#ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH CAROLINA SMITH MOVIE#

However, I noticed that he played a lot of black character roles and he played some non-black roles. Only hopeful determination.Has anyone ever met him in real life and interacted with him?ĭon't get me wrong, he is a phenomenal actor! This film, however, refrains from giving us an ending that is either happy or heartbreaking. And films about young men escaping gangs inevitably feature tragedy.

#ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH CAROLINA SMITH MOVIE#

Twenty-five years later, in 'In the Hive,' however, the challenge his protagonist faces is between maintaining his ties with harmful family elements and becoming a man of his own.įor every movie dedicated to showing the struggles of courage and transformation, maybe fifty of them depict the cathartic pleasure of revenge and anger. He burst on the scene in 1987 with ' Hollywood Shuffle,' a broad satirical comedy about a man who considers selling out his family and honor for a Hollywood spotlight. Townsend is a familiar name, though his star has been shining mostly on the periphery of the Hollywood mainstream. He is a muscular, smiling, whispering prisoner, and in their brief scenes together Xtra becomes such a little boy hoping for his father's validation. He softens his anger.īut he still has trouble making peace with his father (Roger Guenveur Smith), who is very intimidating in the few minutes we see him. As he transforms, his girlfriend resists, choosing gang life over his emerging consciousness. It's not easy for him to escape the clutches of his previous life. If Xtra sees himself as an unstoppable force, then the Hive - or, rather, Mrs. But this film focuses on Xtra's plight, not on any advertisements for the school. I suspect this would have made a compelling thread, that is only hinted upon here. The Internet tells me that Vivian Saunders is the Hive's real-life Executive Director (and Cook), who realized that even the nurturing and diploma are not enough: students need expertise in technology to have a future in today's economy. When necessary, she brings home groceries for the students. She runs the Hive mostly from the kitchen, happily cooking meals from morning into night. Inez (played with love by Loretta Devine). The Queen Bee, nurturing all the growing Worker Bees, is Mrs. But regardless of the message, Duncan commands our attention in a way he rarely had the chance to in his career. It feels as though Townsend is pontificating, but it had me thinking about the plight of young African-American, in contrast to two decades ago (when we first discovered Townsend). The rest will murder, get murdered, or drop out. In one scene he presents his students with the cold reality that, statistically speaking, only one (or half of one) of them will succeed in life. He is the fearless father to these young men, giving them their doses of confidence, discipline, and tenderness. Hollis ( Michael Clarke Duncan in one of his final roles). She finds herself resorting to some feelings of prejudice, and we know that one side or the other will win: Either her compassion for her students will prevail, or she will flee back to the shelter of her trust fund.Ī stronger presence is Mr. Her idealistic liberal beliefs are tested by her vulnerability in the classroom. Parker ( Ali Liebert) is a hesitant new English teacher, far removed from her upper-class comforts. But as a new student in the Hive, he's trained (against his will) to drop the illusions of toughness and become a man.

Roger guenveur smith carolina smith