Movies/TV
Film Festival DVDs
By Esther Iverem--SeeingBlack.com Editor and Film Critic
Aug 21, 2007, 10:45

The Black film festival circuit features a mixed bag – most often a few hidden gems among many duller offerings. Depending on where you sit in the film universe – filmmaker, distributor, audience member, critic, etc. – your opinion might differ on what should be the fate of movies that do fit the definition of the art but, for a variety of reasons, are not ready for a theatrical release.

One answer or view is provided by the veteran American Black Film Festival (originally the Acapulco Black Film Festival), that is releasing films direct to the DVD market. To date, the series has four titles, “Traci Townsend,” “And Then Came Love,” “Spark” and “The List,” none of which are gems and which vary further in quality.

“The List”
Surprisingly, the best of the lot, so far, is “The List,” a romantic comedy starring Wayne Brady and Sydney Tamiia Poitier. Of course, I am surprised because, at face value, any film starring Wayne Brady wouldn’t seem to have much of a chance. My admission just shows you that you can’t judge a DVD with unfair preconceptions. Actually, ever since Paul Mooney delivered his killer Wayne Brady jokes on “Chappelle’s Show” I have felt sorry for Brady, a Black comedian and TV star who appeals to Whites more than Blacks and who gives off the air of a brotha who has all White friends, likes hockey and can sing along to obscure rock tunes. I know, there are a lot of us out there who fit this definition through no fault of our own, but it has been easy and fun for me to turn up my nose at Brady.

In “The List,” Brady has enough charisma and screen presence to carry off the role of an uncool Black man named Lewis who has no luck at love (and who, incidentally, likes hockey). “The List” is not, as it claims on the DVD box, hilarious. The script isn’t the best. But the pacing, production values and acting – including that by Poitier as the girl prize – are decent. The movie is at least as good as the TV fare you might catch on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

“And Then Came Love”
It’s a close call for second place for two other romantic comedies in the series. “And Then Came Love,” starring Vanessa Williams and Eartha Kitt, has the feel of a 1980s’ movie recycled for the new millennium. Maybe it feels dated because of the vintage-looking helicopter footage of Manhattan used at the start. Maybe it’s because the story and script, about a single mother struggling to justify her marital status, feels so passé. These throwbacks, combined with a wack soundtrack give the film the feel of a made-for-TV production.

Livelier direction, production and dialogue would have better supported the good performances by Williams, who plays the single mom, and Kevin Daniels in the role of the younger man. The best romances make us root for characters in their pursuit of or frustration with love. “And Then Came Love” just doesn’t give us enough of a reason to cheer.

“Traci Townsend”
In this claustrophobic romance-turned-therapy session, a young woman sets out to explore why none of her recent boyfriends ever asked her to marry them. In the process, the movie sets up poor Traci as an unpleasant, scheming and crude hussy who we are inclined to dislike. (Think of Eddie Murphy’s Rasputia in “Norbit” without so much edge, ugliness or the fat suit.) Though there is plenty of proof to the contrary, the movie asks us to believe that Traci, a fly girl in LA pulling down big bank, was actually interested in marrying the assorted boyfriends in her past.

While it is certainly easy to side with the men who find fault with various aspects of Traci’s personality, the movie does offer Traci’s character a chance at redemption and offers us somewhat entertaining examples about examining our own actions in relationships. Unfortunately, the so-so production and script don’t add up to a real character or to a story that makes sense. Nor do they give us a new vision for reconsidering these well-worn themes. Jazsmin Lewis, the lead actress, is certainly capable of carrying the role. Too bad she didn’t have more to work with.

“Spark”
This frustrating little movie is notable in that it is the first Terrence Howard performance that I have actually disliked. Even the sour aspects of “Hustle and Flow” could not stop Howard from receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance as a pimp.

In this story, Byron (Howard) and his girlfriend Nina (Nicole Ari Parker) are stuck in a Southwestern town when their car breaks down en route to Los Angeles. Racial slurs written on a bathroom wall set up racial tension that is never fully explored or, perhaps we are to believe, exists only in the paranoid imagination of Byron. Being at the misery of a crooked car mechanic, being out of cash and feeling trepidation about losing his girlfriend combine to give Byron a short fuse, which turns into erratic behavior. In short, he is depicted as the person with the problems.

Various twists and turns in the plot lead to crime, violence and death. “Spark” is a mish-mash of emotion that does not add up to any emotional truth. The serious issues of race, class and economic frustration broached in the script are not explored or given any closure that leaves us satisfied.

Hopefully, more – and better – offerings in the American Black Film Festival DVD Series are coming down the line.


These reviews also appeared on www.BET.com. Please support us by ordering Esther Iverem's We Gotta Have It: Twenty Years of Seeing Black at the Movies, 1986-2006 (Thunder’s Mouth Press, April 2007)at Amazon.com or at your favorite bookstore. Thanks!
































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