Coverage:

Like Spike Lee, director Matty Rich (Strait Out Of Brooklyn) has taken his new film in a new direction -- away from today's violence and controversy in favor of the '70s. Rich focuses on the ritzy resort island of Martha's Vineyard where rich blacks have fun in the sun at the famous Inkwell Beach. Unlike Spike Lee's Crooklyn, The Inkwell  has a plot and a point.      Drew Tate (Larenz Tate), is an inner-city kid whose having problems with his social life and his parents. His mother is dismayed because he seems different from other boys his age, and his father, an ex-Black Panther isn't happy with Drew's development into manhood, so they drag Drew off to spend two weeks with their wealthy and snooty relatives in Martha's Vineyard.      Rich has a knack of getting his audience caught up with his characters from beginning to end. He effectively uses '70's music in the background that people in their 30s and 40s will identify with as Drew discovers his sexuality and humanity. He also has effective dialogue between Drew and his friends and between Drew's militant father and his Republican brother-in-law-- it's totally authentic.