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Okay! Okay! So we have a huge treat in store
for you this month. I'm letting go of the reigns
(well, sort of) and riding the wave of change.
Insurgency in the form of--dare I say--the "L"
word… love? Yup that's right. Tallahassee
got a big splash this month in the form of one
"The Love Trap", winner of 7 independent
film awards, brought to us via the emerging genius
of up and coming indie filmmaker Frank Goodin.
If you were at The Aakhet Center on March 31 or
April 1, then you know all about what I'm talking
about. I actually had the privilege to chop it
up for a lengthy little rap session with the highly
acclaimed brethren said to be the next Spike Lee
of the film game, to discuss the movie, his thoughts
on contemporary black film and society and why
Jamie Foxx needs to grow the hell up. Read on
to connect the dots…
What's good man? Much appreciation for your visit
down here, I hope Tally showed you as good a time
as you showed us.
Most definitely. We had a great time, it was a
really warm reception and everything. We appreciate
the love and support.
Yea and I appreciate you getting the wine and
dine treatment after that last screening and letting
us sit in on it! Who knew the Dennards (owners
of the Aakhet Center) were such chefs, eh?
(Laughs) Yea man!
Speaking of grub, let's get to the meat and potatoes.
What was your inspiration behind the movie?
Well with all the negative portrayal of us as
a people in the media as of late, I felt the need
to make a movie that cast black people in a positive
light. It's important we recreate the images that
represent us in media so that they give our truth.
Not a truth that's been created by another group
of people that don't know us. I wanted to write
a drama that reflects our story molded by our
hands.
I heard your mention during Saturday's Q&A
that a lot of the white film festivals weren't
showing any love at first. What kind of obstacles
did you face while creating the movie? What exists
out there for a black filmmaker?
Well we actually got into our first film festival.
It was a black one in Georgia. It was after that
that we encountered a few rejections from people
not open to the film. You have to remember that
when you're submitting something to a film fest
you're going in with hundreds of other movies
that have to sit before a panel of film critics
before they even make the screening. But before
we even get caught up in all the ones who didn't
open the doors, let's talk about all the successes!
Like I said, you're in a running with 100's of
movies, and we made 10 screenings out of the several
film fests we submitted to. I just kind of came
to my senses and figured, hey if the white ones
aren't showing us love, why not go to my people
for support. Forget standing in the line waiting
for them to 'get it' or understand. This is a
movie about my people and for my people, so why
not give it right back to the community, and that's
when the doors started to open up. Like I said,
we succeeded in getting into 10 screenings and
out of those 10, we got awards from 7.
Wow.
Exactly. So putting the movie back into the hands
of the ones I created for rewarded me tremendously.
I'm not tooting my own horn or nothing, but 7
out of 10 are some pretty good numbers.
Man, g'head on toot it bruh…
I feel like we spend too much time waiting on
Hollywood and what not to recognize us when, especially
in this day and age, we have all the resources
necessary to create our own story and tell it
how we see it without waiting on their approval.
Definitely. I feel you on that one. Speaking of
which, I know this is a cliche question by now,
but how are you feeling about contemporary representations
of us in film? What are your thoughts on the quality
of "mainstream" films targeting our
community? Don't hesitate to drop names man!
(Laughs) Yes! Definitely, I mean my whole mission
as a filmmaker is to kind of rebuild the images
of us as a people through my films so I'm definitely
not without my gripes against some of the stuff
that's out there and I feel like if you're going
to change the situation, you have to address it
directly. So yea, actually, are you familiar with
Madea?
Yea, unfortunately. Lucky for me never seen any
of the movies though.
Right. Well I'll say this, Tyler Perry's niche
comes from plays, the quality of which are already
debatable. At the end of the day those plays just
don't translate to good films on the big screen.
From a filmmakers perspective, ya know? Not to
mention some of the messages in the movie itself
which happened to be negative. There's a scene
in the movie where the older men of the family
are sitting around gossiping about their younger
teenage nieces and what not--lusting after them.
I felt that was a grossly ill misrepresentation
of elders in the black family! It's like one of
those situations where it may be kind of funny
but the laugh is at our expense, you know? I'm
tired of seeing that in films about us--especially
when we're the ones guilty of crafting the image.
I mean that was supposedly a black movie!
Exactly! And then you have elders like Cicely
Tyson getting on NPR co-signing on that nonsense
talking bout it represents an underrepresented
demographic in the film industry. And I'm like
really? That mess don't represent me! I mean are
we that desperate to see ourselves on the big
screen that we'll do it at the expense of our
own integrity? I don't know, I'm just talkin'...
No you do know brotha and that's the point! The
mainstream machine is doing a real good job right
now of isolating the voices out there that truly
have something to say and would counter their
agenda. And what we have to understand as a people
is that people like Cicely Tyson, Denzel Washington,
Jaime Foxx--they're no different than you and
I. They're just actors--essentially workers stuck
to their trade. They're just as much products
of the system and their environment as we are.
They become icons based on the characters they
play. We can't look to them to relay any kind
of significant analysis of our social situation.
I mean these guys didn't necessarily go to school
and study philosophy or psychology like you and
I may have. A lot of 'em didn't even study film!
I mean they're just talented actors using what
they have to convey a message.
So we have to kind of learn to distinguish between
the messenger and the message…
Right. And the bottom line of it is that they're
actors and don't necessarily approach the film
thing from the philosophical vantage point that
we do.
Hmmm. Well at the Oscars recently, George Clooney
said something that seemed to contrast the popular
opinion in the black community. He said he was
"proud to be a part of this community",
in reference to the Oscar Academy of course, and
then cited how the Academy had rewarded a black
actress during a time when we weren't allowed
to drink from the same water fountain as whites.
What are your feelings on his comment and on our
stature as a people and the level of respect in
relation to institutions like Hollywood and the
Oscar Academy?
Well I would have had to hear him say it personally
to really be able to put that into context and
give a fair judgment of it. I mean I didn't even
watch the Oscars. I'm anti-Oscar!
Nuff said. So how bout movies like Crash, Hustle
and Flow or the 3-6 Mafia Award for instance…
Whaaat… well Crash is a perfect example.
That was an insidious movie! And one of the main
reasons I do what I do. I mean it was the perfect
representation of a white man's movie about black
people. It was exactly how they would love to
see us pictured on the big screen. Like that whole
beginning scene where Ludacris and Larenz Tate
are sitting there philosophizing the whole race
situation and what's wrong with us as a people
and then they turn around and rob the people anyway!
It's like the producers are saying, "See
even when they're intelligent they'll turn around
and rob or kill." It's disgusting.
Really? I actually liked that flick. I feel you
on the misrepresentation part, but if anything,
I loved that part cause it kind of showed how
our consciousness as a people has evolved and
despite our cognizance of the disparity of our
present predicament, we still feel compelled to
do some of the things we do, because essentially
we're trapped. Couple that with the fact that
a white boy probably wrote that, and if not had
a hand in it, it goes further to show highlight
the parameters of white people's cognizance (and
at the same time cowardice) regarding our plight,
because the subject is pretty much on full display
and yet everyone chooses to keep a close door
policy in regards to their neighbors. That's what
I got from the movie in general. And what's more,
people of different ethnicities around the world
kind of got a peephole into the psychology behind
the far too clichéd and taken for granted
"angry black man" such that the punch
in the face we offer society can kind of align
itself with the explosions going off in Iraq and
show some cohesion between the resistant forces
against white supremacy. But yeah, there are definitely
different ways to look at that movie. If anything,
the part that pissed me off was when Larenz Tate
got killed; same old proverbial Christ metaphor…
black flesh for white transgressions and ignorance.
There's a great book called "Everything But
the Burden: What Whites are Taking from Blacks"
by Greg Tate featuring essays from today's top
vanguard black intellectuals and artists that
speaks to that whole pathos… but I digress.
I'm supposed to be interviewing you--my bad…
(Laughs) Nah, you alright brotha. I definitely
see how that can be looked at from different sides.
And as far as "Hustle and Flow" goes,
well I thought from a filmmaker's stand point,
like "Crash", it was an excellent movie.
Aesthetically, production wise: top notch. But
again, if there were more diverse views of the
black community being represented out there I'd
be alright with it. But of course there aren't.
So I have a problem with flicks like that being
all that's out there.
Yea, it's like with that movie "Baby Boy".
Same production company I think as "Hustle
and Flow". Nice look to it, but damn that
movie sucked! I just didn't get what people thought
they were "getting" from that movie.
At least H&F had a decent storyline.
Yea, "Baby Boy" is another great example.
It's like I don't what happened with John Singleton's
career. He started off like Spike Lee, with a
pertinent message that he seemed eager to get
across. It looked like he was on the right tip
with a strong positive message and then he just
started trippin'! I mean his whole career has
been a huge disappointment for me as a black filmmaker.
I expected a lot more from him.
So others than John and Spike, who else has served
as some of your biggest musical, literary and
cinematic influences Whose work are you feeling
now?
Spike kicked it off for me with "Do The
Right Thing". He was unapologetic in his
perspective and didn't hesitate to vocalize it.
And by the messages he was conveying, and the
way he was conveying them, he was obviously very
mature. His voice is what resonated with me. I
felt Spike based on the type of movies he was
making. It was later that I discovered his talent
and aesthetical skill as a filmmaker. As far as
other names that I've gravitated towards just
in terms of their skill and craft, I'd have to
say people like Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino--his
last 2 movies by the way kind of inspired the
nonlinear format of "Love Trap". Umm…
I don't know if you familiar with Francis Ford
Coppola --
What! "Apocalypse Now" was my sh!#!
I actually sampled some of the last lines of the
movie for a single I have called "Ronald
Brando", named after Sir Marlon Brando himself
and the late not so great Ronald Reagan…
Okay, definitely. Yea, he was just a genius with
the way he relayed stories to the screen, Coppola
I mean. I'm also feeling some contemporaries like
Antoine Fuqua who did with "King Arthur".
And there's this old school cat I can't recall
right now, one of the pioneers in black cinema…
Melvin Van Peebles?
No but he's another one. I'm talking way before
Melvin. Hmmm, what is this guy's name…
Gordon Parks?
No not Gordon, though he is easily an influence
because of all he's done for the film and literary
worlds. Man, what's this guy's name… Oh!
Oscar Micheaux. Yea, this brother was phenomenal
man. He actually did his thing back in the 20's
during the whole "Birth of A Nation"
era. Back when we weren't even breaking into the
film world like that! I'm talking about moving
around on horse carriage and jumping off the carriage
to document stuff with the most antiquated equipment
you can imagine. This is before the digital age
when cameras were like air. Yea, he's definitely
one to look up and do some research on.
No doubt. Thanks for the gem.
But yea, there aren't too many artists that I
get that much into. I really believe in my own
voice so I don't take too much time studying other
people's work. As far as the music, not too many
contemporary artists that I take too seriously.
I'm an old school guy, just like in the movie
(Love Trap), the whole classic soul period, Motown
era, that's me all the way. Of course the whole
neo soul movement, artists like Musiq Soulchild,
I'm feeling him. But I'm old school man. Marvin
Gaye. C'mon now! We're talking about an artist
who did it all. From the social to the political
to just talking about love and relationships.
Show me someone doing that today and I'll listen.
Nah, unfortunately, today's artists stick to
the blueprint and like to call it unpredictable,
feel me…
Haaa! Exactly. And it's a shame cause "Ray"
was a really good movie when he showed his whole
other side as an entertainer. And then when it
comes down to his CD, all he can talk about is
sex. Yea, it's gonna be a long time before he
grows up. It seems he's still sewing his old oats.
But that's a real problem with the entertainment
business in general right now. Not enough people
willing, or even capable of speaking out and saying
anything that matters.
Yea, we traded in the let's get free for let's
get rich. But it doesn't necessarily equate to
any kind of significant evolution for us. I read
50 cent in interview saying that "emotionally
[he was] like 5 years old". But yea, speaking
of the music, how has that whole world impacted
your artwork? I mean with the whole resurgence
of the south in American culture, and artists
like T.I. following the hip hop tradition of starring
in your own movie and making the soundtrack to
it, where do you feel your mission falls in alignment
with that movement?
Well actually I'm glad you asked that question.
Because I aim to be one of those leading characters
in the uplifting of our consciousness as a people
(as it reemerges via thru the Southern resurgence).
That's one of the reasons my non-Hollywood approach
is so crucial, because I can be right here in
Jacksonville and spreading the message to brothers
and sisters next door to me as we essentially,
put ourselves back together. It's a grass roots
approach. Our power is exhibited through the way
we express ourselves. The power of jazz, blues,
the negro spirituals, what have you--they all
show that. The way we can create something and
not only the message, but the power of its expression
and craftsmanship can resonate all over the planet.
Hip hop is our biggest forum for that yet to date
in our history. The few roles we have gotten in
film have resonated so strongly on the screen
that they've reshaped global culture as everyone's
tried to emulate us. With things from Japanese
kids sagging their pants--
…to white girls getting butts…
Yea, it's all an example of our influence on
culture. When I think of guys like Thurgood Marshall,
Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, W.E.B. DuBois,
it's not just what they said, but how they said
it that made them so powerful.
I'm thinking of roadblocks on that mission. And
I'm wondering, in a world as jaded and nihilistic
as this one, it's almost like if you're not talking
big guns and drugs and even bigger money, then
you're not talking. How do you deal with the naysayers
and the people who might typify your movie as
just another sappy love story or just some neo
soul "love jones" flick. How do you
still be subversive despite the apathy?
Well actually brotha, I haven't really encountered
a lot of that. I mean have you seen the website
with the reviews?
Nah, I haven't had a chance to check it yet.
Yea, I mean it's people of all nationalities
and backgrounds on there, from the hardest street
thug and his girl coming out the movie, both of
'em crying, to older people, white people, Mexican,
everything--all with really positive reviews on
it. Saying how it touched them, how they could
relate to the characters and how real and true
to life the story was.
Yea, some of that drama was straight out of Jerry
Springer!
(Laughs) Exactly. I think we gave them a fair
balance of the love side of things and then the
darker side to reality.
Definitely, when I saw that I thought of Bill
Cosby and how, for a change, the middle class
happy-go-lucky American Negro didn't come out
on top so easily. Not without the necessary bumps
and bruises. I mean brothers like you and I who
came up in proximity to the hood politics know
it doesn't always wrap up so neatly as just that.
Kudos on the reality check by the way.
No problem, 'preciate it. See we even got past
your inner cynic!
Yea you got me man, I'm a fan! So where can we
check you out and what can we look forward to
in the future?
Well it's real simple for me. I was inspired
by Spike's career path and I intend to stay true
to my principles. The same way he wouldn't let
the big budget Hollywood head honchos convince
him that a white man could direct Malcolm X";
I intend to stay consistent with that mission.
Everything I do is going to be almost completely
related to our struggle and if not, where we need
to be with our faith. My next film is actually
nothing like "Love Trap". It's going
to be centered around family, faith, sacrifice
and redemption.
Well I'd love to chop it up some more but I know
we both got empires to go build. Keep doing your
thing man. I appreciate you bruh.
Anytime.
Peace.
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