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The fantasy of a post-racial America was shattered by the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Facing the reality that our country still struggles with racism is starting to actually reach Hollywood. Add to that the success of films centering the Black experience (Moonlight, Black Panther, Get Out), and we have a recipe for smart, real, and nuanced depictions of African-Americans on big and small screens. Count the following among them.
The first season of the acclaimed Netflix series, Dear White People, is now available. (Amazon DVD, $20; streaming, $30). The show follows a handful of Black activist college students at a PWI, or predominantly white institution. They explore what it means to be Black in America today (and how that experience differs depending on their politics, gender, sexuality, and skin tone) as racial tensions bubble just below the surface. Bonuses include two exclusive featurettes (Dear White People: Art as Activism and Filming Chapter V) and audio commentaries with creator, producer, and writer Justin Simien. Season two is now streaming on Netflix, it goes deeper into modern-day segregation and looks at the (all-white) secret societies that have endured on Ivy League campuses.
The wait is over. And it’s going down. Starz has released Power Season 4 on DVD, so it’s time to catch up on the thought-provoking series about a respectable and wealthy nightclub owner who is secretly a drug kingpin. Executive produced by 50 Cent (who also costars), this season follows Ghost (Omari Hardwick) as he finds himself behind bars, arrested for murders he didn’t commit. When he finally gets out he recommits to his family only to see it suffer an unimaginable loss. That sets up the fifth season, which premieres in July and is available on Starz on Demand. As Ghost pursues revenge, Power continues to be a smart crime show with real, even devastating, consequences.
The documentary This One’s For The Ladies revolves around male adult dancers of color (and a lesbian dom), but it has deeper interests: revealing how a community of color perseveres in the face of racial segregation, economic inequities, and other disparities; and a system stacked against them. It is also about sisterhood and the fluidity of female sexuality, making it a good date night flick by providing both masculine eye-candy and female-empowerment. For the Ladies premiered at the 2018 SXSW film fest and was quickly snatched up by NEON for worldwide distribution after it finishes playing the festival circuit.
This One's for SXSWSXSW This One's For The Ladies ATX LADIES! We Want To See You at our World Premiere Monday 3/12, Alamo Ritz 1 at 4:15pm Tuesday 3/13, Alamo Lamar A at 1:45pm Wednesday 3/14, Alamo Lamar C at 10:15pm
Posted by This One's For The Ladies on Monday, March 5, 2018
