Each February in the USA, we recognize black achievements during Black History Month.
Which select feature length movie is your favorite black-directed cinematic achievement?* *cinematic achievement as determined by a IMDb 7.0+ rating or a 70+ MetaCritic Score
See the partial list of notable feature length cinematic achievements here: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls021482526/
Live Poll: http://www.imdb.com/poll/D33BZKSZ-6U/
Which select feature length movie is your favorite black-directed cinematic achievement?* *cinematic achievement as determined by a IMDb 7.0+ rating or a 70+ MetaCritic Score
See the partial list of notable feature length cinematic achievements here: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls021482526/
Live Poll: http://www.imdb.com/poll/D33BZKSZ-6U/
Posted 2 years ago
Peter, Champion
Thanks, Excellent suggestion, great MetaCritic Score @ 91 and a 7.7 IMDb rating.
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 2005
Won NSFC Award for Best Foreign Language Film
I saved about a half-dozen spots for lower voted titles like this. A perfect fit;
Camp de Thiaroye (1988) looks like it is just as well regarded.
The first film director from an African country to achieve international recognition, Ousmane Sembene remains the major figure in the rise of an independent post-colonial African cinema.
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 2005
Won NSFC Award for Best Foreign Language Film
I saved about a half-dozen spots for lower voted titles like this. A perfect fit;
Camp de Thiaroye (1988) looks like it is just as well regarded.
The first film director from an African country to achieve international recognition, Ousmane Sembene remains the major figure in the rise of an independent post-colonial African cinema.
Jen, Champion
FYC:
One False Move
La Noire de...
Cooley High
Hollywood Shuffle
Rue cases nègres
To Sleep with Anger
Timbuktu
Daughters of the Dust
Killer of Sheep
Dark Girls
Men of Honor
Rosewood
The Spook Who Sat by the Door
One False Move
La Noire de...
Cooley High
Hollywood Shuffle
Rue cases nègres
To Sleep with Anger
Timbuktu
Daughters of the Dust
Killer of Sheep
Dark Girls
Men of Honor
Rosewood
The Spook Who Sat by the Door
Thanks, for all the recommendations. I reviewed each one.
All fit the profile and are worthy additions. A very challenging poll to do, as there are too many quality options to fit them all. I wanted to get a good mix with different directors, different decades, different genres, different countries, seminal films and blockbusters, documentaries and features, widely seen and lesser seen (10+ titles 25,000 votes or less), white stars and black stars, etc. I also needed to leave spots for upcoming titles too. Black Panther (2018) A Wrinkle in Time (2018) and others.
I added Timbuktu (2014), Moolaadé (2004) and Killer of Sheep (1978) because of their 90 plus Metacritic scores. Movies like Cooley High, Men of Honor, La Noire de (aka Black Girl), Rosewood Hollywood Shuffle all made the working list and got moved to the honorable mention section (Top 100). As for the others, the reality is the threshold ended up being much higher. Mostly either a 7.5 IMDb rating or 85 Metascore with a few exceptions was required.
All fit the profile and are worthy additions. A very challenging poll to do, as there are too many quality options to fit them all. I wanted to get a good mix with different directors, different decades, different genres, different countries, seminal films and blockbusters, documentaries and features, widely seen and lesser seen (10+ titles 25,000 votes or less), white stars and black stars, etc. I also needed to leave spots for upcoming titles too. Black Panther (2018) A Wrinkle in Time (2018) and others.
I added Timbuktu (2014), Moolaadé (2004) and Killer of Sheep (1978) because of their 90 plus Metacritic scores. Movies like Cooley High, Men of Honor, La Noire de (aka Black Girl), Rosewood Hollywood Shuffle all made the working list and got moved to the honorable mention section (Top 100). As for the others, the reality is the threshold ended up being much higher. Mostly either a 7.5 IMDb rating or 85 Metascore with a few exceptions was required.
(Edited)
Charles Burnett’s Road to Oscar Was Paved by Socially Conscious Storytelling
Given the amount of recognition he’s received from film critics and the number of awards he’s received over the course of his career, it’s not surprising that Charles Burnett was selected to receive an honorary Academy Award — unless you’re Charles Burnett, that is, in which case you’re still struggling to process the news.
Although he was born in Vicksburg, Miss., Burnett was only a few
years old when his family moved to Watts, the Los Angeles neighborhood
that would ultimately serve as the setting for his debut feature film,
“Killer of Sheep.” Originally submitted as Burnett’s Master of Fine Arts
thesis at UCLA in 1977, “Killer of Sheep” was selected for preservation
in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1990.
rubyfruit76, Champion
'Good poll. I usually do a poll for Black History Month and hopefully still will but I'm glad you did this one. 'Well done.
FYC:
Pariah http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1233334/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Menace II Society (directed by the Hughes brothers) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107554/?ref_=nm_knf_t2
Talk to Me http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796368/?ref_=nv_sr_1
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452632/?ref_=nv_sr_1
(I saw that you have 'Talk to Me' above; I'd include 35 movies so people know about as many films with black directors and casts as possible)
FYC:
Pariah http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1233334/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Menace II Society (directed by the Hughes brothers) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107554/?ref_=nm_knf_t2
Talk to Me http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796368/?ref_=nv_sr_1
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452632/?ref_=nv_sr_1
(I saw that you have 'Talk to Me' above; I'd include 35 movies so people know about as many films with black directors and casts as possible)
(Edited)
I added Menace. I wanted to add Talk, but chose Eve's Bayou from the same director Kasi Lemmons. It was a toss-up and you got me questioning my decision. I was torn over Dee Rees' Pariah, but opted for her Mudbound instead and maybe a future more widely seen Rees film. A lot titles I was limited to one per director, in order to get some more critically acclaimed and equally less seen titles without filling the poll with movies no one has ever seen. I think the last five spots should be held for that reason to help balance the list. A title like 'A Wrinkle in Time' is going to be widely seen, pull a different type of audience and expand the breadth of the poll. I think I got a good mix geared to different genres, different audiences, different parts of the world, different directors, etc., while still honoring the celebrated intent of the poll. There were a few titles that may seem borderline, but I had my reasons to justify their inclusion over other honorable mentions.
(Edited)
rubyfruit76, Champion
My vote: Do the Right Thing
Oh, FYC: another Spike Lee joint --
She's Gotta Have It (79 metascore) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091939/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Oh, FYC: another Spike Lee joint --
She's Gotta Have It (79 metascore) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091939/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
That was one of a couple Spike Lee films I was torn over. He has four movies on the list, more than any director. It didn't feel right to have any more. The titles I chose to represent Spike were Inside Man (2006), 25th Hour (2002), Malcolm X (1992) and Do the Right Thing (1989). All had 70,000+ votes and a 7.6+ IMDb rating. She's Gotta Have It (1986)'s 6.6 lower IMDb rating and lower vote total at 5,869 basically nixed that title over some of his others.
I wanted to be fair and well represent as many black directors as I could, as well as, some lesser known titles. If the movie had less than 25,000 votes, with a few exceptions the threshold was more like a 85+ Metascore or 7.6+ IMDb rating. Even having those credentials wasn't a guarantee and I left off many worthy titles. I wanted to leave some room, as there seems to be a number of great black-directed movies coming out in the near future. Titles like A Wrinkle in Time (2018), Black Panther (2018), Widows (2018), Wrong Answer or even possibly Spike Lee's Black Klansman (2018) (if it exceeds the level of his existing four entries) seem like possibilities.
That was one of a couple Spike Lee films I was torn over. He has four movies on the list, more than any director. It didn't feel right to have any more. The titles I chose to represent Spike were Inside Man (2006), 25th Hour (2002), Malcolm X (1992) and Do the Right Thing (1989). All had 70,000+ votes and a 7.6+ IMDb rating. She's Gotta Have It (1986)'s 6.6 lower IMDb rating and lower vote total at 5,869 basically nixed that title over some of his others.
I wanted to be fair and well represent as many black directors as I could, as well as, some lesser known titles. If the movie had less than 25,000 votes, with a few exceptions the threshold was more like a 85+ Metascore or 7.6+ IMDb rating. Even having those credentials wasn't a guarantee and I left off many worthy titles. I wanted to leave some room, as there seems to be a number of great black-directed movies coming out in the near future. Titles like A Wrinkle in Time (2018), Black Panther (2018), Widows (2018), Wrong Answer or even possibly Spike Lee's Black Klansman (2018) (if it exceeds the level of his existing four entries) seem like possibilities.
(Edited)
Peter, Champion
Dan Dassow, Champion
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Jen, Champion
urbanemovies