However, I think that until it's colour blind in front of the camera, it's probably up to the black director to help acclimate the public to the strange and perplexing idea of black characters that aren't magical nor thugged out.

Sure. But it's got to be hard to rock the boat until you are way up there -- you'd have to have a big fat blockbuster behind you before you can throw a random non-Denzel person of color into a role that isn't written that way. Too bad King Arthur tanked.

Tep will love me, as I saw De-Lovely on her rec and enjoyed it.

Right on! What did you think of the way the film was framed, structurally?

Then she'll hate me, as I join P-C and the splendiferous JZ in Magnolia love.

And don't forget Jessica -- I'm pretty sure she's a Magnolia fan.

t twitching uncontrollably at the wrongheaded Magnolia-lovers

It's going to be hard on her, I fear.

I may have to double up on therapy for a few months.

And don't forget Jessica -- I'm pretty sure she's a Magnolia fan.

She is? Awesome! I was wondering where she stood.

She is? Awesome! I was wondering where she stood.

Wherever she wants, because she, like you, JZ, and Robin, are, yes, DEAD TO ME.

On an unrelated note, I want the title of the sequel to I, Robot to be bon bon's tag.

Antoine Fuqua's had an interesting time of it -- he didn't come out of the gate with a "black" movie -- his first was The Replacement Killers. His movies, although I only really like the one with Denzel, are pretty diverse racially. As opposed to the obsessed Spike Lee, the or the black-project homing device that is John Singleton.

Can't, off the top of my head, think of any other current black directors. I'm not quite ready to include Mario Van Peebles in that group.

There's someone else with a non-ghetto movie recently, isn't there? I can't think who either, which is why I'm all Fuqua on the brain. Also I read an interesting profile of him in the Boston Globe a couple of weeks ago.

They could take a cue from MIIB and call the I, Robot sequel II, Robot.

Well, Clark Johnson from Homicide: Life on the Street directed S.W.A.T., right? I didn't see that movie but I thought it was non-ghetto. Before that, I recall he had a decent stint as a director of TV shows. Perhaps it's too early to see how he'll fare as a feature film director, with only one theatrical release under his belt.

There was also a black female director--err, also an actor-turned-director, whose name I'm blanking on right now--who made Eve's Bayou, which I liked quite a bit. But that was several years ago.

We, Robots?

Heh. I'm trolling through IMDB, and this is one of the blackest resumes I found.

I wouldn't call Singleton or Lee ghetto -- Lee especially has too much bougie in him. But it is about race for him, it seems. For Singleton, it seems less about race, more just stories with black folk in.