I’m really digging the words of Ta-Nehisi Coates. For those of you less familiar with him, he currently writes for The Atlantic magazine. He’s been a staff writer at The Village Voice and Time, and contributed to The New York Times Magazine (one of my favorites). He has written a book, “The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood.” After I finish grad school, I’ll have time to read it. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy.

Anywho! I’m a big fan of Will Smith and anxious to see his latest film, Seven Pounds, which also features Rosario Dawson as his co-star and love interest. I watched Smith on Oprah on Thursday, and his appearance added to my anticipation of the movie. It doesn’t open until Dec. 19, which is more than a month away. Well, Coates wrote a great piece over at his blog at The Atlantic. It’s like he read my mind. Here’s a tease of his post (“Some thoughts on Will Smith, sorta..”) and a link to more.

I’ve basically sworn off big movies, and big stars. But for some reason, I’m a devoted fan of Will Smith. I was just watching the trailer for Seven Pounds, which may be awful, and yet there was a voice inside me that said, “We’re going to see that film.” I thought the first half of Hancock was pretty damn good, but it went to seed when it started explaining itself. Too bad to, because I also like Charlize Theron. But that’s another thread.

I think part of the appealing thing is watching this black dude walk through a largely white world without compromise. I think a lot of folks missed the importance of how Barack Obama ended his victory speech. (To continue reading, click here.)

Check out the movie trailer above.

Enjoy,

The Caramel Bella

Although I hate doing Beyoncé stories back to back, this one called for it.

So, speaking of Beyoncé… The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday, Nov. 7 that Beyonce wants to play superhero Wonder Woman. Apparently, she has had her fill of emotional, tearjerker movies and wants to take on the world of the fantastic.

Beyoncé tells LA Times Reporter/Blogger, Geoff Boucher:

“After doing these roles that were so emotional I was thinking  to myself, ‘OK, I need to be a superhero.’ Although, when you think about the psychology of the heroes in the films these days, they are still a lot of work, of course, and emotional. But there’s also an action element that I would enjoy.”

Well, we’ll see if she gets the part. According to the LA Times, Beyoncé has met with DC Comics and Warner Bros to stake her claim on the role, but there is no guarantee at the moment of a future Wonder Woman film.

Smooches,

The Caramel Bella

Photos courtesy of Los Angeles Times

Brad Garrett, who is well-known for his role as Raymond Barone, the brother of Ray on the hit show, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” apparently loves Barack Obama.  Who knew? I caught up with the 6′ 8-1/2″ actor/comedian at the Obama California Headquarters Election Night celebration to get his thoughts on Obama’s presidential win. Garrett, who has appeared in Music and Lyrics recently and was the voice of Riff Raff in Underdog and Gusteau in Ratatouille movies, said America is back.

Interview, Multimedia Production, Video Editing: The Caramel Bella

No words needed.

A meaningful glimpse into the racism that haunted the prejudicial times of the 1960s manages to permeate the sticky sweet The Secret Life of Bees. Adapted from Sue Monk Kidd’s 2002 bestselling novel of the same name, the film transports the viewer to South Carolina in 1964, only days before the Civil Rights Act was passed.

The movie begins with 14-year-old Lily, played by Dakota Fanning, awakening from a flashback memory of accidentally shooting her mother. Lily’s life is pretty dismal. She lives with her abusive father, T. Ray (Paul Bettany), and her only real friend is the hired help (read: mammy), Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson).

The Secret Life of Bees is a story about self-discovery and the complicated nature of love. Tired of being abused and seeking answers about her dead mother, Lily with mammy-in-tow, heads to Tiburon, South Carolina, to locate clues about her mother’s past.

In the small Southern town, Lily and Rosaleen uncover information about Lily’s mom and discover the world of three beekeeping sisters, August (Queen Latifah), May (Sophie Okonedo) and June (Alicia Keys) Boatwright. It’s a world that Rosaleen later described as where “the outside don’t come in.”

Safe from her abusive father, Lily finds comfort and love with August and the other Boatwright sisters. Lily says, “I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.” The somewhat idealized matriarch, August, gives Lily her heart and a couple of lessons on life, love and beekeeping. She tells Lily: “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be an idiot. Don’t swat the bees. And to send the bees love because everything wants to be loved.”

The need to be loved and the power of self-discovery are strong themes throughout the movie and encapsulate Lily’s story. “After bringing the outside in,” several characters, even Rosaleen, undergo transformation through self-discovery and the love of others.

The honey-sweet plot isn’t completely predictable and provides a look into the racism and prejudice of the 1960s. While many of the movie’s problematic racial incidents were solved a little too easily, Bees aptly showcases the complicated relationships between blacks and whites, the help and the helped.

Dakota Fanning’s performance as Lily is captivating—bringing to life a character that is simultaneously endearing, sad, hopeful, openhearted and a bit naïve. Fanning’s portrayal of Lily has the audience rooting for her character to solve the “mother puzzle” and get some love. Queen Latifah, as August, uses her best and most believable Southern accent. Yet, as a matriarch, she’s almost too perfect. Alicia Keys, playing a stubborn woman who almost let love slip away, and Sophie Okonedo, portraying the most challenging sister, May, whose big heart causes her to suffers emotionally are both stellar.

As the title reveals, Lily discovers herself, love and life’s stings. And while uncovering the love of her dead birth mother, she gains the love of three mothers in the Boatwright sisters.

Although the movie is a little “honey” sweet at times, it outshined its sappiness with great acting, heartwarming scenes, memorable writing and an vantage point into the troubled times of the 1960s.

Tyler Perry, the one-man writer-producer-director, has done it again with his latest weekend box office hit. In his recent movie “The Family that Preys,” he created an entertaining and funny film with a with an easy-to-follow, and sometimes a bit too predictable storyline. And true to Perry fashion, no matter whether the tale turned sad or sweet, humor was present at every step.

“The Family that Preys” is about two southern families that are tied together by the interracial friendship between the matriarchs, Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard) and Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates). The issues of race, class, adultery and interracial relationships are played out mostly through the lives of their children.

Perry’s characters were a bit one-dimensional. They were either good or bad; likeable or not. Andrea, played by Sanaa Latham, was a successful, Harvard-educated financial professional who lands a high-paying job at Charlotte Cartwright’s development company. Although Andrea had the good job, education and money, she ended up being the classless sister who talked down to her hard-working mother, Alice, and sister Pam (Taraji P. Henson) who both worked in her mother’s diner. Depicted as the ingrate, Andrea’s character became super un-likeable after the audience realized that her big paychecks were the result of her affair with Charlotte’s son, William (Cole Hauser) instead of her Ivy League education.

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