Jul15

We are quick to hate and so slow to tolerate.

by Rhonda Swan on July 15th, 2011 at 1:46 am
Posted In: Uncategorized

   Why does the military need extra time to get used to treating homosexuals      equally? Seriously, where is the logic in coddling haters until they get used to the idea of gay people having the same rights as them?

According to CNN:

The Obama administration Thursday evening asked a federal appeals court in California to reconsider its order last week temporarily blocking the U.S. military from enforcing its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays and lesbians serving in the military.

U.S. officials have been moving ahead with dismantling the policy but had objected to having the courts force the government to officially repeal it at this time.

At issue in the complex legal fight is whether “don’t ask, don’t tell” can remain in effect — even in name only — while the legal fight over its constitutionality is being carried out in the federal courts. Judges have been at odds over the enforcement issue for months.

The case has put the Obama administration in an unusual position of supporting a repeal, but at the same time filing court motions to prevent it from happening faster than planned. Military officials suggest the policy compliance changes eliminating “don’t ask, don’t tell” could be finished in a few weeks.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell should never have been made policy in the first place. Let it go already.

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Jul12

Black Film Festival Showcases “Real” Talent

by Rhonda Swan on July 12th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Posted In: African American Films, Film, Movies

Keenan Ivory Wayans accepts the Entertainment Icon Award at the American Black Film Festival

An acquaintance asked me if the films screened at American Black Film Festival on South Beach this past weekend were independent flicks or “real movies.”

That just goes to show how ignorant so many of us are when it comes to the movie business.

It’s just that – a business.

Just because a film never makes it to the big screen, doesn’t mean it’s not a “real” movie. It doesn’t mean the director, the producer, the cinematographer, or the actors aren’t “real” crafts people. It just means they haven’t made it to the big screen – yet.

I’ve seen many films at the American Black Film Festival that do what many big screen films don’t – make me think and make me feel. Often, the quality of the independent films far surpass some of the junk that Hollywood green lights. Many great flicks never make it to a theater near you simply because the decision makers in Hollywood don’t believe it will make money. That certainly doesn’t mean the movie isn’t good or that it isn’t “real.”
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Jul12

In the Hive: More Movies Like This, Please

by Rhonda Swan on July 12th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Posted In: African American Films, African American Literature, Film, Movies
Jonathan McDaniel stars in Robert Townsend’s ‘In The Hive’ as a teenager down to his last chance.

 

Director Robert Townsend says his latest movie, In the Hive, reflects the balance that is sorely needed in the entertainment industry where the majority of films featuring a predominately black cast depict either buffoonery or ghetto violence.

The movie, which deftly combines comedy and drama, is based on the real life story of Vivian Saunders, a cook at the Hive Academy, a North Carolina alternative school with a focus on technology. Vivian takes on the responsibility of educating boys that no one else will – gangbangers and others with violent behavior or criminal pasts.

“I love when anybody is making a difference and Viv Saunders — the real woman that this film is based on — she’s really making a difference in these boys’ lives in North Carolina,” Townsend told a packed Colony Theater audience last week at the film’s screening during the American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach. “It’s all about these who kids who are lost and at risk. For me as a filmmaker to be able to tell this story is right on time.”

The original title for the film was The Discarded Boys.

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Jul12

Trinity Goodheart: Eric Benet Should Stick To Singing

by Rhonda Swan on July 12th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Posted In: African American Films, Film, Movies
Erika Gluck (right) stars as Trinity Goodheart, and Eric Benet plays her father, Jeremy.

If the film industry is intent on casting music stars in movies, they at least should find ones who can act. Unfortunately, Eric Benet isn’t one of them. That’s the sad part about GMC’s Trinity Goodheart, the story of a 12-year-old girl on a mission to find her long lost mother.

The good part is Erica Gluck, the actress who portrays Trinity. The heart and soul of the film, she makes it worth watching, despite Benet’s lackluster performance. The film made its worldwide debut Saturday at the American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach.

Trinity is the mixed-race daughter of Jeremy Goodheart, portrayed by Benet, and a white mother whose father disapproved of her parents’ relationship. Her mother left the family because she couldn’t handle the dissension.

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