Black Hollywood have been stepping out of the box lately with their film-making by diving into different subject matters and topics outside of the typical ‘Boys In Da Hood’ type of flicks, and while most of us have fully embraced the fresh new batch of quality films coming out lately such as ’12 Years A Slave’ and ‘The Butler’ there still seems to be a battle with the mainstream media for a lot of talented urban writers, directors, and producers to get their due props for taking creative risks..
The Boston Globe recently weighed in on the controversial movie ‘Dear White People’ and ABC’s new series ‘Black-Ish’ and had this to say…
Despite its name, the movie doesn’t really speak to white people. Instead, it explores the angst felt by blacks who occupy a mostly white world: What does it mean to be black if you’re affluent, popular, and the son of the college dean? And how big a role should race play anyway in determining our identity in an era that preaches that race shouldn’t matter? How black can you be if you love “Star Trek?’’ Or Mumford and Sons?
The truth is, the deepest dilemmas in this movie are caused not by white rejection, but acceptance. It’s the same theme as the new ABC comedy “Black-ish,” which features the trials of raising black kids in a white suburb. To be clear, neither “Dear White People” nor “Black-ish” addresses the enormous challenges of the black underclass in America today. Instead, they focus on something new: The existential threat of assimilation. A generation after upwardly mobile blacks struggled for acceptance in white neighborhoods and schools, we’re faced with another problem: preserving a sense of identity inside the mainstream. –BostonGlobe
The movie may be ruffling a few feathers but I guess it’s ultimately serving its purpose eh? ‘Dear’ have been having a very successful run at the box office since its premiere and ‘Black-Ish have been bringing in good ratings for ABC so far so that should be applauded.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm6HeK1dyAY&w=700&h=500?showinfo=0&autohide=1&rel=0]
