Noah’s Ark – Jumping The Broomstick (2008/Logo DVD) + Tyler Perry: The Marriage Counselor + The Family That Preys (2008/Lionsgate
DVDs)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C/C-/C Main Programs: C-/C+/C+
As the Obama Era begins and in whatever that brings, a
more diverse idea of African Americans that has always been there and even
apparent in the somewhat mainstream media will become more prominent. This includes Gay Black Males and the return
of The Religious Left that Neo-Conservatism did its best to keep down for
decades. It will also make us realize
how it is time for both to take the next step forward. Our examples here are of franchises dealing
with each we have covered before. First,
there is the Cable TV series Noah’s Arc,
which we actually saw the second season of:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5431/Noah’s+Arc+–+The+Complete+Second
Then
there are the tales of Tyler Perry, many of the feature films we have covered,
as well as his stage plays where it all started:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6267/Tyler+Perry+–+The+Plays+(DVD+Set
Both are
back and have new DVD releases to contend with.
Noah’s Ark – Jumping The
Broomstick (2008) by its very title equates Gay Male union with literally
the oppression of slavery, though nothing seems to be stopping these guys from
sleeping together. The series was never
that good and dates quickly for what little about it did work, yet that is how
limited Gay Black Males are in the media. With Obama not for Gay Marriage, the title
will have new resonance, but the telefilm follow-up to the first two seasons
(with no third season in sight) is not the step forward it should be. Add the flat script and lack of energy and
you get a fans-only release.
Despite
his work in the upcoming (and delayed) Star
Trek revival, Tyler Perry continues his safe storytelling, effective as it
is with a new play and theatrical feature release. The play (unlike his feature films) once
again has Musical elements and once again, heterosexual relationships, as well
as family life, are in jeopardy because of a lack of moral center. Only faith can save the day in The Marriage Counselor and Perry is one
of the only people around today who knows how to make this kind of melodrama
work. He also knows how to pick the best
actors/singers to pull it off.
With more
money, he gets her gets Alfie Woodard, Kathy Bates, Sanaa Lathan, Cole Hauser,
Robin Givens and more talented actors for The
Family That Preys, a decent film that did not do as well as his usual
theatrical box office has done lately, but is as well-rounded as previous
releases. Here, Bates and Woodard are
best friends, with Bates having money and Woodard not. That turns out to make little difference when
everything starts getting ugly on both sides, making for melodramatic turning
points of the like only Perry would do today.
As with the play, the performances boost things when the material
becomes formulaic or predictable.
The play
is at 1.33 X 1, while the other two programs are anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X
1 and all are equally soft, though the videotaped play has the best color! In the other cases, color can be weak and
depth is not what it should be. The two
Perry productions have Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes that are laid back and not bad,
but not great either, while all have Dolby 2.0 Stereo with limited surround
information. These are in line with all
the previous DVD releases in their respective franchises. That leaves extras, which all have, including
cast interviews on Marriage, deleted
scenes on the other discs, cast photo shoot, director diaries and wedding video
on Noah and four-part making of
featurette on Family.
If these
franchises continue, we’ll see if they reflect the changes that are about to
happen.
- Nicholas Sheffo
