartment building’s relatively-composed manager (Rashad) whose self-assured manner might be a mask.
On another floor, we find Crystal (Elise) being battered by the unemployed, alcoholic boyfriend (Michael Ealy). Elsewhere there’s Juanita (Devine), a free clinic nurse who counsels others about relationships, but remains in denial about the abysmal state of her own. Naïve dance instructor Yasmine (Rose) comes to regret accepting a date from a flirtatious stranger (Khalil Kain) she meets on the street.
More upscale, but no less troubled, is Kelly (Washington), a social worker worried about how her police officer husband (Hill Harper) will react to the news that she can’t conceive. Lastly, there’s Jo (Jackson), a famous fashion magazine editor, whose closet-gay beau (Omari Hardwick) has been using her for a beard. Eventually, all of the assorted melodramas serendipitously merge and resolve themselves satisfactorily right on cue for a preachy Tyler Perry denouement during which our heroines take turns expressing their resolve to rise above their overwhelming personal challenges. The only thing missing from this fresh interpretation of a black feminist classic was a pistol-packing granny in drag, chirrun!

Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated R for sexuality, profanity and disturbing violence including rape.
Running time: 134 minutes
Studio: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: An interactive documentary, the making of featurette, songs from the soundtrack, and more.

Van Jones: The “Carbon Nation” Interview

with Kam Williams

Headline: Former Obama Green Czar Opines on the State of the “Carbon Nation”

Anthony “Van” Jones and his twin sister, Angela, were born on September 20, 1968 in Jackson, Tennessee to Loretta and the late Willie Jones, a teacher and principal, respectively. Van graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science, before earning a Juris Doctor at Yale Law School.
A clean energy pioneer and author of the eco-employment best-seller “The Green-Collar Economy,” he was invited by the Obama Administration to serve as Green Czar. But Van decided to resign from the post in the wake of a relentless, right-wing smear campaign which accused him of everything from being a Communist to signing a petition suggesting that the Bush Administration had knowingly permitted the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to transpire.
Jones is currently teaching at Princeton University, where he holds a joint appointment at both the center for African-American Studies and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in the Program for Science, Technology and environmental Policy. He is also serving as a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and as a Senior Policy Advisor at Green for All.
Here, he talks about all of the above, and about his appearance in Carbon Nation, a cautionary documentary about the consequences of climate change. The film opens in theaters in New York City on February 11, and will open elsewhere around the country later in the month and in March before becoming available on DVD in April.

Kam Williams: Hi Van, thanks for the time.
Van Jones: Thank you.

KW: My readers sent in a lot of questions for you. I’ll start with Sam Chekwas, who asks: What interested you in appearing in Carbon Nation?
VJ: Back in 2007, I met this white guy [director Peter Byck] with a lot of hair and a video camera, at a conference that I happened to be attending for the launch of an organization called Blacks in Green. I had never heard of him and Peter had never heard of me. We just started talking; he liked what I had to say, so he asked me if I’d be willing to be in this documentary he was doing about carbon pollution. I said, “Sure!” It was kind of a no-brainer.

KW: Before you got interested in environmental issues, you started the Bay Area Police Watch, a San Francisco-based organization with an emergency hotline and a lawyer referral service for victims of police abuse. What inspired that?
VJ: I saw in the Nineties that we were increasing police power with get tough policies and 3 strikes laws, but without additional oversights. I had this radical idea that the police should obey the law. My view was that any human system without adequate checks and balances will tend towards corruption and abuse. That’s why you have meat inspectors. Not because you hate butchers, but because of an understanding of human nature. Similarly, I felt like you gotta have some oversight of law enforcement. And though the rampant racial injustices throughout the criminal justice system were offensive to me and to millions of other people, I’ve never drawn a tight circle around the black community to define the limits of my moral concern. But that narrative tends to get imposed on you, if you’re an African-American activist. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we did create Color of Change, an organization which focused on African-Americans in particular, because we felt that there was a big gap there in terms of online advocacy which had left the black community particularly vulnerable.

KW: Preston Edwards, Sr., asks: Where are the jobs in the Green Economy? In which industries? Who are some of the larger employers? What are some of the entry-level jobs?
VJ: There are 80,000 jobs in the wind energy industry right now. And you can quadruple that number, if you have the right policy in place to promote clean energy. There are about 46,000 jobs supported by the solar industry right now. That’s fewer than it should be, too. And you have a whole other set of jobs in energy-efficiency in buildings and in creating the “Smart Grid,” as we call it. There’s also manufacturing smart batteries and bio-fuels, Those are just the energy jobs. Then we have the water, food and other industries which are also experiencing some redirection. As far as employers who are hiring, Vestas is a big wind company, and Solyndra is a solar power company. But some of these companies are starting to struggle in the absence of America’s committing to a cleaner future by way of Congressional action. The prospects of green economic opportunity is going to be determined to a great extent by politicians arriving at some sort of bi-partisan resolution.

KW: Ben Thypin asks: How do you respond to those who say that green jobs are, at best, limited in their potential impact in terms of the number of and quality of jobs created and, at worst, "make-work" jobs that form just one part of the grand socialist apparatus designed to crush the private sector and, implicitly, all that is patriotic and holy?
VJ: [Laughs] That’s funny. I used to be called the “Green Jack Kemp” because of my promotion of entrepreneurial and work-based solutions for poor people. As champions of green jobs, we’re asking questions that progressives should like, like “How are we going to avoid baking the planet,” and “How are we going to create jobs for ordinary Americans?” Meanwhile, we’re offering solutions that conservative should like. I’m not calling for more welfare; I’m calling for more work. I’m not asking for more entitlement programs; I’m asking for more enterprise. I’m not calling for redistributing wealth; I’m calling for reinvigorating our stuck energy sector, so some new entrepreneurs can create some new wealth.” Right now, when you go and hit the light switch in your house, you’re participating in a state-protected monopoly. You’re being forced to accept dirty power from a single producer. I’m the guy that’s trying to break up that monopoly to introduce free enterprise and competition to the energy sector. I’m saying you should have the right not only to be an energy consumer but an energy producer. Follow the money to understand why my message keeps getting drowned out. Big oil and big coal are terrified by the green jobs message. We’re just trying to end illegitimate government support for a single technology, which is un-American. We should be leading the world in the next generation of technological innovation. But we can’t unleash private capital because of what the government is doing to stifle innovation and to choke competition. The government built the grid to favor one industry over others. But I don’t hear any conservatives screaming about that. Folks don’t understand that the elite economic interests that are holding them down are also feeding them a bunch of lies.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: How would you assess the state of the union?
VJ: I think there’s going to be a tug of war in this country over who are the real patriots because at a time of national crisis, economic collapse and calamity, ecological peril and social dislocation, the American people deserve to be a partner to the American government. Nobody wants a nanny state, where the government is stamping out initiative and telling us what to do, but the idea that the only alternative to that is to throw the American people overboard into a global economy with no protections to cushion us from some of these blows is absurd on its face. That’s why I think there’s been a concerted effort to distort my message. When you hear me speak beyond the sound bites taken out of context, I think I make a lot of sense to people, even those in Red States like the one where I grew up.

KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: Has your approach to fighting for change changed since you left the Obama administration?
VJ: I hope everybody’s getting smarter. I’m learning and changing all the time, and I expect to continue doing so my entire life.

KW: Irene also asks: What do you think is the one environmental thing this country has to get right in the next ten years?
VJ: Carbon. We’re going to bake this planet, and be a curse to all species, including our own, if we don’t find an alternative to carbon-based fuel. That’s the #1 problem.

KW: Irene says: I don't hear many young people talking about green jobs. How do you feel you can make green jobs "sexy” to appeal to young, poor unemployed or underemployed youth?
VJ: The problem isn’t that the green jobs aren’t sexy enough. It’s that they’re not plentiful enough. A young person looking for a job isn’t looking just for a sexy job, they’re looking for any job. And, unfortunately, we have a 50% unemployment rate among our urban youth of color. It’s not about making green jobs more attractive. It’s about making them more available. And that requires Congress passing legislation that will give a real break to the people who want to introduce new technologies to the American marketplace.

KW: Lois Clark asks: Do you have any resentment about being made a sacrificial lamb in the Fox News wars against President Obama?
VJ: There’s no higher honor, in my estimation, than being asked to serve in the White House. I learned more in those six months than in the prior six years. I don’t think that anybody who has had the privilege to serve the country at that level should walk out and behave like a crybaby. And I plan to continue to serve the country in other capacities.

KW: Teri Emerson says: I would like to know if, looking back, you have any regrets about resigning your position at the White House; and whether the President fought at all for you to stay.
VJ: No, I don’t have any regrets about resigning. Once it became clear to me that the right-wing was not going to let me serve in the way I wanted to serve, I resigned. I didn’t ask President Obama to defend me. His focusing on getting healthcare passed so every baby in the nation could see a doctor was far more important than his having to explain every aspect of my colorful past.

KW: Ilene Proctor asks: How would you surmount the unhinged, right-wing, Republican/corporate coalition coming into power this year which vehemently clings to their denial of climate change that puts our whole planet in peril?
VJ: I think we were naïve during the first two years of the Obama Administration because the Republicans didn’t fight us on this point during the 2008 Presidential Election. Obama and McCain both ran on a clean energy platform. But now, uncontested lies have eroded hard-won public understanding. So, we have to go back and make the case again.

KW: Larry Greenberg says: I sometimes hear corporate polluting compared to littering. Is there a better simile, one that could inspire real action?
VJ: To me, that analogy is inspiring. Ordinary Americans can’t pollute for free. You can’t dump your trash on the sidewalk or throw all your refuse into your neighbor’s yard. I don’t understand why corporate polluters should be allowed to dump megatons of carbon, the most dangerous pollution in the history of the world, into our thin shell of an atmosphere, and not pay a penny to do it. So, from my point of view, it is a very motivating framework.

KW: Legist/Editor Patricia Turnier asks: What advice do you have for attorneys who want to climb the ladder of success by becoming a partner in a big law firm?
VJ: I wouldn’t know. That isn’t the route I went.

KW: Patricia has another question: Latinos and African-Americans of West Harlem are exposed to dumping grounds for noxious facilities and unwanted land uses. This situation creates serious health problems such as lung diseases. The New York City asthma death rate is higher than any other city in the U.S. As an environmentalist and as a lawyer which riders and other measures are needed to correct this phenomenon?
VJ: I don’t like to comment on a specific local issue because there are plenty of people already working on the problem who know a lot more about it than I do. In this case, Patricia should reach out to We Act, a great Harlem-based environmental justice group.

KW: Reverend Florine Thompson asks: Who or what has been your greatest source of inspiration and encouragement in life?
VJ: That’s a good question. I have many sources of inspiration. I’d have to point to Dr. Martin Luther King, first and foremost. But my parents were good, hardworking folks who kept us in the church and the public schools, and out of trouble, for the most part. Along the way, I’ve had a chance to meet some of my civil rights heroes and, more recently, members of the young generation around Obama, people in their teens and twenties who were determined to make history and who were too idealistic to think that what they were trying to do might be impossible. They proved that visionary pragmatism can win over the majority. That comes from a particular place in your heart that generation Y is offering America. They just can’t afford to be naïve now, in terms of the ferocity of the opposition. They give me a lot of inspiration. And so does being a father, which has really made me much more committed to trying to solve these problems, and not just to protesting them.

KW: Reverend Thompson has a follow-up: What do you see as the role of “The Church" in this new green economy? How should the Black Church, which is basically the largest people base in the African-American community, begin to forge a foothold in the green market?
VJ: First of all, fighting for and defending the values from the pulpit is critical. You can’t love the Creator, and disrespect the creation. We have to make that very clear as people of faith. So, we’ve have to heed our Biblical obligation to be good stewards of the Earth after leaving the Garden of Eden. And secondly, it’s time to start bringing the congregations down to City Hall and to ask the mayors, the city councils and the school boards, “What’s the plan? What’s the local government going to do for us?” There are some cities that are doing good stuff, but there aren’t enough of them. If you don’t fight for what you want, then you deserve what you get. And in politics, if you don’t ask, you don’t get at all. In addition, black folks need to attend green conferences, too. We just self-segregate and don’t go. They might even waive your fee if you apply on a diversity basis, because they’d be so shocked to see somebody from a different background wanting to be a part of the green movement.

KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
VJ: All humans have fear, and those of us who are fortunate have faith.

KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
VJ: I’m happier than I was in 2009.

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
VJ: Yesterday, dealing with my two year-old son who is certifiably insane.

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
VJ: Pop Tarts.

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
VJ: Mad as Hell, which is about the Tea Party.

KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod?
VJ: Mad as Hell. I’m listening to it on audio book.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
VJ: Scrambled eggs.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
VJ: Indescribable gorgeousness!

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
VJ: Shirley Chisholm speaking at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. I was almost four.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
VJ: Yes, “Did you sign that petition implicating the Bush Administration in 9/11?” Because I never signed it, and I hate being vilified for a controversial idea I never espoused. The reason they love to beat on that drum is because it’s so discrediting. In a two-year period, all my dreams came true: the birth of a son… publishing a best-selling book… launching a successful organization… joining the Obama Administration… And then all my nightmares came true.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
VJ: Trust your intuition and be resilient. If you have real breakout ideas, even your friends will laugh at you secretly until you can prove their viability. I’ve never launched any initiative or campaign that people thought was a slam dunk.

KW: The Dulé Hill question. Do you attribute your success to yourself or to God?
VJ: To the God in myself is probably the most honest answer. I think everybody has a divine destiny. There’s the God within and the God without, and you have to attend to the alignment of the two of them.

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be, and where are you in relation to that at this point in your life?
VJ: I want to be remembered as one of the great innovators among social justice advocates of the 21st Century. I’m only 42, and I’ve got a lot more tricks up my sleeve.

KW: Thanks again, Van, and best of luck with all your future endeavors.
VJ: Thank you.

The Roommate

Film Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Danish Director Makes Dubious Debut with Brazen Rip-Off of Psychological Thriller

Single White Female (1992) was an intriguing psychological thriller released revolving around a young woman’s unhealthy attempt to ingratiate herself with her new roommate to the exclusion of all others. Her increasingly-bizarre behavior gradually escalated over the course of the film from dressing alike and adopting the same hobbies to killing their pet puppy and sabotaging the object of her obsession’s romantic relationship.
Ultimately, the disturbing compulsion was attributed to the deranged psycho’s having witnessed her identical twin’s drowning when they were 9. So, this belated attempt to bond so closely with a perfect stranger was explained as a perverted desire to recreate the closeness she had formerly felt with her late sibling.
The reason for such a detailed digression at the outset of this review is because The Roommate is basically a brazen rip-off of Single White Female, and a godawful one at that. The movie marks the English-language directorial debut of Christian Christiansen whose previous offerings were all in his native Danish. And screenwriter Sonny Mallhi inexplicably takes all the credit for the script despite an abundance of similarities to the aforementioned SWF.
Instead of being set in New York City’s fashion world, the story unfolds in L.A. where we find freshman Sara Matthews (Minka Kelly) making a smooth adjustment to college life, especially in terms of flirting and partying. The attractive fashion major from the Midwest is already dating a popular upperclassman (Cam Gigandet) and turning the head of a well-connected professor (Billy Zane) she wants as a mentor. And although under 21, she’s able to get into bars without proof simply because she’s “hot.”
The fly in the fun ointment is her profoundly-disturbed roommate, Rebecca (Leighton Meester), a one-woman wrecking crew who chillingly announces “I always wanted a sister” upon learning that Sara’s twin had died at, you guessed it, the age of 9. So, with manic abandon, Rebecca proceeds to monopolize Sara’s time while embarking on a transparent reign of terror aimed at ruining all of the poor girl’s relationships, whether that involves telling a suitor never to call Sara again, killing her cat Cuddles, or ripping a ring right out of the belly of her best friend, Tracy (Alyson Michalka).
As if the purloined plot isn’t infuriating enough, proving far more problematical than the thinly-veiled plagiarism is the atrocious acting, the slapdash editing, the absence of character development and the cringe-inducing dialogue. Who wants to have their patience tested by trite poster-speak like “The best designers push the boundaries!” especially when it’s delivered with an utter lack of conviction?
Still, the film’s biggest flaw of all is its failure to generate any tension, since a suspense thriller sans the element of suspense is apt to disappoint even an audience arriving with low expectations. Don’t be surprised if you’re the only person left in the theater when the lights come up, if fail to heed this warning.

Poor (0 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, menacing, violence and teen partying.
Running time: 93 Minutes
Distributor: Screen Gems

Kam's Kapsules: For movies opening February 11, 2011

OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening February 11, 2011


BIG BUDGET FILMS

Gnomeo and Juliet (G) Animated Disney update of the Shakespeare classic as a tale of forbidden love between a couple of star-crossed lawn ornaments (James McAvoy and Emily Blunt) from feuding families. Featuring voiceovers by Jason Statham, Michael Caine, Ozzy Ozbourne, Hulk Hogan and Dolly Parton, with songs by Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John.

Just Go with It (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, partial nudity, drug references and pervasive crude humor) Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston co-star in this romantic comedy about a plastic surgeon who asks his assistant to pose as his estranged wife in order to convince his young girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker) that he’s really married. Ensemble cast includes Nicole Kidman, Dave Matthews, Kevin Nealon, Heidi Montag, Rachel Dratch and Dan Patrick.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (G) Concert flick featuring performances from the teeny-bop singing sensation’s 2010 “My World Tour” interspliced with footage from his childhood home movies.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Carancho (Unrated) Argentine romance drama, set in Buenos Aires, and revolving around an ambulance-chasing attorney (Ricardo Darin) who falls in love with the idealistic young doctor (Martina Gusman) who’s trying to save the life of a patient he wants as a client. With Carlos Weber, Jose Luis Arias and Loren Acuna. (In Spanish with subtitles)

Carbon Nation (Unrated) Eco-documentary suggesting an array of solutions for averting the impending, disastrous consequences of climate change. With appearances by ex-Obama Administration Green Czar Van Jones, Virgin Atlantic CEO Richard Branson and former CIA Director James Woolsey.

Cedar Rapids (R for sexuality, vulgarity, profanity and drug use) Raunchy buddy comedy about a repressed insurance salesman (Ed Helms) who turns a new leaf at a convention in Iowa where he is pressured to loosen up by a couple of party animals (John C. Reilly and Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) and a seductive colleague (Anne Heche). With Stephen Root and Rob Corddry.

Certifiably Jonathan (Unrated) Reverential retrospective on the life and times of rubber-faced comedian Jonathan Winters includes B&W footage of classic performances, tributes by colleagues like Robin Williams, Robert Klein, Rob Reiner, Jimmy Kimmel, Tim Conway and Sarah Silverman, plus coverage of the versatile septuagenarian’s second career as an artist.

The Eagle (PG-13 for battle sequences and disturbing sequences) Historical epoch, set in 140 A.D., revolving around the arrival of a young Roman centurion (Channing Tatum) sent to England with a slave (Jamie Bell) by Marcus Aurelius to recover the emblem of the Ninth Legion which had mysteriously disappeared into thin air 20 years earlier under the leadership of his late father (Aladar Lakloth). Cast includes Donald Sutherland, Paul Ritter and Denis O’Hare.

Lovers of Hate (Unrated) Sibling rivalry comedy about a best-selling author (Alex Karpovsky) of children’s novels who steals the wife (Heather Kafka) of his older brother, a struggling writer reduced to living in his car. With Zach Green, Dan Brown and Harper Cummings.

Mooz-Lum (PG-13 for violence and mature themes) Dysfunctional family drama about a devout Muslim-American (Roger Guenveur Smith) who emotionally alienates his wife (Nia Long) and kids (Evan Ross and Kimberley Drummond) by forcing them to follow orthodox religious practices and dress codes. With Danny Glover, Dorian Missick and Summer Bishil.

Orgasm Inc. (Unrated) Shocking expose’ about the pharmaceutical industry’s rush to put a Female Sexual Dysfunction drug on the market for the sake of a billion-dollar payday, in spite of evidence of potentially-dangerous side effects.

Poetry (Unrated) Deliberately-paced drama about an aging woman’s (Jeong-hie Yun) agonizing over her 16 year-old grandson’s (Da-wit Lee) participation in a gang rape of a classmate which led to the victim’s suicide. With Nae-sang Ahn, Hira Kim and Yong-taek Kim. (In Korean with subtitles)

The Sky Turns (Unrated) Deliberately-paced documentary chronicling a year in the life of the colorful local yokels in director Mercedes Alvarez’s hometown of Aldealseñor, a bucolic village in rural Spain with a dwindling population of just 46. (In Spanish with subtitles)

Vidal Sassoon: The Movie (Unrated) Bio-pic chronicling the rise of the hair care mogul from his humble roots in a London orphanage for Jews to celebrated Sixties salon icon.

Top Ten DVD List for February 1st 2011

This Week’s DVD Releases
by Kam Williams

Headline: Top Ten DVD List for February 1st 2011

Ray [Blu-ray]



Skin


A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop


All about Eve [Blu-ray]


Duke Ellington… and More Stories to Celebrate Great Figures in African-American History


An Affair to Remember [Blu-ray]


Best of Soul Train 2


Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship… and More Stories to Celebrate U.S. History


Night Catches Us


Raging Bull (Two-Disc 30th Anniversary Edition)



Honorable Mention

Conviction



Welcome to the Rileys


Patti Stanger: Married in a Year


Mean Girls 2


Clifford, The Big Red Dog: Best Buddies

Nia Long: The “Mooz-Lum” Interview

with Kam Williams

Headline: Quality Time with Nia

Nitara Carlynn Long was born in Brooklyn on October 30, 1970, but was raised mostly in South Central Los Angeles in the wake of her parents’ divorce.
The accomplished thespian of Trinidadian extraction first found fame on TV on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and she’s since enjoyed recurring roles on such series as Judging Amy (2001-2002), Third Watch (2003-2005), Boston Legal (2007), Big Shots (2007-2008) and, most recently, The Cleveland Show (2009-present).
Her breakout performance on the silver screen was in 1997 when she starred opposite Larenz Tate in Love Jones. And her resume’ includes outings in such films as Are We There Yet, Are We Done Yet, The Best Man, Boiler Room, Boyz ‘n the Hood, Friday, Alfie, Soul Food, In Too Deep and Big Momma’s House 1 & 2.
In 2000, People Magazine named the gorgeous ingenue one of the World’s 50 Most Beautiful People, and she also landed the #3 spot on Black Men Magazine’s 10 Sexiest Women List. Later that same year, Nia had a son, Massai, Doresy, Jr. who she is currently raising in L.A.
Here, she talks about her new movie, Mooz-Lum, a dysfunctional family drama where she plays Safiyah, the long-suffering wife of an overbearing, religious zealot.


Kam Williams: Hi Nia, thanks so much for the time.
Nia Long: No worries. How are you?

KW: I’m fine. I have a lot of questions for you from my readers, so why don’t I launch right into them.
NL: Absolutely! Why not?

KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls says: You've done an impressive body of work covering comedic and dramatic roles. What attracted you to the script about this mother conflicted between her son and her husband?
NL: Hmmm… That’s a good question. . I just thought the film had so many wonderful layers of the journey that women take with motherhood. There’s no book out there that tells you how to be a good parent. So much of parenting is following your instincts, and taking the time to actually know your child. I’m raising a 10 year-old boy, and my son in the film, Tariq [Evan Ross] goes through the traditional growing pains associated with transitioning from a boy to a young man. When I read the script, I immediately thought to myself, “Wow! This is a really special movie. It’s entertaining, it deals with a lot of social issues, and it addresses practical parenting concerns that everyone can relate to.”

KW: Irene adds: Did having a son yourself help in portraying the mother in the movie?
NL: Absolutely! The minute your child is born, your life is changed forever. I think I’ve become so aware of how important balance is in life. I have to constantly make sure that it stays that way for myself and for my son, because if I’m not emotionally available for him it will impede his development. Yet, if I don’t work, we’ll be living in a cardboard box. So, that calls for a tremendous amount of balancing constantly. Therefore, working on this film, I understood Safiyah’s search to balance being a devout Muslim woman with allowing her child his natural curiosity and desire to explore in life.

KW: Felicia Haney asks: What were your feelings about Islam before taking the role and after the film wrapped?
NL: When I was a young girl, my mother traveled to Abu Dhabi, which is a Muslim country. When she returned home, she taught me a lot about Islam. So, I was already familiar with the religion’s basic teachings. But in preparation for this role, I definitely got to experience Islam on a much more intimate level. The one thing that stands out in my mind is the commitment Muslim women make to each other. They are so supportive and so loving, and they do everything together. It’s really all about family, and I like that, because I’m a family-oriented person. I believe that whatever your religious preference, there has to be a commitment to family because everything really does start there. Hopefully, this film will help to eliminate stereotypes, because Muslim women are misunderstood. They’re strong, beautiful, classic, contemporary and so much more

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman says: Here in France, especially in Marseilles where I was for dinner this evening, the issue of women wearing chadors in public institutions has been hotly debated and legislated over. As a child, you attended Catholic school where I suppose you had to wear a uniform. How did that experience influence your performance as a Muslim woman wearing a head-wrap? Were you more sensitized to a group of people who wish to acknowledge their religion in an overtly public way?
NL: Hmm… My son goes to a Catholic school where he has to wear a uniform. I attended a Catholic school where I had to, too. I think it’s a beautiful thing when you wear a uniform or a garb which represents a group of people, because what it immediately symbolizes is oneness, togetherness. I believe everyone should have the freedom to represent what they believe-in in their own way.

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: What is your favorite scene in Mooz-Lum?
NL: I’d say the pivotal scene where I notice the scars on Tariq’s back.

KW: Patricia also wants to know whether there’s a novel that you would like to see turned into a movie and also star in? And which African-American icon would you love to portray in a film?
NL: There’s a novel I just read called Queen Pin that I’ve been talking to the author about optioning. I encourage everyone to read it. It’s a great story.
As for an African-American icon, I was very interested in portraying Nina Simone until I heard that Mary J. Blige is doing it. I’m sure she’ll do the role more justice, because I am not a singer. I just think Nina was a very mysterious woman, and a trailblazer who came along at such an important time in our history. She did it her way, and she has one of the most unique voices in jazz history.

KW: Larry Greenberg asks: Does being such an accomplished actress give you a different perspective when you direct a music video?
NL: Directing music videos is all about capturing images. I think my experiences in front of the camera have enhanced that because I know how to make other women look beautiful: from hair to makeup to wardrobe. So, I feel that I have a gift with imaging, and that’s kind of fundamental to the music video process.

KW: Judyth Piazza says: I would love to hear about your time on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Were the scripts written with a predominately white audience or an African-American audience in mind? Or was this not a factor?
NL: I don’t think it was a factor at all. Funny is funny: black, white, yellow, purple. Funny is funny!

KW: Ola Jackson asks: How do you feel about the number of black actors who are often paired with white leading ladies in movies, such as Will Smith, Wesley Snipes and Denzel Washington?
NL: It is what it is. As long as the acting is good, I can appreciate it. It would certainly would be great to see more films featuring the black family and showing that we are capable of having that unit strong and present and beautiful, because that’s so much of who we really are. For me, that’s missing sometimes when I watch films. But since Denzel and Will are superstars, studio execs don’t necessarily see them as black. They see them as superstars. I suspect they pair them with a white or a Latina star because that takes the pressure off their having to market the movie as a black film, which in my opinion is completely ridiculous. But we still have a lot of growing and maturing to do in terms of how we view black people, the black family and black filmmaking, because we shouldn’t be narrowly pigeonholed. We are not just one thing. We have so many different voices and experiences. And on the flip side, there are black men who are madly in love with white women. God bless them, if that’s what works for them. I just hope that we can strike a balance that portrays black folks and the black family in a light that’s not extreme. Those are the types of characters that I find myself attracted to.

KW: Marcia Evans says: I'm such a fan and proud of yours. I can envision you doing a project addressing many of the concerns of black folks. Have you ever considered creating a project like “Single Ladies,” the upcoming movie that Queen Latifah plans to turn into a series?
NL: I am in constant search for that project that speaks to me personally. And when all the pieces come together properly, it’ll happen.

KW: Marcia has a follow-up question: Is there any truth to the rumor that there’s going to be a sequel to the classic film Love Jones, especially since there appears to be a demand for it from the fans?
NL: We’ve been trying to make that happen for a long time, and if it were my decision I would say “Yes.” But it’s out of my hands. Larenz [co-star Larenz Tate] and I have definitely discussed it, and we’re committed to doing it.

KW: How about The Best Man? I saw that you just had a cast reunion the other day. How was it seeing everybody together at the same time?
NL: Oh my goodness! That was the highlight of my new year so far. We were all so excited to get together. We had such an amazing time! And Malcolm Lee’s a genius for pulling it all together. He’s so kind, so humble, and such a great director. We’re really going to try to do it again, because there was still that chemistry that had worked so well. It was a great night.

KW: What was it like to make People’s 50 Most Beautiful People in the world list?
NL: [Chuckles] I was flattered. I was shocked. I was happy. I was like, “Really? Me? I’ll take that. That’s a blessing.” But it’s also pressure, because it means you gotta be beautiful on the inside, too. It’s something I can tell my grandbabies someday.

KW: Your folks are from Trinidad. Do you still eat any traditional Trinidadian dishes like callaloo, roti, bake and curried goat?
NL: I don’t eat goat, but I love roti. My friend Carol owns a fantastic restaurant in Englewood, called the Caribbean Treehouse which is one of the few places in L.A. that serves truly authentic Trini food.

KW: I have a friend who used to own a Trinidadian restaurant in Brooklyn, who cooks me a Trini meal at least once a week. He just prepared some roti for me today.
NL: It’s so delicious.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
NL: Mmm….No, not really. That’s kind of a weird question. I don’t know how to answer that. I guess the question would be: Are you happy? People never ask that.

KW: Funny that’s a question I ask everybody. I call it the Columbus Short question: So, are you happy?
NL: I am! I am very happy. At this moment, I’m the happiest I’ve been in a very long time. But it’s different from the surface happy, it’s the soul happy. That’s how I’m feeling right now. The last couple years have been difficult, not just financially, but for my 90 year-old grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s and for my mom who’s a retired schoolteacher. So, it’s been difficult seeing the cycle of life changing. Things that used to work a few years ago don’t anymore. And that transition form the old to the new can be challenging. I’ve spent a lot of time recently sorting out what’s important and what’s not so important. And after doing that spring cleaning of the self you end up with a streamlined life that’s simple, balanced and very clear. After working 20 years in the business, it’s been satisfying to take the time to do that for Nia. It’s a testimony to my personal growth. So, yes I am happy! I have a little bit of everything and a lot of God in my life. For me, that’s the most important thing. I feel really safe. I have my family and a handful of close friends, and a great man in my life who is very supportive and my best friend.

KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
NL: Oh, gosh, yes.

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
NL: I have a good laugh everyday. Yesterday, my son and I and my mom were cracking up watching Youtube bloopers in the kitchen.

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
NL: Chocolate.

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
NL: Queen Pin.

KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod?
NL: Lupe Fiasco.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
NL: I love making breakfast: turkey bacon, fried eggs over-medium, home fried potatoes, English muffins, oatmeal with berries and a great fruit smoothie. I love breakfast!

KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
NL: Ooooooh! I’m going to have to say Badgley Mischka’s beautiful gowns for women. I love Dolce for that classic sexy look. And Stella McCartney’s fantastic, because she takes a classic design and makes it really functional, but funky and edgy at the same time. And I love shoes. I am a shoe fanatic. I have a special closet in my home just for my shoes. I hope I have a little girl one day, because she is going to win the lottery in the shoe department.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
NL: I see a pretty, brown girl who was born in Brooklyn, grew up in South Central L.A. and did alright for herself.

KW: Where in Brooklyn are you from?
NL: Crown Heights.

KW: I went to high school in Crown Heights, at the corner of Nostrand Avenue and President Street.
NL: Oh, wow! I grew on Park Place between Kingston and Albany, right down the street from the Albany Projects.

KW: Small world. If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
NL: A conversation with Michelle Obama.

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
NL: Waiting for a school bus in Iowa City when I was 5. We moved there so my mother could attend college at the University of Iowa. I was standing on the corner in a red parka in front of a bakery. I could smell the aroma and I couldn’t understand why mother wouldn’t let me go inside and buy a donut. She was a health food nut.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
NL: Enjoy life, study hard, play hard, be kind to other people, set high standards, and don’t be afraid to say “No.”

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
NL: As a great mother and a great friend, and as truthful and fair.

KW: The Dulé Hill question. Do you think that the success you’ve achieved in your career is because of you, because of a higher power, or because of a mixture of both?
NL: I attribute my talent and my success to God, but I believe that the only way you can manifest what He has ordained for you is by being close to Him and by making it happen. But we have to stay close to Him in order to be an image of Him.

KW: The Dr. Cornel West question: What price are you willing to pay for a cause that is bigger than your own self interest?
NL: I don’t look upon it as having to pay a price. I think that if something matters to you, and is important to you, then you give it the attention and energy it deserves. So, I don’t look upon it as a price, but as an opportunity to influence the community in a healthy way.

KW: Thanks again for the interview, Nia, and best of luck with the film.
NL: Thank you for asking such amazing questions. This was a treat! Call me any time.

Night Catches Us DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Period Piece about Prodigal Black Panther’s Released on DVD

Anyone familiar with the history of the Black Panther Party knows that it self-destructed during the Seventies after the FBI strategically created dissension in its ranks via a combination of infiltration, disinformation and assassinations. In fact, by the time of the informant-riddled organization’s collapse, its members were so mistrustful of each other that its leaders were reduced to accusing each other of being government agents.
That feeling of paranoia permeates the air in Night Catches Us, a period piece about the Panthers set in Philadelphia in ‘76. The story revolves around the return to town of one Marcus Washington (Anthony Mackie) to attend the funeral of his father following four years spent in a self-imposed exile.
The ex-Panther is not exactly welcomed back with open arms because most people in the ‘hood still believe he might have been the snitch who fingered a suspected cop killer for the police. He even gets the cold shoulder from his own brother, Bostic (Tariq Trotter), who refuses to let him stay in the family house.
The only sympathetic shoulder Marcus finds to lean on is that of Patricia (Kerry Washington), an old flame who has become an activist attorney since they were last an item. But rekindling passion nonetheless proves easier said than done.
For, first of all, Patty is currently dating a bourgie Oreo who’s been pressuring her to move out of the ghetto and to forget about her revolutionary, leftist leanings. Secondly, she has a nine year-old daughter, Iris (Jamara Griffin), who’s growing increasingly curious about how her late daddy died. The little girl has no idea that the new man in her mom’s life might be the stool pigeon responsible for her father’s apprehension and mysterious demise.
Written and directed by newcomer Tanya Hamilton, Night Catches Us is an unabashedly nostalgic Black Power Movement saga of Shakespearean proportions touching on a litany of classical themes ranging from love and betrayal to honor and loyalty to disgrace and redemption. The film features an original soundtrack by The Roots, and marks a most auspicious debut by Ms. Hamilton who deftly spins a palpably-authentic tale in impressive fashion.
A Prodigal Panther pays the price to make peace with a turbulent past.

Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated R for violence, profanity and some sexuality.
Running time: 88 Minutes
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted and alternate scenes (including an alternate opening and ending), behind the scenes footage, photo gallery, interviews with Bobby Seale and other Black Panthers, and “HDNet: A Look at Night Catches Us.”