Oh, sure, there was the initial thought of "uh-oh" at the idea of Tyler Perry directing...but then I realized how unfair that was. I've never seen a Perry film, my only exposure to his work being the cliche-ridden trailers, his two awful and unfunny TV shows, and his performance in Star Trek. But I've never seen Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Meet the Browns, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, etc., etc., so to have a knee-jerk reaction against Perry just because the majority of the other cinephiles do is dishonest. Having decided this, I could continue on with my excitment.
Which, of course, is all about the cast. I love me some strong female performances, ever since I was in third grade and fell for Dianne Wiest in Edward Scissorhands (her performance, that is; I actually fell for Winona Ryder). To be able to see an actress-dominated film with strong roles is catnip enough, but to have those roles embodied by this legion of actresses?! What did I do to reap this reward? There's deserved Oscar Winner Whoopi Goldberg, Hollmann Award Nominee Anika Noni Rose, old favorite Loretta Devine, legendary MILF Phylicia Rashad, undervalued chanteuse Macy Gray (who was great fun in Idlewild), jaw-droppingly beautiful Kerry Washington...and, fine, there's Thandie Newton, who I've never seen deliver a good performance, and Janet Jackson, who I've never seen act. And, truth be told, I don't know who Kimberly Elise is. But look at the rest of that cast list! Amazing!
I was willing to wait until January to catch it, but when it was announced that For Colored Girls... would be released this year on November 5th? You better believe I texted my friends, e-mailed my professor (we're reading the play in her class soon), cleared my calendar! And there it was. Two months. I had to sit on this for two months, but I could do it. I could always read my copy of the play if the anticipation got to be too much, just to calm me down. I was excited, but able to keep it in check.
Then the posters came out. Lord, I want this movie now:
How excited are all y'all right now? Because I am PUMPED.
2 comments:
From my soul-dying endevour through Diary of a Mad Black Woman I'll say this about Tyler Perry:
As a director Tyler Perry is pretty OK. A very stage approach to it: put actors in camera let them go. No real style to it. Occasionally the catchy shot (may have updated this since his first outing - I won't risk it), but doesn't go fancy.
For me, I just can't stand his writing. It's all bad, from my perspective. So, if he's not writing here, I think the film has a shot. Though of course he's always got the advantage of being popular in Hollywood, and if this is as close to an Oscar film as some think it might be for him. I could see him getting some by default.
Oh, please never use the phrase "blow the proverbial load" ever again.
These posters are magnificent. I would really like to know who shot them... I think there's something to be said for a photographer who captures the emotion of his model, even if that model is a really great actress.
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