Films Allow Blacks To Escape Stereotypical Roles And Plots

Living in Spokane, it’s not often that we get to see much African-American cinema. And when we do, the films don’t tend to last long.

I’m not talking about such theatrical explode-a-thons as Michael Bay’s “Bad Boys” that use big stars — in this case Will Smith and Martin Lawrence — to fill cop roles traditionally played by the Clint Eastwoods, Steve McQueens and Sylvester Stallones of the world.

Nor am I talking about Hollywood comedies such as Eddie Murphy’s “Nutty Professor,” Lawrence’s equally character-driven movies such as “Blue Streak” or “Big Momma’s House,” the stereotypical sex comedies “Friday” and “Booty Call,” or even the sex-themed “The Player’s Club.”

No, I’m talking about films such as “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” based on Terry McMillan’s best-selling novel. Or “The Wood,” which starred Omar Epps and Richard T. Jones as friends trying to make sure their partner (Taye Diggs) makes it to his wedding.

How about “The Best Man,” another film about an intended wedding? Or “Love and Basketball,” a look at the sacrifices two lifelong friends/lovers (Epps, Sanaa Lathan) have to make to achieve their dreams of hoop glory?

All these movies, which have been released since 1998, feature characters who are not dominated by a ghetto setting. Each is black, sure, and that means the color of his/her skin is a major factor in how and why each one’s life works out.

But these characters have managed to break out of the Hollywood ghetto that imagines the only African-American drama worth telling is a drug-driven study set on the streets of Compton or Harlem.

The fact that these new films have achieved a measure of success may, or may not, have given Warner Home Video the idea of marketing seven short films by African-American filmmakers in a collection titled “Afrocentricity.” Whatever, these are films you’re not likely to see outside the cable-based Independent Film Channel.

“Afrocentricity” is a mixed bag, ranging from drama to documentary, near-horror to outright comedy.

The dramas include Jeff Byrd’s “Breakdown,” which portrays a flashback retelling of a train-station massacre; “The Gift,” Tanya Boyd’s study of a blind artist’s refusal to compromise his gift by opting for an operation that could restore his sight; Chuck Wilson’s “Breakfast at Ben’s,” which looks at a young black rocket scientist’s urge to give something back to his community; and “Kings,” Niva Dorelli’s look at the difficulty of a man’s struggle to keep his high-profile job separate from his streetwise past.

Lee Davis explores the bizarre with “A Gut Feeling,” which has two cops investigating reports of a murder and encountering the unexpected. “Hip Hop, the New World Order” is what Muhammida El Muhajir came up with after traveling the world with her camera to shoot rap as it’s performed in such exotic locales as Japan, Cuba and Paris.

“True,” though, is the film that everyone should be familiar with. The word “Whassup!” became a national tag line in the Budweiser commercial based on Charles Stone’s two-minute interaction between five friends.

“Afrocentricity” is not likely to be found on any local store’s shelves. But no sweat. There’s always the Internet.

Life’s a scream

All you DVD-savvy horror fans out there have a treat in store come late September. Miramax Home Entertainment is releasing what it’s calling the “Ultimate Scream Collection,” a DVD box set that includes the three “Scream” films and a bonus fourth disc.

If you’ve been off visiting the planet Tralfamadore since 1996, you may not be familiar with the Wes Craven-directed series. It stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, among others, as characters tormented by a robe- and mask-wearing serial killer.

And what makes this series different from any other? The concept, and first two scripts, were dreamed up by Kevin Williamson (creator of “Dawson’s Creek”), who has a sense of humor about the whole thing.

As for the box set, the fourth disc ostensibly provides movie fans a chance — via remote control — to edit their own scenes.

Date changes

Two films listed for release this week — “Agnes Brown” and a “A Map of the World” — have been pushed back. “A Map of the World” will be out Sept. 19. “Agnes Browne” has not been rescheduled.

The week’s major release for home entertainment:

Simpatico

** 1/2

Sometimes art films just have too much “art” in them, know what I mean? And that’s a particular problem when the films are adaptations of Sam Shepard plays. Shepard (“True West,” “Buried Child”) specializes in the kind of modern, existentialist drama that juxtaposes clashes of class with The Big Question of, what does it all mean? Actually, that’s usually what we end up asking as we leave the theater.

But on stage, at any rate, the energy of live performance can be mesmerizingly powerful. On the big screen, it feels … well, hammy isn’t too strong a term, even with a cast such as Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte, Sharon Stone, Catherine Keener and Albert Finney. Bridges and Nolte star as former partners pulled apart by some shared old misdeed involving a champion horse, race-fixing and a track official (Finney) with an oversized libido. They rant and rave, torment their women (Stone, Keener) and never quite get to the heart of the matter, much less an overall point. (VHS/DVD) Rated R.