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Last Updated: Jan 25th, 2008 - 07:33:29 |
Full disclosure statement: in a media world of fakery and distraction, I do favor movies that are about something real and that speak to our lives today. Despite some outrageous duds such as “Norbit,” 2007 also offered a rich array of movies, both in theaters and on television, which satisfied my need for the real. Here are my top 10 picks of movies by and/or about Black people for 2007. The links will take you to a complete review of the movie. See you at the movies in 2008!
1. Denzel's 'Great' 2007 Movie
Just as director Denzel Washington offered attention and detail to the emotional lives of Black people in “Antwone Fisher,” he offers the same attention to our intellectual lives in “The Great Debaters.” This is not a clichéd, “feel-good” story about accomplishment, not that I should have to say that. This is an awesome, heart-filled movie that takes us on a ride and riff across many boundaries in American society. Can we support movies that respect our lives and history, or just gangsta and bling movies?
2. Horror and Hope
"War/Dance" is an Oscar-worthy documentary that
captures the energy and spirit of the Acholi people in Northern Uganda, who have been forced into displacement camps and slaughtered by armed rebels.
3. The Trials of Darryl Hunt
“The Trials of Darryl Hunt,” a riveting documentary
that premiered on HBO, tells the story of one wrongly convicted Black man, and reminds us that not all Americans have access to unbiased justice.
4. Africa’s War Heroes
The unsung Africans who fought for France during World War II, but also fought against French racism, are the subject of “Days of Glory."
5. Black to the Past
“Bastards of the Party” is a revealing and often
visceral documentary about the world of two Los Angeles Black street gangs, the Bloods and the Crips, which have become synonymous with drugs, violence and murders of young Black men. Premiering on HBO and made in conjunction with Antoine Fuqua by a longtime member of the Bloods, Cle “Bone” Sloan, “Bastards of the Party” explores the history of how these two gangs have evolved to be what they are today.
6. Africa, Rape and Terror
"Lumo," part of the P.O.V. series on PBS, tells one
woman's story of rape as a life-altering tool of terror in war-torn central Africa.
7. Drama for “This Christmas”
When the six Whitfield siblings gather at home in Los Angeles for the holidays, there is enough family drama to
go around for all of us. The likeable cast of “This Christmas” includes Regina King, Idris Elba and singer Chris Brown.
8. Chris Rock’s Rocky Marriage
Chris Rock's “I Think I Love My Wife,” is funny, irreverent and brings a breath of fresh air to Black marriage on the big screen.
9. Straight Talk, No Chaser
“Talk to Me,” the film about Washington, D.C. radio
personality “Petey” Greene, is a rich, funny and serious evocation of Washington, D.C., and much of urban Black America, during the 1960's. (And Don Cheadle shines!)
10. Africa's Story in “Bamako”
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| Scene from 'Bamako' |
In the surprising and unpredictable film “Bamako,” the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are, literally, put on trial for their legacy in Africa.
Honorable Mention
Our 'American Gangster'
“American Gangster”
“American Gangster” is gritty and fast-paced but it could be very well titled “American Cop.” In it, we root for a man who learned, as a young Black boy, that White police officers are not on his side.
'Mr. Untouchable'
“Mr. Untouchable”
Though he may not cure us of our glamorization of the outlaw drug dealer, director Marc Levin explores enough history, socio-economics and racial politics to tell a sobering story of Harlem drug kingpin Leroy “Nicky” Barnes.
“Pride” and Prejudice
“Pride”
The environment created for "Pride" is 70’s funk--that unmistakable combination of afros, sweat and vintage tunes that take us back to an era when recently won legal
equality bumped hard against entrenched social inequality.
This top 10 list also appeared on Tom Joyner's BlackAmericaWeb.com.
You can order Esther Iverem's critically praised We Gotta Have It: Twenty Years of Seeing Black at the Movies, 1986-2006 (Thunder’s Mouth Press, April 2007)at Amazon.com or purchase at your favorite bookstore. It makes a wonderful gift! Thanks!
Read and search hundreds of reviews on SeeingBlack.com's Movies/TV channel and archive.
Click here to post a comment or your own 2007 top movie picks!
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