We all love a good bargain.  And so today I took advantage of a deal that’s happening on Living Social where you can buy 2 movie tickets for $9 at Fandango.com. (Go here to get yours!)  While celebrating my purchase, I was trying to decide what movie I wanted to go see.  We all know “supporting Black cinema” is one of my personal mantras, and I sadly realized that there are no Black movies coming out this year. 

Now, let me define how I view Black cinema.  I view Black cinema as a movie that has a Black director and/or (mainly and) has Black people as main characters.  Some examples include “The Best Man”, “Jungle Fever”, “Mahogany”, and “Jumping the Broom”.  Movies that could be included due to them having a Black director include “Summer of Sam” and “25th Hour”.  Now, if we use the criteria of having  Black people as the main characters, then we can use “The Color Purple” and “Bird”.  Following that criteria, the only remaining movie that comes out in 2011 that qualifies is “The Help”.  “The Help” is a movie set in 1960s Mississippi and follows the relationship of Black maids with the white families they work for and the mayhem that arises when the maids decide to share all of the secrets they see.  I’ve heard the book is good and the trailer makes the movie seem interesting, but I don’t want this to be my only option for a major motion picture in Black cinema this summer.  And it’s sad to note that there appears to be at least 3 Black people listed as stars…and even one of them is suspect in her billing. 

I’m saying all this to say that I’m disappointed there aren’t more Black films coming out this summer. I guess since one Madea movie and “Jumping the Broom” came out in 2011 I should be satisfied.  Well, I’m not.  One good thing about the summer is the movie festivals.  I hope that there are some great Black films that debut, and they will get picked up by a major studio for nationwide distribution.  Maybe I should just stock up on my DVD collection and have “Black Movie Night” each week at my house.  (Actually…that’s not a half-bad idea.)  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.