A BornTooBlog Reader's Passionate Review of RED TAILS

I just posted my review for the new movie Red Tails that debuted in theatres this past Friday.  I'm sure we all heard about George Lucas' qualms about Hollywood not supporting the film due to its primarily all black cast, which was disseminated days before its release.  This information prompted many African Americans to urge their friends, family and co-workers to go see the film in its opening weekend in order to garner the Box Office steam to prove Hollywood wrong and show that moviegoers will show up and out for an African American WWII action flick.  Well, one of my readers also left his/her comments of what they saw in theatres this weekend and to say that we differ in opinions would be an understatement.  However, his/her review was written so passionately and poginantly presented, that I had to share and see what you all had to say. 

Comment posted today on BornTooBlog:

Anonymous - Jan 23, 2012 01:06 PM

I did see the film, and was extremely disappointed in its cinematic effort.  If it really took George Lucas 20 years to produce such a fiasco of African American History. No character development, tasteless dialogue along with acting, stretching of the truth and inverted embellishment of such a serious moment in WAR.. Flat out terrible, I can go on and on, but what should one expect with first time director: Anthony Hemmingway and Writers Aaron Mcgruder/ John Ridely who were responsible for the Adult Swim Cartoon The Boondocks and piece of shit film Undercover Brother starring Eddie Griffin. Why you (George Lucas) would recruit Sketch Comedy artist and Writers to script such a Pivotal Moment in Black History is beyond me, but I do have a BRAIN, and have always paid strict attention to those attempting to Wash it.

I'm sorry Maya, but I really have to disagree with the room on this one. I really love to support my Black Actors/Directors and Writers when I know they will reap the benefits of my support. In this particular movie, they will not. GEORGE LUCAS from Star Wars acclaim and fame will be the only one doing so who happens to be of Anglo Saxon decent of course. He also put up the 58Million independent dollars to Executive Produce the film along with 20th Century Fox (whom I've worked for also). As I know you know from being a business woman yourself, that in business whoever puts up the most Capital, will be the one to recieve the most Profit. He puppet mastered the whole thing, and knew we as blacks would all go see the movie based on the shallow fact that there is an all Black Cast. (It was actually his Selling Point/Marketing Tool).

When the movie went to Post Production that all Black Cast, Director and Writers were paid by him with out any consumer viewing the film yet. Furthermore due to Hollywood accounting their exist Net Points, and Gross Points. Hence Net Points are Box office bucks which will only go to LUCAS FILMS and 20th Century Fox. Gross Points are what big name actors like Denzel can negotiate or demand, based on it being (a percentage of some definition of gross revenue). None of those B List actors who accompanied each other in the film hold the weight to do the aforementioned. Terrance Howard whose last memorable role for Hustle and Flow should have said NO, along with Cuba Gooding, Jr., since they both are attempting to revamp, re-establish and rekindle their careers.

This movie is a Perfect example of how poor film making can hurt a very real and poignant story of bravery and overcoming the odds. It is also A GROSS MISREPRESENTATION and Portrayal of a Pivotal Point in African American History. Sadly disappointed in the Deliberate Scheme of Lucas and Hollywood at the Expense of BLACK DOLLARS.

Do you agree with him/her?
Do you agree with George Lucas' way of marketing the film?
Do you think the story was watered down or could've been substantially better?

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!!!!

Movie Review: Red Tails makes $19.1 Mil In The Box Office

I went to see Red Tails this weekend and I hope all of you did too being that Mr. George Lucas himself expressed his difficulty with getting an action movie, with an all black cast produced in Hollywood.  We all heard the shocking news that Hollywood all but black balled this film after telling Mr. Lucas that they did not know how to market a film of this nature and it would never make the money to deem it a success, in Hollywood film studio standards.  Telling George Lucas a WWII film about a special unit of Tuskegee Airmen that was a part of a military experiment to see if black soldiers could fly fighter jets in the war against Hitler and Germany would never sell overseas, nor produce enough DVD sales to make is profitable.

Well, thank God George Lucas believed in this cast of veteran actors such as Oscar winner, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Oscar nominee Terrance Howard, as well as, up and coming actors like Ne-Yo, Tristan Wilds and TV and movie vet Method Man.  Red Tails came in at #2 at the box office behind UnderWorld 4, which produced $25.4 mil this weekend.

Red Tails was a high energy, WWII movie that focused on a Tuskegee experiment that wanted to prove black men could fly fighter jets and actually be good at it.  Although this squadron was often given the most menial flying missions in the military, they took on every mission with pride and performed to a level of excellence that the U.S. military had ever seen.  They were approached with racism on every front, as their own fellow soldiers discriminated against them and constantly underestimated their abilities.

Amongst extreme criticism, being threatened of getting shut down by government higher ups, and substandard planes and machinery, the Red Tails ultimately prevailed and were and continue to be one of the most remarkable and exemplary military squadrons in United States history, with honors of the coveted 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, Legions of Merit and the Red Star of Yugoslavia.  What the Red Tails were able to accomplish at that time, with all odds against them, has never been accomplished to this day, as they never lost an escorted bomber to enemy fighters, which is unheard of.

I applaud George Lucas for stepping out on faith and producing a large part of this film, out of his own pockets, to bring the world an inspirational story about fighting against all odds and winning the war against racism and discrimination.  In doing so, Lucas has afforded many young black males, positive heroic examples that they can look up to and be proud of, when all Hollywood ever wants to show is drug dealers, gang members and negative stereotypes of black people in films.  I also applaud the original Tuskegee Airmen that were a part of this initial experiment to see if black men could fly and become pilots. Their bravery and courage under fire is what the American Dream is all about.

WEIGH IN
Did you see the film this weekend?
If so, did you enjoy the movie?
Who do you think was the standout character in the film?
Did George Lucas and Director Anthony Hemmingway do the film justice?

Movie Review: Jumping The Broom

I really wanted to support Bishop T.D. Jakes' film Jumping The Broom this past weekend in the box office.  I was concerned when I learned that it was competing with Fast & Furious 5 and Thor, two epic movies with huge box office potential.  I often hear black folks complain that there are no quality black films being produced anymore and all the movies seem to portray a gun-toting black man/comedian dressed up as a black woman, (think Madea, Big Momma's House, etc.).  I was curious to see if these people who constantly complain would actually go out and support a positive all black film with black producers, a black director and a pretty much all black cast.

I heard so many great things about the movie before I actually saw it.  I heard the movie would make you laugh and cry and even self reflect all within the matter of a couple hours.  The movie was directed by Salim Akil and produced by Tracey Edmonds (Babyface's ex-wife) and T.D. Jakes and the cast consisted of Paula Patton (Idelwild), Laz Alonso, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Meagan Good (The Game), Tasha Smith and DeRay Davis, Pooch Hall (The Game) and Mike Epps.

The title of the film is derived from the African American tradition of the bride and groom jumping over a ceremonial broom after being pronounced married.  The movie portrayed the trials and tribulations of bringing together two families from opposite sides of the tracks and how two lovers can get lost in the rigamarole of planning and carrying out a wedding.  The veteran cast displayed its talents and brought the script to life, while Mike Epps literally had me falling out of my seat.  He definitely stole the show from the rest of the cast.  Paula Patton looked goregous as usual and Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine both portrayed their strong black woman roles as the bride and groom's mothers.

I enjoyed the movie from start to finish and like I was told I would, I laughed, cried and even did some self reflecting.  When I saw T.D. Jakes was a part of the production I automatically thought it would be a "holy roller" movie that hit you over the head with weak religious undertones but I was pleasantly surprised to see a plot with "meat" and a cast that was willing to really dig deep to drive the message home to the viewers.  I highly recommend this movie to folks who liked The Best Man or just enjoy romantic comedies.  If you plan on getting married soon or not at all, this movie is still for you.

Jumping The Broom projected a reasonable $16 million box office ticket as it was a highly competitive weekend.  GO SEE IT!  If you have already seen it, did you enjoy it? Who was your favorite cast member?  Remember, just dont' spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. *wink*