‘The Blackening’ is Happening

June 14, 2023

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Oh, by the way, which one’s Black? (CREDIT: Glen Wilson/Lionsgate)

Starring: Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Dewayne Perkins, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, Yvonne Orji, Diedrich Bader, James Preston Rogers

Director: Tim Story

Running Time: 97 Minutes

Rating: R for Language, Molly, and Bows and Arrows

Release Date: June 16, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Based on a comedy sketch from 2018 of the same name, The Blackening follows a group of friends converging at a nice little cabin in the woods for a Juneteenth getaway. Alas, there are some bad vibes suggesting that not everybody is going to survive the vacation. At first, it’s just little things, like a creepy cashier staring one of them down in a convenience store, or a park ranger asking to see everyone’s IDs before they enter their rental. But then it quickly becomes a lot more explicitly brutal and racist, with blood on the floor and a creepy board game with a Black Sambo face right in the middle of the board. With a Ghostface-style voice, an unseen gamemaster subjects the friends to a series of ludicrous and sadistic challenges to prove their Blackness (or lack thereof). In these types of movies, it’s usually the Black character who dies first, but when they’ve all got plenty of melanin, it makes for a formula of reckless, satirical shenanigans amidst the mayhem.

What Made an Impression?: See It with a Dang Crowd: I caught The Blackening at its New York Premiere at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, which is pretty much the Platonic ideal for experiencing this type of movie. If it’s been forever since you’ve seen a comedy with a raucous, no-holds-barred crowd, then this is the perfect opportunity to reacquaint yourself with the magic of cinematic social bonding. Watching The Blackening is not the time to be self-conscious. So bring along your whole crew, and then laugh, hoot, and holler to your heart’s content! These characters were written knowing that they would be received that way, and they’re ready for it.
Black History on Juneteenth: The Blackening scene destined to become the most iconic puts everyone’s Blackness to the test with a series of questions about Black history and popular culture. The queries cover such important, wide-ranging topics as Sojourner Truth, the NAACP, and the two Aunt Vivs on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But then the gauntlet is truly thrown when the players must identify some Black person – ANY Black person! – who ever appeared on Friends. Bona fides will be tested, so feel free to play along … if you dare.
Blunt AND Clever: Parodies and satire of horror are as old as the genre itself, ranging from the silliness of Abbott and Costello and Scary Movie, to the self-awareness of Scream and Cabin in the Woods. The Blackening manages to lie somewhere in the middle, while capturing the best of both approaches. This is the sort of movie where the most prominent white character is called none other than “Ranger White.” But it’s also the type of movie where the villain is genuinely terrifying, with grievances that are taken deeply and seriously. And it’s also also the type of movie featuring telepathic communication that makes you go, “Yeah, that’s pretty realistic.”

The Blackening is Recommended If You Like: Scream, Undercover Brother, Cabin in the Woods, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Black Jeopardy!

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Rap Snacks

Should You Press (Kid ‘N) Play on This Year’s ‘House Party’?

January 12, 2023

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thank you brond james (CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot)

Starring: Jacob Latimore, Tosin Cole, DC Young Fly, Karen Obilom, Andrew Santino, Melvin Gregg, Rotimi, Allen Maldonado, Kid Cudi, LeBron James, Mýa

Director: Calmatic

Running Time: 110 Minutes

Rating: R for Party Vices and a Shockingly Violent Turn in the Final Act

Release Date: January 13, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Kevin (Jacob Latimore) and Damon (Tosin Cole) – that’s duh-MON, not DAY-muhn – have just found out they’re about to be fired from their house cleaning job after getting busted for toking up on the job. But they’ve got a side hustle as party promoters, so they decide to go all in on that venture when they find out that the last house they’re cleaning belongs to none other than LeBron James. The NBA great is away on a mindfulness retreat, so they take over his crib for one wild night in the hopes of clearing their debts and launching themselves into the social stratosphere. Naturally enough, though, chaos ensues. A championship ring is stolen, a koala turns violent, and the Illuminati are contacted. And of course, there’s the whole business about the two friends falling apart but then ultimately becoming closer than ever.

What Made an Impression?: If you weren’t around 30 years ago, you might have missed that 2023’s House Party is a remake of the 1990 flick of the same name that starred hip-hop duo Kid ‘n Play and spawned a couple of sequels. That connection feels rather beside the point, though, as it’s not like the original House Party owns a copyright on any and all depictions of cinematic house parties. If you want to make a movie about a party at someone’s house, it’s not like you need Kid ‘n Play’s permission. Although I suppose the brand name recognition helps, and Kid and Play do in fact stop by for a quick cameo.

In that vein, much of the 2023 edition feels like a time capsule from the 90s or at least the early 2000s. In addition to Kid ‘n Play’s pop-in, Bill Bellamy, Lil Wayne, Juvenile, and Snoop Dogg all stop by for some cameos. (Although I guess we can recognize Snoop as eternal at this point.) Plus, there’s a running thread in which Damon tries to book Mýa for the party, and I’m thinking, “Mýa? I haven’t heard from her since ‘Lady Marmalade’!” She still looks great, though!

Anyway, does this 21st century House Party deliver the requisite laughs and welcoming hangout vibes? It’s definitely a little too sleepy at first, as the opening act mostly consists of Kevin and Damon by themselves in a very big house, and there’s just none of the cacophony necessary to fill all that air. When the party eventually starts poppin’, it’s still not exactly a nonstop laugh riot, though there are enough bizarre digressions to at least hold my attention. And Lena Waithe shows up for a scene or two to deliver some chuckle-worthy stoner thoughts. So ultimately, Kevin and Damon string us along on a journey that starts out at Dreadful and ends up at Not Too Bad.

House Party is Recommended If You Like: Movies That Are Surreal But Not Quite Surreal Enough

Grade: 2 out of 5 Koalas

‘The Way Back’ Allows Ben Affleck to Meet His Fate as a Washed-Up High School Basketball Coach

March 4, 2020

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CREDIT: Warner Bros.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Janina Gavankar, Michaela Watkins, Brandon Wilson, Lukas Gage, Melvin Gregg

Director: Gavin O’Connor

Running Time: 108 Minutes

Rating: R for Basketball Coaches and Players Struggling to Adhere to a Catholic School Code of Conduct

Release Date: March 6, 2020

Ben Affleck is now at the point in his career where he can play a washed-up, middle-aged high school basketball coach and it is the most natural thing in the world. Honestly, his lead role in The Way Back feels like what he was destined for his whole career. Chip-on-his-shoulder energy has always been a major part of his persona, and now he’s at the age at which it fits most comfortably. He’s taken plenty of lumps, and he’s retreated a bit, but he’s got some loved ones who want him to get back in the game and give it another go. The character of Jack Cunningham is basically the Sad Affleck meme writ large with an even more tragic backstory. He was once the most heralded high school basketball player in the state, but now he spends most of his days in a drunken haze, with his refrigerator stocked entirely with rows of (neatly arranged) beer cans. But then he’s offered the suddenly vacant head coaching job at Bishop Hayes, his Catholic alma mater, and he’s finally motivated to do something he cares about besides wallow around in his misery.

The current state of the Bishop Hayes team is a sick joke compared to what it was in Jack’s heyday. Back then, about a hundred guys tried out for the team, but now, they need to pull up a few guys from the junior varsity squad to even be able to have ten players to run a practice. They’re not without some bright spots, but they’re undersized and outclassed by most of their opponents. They lose their first game with Jack coaching by an unceremonious 36 points, and at that point, it is not clear if this movie will actually be an inspirational story in which they turn it around and start winning. Frankly, it might start to strain credulity a bit too much if they do start challenging for a championship. But The Way Back gratifies viewers who know how basketball works by demonstrating how opportunities open up when you can get past the intimidation factor. Bishop Hayes does indeed start winning, pulling off upsets against ostensibly more talented teams with pressure-filled defense that neutralizes their opponents’ strongest players and by operating offenses that amplify their own strengths. So when that last-second shot in the big game does go through the hoop, the triumph feels legitimate.

But just as The Way Back looks like it is going to wrap up like any other inspirational sports drama, it follows a different, messier strain. Getting back into the game has helped Jack come a long way with his personal rehabilitation, but it hasn’t really addressed what’s eating away at his soul. He and his ex-wife (Janina Gavankar) share a deep trauma that he’s nowhere near close to getting over. At a crucial moment, he says, “I never stopped being angry,” and that’s clear enough in every frame without him saying it, but it’s nonetheless powerful to hear it said. The Way Back packs a lot of redemption into an hour and fifty minutes, and I do wonder if these turnarounds will be permanent based on the work we get to see. But the raw, vulnerable energy on display is a blessing to witness.

After one game filled with some profanity-laced tirades, the team’s chaplain gently reminds Jack of the school’s code of conduct, to which Jack replies, considering all the terrible things in this world, does God really give a (not-safe-for-work four-letter word) what he and the boys say? That’s the crux of the matter, that in fact it really does matter how we personally conduct ourselves despite everything awful we’ve been through, and it’s undeniably affecting to witness our fellow humans opening themselves up to that challenge.

The Way Back is Recommended If You Like: Hoosiers, Redemption, Smart coaching

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Comebacks