Token: Blacks In Cinema

Token: Blacks In Cinema

By TV & FilmFilm Reviews
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Token: Blacks In Cinema episodes

  • Gentrification in Horror: CANDYMAN
    Sleek galleries, modern houses, and…the projects. Blaming the marginalized for their own gentrification is a tale as old as time. Fortunately, in Candyman, there are things just as old that come around to course correct. This one is interesting because the antagonist is a villain to most but an antihero to some. See, when your blackness isn't enough for those that consume your art, you may end up digging deeper into your history and coming up with some sh*t they ain't gonna like…at ALL. on the surface, there's candy and honey and bees and such, but underneath, ya boy is a reminder of how black men have been killed repeatedly by the system of white supremacy. We figured the realest version of this movie def wouldn't get any distribution, but we'll settle for the amazing one they created here. But we still ain't saying his name 5 times!
    36 min
  • The French Dispatch: Roebuck Wright
    We're baaack! Been a hot minute (not too hot) but we're looking at the New Yorker-inspired, star-packed anthology that is The French Dispatch. When your film diet lately has been comprised of gorging on the "McDonalds" movies, you may forget what nutrient-rich films provide and blame yourself when the next meal don't taste right. And then eating just feels like a chore. At least we got a Baldwin inspired figure who waxes poetic on the loneliness of being an outsider. There is NUANCE even if it is full of ironies. When the diversity presented is also the most poignant and touching piece of the entire movie, it makes for that much more of a bitter meal. But yo, when is the Atlanta cast gunna be in a Wes Anderson film? Somebody better read the paper, boy.
    34 min
  • Don't Look UP!
    There's Christian skater punks, AILFs (astronomer I'd like to...), and crazy-eyed phd candidates, and then there's...us. We got ol Rob Morgan here to give us Don Cheadle vibes. And Cudi is here to represent for all the f*ckboi DJs. There a few black characters but they just don't go into depth. They are here to pass the ball but not take any shots! Look, when there is an N.E.O. coming with a direct hit in 6 mos we just wanna be in the room with some agency. Don't nobody wanna die paying for break room snacks. At least Oglethorp is given permission to be the blackest scientist since Sam J in Jurassic Park.
    36 min
  • Sue Ann: MA

    Trigger warning! Social outcasts be wary. There's only room for one of us in this movie. She may be a MA but she got auntie in vegas vibez. And you don't piss off Auntie in vegas. You'll be lucky if you ONLY have your face painted white. What happens when the high school outcast gets a chance to be one of the cool kids, albeit 30 years later? She might be serving snacks but she also likes her men young. And she might kill yo kids. You better get on the first ship out of here, but you know us and ships! It's basically a PSA for therapy. Also, who brought Earth Wind & Fire into this?

    49 min
  • Morpheus: THE MATRIX

    A magical negro that's more than just magic? Is that possible? Lawrence Fishburne is a legend, and his role in the Matrix will forever be iconic. He has his own mission. Morpheus is the name given to the god of dreams, and in the Matrix and he is making sure everyone is woke so they can fight the power that is their ultimate system of oppression. He's their world's Deray Mckesson! He has a very active role throughout the entire film. He's a badass that knows his destiny is to save the world by finding this ultimate weapon, and anyone getting in the way will have to face him down. An undeniable presence. But nobody can be told who Morpheus is, you have to see him for yourself.

    44 min
  • Danny Rich: Anaconda

    Ice Cube is about that action boss! He's got his boot knife; he has a game plan. He isn't letting a damn snake take him out like that, and you love to see it. A fish out of water against a snake in the water. Anaconda is a classic amongst the modern B movie horror films. While other actors played very specific characters, this one was like they took Boyz in the Hood Cube and dropped him in the middle of the rainforest. You getting ALL the black. Cube has some great quotables in here, you just might have to listen a little closer. He sounds just like himself in every movie, and we're here for it. It's just Ice Cube energy all around. You may leave the film asking the same question as cube's character "Its snakes dis big??

    36 min
  • WINSTON: Ghostbusters

    In terms of pure entertainment value, Ghostbusters is a 10/10. No question. However, in it's use of their token character? A 2/10. They had such a great character with Dr. Winston Zeddemore that was under utilized. Though he does have one of the best lines in the film "When someone asks if you're a god, you tell them YES!", Ernie Hudson's Winston is basically an exposition vehicle without a lot of contribution to the actual action or story. It's even more frustrating knowing that he had a much bigger role in the original script. And to add insult to injury, they denied him the role to voice Winston in the animated show! Sheesh. Who we gunna call to give Ernie his dues in the Ghostbusters universe? Rumor has it the new reboot will finally give Winston the respect he deserves. Fingers - err proton streams - crossed! Yooo also a special shout out to the other token cameo role by Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson)!

    40 min
  • JAY: 40 Year Old Virgin
    You're about to cram 20 minutes worth of pimpage into 1 day… Apatow's great because there's some "black vernacular" in here, but its not overused. He knows where the lines are. Sometimes it's like "ya'll really wrote these black characters hella black huh?". When you have a black character written by a white writer, giving the actor freedom to put their cultural spin on it can be crucial to making that character pop off the screen like an authentic person. As Jay, Romany exhibits his blackness fully and LOUDLY. None of his coworkers are street but he lets it all go anyway. Rumpshaker on the tv, keeping his blaccent on the entire time, he's HERE. There's no justifying Jay or who he is, he's a fuckboy and unashamed…until he has to pay for his actions. As Andre 3000 so poetically rapped, "Ain't a hood n**** but a n**** from the hood". He's not a stereotype, he's just a human being!

    34 min
  • Dionne & Murray: CLUELESS

    A black character that has their own thoughts, agency, and opinions? Is it possible? And in a movie from the 90s no less? Here's a teen comedy that broke the mold. What it looks like for a script to respect its tokens as three-dimensional human beings and not stereotypes?

    Even the tokens here have nuance, which we love to see. It's easy to make a film with spoiled rich teens that are shallow but these kids have some depth. And Dionne is her own woman. She has fears, desires, and the intelligence to live her own life. There's a whole other convo to be had on Stacey, but Dionne is no second fiddle. She's THAT CHICK.
    44 min
  • Tulsa Massacre: WATCHMEN
    The Tulsa Massacre occurred 100 years ago this month and despite the role it plays in black history, it is still startlingly unknown outside of the black community. We wanted to review what is arguably the most popular work of fictionalized television centered around the Tulsa Massacre and its repercussions for black people in Oklahoma today. Using the events of DC Comics The Watchmen graphic novel as its foundation, HBO's The Watchmen creates its own unique and thought provoking narrative interweaving police, racism, justice and generational trauma into an explosive show that keeps you guessing at every turn. We discuss episodes 1-7.
    46 min

About Token: Blacks In Cinema

From the publisher's feed

Two black filmmakers review the token characters in film and television. An exploration of race in film, Donna Hull and Steven DeBose discuss role reversals, the relevancy of the token's race, and…