Moguldom Studios

In a relatively short amount of time, Moguldom Studios has built up a diverse stable of bite-size documentaries that focus on contemporary African American life. Some would say these independent “docutainment” films are limiting themselves to a niche audience, but I appreciate them for tackling well-worn topics from a different cultural perspective. When the Checks Stop Coming In is easily the best out of the recent trio of Moguldom offerings I’ve gotten a chance to review. The film understands that going broke is not a problem unique to the African American community, but is insightful enough to show some of the factors that uniquely affect that segment of the population.

When the Checks Stop Coming In focuses on black celebrities while conceding that plenty of rich famous white people (Gary Busey, Tori Spelling, The Osbournes) squander their fortunes. We get some quick clips and a rundown of athletes (Dennis Rodman, Warren Sapp, Allen Iverson) and entertainers (50 Cent, Lionel Ritchie, MC Hammer) whose financial troubles have been well documented. The doc spends a little extra time on a few of those more famous names, including soundbites from singer Toni Braxton (apparently the various people who tended to her were better compensated) former NBA star Antoine Walker (he advises active athletes to wait until they’re retired or not as busy to invest money), and Mike Tyson (if he ever shares the same space with Don King again, I don’t imagine it would end well for Don King).

In a relatively short amount of time, Moguldom Studios has built up a diverse stable of bite-size documentaries that focus on contemporary African American life. Some would say these independent “docutainment” films are limiting themselves to a niche audience, but I appreciate them for tackling well-worn topics from a different cultural perspective. Knifed Up is one of two largely superficial plastic surgery docs released by the production company this week. The film’s subtitle is The Evolution of Cosmetic Surgery, so it operates from the premise that women have gone from wanting to look like Barbie to wanting to look like Nicki Minaj or a Kardashian.

Of course, what that really means is that physical features more closely associated with African American women — fuller hips, bigger busts/butts — have become more desirable in recent years. Knifed Up reveals that white people still account for 70 percent of plastic surgeries, but the number of black people opting to get cosmetic work is absolutely on the rise.

In a relatively short amount of time, Moguldom Studios has built up a diverse stable of bite-size documentaries that focus on contemporary African American life. Some would say these independent “docutainment” films are limiting themselves to a niche audience, but I appreciate them for tackling well-worn topics from a different cultural perspective. Bottoms Up: Rise of the Backside is one of two largely superficial plastic surgery docs released by the production company this week. The cheeky (ha!) title was my first clue that this wouldn’t be a totally serious examination of the subject.

“Ass opens doors…literally.”

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I sat down to watch The Swirl. I didn’t need urban dictionary or the comically on-the-nose tagline on the DVD cover to tell me the film would be exploring the world of interracial dating, with a strong emphasis on the relationships between African Americans and Caucasians. But I assumed I’d be watching some no-budget melodrama that would (at best) be good for some unintentional laughs. Instead, The Swirl set out to be funny on purpose.

Turns out The Swirl is a “documentary” that curiously blends man-on-the-street interviews, movie clips, polling data, and wisecracks from a handful of comedians. It’s a lot to pack into the movie’s slim 45-minute running time, which is why there’s a fairly extensive amount of bonus material included on this DVD. (In fact, some of the absolute funniest riffs from comics like Rodney Perry and Reggie Jackson are relegated to the special features because there’s no time for them in the feature presentation.)