Tyler Perry

CHICAGO – The Tyler Perry empire rolls on, with a new show called “For Better or Worse” premiering November 25th on TBS. The series is based on two films Perry produced, “Why Did I Get Married?” and “Why Did I Get Married Too?” and focuses on characters played in both films by Tasha Smith and Michael Jai White.

CHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the special sneak screening of the premiere episode of the new romantic comedy series “Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse” on TBS!

CHICAGO – Tyler Perry must have a bit of internal conflict. On one hand, he gets critically slammed for films that display little creative effort at all like “Madea Goes to Jail” or “Why Did I Get Married Too?” but those movies make money. Then he tries to do something clearly considered artistic with his adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,” now truncated to simply “For Colored Girls” and recently available on Blu-ray and DVD, and it makes less than most of the films he’s directed.

CHICAGO – Some studios slowly roll their catalog films out to Blu-ray as directors or actors release new films with which to tie-in but Lionsgate has decided that holiday season 2010 is the time to import most of Tyler Perry’s films to the HD format just as his “For Colored Girls” is turning out to be a critical and commercial disappointment.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” was a landmark event in 1974, giving voice to a segment of society rarely seen on the stage. It took 34 years for a filmmaker to tackle this remarkable work in film form and Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” retains some of the inherent power of it source and features some strong performances in the process but never finds the narrative cohesion needed to translate it to modern movie audiences.

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From left to right: Anika Noni Rose (as Yasmine), Kerry Washington (as Kelly), Janet Jackson (as Jo), Kimberly Elise (as Crystal), Phylicia Rashad (as Gilda), Loretta Devine (as Juanita), Tessa Thompson (as Nyla) and Thandie Newton (as Tangie).

CHICAGO – This 19-image slideshow contains all of the official press images for the highly-anticipated “For Colored Girls,” starring Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Michael Ealy, Kimberly Elise, Omari Hardwick, Hill Harper, Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Tessa Thompson, Kerry Washington, and Whoopi Goldberg. The film was written and directed by Tyler Perry. It will be released on November 5th, 2010.

CHICAGO – The expansive and intuitive prose poetry of Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” comes to life in Tyler Perry’s film adaptation “For Colored Girls.” Thandie Newton portrays Tangie (color Orange) and saturates the character with a precise truth.

CHICAGO – Tyler Perry’s films have been steadily improving but the ones that work still rely heavily on their leading ladies – for example, Taraji P. Henson in “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” and Angela Bassett in “Meet the Browns.” The quartet of women in “Why Did I Get Married Too?” can’t elevate the substandard writing and cheap cliche in the same way and the dramedy ends up one of Perry’s worst in years.

CHICAGO – Tyler Perry has made a fortune with films that play off easy comedy and obvious moral messages. He weaves common themes into modern entertainment that usually connects with audiences but not critics. Usually. Perry’s “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” surprised many of the critics who sought it out, displaying a new confidence in Perry’s direction, only held back by minor flaws that viewers will easily overlook on the home market.

CHICAGO – One of the most talked about films this year is the Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey backed “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.” Essential to the film is Gabourey Sidibe, who plays the title character of Precious.