Black History Month, Some Great Movies on DVD

[Bossplaya]

All of these are original movies produced by either HBO or Showtime that I feel are extremely good movies filled with drama so profound and emotional, that I just can't stop watching them over and over. That and I am interested in the real American history, not the sanitized version. I believe they are all available on DVD, according to Amazon.com. DVDAF doesn't have most of these listed for some reason, but I'll fix that shortly.

Boycott - About the Montgomery MS bus boycot that touched off the civil rights movement in the 50's. Jeffery Wright is almost too convincing as MLK. I also like how the movie humanizes MLK and the folks beyond the Boycott (such as MLK was drafted not because he wanted it, but nobody wanted the job to lead a boycott that was surely thought to fail). The movie is well directed, as he mixes up the pacing and keeps it brisk and never boring, with some music pieces, different film stock.

I really wish this director would've done a whole series of movies on the whole Civil Rights movement from MLK's perspective. Wright is unbelievable as an actor, and the cast of supporting actors,each one of them turns out for this flick. Just a great movie. The only mark against the film was the cheesy ending credits sequence, but that's easily ignored. The DVD has a directors's commentary that is pretty informative.

Deacons For Defense - Peaceful protests enrage racial tensions in the south. Almost the same situation as in Boycott, only a different solution to the problem, as violence seemed to not be avoided. Not that they didn't try, as both points of view are put to the test. Supercharged emotional drama that just jumps off the screen that grabs you and makes you feel something. That's why I love these films so much.

10,000 Black Men Named George - About the forming of the first black union in the US, in Chicago. Again, some outragously authentic and real emotional performances. Charles Dutton (aka Roc) is off the hook in this movie. If you are into movies with characters that confront each other with very strong arguements on both sides, then this is it. The acting supercharged, as the stakes are pretty high from the prospective of the characters. Andre Braugher is also amazing. Directed by Robert Townsend. These actors command respect by just walking through the door, one of the reasons why I can't get enough of these movies.

Keep the Faith, Baby - About a controversial black congressment from Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. I know, another Biopic, but yet another unbelievably good performance by an obscure actor, Harry Lennix. A very flamboyant acting turn with all types of mannerisms. He got across how strong willed and how strong of an interesting character Powell Jr. was. I actually never heard of him before this film. The movie, while sympathetic, does show some of the more negative sides of his life, including his ego getting in the way of joining MLK (and going out of his way to derail his movement). Also stars Vanessa Williams.

Everybody who wants riveting drama should at least rent these films, and hell, this month is as good as any. This is the topnotch of the topnotch, that showcases the talents of the best in Hollywood. After watching these back to back to back, I was feening for some more of that topnotch drama from anywhere! So if anybody knows any other films (doesn't matter how well known) concerning black history that are topnotch go ahead and tell us. It would be appreciated.

[zoomgirl]

Thanks for all this information! I am going to check out 10,000 Black Men Named George. I remember reading an article about this in the New York Newsday when they were making the movie. Sounds interesting!

[BADBRAD]

Brown Sugar

Crooklyn

[tomdkat]

Thanks for the list, Bossplaya. I haven't seen any of these titles and I've added all of them to my Netflix queue.

I might even watch Malcolm X again.

Peace...

[Bossplaya]

Actually, you might want to skip X, and watch the Malcom X movie starring Morgan Freeman instead, Death of a Prophet (which is on DVD, but I haven't seen that version, only VHS).

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by Bossplaya

Actually, you might want to skip X, and watch the Malcom X movie starring Morgan Freeman instead, Death of a Prophet (which is on DVD, but I haven't seen that version, only VHS).

Naw, I can't skip X, it's too good of a movie to skip.

Unfortunately, Netflix doesn't carry Death of a Prophet.

Peace...

["The Dude"]

Do the Right Thing
Malcolm X