Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
08-05-13, 05:46 PM
#27
DVD Talk Hero
08-05-13, 05:50 PM
#28
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
Latinos have this with Machete. Machete Kills will be interesting. Granted, the whites seeing the film will only pick up on the Grindhouse factor as opposed to all of the subtext and jokes. I remember when the first film came out and whites were pissed at the inclusion of "We didn't cross the border, the border crossed us." They called it "preachy" and "politically slanted."
"Coming To America" is a comedy classic; beloved ( and quoted verbatim) all over the world. Eddie Murphy stars as an African prince who comes to New York in search of his bride. It's absurd, culturally insensitive, and absolutely hilarious.
Much like the majority of this list.
Much like the majority of this list.
08-05-13, 05:50 PM
#29
DVD Talk Legend
08-05-13, 05:52 PM
#30
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
I still laugh at it. it's very 90s, but I still love it. I didn't like the 2nd and never saw the 3rd.
08-05-13, 05:57 PM
#31
08-05-13, 06:03 PM
#32
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
Chinese-American writer Jeff Yang used to complain about white people coming up to him and bragging about how they cried during JOY LUCK CLUB.
08-05-13, 06:09 PM
#33
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Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
I think if a film is a straightforward genre picture (sci-fi, action, rom-com) then white audiences (and audiences of every race) tend to be more color blind. Witness the popularity of genre fare staring Will Smith and Denzel Washington. Washington has even made films that are nearly all black that while perhaps not being blockbusters, have met with considerable acclaim and/or became cult films (Devil in a Blue Dress, Mississippi Masala, Out of Time).
It's when the "black film" is a comedy or drama that white audiences fail to connect. I think this comes down to fundamental differences between blacks and whites in America. Comedy is a VERY subjective thing and what different cultures find funny differs a lot. The same goes for drama where the conflict in a black film may be resolved in a drastically different way than it would in a "white film".
It's when the "black film" is a comedy or drama that white audiences fail to connect. I think this comes down to fundamental differences between blacks and whites in America. Comedy is a VERY subjective thing and what different cultures find funny differs a lot. The same goes for drama where the conflict in a black film may be resolved in a drastically different way than it would in a "white film".
What does movie distribution tell us about race?
08-05-13, 06:22 PM
#34
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
Similar to how straight people don't watch films with predominantly gay characters or themes, but gay people will watch the opposite. This isn't really a shocking argument.
08-05-13, 06:27 PM
#35
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
I do not like movies about drugs (I hate drugs), racist, tons of foul language, strippers, psychos/horror (they really freak me out), sex, torturing (Saw movies...)...from a "White" or "Black" movie.
-Did not see Training Day in the movie theater, it was a B/W movie and I LOVE Denzel Washington.
Though I see almost everyone of Denzel Washington's movies
-Loved Deja Vu because I love Time Travel
-Hated Ricochet and Training Day because I did not like the material the movie contained
I believe I seen more DW movies than any other actor that I can think of
List of "Black" (I really hate that there is a list of "Black Movies", some of the movies below I would not list as "Black", but IMDB did.) that I went to the theater and/or I own on DVD/BR:
42 (2013)
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
The Great Debaters (2007)
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Glory Road (2006)
Dreamgirls (2006)
Coach Carter (2005)
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Ray (2004)
Antwone Fisher (2002)
Undercover Brother (2002)
Ali (2001)
Remember the Titans (2000)
He Got Game (1998)
Blade (1998)
Amistad (1997)
A Time to Kill (1996)
Bad Boys 1 and 2 (1995)
Glory (1989)
Lean on Me (1989) - Loved this more, but I also love "The Principal". Similar movies, but played by a Black and a White man.
Coming to America (1988)
Cry Freedom (1987)
The Color Purple (1985) - I am still upset it did not win the Academy Award for movie/director of the year
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) - Could be my favorite movie in the bunch. Sidney Poitier is AWESOME in this movie. Movie has real meaning to it.
I hate going to see cheaply made "White Trash" movies and I hate going to see cheaply made "Black" movies.
Sure, there are people who will not go see a "Black" movie, but if you put out a great movie people will go see it.
-Did not see Training Day in the movie theater, it was a B/W movie and I LOVE Denzel Washington.
Though I see almost everyone of Denzel Washington's movies
-Loved Deja Vu because I love Time Travel
-Hated Ricochet and Training Day because I did not like the material the movie contained
I believe I seen more DW movies than any other actor that I can think of
List of "Black" (I really hate that there is a list of "Black Movies", some of the movies below I would not list as "Black", but IMDB did.) that I went to the theater and/or I own on DVD/BR:
42 (2013)
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
The Great Debaters (2007)
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Glory Road (2006)
Dreamgirls (2006)
Coach Carter (2005)
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Ray (2004)
Antwone Fisher (2002)
Undercover Brother (2002)
Ali (2001)
Remember the Titans (2000)
He Got Game (1998)
Blade (1998)
Amistad (1997)
A Time to Kill (1996)
Bad Boys 1 and 2 (1995)
Glory (1989)
Lean on Me (1989) - Loved this more, but I also love "The Principal". Similar movies, but played by a Black and a White man.
Coming to America (1988)
Cry Freedom (1987)
The Color Purple (1985) - I am still upset it did not win the Academy Award for movie/director of the year
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) - Could be my favorite movie in the bunch. Sidney Poitier is AWESOME in this movie. Movie has real meaning to it.
I hate going to see cheaply made "White Trash" movies and I hate going to see cheaply made "Black" movies.
Sure, there are people who will not go see a "Black" movie, but if you put out a great movie people will go see it.
08-05-13, 06:30 PM
#36
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
So is White Chicks considered a "white" movie or "black" movie?
08-05-13, 06:49 PM
#39
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Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
It's when the "black film" is a comedy or drama that white audiences fail to connect. I think this comes down to fundamental differences between blacks and whites in America. Comedy is a VERY subjective thing and what different cultures find funny differs a lot. The same goes for drama where the conflict in a black film may be resolved in a drastically different way than it would in a "white film".
Sooo, it would seem based on your post...Whites have a limited range when it comes to connecting with Blacks films.
08-05-13, 06:50 PM
#40
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
This type of cultural phenomenon works both ways. Seinfeld was basically a non-entity among Black viewers during its era, according to the ratings.
08-05-13, 06:55 PM
#42
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Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
This isn't really a shocking argument.
08-05-13, 06:56 PM
#43
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
Wel Michael Richards has certainly made some inroads into the black community, so maybe they will start netflixing it!
08-05-13, 07:32 PM
#44
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Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
Regarding Comedy
Take British comedy. In Britain what we call “British Comedy” is 100% within mainstream tastes but in America it has only a cult following. Different cultures find different things funny in different ways. Same thing with most English drama. I really have no patience for the Masterpiece Theater Downton Abbey type melodrama imported from England. Yet in England apparently they eat that shit up. Some styles are globally embraced and some are culturally unique. Indians like 3 1/2 hour musicals.
Regarding Drama
I haven't seen Nothing But A Man, but I've seen a bit of Charles Burnett's work and while I loved it I can see why an audience might reject it. Not for its black subject matter but rather its focus on urban life and poverty.
I think there is really a more class/cultural thing going on when audiences reject black drama and comedy. Most of what we call racism is really class-ism. People don't like depictions of black urban poverty, but they aren't wild about depictions of Indian poverty either (although Slumdog seems to be the exception that proves the rule). Rejecting Nothing But A Man or Killer of Sheep is probably not due to the color of the actors’ skin.
All I'm saying is that if the main character is blasting insects Americans don't make a race distinction, but when the main character "works long hours at a slaughterhouse in Watts and the monotonous slaughter affects his home life with his unnamed wife and through a series of episodic events a austere mosaic of working-class life emerges" then a majority of the audiences is going to reject the film, be they white black or anything else.
I think the majority film audience has a limited range when it comes to most everything in cinema. B&W, subtitles, non-narative, etc films all draw criticism from audiences that prefer "unpretentious" films.
Last edited by Mabuse; 08-05-13 at 07:38 PM.
08-05-13, 07:32 PM
#45
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
Reminds me of when DC Comics started the Milestone imprint in 1993. That studio produced comics that were definitely multiculturally-oriented, but never mind that; those were some FANTASTIC books. Icon, Hardware, Xombi, Kobalt, Static. Shadow Cabinet... all of them amazing. I collected the entire line of comics and loved them. Unfortunately, they were pretty much viewed as the DC "ghetto" -- the "black comics" -- by most readers at the time (and also started up as a line at the very height of the comics bubble, as the industry started to implode).
They could never shake that label. It's a shame. If the perception is that something is "for blacks", most won't give it an honest chance.
Poop
They could never shake that label. It's a shame. If the perception is that something is "for blacks", most won't give it an honest chance.
Poop
08-05-13, 07:37 PM
#46
DVD Talk Limited Edition
ya damn goof.
08-05-13, 07:43 PM
#48
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
The more intriguing question is why black people enjoy Tyler Perry movies when absolutly nobody else does. Is black cinema such a shallow pool that black people are choosing bad black cinema over no black cinema?
08-05-13, 07:48 PM
#49
Moderator
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
To be fair, Tyler Perry movies aren't even marketed to white audiences. Likewise, I doubt that locally made Mormon-themed movies are marketed much outside of Utah.
08-05-13, 07:50 PM
#50
Re: Why White People Don't Like Black Movies
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2...he-right-thing
25 best black movies of the last 25 years.
The history of African-American cinema is a long, winding road.
Since the days of Oscar Micheaux and Paul Robeson, black actors, actresses, writers, directors, and producers have been fighting for respect. The black nationalism of films like Carmen Jones and A Raisin in the Sun fueled the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s, while blaxploitation films like Shaft and Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song echoed the revolutionary sentiments of the 1970s.
During the 1980s, black film earned mainstream respect thanks to the bravery of directors like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend. The scene exploded during the ‘90s, with everything from comedies to brutally honest depictions of urban life finding critical acclaim. Since then, black film has been largely unpredictable and difficult to classify.
In putting this feature together, we spoke at length about what makes a black film. Note that a black film doesn’t have to have a black director. For example, take Eddie Murphy’s triumphant comedy Coming to America. The film is directed by John Landis, the same man responsible for Animal House and The Blues Brothers. Even with a white director, Coming to America is a distinct piece of black cinema thanks to its casting and themes.
Speaking of Coming to America, tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of its release. In the quarter of a century since Eddie Murphy first dominated Hollywood, black film has seen ups and downs, but some amazing work has been created during that time frame. On the eve of Coming to America’s 25th birthday, we look back at the 25 best black movies of the last 25 years.
1. Do the Right Thing (1989)
2. Coming to America (1988)
3. Malcolm X (1992)
4. Menace ll Society (1993)
5. Boyz N the Hood (1991)
6. Friday (1995)
7. House Party (1990)
8. Love Jones (1997)
9. New Jack City (1991)
10. Crooklyn (1994)
11. What's Love Got to Do with It? (1993)
12. Juice (1992)
13. CB4 (1993)
14. The Wood (1999)
15. Love and Basketball (2000)
16. Soul Food (1997)
17. Black Dynamite (2009)
18. School Daze (1988)
19. Boomerang (1992)
20. Brown Sugar (2002)
21. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
22. Dead Presidents (1995)
23. Bamboozled (2000)
24. Pariah (2011)
25. The Five Heartbeats (1991)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some others
Ballast (2008)
Shaft (1971)
Body and Soul (1925)
Clockers (1995)
Within Our Gates (1920)
Killer of Sheep (1979)
Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
One False Move (1992)
Daughters of the Dust (1991)
Training Day (2001)
Get on the Bus (1996)
Precious (2009)
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
Baadasssss! (2003)
The Harder They Come (1972)
25 best black movies of the last 25 years.
The history of African-American cinema is a long, winding road.
Since the days of Oscar Micheaux and Paul Robeson, black actors, actresses, writers, directors, and producers have been fighting for respect. The black nationalism of films like Carmen Jones and A Raisin in the Sun fueled the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s, while blaxploitation films like Shaft and Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song echoed the revolutionary sentiments of the 1970s.
During the 1980s, black film earned mainstream respect thanks to the bravery of directors like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend. The scene exploded during the ‘90s, with everything from comedies to brutally honest depictions of urban life finding critical acclaim. Since then, black film has been largely unpredictable and difficult to classify.
In putting this feature together, we spoke at length about what makes a black film. Note that a black film doesn’t have to have a black director. For example, take Eddie Murphy’s triumphant comedy Coming to America. The film is directed by John Landis, the same man responsible for Animal House and The Blues Brothers. Even with a white director, Coming to America is a distinct piece of black cinema thanks to its casting and themes.
Speaking of Coming to America, tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of its release. In the quarter of a century since Eddie Murphy first dominated Hollywood, black film has seen ups and downs, but some amazing work has been created during that time frame. On the eve of Coming to America’s 25th birthday, we look back at the 25 best black movies of the last 25 years.
1. Do the Right Thing (1989)
2. Coming to America (1988)
3. Malcolm X (1992)
4. Menace ll Society (1993)
5. Boyz N the Hood (1991)
6. Friday (1995)
7. House Party (1990)
8. Love Jones (1997)
9. New Jack City (1991)
10. Crooklyn (1994)
11. What's Love Got to Do with It? (1993)
12. Juice (1992)
13. CB4 (1993)
14. The Wood (1999)
15. Love and Basketball (2000)
16. Soul Food (1997)
17. Black Dynamite (2009)
18. School Daze (1988)
19. Boomerang (1992)
20. Brown Sugar (2002)
21. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
22. Dead Presidents (1995)
23. Bamboozled (2000)
24. Pariah (2011)
25. The Five Heartbeats (1991)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some others
Ballast (2008)
Shaft (1971)
Body and Soul (1925)
Clockers (1995)
Within Our Gates (1920)
Killer of Sheep (1979)
Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
One False Move (1992)
Daughters of the Dust (1991)
Training Day (2001)
Get on the Bus (1996)
Precious (2009)
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
Baadasssss! (2003)
The Harder They Come (1972)
Last edited by inri222; 08-05-13 at 08:00 PM.