I haven't written anything because my life has been full. Work, school, family, love life, and friends all took up my time and kept the schedule too full. After this past week, I kind of have more freedom through August.
I spent Friday making chili, which turned out OK, but not great. Next time I'm pulling the tried and true method with more meats and better stock. I just don't think I'll ever figure out how to make great vegetarian food without serious practice.
Before the chili was served, I watched Holllywood Shuffle because I hadn't seen it in so long and just wanted something unique. It's a pretty great movie that you can tell was 1 major premise and 3 or 4 ideas that couldn't be made into movies (but were turned into vignettes). There are also a bunch of talented people you say, "oh wow! I remember that guy from 227/ Evening at the Improv/ The Jeffersons/ Showtime at the Apollo."
Robert Townsend created it. Remember Meteor Man? Maybe A Soldier's Story? OK, if you watched the WB, you might remember him as the dad on The Parent'hood? Basically, the guy is and was super talented but found it impossible to succeed in Hollywood as a black male outside of the few roles that were/are available. He created this to create his own opportunity while satirizing the situation and it's brilliant.
Something really crazy about him: Saturday Night Live typically only has 1 black guy (The Keenan/Jay Pharoah thing is a fluke, Ellen Cleghorn was a miracle), and the year he auditioned, 2 other guys did - Eddie Murphy and Charlie Barnett. Charlie was *the* street performer. He helped mentor a young guy from D.C. named Dave Chappelle. Charlie was chosen first, but at the first taping they found out *he couldn't read.* Then they chose Eddie Murphy. Robert wound up going on to comedy clubs, plays, and TV shows.
So back to Hollywood Shuffle. It's a solid movie about a young guy who wants to make it as an actor. He's well-trained, talented, and good looking, but all he gets are auditions for are roles as pimps, drug dealers, petty-crooks, and jive-talking guys from the 70s. The sadness is so real when a middle-aged casting agent tells him he's not black enough. It's a comedy, but it has the elements of pathos. You feel for the guy because he wants to *make it,* but does that mean selling out because it's all that's available or making it on your own? It's not in Netflix instant or Amazon Prime, but I have a copy I ripped from a VCR I borrowed from a friend, so you can borrow the VHS if you have a VCR or you can get the digital copy through my cloud. Just ask me sometime.
I mention it because Hollywood is a reflection of society. Bill Cosby always said, "pay attention to the name. Show *business*" It's the only industry that's in front of everyone. I mean defense attorneys and real estate agents and dentists have their names and faces out there, but people identify with the talent within the business. It's image, talent, industry, and relationships. These things matter and resonate what the society values. There's a reason why people seem to go crazy in it, and it you can see that it's brutal if you don't fit a certain image or want to become that image. It's why I roll my eyes in contempt, but also why I know that to some degree it shows the world we live in or the world that seems to be desired
Recently, I saw an interview with Denzel Washington regarding his biggest moment, winning the Oscar for Training Day. When asked by Ed Bradley about the character, they related it to his own persona and how he seems like an angry guy. Denzel *is* an angry guy. He did the Hollywood Shuffle. He did it the hardest way possible and succeeded. He's a preacher's kid from upper NYC. Probably raised in the Boys & Girls Club and dodging trouble all the way to success. There are very few people who can make this type of career last 30 years, get paid millions up front, get a big project made on their name alone, guarantee a significant return on investment, and be black.
Glory was obviously when he was rewarded, but I think his best roles are in Mo Better Blues, as the jazz trumpeter, and Malcolm X as the title character. For a while he was Spike Lee's avatar/muse, much like Scorsese had DeNiro. In MBB, as Bleek the trumpeter, there's a patience you see that he has, practicing his breathing and his finger movements. He leaves you seeing he wants to be great as the character and you kind of know this guy wants to be great at what he does. It's an above average movie. Not great, but he kills it. Malcolm X is easily his strongest role. There's a bunch of controversy behind it because Malcolm was very controversial and getting the film made is a whole other story. Most people probably haven't seen it because of Malcolm's politics, but Denzel really took the role and made it his own. He goes through the phases of Malcolm the criminal, Malcolm the fire-brand Nation of Islam figure, and Malcolm the redeemed. It takes a lot of Spike Lees tricks, which work sometime, and uses them well. I feel like this movie was saved by Denzel's take and not smudged by Spike starring in the movie as his best friend.
When I look back, Pacino winning that year for Scent of a Woman is just bizarre. This is mainly because every other performance is from a much more remember-able and better film: Unforgiven, The Crying Game, and (arguably) Chaplin.
Denzel is Obi Wan *and* Luke Skywalker at once. He's the star and the actor. He's Will Smith and Daniel Day Lewis. When you, as Chris Rock says, "know White America better than it knows itself," you make decisions to propel yourself even farther than everyone else. He's made decisions for broader appeal and for personal artistic choices: The Pelican Brief was a different book than movie, and he got the romance between the two main characters cut out because he knew it wouldn't work for the intended audience. When you play Steve Biko and Malcolm X, I really want to know why. He lets little pieces slip about how he wishes the best for his daughter, who wants to be an actress, but will have to be even more talented than other people because she's darker skinned. One can understand where he's coming from and how hard he works. When he lets things slip to suggest what he sees from the world he's in, it's pretty revealing.
It'll be interesting to see a more diverse entertainment industry in the next generation. I mean, Shia LeBouef has talent, but that's gonna be *the guy?* Sure, I guess. I'd rather see Chris Pine's melon head or just anyone else at all. Seriously, even that High School Musical guy with the chipmunk face.
Until then, I'm gathering my thoughts on Eddie Murphy
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