Do you remember that scene in Ocean’s Eleven (2001) where Yen asks “Where the fuck you been?” after Danny and Linus took a mighty long time to open the casino vault? That summarizes my thoughts every time I stopped by here in the last few months.
For the Yen's among us, here’s a summary of what’s been happening around the Madlab universe this summer.
I moved into a workspace where I’m building a film studio that will operate as an exhibition space for short films, production house to produce television programming for city dwellers and overall headquarters to support my work in the arts as well as works by other independent media creators. The short film Abyss: The Greatest Proposal Ever was also entered for consideration for two cable television awards, recognizing programs that resonate with a mission of promoting civic engagement on a local level, and democratic values through collaboration.
An attempt to see the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me led to me watching Transformers: The Last Knight instead (more details on that to follow) and I ended up going to see Girls Trip despite my lack of interest in this movie. Also, I plan to explain why STEP is a prime example of the best and worst aspects of modern-day cinema for young black girls.
What movies have YOU seen this summer?