Reel Images Magazine

Morgan Freeman can cross one more crowning achievement off his bucket list. Of course, after playing an almost too believable God in the 2003 comedy Evan Almighty, few have doubted how high or far Freeman could possible reach. The American Film Institute has chosen to honor Freeman as the 39^th recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award, only the second African-American to ever receive such prestigious recognition, with Sidney Portier marking the first selection in 1992. Of course, were Freeman to have written this he would likely omit his skin color all together, well documented in his preference to avoid racial distinctions and celebrate common humanity. Such wisdom and earnesty has earned Freeman a number of devout fans both on and off screen across all population segments. Freeman’s presence across film and television cannot go unnoticed, commanding instant respect and credibility on voice alone, breaking the proverbial Tom Hanks barrier. (more…)

Don’t get it twisted, Lil Bow Wow has done far worse things in his career (read: Roll Bounce and “Puppy Love”), but relative to our respect for Shad Moss as an artist the only quality he brings to this role is an inherent likability. Then again, that’s more than you can say for the rest of the film. Ultimately, Lottery Ticket is good for a few cheap laughs, though from a comedic sense perhaps it hinges too much on the same jokes Mike Epps, Charlie Murphy and Terry Crews have been making for decades. At what point is it time for some new material? Can it be that urban culture remains unchanged over the course of history while the wide world constantly shifts around it? Certainly not. Before forcing another played out slapstick down should’ve-been-expecting-it viewer’s throats, at least have the common courtesy to come up with some new material. Billed as perhaps the most wholesomely relatable African-American comedy since Barbershop, almost everything about Lottery Ticket fell short of such promise, closer to Barbershop 2 rather, which is far less complementary. (more…)

Relative to the other major players in Hollywood, Tyler Perry is somewhat of a man of mystery. The 6^th highest paid man in Hollywood, according the 2009 Forbes Magazine list, with films grossing close to 400 million across the globe, Tyler Perry still toils in relative mainstream obscurity on TBS, a station generally better known for syndication reruns and baseball games than original programming. No matter, with new hit TV shows like House of Payne and Meet the Browns, not to mention string of high grossing motion pictures and a pilot or two in the works, today Perry has it made in the shade, where he may lack worldwide recognition relative to his lofty bankroll, the financial wind fall has found him front and center.Not that Perry writes to satisfy others. He actually began writing after watching another influential public figure for young African-Americans, Oprah Winfrey, who suggested that writing might be a therapeutic outlet to ease stress at home. After composing a number of letters to himself, Perry soon had the basis for his first ever stage play, later titled, I Know I’ve Been Changed. Perry comes from a less than savory upbringing, changing his given name from Emmitt to Tyler in part to distance himself from his father, named Emmitt as well. Between beatings at the hands of Emmitt Sr. and molestation attempts by parents of friends, there was little to laugh about in Perry’s childhood, making it even more remarkable the way he relates to thousands of fans in a comical manner through each and every work. (more…)