This is a thread to praise what African-Americans have given us in the world of show business when it comes to television and film. Around these parts, all I see is praise for Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Halle Berry, Tyler Perry, and well.... that's it. All are great, don't get me wrong, but there are plenty of other great black actors/filmmakers out there who don't get nearly the love they deserve.
So, with that said, who are your some of favorite black actors, actresses, and filmmakers?
I'll start off with Gaius Charles. He is most known for his role as Brian "Smash" Williams in the television show Friday Night Lights. Now, when I first saw the Pilot for the show, and Smash showed up, I thought, "Well, here's your stereotypical, one-dimensional ego-maniac black guy who thinks he's God's gift to the World." But man was I wrong. Sure, that's what he was in that episode, but as the season went on, that character became very, very complex. There were so many awesome storylines revolved around him. He started using steroids mid-way through season 1, he dated someone who was bi-polar, he led the black players on the Panthers to revolt against the team after some racial comments were made by the Offensive Coordinator, season 2 focused on his recruitment by colleges, and season 3, where he would leave the show, was about him coming back from a knee injury so his dream of playing college ball could perhaps come true again. But I think his best work in the show was whenever he had screen time with his mom, played wonderfully by Liz Mikel. But in all these storylines, the guy was truly flawless. His acting was just unbelievably great. And I think there are plenty of great things awaiting him in the future. There's a rumor right now there will be a spin-off of FNL to focus on the Smash character, but I fully expect him to have a tremendous career in cinema as well. Right now, he's slated to be in a Oren Moverman movie called The Messenger, with Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, Woody Harrelson and Jena Malone all co-starring along side him. That should be the kickstart to a fantastic career in film for him.
But speaking of Friday Night Lights, there are two actors from the film version I really like as well. Firstly being Lee Thompson Young. Now, not only was he great in the FNL movie, but everyday when I got home from school way back when, I would come home and immediately turn on the Disney Channel. That sounds silly as hell right now considering the crap they show these days, but back then they had an AWESOME line up. The Jersey, Even Stevens, and The Famous Jett Jackson, in which Lee Thompson Young played the main character. That was when I first became a fan of his, and his performance in FNL just sealed it for me. Unfortunately though, for some reason, he hasn't done much outside of that. He was a lead in the horrendous Hills Have Eyes 2, but that's about it, and it's a real shame because I think he has a lot to offer.
The other guy from Friday Nights Lights I was talking about has had a great career since the film, however, in the impeccable Derek Luke. This guy is beyond awesome. Seriously, if you don't get choked up in the scene with him and his uncle where he comes to the realization that his football career is over in Friday Night Lights, then you have no soul. That was some absolutely terrific acting. But that's not even his best work! In Antwone Fisher you can make the argument that he outshined Denzel Washington. And then there's his performances in movies such as Pieces of April (if you haven't seen this, do so now), Glory Road, Catch a Fire, Lions for Lambs, and Miracle at St. Anna (best performance in an otherwise disappointing film). Very, very talented actor.
Wood Harris is another favorite of mine. I first saw him, like most I assume, in Remember the Titans where he played Julius Campbell. And while he was fantastic in that, it was his performance in Hendrix, the biopic course Jimi Hendrix, that made me a fan for life. He was fucking great in that film. I've seen even those who didn't like the film still praise his performance. Harris is also known for his role in the show The Wire, but unfortunately, I've never seen it. I'm sure it's great though.
Sidney Poitier, of course, must get a mention. Now, I haven't seen a lot of his films, but I have seen The Defiant Ones and Lilies of the Field, and his performances in those are two of the greatest performances in the 60s, without a doubt. So I have to give him a mention. Maybe Tdigs or X will elaborate on more of his work.
And lastly for actors, there's Larenz Tate. You know, I bet the Hughes Brothers were disappointed when 2Pac dropped out of the role of O-Dog in Menace II Society, nut it all turned out to be a HUGE blessing in disguise, because Larenz Tate would deliver the performance of a lifetime in that one. How he wasn't nominated for an Oscar for that role blows my mind to this day, because he was fucking unbelievable. And that's not the only great performance he would deliver for the Hugh Brothers, as Dead Presidents is a classic in my book and Tate's performance is absolutely flawless. He was also phenomenal in Crash and in Vin Diesel's best movie, A Man Apart.
Speaking of the Hughes Brothers though, time to shift gears into filmmakers, and I'll start of with them. Menace II Society, in my opinion, is one of the greatest movies from the 90s and blows Boys in the Hood out of the fucking water. There aren't many films out there that make more of an impact on you than that one. It was so realistic and perfectly done, that it blows you away to this day. But that's not the only great movie they gave to cinema. As I mentioned earlier, Dead Presidents is a classic as far as I'm concerned. That movie as well never gets old. And of course there's From Hell, which is another fine picture that shows the Hughes Brothers range in filmmaking.
Spike Lee... well, X and I have the same taste when it comes to him, so if he replies, I'll let X dip into that one, and add my two cents in case he forgets something.
Antoine Fuqua is currently solidifying himself as a great, great filmmaker. Of course there's Training Day, which is superb, but The Shooter, Tears of the Sun, and King Arthur are all great movies in my book, and Fuqua shows unbelievable range in each and every single one of them, more so than perhaps any black filmmaker out there right now. And in the future, he has a biopic of Pablo Escobar (a Colombian drug lord) and a film called Brooklyn's Finest, which was a big hit at Sundance this year. Can't wait for either of them.
But I've worn myself out. I purposely left out some names and women, so hopefully you all can fill in those gaps. If not, then I'll reply again later.
So, with that said, who are your some of favorite black actors, actresses, and filmmakers?
I'll start off with Gaius Charles. He is most known for his role as Brian "Smash" Williams in the television show Friday Night Lights. Now, when I first saw the Pilot for the show, and Smash showed up, I thought, "Well, here's your stereotypical, one-dimensional ego-maniac black guy who thinks he's God's gift to the World." But man was I wrong. Sure, that's what he was in that episode, but as the season went on, that character became very, very complex. There were so many awesome storylines revolved around him. He started using steroids mid-way through season 1, he dated someone who was bi-polar, he led the black players on the Panthers to revolt against the team after some racial comments were made by the Offensive Coordinator, season 2 focused on his recruitment by colleges, and season 3, where he would leave the show, was about him coming back from a knee injury so his dream of playing college ball could perhaps come true again. But I think his best work in the show was whenever he had screen time with his mom, played wonderfully by Liz Mikel. But in all these storylines, the guy was truly flawless. His acting was just unbelievably great. And I think there are plenty of great things awaiting him in the future. There's a rumor right now there will be a spin-off of FNL to focus on the Smash character, but I fully expect him to have a tremendous career in cinema as well. Right now, he's slated to be in a Oren Moverman movie called The Messenger, with Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, Woody Harrelson and Jena Malone all co-starring along side him. That should be the kickstart to a fantastic career in film for him.
But speaking of Friday Night Lights, there are two actors from the film version I really like as well. Firstly being Lee Thompson Young. Now, not only was he great in the FNL movie, but everyday when I got home from school way back when, I would come home and immediately turn on the Disney Channel. That sounds silly as hell right now considering the crap they show these days, but back then they had an AWESOME line up. The Jersey, Even Stevens, and The Famous Jett Jackson, in which Lee Thompson Young played the main character. That was when I first became a fan of his, and his performance in FNL just sealed it for me. Unfortunately though, for some reason, he hasn't done much outside of that. He was a lead in the horrendous Hills Have Eyes 2, but that's about it, and it's a real shame because I think he has a lot to offer.
The other guy from Friday Nights Lights I was talking about has had a great career since the film, however, in the impeccable Derek Luke. This guy is beyond awesome. Seriously, if you don't get choked up in the scene with him and his uncle where he comes to the realization that his football career is over in Friday Night Lights, then you have no soul. That was some absolutely terrific acting. But that's not even his best work! In Antwone Fisher you can make the argument that he outshined Denzel Washington. And then there's his performances in movies such as Pieces of April (if you haven't seen this, do so now), Glory Road, Catch a Fire, Lions for Lambs, and Miracle at St. Anna (best performance in an otherwise disappointing film). Very, very talented actor.
Wood Harris is another favorite of mine. I first saw him, like most I assume, in Remember the Titans where he played Julius Campbell. And while he was fantastic in that, it was his performance in Hendrix, the biopic course Jimi Hendrix, that made me a fan for life. He was fucking great in that film. I've seen even those who didn't like the film still praise his performance. Harris is also known for his role in the show The Wire, but unfortunately, I've never seen it. I'm sure it's great though.
Sidney Poitier, of course, must get a mention. Now, I haven't seen a lot of his films, but I have seen The Defiant Ones and Lilies of the Field, and his performances in those are two of the greatest performances in the 60s, without a doubt. So I have to give him a mention. Maybe Tdigs or X will elaborate on more of his work.
And lastly for actors, there's Larenz Tate. You know, I bet the Hughes Brothers were disappointed when 2Pac dropped out of the role of O-Dog in Menace II Society, nut it all turned out to be a HUGE blessing in disguise, because Larenz Tate would deliver the performance of a lifetime in that one. How he wasn't nominated for an Oscar for that role blows my mind to this day, because he was fucking unbelievable. And that's not the only great performance he would deliver for the Hugh Brothers, as Dead Presidents is a classic in my book and Tate's performance is absolutely flawless. He was also phenomenal in Crash and in Vin Diesel's best movie, A Man Apart.
Speaking of the Hughes Brothers though, time to shift gears into filmmakers, and I'll start of with them. Menace II Society, in my opinion, is one of the greatest movies from the 90s and blows Boys in the Hood out of the fucking water. There aren't many films out there that make more of an impact on you than that one. It was so realistic and perfectly done, that it blows you away to this day. But that's not the only great movie they gave to cinema. As I mentioned earlier, Dead Presidents is a classic as far as I'm concerned. That movie as well never gets old. And of course there's From Hell, which is another fine picture that shows the Hughes Brothers range in filmmaking.
Spike Lee... well, X and I have the same taste when it comes to him, so if he replies, I'll let X dip into that one, and add my two cents in case he forgets something.
Antoine Fuqua is currently solidifying himself as a great, great filmmaker. Of course there's Training Day, which is superb, but The Shooter, Tears of the Sun, and King Arthur are all great movies in my book, and Fuqua shows unbelievable range in each and every single one of them, more so than perhaps any black filmmaker out there right now. And in the future, he has a biopic of Pablo Escobar (a Colombian drug lord) and a film called Brooklyn's Finest, which was a big hit at Sundance this year. Can't wait for either of them.
But I've worn myself out. I purposely left out some names and women, so hopefully you all can fill in those gaps. If not, then I'll reply again later.
