Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 January 2003 — Page 17
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003
THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER
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Retro blaxploitation spoof available on DVD
By KAM WILLIAMS For The Recorder
Malcolm Lee, Spike’s cousin, who made such an impressive debut in 1999 with “The Best Man," did it again last summer with “Undercover Brother,” a hilarious spoof of the flashy, but best forgotten blaxploitation era. The movie, which ranked second on my Top 10 Black Films of 2002, is now available on DVD, with an extra of special features. The additions include the animation on which the movie was based, the title song music video by Snoop Dogg, an alternative ending, interactive games, bloopers and commentary from the director and stars. But the film itself is still the best reason to buy the DVD. Taking a page out of the Austin Powers franchise, which has Mike Myers lampooning the ‘60s spy genre in paisley and pastels, Lee outfitted his own silly superhero in the readily ridiculed styles of the 70s. This laughra-minute
movie stars comedian Eddie Griffin (“John Q”) in the title role as a retro Robin Hood from the ‘hood who roams the streets in a Cadillac convertible. This idealistic soul brother sports a foot-high afro, foot-wide shirt collars and foot-high platform shoes until he is recruited by a sepia spy agency known as the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. This top-secret organization is out to crush a conspiracy by “The Man” who has a powerful potion certain to reduce all African-Ameri-cans to little more than mindless zombies. After a quick makeover, the flamboyant trainee morphs into Undercover Brother, or ‘UB’ for short. Gone is all his gaudy gauche glitter, replaced by preppy garb, penny loafers and the proper persona to infiltrate the evil conglomerate behind the racist plot. Billy Dee Williams enjoys a pivotal role as General Boutwell, the promising presidential hopeful who abandons his political plans after he is manipulated by The
Man to open a chain of fast food restaurants, General’s Fried Chicken. He even hawks his personal favorite, the 8 piece Nappy Meal, in TV ads. And not unlike an urban legend that has been circulating in the Black community for years, this general’s chicken has been spiked with a little more than 11 herbs and spices. Luckily, UB, with the help of his hilariously paranoid buddy, Conspiracy Brother (Dave Chappelle), and the rest of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. isdedicated to keeping the world safe for a better Blacktopia. Look for James Brown in a brief cameo and check out the funkiest, retro R&B soundtrack in years. Review Undercover Brother Directed by Malcom Lee Excellent ★★★★(out of ★★★★) Rated PG-13 for language, drug use, sexual situations and slapstick violence
Actress models her character after college president Anna Deavere Smith stars in ‘Presidio Med'
(NNPA) African-American actress, author, activist and playwright Anna Deavere Smith stars as' Dr. Letty Jordan in the CBS medical drama, “Presidio Med," executive produced by the creative team behind the popular television series, ‘’ER.’’ Prior to this role, she was known to television viewers in the recurring role of National Security Advisor Nancy McNally on ‘The West Wing,” to filmgoers from the movies "Philadelphia,” "Dave” and ‘The American President” and to theatergoers , through her series of onewoman plays. Smith’s character, Dr.
Anna Deavere Smith
comments. "And I wouldn't say that everything about her (Dr. Jordan) comes from the Black experience. I called a white male
Jordan, is a cardiologist with a tight-knit medical group adjacent to a hospital in San Francisco. At a time when the world of medicine is becoming more impersonal, the doctors at Presidio Medical Group set bureaucracy aside and put their patients first, forming trusting, long-term relationships. The role was perfect for Smith. “I liked that she (Dr. Jordan) was smart and immediately felt that she had a heart. I also liked her sense of humor,” explains Smith. “She’s quick with her tongue and walks through the world with a sort of ease and confidence. I think that’s one of the things about Letty Jordan that makes her a role model for people of every race and gender - the ability to move through the world unencumbered. 1 love going to work and being that.” "I have had the opportunity to walk in many different kinds ol worlds,” Smith
bishop to see how he deals with people who are dying, and the head of internal medicine at Yale when 1 was creating Letty.” Asked whether Dr. Jordan was intentionally developed as an African-American character, Lydia Woodward, one of the series’ executive producers, said, "Yes,-actually. 1 thought she was a character we hadn’t really seen. I knew of Anna Deavere Smith and we had her in mind early on. I certainly knew of her theater work, and we were also familiar with her through The West Wing.' She’s an extraordinary' artist.” "I’ve modeled Letty after the president of Brown University, who was the first African American to become the president of an Ivy League University,” explains Smith. "Her parents were sharecroppers and descendents of slaves and she didn’t get where she is today without a very high standard of excellence. I carry some of the extraordinary women I’ve met into the character of Letty. The
nature of her compassion derives from a place of humility and understanding that often comes from people who have been oppressed.” In addition to acting. Smith is a renowned playwright and author who has written and performed a series of onewoman plays abut racial tensions in American cities. The series, entitled "On the Road: A Search for the American Character,” includes the plays Twilight: Los Angeles 1992,” which earned her an Obie Award and a Tony Award nomination, "Fires in the Mirror,” which earned an Obie Award and was runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize and "I louse Arrest.” Her book Talk to Me is a chronicle of her journey to Washington, D.C., to understand the presidency, the press and how Americans communicate with their leaders. Smith has also served as a professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is affiliated with NYU Law School. In 2000, she was a visiting professor at Yale University’s School of Medicine. She has also taught at Stanford and Carnegie Mellon University, among others. Smith can be seen on “Presidio Med,” which has been picked up for a full-season, Wednesdays on the CBS Television Network: The series is produced by Lydia Woodward Productions and John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The series also stars Blythe Danner, Dana Delany, Sasha Alexander, Julianne Nicholson, Oded Fehr and Paul Blackthorne.
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