FILM(S) MONITORED
BROTHER TO BROTHER
FADE TO BLACK

HOTEL RWANDA :   We had an opportunity to attend a screening of this movie, which stars Don Cheadle.   It’s about the genocide that happened in Rwanda.   It comes out on December 22^nd and we’ll have an official monitoring session for it during that time.   But we can give you a heads up that it’s one you have to catch.   If Don Cheadle, along with Jamie Foxx, don’t get nominated for Oscars this year, it can truly be said that “they wuz robbed.”   Let’s hope it won’t take another Black man relentlessly spewing out the N-word (Denzel in “Training Day”) to get an Oscar win.   We all know his really powerful and memorable roles – such as “Hurricane,” “Malcolm X,” and “Biko” – got the big Hollywood snub.

Below is BN-W’s latest film monitoring session.   The monitor shows a range (none [0], low [1-2], moderate [3-5], high [6-9], excessive [10+]) of how often the N-word was used throughout the film.   If you missed any other BN-W monitors, just send an e-mail to bannword2@yahoo.com a nd request that it be sent to you.

BN-W will not usually give any content critique, so it is highly encouraged that you see these films for yourself and, if applicable, make your own judgment call on the N-word usage – appropriate/inappropriate? necessary/unnecessary? sensible/nonsensical? does it add to or take away from the film’s concept? does the N-word have to be used at all? is there a valid reason for doing so? is it mandatory for the scene(s) to be effective? what are the circumstances/situation that necessitate any use of the word? is it just thrown in for humor, fear, crime, insult? are other culturally insulting slang terms used as much as the N-word in the film?   Lots of questions and a whole lot of reasons to wonder what’s the real purpose and thought process behind why these actors, writers, directors, producers, executive producers, distributors, and studios/studio heads and executives give the “greenlight” for these crews to liberally use (or allow to be used) the N-word.

FEATURE FILM(S) :

B R O T H E R   T O   B R O T H E R

[Release Date:   11/5/04]

Starring Anthony Mackie, Roger Robinson; screenplay written by Rodney Evans; directed by Rodney Evans; produced by Rodney Evans, Jim McKay, Aimee Schoof, Isen Robbins; executive produced by [Not Listed]; studio – Wolfe

NOTE :   This film is not rated and is playing in very limited release.

F A D E   T O   B L A C K

[Release Date:   11/5/04]

A Jay-Z Documentary directed by Patrick Paulson; studio – Paramount Classics

NOTE :   Disappointingly but predictably, this film was on overload with the N-word; we stopped counting at 50.   It was in nearly every song Jay-Z sang, as well as in the general dialogue.   This is what the youth (and there were plenty of adults also shown at the Madison Square Garden concert, as well as those bobbing their heads in the theatre) are up against.   This film is also not rated.

BN-W Monitor Coming Soon:   “Beauty Shop” [Queen Latifah, Ice Cube]; “Blade:   Trinity” [Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson]; “An Unfinished Life” [Jennifer Lopez, Robert Redford]; “Fat Albert” [Kenan Thompson, Raven]   Independent Films:   “Hotel Rwanda” [Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte]

Also Coming :   DVD Monitoring; continued Music Monitoring; Dave Chappelle