RebelStarrLive Venue NYCSaturday, Janaury 9th, 2010

Click To Enlarge For Details


GO SUPPORT AND SEE REBELSTARR, Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!

LOVE by Nhojj!A Black Same Gender Loving Music VideoOUTMUSIC Award WINNER:2009 Outstanding R&B/Soul Song of the Year

Nhojj's Official Website

Yo Nhojj,

You deserve it man!

I'm proud to have helped work on this ground breaking music video project, but most of all I'm proud to be a Black same gender loving male!

Some of the footage from this music video
are from Writer/Director Kirk Shannon-Butts' film
BLUEPRINT (a Black Same Gender Loving Film)

ROD's Top 25 Black FilmsOf The Last Decade (2000-2009)

Hey Black Family,

I'm posting what I consider MY best top 25 Black films that I've seen in the last decade (2000-2009). It was initially agonizing to compile the list because it started out as a top 10 list. And my top 10 list was inspired by the posting that I read from the pro-Black film website that I regularly check out called Shadow&Act.com. Ultimately I decided that picking 10 Black films from the last decade is too narrow in quantity for a 10 year period, and so I decided to increase my list to 25 Black films.

The Shadow&Act.com posting was a re-post of two "Top 10 Black Film" lists from BlackVoices.com and TheGriot.com, two websites that target an African Diaspora audience. Of course, whenever something like these lists are compiled for FUN, educational, informational or other factored in reasons, there's always the question(s) which I asked myself: What does it mean to be Black? or what constitutes a Black film?

With that said, Shadwo&Act.com said: "BV (Black Voices.com) doesn’t specify what its criteria is to determine what constitutes a 'black film.' But I think we’d all agree that the films on their list can be defined as such. They also don’t say what the consider good, or the 'best,' other than describing them as 'witty, entertaining and inspiring.' So, I dunno… I can’t really say much about what they’ve got here."

One poster on Shadwo&Act blasted and criticized both top 10 lists for NOT having at least one 1 foreign film of African descent on there. I have to strongly agree with that.

So what I did was consult my friend Jair, The Literary Masturbator and asked his opinion of my list and to suggest his own films. In this way, I at least had someone I respected look at my list and give feedback. Both he and I agreed that one of the greatest agonizers is NOT forgetting a film which is hard when you're looking back 10 years!!

So in closing, my criteria for my own top 25 Black films is based upon:
(1) The majority of the characters (fiction) and/or real persons (documentaries) are of African descent

(2) The stories are the primary focus of the African experience
(a slice of life)

(3) Black films that I (ROD) have SEEN (NOT word of mouth)

(4) American and foreign (import) films

(5) The films were exhibitioned in movie theaters or via tv/cable viewing

(6) The Black films depict people of African descent in a affirming, cultural, uplifting and respectable way.

Yes, I know item 6 is subjective and means many things to many people and that African people aren't monolithic in a think tank kind of way, but I have my own views of what it means, and all I can do is critically use and share item 6 in correlation with the other 5 items and hope you find my list FUN and of interest. (SO NO, A FILM LIKE SOUL PLANE WHICH IS A STUPID ASS FILM THAT HOLLYWOOD GREEN LIGHTED DOES NOT QUALIFY AS UPLIFTING TO ME!!!!! )

I'm sure my list can be torn apart in some regards, but I can only go by what I've SEEN (and NOT heard) through regular mainstream theater outlets as well as independent movie theaters and the blessing of film festivals which is always needed to get that independent voice in the wilderness heard. So hey, just having FUN here!

I look forward to people posting comments here on the blog and giving their own top 10 list and a couple of films you think are worthy in your mind. Because quite frankly, I, too am always looking and starving for Black (same gender loving) films which I haven't seen or heard of which can cater to my LOVE of the African experience. And that is part of the reason I'm encouraging folks to post. There's always something that someone hasn't seen that one can be skooled on.

ROD's
Top 25 Black Films
of the Last Decade (2000-2009)

The list below is arranged in alphabetical order
and DOES NOT signify a particular order
of importance or ranking!!
It's simply my favorite 25 Black films.
Period.
No favorites!
(Well, I'm kind of lyin' about NOT having some favorites,
but I won't share it and be biased!Again, just havin' FUN!)

NOTE THE SYMBOLS NEXT TO CERTAIN FILMS
WHICH ARE DENOTED BY THE SYMBOL LEGEND AFTER THE LIST

1- 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002)

2- Akeelah And The Bee (2006)

3- Antwone Fisher (2002)

4- Bamboozled (2000)

5- Black Candle, The: A KWANZAA Celebration (2008)

6- Black List, The: Volume 1 (2008)

7- Blueprint (2007)+

8- Brother To Brother (2004)+

9- City Of God (2002)~

10- Drumline (2002)

11- Four Rent Boys and A Sangoma (2004)*+~

12- Great Debaters, The (2007)

13- Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats And Rhymes (2006)

14- Hotel Rwanda (2004)

15- Huey P. Newton Story, A (2001)

16- Kirikou and the Wild Beast (2005)#~

17– Masai: The Rain Warriors (2004)~

18- Mississippi Damned (2009)*+

19- Proud (2004)

20- Pursuit Of Happyness, The (2006)

21- Rag Tag (2006)*+~

22- Remember The Titans (2000)

23- Sometimes In April (2005)

24- Tsotsi (2005)~

25- Wooden Camera, The (2003)~


Noteworthy Honorable Mentions:
American Blackout (2006)

Dreamgirls (2006)

La Tropical (2002)

Love and Basketball (2000)

Rize (2005)

Seven Pounds (2008)



SYMBOL LEGEND:
*SAW THESE BLACK FILMS AT DIFFERENT NYC FILM FESTIVALS

+ BLACK SAME GENDER LOVING (SGL) FILM (5)

# ANIMATED FILM (1)

~FOREIGN FILM [PRODUCED & MADE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES] (7)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HEARD WAS EXCELLENT BY WORD OF MOUTH
(DID NOT SEE THESE FILMS THOUGH):

1- Ballast (2008)

2-Medicine For Meancholy (2008)

3- Precious (2009)

4- When The Leeves Broke (2006)

Mr. Anthony JenkinsMy Beloved Friend TransitionsSunrise: Sept. 13th, 1948Sunset: December 2009 A Nubian Knight Resting His Arrows...

Anthony Jenkins (picture right)
At the 16th Annual KWANZAA Celebration
(December 29th, 2007) at The LGBT Center

I can't believe you're gone! I'll miss you!
And I'll Miss All Those Outfits You Wore At
Black Men's Xchange-New York (BMX-NY)
While Living Your LIFE AUTHENTICALLY!

YOU EXUDE A ROYALTY LIKE A
KING OF AFRICAN GREATNESS!!

REST YOUR ARROWS, NUBIAN KNIGHT!

PEACE BRUTHA!

HAPPY KWANZAA! Day Seven (7): January 1st Habari Gani? Imani (ee-MAH-nee): Faith

Today, January 1st,
is the Seventh Day of Kwanzaa!

The Seventh Principle of Kwanzaa is:
Imani (ee-MAH-nee): Faith



- To believe with all our heart in our people,
our parents, our teachers, our leaders
and the righteousness and victory of our struggle
so that a better world can be created
for communities now and in the future.
(Light The Nearest Green Candle on the Right)

Traditional Greeting: "Habari Gani?"
(Translation: "What's the Word?" or "What's the News?")
Response on January 1st: "Imani!"


Find a meaningful way to instill Imani your life today,
and in the coming year.


HAPPY KWANZAA!

Seven Principles of Kwanzaa: Imani -- powered by eHow.com

7TH KWANZAA PRINCIPLE: IMANI (FAITH)
Running Time: 59 Sec

The Black Candle: A KWANZAA Celebration DVD

HAPPY KWANZAA! Day Six (6): December 31st Habari Gani? Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah): Creativity

Today, December 31st,
is the Sixth Day of Kwanzaa!

The Sixth Principle of Kwanzaa is:
Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah): Creativity



- To do always as much as we can, in the way we can,
in order to leave our community
more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. 
(Light The Nearest Red Candle on the Left)
 
Traditional Greeting: "Habari Gani?"
(Translation: "What's the Word?" or "What's the News?")
Response on December 31st: "Kuumba!"


Find a meaningful way to instill Kuumba in your life today,
and in the coming year.


HAPPY KWANZAA!

Harambee Chant for Kwanzaa -- powered by eHow.com

Running Time: 1 Min, 14 Sec

Seven Principles of Kwanzaa: Kuumba -- powered by eHow.com

6TH KWANZAA PRINCIPLE: KUUMBA (CREATIVITY)
Running Time: 53 Sec

The Black Candle: A KWANZAA Celebration DVD

HAPPY KWANZAA! Day Five (5): December 30th Habari Gani? Nia (nee-AH): Purpose

Today, December 30th,
is the Fifth Day of Kwanzaa!

The Fifth Principle of Kwanzaa is:
Nia (nee-AH): Purpose




- To make our collective vocation the building and developing
of our community in order to restore
our people to their traditional greatness.
(Light The Middle Green Candle on the Right)

Traditional Greeting: "Habari Gani?"
(Translation: "What's the Word?" or "What's the News?")
Response on December 30th: "Nia!"


Find a meaningful way to instill Nia in your life today,
and in the coming year.


HAPPY KWANZAA!

Music for Kwanzaa Celebration -- powered by eHow.com

Running Time: 2 Min, 35 Sec

Seven Principles of Kwanzaa: Nia -- powered by eHow.com

5TH KWANZAA PRINCIPLE: NIA (PURPOSE)
Running Time: 1 Min, 08 Sec

The Black Candle: A KWANZAA Celebration DVD