LJAllen Reviews

All That Glitters (1977)

Lear's Best!!

[18 October 2004]

"All That Glitters" was undoubtedly Norman Lear's most cutting edge work. To say that this show was ahead of its time is an understatement. Staying very much in the vein of Lear's trademark "social commentary" brand of humor, the society into which this show's characters were cast portrayed women as dominant and men as submissive and oppressed.

The key to its charm was the blatant inversion of traditional gender power dynamics as well as the complete inversion of gender-based rituals and ceremonies. I recall one episode where a wedding took place where the groom--still dressed in traditional tuxedo--came down the aisle with his bouquet in hand to meet his bride waiting at the altar.

As a first run syndicated television show, "All That Glitters" never had a regular "national" primetime slot which would have made more of the public aware of its existence. But one thing was sure: the sexism inflicted by the women on the men in this show didn't look any better than it has coming from men. By switching the typical gender roles, Lear managed to make both a humorous and serious statement about the ugly side of sexism without preaching––an all too rare occurrence in television. This one ended much too soon.

Soul Plane (2004)

Waste of Time

[1/10 · 2 June 2004]

Soul Plane (2004) is actually not worth a review. Therefore, keep your money in your wallet. Avoid this stereotype-laden waste of time, money, and celluloid.

We should hope (and pray) that the many actors in this film are given a better choice of material in the future. Soul Plane (2004) could actually end an acting career. Moreover, moviegoers should be insulted by MGM's decision to distribute such a blatantly insulting film. Not only does the film offer ridiculous stereotypes (of Blacks, Middle Easterners, Gays, etc.), the film insults the intelligence of the audience. Do yourself a favor: don't bother with this one. Rating: F minus

HipHopBattle.com: Hip Hop 4 Life (2001)

For Hiphoppers and Beboppers

[10/10 · 30 December 2001]

Director David Velo Stewart's debut film is a documentary-styled fictional account of a young rapper named Devon. Our young protagonist is an eloquent word smith who is at a crossroads: Does he finish college as his dream-crushing father wishes him to do or does he immediately pursue his dream of becoming a master MC? In the midst of his quest for stardom, he is confronted by friends and associates, all of whom have an assortment of problems. And he must contend with a warm, but strained, romantic relationship with a young woman who requires more time than he can give.

In spite of this film's title, this is no ordinary "Rap" movie. For movie goers under the age of 30, this film should more than sate their delight in the genre. For movie goers of the R&B, Motown, and Jazz generation, it will come as a refreshing surprise that there is a burgeoning Rap scene that seeks to elevate this form to high art. Devon (portrayed by newcomer Q-Nice) raises the bar on what Rap is and what it can become. With a rare symbiosis of performance poetry, Bebop rhythms, and socio-political commentary, Q-Nice as Devon brings to mind vivid memories of Miles Davis's minimalist Bebop and the activism-cum-poetry of "The Last Poets"; the verbal pyrotechnics of the "Prop" tests alone make this film worth the viewing!

Made on a shoestring budget with a cast of largely unknown talent, Stewart's debut film manages to pull off what few films of this genre have done: satisfy both a young and old audience. Showcasing the largely unknown talents of Cleveland, Ohio's burgeoning and socially conscious Rap scene, he avoids the misogyny and profanity that has become the studio-sanctioned formula for Rap and films of this genre. With equal parts of romance, humor and conflict, Stewart "keeps it real" without descending into Walt Disney territory. The performers featured in this work will send their record-selling Rap contemporaries "Back to School". Redefining what Rap and Hip Hop is, HipHopBattle.Com: Hip Hop 4 Life appeases the most discriminating film and musical tastes and has the capacity for silencing Rap's harshest critics.

One Week (2000)

A Splendidly Cautionary Tale

[10/10 · 23 October 2001]

One Week (2000), the independent feature film directed by Carl Seaton and written by Seaton and Kenny Young (II)(who also stars in the role of Varon Thomas) draws the viewer into the lives of an engaged couple. The working-to-middle class and genuinely ambitious Varon Thomas learns one week before his wedding to Kiya (played by Saadiqa Muhammed) that his name has appeared on a list of "previous partners" by a young woman who has tested positive for HIV.

This film takes the audience along on the rollercoaster ride of events and emotions that Varon and his friend Tyco (also on the "previous partner" list) go through in seven days when they both will receive their tests results. Varon struggles to tell his fiancee Kiya of the potentially life-threatening news as he struggles to keep his job and his sanity. Tyco (brilliantly portrayed by Eric Lane)is so fearful, he admits he doesn't want to know his HIV test results.

One Week essentially tells a tale of how easy it is for ordinary, basically decent, yet flawed individuals to be confronted with life-altering and life-threatening circumstances as a result of risky, yet all too common, past sexual behavior. The strength of this film is that it pulls off what no other film or public service announcement about STDs has managed to do thus far: convey a serious message about HIV and AIDS without preaching (thereby alienating its audience) and without reinforcing the stereotypical view that only Gay and intravenous drug users are at risk.

With a superb script and cast, this film is an entertaining, warm, and frequently hilarious story that manages to deliver a sobering and cautionary message without hitting its audience over the head or trivializing its serious subject. For this and many other reasons, One Week is a must-see film that offers a lesson in exemplary filmmaking while it delivers a valuable and timely message.

Blue Hill Avenue (2001)

A "Respectable" Black Gangster Film?

[5/10 · 27 June 2001]

This was one of those films that came across like an attempt to create a "respectable" Black gangster film, but falls somewhere short of the mark. Centering around the drug-dealing activities of a group of childhood friends, led by "Tristan" (Allen Payne), the film fails to adequately show how Payne's character evolved into such a materialistic and brutal drug lord. Reared in what is portrayed as a happy, loving, two-parent, middle-class family, Tristan suddenly emerges as an adolescent--barely out of puberty--capable of blowing the head off of anyone who would thwart his drug-dealing enterprises. The neighborhood drug kingpin "Benny" (Clarence Williams III), who initially invited these young boys into his fold, becomes engaged in a battle for turf with his former protégés when they reach adulthood. Only Tristan, the story's protagonist, survives and leaves the drug business after having discovered that his drug-addicted younger sister is in the hospital struggling for life after having consumed an overdose of crack cocaine, the very substance with which he has built an empire.

This film is action-packed & filled with plot twists (too many), and should be a hit with a significant portion of the twenty-something-and-under audience, mainly those accustomed to heavy doses of film violence. Yet many viewers may find something almost comical, and probably disturbing, about the inexplicable personality traits of the character Tristan (Allen Payne) and the seedy and aging Benny (Clarence Williams III). Additionally, viewers familiar with Blaxploitation-era films will notice that this feature seemed to lean heavily on the film-industry-demanded formula for Black films of the 1970s, which portrayed most Black female characters as weak &/or morally deficient &/or expendable (Pam Grier excluded). There are no well-defined female characters in this film. Tristan's wife tries to appear long-suffering and wants him out of the drug business, but is attached to the luxury that his criminality affords her. Benny's girlfriend is attached to him primarily for his financial support. These factors are sure to ruffle some feathers. Other viewers, however, may see this film as an action-packed adventure and a genuine Black contribution to the genre of gangster films where audiences identify with, respect, and sometimes sympathize with characters that they wouldn't go near in real life (Can You Say "The Godfather"?) These various impressions, however, leave you wondering exactly what "Blue Hill Avenue" is trying to say or do.

All of the actors in this film, most notably Allen Payne and Clarence Williams III, breathed life into characters that we are never quite sure we believe, which says more about the immense talent of the cast than about the film itself. A sophisticated audience, however, will wonder whether some pertinent scenes are laying on the editor's floor.

Glory (1989)

A Valiant/Flawed Effort

[10/10 · 20 May 2001]

The film "Glory" was a tremendous effort depicting the valor and sacrifice of the Massachusetts 54th Colored Regiment's assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina. Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington deliver stand out performances that offer powerfully moving messages about the plight of Black Americans during this watershed in American history. Yet for all of this film's strong points, it offered viewers many inaccuracies that Hollywood seems incapable of avoiding when rendering accounts of Black American history. The 54th Regiment was made up of 1,000 men that were primarily well-educated, professional northerners from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, the Midwest, Canada, and in one instance a Black émigré from Bermuda that then lived in New York City. His name was Robert J. Simmons. He became a Sergeant in the 54th.

The film unfortunately left viewers with the impression that the regiment was primarily composed of illiterate, recently escaped or freed slaves. Nothing could have been further from the truth about the 54th and indeed the majority of Black soldiers who served in the Union Army! Many were doctors, lawyers, educators, and other professionals. (I challenge viewers to read Edwin S. Redkey's compilation of Black Union soldiers' letters entitled "A Grand Army of Black Men". You will discover that letter-writing is a lost art as most of these letters are eloquent and highly descriptive. You will be immediately struck by the grammatical accuracy and various details about their personal and professional lives that underscores these men's obvious exposure to first-rate educations and a variety of professional and business pursuits.) While "Glory" was moving and relatively historically accurate, it failed to acknowledge Black Abolitionist Frederick Douglass' two sons who served in the 54th, one of whom became a Sergeant Major. The character of Thomas Searles, portrayed by the phenomenal Andre Braugher, was the only educated free Black northerner depicted in this film. Unfortunately, his character was depicted as too intellectual to be psychologically and physically fit for the rigors of military life; there was no innuendo that his allegedly privileged, "free" life in Massachusetts had rendered him less capable of adjusting to the rough life of a soldier.

The brave men who actually served in the 54th were as articulate and intellectual as Searles, but viewers would never have known it by viewing this film. While we can be certain that there were Black Union soldiers more adaptable to combat than others, viewers should have at least been allowed to learn that Black male intellectualism, physical prowess, and military capability were, more often than not, compatible components found in many of these individuals. "Glory" represented a good first effort at describing what happened at Fort Wagner that fateful day of 18 July 1863, but it managed to offer viewers a rather flawed depiction of the personalities, backgrounds, and motives of the Black men who made up this regiment. Viewers would have been better served if the narrative had drawn on much more than Colonel Robert Gould Shaw's letters. Viewers might have learned that lettered Black men from the north were bright individuals who could and did fight heroically. This film gets an "A+" for performances, but a "C-/B+" due to its historical inaccuracies.

I Like It Like That (1994)

Sad, Funny, and Real

[10/10 · 22 January 2001]

"I Like it Like That" is one of those rare gems of cinema that portrays life for peoples of color with all of the absolute humanness so often lacking from more mainstream films. While I thoroughly enjoyed every actor's performance in this film, no one's performance was as effective and affecting as Jesse Borrego's portrayal of "Alexis", Lisette's (Lauren Velez) transvestite brother. This character offered a rare and realistic portrayal of an individual that is typically viewed only from a safe distance. While I definitely prefer Jesse Borrego as a man, his performance as "Alexis" showed a depth that few actors ever accomplish. In addition to his sterling performance as "Tudee" in "Follow Me Home", his portrayal in this film convinced me of his tremendous range. He is, without question, one of the most underrated actors of our time. I enthusiastically recommend this film to any and everyone.

How U Like Me Now (1992)

How you like it, if you're a man

[8/10 · 23 September 2000]

"How You Like Me Now" was a wonderful and cautionary tale of how not to handle a man. The film centers around Valerie (Salli Richardson) and Thomas (Darnell Williams), a young couple whose relationship burns out due to Valerie's ambition and materialistic drive that clashes with Thomas's lack of passion. Making a long story short: Valerie dumps Thomas for a white guy whom she assumes will drastically improve her lot, while Thomas ends up having his ego stroked by his boss--a woman--whom he ends up dating. Of course when Valerie returns to Thomas she finds a new man thriving without her. This film served a bit too much "stroke-a-man's-ego-to-get-what-you-want" to please a wide viewing audience. Yet its message does come across. Salli Richardson was flawless as the overly critical, materialistic, but romance-starved Valerie. Although this film falls a bit short of its mark, Darnell Williams (Thomas) and Salli Richardson (Valerie) give stand out performances of how values, based on class and gender, alter the timbre of male/female relationships--Ideas about gender and class are rarely explored in film as issues that genuinely effect the interaction between Black men and women. Although a comedy that clearly offers a heavy dose of the male perspective, this film also raises some rather serious issues. B+/A-

4 Little Girls (1997)

What Spike Does Best

[10/10 · 22 September 2000]

"Four Little Girls" is representative of what Spike Lee does best, namely raise the level of consciousness of movie-going audiences who are constantly fed fake mind-numbing violence. The violence that snuffed the lives of four young black girls in Sunday school was, however, all too real. Using the testimony and commentary of family members, friends, and other individuals who remember this incident, Lee manages to take us back to that awful day when American racism and hatred revealed itself in all of its unbridled virulence. "Four Little Girls" is a masterpiece not simply because of its subject, but because of Lee's brilliant use of oral history--proving again that real life is stranger and often more brutal and ugly than fiction.

Hav Plenty (1998)

Delivers Plenty

[10/10 · 20 September 2000]

Chris Cherot's first feature is an indication of good things to come. While lacking what most independent films lack--namely money--Cherot manages to offer a witty and somewhat unconventional look at romance and the often ambiguous values of the Black middle class. You will inevitably want to see this film again. With each viewing you will notice another nuance of the intense passion between the unassuming Lee Plenty (Christopher Cherot) and the pretentious Havilland Savage (Chenoa Maxwell). You will find yourself refreshed by this film's honesty, good humor, and the ultimate triumph of true love.

A State of Mind (1998)

A Masterpiece in Eleven Days!!

[9/10 · 8 September 2000]

Writer/Director Yvette Plummer's film "A State of Mind" was shot in eleven days with a budget less than $100,000. An audience, however, would never know it. Plummer manages to deliver a funny, sad, and somewhat sobering look into the lives of three young Black women (an aspiring screenwriter, a social worker, and a struggling actress/beautician). This feature is not visually stunning. The lack of funds certainly did not allow for great visual effect. Yet it was impossible to ignore the characters and messages found in this film. Plummer does not preach, she demonstrates. If Plummer can deliver a winner with a five-figure budget, she should win an Oscar when the big bank finally arrives. "A State of Mind" was a thoroughly entertaining and remarkable achievement!!

Family Law (1999–2002)

Family Law is Outstanding

[28 August 2000]

I haven't been this pleased with a legal drama since LA Law. The multi-dimensional cast is fabulous and the writing is absolutely flawless. I am also pleased to see Dixie Carter given the opportunity to spread her glorious wings. I do wish, however, the show would broaden Salli Richardson's portrayal of Viveca Foster. I hope they remember that she is not only beautiful--she can act.