Dear writers/producers of The Flash,

Please stop showing Iris West dying. It’s the biggest plot point of the season, that Iris is destined to die. It’s mentioned in almost every scene. We don’t need the visual reminder every episode.

America has a long history of glorifying the brutalization of Black bodies. From the horrors of slavery to the lynchings of Jim Crow to the slaughter of unarmed civilians by the police, it has been a sick source of entertainment and pleasure to a certain sect of people.

These are the same people who have done nothing but criticize Iris since her casting. Candice Patton still has to deal with vitriol to this day, just because the producers dared cast a Black woman.

So, I’m sure seeing Iris die week in and week out feeds those trolls who were looking for her to die in the first season.

But it can also be triggering for a loyal, dedicated sect of the fan base, Black women (and men). It brings up images of lynching and how (white) people would attend and have a good time like it was a ball game.

With as much as it’s mentioned that Iris is going to die, it being shown isn’t necessary. All it takes is a sentence in the recap.

The post Stop Showing Iris West Dying Every Week appeared first on Films of Color.

We all know that MBJ is a talented actor. His range in film is about as wide as it could be for someone his age, including a biopic. Portraying Kobe Bryant would be a new challenge. The Black Mamba is one of a kind.

I don’t expect anything to come from this, but there have been worse things to come out of Hollywood, including a certain film MBJ was a part of. We don’t blame him for that, though. There have been rumors of MBJ wanting to collaborate with Kobe, so if not this, it would be interesting to see what they come up with.

How poetic would it be for Michael (B.) Jordan to play Kobe Bryant in a film? If not MBJ, who could you see playing the Black Mamba if a biopic were to come to fruition?

The post Michael B. Jordan as Kobe Bryant is Everything appeared first on Films of Color.

Let’s take a trip back to the mid-2000s to a time where Disney Channel produced quality films and music. The Cheetah Girls were fierce and cheetah-licious. The best of friends and talented to boot. They were a part of many people’s childhood. They were a diverse group of girls who answered to no man, although they could pull any man they wanted. They were the film version of Destiny’s Child. It’s remarkable how similar they are. Each Cheetah Girl has a Destiny’s Child counterpart.

I think it’s only appropriate to start with Galleria. She was obviously the Beyonce of the Cheetah Girls. She made the Cheetah Girls what it was. She had the strongest vocals. She didn’t need the Cheetah Girls. The Cheetah Girls needed her, evidenced by all the times she wasn’t with them. We all saw and heard what the Cheetah Girls were like without her. It just wasn’t the same. Plus, Raven did have the most successful solo career.

Chanel was Kelly Rowland, AKA the second lead vocalist. Don’t let Galleria hear you say that, though. She was in charge when Galleria couldn’t be bothered, but not to much success. Her leadership was filled with misinformation and being at the mercy of men, which was not what the Cheetah Girls was about.

Aqua was the Michelle of the group. She was good for a bridge. She was mostly there to bring the hot sauce and design the costumes, which were hit and miss. Her talents were only suitable for a group setting, lest we forget “Spectacular.” Maybe she should release a gospel album. That could be her calling.

Dorinda was the Latavia of the group. She was just there with her nonsinging self. Dorinda was the type of person to come up with an excuse when asked to do karaoke. She was an example of cross-racial adoption gone wrong. Her identity crisis led her to dance lessons. She was supposed to be the professional dancer of the group, but she seemed to be the only one to need lessons to learn the dance moves. We could all guess why, but let’s not play that game.

It would be nice for the Cheetah Girls to reunite one last time, but what would be the point without Raven? Unless she gives them her blessing, the Cheetah Girls won’t prosper, as history has already taught us. I guess we’ll have to settle for the first two movies, and if you’re a die-hard fan, the third movie and albums.

Honorable mention goes to Galleria’s mom, who was the Tina Knowles of the group.

The post Cheetahs Amigas – If Destiny’s Child Had Its Own Films appeared first on Films of Color.

Music has been a constant thread in the fabric of film and television. A good score or soundtrack can bring a story to life. Lemonade has taken this to a whole new level.

Lemonade is not just a project that crosses genres but mediums as well. It’s as much a film as it is music. Beyoncé effortlessly blends each song and video together to tell a story of heartbreak and reconciliation that many are familiar with. But more than that, it’s an anthem, a Black girl anthem.

Black women stay getting the shaft in television and film. Whether it’s Candice Patton receiving flack for taking on the role of Iris West or Nicole Baharie getting sidelined on Sleepy Hollow. But in Lemonade, not only are Black women present, they are front and center. They are appreciated.

We see Black Girl Magic, both present and future. We see Zendaya, Amandla Steinberg, and Quvenzhané Wallis. Beyoncé even brought in Serena Williams. So much Black Girl Magic my mind almost exploded.

In a medium where Black women are put down, it’s good for them to have something where they shine. Something they can say is theirs. Lemonade is theirs.

Lemonade is available for purchase on iTunes.

The post Not Your Grandma’s ‘Lemonade’ But Still As Good appeared first on Films of Color.

Most of us were drawn into Sleepy Hollow with its quirky premise and undeniable chemistry between the two main characters, Ichabod Crane and Abigail “Abbie” Mills. The first season took us on an adventure as they tried to navigate their shared destiny.

It didn’t matter that Ichabod was married to the witch, Katrina. We were told by AppleCare that Katrina wouldn’t be a main focus. She would be more of a supporting character. But that was a lie.

Katrina’s and Henry Noble’s storylines were elevated while Abbie’s, Jenny’s, and Captain Irving’s were drastically reduced. Katrina was supposed to be so powerful but was always in peril. Abbie once had to cast a spell that this so called powerful witch couldn’t cast. The only magic Katrina was able to cast was dying her hair an unnatural color in colonial times. Yet, it was Abbie who was sidelined.

And now Abbie is gone. Her send off was a hot mess. It was anticlimactic. They teased the relationship of Abbie and Ichabod all season long with no payoff. There was no declaration of love. And Abbie is content to give up her life for the advancement Ichabod, even though it was supposed to be their shared destiny. No fight or nothing.

We should’ve known something was up when Abbie got a promotion to the FBI. It was too good to be true. Speaking of the FBI, what’s going to happen to Danny? Jenny? Will they get phased out? Abbie was the glue that held all the characters together. With the exception of Betsy Ross, Abbie was the center of their little web. She was the heart of show, the reason a lot of us stuck around.

When they didn’t ask Orlando Jones back, we should’ve known it was the beginning of the end. And now Nicole Beharie is ready to move on. How bad were things on set that the lead is fine with leaving after only three years?

Nicole Beharie will be fine. She is a talented actor and has her whole career ahead of her. I can’t wait to see what she does next, but my soul is ready. Sleepy Hollow on the other hand won’t be fine. At this point, they’ll be lucky to match their Season Two ratings.

Will you be giving Season Four a shot if it gets renewed? What’s your favorite Abbie moment?

The post Abbie Mills Does Indeed Deserve Better appeared first on Films of Color.

I hate to be the one to say it, but it’s time to look at the endgame for Scandal. There’s nothing that can save it. The only thing ABC can do now is to let it die with dignity before it becomes Supernatural. Viewers are fleeing. It’s not a Black Twitter phenomenon anymore.

Shonda Rhimes once said that she saw the ending of Scandal, that it’s not an eight season show. I hope she sticks to her guns and not let ABC pressure her into more seasons. She needs to end it on her terms.

One of the biggest problems of Scandal is B613. It far outlived its usefulness. B613 became so prominent in the show, the premise got lost. Multiple seasons would focus on bringing B613 down, while Olivia and company would go episodes without “fixing,” the premise that drew us in in the first place.

Another hit for Scandal is the fact that Shonda is too loyal to her actors. There are several characters that should’ve been gone. Fitz is at the top of the list. He should’ve died when he was shot. He doesn’t do much except berate the women in his life. And now that Olitz is gone, what is he doing besides spreading his presidential STD?

Papa Pope should also be gone. I love the character and Joe Morton‘s portrayal, but he never needed to be a permanent villain. If he was going to stick around, he should’ve stayed in a recurring role as resource for Olivia, not a enemy. He seems to be on Olivia’s side right now, but that could change at the drop of a hat.

I know many people are going to disagree, but Jake also needs to get the boot. He’s never been Olivia’s main love interest. He doesn’t do anything the other characters don’t do. And it’s sad to see him chase after Olivia, when she’s always had one foot in Fitz’s bedroom. Even with Fitz out the picture, Olivia won’t allow herself to be with him. And I don’t buy him as a villain. He doesn’t pull it off well.

Scandal should end with this election. I would like to see Mellie as president, but I don’t think her presidency can save the show. Scandal has gone beyond the point where they can just go back to case of the week. None of the storylines are captivating, and you can only rely on shock value for so long. The shark they jumped over is far in the rearview mirror.

My preference would be for them to take one last season to wrap everything up, to resolve this election. Let it go out with a bang instead of it just withering.

Do you see an end in sight? When do you think it will end? When should it end?

The post It’s Time for ‘Scandal’ to Ride off into the Sunset appeared first on Films of Color.

In 2016, people are tired of whitewashed properties. We have gotten a taste of diversity and seen how successful it could be, so we are beyond the days where a white cast is needed to draw viewers. And we specifically want to tell our own stories.

However, Hollywood hasn’t made it there yet. They’re hellbent on this narrative that films starring Black people/people of color don’t do well, despite the abundance of evidence that contradicts it. We tried to tell them that this wasn’t a good idea. What did they do? They sunk $140 million into their little whitewashed film. And their return of investment? $14 million domestically for opening weekend and $5 million for their second weekend. So much for their theory that they needed a white cast to draw an audience.

How much money are they’re going to piss away on films like these before they invest in more diversity?

The post ‘Gods of Egypt’ Falls from Grace appeared first on Films of Color.

I try to keep this a space of positivity, so I haven’t brought up Nina starring Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone. But the trailer and poster came out and I can’t hold my tongue anymore.

Nina should be a precautionary tale about producing biopics. I’m not one of those people who thinks that an actor has to have a strong resemblance to their subject, but if you’re going to go that route, at least make it tasteful.

The poster is atrocious. Zoe Saldana looks like she’s in blackface. It’s painfully obvious that’s she in a lot of makeup. They tried to hard to make her look like Nina, and it just ended in disaster. If the producers wanted someone who looked like Nina, they should’ve gotten someone else.

The trailer is no better. Zoe looks bad in the trailer. The trailer was badly edited. At least I hope it was badly edited. I hope it’s not indicative of the film. It’s hard to discern what happens in the film except for a lot of drinking, smoking, and psychotic episodes.

I don’t know. It’s hard to have high hopes for this film, but it may surprise us. Maybe Zoe gives a masterful performance. What do you think of the poster and trailer?

Nina will be released in theaters April 22. Tickets are available here.

The post ‘Nina’ Trailer – Nina Simone Deserves Better appeared first on Films of Color.

Beyoncé released a new song, “Formation,” this last Saturday (Saturday before the Super Bowl) and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. The song came with a video and a Super Bowl performance. And with that came all the think pieces and criticisms. But that’s become the life of Beyoncé, one where every move is analyzed and picked apart. 

It got me thinking. I wrote about Serena Williams getting a biopic. But what about Beyoncé? It seems like every singer is getting one, dead or alive, legendary or not. It’s only a matter of time before someone sinks their hooks into Beyoncé’s life story, especially given her immense popularity and accomplishments. 

The Destiny’s Child era alone would provide enough material. It would be fun to see some of her iconic shade recreated, like the infamous luggage incident. But then there’s her meteoric rise to being the Beyoncé we know now, her evolution from “Crazy to Love” to “Drunk in Love.” Dropping surprise albums and selling out concerts in less than hour. Then there are personal stories to tell. There’s the journey she went through to start a family, culminating in the birth of Blue Ivy. You could even include the tabloids suggesting how Blue was born via surrogate. The relationship with her father. They just have to make sure to include how Keri Hilson and Keyshia Cole said something negative about Beyoncé, and their careers ended. 

I’m not sure who should play Beyoncé. It probably wouldn’t have to be a singer because I’m sure no one wants anyone to rerecord her songs, fearing they might not be able to do her justice and incur the wrath of the BeyHive and general public. Someone up and coming would be nice.

Now for someone like Beyoncé, the biopic would have to be released in theaters, if only because the BeyHive would riot otherwise. Lifetime doesn’t want those problems. 

What parts of Beyoncé’s life would you want a biopic to focus on? Who would you want to play her?

The post A Beyoncé Biopic Is Inevitable, Right? appeared first on Films of Color.

1. Generic African accents
2. Unnecessary guest stars
3. The idea that Black people can’t sell films
4. Kevin Hart
5. Lack of Black love portrayals
6. No Living Single on DVD or Netflix
7. Olitz
8. Biopics starring Chadwick Boseman
9. Remakes/Reboots
10. Sci-Fi/Fantasy with no Black people
11. Will Smith with a white (blonde) love interest
12. Award shows that don’t recognize Black people
13. Video and audio that don’t sync up
14. Whitewashing
15. Any doubt about your talent and whether you should be a filmmaker (director/writer/actor/cinematographer, etc.)

What are your 2016 resolutions, and what do you want to leave in 2015?

The post 15 Things to Leave in 2015 appeared first on Films of Color.