Word came across the basement wire about a new holiday movie featuring a southside ensemble cast that looks off the hook. Now I'm not saying it will be a four Spinner joint but the thing I like about 'This Christmas' is that it can feature a southside ensemble cast and not be about barber shops, beauty shops, gold hearted thugs trying to reunite with their kidz, coal hearted thugs trying to make another dollar (American Gangster not withstanding - anything with Denzel is normally top shelf, y'all...), Soul Planes, Snakes on Planes, Booty Calls, Pootie Tangs or any other nonsense that leaves the impression that southsiders are knuckleheads. This joint - at least from the trailer (since Sony Pictures wouldn't accept my library card as a press pass with their tight azzes...) - looks like a normal comedy drama about a normal southside family coming together at Christmas and experiencing all the normal interactions families have when they get together for occasions. Excuse me while I say 'Ahhhhhhhhhhh' cuz that, basement dwellers, is pretty damn refreshing...
The cast is looking tight starting with my homegirl little Brenda Jenkens from 227. Regina King, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated actresses out there. From her joint as Rod Tidwell's wife in Jerry McGuire to her off the hook performance as Margie Hendricks in Ray, to her voice work on The Boondocks animated series. Granted, she has a tendency to shoot low on some scripts - like 'Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous' but as Malone Zone readers Ms. Go and Debo Blue pointed out on my Cuba Gooding, Jr. post, Tinseltown's not too kind to southside actors and Regina's got a mortgage to pay.I also like chilly Delroy Lindo as I can say I've liked that brother in everything I've seen him in and Idris Elba is starting to make an impression on me since I caught him in Tyler Perry's 'Daddy's Little Girls'. He was a little weak in 28 Days Later but I see homeboy's got four films lined up for 2008-2009 so his agent is gettin' happy and ol boy's about to drop in the much anticipated American Gangster dropping on Friday.
I see the casting director also raided the cast of Stomp The Yard by also casting Chris Brown, Columbus Short and Laz Alonzo in this joint (dang - how'd Harry Lennix and Meagan Good get left out!?). Speaking of happy agents, I'm liking Chris Brown's acting game as well. That brother's got a ton of talent and charisma.Now one sister I can do less of seeing is Loretta Devine. I'm not appreciating how she treated a brother on her role in Gray's Anatomy
and I'm having trouble separating actress from character on that one y'all. In my peep of the movie trailer it looks to me like she's bringing that same one trick character along to her role of family matriarch Ma Dear (and she even stole that name from my boy Cat Daddy's Grandmama!). The other shortys in the movie look ready and able to stand in Regina's shadow and keep the homeboys minds off of Ma Dear.I'm looking forward to checking this joint out and gettin' into the Christmas spirit. If any of y'all check it out, holler back and let ol Ty know your thoughts!
Peace@Least,
Tyrone
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