Make a difference in 2012 in promoting good films about African Americans , especially one that tells and "untold story".
George Lucas has two more films to complete this one.
A prequel and sequel, This is just the "middle" of the story.
See ya There!!!
"Red Tails" memorializes Tuskegee Airmen, Arizona war hero
SUN CITY, Ariz. -- An Arizona war hero who broke racial boundaries during World War II will be honored this Martin Luther King Day weekend, and in a new feature film.
Retired Lt. Col. Bob Ashby was consultant on the new George Lucas film, "Red Tails," which tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the U.S. Army Air Corps first African American squadron.
"Within a short period of time, we're going to be gone," Ashby said from his Sun City West home.
Now 85, Ashby learned to fly fighter planes before he learned how to drive a car. He and others fought to become the Tuskegee Airmen in the mid- 1940's.
"They assumed the program would fail. That was our incentive as cadets, to make sure the program did not fail," Ashby said.
The Tuskegee Airmen earned a nearly perfect safety record, but struggled to integrate. Lt. Col. Ashby's first mission was with an unwelcoming all- white unit in occupied Japan.
"They took one look at me and told me to go back to the barracks...because I was black."
Ashby stuck with the military, and spent decades flying after the war. He was a commercial pilot with United Airlines, and then became the first black pilot for Frontier Airlines.
Today, his work centers around preserving the Tuskegee legacy. Several of the Airmen consulted on the George Lucas film "Red Tails," due in
theaters January 20th. It chronicles the struggles and accomplishments of the Airmen in a time of war and racial segregation.
"I'm eager to see it, but concerned that they really show how we accomplished things and how we affected the country," said Ashby, who hopes audiences are wowed by both the special effects and the history.
President Obama and the first lady will be among those viewing "Red Tails" this weekend. The first couple will host surviving members of the
Tuskegee Airmen along with members of the movie's cast and crew for a private screening at the White House
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Red Tails Movie Trailer 2011 - Official - George Lucas
The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II. In 1944, As the war in Europe
continues to take its toll on Allied forces, the Pentagon brass has no recourse but to consider unorthodox options - including the untried and untested African-American pilots of the experimental Tuskegee training program. Just as the young Tuskegee men are on the brink of being shut down and shipped back home, they are given the ultimate chance to show their courage. Against all the odds, with something to prove and everything to lose, these intrepid young airmen take to the skies to fight for their country - and the fate of the free world. Red Tails Movie Trailer 2011 presented in full 1080p HD high resolution.
Red Tail Movie release date: 20 January, 2012
Red Tails Movie Trailer 2011 - Official Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama Cast: Bryan Cranston, Cuba Gooding Jr, Terrence Howard Directors: Anthony Hemingway Writer: George Lucas, John Ridley
Red Tails Movie Trailer 2011, courtesy LucasFilm/20th Century Fox.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, “Red Tails” did far better than expected (by the Hollywood establishment that is.)
In its opening weekend “Red Tails” brought in $19.1 million for a solid number 2 placing at the box office behind “Underworld Awakening” with $25.4
million.
The back story behind “Red Tails” is that Producer George Lucas spent 20 years pursuing the project, and recently revealed he couldn’t get any
studio to finance the film because of an all-black cast. He finally decided to put up the money himself, and spent $58 million on the production budget
and another $35 in distribution costs
Red Tails did well throughout the country and across all demos, although theaters in African-American markets did especially well. The top grossing
theaters were in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta. Males made up 51 percent of the audience, while 66 percent were over the age of 25. Red Tails
was soft in Canada, where black-themed movies often underperform.
"Red Tails" flew into theaters on Friday, as the George Lucas-produced film about the Tuskegee Airmen earned $6 million at the box office.
The film earned an A CinemaScore from moviegoers, and was buoyed by a enthusiastic African-American support that included communities
sending busloads of eager viewers to theaters. It received a screening at the White House, with the director, Anthony Hemingway, and a cast that
included Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr., presenting the film for President Obama; and was screened at an event that honored the real life
Tuskegee Airmen, the crew of all-black World War II pilots.
Also drawing publicity for the film was Lucas's appearance on "The Daily Show," in which he told Jon Stewart that Hollywood studios were unwilling
to finance a war picture with an all-black cast. He financed the film entirely on his own, putting nearly $100 million into production and marketing.
The film has been called by many as crucial to the future of black filmmaking -- Tyler Perry has said that all-black casts are on the verge of extinction
-- and if it succeeds at the box office, Lucas believes that it will help black filmmakers get the green light on their pictures more easily. He also told
the New York Times in a recent profile that the movie was important for its celebration of black history, and that it served to give African American
filmgoers heroes like those that were portrayed in mostly white WWII movies.
"They have a right to have their history just like anybody else does," Lucas said. "And they have a right to have it kind of Hollywood-ized and
aggrandized and made corny and wonderful just like anybody else does. Even if that's not the fashion right now."
