On Feburary 5, a new independent movie called “Blackout” arrives on DVD. It stars Zoe Saldana, Melvin Van Peebles, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Jamie Hector and the great Jeffrey Wright.Written and directed by Jerry LaMothe, “Blackout” tells the story of a Brooklyn neighborhood caught up in a 2003 power outage.
Judging by the preview (embedded top), “Blackout” has the vibe of an early-’90s black independent film. Remember the early ’90s? Every other week there was something new on screen to check out. “Straight Outta Brooklyn,” “Daughters of the Dust,” “Sidewalk Stories”...
It really felt like there was a movement happening.
And then it didn’t.
Oh well. At least there’s cats like LaMothe still out there righteously hustling. Embedded on the bottom is a video interview with him.
(Hat-tip: Qadree at Culture Critical. He reviewed a festival screening of “Blackout” last October.)
1990-92 was such a great period for Black film, and this preview does indeed remind me of that bygone period...
ReplyDeletedefinitely gonna check this out... thanks for the heads-up!
A movie about the 2003 blackout? That was peanuts compared to the 1977 NYC blackout. Although it didn't have the spectre of terrorism surrounding it, it was still pretty buckwild!
ReplyDeleteNow I'm thinking about that Trammps song,"(The Night The Lights Went Out In) New York City."
^ Now I'm thinking about that Trammps song,"(The Night The Lights Went Out In) New York City."
ReplyDeleteOne of the great Philly jams of all times, Bklyn6! (Produced and arranged by badass Norman Harris.) The change at 3:27 takes my breath away... every time. Every time!
Let’s spin it, shall we? BAM!
“Electric be back on in a minute, y’all...”
also fondly remember the early 90s, Straight out of Brooklyn,Menace II Society,Boyz N Tha Hood,Higher Learning, Dead Presidents,Soul Food etc. used to be so many black made and produced movies, as well as TV shows like Family Matter, Sister to Sister,The Parenthood, The PJs, Martin, All That(pre-suckiness era), Keenan and Kel,New York Undercover, Homicide:Life on the Street. The reason why there isn't any more shows with important black leads is that the FCC(Federal Communication Commision) imposed harder laws that made it hard the smaller tv channels,which had the black shows, to compete with the big three (NBC,ABC,CBS), who appealed to a mainly white,mainstream majority and wasn't into taking risk. well, at least we still have the Wire, and that kind of balances out everything.
ReplyDeleteUBM, you're good! I haven't heard that joint in it's entirety in ages.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Straight Out of Brooklyn...what ever happened to Matty Rich?
I don't know, but I lived in Bed-Sty during those days (Nostrand and Fulton area) and all we (the whole neigborhood) did is sit on the stoops day and night shootin' the shit. Lot's a love and everyone was looking out for everybody.
ReplyDeleteOnly one store got broke into.
UBM,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this information. I think Jeffrey Wright is so amazing. I will take any opportunity to see him work (even in Shaft).
Also as someone that grew up in New York; this film will be of great interest to me.
And since a few are listing good Black films of the early 90's how about Six Degrees of Separation, Mississippi Masala and Poetic Justice.
bklyn6:
ReplyDeletelast time i heard anything about Matty Rich, he was directing video games. that was maybe 3 years ago or so...
I think Jeffrey Wright is so amazing.
ReplyDeleteYou know the role I would love to see him play, Mes Deux Cents? W.E.B. Du Bois! Slap a goatee on him and turn him loose.
Imagine Jeffrey Wright as Du Bois and Laurence Fishburne as Booker T. Washington.
I don't know, but I lived in Bed-Sty during those days (Nostrand and Fulton area)
ReplyDeleteDo-or-Die! Lafayette Ave. Holla!
last time i heard anything about Matty Rich, he was directing video games.
Video games? Someone directs video games? Must be good money in it. I would've guessed music videos at least.
Do-or-Die!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was "stay-and-die." (Runs away to avoid getting punched.)
^Ahhhh...sukie, sukie! It's on! (bklyn6 removes earrings and begins slathering vaseline on her face.)
ReplyDeleteAs much as I liked Spike Lee's "Crooklyn" I hated the title.
yeah, this movie also has Michael Jordan - or Wallace from The Wire.
ReplyDeleteA-hem, this movie is debuting on BET and available via BET Home Entertainment.
ReplyDeleteUBM,
ReplyDeleteLol@Reginald promoting BET. That's funny.
I'd like to see Jeffrey Wright play something off-beat; for instance I'd like to see him portray Huey Newton.
But I agree the portrayal you mention would be interesting as well.
A-hem, this movie is debuting on BET...
ReplyDeleteWord? I didn't know this. Thanks, Reg.