Black Hollywood: the ebony Shangri-la of showbiz. In tinsel town, behind the flash bulbs of paparazzi snapshots, behind the casting cattle calls and behind a storyteller’s script is the film director. These hot-bloodied visionaries are the eyes and ears of the camera’s aperture. Visionaries like Hype Williams, Robert Townsend and Kennen Ivory Wayans have leaped into the limelight, looking to expose the grit of the world, allowing us to experience (or rather re-experience) the magnitude of the ailments of mankind. It is because of this that these men are huge influences on pop culture. But, how influential? Here is the list of our 7 all-time favorite directors in black Hollywood.

Tiny

F. Gary Gray (*New Edition*)

You know, it’s rare. We’ve usually left out some important figures in our bevy of lists and other incarnation, sometimes to the satisfaction or the chagrin of our readers. But we heard concerns about our Small, Medium, Giant inventory of directors African-American cinema, and our readers were right on the money when director F. Gary Gray was left off. He should be noted for his work. The director of the buddy dramedy Friday, one of the funniest films ever conceived, broke new ground by showing the African-American experience in a hood setting from the eyes and growing pains of twenty-somethings. In a sense, it was a bigger, better Clerks. Its stars Ice Cube—already a rising acting talent with Boyz n the Hood and Higher Learning—and Chris Tucker became movie stars. His follow-up, crime drama Set it Off delivered the most stunning performance of Queen Latifah’s career and influenced the later half of 90s hip-hop.  However, despite his work in music videos (“It Was a Good Day” by Ice Cube, “Waterfalls” by TLC, “Ms. Jackson by Outcast), we haven’t seen Gray surpass his 90s heyday. The Italian Job: Bust. Be Cool: A Bust. Law Abiding Citizen: A Bust. See, where we’re coming from?

Small

Lee Daniels

Once upon a time, Lee Daniels was a better producer than he was director. His directorial debut Shadowboxer was a bust. The Oscar-winning Monster’s Ball—a film he produced—won Halle Berry the coveted Best Actress award. So, when he finally produced the goods—directing another Oscar-winning picture, Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire—we were on the fence. Making history as one of the second African-American director and the first openly gay director to be nominated for an Oscar, he indeed proved he was a giant.

Smedium

Antoine Fuqua

Directing music videos for Coolio, Toni Braxton and Prince, Antoine Fuqua left his MTV rotation cloud nine to direct Hollywood blockbusters Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter and the recent Brooklyn’s Finest. But, he truly shined when he tapped Denzel Washington to star in the now-legendary Training Day, and we enjoyed the hard-boiled intensity and the “black Oscar night,” in which Washington won his second Oscar.

Medium

The Hughes Brothers

Known for directing hood films like Dead Presidents and American Pimp, the Hughes twins, Albert and Allen ditched their terrifyingly visceral take on the ultra-violent gun-toting 90s thug life hood films epitomized in the critically-lauded Menace II Society. After winning top honors at the MTV Movie Awards, the urban hostility and authoritative significant messages of the film coupled with Lorenz Tate take on a sociopathic inner-city teenager “O-Dog,” the boys started experimenting. With films like the Jack the Ripper period thriller From Hell and the post-apocalyptic action suspense driven The Book of Eli, the boys are getting off to a good start.

Large

John Singleton

When you think of a Giant, especially when you think of directors, chances are you’ll think John Singleton. Kicking off his career with hits Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice and Higher Learning, which showed the jarring inner-city decay of South Los Angeles in the mid-90s, Singleton became the first African-American to be nominated for the Oscar. Despite directing landmark music videos like Michael Jackson’s “Remember The Time,” he released cult classic Baby Boy, revenge film Four Brothers and action film 2 Fast 2 Furious. We can’t hate on a man who is on his grind.

Mammoth

Tyler Perry

The Renaissance man known for combining womanism, church and drag is just as controversial as he is acclaimed. The actor-director and playwright left his days as a luminary in Southern theatres and released the now-legendary Diary of a Mad Black Woman starring the whoop-ass take-no-prisoners matriarch Mabel “Madea” Simmons in 2005. Only four years later, he ranked on the sixth highest-paid man in Hollywood by Forbes magazine, grossing a collective $400 million worldwide.

GIANT

Spike Lee

Born Shelton Jackson Lee, “Spike” is solely responsible for splicing race relations and art as well as pushing poverty, crime and the dilapidation of the black community to the forefront. He is also responsible for presenting blacks as cognizant, conscious and sensual—not sexual—beings. His iconic production studio, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced nigh 40 films since its 1983 debut and the hard work has won Lee an Emmy and two Oscar nods. His signature “A Spike Lee Joint” is also plastered on monumental films Do The Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Clockers, Get On The Bus, Summer of Sam, Bamboozled and Inside Man… to name a few. Simply put, he’s the man. Our only regret (and his as well) is that he lost to Driving Miss Daisy in 1989 for Best Picture.

Talking With… Wyatt Cenac

Talking With… Eamonn Walker

Talking With… Malcolm D. Lee

Talking With… Spike Lee

Look out world–Precious has arrived.

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire
Directed by Lee Daniels
Starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
****

Anyone that has ever complained about the lack of good roles for actresses—especially black actresses—in Hollywood should make a point of buying a ticket for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. It’s the kind of film that’s rarely seen on the contemporary cinematic landscape: a serious, emotional drama about women with bigger problems than finding a date for Friday night or picking the right pair of Manolos to go with that little black dress. More than anything though, Precious is a remarkable showcase for its all-female ensemble cast, challenging them in ways most mainstream films can’t – or won’t.

Like the unwieldy title says, Precious is adapted from the 1996 novel by African-American poet Sapphire, which chronicles the life of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), an obese, illiterate teenager who relies on her overactive imagination to help her endure a hellish reality. Trapped in a dilapidated Harlem apartment with her emotionally and physically abusive mother (Mo’Nique), Precious grew up being repeatedly raped by her now-absent father. At 16, she’s already given birth to one of his children and has another on the way. After she’s expelled from public school, Precious enrolls in alternative education program and starts to turn her life around with the help of a no-nonsense teacher (Paula Patton) and a sympathetic social worker (Mariah Carey).

In the wrong hands, Precious could easily have turned mawkish and treacly, but director Lee Daniels avoids Lifetime movie-of-the-week sentimentality, producing an inspirational drama that’s genuinely inspiring. Much of the film’s power lies in the performances; Patton displays a steeliness we’ve never seen from her before and, in her screen debut, Sidibe brings an authenticity to the title role a more experienced actress wouldn’t be able to replicate. But it’s Mo’Nique’s ferocious turn that will really have audiences buzzing. In the film’s closing moments, she delivers a devastating monologue that is guaranteed to win her an Oscar. That one scene encapsulates the experience of watching Precious—it’s emotionally exhausting but also, exhilarating to watch these women work.

Verdict: See It

Click here to see GIANT’s exclusive photo shoot with Paula Patton

Precious tops the list of must-see movies at the 2009 edition of New York’s most prominent film festival.

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire
****
Anyone that has ever complained about the lack of good roles for actresses-especially black actresses-in Hollywood should make a point of buying a ticket for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.  It’s the kind of film that’s rarely seen on the contemporary cinematic landscape: a serious, emotional drama about women with bigger problems than finding a date for Friday night or picking the right pair of Manolos to go with that little black dress.  More than anything though, Precious is a remarkable showcase for its all-female ensemble cast, challenging them in ways most mainstream films can’t – or won’t.

Like the unwieldy title says, Precious is adapted from the 1996 novel by African-American poet Sapphire, which chronicles the life of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), an obese, illiterate teenager who relies on her overactive imagination to help her endure a hellish reality.  Trapped in a dilapidated Harlem apartment with her emotionally and physically abusive mother (Mo’Nique), Precious grew up being repeatedly raped by her now-absent father.  At 16, she’s already given birth to one of his children and has another on the way.  After she’s expelled from public school, Precious enrolls in alternative education program and starts to turn her life around with the help of a no-nonsense teacher (Paula Patton) and a sympathetic social worker (Mariah Carey).

In the wrong hands, Precious could easily have turned mawkish and treacly, but director Lee Daniels avoids Lifetime movie-of-the-week sentimentality, producing an inspirational drama that’s genuinely inspiring.  Much of the film’s power lies in the performances; Patton displays a steeliness we’ve never seen from her before and, in her screen debut, Sidibe brings an authenticity to the title role a more experienced actress wouldn’t be able to replicate.  But it’s Mo’Nique’s ferocious turn that will really have audiences buzzing.  In the film’s closing moments, she delivers a devastating monologue that is guaranteed to win her an Oscar.  That one scene encapsulates the experience of watching Precious-it’s emotionally exhausting but also, exhilarating.
Precious is the NYFF’s Centerpiece attraction and screens Saturday, October 3 at 7 and 10pm.  It will open theatrically in November.

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Also at the Festival:

Antichrist
***
Ever wonder what Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead would have looked like if it had been directed by Danish bad boy Lars von Trier?  Antichrist is your answer.  After experiencing the tragic death of their young son, a married couple (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) retreats to a remote cabin in the woods for some spiritual healing, bizarre mind games and good old fashioned assault and battery.  While it doesn’t rank with von Trier’s best work, Antichrist is a cult movie in the making, marrying compelling psychological drama with over-the-top gore. Screens Friday, October 2 at 9pm and Saturday October 3 at 1pm.  Opens theatrically on October 23.

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Trash Humpers
*
Would-be enfant terrible Harmony Korine desperately tries to re-establish the artistic cred he lost after the back-to-back flops Gummo and Julien Donkey Boy with this send-up of homemade video pranksters like MTV’s Jackass crew.  Hidden underneath crude latex masks designed to evoke Deliverance-style hillbillies, a trio of performers go wild on camera, humping garbage cans, smashing TVs and telling absurdly racist jokes.  Like the Jackass feature films, there’s not plot to speak of, just scene after scene of these over-the-top Southern stereotypes acting like…well, jackasses.  It’s funny for about five minutes until you realize that its becoming the exact thing it sets out to parody.  
Screens Friday, October 2 at 11:30pm.  Currently without theatrical distribution.

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Min Ye…(Tell Me Who You Are)
***1/2
African filmmaker Souleyman Cisse presents a fascinating depiction of contemporary life in the nation of Mali through this story of a married couple whose relationship is seriously on the rocks.  Having willingly entered into a polygamous marriage a decade ago, Mimi (Sokona Gakou) now finds herself hating the fact that she shares her filmmaker husband Issam (Assane Kouyate) with another woman.  Eager to prove her independent, she strikes up a flirtation with a local fish merchant that lands both of them in trouble with the law.  Although slow-moving at times, Min Ye… offers a window into a society and culture we know too little about.
Screens Monday, October 5 at 9pm and Tuesday, October 6 at 6pm.  Currently without theatrical distribution.

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Ne Change Rien
***
Never heard of French singer Jeanne Balibar?  Neither had I, but after watching this extremely intimate look at her cutting a record in the studio, I’m ready to download her album off iTunes.  Unlike most behind-the-music docs, Ne Change Rien doesn’t offer any biographical background about its subject. In fact, director Pedro Costa doesn’t even make Balibar sit down for a conventional interview.  Instead, he sets up his tripod in the studio and shoots static black-and-white scenes that run on for five to ten minutes apiece.  The effect is almost trance-like; it’s a movie to meditate to rather than watch.
Screens Thursday, October 8 at 6pm.  Currently without theatrical distribution.

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White Material
***
It takes at least 20 minutes to get your bearings in the newest film from French director Claire Denis, a fragmented story set in an unspecified African country that’s in the throes of a war between the government and a group of well-armed rebels.  Caught in the middle of this conflict is a white French family that operates a coffee plantation.  While the patriarch (played by the Highlander himself, Christopher Lambert) tries to ingratiate himself with the local authorities, his estranged wife (the superb Isabelle Huppert) tries to complete the current harvest season, even as her workers flee and her own son joins the guerrillas.  While the narrative could stand to be a little clearer, the performances and vivid location shooting makes this a compelling tale.

Screens Friday, October 9 at 9:15pm and Saturday, October 10 at 6pm.  Currently without theatrical distribution.

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Mother
***1/2
Korean director Bong Joon-Ho follows up his acclaimed monster movie The Host with a consistently surprising melodrama/murder mystery about a fiercely devoted mother (Kim Hye-ja) who goes to extreme lengths to clear her incarcerated son of a murder charge. Much more than just a Law & Order: South Korean Unit procedural, Mother offers a complex and often downright disturbing look at how far maternal love can go.
Screens Friday, October 9 at 6pm and Saturday, October 10 at noon.  Acquired by Magnolia Pictures, theatrical release date TBA.

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Broken Embraces
***
Pedro Almodovar has never made a flat-out bad movie, but he has helmed several films that don’t fully realize his talents.  Such is the case with Broken Embraces, the story of a blind filmmaker with a tragic past that’s like something out of a ’50s melodrama.  Penelope Cruz plays the director’s muse and she’s as stunning and vivacious here as she is in every Almodovar production she graces.  Too bad the movie itself meanders all over the map, building to a climax that’s head-scratching at best, laughably implausible at worst.  There’s still lots to like about Broken Embraces, but consider this one second-tier Pedro.
Screens Sunday, October 11 at 8pm.  Opens theatrically on November 20.

This year’s Best Actress contender is…Mo’Nique?

Ever since it premiered at Sundance back in January, Lee Daniels’ drama Precious (formerly titled Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire) has been attracting major buzz for its wrenching depiction of life in the ‘hood and a career re-defining dramatic performance by Mo’Nique as the emotionally abusive mother of the title character, a young single mom with another baby on the way.  That buzz has reached a new crescendo since the movie’s European premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this past week, where the entire cast (which also includes Mariah Carey and Paula Patton) walked the red carpet by the French Riviera.  Meanwhile, back here at home, Oprah Winfrey (who will be releasing Precious with Tyler Perry this fall) played the trailer on her show, bringing the film a whole new level of exposure.  Check out the teaser below and look for Precious to arrive in theaters in November, just in time for Mo’Nique to enter the Best Actress race.