Yup I said it ‘Red Tails’ = Trash, I walked into the movie theater wanting to love this movie but it was clearly evident within the 1st hour that it was not going to happen.  I am all for supporting Black films, but I am also about supporting GOOD Black films.

Black Cast + Black History DOES NOT automatically equal good movie!

It was as if they said, “OK we got a Black story, Black cast and that’s all we need!”.  The story seemed to have moments that just didn’t make a whole lot of sense and could have done without.  Also the story was chopped up and as one of my friends noted, it was as if the script required EVERY actor had to have some kind of speaking part.  This movie may have been better if they chopped it down from 2 hours to 90 minutes; maybe a little less Ne-Yo and his ridiculous character and more insight into what made the relationship between ‘Easy’ and ‘Lightning’ the way it was.

Also (without given away spoilers), how is it that Maurice’s scenes made the final cut????

I understand the difficulty “Black films” have being green-lighted in Hollywood, I just don’t see ‘Red Tails’ making it any easier.  In all honesty without the dog-fighting scenes ‘Red Tails’ is not that far from being one of Tyler Perry’s earlier movies.

From my understanding of the Tuskegee Airmen is that those men knew and understood the pressure of the situation they were in.  I am sure they had their moments of fun and joking around but I can’t believe what was depicted in ‘Red Tails’ is what really happened.

Courtland Milloy of the Washington Post wrote:

During a recent screening of the movie sponsored by the National Association of Black Journalists, I sat with Morris and several other Tuskegee Airmen. The men were pleased that the history of the black pilots, gunners and mechanics was getting so much attention, and they were grateful to Lucas for using $93 million of his own money to help bankroll the film.

Nevertheless, they saw little of themselves on the screen. Davis would not have tolerated the fist fights, aerial stunts, drunkenness and insubordination. For my money, Lucas could have depicted the pilots as they were — as distinctive as the squad led by Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan,” or the group of soldiers in the television series “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific.”

If folks want to see a GOOD movie about the Tuskegee Airmen they should checkout the HBO film ‘The Tuskegee Airmen’.  Now that was a movie that told a story and connected.  Cuba Gooding Jr was in both movies and I think even he knows which one was the better movie.

Thanks George Lucas, but ‘Red Tails’ could have been better!!!

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!