"Sparkle" Movie Meetup and Review

• OPENING WEEKEND Friday, August 17, 2012 
  
  

  

  Tristar Pictures presents "SPARKLE", a 1970s classic remake loosely based on the 1950s grammy-nominated singing group “The Supremes” and their coming-of-age musical life with Motown, America’s 3rd African-American owned and operated record label. "SPARKLE" stars the late-great Whitney Houston in her sparkling finale singing and acting performance as the mother and strict disciplinarian to three pretty daughters that can really saaaaaaang. Their talent blossoms as the three sultry sisters start showcasing their musical talent on the local club scene where they meet one of their biggest fan’s (played by Derek Luke, “Antwone Fisher”) and a fast-talking hustler who poses (played by Mike Epps “Jumping the Broom” ) a triple threat to the new found famed sister singing group.
  [http://sparkle-movie.com/site/]
  

  

  It is with great pleasure that I make an effort to watch films the  opening weekend of their release. For this particular film I play film host for (SAACC) Southern Cal African American Cinema Connection (meetup.com), a savvy group of film lovers that meetup regularly to watch and critique a variety of black cast, directed and produced films. I challenged my film colleagues to pay homage to "Sparkle" by attending a Whitney Houston Karaoke Happy Hour commemoration, opening weekend at KDB Kitchen, Den and Bar  at Cinemark at the Pike in downtown Long Beach on August 17. This "Sparkle" remake shines! "Sparkle" is a coming-of-age young girl-to-womanhood film where one, many and all make wrong and right choices-good and bad decisions that are both embraced and regrettable. The idea of one following their own personal passions in contrast to just living in a box that society has predetermined is the eyebrow-raiser of "Sparkle." A slightly funny-almost tearjerker, yet not as gritty and edgy as the original movie, "Sparkle" captures and hones stylish glitz and glam cinematography with great ambiance. "Sparkle" is also a put-on-your-big-girl panties and show us what your made of film. I didn't expect it, but we also see some snapshots of that sexy-sultry attitudinizes from the sisters, (Jordin Sparks, Carmen Ejog, Tika Sumpter) that were depicted in the original ("Sparkle" 1976) from film sisters, Lonette McKee, Irene Cara and Dwan Smith. The backdrop of "Sparkle" is neat. The external and internal elements of this film: the house, the cars, the clubs, the people, the scene at the dinner table with Houston and Epps, the dressing room fiasco, all clean cut, much like the varied camera angles depicting some good close up shots that reel us in imagining that we're party participants as opposed to onlookers. Wardrobe was banging too, the cleanest and sexiest (sexy equating to confidence) in its subtlest form-classically and intricately woven threads befitting to the actors/actresses persona and roles.
  
  The music score was a HUGE part of the original movie, much because of iconic singers Aretha Franklin and Curtis Mayfield musical contributions to the film. I had a vivid flashback of songwriter/singer Betty Wright bellowing out one liners from her classic hit song, 'Tonight is the Night,' ..."I like the music!!!...and you know the melody is real nice, but I know you're not going to sing that song" were my thoughts as Ejog stood out in her teasingly-leazy portrayal of beautifully lip-syncing Aretha Franklin's 1976 classic 'Giving Him Something He Can Feel'. And we really feel the heart of the singing with Sparks's ending solo performance and of course the late Whitney Houston's vocals. Did we expect anything different? Not from Houston! (Muah)