Outside (My) Movie Box: Part 6

"Red Tails" was a great movie. Period. That is just my assessment of it. Forget everything the so called critics have written about "Red Tails." I am so glad that I followed my own mind and saw this movie.Admittedly, I do not know a whole lot about everything that happened with the Tuskegee airmen. That really didn't matter to me. I felt that this film was important on so many levels. I had to see it. George Lucas is a great visionary and storyteller. This film is no different. The action scenes are big and bold. I wouldn't have expected anything less. I believe that the right actors were cast in the perfect parts. I left this movie with a few new favorite actors to watch out for. I left with a renewed appreciation of a few actors that I already new. I know have some insight into what the Tuskegee airmen did. I want to learn more because of this film. For me, it has become a teaching moment.

I'm not a big fan of War time movies. But this is a part of our history. That made it important to me. George Lucas has discussed in great detail how hard it was to get this movie made. He has said that no studio would back a wartime movie with an all black cast. It took him over 20 years and $58 million of his own money for this movie to see the light of day. That makes me sad and angry. I don't understand why Hollywood would think that African Americans don't go to the movies or that we don't like to see ourselves representing on film in a positive light. The film made $19.1 million during its opening weekend. The numbers exceeded expectations. In particular, there was a high turnout in African American neighborhoods. 

I can honestly say that I did not know a whole lot about the plight of the Tuskegee Airmen. But I was intrigued by the actors involved. There are five "The Wire" actors in this movie. Tristan Wilds, Method Man, Micheal B. Jordan, Andre Royo, and Ryan Otto are all awesome in this film. I have to say that Nate Parker (Marty "Easy" Julian) and David Oyelowo (Joe "Lightning" Little) were easily my favorites. This isn't a spoiler review though. I don't want to tell you what the plot of the movie is. I just want to tell you that you should go see this film. It's not just Black history, it's American history. It's a part of the reason why we are all here as free as we are. I cannot even fathom the burden these brave men carried. It is not a fictional retelling of the story. The general storyline is the truth. The characters are not based on the actually Tuskegee men. The acting is great, the writing is wonderful. The movie was filmed so well. I loved how blue the skies were and how vibrant the red paint was that was used on the planes. Things just came together in a great way for this film.

"Red Tails" had it all. I laughed, I cried, I was happy and I was sad while watching it. It made me feel an array of emotions. I felt it. That means something to me. I am also proud of the fact that people supported this film during its opening weekend. The film was second on the charts and made $19.1 million dollars. Those numbers are higher that were expected. The ticket sales were extremely high in African American neighborhoods. We proved to Hollywood that we can and will support a movie will an all Black lead/cast. We want to see people who look like us on screen telling our stories for us. We matter, our stories matter. That makes me very happy. I was already intrigued about this movie but once I heard that Hollywood wouldn't back it because of the color of the casts skin, I had to see it. In closing, I just want to reiterate that "Red Tails" is awesome. I recommend it to all of you. Go see it. Support our actors and our stories.