tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48954559309873464262024-02-19T06:38:07.153-06:00Fade To BlackThoughts on Black CinemaMicah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-83410088352607794232017-06-12T18:54:00.002-05:002017-06-12T18:54:59.518-05:00Faith and Film: Part II<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">There was something in seeing that <i>Black Panther</i> trailer that
caused a fire to rise up in me again. Something that made my eyes burn with
tears and heart swell with pride. Yeah, it could have been the Boseman-Coogler
combo or Angela Bassett giving us all of the life in the world for the 0.2
seconds she was on screen. But I think it’s deeper, bigger even. I’ll say
it again for the people in the back: representation is so important. If we stop
at visual images, the work is unfinished. We must create and demand thoughtful,
complex, and diverse representations of our Black spectrum. And something in me
believes that Black Panther is going to do that. It just has to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So what exactly does this have to do with faith? I’m glad you
asked, you committed and diligent reader, you! If you haven’t already <a href="http://fade2blk.blogspot.com/2017/06/faith-and-film-part-i.html" target="_blank">checked out Part I of this post</a>, you should do that. If you haven’t, shame on you! Pull the
lever, Kronk! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">There’s grace for that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Let’s recap: Genesis 1:27 says, <i>“… God
created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he
created them; male and female he created them.”</i> A new understanding of
this verse changed my entire perspective on who I am as a Christian and artist
(did you know you can be both? Wowza!) It’s good news; it’s gospel; it’s
something that everyone deserves to hear, experience, and believe. And with my
little camera and my hard drive full of scripts, that is exactly what I intend
to do. A nice little cycle, ain’t it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Art is a reflection of God The Creator. But you can’t just
make things in some big cosmic void...well, I mean you could, but I’m not. In
case you didn’t know, there's literally a Struggle happening and I don’t have
time for that. I have to approach this goal with intense specificity. That’s
where the “image” part of this scripture comes into play. What do those images
look like? Well, for me they're Black, Black, Black, oh so dark, and Black. Let
me explain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> Keep reading to verse 28 and you’ll find this: <i>“God
blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in
number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the
sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the
ground.’”</i> Scholars call this the C<i>ultural Mandate</i>, meaning that from the
beginning, God intended for the earth to be filled with people, whom he loves
and values. I’m no biologist, but because of things like climate and geography,
in order for humans to survive, different types of people with different traits
and practices had to develop over time. As a result, a diversity of
cultures was born. Ta da. This wasn’t an accident; God knew that this was going
to happen. Culture is a part of God’s plan--Blackness is a part of God’s plan.
(How’s that for a Sunday School Lesson?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Black people are made in the image of God. But how many of us
live like that’s the truth? Some people don’t even know that it is. And I mean,
how can we blame them? In textbooks our history starts with “yessuh massa,”
moves to “We Shall Overcome” brought to you in part by your local white savior,
and ends somewhere around Regan telling us to “just say no.” We are
intentionally conditioned to believe that we are inferior. America and much of
the Western world was built on this principle and on the backs of African
peoples. If you think something’s racist 9/10 times (let’s be real, 15/10
times) it is. (Oh. You didn’t know I was a conspiracy theorist? Well now you
know. The Lord is working on me). This system THRIVES on the subservience of
our people and the media only fuels that. I don’t know about you, but I don’t
think that lines up with who God told us we were in Genesis. He made us
fearfully, wonderfully, and on purpose. We’re so much more than this world
would lead us to believe, y’all. We are dancers, doctors, lovers, poets,
philosophers, fathers, freedom fighters—we bear the image of God in so many
beautiful and diverse ways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Art, films in my case, help to remind us of this holy truth.
Disagree with me if you want, but I really believe that thoughtful depictions
of our people help to carry out God’s plan. So, that’s what I am trying to do,
create deeper, wider, and more thoughtful depictions of Black people and Black
experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I found that who I am as a Christian, artist, and Black woman
only makes sense in the Kingdom of God. Like I said before, I didn’t always
know that. It's been a journey, especially over the past three years. A real
turning point came for me in an unlikely package, the most sincere
blond-haired, blue-eyed white guy that you will ever meet. After seeing a play
that I produced and directed that basically digs into what it means to be Black
(<i>Black Monologues</i> stand up!), he wrote a letter to the cast and me explaining
how he saw God and His glory through the work. I love the writing, directing,
and bonding that goes into creating this production. But that’s all I ever
wanted—for people to see God and know Jesus. Thanks, Bradford. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I’m gonna keep listening to God, but for now, I think that
I'm supposed remind my people that we are made in God’s image through art. If
I’m being honest, I don’t think that this message only has to be carried out
through super Christian-y, churchy, worshipful-looking films. I find this
message in <i>Selma, <a href="http://fade2blk.blogspot.com/2015/06/i-cried-dark-tears-fruitvale-station.html" target="_blank">Fruitvale Station</a>, Daddy’s Little Girls, and even in Do The
Right Thing</i>. The list goes on and I’m trying to write the next one. One day. In
His timing. God will create the image that he wants to see. He will equip me
with words and characters that reflect the breadth of his being. I am committed
to making art for, by, and about my people, not independently, but completely
dependent on God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-6703033147275557772017-06-10T19:36:00.000-05:002017-06-10T19:36:51.546-05:00Faith and Film: Part I<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be about another Woman Thou
Art Loosed sequel or a remake of God’s Not Dead, featuring Amadla Stenberg
(Please no. Never.) But you will have to endure a dramatic opening story.
You’ll be fine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> When I was headed to college, I had an interview with a
local scholarship committee (no, I will not give you the tea.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During that interview, one of the committee
members asked me what I wanted to do with my degree (because that happens
literally every time I tell someone my majors). I told her that I wanted to be
a screenwriter. Her response: “Well, that’s no career for a Christian girl.”
**Diane from Blackish gasp** As much as I wanted to have some quick-witted and
effortlessly shady response, I just didn’t have one. I was “shook,” as the
young folks say. So this dream isn’t part of God’s plan? God’s kingdom and
Hollywood could never collide? Okay. I’m done with the metaphors—but I’m taking
notes for my auto-biopic, so can y’all just let me be extra? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNX1XUEY8RjUhZDE9HwyoeaG_ZVgVQlzCBOhZy9j64kg-6LoVLNkx26ciHqi8v305pUA2qo7DChXUn0X1w4vWaIEw0ZU-194_D8kr2nF08zLMKd6VBxTo1D_n9yFDjphKk4adndcarvQ/s1600/Faith+and+Film+Pt.+1+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNX1XUEY8RjUhZDE9HwyoeaG_ZVgVQlzCBOhZy9j64kg-6LoVLNkx26ciHqi8v305pUA2qo7DChXUn0X1w4vWaIEw0ZU-194_D8kr2nF08zLMKd6VBxTo1D_n9yFDjphKk4adndcarvQ/s320/Faith+and+Film+Pt.+1+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Fast forward to my first year of college. I was going to
church regularly, taking theater class, and studying and protesting for my
people. Sounds good, right? All of these things are great, but not when the
things that you love require you to exist as three different people. Making
art, being a Black woman, and being a Christian were three very separate
identities for me. I didn’t see how all of these things could fit together in
one person. That’s tiring. That’s toxic. That’s like a never ending cycle of
Comedy-of-Errors-esq quick changes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">It wasn’t until I became involved with my campus ministry and
was challenged to take ownership of my faith that who I was, who I was
becoming, started to make sense to me. I had to backtrack all the way to
passages in Genesis to be reminded of who God already told me I was from the jump.
"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of
God he created them; </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12pt;">Male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27. I
realized that I’d glazed over what would become the foundational scripture for
my artistic practice. As a filmmaker/playwright/person who makes things,
I literally have an opportunity to show the world a part of who God is. This is
a way to carry out His plan. Creation is a direct reflection of the Creator. I
am out here trying to write worlds into existence. God already did that and all
he had to do was say it. Boss. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOR02hTnIeTKOJeO3Cl4C0hRiMw-QrqQqMztkxqyr9qZ8ChY3fGXaaP_Wzxu3MAtKGFW2vGVwTMW4MoBFTqZfFSEDHnPQMlfKd8fzKqpFe4W-cJf5NF1ohq05qwLsu455i9ILmpfD1rQ/s1600/16789641_369947720058860_398202386700566528_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOR02hTnIeTKOJeO3Cl4C0hRiMw-QrqQqMztkxqyr9qZ8ChY3fGXaaP_Wzxu3MAtKGFW2vGVwTMW4MoBFTqZfFSEDHnPQMlfKd8fzKqpFe4W-cJf5NF1ohq05qwLsu455i9ILmpfD1rQ/s320/16789641_369947720058860_398202386700566528_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So how do I put this into practice? Where could I exercise
this renewed faith practically? It really hit me during my first cinematography
class. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I love theatre with my entire heart and soul, every fiber of
my being, yada yada yada. I really do. Here’s the thing: theatre is
immediate—it is in the moment, it is live. I think that that immediacy is where
a lot of its power lies. Reality and imagination are playing out in real time
and you can’t escape. Coming of age in a town of thespians, this became my
life. This is where I was rooted and started to find my way as an artist. Sure,
as a playwright I’ve gotta wait sometimes to actually hear my words out loud,
but after a reading, I’m able to get a pretty good idea of what is and isn’t
going to work and can going from there. I get quick affirmation. The immediacy
is comfortable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So while theatre is a place of safety, film is an exercise of
faith for me, in both big and small ways. In my cinematography class (read:
cult) we shoot 16mm film on Bolexes. Translation: we make movies out of old-fashioned
film with even more old-fashioned cameras. You load the film into the camera
and follow a lot of very particular steps to make sure that you’re letting the
right amount of light into the camera and that the image is in focus. The
point of this is to make sure that your film is exposed properly. See, unlike
digital cameras, there’s no LCD screen showing you what you’re shooting. The
viewfinder isn’t even reliable. You have to carefully follow all of the steps
and make creative decisions without even knowing what your footage is going to
look like until you’ve spent seventy bucks getting it processed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiym3ykJhA7B6g-I08BcLDW9Qb0E2Oa61H6EkN91G1lSvfsXBi3-DnLQl8eqLgPpHASznnNb_IP73aEmCVmOgQTWCv7Aps_3VLe8pwvWa1gUkCKE-CCeyogboiOzFBPDfTn9KzDuyFmInA/s1600/14704967_332408660454254_1860280791234248704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiym3ykJhA7B6g-I08BcLDW9Qb0E2Oa61H6EkN91G1lSvfsXBi3-DnLQl8eqLgPpHASznnNb_IP73aEmCVmOgQTWCv7Aps_3VLe8pwvWa1gUkCKE-CCeyogboiOzFBPDfTn9KzDuyFmInA/s320/14704967_332408660454254_1860280791234248704_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Do you see where I’m going with this? If shooting film isn’t
an exercise of faith, I don’t know what is. As I grow as a filmmaker I am
continually repeating this practice, drilling this discipline into my brain,
and more importantly, into my heart. There is so much room for error in
shooting film, leaving even more room for anxiety and worry. But wait! There’s
a scripture for that, too: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in
every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians
4:6-7. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfighlzmzn-DoP8dLLKNA5MTgpuqcuTdaPQ0H9HRDiID4FQr5eSO2-5Yx67TlUj1mIdur7WheS3jMIwN3BhCkwE_z03E7GnTRXVTNT2_GFQHPxbHPcqbNdRabFmGBFdJTs7gqF2IoskQs/s1600/14134745_1805557586358222_967457171_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfighlzmzn-DoP8dLLKNA5MTgpuqcuTdaPQ0H9HRDiID4FQr5eSO2-5Yx67TlUj1mIdur7WheS3jMIwN3BhCkwE_z03E7GnTRXVTNT2_GFQHPxbHPcqbNdRabFmGBFdJTs7gqF2IoskQs/s320/14134745_1805557586358222_967457171_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This doesn’t stop at cameras for me. It’s in writing, it’s in
editing, it’s in showing my work. Bigger picture: I am entering a field that
doesn’t provide newcomers with a clearly charted path (other than being a
sits-in-coffee-shops-with-Celtx-open-cliché. I do that SO well.) I know what I
want to become, but how do I get there? Making sure that I cross my i’s and dot
my t’s is a part of the process, but if I stop there, then that’s reliance on
self. I’ve gotta add active faith to the mix—doing my very best and trusting
that God will take it from there. If you don’t know Christ, I know that sounds
completely insane, passive even. But if you’d let me, I want to introduce you
to the God that makes art. He changes my life every single day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So, I guess you can call this a testimony. And if it is, it’s
the kind that I like to hear. The one’s that say the Lord is lit, but he isn’t
done. We’re still plugging away together. Yes, I’m putting in the work, but
honestly I don’t know what comes next. I’m learning (asterisks, star,
underline!) to be okay with that. What I do know is that I dream of being a
filmmaker and that I’m lucky enough to know a God who is bigger than those
dreams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-zalYZAHrHGGuRKJoovF7JL4iNFlKzJixAHshzeo_pb4iO59HBRflEqI880eJ_mdXecPSyfc9BEVXNDfTDh3OSCBwlLiYf9hqW0X2X6fYf676ADGeEcqQw1aYWRGVRGhHylb8wGW14Q/s1600/14487223_203015923489598_7266618592160907264_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-zalYZAHrHGGuRKJoovF7JL4iNFlKzJixAHshzeo_pb4iO59HBRflEqI880eJ_mdXecPSyfc9BEVXNDfTDh3OSCBwlLiYf9hqW0X2X6fYf676ADGeEcqQw1aYWRGVRGhHylb8wGW14Q/s320/14487223_203015923489598_7266618592160907264_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Honestly, name a better “career for a Christian girl.” I’ll
wait. Actually, no I won’t, because I’m not trying to become a Grace Greenleaf
preacher. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">P.S. This covers the Christian and artists parts of my once
multiple personality triangle. Stay tuned for the Black part…my favorite part
of any cast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-48203967839101573222016-09-16T12:44:00.000-05:002016-09-16T12:44:04.352-05:00Ride On (Get On The Bus, 1996)<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So I’m taking this class called “Wake Up!: The Films of Spike
Lee.” Both African-American Studies and film theory? Sounds lit, right? Wrong.
It is <i>thoroughly</i> lit. On the first day I had one of those moments where you sit
back and think, “Yeah…this is what I wanna do.” Say what you will, but I am
perfectly fine basking in my corny glory. So far, we’ve watched <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">She’s Gotta</i> Have It, Joe’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bed-Stuy Barber Shop, Do The Right Thing</i>
and, if you haven’t already figured it out from the title, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Get On The Bus</i>.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5J-yHkNPwdjmtesT7Ff6e5_xMjoTaee-X1Tl-iYu_nCSZXB6WGpI20Xdum_UX5U_eZcEulTCMAsBulLxAT2cof46O_v3q-qUb81ywzxhgULTINKIyA3fQ2isvivxA6zMx8xRici-UG8/s1600/Get+On+The+Bus+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5J-yHkNPwdjmtesT7Ff6e5_xMjoTaee-X1Tl-iYu_nCSZXB6WGpI20Xdum_UX5U_eZcEulTCMAsBulLxAT2cof46O_v3q-qUb81ywzxhgULTINKIyA3fQ2isvivxA6zMx8xRici-UG8/s1600/Get+On+The+Bus+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of imdb.com)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I definitely went into this film with a high intellectual expectation, partly because I’m trying to stay woke (both
literally and figuratively—this was another 8am dining hall experience), partly
because I have a certain expectation from Lee’s films, and partly because I
feel like the subject of the Million Man March shouldn’t be approached lightly.
This film was made soon after the event took place, so the idea of criticism
must have been very real. This was a direct response to a political moment—Lee
and Bythewood must have been trying to say something! So what were they saying?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Well, before I get to class, I’ll throw some of my own
thoughts out there:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This film was beautiful; it was complex; it was funny. It was
a classic road-film that pulled at heartstrings, but at the same time required
me to remain alert and be intellectually engaged. Get on the Bus is collage of
Black men with diverse histories, outlooks, and personalities, all going
towards (arguably) the same goal—they were traveling to the 1995 Million Man
March in Washington, DC from Los Angeles…on a bus—the themes of continuity,
moving forward, and togetherness are screaming at you. The tradition of
African-American migration narratives is loudly whispering. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">What surprised me about this film was its strong focus on
Christianity, especially by the end of it. With such a diverse (or seemingly
diverse by some perspectives) group of characters, I didn’t expect for there to
be a strong moral or religious leaning in one particular direction, especially
not Christianity, considering the Million Man March was a Nation of Islam
initiative. As just a film viewer (scholar? can I call myself that?) the choice
seemed a bit odd in conjunction with the “everyone’s voice is important except
Black Republican car dealers” leanings of the film. But as a Black Christian
film viewer, I found it to be a really nice interpretation of God as a solution
to the problem. Let’s be honest, Christian films tend to just not be that
great. You were thinking it; I said it. You’re welcome. So I loved seeing a
Christian worldview smoothly integrated into the plot, especially through
character development. It wasn’t corny or condemning—it was rich and subtle at
the same time. However, that subtlety came to a halt when I heard Kirk
Franklin’s “My Life is in Your Hands” over the credits. Nostalgia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> I also don’t think that it tried too hard to discuss
this Christian perspective. It presented God as a solution to the many problems
presented over the course of the film. To be fair, Ossie Davis’ voice can make
anything sound like it’s the right answer. Well played, Spike. Well played.
With that said, the Christian undertones didn’t seem to be dismissive. A lot of
perspectives were presented and validated over the 3,000-mile road trip. I
think that the prayer at the end was meant to unify the brothers both in form
and in the context of the story itself. But in order for that to be an
effective story device, the characters and all of their beliefs, quirks, and
mistakes have to be presented as things that are worth unifying. Even Robert
Guevere Smith’s character, who I’m till salty about. So it seems to me that the
intention behind the use of Christianity might have pointed more towards the
idea of the Black Church being a longstanding pillar in the African-American
community through slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and beyond, than towards
it being the “right answer.” But I can dig both potential intentions, so I’ll
just end this paragraph with an amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of movieforums.com)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I wasn’t really bothered by the absence of Black women in
this film until Black women appeared on the screen. Kudos to the filmmakers for
addressing questions about women’s roles in the Movement. But dang, did you
really have to reduce our views and contributions to a rest stop. Really? It’s
not like we haven’t been holding down the fort for oh, I don’t know, the last
century. This film would have benefited from just being what it was—an
exploration of the Black man and his role in our community and struggle for
freedom. It tried to be a coverall and failed. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even
been mad if we never saw a woman in the entire film. I’m a big believer in
letting a story be what it is. When you write a thesis (y’all can get a head
start on praying for my fourth year), you pick a very specific subject and
explore that subject in depth with strict focus. The same idea applies here.
This is like inserting Bugs Bunny into an episode of the Proud Family. I do
also think that these and other flaws allow us to retrospectively examine the
mindset of thinkers during this moment. Although annoying, maybe this is a
learning opportunity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Visually, Get on the Bus was beautiful and very telling. The
film made use of different mediums, creating a collage that was distinctly Lee
and pushed viewers to consider what we are viewing beyond the scope of the
story itself. For example, there were moments that pointed to cinéma vérité,
when Xavier was recording footage for his documentary. I think that emphasized
the reality and recentness of the Million Man March and allowed us to consider
the character’s statements in a more academic way, shedding light on ideas that
they expressed later in the film. We also saw a visual deviation from expected
color balances during a few times that the men were not on the bus—this scenes
were shot lake a western. This emphasized the idea of “man vs. environment.”
Even though most, if not all of these men didn’t grow up in the Wild West (insert Kansas joke here), we find that many of them are products of their
environments. I think that my favorite aspect of this film was the piecing
together of different color pallets and camera perspectives. We moved from
being a part of the story to being observers of the story constantly. That kept
me on my toes and directed me towards themes that I might otherwise have
missed. Also, I honestly just feel cooler when I watch films that look
experimental. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of moviepins.com)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The writing is really rich. The bickering and back and forth
between the passengers is witty and playful and realistic. At the same time,
Reggie Rock Bythewood was spitting bars every 2.4 seconds. He succeeded both in
form as a screenwriter and in thought as a Black intellectual. He was getting
his Langston Hughes and W.E.B. DuBois on at the same time (check out DuBois’
“Critera of Negro Art” and Hughes’ “The Negro Artist and The Racial Mountain,”
if you’re not sure what I’m talking about). Byethewood achieved what I hope to
achieve as an artist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This star-studded cast was enough to keep me interested.
Roger Guenever Smith, Bernie Mac, Hill Harper, Ossie Davis, and Stacy from The
Wood…whose real name is De’Aundre Bonds. You learn something new everyday. With
these and so many other great names and faces, the acting was able to support
the story. It was—what do the young people say?—on fleek. Can we please get a Black
male ensemble of this caliber sometime during this decade? Does Redtails count?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDOjYnTkeFlw-JwknlhvlPKoYKKe-b40CLK6GQQZlL6o7q6y2X2y7V7i8dZKcPZIYIsnTi58aWbTv1WTYKgLnGD44QZK3jA1k3YA3Aq-LeeXIFjbdTJdVwAPGU6oA3r-8EykkfdmEikk/s1600/Get+On+The+Bus+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDOjYnTkeFlw-JwknlhvlPKoYKKe-b40CLK6GQQZlL6o7q6y2X2y7V7i8dZKcPZIYIsnTi58aWbTv1WTYKgLnGD44QZK3jA1k3YA3Aq-LeeXIFjbdTJdVwAPGU6oA3r-8EykkfdmEikk/s320/Get+On+The+Bus+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of peachhut.be)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Like I mentioned before, I think that the fact that this film
was released exactly a year after the Million Man March is significant. Its existence
in a contemporary moment probably had an effect on the way that people viewed
and thought about the film. So I keep asking myself, what would a film like
that look like today? Where would we be heading, the 20th anniversary of the
March, a Black Lives Matter Rally, nowhere at all? Would the characters be
similar or completely different? I don’t know, but I think that, flaws and all,
every generation needs a film like this. When is ours going to come? Who knows,
maybe I’ll be the one to write it...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-57136024524364856262016-09-09T13:00:00.000-05:002016-09-09T15:13:49.042-05:00Step in the Name of Love (Southside With You, 2016)<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">No one in my family has been able to see <i>Southside With You</i>.
Yes, it is precisely because we live in a rectangle made of farmland and
probably because who in their right mind would show something positive about
Barack and Michelle Obama in my town? I mean really, haven’t they given the
Blacks enough???</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> So, when a couple of my super smart,
melanin-popping friends and I realized that it was playing nearby it was an
instant must...and then a week later I spontaneously saw it for a second time with artists who make me even prouder to be a part of the Black intellectual tradition. Absolutely no regrets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 18.6667px;">(Courtesy of the lady at the front desk, the real MVP)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of the star of my next film)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Basically, <i>Southside With You</i> is the perfect first date film.
(And a big hint to my long line of suitors, the Violet Crown is like my
favorite place in Charlottesville. Bougie and indie? Oh. It’s lit.) Or…if
you’re me and my comrades, it’s just really darn cute. Seeing Black love on screen is so
refreshing. It’s beautiful. It’s magical. It’s rich and its hopeful. This was
especially true because the film followed our President and First Lady, Barack
and Michelle Obama on their first “date.” I love stories that span a single
day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Before seeing it, I was honestly a little skeptical. I mean,
really, a movie about the leader of the free world while he’s still in office?
It was one of those things where I didn’t really expect much, but had to go see
it to support Queen Michelle and all of her Princeton graduate slayage. Also,
I’m a believer in supporting Black films in general as long as I have no deep
moral or political opposition to it. I’ll want someone to support me. It’ll be
my job to keep them coming back. But, I digress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This film made me feel the way I do when I watch <i>Pretty in
Pink</i>. I was able to find nostalgia in lives I’ve never lived. I was rooting for
them, I was curious about them. I was falling in love with our President right
along with Michelle. It’s one where you just sort of sit there and smile. Its beauty is found in its simplicity--a whimsical and thoughtful exploration of a single day, one specific moment in time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This was a really nice break from the more serious and
complex films that I have been watching, partially, because I made the choice
not to over analyze this one—I desperately needed to chill. Sometimes we need a
little “ohmygosh this is soooo cute!” in our lives, yeah? However, that is not
to say that this film failed to offer opportunities for intellectual
engagement. One of the aspects of Southside With You that I enjoyed most was
the layering and intertwinement of different artistic mediums. We saw
everything from Ernie Barns paintings to <i>Do The Right Thing</i> to free-flowing dance to African drums to Gwendolyn Brooks poetry. I like when art, especially Black art, is in
conversation with other art. It speaks to our collective struggle and
psyche. Visually and cerebrally, this film was an elegant collage that had the unforgettable swagger of Mr. Obama himself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of shadowandact.com)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Between the swooning, I did, however, have a few critiques. I
was consistently bothered by the fact that this film made me feel
claustrophobic. There were just so many tight and close-up shots. We only got
wide establishing shots, which to me is a bit of a shame. As someone who lived
on the Southside for a while, I think that not using the environment to inform
the story is a missed opportunity. It’s in the title, after all. I’m 10 years
removed from the city and still it finds a way to enter so much of my writing.
The film desperately needed to open up visually. Which brings me to my second
critique: this movie was way too dialogue heavy. The backstories and emotions
depended far too much on words. At moments, it was like I was reading some
futuristic textbook on the Obama’s lives. I also found myself thinking
occasionally, “Do people really talk like that? I mean, the Obamas are the
Obamas but…do people really talk like that?” Lastly, Tika Sumpter’s attempt at
a Chicago accent was cringe worthy. Whereas, Parker Sawyers did a great job at
integrating the President’s iconic dialect into his speech patterns, Sumpter
seemed more like she was doing an unnatural impression of the First Lady. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="line-height: 14pt;">(</span><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">Courtesy</span><span style="line-height: 14pt;"> of hollywoodreporter.com)</span></span></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
those things said, I’d still call the movie good, not great, but good. Cuteness
can overshadow a lot. The first time I saw <i>Southside With You</i> it put me in that headspace where I have
to go watch another cute movie (brb going to find <i>Brown Sugar</i>). The second time, it made me want to make art myself. And, honestly, emotional pull is a mark of success in
my book. Inspiring me to create things is an even bigger mark. I wish I could have seen the rest of the Obama love story, but...
well, you know how it ends. </span><!--EndFragment-->
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-13343073126285925782016-09-02T13:06:00.001-05:002016-09-02T15:03:12.394-05:00The Rapists That Inspire Me<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This is a post about confusion. A conflict between inspiration and condemnation, art and crime, blackness and womanhood. This post is about rape. It’s funny how the things that I gravitate to, art and Blackness (whatever that means) lead me to directly confronting a part of my struggle that is often an afterthought. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Honestly, I’ve been one of those people who has put rape and sexual assault on the social justice back burner. It’s not that I haven’t found the subject gravely important, it’s just that I’ve always seen myself as Black before I saw myself as a woman. More Black Arts Movement than Women’s Suffrage, you feel me? Maybe not. One seemed pressing, the other was a fact. Intersectionality was something that I saw as real and necessary, but never really embraced for fear of losing sight of the great Black freedom for which my people long (that sounds so dramatic, but I am so serious).</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Yesterday I watched <i>She’s Gotta Have It </i>for a second time…at 8am in the dining hall—weird, I know. And this time when I saw it, I was captivated. It was magic. You’ll hear more about that later, but this post was on my mind. Again, I was so deeply inspired to tell stories through film. I was like #YesAllWomen and #BlackLivesMatter all at the same time. But by 3:00, my inspiration had taken on a dark tint. After my professor gave his lecture, I just sort of…sat there. He made it so blatantly clear that I had let Nola’s rape exist as a minor plot point instead of the central crime of the film. And it was no thanks to Spike Lee who might not have dealt with the subject seriously enough. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkxOIKS3pBE-A1r6CgyWg-pECy8gKa4qmP4NSRrquCiy2CeEtPsc7mmcEXxYcqTGdsKFyxHFmwRnepB9GAdghJ_WIHQxeQNd05pBBQ0fYk97voul3So_E59uIpqrG1WzVIVYYsg5BEvk/s1600/She%2527s+Gotta+Have+It.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkxOIKS3pBE-A1r6CgyWg-pECy8gKa4qmP4NSRrquCiy2CeEtPsc7mmcEXxYcqTGdsKFyxHFmwRnepB9GAdghJ_WIHQxeQNd05pBBQ0fYk97voul3So_E59uIpqrG1WzVIVYYsg5BEvk/s320/She%2527s+Gotta+Have+It.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of uptownmagazine.com)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">And so naturally my mind went to Bill Cosby. Well, maybe not so naturally, my professor did put a massive picture of him his slide show. Anyways, I couldn’t shake the thought, which was jarring because I’d done such a good job of leaving it out of sight and out of mind. And now I couldn’t.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Let’s rewind a few months, shall we? Bill Cosby, once beloved comedian, America’s Dad, and the brains behind <i>The Cosby Show</i> and <i>A Different World </i>was charged with multiple accounts of rape and sexual assault. Tragic. Now fast forward.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUIKGmK4eT2JO_kt3CS3Ugh3WqI7pAh8k-Volmaiq3FpECy0jg5JqOm7FtUj8ipb9ZUqCbowwHmKF1RyjpCIJUVUNwTJcyTgQ-TrWgpUN-SEleHgybZIw9S971FsDYSSMinj5Wnuootg/s1600/Bill+Cosby+%2528cosbyshowcaps.tumblr.com%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUIKGmK4eT2JO_kt3CS3Ugh3WqI7pAh8k-Volmaiq3FpECy0jg5JqOm7FtUj8ipb9ZUqCbowwHmKF1RyjpCIJUVUNwTJcyTgQ-TrWgpUN-SEleHgybZIw9S971FsDYSSMinj5Wnuootg/s320/Bill+Cosby+%2528cosbyshowcaps.tumblr.com%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of cosbyshowcaps.tumblr.com)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I still Watch <i>A Different World</i>. Real talk, it’s my favorite show. When I first heard about Cosby’s crimes, I can’t tell you how thankful I was that it wasn’t taken off of Netflix (bless up!) I still have Ron and Freddy posters in my room, I still await a love like Whitley and Dwayne’s, and I still Imagine Hillman as my alma mater. I still look for the Cosby show when I’m flipping through channels, even though I know I won’t see it anymore because what network wants to see their logo next to the name of a criminal? So what do you do when you find out the mastermind between your Black utopia is a rapist? Well, if you’re me, you politely frown upon the media’s accusations and keep singing Aretha’s theme song. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Again. Nate Parker. I cannot even explain how excited I was for <i>The Birth of a Nation</i>, a film about a slave rebellion led by Nat Turner. Honestly, I still am. As writer, director, and star of the film Nate Parker casted a vision and saw it through with boldness and swagger. He wanted to tell a story that is so deeply important to out people. Nate was brilliant; Nate was a mover; Nate was a shaker; Nate was <i>Beyond The Lights </i>and <i>The Great Debaters</i>; Nate was Sundance. Nate was making strides for me. And then it happened. Another light became the darkness. Alleged rapist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="s1"></span>(Courtesy of blacknerdproblems.com)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">These men made the kind of artistic and cultural impact that I dream of and pray for. I saw these timely accusations as The Man trying to take us down. I didn’t pay much attention to what ignoring these things said about men who think they have the right to take me down. And to be honest, I’m still a little skeptical. It often seems like every time we build something, it’s suddenly torn down. That’s a scary thought for a dreamer. Rape is rape is rape is rape is rape. I just can’t help but think that both sides of the argument are at play here. While before I pushed one aside to keep by heroes on their pedestals, after yesterday, I can’t ignore either. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">How do I at once admire and condemn men who I first thought to build me up, but instead tear me down? It feels wrong. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">What I do know is that I’m probably going to keep watching season 4 episode 8 of <i>A Different World</i> on repeat. I am going to go see <i>The Birth of a Nation</i>. I still think <i>She’s Gotta Have It</i> is brilliant and want to watch every second of b-roll that Lee ever shot. What I’m unsure of is to what degree I can admire the men who made these things. And what if I love the things I watch—what if they make my heart dance? Am I a victim of systematic silencing? Am I asleep? Am I wrong? Maybe I’m just inspired. I don’t want an answer, really. I’m just thankful that I’ve come to a place where I am forced to think about it. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So the question for me here isn’t about whether or not rape is wrong and should be punished. The answer to that is undoubtedly yes. I guess I’m asking if you can separate an artist from their work. Can you be inspired by the paths they’ve forged even if they left destruction in their wake? Is art only a representation of its creator or does it exist as a testament to something larger? I struggle with that myself as a screenwriter, director, and playwright. And, as I come to my close (the greatest lie a preacher ever told)...I just don’t know. </span></div>
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-66986049160732015132016-08-20T15:03:00.001-05:002016-08-20T15:03:58.742-05:00King of The Black Millennials: A Brotha Named Chadwick<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><a href="https://everydaypassions.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/king-of-the-black-millennials-daughters-of-the-wakandan-revolution/" target="_blank">Ravynn</a> and I are here for the new Black Panther franchise.
Very very here for it. One of us still wears pigtails, the other is getting her
Ph.D and yet we find so much common ground in our Black Panther excitement. Our
<a href="http://fade2blk.blogspot.com/2016/05/king-of-black-millennials-tchalla-at-me.html" target="_blank">previous KOTBM posts</a> will tell you why (yes, this is absolutely a plug to get
you to read the rest of our stuff). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I like when Black people have regal sounding names. Winston,
Isabella, T’Challa…So it only makes sense that the guy giving a face to the
King of Wakanda has a regal name of his own. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to
introduce you to Chadwick Boseman. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(courtesy of tvguide.com)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a really big fan and not
just because homeboy looks like a Nubian prince, but because he has mad chops
as an actor. Seriously. Like a lot of people, I was first introduced to
Chadwick with the film <i>42</i>, the Jackie Robinson biopic. Over the course of a
month, a saw the movie about four times and became more impressed with each
viewing. The only thing I love more than a good period piece is a good Black
period piece with an actor that carry the film believably, effortlessly, and
with a distinctive heroic swagger. He was charming, vulnerable, and big all at
the same time. Chadwick’s performance gave me another reason to believe in us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTNyCCawvYsKWRRH2OERLdSPabaT-O3iaM9_9XlwQbI1jaoZttSI8AQGYgQbq-NojnfgWI8Kr1f-Yn9ickk1bOlGf0abdo61nQtXfsCkMZ9mZRIJoaNtwnei-Ts1zDeBXQOloUoQXIZ8/s1600/Chadwick+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTNyCCawvYsKWRRH2OERLdSPabaT-O3iaM9_9XlwQbI1jaoZttSI8AQGYgQbq-NojnfgWI8Kr1f-Yn9ickk1bOlGf0abdo61nQtXfsCkMZ9mZRIJoaNtwnei-Ts1zDeBXQOloUoQXIZ8/s320/Chadwick+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Courtesy of collider.com)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Fast forward a year and Chadwick is playing…James Brown?
Yeah, I thought it was kinda weird, too. But by this point, I was already a
loyal fan, spouting out his full name just to prove that I knew it and you
didn’t. <i>Get On Up</i> surprised me in a lot of ways. I never really doubted that he
could play the role, but Boseman never really struck me as “funky." Even
though this movie’s plot structure sort of threw me off, I believed that he was
James Brown (although I think an amulet will fit him better than a perm and a
fat suit).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Biopic number three for Chadwick is in production now. It’s
an upcoming film called <i>Marshall</i> and tells the story of, you guessed it,
Thurgood Marshal, NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney and the first
African-American Supreme Court Justice. My sister religiously celebrates
“#ThurgoodCrushThursday,” so you know that we're beyond hype.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Are you noticing a trend here? Chadwick Boseman has amazing
transformative ability. Playing a historical figure is difficult. You have to:
1) Live up to people’s expectations of a person etched in the annals of
African-American history in a realistic way 2) Fulfill the writer’s mission,
dispelling myths, exploring a different angle or taking a different or more
in-depth and 3) If you’re a good actor, the character must exist in a way that
naturally brings your own nuance to the performance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">These are three very, very different characters that he has
taken on. I mean, really, could you see Thurgood Marshall doing a split at home
plate? The fact that he has taken on the roles of such different Black men speaks
to his talent as an actor. He checked off all three things on my must-do list
for biopic actors and did it in unique ways. Yas Chad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So do I think Master Chadwick can pull this off? Absolutely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">There’s no reason why an actor of this caliber can’t play a
fantastical hero. We’ve already seen him flourish as two real-life ones. His
background as an actor makes me hope that he will approach the franchise with
the same intelligence and rigor. Chadwick’s background is important. Our Hero
matters to us and therefore must be as real as Mike Brown or Emmett Till. Black
youngsters need to be able to believe that this monarch from a land far away
can draw near to our struggle and save us from our plight. Yeah, T’Challa is
make-believe, but our troubles tangible and ever-present. We need real hope,
even on the silver screen. For that, you need a fierce actor at the helm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: xx-small;">(courtesy of thedailybeast.com)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> I think it’s important that the Millennials’ imaginary
King first played real Black royalty. The progression of heroes says that Black
pioneers slaying in the sports, entertainment, and political arenas is just as
important as slaying in superhero ones. He is carrying the stories of Black
game-changers with him as he takes his rightful place as King of Wakanda.
Superheroes like Black Panther cannot exist in isolation. They become powerful
on the shoulders of the Kwame Nkrumah’s and Simone Manuel’s and Nat Turner’s of
the world that remind us how beautifully powerful we are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">On top of that, the confirmed actors list is giving me more
chills with every new name…but that’s another post for another day. Keep
reading, won’t you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">And who better to lead the on-screen charge? Chadwick Boseman
is the man for the job. We have already seen him come through in <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>. May he lead us Wakandans with as much poise as his own
name possesses and may his acting ability and experience carry cinema forward
with each punch for justice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-30598136422081025192016-06-11T15:38:00.000-05:002016-06-11T16:46:24.433-05:00King of the Black Millennials: Coogler Watch<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Alright class, let’s review: the homie Ravynn
Stringfield and I are so unbelievably excited about the revival of the Black
Panther franchise that we decided to write a serial about it. You can catch up
on "King of The Black Millennials" with <a href="https://everydaypassions.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/king-of-the-black-millennials-daughters-of-the-wakandan-revolution/" target="_blank">Ravynn’s first post</a> and <a href="http://fade2blk.blogspot.com/2016/05/king-of-black-millennials-tchalla-at-me.html" target="_blank">my first post</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Great, now that we are all caught up, we can move on to
lesson two: Coogler. (Well, actually this is less of a lesson and more of me
typing, rambling, and listening to Lauryn Hill at a DC Starbucks, but we weren’t
all born to be professors, right?). He is the director of the upcoming Black Panther films. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Okay, so we all know how much I love Ryan Coogler. And if ya
don’t know, now you know...</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQbdeQAE8SnQA3yPw9MNner9H2S_M4IJpPEkHDU7xNOmU62suMWimqpesmAgP6IgZTpz-RN_R6ucVSlZQ57ODLpGPxHmSZWX1MJPgOrRZUdXWpm5o2kSPn0Fci7jBn2zja19BJGdF4Zc/s1600/Coogler+Watch+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQbdeQAE8SnQA3yPw9MNner9H2S_M4IJpPEkHDU7xNOmU62suMWimqpesmAgP6IgZTpz-RN_R6ucVSlZQ57ODLpGPxHmSZWX1MJPgOrRZUdXWpm5o2kSPn0Fci7jBn2zja19BJGdF4Zc/s320/Coogler+Watch+2.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Ryan Coogler is basically who I want to be, a young Black
filmmaker creating major waves in the industry. He’s a 30-year-old USC graduate
who writes and directs movies that make you stop, feel, admire…then think and
likely cry. I remember watching his first feature, <i>Fruitvale Station</i>. I felt….
I felt everything in the world for my fallen brother, for my people. Right then
and there, the desire for freedom became tangible, desperate, urgent,
identifiable, and real. And what really hit home for me was the fact that he
made me want to get up and make something. <a href="http://fade2blk.blogspot.com/2015/06/i-cried-dark-tears-fruitvale-station.html" target="_blank">And that’s how I started this blog</a>
(that I hopefully keep writing…pray my strength in The Lord, y’all.) For me,
that’s one of the marks of a great film. When a story is told well, it awakens
my inner creator and I know it’s real. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Coogler also did this in <i>Creed</i>, which he co-wrote and
directed and also stared Michael B(ae) Jordan. I went to see the film mainly to
see Jordan, who I’ve admired as an actor since <i>Friday Night Lights</i>, and also to
see what all of the <i>Rocky</i> hype was about. Confession: I’d never seen any of the
<i>Rocky</i> films before. But what I got was far better than the colorblind, star-studded sequel that I expected. It was compelling, and motivating, and
beautiful, and thoughtful. Actually, I’ve written plays (yes, plural) based on
one short scene where Adonis is unbraiding Bianca’s hair. I think that Bianca,
Adonis Creed’s girlfriend, played by Tessa Thompson, is one of the most well
written Black female characters that I’ve seen in a long time and deserves a
film of her own. Coogler strikes again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFbsdfXbvWH9g02OOVF0EDSnlLXPSy9qUyoYP39BIvbPtMzW-JrO7dXTmpi5uk84rAVlrxP26QZ2c24n59h3YfM9E1C6LeALezqYuPRYFA1_wpZ9iKyV2Fbw0edAmqcE22lKsyrfssc0/s1600/Coogler+Watch+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFbsdfXbvWH9g02OOVF0EDSnlLXPSy9qUyoYP39BIvbPtMzW-JrO7dXTmpi5uk84rAVlrxP26QZ2c24n59h3YfM9E1C6LeALezqYuPRYFA1_wpZ9iKyV2Fbw0edAmqcE22lKsyrfssc0/s320/Coogler+Watch+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">What I like most about him is that he’s a force to be
reckoned with…and he’s only 30. Think of all the great films he’s going to
make. Gee. Whiz. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Twice now Ryan (I’ve decided that we’re on a first-name
basis now) has written stories and characters that speak to our souls and
directed these pieces into the annals of cinematic excellence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> So my question is, can he make this happen for Black
Panther and override the Marvel Machine?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUiovYjCTZnZUkAxqxf6BONJxjd24qXUTIzlf2R-fUJF_YjSlT6bzDqMElM6JYKlGeeZgjnHa0qh87ouMVQdqLXPrQcft3nuEITC0YTcp2uv7n5cYjRo3uEy5L3JMEwt4VPDD8i_Xfcg/s1600/Coogler+Watch+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUiovYjCTZnZUkAxqxf6BONJxjd24qXUTIzlf2R-fUJF_YjSlT6bzDqMElM6JYKlGeeZgjnHa0qh87ouMVQdqLXPrQcft3nuEITC0YTcp2uv7n5cYjRo3uEy5L3JMEwt4VPDD8i_Xfcg/s320/Coogler+Watch+8.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">T’Challa (aka Black Panther) is different than Coogler's other male protagonists: Oscar
Grant III and Adonis Creed are unlikely champions. But, we are <i>expecting</i> T’Challa
to save us—we are expecting him to be a super hero. A lot of people gravitate
towards the mighty, the people that they know are perfect. I tend to gravitate
towards and resonate with the unlikely when it comes to stories. I think that
might be true for other Black people, too. We are constantly told by the world
that we can’t and often must rise above the odds instead of just existing above
them. So, every time we win, it’s a feat in some way or another (and if you
don’t think it’s a feat, might I wake you up with some <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/" target="_blank">Ta-Nehesi Coates</a>?) So, I hope that with Black Panther, we don’t see the inherent struggles
that come with being Black, all over the world, just go “poof!" The odds
need to be obliterated by our hero, not by some practitioner of colorblind,
unrealistic, Hollywood “magic.” Our hero needs to know. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">On the other hand, like our Ankh-wearing, Malcolm-quoting,
KRS-One-listening, brothers and sisters of the 90’s, I think that we <i>need </i>to see kings and
queens—because that’s who we are. T’Challa is, in fact, the King of
Wakanda. We saw him walking fiercely in his well-tailored suit, cloaked in
royalty in <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>. I’d like to see more of that. It will
remind us of who we are, what lineage we come from, and what we can be. That’s
revolutionary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So Marvel was like “alright, Imma get me a director who can
do both."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Really, when I watch super hero movies, I’m pretty
uninterested in the flashy, computer-animated action scenes. I do kind of like
the scheming though. But what I find most interesting is the story behind the
figures that we deem as “super.” How did they get here? How do they deal with
being not quite human? Who matters to them? Why do they feel responsible for
fighting the fight that they are fighting? This is where I think Coogler will
excel. He can make the distant people feel close and have significance in lives
far away from theirs. I’m a middle-class girl from Kansas who goes to a PWI—I’m
nothing like Oscar, but in <i>Fruitvale</i> he felt like my brother. Coogler does a
good job of conveying universally Black struggle by fleshing out very
particular character. I think that this director will be able to give us the
ownership of a hero that we as Black Millennials are looking for. We will know
T’Challa and we will love him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkt_YPJdj9gKL_93MkX_uywfIHb0Dm7hVdn0nJTUOHStlRUmucPQ-9eY5hS2IR6Bo9mY4x1It04KRDfkM8GLItpDOBNRXzOoJ7ci1MDj-sQw3sehihstCAPrZQNmH8VC_xnh9prXkgV40/s1600/Coogler+Watch+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkt_YPJdj9gKL_93MkX_uywfIHb0Dm7hVdn0nJTUOHStlRUmucPQ-9eY5hS2IR6Bo9mY4x1It04KRDfkM8GLItpDOBNRXzOoJ7ci1MDj-sQw3sehihstCAPrZQNmH8VC_xnh9prXkgV40/s320/Coogler+Watch+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">As we saw in Creed, Ryan also convincingly gives us a
champion. Aside from the actual results of the matches, we see Adonis morph
into an athletically superior man with crowds of fans and his fair share of
haters. He is not just a boxer, but also a great boxer on the path towards becoming
even greater. #BlackExcellence. So it seems fair to say that he is 100%
capable of not only giving us T’Challa, but also an aesthetically pleasing,
super-human, commercially marketable Black Panther. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Black Millennials, we should thank Marvel for getting this
absolutely right by putting our King in the hands of the very best. Better yet,
let’s thank God for gifting this world with a hero of a filmmaker…THE Ryan
Coogler. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-79798842414470251562016-05-31T22:35:00.001-05:002016-05-31T23:02:26.500-05:00My AAS Major Jiminy Cricket (Roots, 2016)<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Hi, my name is Micah Ariel Watson. I am an African-American
Studies major and a Film minor and I cannot watch movies about slavery. Welcome
to honesty hour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>Twelve Years A Slave</i>—haven’t seen it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>Django Unchained</i>—watched a bunch of making of documentaries
about it but…haven’t seen it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>Amistad</i>—nope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Now, I have seen <i>Sankofa </i>and that was pretty good. But it was
for a class assignment, so I don’t really think it counts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">And don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I’m trying to forget or
erase the past—I did choose to study it, after all. It’s that I am just simply
not good with graphic violence. When I see someone get shot or punched—or
whipped—I cringe. Well actually, I more than cringe. It’s like I can feel the
strike through my entire body, then it lingers and makes its way up to my
brain, and then I feel the blow again in my heart. There’s probably a
scientific word for that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So, naturally, when I heard about the remake of <i>Roots</i>, I
watched the commercials in awe and interest, but really had no intentions of
ever watching it. My professor, <a href="http://fade2blk.blogspot.com/2015/08/exposure-another-bomb-black-professor.html" target="_blank">Kevin Everson</a>, mentioned how he caught glimpses
of the picture being shot. I thought that was pretty cool and considered
checking it out….naahhh, that was never going to happen. Then, I re-watched
CNN’s <i>The Seventies</i> episode where they talked about the impact of the original
Roots on modern television. The weeklong miniseries was revolutionary. No one
had told the story of slavery through the eyes of Africans in this way before.
It also featured popular television dad’s, Cicely Tyson, OJ Simpson, and LaVar
Burton, who I was first introduced to through Reading Rainbow—go figure. Side
note: I highly recommend the CNN docu-series <i>The Sixties</i>, <i>The Seventies</i>, and
<i>The Eighties</i> (and pretty much any other CNN doc). Bomb. Then there's hearing about the impact of Alex Hayley's book in a lot of my classes. So after finding all of
these great reasons to watch Roots…I still wasn’t gonna watch it. Sorry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0mfCtjlKGM9yFIwupgTC4zM7nltd4-NRNOKlYHemw28KgbX9YK-TlGZMmERCHk6vcb5lyk9Gu9BMr8y9xeagZZsToMG77XtP74dCPfAuqX9l9_2qoNBmrqdSQEhyphenhyphenNZy8MibLlKoG9Gc/s1600/Roots-+original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0mfCtjlKGM9yFIwupgTC4zM7nltd4-NRNOKlYHemw28KgbX9YK-TlGZMmERCHk6vcb5lyk9Gu9BMr8y9xeagZZsToMG77XtP74dCPfAuqX9l9_2qoNBmrqdSQEhyphenhyphenNZy8MibLlKoG9Gc/s320/Roots-+original.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">But here I am, writing this while watching the second
episode. Micah, how on earth did you get here? Read on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The boys in my house are both out of town. So tonight, it’s
just my mom, my sister, and me. GIRLS’ NIGHT! And what do you do on girls’
night? Do your nails, eat popcorn, watch chick flicks! Wrong. Not with my
family. I had every intention of coming home and watching white boys
throw a pigskin around with Friday Night Lights reruns (I love this show with
every fiber of my being). But no, my sister who writes spoken word about the
struggle and spent her entire 7th grade summer binging on <i>SVU</i> and my mom who
finds art in prison documentaries were like “let’s watch Roots!” They were
talking about it like it was <i>The Notebook</i>, for heaven sakes. I was going to let
them do their thing while I enjoyed my Memorial Day leftovers. But my little
AAS-major-Jiminy-cricket, told me to stay and watch it. So we went to the DVR
list, pressed play, and began watching <i>Roots</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">It was hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="line-height: 14pt;">But the first episode was also so beautiful that I got
through it (flinching every 2.4 seconds). The History Channel gave us a
stunning and intriguing view of what life was like in Juffure, Kunta Kinte’s
homeland. I was most fascinated by the process of making a young man into a
Mandingo Warrior. One of the most enlightening aspects of my studies has been
learning about the advanced African civilizations. Before Hillman, there was Timbuktu. Many </span><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">communities</span><span style="line-height: 14pt;"> were close knit, well
structured, and powerful. Let me say it one more time for the people in the
back: Black people never needed Europeans. And that makes the reality of
slavery that much more painful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Roots takes us from Juffure to Annapolis, Maryland, to the
Atlantic graveyard, to the Waller Farm in Virginia (a sarcastic “wahoowa” to
all of you Hoos). It goes without saying that all of the actors gave gorgeous
and compelling performances. In the first episode, we’ve already seen Derek
Luke and Forrest Whitaker. Malachi Kirby, the actor who plays Kunta Kinte, is
continuously taking my breath away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLOZgtjv1El80u7yhfaRJE9tSUok1DWkhtLqWdw6I3jtZYF2fK0i2C1QQuMnL47Y5wC1hH2ViPqc-EafPVgqU-eajMzqm3HwdiAqvVJsaQnp5aarX7-uuERLABw-t9fs8W4gcKqV3sTY/s1600/Roots-+Kunta+Kinte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLOZgtjv1El80u7yhfaRJE9tSUok1DWkhtLqWdw6I3jtZYF2fK0i2C1QQuMnL47Y5wC1hH2ViPqc-EafPVgqU-eajMzqm3HwdiAqvVJsaQnp5aarX7-uuERLABw-t9fs8W4gcKqV3sTY/s320/Roots-+Kunta+Kinte.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I like the way that English is used in this piece. When both
the free and enslaved Africans are speaking to one and other, they use English.
But when they are speaking to white people, there is a language barrier. Later,
we see Kunta go through the process of learning English. The conventional use
of English is well articulated and easily understood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">It was well shot, the costumes were fantastic, and the music
added a noticeable layer of depth that I really appreciated. Congratulations,
Micah! You got through all two hours and thirteen minutes of the episode, you are now
free to fangirl over Tim Riggins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Then I saw the preview for the second episode and Emayatzy
Corinealdi’s face flashed across the screen and I said to myself “well, maybe a
few more minutes.” I recognized Corinealdi from Ava DuVernay’s <i>Middle of
Nowhere</i>, a simple and brilliant film about a woman struggling with love while
her husband served his prison sentence. She was fantastic as Belle. An actor I
love can convince me to watch pretty much anything. So here I am, flinching every
time she tends to Kunta Kinte’s stub of a foot (I basically just passed out
while writing that). Her and Kunta’s love is beautiful. In case y’all weren’t
sure if I was going to jump the broom when I get married, there should be no
doubt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This reimagined <i>Roots</i> pulls at every single one of my
heartstrings. Not just because it is well-done. But because it’s real. These
are my people. So, in some ways, I’m grateful for this cringe instinct, because
it reminds me of who I am, where I come from, and why it’s so important to keep
fighting. My flinching can’t even compare to what people like Kunta Kinte and
his family went through, just to get me here. Call it cliché, but I am
currently ALL in my feelings, so it is what it is. I think I’m gonna keep
watching. Anika Noni Rose is coming, I have no choice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Hi, my name is Micah Ariel Watson. I am an African-American
Studies major and a Film minor…and I am in the process of watching a miniseries
about slavery. Progress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">And after this, I may just be able to watch an upcoming movie that my
hairstylist Willie was telling me about, <i>Free State</i>. We’ll see. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-44095728603440700662016-05-28T22:40:00.001-05:002016-06-15T20:08:23.822-05:00King of The Black Millennials: T'Challa At Me<div style="line-height: 14.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 14pt;">If you recall, a few months ago, I wrote about how the world
needs a Black superhero on the silver screen—and fast. If you don’t recall,
</span><a href="http://fade2blk.blogspot.com/2015/07/to-infinity-and-beyond-lights-if-our.html" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; line-height: 14pt;" target="_blank">I’ve linked it here</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 14pt;">. You’re welcome. So just imagine how hype I was when I
heard about the revitalization of the </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; line-height: 14pt;">Black Panther</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 14pt;"> franchise. No, it’s not
about Huey and Stokley (although that would be lit on a completely different
level). But it is about a superhuman character that is deeply connected to
blackness and also saves the world—superlit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I have thoughts about this. Lots and lots of thoughts. I
mean, how could I not? It’s like Marvel literally read this blog and answered
my prayers. I have an intellectual soul sister, Ravynn, who is basically going
to be a super-professor—she’s getting her PhD in American Studies, focusing on
race and superheroes. Ravynn also has lots and lots of thoughts on Black
Panther. So, for your reading pleasure, we’ve decided to write a serial, King
of the Black Millennials. Her posts will be on her blog, <a href="https://everydaypassions.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Quoth The Ravynn</a>, and
you can find mine here. We’ll post links on both. Teamwork makes the dream
work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3n3BclRr9oLdHEJcpLEMSDQhHVd0ox0efWT8jA4wFZexH8ib_aQxWxk7YsN94UAXtBc__1kP_hKCR2Od0La5UByE-8kkPgahfVXsqZIq2iogINovjM4htgZ8skCDL89_BP9YPtLJO0g/s1600/T%2527Challa+At+Me-+Micah+and+Ravynn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3n3BclRr9oLdHEJcpLEMSDQhHVd0ox0efWT8jA4wFZexH8ib_aQxWxk7YsN94UAXtBc__1kP_hKCR2Od0La5UByE-8kkPgahfVXsqZIq2iogINovjM4htgZ8skCDL89_BP9YPtLJO0g/s320/T%2527Challa+At+Me-+Micah+and+Ravynn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I want you to be just as hype as I am about this Black
Panther comeback, so let me break it down for you. Ta-Nehesi Coats (literary
bae), writer of instant classic <i>Between The World And Me</i>, <i>Open City</i>, and
The Atlantic’s “A Case for Reparations”, is writing the comic series. Ryan
Coogler (filmmaker bae), writer and director of both <i>Creed</i> and “Fruitvale
Station” is directing the films. Chadwick Boseman (biopic bae), who played
Jackie Robinson in <i>42</i> and James Brown in <i>Get On Up</i>, is portraying yet
another Black hero as Black Panther himself. Are you hype now? Good.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeQIbENFMjtHYF4RdOwI0lMi-u2RSJ51Q1iZ0uodF66XMCX60qvPNsMQ1jwej74yhbQXnl9HRvb7tq6HkyqXXQPeSrjKK_KTytOwJJ1zw8w3T8IxNgjvWqQbM8rNw49wcMftD11d5F38/s1600/T%2527Challa+At+Me-+Black+Panther+Comics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeQIbENFMjtHYF4RdOwI0lMi-u2RSJ51Q1iZ0uodF66XMCX60qvPNsMQ1jwej74yhbQXnl9HRvb7tq6HkyqXXQPeSrjKK_KTytOwJJ1zw8w3T8IxNgjvWqQbM8rNw49wcMftD11d5F38/s320/T%2527Challa+At+Me-+Black+Panther+Comics.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Nerd moment: Chadwick Boseman was also in the original cast
of hip-hop theater masterpiece <i>Rhyme Deferred</i> by Kamilah Forbes. Both Micah
the hip-hop head and Micah the thespian dig that he’s our new hero. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqb_XlNxYqa6tKjmr0P3Zcl7V4rEJqFH5s55EX0v_NDGJk6acNaFJJhzBNnxvctqpRlfWYP4gvHEpNFw3e3P1jEQnQBBOyAkIozb-UnZFhJQWDij3jDpU617vtf35Ly9gSfXxDOZS41w/s1600/T%2527Challa+At+Me-+Chadwick+Boseman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqb_XlNxYqa6tKjmr0P3Zcl7V4rEJqFH5s55EX0v_NDGJk6acNaFJJhzBNnxvctqpRlfWYP4gvHEpNFw3e3P1jEQnQBBOyAkIozb-UnZFhJQWDij3jDpU617vtf35Ly9gSfXxDOZS41w/s320/T%2527Challa+At+Me-+Chadwick+Boseman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The first time that the world is introduced to this 21st
Century version of The Black Panther is in <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>, which I
saw today. If we’re being honest, Black Panther was the only reason why I was
actually interested in seeing this film. I like superhero movies, but some days
I’d rather watch two people talk about their lives, than sit through two hours
of CGI and people hitting each other. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the film. When
Alfre Woodard’s character spoke about the senseless killing of her son, by the
hyper-Americanized Avengers (ring any bells?), I thought things were going in a
different direction. Even though the film wasn’t a commentary on police
brutality (Micah, you’ve really got to chill), I really liked it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The movie was good—but Black Panther was great. He got a lot
more screen time than I expected. I walked in thinking that the movie would be
a solid 75% about Captain America, but it was more of an ensemble piece, which,
for me, was fine, considering that I would have been satisfied with a quick
Black Panther teaser. His story arc was prominent towards the beginning of the
movie and was clearly related to the larger conflict. We got action, we got
heart, we got story. I was satisfied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Just for a little bit of background (not much of a spoiler),
when Black Panther is not in a fly cat suit saving the world, he’s T’Challa,
the new king of Wakanda, a fictional nation in central Africa. Think of it as
Black Genovia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I like Wakanda. I like Wakanda because I can take ownership
of it. I am very Black and very proud. But the truth of the matter is that my family came to
this country chained and battered (although no less African). Ties to specific
places were dropped somewhere between the graveyard of the Atlantic and the
hell of the plantation. I mean, I could go and get a DNA test or something, but
those are only partially accurate, and I don’t think I should have to pay $99 for
my heritage—I’ll take that with my 40 acres and my mule, please. My point is
that I, like a lot of Black millennials, don’t have a geographical location or
specific place that I can link our African pride to (or if we have found some clues, it's not a complete story). So for me, Wakanda,
although fictional, is a place that I can grab on to and call my own. And there
will be no offended Wakandans telling us geographical orphans that we have
“appropriated” their culture just because we felt enough closeness and pride in
it to adopt it as our own. Black youngsters, we are Wakanda. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">And who wouldn’t want to claim Wakanda? The characterization
of their king T’Challa in <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>, was extremely appealing. He’s
clearly very intelligent, well dressed, articulate, respectful, and in-charge.
Not to mention a warrior and the leader of an entire Black nation. This is what
we should want our heroes to look like—so great that we can strive to be them,
so human that we can relate to them, and so down that we know they’ll never
forget us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">So, yes, T’Challa is King of Wakanda, but he is also the
rising King of The Black Millennials. And I mean with Coates, Boseman, and
Coogler as a part of his royal court, his kingdom has the power to inspire
people like me, the Black future. Basically, we’re taking over the world. And you can T'Challa at us all (you shall laugh at my pun!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rz9rkvqS5E0yUNnPlz1mX12F6p7dTJADe-bgkOFnYv8YmHM0PfIKUAGPkEulysvfk7c7ILLUl-BZ0m-7_IUWGwFgEry8lI3ntPgj-6ToKy66gZdO3JgPHUG-ziGABI6wGWHEgEnaDZo/s1600/T%2527Challa-+Wakanda+Time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rz9rkvqS5E0yUNnPlz1mX12F6p7dTJADe-bgkOFnYv8YmHM0PfIKUAGPkEulysvfk7c7ILLUl-BZ0m-7_IUWGwFgEry8lI3ntPgj-6ToKy66gZdO3JgPHUG-ziGABI6wGWHEgEnaDZo/s320/T%2527Challa-+Wakanda+Time.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Now, I don’t know enough about the history of the Black
Panther comics to tell you how exactly T’Challa got his powers—you’ll have to
ask Ravynn about that one. But, if I had to guess, I’d say that it comes from
the same stuff that makes #BlackGirlMagic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";">P.S. The first <i>Black Panther</i> film comes out in 2017...be on the lookout!</span></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-80154008662702518902015-09-09T08:00:00.000-05:002015-09-09T08:00:03.395-05:0016 Reasons Why I Love "Dope"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkmvFmECaSZtX3OuElLTMze_IxtGw7h8jV-U8VHLKe7Hhkk3BDgw33PpLoganQ92U7WCCyjjG1hEcTwAdrJRPXAqp_-1oKNhWhIaM-bNafjkeYtS3MM79KNM9rB3B852eUrn2DAH9CDM/s1600/Dope+9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkmvFmECaSZtX3OuElLTMze_IxtGw7h8jV-U8VHLKe7Hhkk3BDgw33PpLoganQ92U7WCCyjjG1hEcTwAdrJRPXAqp_-1oKNhWhIaM-bNafjkeYtS3MM79KNM9rB3B852eUrn2DAH9CDM/s1600/Dope+9.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In this moment, I’m searching for the words to
describe how much I loved <i>Dope</i>. This movie was incredible. Like absolutely
amazing. Oh my goodness! If you couldn’t already tell, I’m one of those people
who analyze movies. Sometimes I even annoy myself doing it. Here’s how I know
that <i>Dope</i> was a great film—I just watched it. I actually sat and enjoyed the
movie, but was still left thinking when it was over. That, my friends is the
mark of artistry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> I’d also like to give you a low-key
spoiler alert; by no means does reading this mean that you shouldn’t see the
movie. PLEASE SEE THE MOVIE! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So, here are 14 reasons why <i>Dope</i> was dope. Gee
whiz, I’m so punny:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>1. Direct social commentary</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXtDUhf_dHt-Xy_3w-Ud0C6ImkyjxGtd359mNpAMWP5wmzPWJt7PIhoesJ0n8zg5ib2s067jmO0IlKU_6khJ6uhibrjZRgJZJT6bbKZhXjD64nzIX66bTZq07qTZ_5EXw-0BwFv8pzRk/s1600/Dope+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXtDUhf_dHt-Xy_3w-Ud0C6ImkyjxGtd359mNpAMWP5wmzPWJt7PIhoesJ0n8zg5ib2s067jmO0IlKU_6khJ6uhibrjZRgJZJT6bbKZhXjD64nzIX66bTZq07qTZ_5EXw-0BwFv8pzRk/s1600/Dope+3.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">A criticism that I have of a lot of Black films
is their failure to be corrective. However, by the end of <i>Dope </i>it was pretty
clear that writer and director Rick Famuyiwa finds stereotypes to be shallow
and confining and that we should too. I think that he was saying that there is
some truth to these stereotypes, but they should not limit our view of people.
Furthermore, we should look more closely at the reasons that these categories
exist. If you missed that after seeing the film, you may want to hit up
Starbucks for some caffeine, because he does a great job of making his point
clear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>2. The humor</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I’m more of a smile-and-nod person than a
laugh-out-loud person when I’m watching movies. So, the fact that I was audibly
laughing through this entire film says a lot. This style of satirical humor was
right up my alley. “It’s funny ‘cause it’s true."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>3. It Was Relatable</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jHEd1PStsq0zN4CNfAwe9V6M4tJK_NMvkeyBUx-zjMc7eQcuQkABBQylzUdmWMFJYt-YdxV8XByKs2CSEHetKztTTpAG4M_Eq8C6pyoA_0eQyDS4Ine62ey8smgiSQ6RNgcqQQHhja0/s1600/Dope+5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jHEd1PStsq0zN4CNfAwe9V6M4tJK_NMvkeyBUx-zjMc7eQcuQkABBQylzUdmWMFJYt-YdxV8XByKs2CSEHetKztTTpAG4M_Eq8C6pyoA_0eQyDS4Ine62ey8smgiSQ6RNgcqQQHhja0/s1600/Dope+5.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I’m a church girl from the middle of Kansas.
The absolute last thing that I know anything about are drugs, let alone how to
sell them. The thing is, that Malcolm had no idea either. That in and of itself
rejects stereotypes and connects misunderstood Black people to the story…but
that’s number 12. Malcolm’s quirky vulnerability made me feel like he got me.
He met me exactly where I am. His ability to overcome some ridiculous
challenges made me feel like I could too. Famuyiwa took extremely
relatable things like black nerdiness and college acceptance and turned
them on their head. So even though I can’t tell you about kilos and “Lily” and
what not, I could totally identify with spending your whole life just trying to
be you, but being bogged down by clichés and expectations that seek to confine
me to the world’s definition of my race. That combined with a wild series of
events made for an exceptionally relatable and entertaining story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p> </o:p></span><u style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13pt;">4. Shameik Moore</u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqUgec8ONB57KKZQb4Fc7Di_TiKC0KaqU5RL_PAt9ISugswVaY-wujlbxPsc9JIoWs43SkQtErXgsgX6Ek4J710PBeuK6spiYvKCFZhV-x6k1IWomGxssaD8VUACc6v63kG0r_HKcJlc/s1600/Dope+8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqUgec8ONB57KKZQb4Fc7Di_TiKC0KaqU5RL_PAt9ISugswVaY-wujlbxPsc9JIoWs43SkQtErXgsgX6Ek4J710PBeuK6spiYvKCFZhV-x6k1IWomGxssaD8VUACc6v63kG0r_HKcJlc/s1600/Dope+8.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Michael B. Jordan, I’m afraid that you may have
some competition in having the imaginary key to my heart. Shameik. Moore.
We can talk about the fade…or the smile…but if you’ve seen the movie,
that’s old news. In the realm of celebrities, talent is what really puts them
on my list. I love how he was able to play an outsider without ever seeming
pitiful. He was the dashing and triumphant underdog without ever seeming
cliché. If we’re talking specifics, he does this thing where his lips quiver
when Malcolm is trying to keep a straight face. The little touches that actors
add that make us forget that they’re playing a character is what makes me
notice them. He was so perfect in this role that I can’t decide who I like
more, Shameik Moore or Malcolm Adekanbi. Excuse me while I search for posters
for my bedroom wall. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>5. John Hughes and Spike Lee</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I am in the process of finishing some Spike Lee
classics. I also happen to be a huge John Hughes fan. I would like to take this
time to personally apologize to my family for all of the times that I made you
watch Pretty in Pink. Before seeing this film, I saw <i>Dope</i> described as John
Hughes meets Spike Lee, so it was definitely something that I had to see. I
think that it delivered on those promises. <i>Dope</i> was very Spike Lee because it
was in-your-face and heavily satirical. The coming of age narrative and the
snowballing series of events reflected John Hughes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>6. References to The Wood</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFj1izlWR9UG9iJO_eu4ZxlRZ3U1KvvsV2q2WYWwIwwz-h23joT0c6E0caipoAgazpr9esqcAWoVmrdctheXnZPab0aqWXLVzpjZNJCKCj8HHVVw47T08AY1fa1pJjoq1mtE-7MRgP9Iw/s1600/Dope+11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFj1izlWR9UG9iJO_eu4ZxlRZ3U1KvvsV2q2WYWwIwwz-h23joT0c6E0caipoAgazpr9esqcAWoVmrdctheXnZPab0aqWXLVzpjZNJCKCj8HHVVw47T08AY1fa1pJjoq1mtE-7MRgP9Iw/s1600/Dope+11.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I’m watching the beginning of this film and I
can’t help thinking “the guy who plays that security guard looks super
familiar.” Then I realized that Rick Famuyiwa worked Stacy from The Wood into a
second screenplay. It was a nostalgic nod to his 1999 film, also about highs
and lows of life in Inglewood. I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve
seen The Wood. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d want to see <i>Dope</i> that many
times, too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>7. Their Wardrobe</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSQusNbbOBEaPwJSz4Abc5SgIIvZUrB63_v6gHxffahyLHT4KCYNefW6yqH-mhPFEWrZ1hMydScKMk05jqbSPo0Q-J0sHAtSWn7xY-lSnotW0kaTouD96ycNvB1MITQyafIHpDxvYhbg/s1600/Dope+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSQusNbbOBEaPwJSz4Abc5SgIIvZUrB63_v6gHxffahyLHT4KCYNefW6yqH-mhPFEWrZ1hMydScKMk05jqbSPo0Q-J0sHAtSWn7xY-lSnotW0kaTouD96ycNvB1MITQyafIHpDxvYhbg/s1600/Dope+2.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">For the first couple of minutes of the film, I
thought that this story was taking place in the 90’s because of how they
dressed. However, I realized that the film was making a bit of a joke about how
millennial teenagers are obsessed with a decade that we never really experienced.
Alluding to The Wood again, Malcolm, Jib, and Diggy’s wardrobe is basically
what Mike, Slim, and Roland were trying to achieve. It’s a throwback while
still being current and fly. Fresh to death. Does that sound nineties enough?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>8. The “Find My iPhone” Bit</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I called this a low-key spoiler, so I won’t go
into detail in case you haven’t seen it. But just consider what would happen if
“thugs” had to rely on GPS. Just watch the film. I promise this won’t
disappoint. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13pt;">9. It Was Light-Hearted</u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCAzUI6UurQmQtcdpAuwpnF-bIBJy_yrQISdrFiLfniePU9VVetcu-BHN-lOi6mCOABGWQrF2Kc5N2ol8C_ytq2gpDI8nmJ8ZW8EpJgVkjav8pnNgUpD2Gm1Guvei9MRtD1VTJdzrjjs/s1600/Dope+13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCAzUI6UurQmQtcdpAuwpnF-bIBJy_yrQISdrFiLfniePU9VVetcu-BHN-lOi6mCOABGWQrF2Kc5N2ol8C_ytq2gpDI8nmJ8ZW8EpJgVkjav8pnNgUpD2Gm1Guvei9MRtD1VTJdzrjjs/s320/Dope+13.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I appreciate that Famuyiwa gives the audience
numerous opportunities to get a glimpse into the joy and universality of Black
life. That’s corrective, too. There’s work to be done, but we’re not always
sad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13pt;">10. The Essay</u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">At the end of the film, Malcolm basically
writes the college admissions essay that I wish I had written. It’s fiery. It’s
intelligent. It’s creative. I think that this was a really smart way of driving
the point of the film home. We don’t question White quirkiness the same way
that we question Black quirkiness. It’s probably an issue in and of itself that
we have to give terminology to the diversity of interests. In a lot of other
cases, I might have found this essay too explicit. However, I think that it
works here because the film already spins reality on its head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>11. Zoe Kravitz</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">As much as I want to find a deeply artistic
reason for loving Zoe Kravitz, it basically boils down to the fact that she’s
just so darn cool. As the daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz it’s in her
genes, right? Her effortless beauty was also present in her performance as
Nakia. To all of you out there who weren’t pleased that the love interest was
once again a light-skinned woman, I hear you. But she’s still pretty atypical
for Hollywood, so I wasn’t particularly bothered with the casting. Especially
after seeing Dope, I kind of want to see everything that she’s is in…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13pt;">12. The Play on Stereotypes</u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Rick Famuyiwa creates a world where everyone in
it is a stereotype of sorts. The clichés are colorful, direct, and clearly
recognizable. Artistry comes into play when Famuyiwa turns all of those
stereotypes on their heads. Because we are familiar with these types of people,
their unexpected characteristics are both poignant and funny. See, the villain
here is stereotypes. This is evident through the film’s plot. Malcolm embraces
them and then defies them all. To those that like to think of Black people as
monolithic: you can box us into stereotypes all you want. That doesn’t stop us
from being who we are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>13. The Cute Ending</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi883P5ulSbtYlLp7fGDZGdJNh_uiKbhsDbKvFB5WYkF9riMkk-uUY6W5_C7Y5yqQvONS0ovkOD2S2v24AJvaUX64SyTg0CBFyfQl3xUXNTK2rb3KJnXDHrb0ShidqTtxt7bBKqlv7ufkQ/s1600/Dope+12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi883P5ulSbtYlLp7fGDZGdJNh_uiKbhsDbKvFB5WYkF9riMkk-uUY6W5_C7Y5yqQvONS0ovkOD2S2v24AJvaUX64SyTg0CBFyfQl3xUXNTK2rb3KJnXDHrb0ShidqTtxt7bBKqlv7ufkQ/s320/Dope+12.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Excuse me while I embrace my inner tween. The ending of this film was absolutely
adorable. Malcolm got what he wanted without losing himself. Can this couple
please be a real-life thing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>14. The Soundtrack. </u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROWeDqMUdTJOIYPso-1SrMDXyMDCWRU4x13FPAniy1kPmOAqmlrEYZN0oa6pylEB5A1p50p9M6KJSyX5KKkOPjT56ijB5jnco5cxYkaemqnMSyFuS78Eyq1Y4gaHdESQ0p-BqCiI6ShA/s1600/Dope+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROWeDqMUdTJOIYPso-1SrMDXyMDCWRU4x13FPAniy1kPmOAqmlrEYZN0oa6pylEB5A1p50p9M6KJSyX5KKkOPjT56ijB5jnco5cxYkaemqnMSyFuS78Eyq1Y4gaHdESQ0p-BqCiI6ShA/s1600/Dope+1.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This movie had everything from Public Enemy to
Gil Scott-Heron. My favorite tracks were those by Awreeoh, Malcolm’s band in
the movie. They were described at one point as punk, however I think the
group’s sound was more of a fusion between a number of styles, mainly rock and
hip-hop. “Can’t Bring Me Down” is the film’s anthem and my next download. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>15. The N-Word Section<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So this movie does a great job of dealing with
the gravity and awkwardness of the use of the n-word. Both Black people and
White people had the opportunity to get a glimpse into what the other might be
thinking about this word. It was a pretty hilarious scene, but still didn’t let
the audience off the hook. It was entertaining while still being thought
provoking. That, my friends, is the mark of well-executed satire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><u>16. Malcolm’s Transformation</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">At the end of the film, I felt like I looked up
and Malcolm had transformed. It’s not that it was an unmotivated
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action of the screenplay that I never had to separate the two. Furthermore, he
became a better version of himself, not some new man. Instead of at the
beginning, the self-doubt came in the middle. Through this construction, the
film basically says that Malcolm was uniquely awesome and will continue to be
that way. Blackness is what we decide it is. When we turn a deaf ear to
stereotypes perpetuated by systems of White supremacy and embrace our power to
define our melanin, we become unstoppable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-39713735687581956542015-09-05T18:00:00.000-05:002015-09-05T18:00:04.591-05:00Existing in Love (Half of a Yellow Sun, 2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElrV6UX01hlJ5nedxMe_Sa0lV6-tFaDxQ8EgzH_33zahqKWll6ZVCihZKoiT6n11J9XwSHtN7okdhJtTLnBb9eyFeXGITqWb3eqUhMLGHk4lVAJD9G8aJJtAQNmPs1HhFGA9uLqxLSKw/s1600/Half+of+a+Yellow+Sun.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElrV6UX01hlJ5nedxMe_Sa0lV6-tFaDxQ8EgzH_33zahqKWll6ZVCihZKoiT6n11J9XwSHtN7okdhJtTLnBb9eyFeXGITqWb3eqUhMLGHk4lVAJD9G8aJJtAQNmPs1HhFGA9uLqxLSKw/s1600/Half+of+a+Yellow+Sun.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Anika Noni Rose. Chiwetel Ejiofor. Thandie
Newton. That’s all I had to see to decide to press play on <i>Half of a Yellow
Sun</i>. The film is a poetic and insightful nod to Nigeria, the 1960’s civil-war-torn
country in which this film takes place. Although it wasn’t always easy to
watch, this movie was definitely worth seeing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The first half of the film seemed to simply be
a series of incidents. Yes, there was conflict, but it never seemed like the
action was moving toward any sort of climax. I liked that. I know that goes
against fundamental principles of drama, but I really appreciated the
simplicity. The plot was a steady undulation of, well, life. Terrible things did
happen in this film. Although those things beat upon the characters, they didn’t
stop the plot; a film centered on tragedy was not about tragedy. I think that
sometimes we like defining people and their lives by their circumstances. This
film forced you to look beyond what was happening to people so that you could
actually see people. Through those people we were able to experience love in an
unconventional way. I think that this idea is especially important in
discussing a film that takes place on the African continent. For so long,
society has tried to define Africans and people of color by negative
circumstances often a result of systems of white supremacy. The characters were
not just the effect of a tragic cause, but catalysts within their own
lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACJdAoIzbuXbxrn-pUoLHcr0fHGZHkZFb57bIzoORfBNQMm1DuZCewhl50OFaow42ZJTDoLqAcWBjbs5P6hTjsIzdAgjZ_Nl1skoon7oiT9YRJyI6KvguBNLfEzZu2pz3cVmhFDWjwHU/s1600/Half+of+a+Yellow+Sun+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACJdAoIzbuXbxrn-pUoLHcr0fHGZHkZFb57bIzoORfBNQMm1DuZCewhl50OFaow42ZJTDoLqAcWBjbs5P6hTjsIzdAgjZ_Nl1skoon7oiT9YRJyI6KvguBNLfEzZu2pz3cVmhFDWjwHU/s1600/Half+of+a+Yellow+Sun+2.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Love is something that most people want to see
on screen. It’s a magnetic fantasy that we all have had in some way or another.
Why else do super spies need romantic interests? Love is relatable. So when I
saw this film on Netflix I was so hype. I was expecting this movie to be
pleasantly corny. You know, girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, blah,
blah blah. Netflix described it as something to the effect of a love story
against the backdrop of war. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought
that I could focus on the love part and let war be an afterthought. I could be
entertained like the thirteen-year-old girl that I secretly am while still
being down for the Pan-African cause. Half of a Yellow Sun didn’t let me off so
easily. It let me marvel at African intelligence, beauty, and culture while
making the characters extremely relatable while simultaneously forcing me to
confront hardship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><i>Half of a Yellow Sun</i> didn’t give us love on a
silver Rom-Com platter. However it also didn’t present love in a way so obscure
that most people couldn’t understand. We do not see people falling in love,
just existing within it. The plot moved steadily along and then boom. War. But
war wasn’t the plot. Struggle wasn’t the plot. Love was the plot. And yet still
this film wasn’t really romantic. This film played on my girly tendencies—I was
looking for love to make me smiley and comfortable. Instead this movie used
love to create a way for me to better understand their struggle. I’ve never
experienced war, so I don’t think that it is my place to make a generalization
based on a film. However, within the context of this movie, love is bigger than
violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">All in all, this film made me say “Yas”,
“Preach”, and “Wow.” I promise I have more exclamations in my vocabulary but
“yippee” didn’t really seem to fit. I say “Yas” because we saw Black
intelligentsia in action, “preach" because when life crumbles before our
eyes, there’s still hope even in the darkest situations, and “wow" because
even though I’ve never personally experienced war, it felt more close, scary,
and uncomfortable than I expected for a film. It built me up then tore me down.
I wouldn’t say that this film is perfect, but it did the work that it needed to
do. It defied stereotypes, fantasies, and twisted imaginations. The story was
captivating because I felt like I was moving with the characters through life
instead of viewing their story on a screen. Plus I really loved the costumes.
<i>Half of a Yellow Sun</i> is a simple yet rich love letter to Nigeria. To all
of my brothers and sisters for whom war is too familiar, I see you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-35122652927130223912015-09-02T08:00:00.000-05:002015-09-02T19:55:51.511-05:00I Hate To Be That Guy, But...(Straight Outta Compton, 2015)<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzqUDKzm5v4qmHD37D52ZyCohy6LcUqbrUo0vRDHthZb7HVkpSVpJW9la5VAFSvxlLj2Lbq6JVEPwYdqQWHGojNSi6kGDK0KcRoQR1YnXOLPsgiqhDfBVHk5iIUv9X25Tm8W7lRt6Vi0/s1600/Straight+Outta+Compton+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzqUDKzm5v4qmHD37D52ZyCohy6LcUqbrUo0vRDHthZb7HVkpSVpJW9la5VAFSvxlLj2Lbq6JVEPwYdqQWHGojNSi6kGDK0KcRoQR1YnXOLPsgiqhDfBVHk5iIUv9X25Tm8W7lRt6Vi0/s320/Straight+Outta+Compton+1.jpg" width="202" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span id="goog_735071082"></span><span id="goog_735071083"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">*Walks into movie theater* <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">*Sits down and watches previews*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">*Realizes she’s in the wrong theater*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">*Runs*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Fortunately, though, I made it and was finally
able to see the film that everyone’s been raving about, <i>Straight Outta Compton</i>.
This movie was absolutely worth seeing, but also worth some thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">From the jump we knew that this film was going
to be political. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">The juxtaposition of painfully gritty life in the streets with colorful music was beautiful. These two ideas illuminated each other. This was best seen through the pairing of the first two scenes. The well-constructed sequencing of the beginning scenes really showcased the political power, need and potential of music.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As we we enter into the world of the conception of N.W.A. we hear
the voice of President Reagan</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">, speaking about the war on drugs. His voice seemed
so distant compared to the close relationship that audience members are able to
build with the story’s characters over the course of the movie. Like drug raid
tanks on dark California streets, it had no place. There was a distinct sense
of falsehood that told us exactly how the film’s writers and subjects felt
about the world around them. Place that next to a sweet and colorful picture of
Dr. Dre listening to old school records in his bedroom and there you have a
vivid image of hip-hop. Reality paired with hope, the past holding hands
with the present, and the good harmonizing with the bad. That right there is
what art, especially Black art, should do--reveal, reminisce, and challenge.
Here, we saw sampling at it’s finest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">There are remnants of this aesthetic throughout the
film. Of course, the soundtrack helped to support that. A lot of this film felt
almost like a music video. I think that emphasizes the idea that art must
imitate life. Again, N.W.A.’s ability to turn harsh reality into timeless and
memorable music was mirrored; what we were seeing through this musical
cinematography, for the most part, was unglamorous, artful, and
in-your-face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">There was a hint of cliché biopic in the mix.
You know, brilliant Black group gets played by a White manager (who happened to
be Paul Giamatti. Like what? Why?) But this film cannot be reduced to a simple
replaying of history because it provided social commentary. <i>Straight Outta
Compton</i> made drug related crimes, poverty, police brutality, and HIV/AIDs all
feel very personal and relevant. These were all hot-topics in the 90’s, but
they still plague our communities today.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCYjPgDLXkfcTRK0S1hyphenhyphenqIpWgtldvUmBF9v4fo6buviRftAA-RfAMHjZJ3tDJ4eunUPPIfg95ExbRG0z3oRuRrOFQ6tTcMskrBdHbuoukQgwAeWLWjcqLYo2nzuMRGgNF1Ut-oOc8_QA/s1600/Straight+Outta+Compton+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCYjPgDLXkfcTRK0S1hyphenhyphenqIpWgtldvUmBF9v4fo6buviRftAA-RfAMHjZJ3tDJ4eunUPPIfg95ExbRG0z3oRuRrOFQ6tTcMskrBdHbuoukQgwAeWLWjcqLYo2nzuMRGgNF1Ut-oOc8_QA/s320/Straight+Outta+Compton+3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">We can praise N.W.A. for their artistic excellence
and the political power of their voice, but I think that we’re presenting
double standards if we talk about certain things and not others. You can’t be
selectively “conscious.” Yes, N.WA. did great things, but I would have liked to
see a tad bit more remorse for the things that they did wrong. You don’t have
to rewrite history, but you also don’t have to glorify it. For people who seem
to constantly see into the hearts of angry, broken, and fed-up Americans, they
seem to have conveniently turned a blind eye to their own wrongs. It just
doesn’t set right with me that the people who are making a cinematic critique
about disrespect towards Black bodies are the same people disrespecting female
bodies. I didn’t mean to stand on my pulpit or soapbox, but I’m here now so…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What bothered me more is that there were times
when this film did exactly what it seemed to be arguing against. There was a
moment when Dr. Dre was DJ-ing at a club and the owner explained that people
didn’t want to hear the hard, raw truth, but instead something that they can party to. N.W.A. really challenged that notion in the film and in real life. History
shows that they were successful. However through the film version of their
lives, it seemed more like they were aiming to please than to change. It’s
Hollywood; I get it. You’ve gotta pay your bills and make audiences happy, but
dang. But did half of the film really have to be a comedy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">You have poignant lyrics, the Rodney King case and the War on Drugs as a backdrop, and a hungry audience. Yet you choose to let us giggle? I think
that this film could have been forty times better if they didn’t let the
audience rest so much. Granted, the moments of comedic relief were
well-constructed and actually funny, but it seemed like they took the easy way
out. Showing happiness among African-Americans does do some corrective work,
but that wasn’t what I wanted from this film. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AM2xAEVPGy4rse7Or0ZZSCl1FroUDcgZ_Ua_PUkOYK1CKdBs4BM4ZutDFMfgsfVx1LLmyLQ23Ekc9fkveHK7nKisOgY-4BijuWiUfN5jEdWbn-g9qxBypSpujK5igNR31pBlGvMUjRM/s1600/Straight+Outta+Compton+4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AM2xAEVPGy4rse7Or0ZZSCl1FroUDcgZ_Ua_PUkOYK1CKdBs4BM4ZutDFMfgsfVx1LLmyLQ23Ekc9fkveHK7nKisOgY-4BijuWiUfN5jEdWbn-g9qxBypSpujK5igNR31pBlGvMUjRM/s1600/Straight+Outta+Compton+4.jpeg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In this moment, we need art to grab hold of us
and not let us go until something in our hearts has changed. <i>Straight Outta
Compton</i> was good and all, but if you weren’t looking for your thinking to be
transformed or at least shifted, it wasn’t going to happen. It was great for
audiences comprised of the oppressed, but I don’t think that it did enough to
check the oppressors. You will have definitely learned something about life in
the hood and maybe even feel bad about the unfair treatment of citizens of
color, but I didn’t feel forced to do something about it. Watered-down is the
antithesis of who N.W.A. is, yet that is how they allowed themselves to be
presented. You can act as hard as you want, but unless you’re doing something
to actually make a change, an act is all it is. I just wanted more from a group
who pioneered for urban voices. With the countless recent cases of police
violence and brutality against Black people, this film could not have come at a
better time. However, the intense parallelism presented an opportunity that
was not fully realized. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I appreciate the fact that this film did make a
point of discussing police brutality, but those moments could have been
stronger. There was just too much exposition. I am glad that they made distain
for unjust police treatment evident, but the characters didn’t really need to say
lines outlining exactly why their arrests and searches were wrongful. We can
see that. Let the movie and the music say that. Seeing something wrong, coming
to our own conclusion, and then having that confirmed would have been a better
formula. I know, I know. I can’t have my cake and eat it, too. But hey, this is
my blog. Red velvet, anyone?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel like that teacher who tells you that
they graded you more harshly than the other students because they expect more
from you. That teacher never really dislikes your work and is probably quite
fond of you. They just want you to step it up because they know that you can. That’s
how I feel about <i>Straight Outta Compton</i>. I really enjoyed seeing it and
absolutely loved parts of the film. Believe me, I really did and would watch it
again. I just wanted more.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-68125784943833265322015-08-29T18:00:00.000-05:002015-08-29T18:00:02.062-05:00Exposure: Another Bomb Black Professor<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Let me begin by apologizing for the “dear
diary” nature of what you’re about to read. I’m sorry and I promise that it
won’t always be this way. I can hear my YouTubing brother yelling at me about
consistency now. It’s just that I forgot how much I love college. I got
back to school a few days ago and recently had my first day of
classes. But bear with me; this actually is about both film and Black
people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HIjO3fPrq1VPJ6vm8xz6nzlzrR2dS8lqBoV0eyMxypq3vu0oWaLCy2nbcllbqX7wzoqcyPrp0tGYyPF4OAk3_0C0LtZ8tybmgZpDaAmE-rTRndxKAUskVWhA21zrJDtJabX3NG_GhwI/s1600/Screenshot+2015-08-27+21.38.56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HIjO3fPrq1VPJ6vm8xz6nzlzrR2dS8lqBoV0eyMxypq3vu0oWaLCy2nbcllbqX7wzoqcyPrp0tGYyPF4OAk3_0C0LtZ8tybmgZpDaAmE-rTRndxKAUskVWhA21zrJDtJabX3NG_GhwI/s320/Screenshot+2015-08-27+21.38.56.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Sometime during my first year of college, I saw
this film called Sugarcoated Arsenic by two Black UVA professors, Claudrena
Harold (“YASSS” personified) and Kevin Jerome Everson (my new, well renown, bomb film professor).
This short film is about the Black Studies Movement here on my campus. I highly
recommend it. I was so excited to see that there were people on campus making
the sort of art that I am interested in making. Furthermore, these people are
in a position that gives me the opportunity to learn from them. So, naturally, I
wiggled my way into the class. Right about now, I feel like my decision-making
and maneuvering skills are on fleek. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">It’s only been one class and I’m already like
“Yes. I will be a filmmaker. This is going to happen.” By simply emphasizing
the importance of art in society, Professor Everson reminded me that my
perspective is valid. Furthermore, he pointed out that my perspective is
valuable. No one else can say what I can say. That goes for you too. The thing
I like most about his philosophy is the emphasis on the importance of what’s in
the machine instead of the machine itself. You can replace a camera, but you
can’t replace the glimpses of your mind that you use the camera to capture.
He explained that we are “exposing the world to our ideas.” That’s beautiful.
I think we’re about ready for a kumbayah or something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Let me tell you, Professor Everson is quirky as
a mug. And I like it. He rambles and jokes and muses, while still managing to
really teach me things. He would honestly probably offend like forty people
that I know, but he’s right up my ally. He says what he thinks and doesn’t
apologize for it. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13pt;">His mind is a constantly moving machine.
Just like our fight for freedom can’t stop, neither can the production of
art. I really dig what happens when you put those ideas together. That’s me.
Art for freedom’s sake. This semester’s got me feeling like it’s all really
going to happen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">He kept saying, “You have to make something.”
He figured that sitting and musing about art is less important than actually
making it. I think that I agree. My only stipulation is that I think that it’s
important to take in the things that others have put out for two reasons. One:
inspiration matters. Perspective has to come from somewhere. I’m not advocating
copying, I’m just saying that Dr. King read Gandhi before he just started
marching down hostile southern streets. Two: “Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you.” If I make something, I want someone to see it. I’d like to
return the favor. My point is that now, you’ll also be getting a taste of what
I make or how I make it. I still want to tell you what inspires and repulses
me, but I also want to share how that affects my work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I’m telling you, this film class has me so hype
right now. Like wow. I’m ready to create and inspire and make moves. Moves and
movies. I think that this semester, I will really gain some tools to do
that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Now, I feel like making waves isn’t just a
dream, but a tangible and necessary reality. No longer can I only write about
art; I have to continue to make it, as well. You all stand as witnesses to my
personal challenge. While I’m here for the next three years, I want to fully
immerse myself in all that Black culture and art has to offer. In turn, I hope
to use what I learn to pour back into our legacy. This is all starting to sound
like an admissions essay, but can I just have this moment? Black people have so
much to say and so much to give. Our ideas should be at the forefront of films,
too. As I walk these “grounds” I’m preparing to make something deep and
beautiful and spiritual and powerful and rich and intelligent and creative and
soulful happen. Y’all ready?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-1097472017007484652015-08-04T08:00:00.000-05:002015-08-04T08:00:00.335-05:00Why Are Black People So Loud in Movies!?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyk8fP85OXZgCp0-9V2MJgSO-9bcrte1gqrkswt9nEQPDN0Z8yHekGosL27UJNhNvoZQa1Eor-4NCThfcwiajYmJ6zF-8NhmDVnTvWwjNtnB8VMSw8ktnbzu3_zXy4FDp86nCVU_h8J8/s1600/Loud+At+Movies+Pic+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyk8fP85OXZgCp0-9V2MJgSO-9bcrte1gqrkswt9nEQPDN0Z8yHekGosL27UJNhNvoZQa1Eor-4NCThfcwiajYmJ6zF-8NhmDVnTvWwjNtnB8VMSw8ktnbzu3_zXy4FDp86nCVU_h8J8/s1600/Loud+At+Movies+Pic+2.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Scandal, Anderson Cooper 360, Steven Spielberg
films, Tyler Perry films (<i>especially</i> Tyler Perry films), Meryl Streep, Denzel
Washington, documentaries, sit-coms…It doesn’t matter what it is, if I’m
watching it with Black people, someone is always going to be yelling at the
screen. Meanwhile, I’m sitting there like “ Stop.Talking. I guarantee that they
cannot hear you.” Don’t get me wrong; I promise I’m not that pretentious. But
goodnessssss! I’d like to be able to actually hear the movie!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">People talking through television shows and
movies is one of my biggest pet peeves. When I watch something, especially a
narrative, I want to be immersed in the screen as fully as possible. I want to
enter the characters’ world. That becomes difficult when people are talking through movies. Here’s the issue: I’m Black; I can’t escape it. Now we enter into the world of stereotypes: watermelon, athletic superiority,
cerebral inferiority, fried chicken, and, you guessed it, being exceptionally
loud when we watch movies. We can trace many stereotypes to systems of White
supremacy manifesting themselves through the media. However, even though it
gets on my nerves, Black verbal participation in film watching may be able to be traced back
to something more positive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I am an African-American Studies and Drama
double major (well, intended major, but let’s not talk details.) So when I got
to college, I was immediately attracted to this class titled African-American
Theater. Let me tell you, this class was pure fire. One concept that we focused
on was the idea of “call-and-response.” In its most basic form, call-and-response
is when one person or group of people says or does something and another person
or group of people reacts to it. Fairly simple, right? Although this concept
seems uncomplicated, it is something that enslaved Africans carried with them
to America from the Motherland, deeply engrained in Black diasporic culture. I
first became aware of call in response in the church. “Jesus on the mainline…”
10 bucks says you just sang, “…Tell him what you want.” Call-and-response is
even a part of hip-hop. “Say hey!” …I rest my case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This African influence is also heavily present
in Black theater. Because African and Black theater was first presented as
ritual (and still should be), call-and-response is a fundamental part of
creating the necessary communal experience. Theater is live for a reason. It is
a relationship between performer and audience. As an actor, I can tell you that
the audience’s energy can shift the entire tone of a performance. I’ve grown to
become more aware and appreciative of this relationship in Black theater. My
first college theater experience was working on our production of Marcus
Gardley’s Every Tongue Confess. In that play, both the playwright and director
truly wanted audience members to respond and talk back to the actors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I think that this concept of call-and-response
applies to film, too. We are finding a way to turn simply watching into a
collective experience. I like to think of film as theater’s first cousin on her
mama’s side, so that makes sense. We find call-and-response in our music, our
worship, our conversation, and our performance. It is actually very fitting
that we would seek to find it in cinema. Community is at the center of Black
culture. It cannot flourish with people existing in individual bubbles. Perhaps
wanting to block all verbal response to television and movies is
counterproductive. I’d like to find a way to incorporate call-and-response into
my writing. Connecting with people on a subconscious cultural level can be
powerful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Maybe it’s ridiculous for me to expect my
brothers and sisters to sit quietly like church mice because our mice come
fully equipped with tambourines. Why should I expect our cultural DNA to
disappear every time that I press play? Yes, there are times to screen
quietly, but I’m discovering that the times when the background noise is equal
to that of the speakers have value, too. Our varied idiosyncrasies make us who
we are. Even though some of them can be annoying, if we look hard enough, there
are things within them to love. From now on, I’m going to try to put annoyance
aside and appreciate the sideline chatter for the synergetic moments that it
can create. It's gonna take some prayer, but I'll try...for art's sake...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-45843891590490933062015-08-01T18:00:00.000-05:002015-08-01T23:26:30.616-05:00The Panthers, The Pigs, and The Past (Night Catches Us, 2010)<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GmJlVqvwo1F6AD-3489n_bHBLjHephfxzWAyoASrXMefn3lksyapeDnOfUmVsEdl83w9GlIn8mNW2ohje6vv24ZAkX0v5Ghgs7a7ysm6lU2KhcrZ49jjt_vxvJ3oZG2yOBaJV3o8nAM/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GmJlVqvwo1F6AD-3489n_bHBLjHephfxzWAyoASrXMefn3lksyapeDnOfUmVsEdl83w9GlIn8mNW2ohje6vv24ZAkX0v5Ghgs7a7ysm6lU2KhcrZ49jjt_vxvJ3oZG2yOBaJV3o8nAM/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+1.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This. Movie. Is. Bomb.
Great soundtrack: check. Beautifully colored cinematography: check. Kerry
Washington’s amazing Philly accent: not so much, but we’ll let that one go.
<i>Night Catches Us</i> is a well-crafted historical fiction centered on The Black Panthers.
The screenplay intertwines an ebony-rich story with whimsical animation, real
historical footage, and a stellar cast. I would expect a Panther movie to
either defame or glorify the organization. This film does neither. Instead, it
makes us recognize that this political party was made of people—people with
flaws, successes, dreams, and failures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><i>Night Catches Us</i> has
the qualities of Panther stories that we have heard as legends. There were
moments in the film when I immediately thought about Fred Hampton, Angela
Davis, Huey Newton, and so many others. I wondered what laid in their wake as
they fought for change. What lays in ours? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhxJ8Cac7QmU4QJayJ8ZcG-FYEdo2fOWbx2zPplQCBtKA1px5kT5q8Q2ijzV8Q7sYDwTytnchO-lLPW11a3dws4zug9MgOd2K025RCrMJR6DFGHO7kxQvKYocaIdzDv01fMlszJq3vwY/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhxJ8Cac7QmU4QJayJ8ZcG-FYEdo2fOWbx2zPplQCBtKA1px5kT5q8Q2ijzV8Q7sYDwTytnchO-lLPW11a3dws4zug9MgOd2K025RCrMJR6DFGHO7kxQvKYocaIdzDv01fMlszJq3vwY/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+5.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This film is about the
past, not just in a typical historical fiction type of way, but in a way that
forces us to think of the past’s power. It's filled with compelling and
unexpected characters. Writer and director Tanya Hamilton did an excellent job of making me feel connected to each and everyone of them. I wanted them to win
because I felt like I was a part of their community. This in conjunction with
the intertwining of documentary-type footage reminds us that the past is, in
fact, real. It humanizes a group of people that so many have been conditioned
to fear. It subtly reminds us that the Black Panthers were not just figures,
but people. J. Edgar Hoover bugged the phones of friends and ended the lives of
family members. <i>Night Catches Us</i> physically shows us the past without dwelling
in it, even though the characters do. It presents 1976 as the present,
therefore emphasizing the idea that lives continue even after movements
end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In an almost
August-Wilson-like way, the characters in this film seem to represent more than
themselves. Tanya Hamilton makes a point of telling stories that show the
diversity of blackness (my kind of girl!). This is evident through rainbow of
characters found within this Philadelphia community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This community wallows
in the past. Marcus explains it best when he says, “You’re all fighting
imaginary enemies.” The things that people are battling are no longer
physically existent. Still they must grapple with the consequences and rewards
of yesteryear on a daily basis. <i>Night Catches Us</i> reminds us that Black Power
wasn’t just a phase; it was a movement made up of real people and real ideas
that can’t be confined to a period of time. The film reminds us that the
people’s lives and visions must continue. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dRl34-KtFY6cWgvXGmYlBGWKVhU_KN97enqCns37t0z-HABklwTrak2XU2TiXn45URGbtpWEftoT-O4F8I2nLU1SY7BoKzyrJ7ZOGendT03_Lb5UViv-BhlJtLNKMbYtyP8d-Ckc2jc/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dRl34-KtFY6cWgvXGmYlBGWKVhU_KN97enqCns37t0z-HABklwTrak2XU2TiXn45URGbtpWEftoT-O4F8I2nLU1SY7BoKzyrJ7ZOGendT03_Lb5UViv-BhlJtLNKMbYtyP8d-Ckc2jc/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+7.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Let’s take a specific
character for example, shall we? I pick Jimmy. He’s probably the best example
of a symbolic character in this film. Jimmy spends most of his time picking up
old metal—cans, broken car parts, you name it—in order to sell them. That’s his
job. His livelihood is based on gathering old things; his life is dependent on
the past. Go with me on this. There’s a moment in the film when Jimmy tries to
sell his metal pieces to the White man, whom he usually does business with. The
White man couldn’t give him what he wanted in exchange for his scraps. So,
“from now on [he] only [does] business with the brothas.” Jimmy then tries to
sell those scraps to a Black man. Still, Jimmy was left not getting in return
what he thought his old metal was worth. This film is arguing that old ideas,
whatever they may be, don’t work when you negotiate neither with the oppressor
nor with the fellow oppressed. Like the price of metal changes, so does time.
Holding on to the past isn’t necessarily the way to get to a bright future.
That is a blaring theme in <i>Night Catches Us</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Over the course of the
film, we see Jimmy slowly taking on more stereotypically Panther-like
qualities. With his first (wrongful) arrest, we see him asserting himself
verbally. Later, he follows Black Panther protocol by boldly reminding a
brother being arrested of his rights, despite being unwelcome by police. The
montage where Jimmy is preparing and practicing to be a “Panther" says it
best: It’s as if he is a wondering toddler waling around in his daddy’s shoes.
He seems to look and sound the part, but something just isn’t right. You can
see it in his eyes. He has everything seen on the outer surface but seems to
lack ideas at the core of Pantherhood—inner pride, political intelligence, and
hope for the future. Marcus and Patricia, however, do have these things. Jimmy
is naive and uncertain, much like the present. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1yvk0WUxRpBx3i63epDIgBHnSYlSeExA8V_rSFqKFspV3o6tZvr0ih54x_YmKgct2t9fDGM1uIVk0t0-p5aOrJW4-D8xgR0xMUnBVBcbnWbKmjpRmy3B5IvFhu2d53xeR6iRith8eO0/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1yvk0WUxRpBx3i63epDIgBHnSYlSeExA8V_rSFqKFspV3o6tZvr0ih54x_YmKgct2t9fDGM1uIVk0t0-p5aOrJW4-D8xgR0xMUnBVBcbnWbKmjpRmy3B5IvFhu2d53xeR6iRith8eO0/s320/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+4.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vlcuof13fsDL30Oy2SnbotqJaok_hTn-7F2uP18t5yye9_THXysH-WIkShEIre7B0kv1boSzABdIjMjJfHMfEyzSTbIvOkkQ3Be5mB8jqFKpMHjSoqIyHiuv8H1-nlJ-rRNo6Dc2V6w/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vlcuof13fsDL30Oy2SnbotqJaok_hTn-7F2uP18t5yye9_THXysH-WIkShEIre7B0kv1boSzABdIjMjJfHMfEyzSTbIvOkkQ3Be5mB8jqFKpMHjSoqIyHiuv8H1-nlJ-rRNo6Dc2V6w/s320/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The look is nothing
without the heart. Maybe it’s that time has run out on the way Jimmy’s father’s
generation did things, but not necessarily on what they were trying to do.
Jimmy ultimately fails. But Marcus, Patricia, and Iris have hope of succeeding.
I think that Hamilton is arguing that their most Panther-like qualities are
timeless. The best ideas outlive time. However methods can die. Jimmy dies. I’d
like to attribute his death to martyrdom, but I think that would be doing a
disservice to the larger ideas presented in this film. His death functions as a
warning to viewers not to hold on to the past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The life and fate of
Jimmy’s character also caused me to ask questions that can move our community
forward: How do we look back at the past without being stuck in it? Do we let
the dream die because the past did not turn out the way we thought it would? Do
we stop fighting when we realize that we’re not invincible? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Although this movie asks us to examine the way we look at the past, I don’t think that it is
telling us to forget it. There were six instances of negative and even violent
encounters with “the pigs” (as the Panthers called the law enforcement). Police
brutality affected the film’s past, present, and future. Need I remind you that
that is still an issue today? Not much has changed. The injustice of the law
(or lack thereof) still affects our communities in very personal ways. The past
speaks to our future, but does not have to define it. This film argues this
point artfully. <i>Night Catches Us</i> never really forces a solution on us yet by
the end of the movie we know that one exists. It tells the stories of our ancestors
with heart and intelligence, while reminding us of the possibility of brighter
days **cue “Ooh Child”**. All power to the people, then and now.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nhbw1DiUDGDpy5WYj5Q1zXlf-Zslhq8-KG6ETj8AxQmiam-cL32Lf7cTB9KKryF73oOhQ4HbD0lDxngcKrz7gEOJep9fq6QBszVrwgWkSnzrArK5rG6QVx5Qc_fTeXi6MPqxvEFXqCI/s1600/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nhbw1DiUDGDpy5WYj5Q1zXlf-Zslhq8-KG6ETj8AxQmiam-cL32Lf7cTB9KKryF73oOhQ4HbD0lDxngcKrz7gEOJep9fq6QBszVrwgWkSnzrArK5rG6QVx5Qc_fTeXi6MPqxvEFXqCI/s320/Night+Catches+Us+Pic+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-47518500887381345422015-07-13T17:00:00.000-05:002015-07-13T17:00:03.489-05:00Netflix Documentaries <div class="p1">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Along with narratives, I like to explore a
different form of storytelling—documentaries. Netflix has been on point lately,
having a good amount of documentaries with Black subjects. So, without further
ado, here’s what I thought about three films that I’ve watched recently: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b><i>Something
From Nothing: The Art of Rap, </i>2012</b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4yRJGRNfKL1eSPgNsfJMSAci7Xz8UdIgvdYpPlXvdx5RJcopbT4sL33x1LzGRqkiX9zvur9WEVXO4fjO4FY-VqhTUEOO64l1pHIS727hhKE2zpKF6SWMye3TjTiwfxfs3RWDYnEnalk/s1600/The+Art+of+Rap.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4yRJGRNfKL1eSPgNsfJMSAci7Xz8UdIgvdYpPlXvdx5RJcopbT4sL33x1LzGRqkiX9zvur9WEVXO4fjO4FY-VqhTUEOO64l1pHIS727hhKE2zpKF6SWMye3TjTiwfxfs3RWDYnEnalk/s1600/The+Art+of+Rap.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">After watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hip-Hop Fellow</i>, featuring 9th Wonder, I became extremely
interested in hip-hop as an art form and social movement. So, when I saw that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Art of Rap</i> was on Netflix, I knew
that I had to watch it. This documentary is centered on the idea that MC-ing
takes actual skill. Duh. Ice-T travels from coast to coast interviewing some of
the greatest rappers, producers, and beat-boxers in the business. Of course,
some of the language was a bit much for this church girl, but I knew what I was
getting myself into when I pressed play and found dissecting the rhymes
intellectually stimulating. I always say that rappers are some of the smartest
people out there. This film affirmed that belief through complex and thought
provoking verses. I also really dug the cinematography There were some really
beautiful skyline shots.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Although I found this film interesting and
quite enjoyable, it didn’t give much clarity about the actual process of
writing or free styling. I wish I could of learned more about the “how” as
opposed to only getting continuous introductions to the “what.” There were a
lot of old buddies reminiscing, who were great and all, but I think it could
have been improved by displaying this art through a means other than example.
Ice-T was feeling himself a little bit, constantly butting in with his own
contributions to the industry. So, if you’re looking for mad bars, [insert hip
adjective here] beats, and a trip down memory lane, this is the movie for you.
If you’re a history buff…not so much. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b><i>Venus
and Serena, </i>2012</b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm1nsCU26Zye-Dlk1jy5_XzokX5spY8ukkjlONFIst3aLpc-Uf2PL2Ws3iVoaUyzXGFP2y_NsqMjTHZLmbLM9bBcKJ-7Dlm-XV93UFMcyH0sVmvOdzGA61_spf9oSqqHviCLgxoS8fik/s1600/Venus+and+Serena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm1nsCU26Zye-Dlk1jy5_XzokX5spY8ukkjlONFIst3aLpc-Uf2PL2Ws3iVoaUyzXGFP2y_NsqMjTHZLmbLM9bBcKJ-7Dlm-XV93UFMcyH0sVmvOdzGA61_spf9oSqqHviCLgxoS8fik/s1600/Venus+and+Serena.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">My family is a huge fan of the Williams
sisters. When we’re watching a match it sounds more like a football game than
the pleasant soft roar of polite claps. Because I was born in ’95, the Venus
and Serena that I know were always fierce and fashion forward. So, when I saw
that this documentary was available, I thought it would be interesting to learn
more about the bead-wearing child prodigies that my parents were always talking
about. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Venus and Serena</i> gives pretty
good insight into the lives of these tennis stars beyond the stats and behind
the cameras.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This film
combines following the sisters during 2011 (while Venus begins dealing with her
autoimmune disease) with looking back at the origins of their stardom. I like
that there was a dual focus; however I think that it bounced back and forth
between the two a bit randomly. Better sequencing would have made this film
more captivating. That being said, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Venus
and Serena</i> was successful in making me feel like I had some sort of
personal connection with the Williams sisters. They didn’t shy away from hard
subjects like racism, death, divorce, and disease. At the same time, I was able
to see a lighter more fun side of the two, playfully bickering and laughing off
the haters. All in all, this documentary wasn’t perfect, but it gave me more
reasons to treat aces like 70-yard touchdowns. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b><i>Undefeated,
</i>2011</b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc62gaMcVQ7VVtBVXTFCHwQwLmZ1s1rnT_XqBAEGPUtsYEgstjpd82jg74L_Amrq3Lus9Sh41N6KWLDQSLg5PS8XW9RZqylb-CKlZ_E75V1BYJbhjzwag2JL65PrFecXSm-HER5Hqjbm4/s1600/Undefeated.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc62gaMcVQ7VVtBVXTFCHwQwLmZ1s1rnT_XqBAEGPUtsYEgstjpd82jg74L_Amrq3Lus9Sh41N6KWLDQSLg5PS8XW9RZqylb-CKlZ_E75V1BYJbhjzwag2JL65PrFecXSm-HER5Hqjbm4/s1600/Undefeated.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In an effort to take a break from my Friday
Night Lights binge, I ever so logically decided to watch yet another high
school football film. Undefeated follows the Manassas Tigers of Memphis,
Tennessee. Quite honestly, I was extremely skeptical of this film. It looked
like it was going to be another “white savior” film where the disadvantaged
Black people succeed at doing the only thing that we are stereotypically capable
of doing—playing sports. Although <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Undefeated</i>
has some of those tendencies, I still felt like it is worthy of its Academy
Award. I never found myself feeling offended. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This documentary did a fantastic job of
portraying the team members as people instead of just bodies. As such, winning
games was less important than what players were going to do when the games all
ended. Unlike a lot of inner-city documentaries, this film didn’t lump the
entire African-American community together. It does show extreme poverty and
despair, however the filmmakers seem to be commenting more on undeserved racial
disparity than some undeserved blessing from White America. It shows struggle,
but only as a means of highlighting inner strength. Sure, it’s heartwarming,
but I think that adjective misses the point. This football team accomplished
the seemingly impossible, but when it was all over, I was still kind of upset
that these kids still had to jump over the hurdles associated with poverty. In
short, I’m a fan of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Undefeated</i> and
would recommend it, even to those who don’t know the difference between a free
throw and a field goal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Documentaries
on My List:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What
Happened, Miss Simone?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Marion
Jones: Press Pause (30 For 30)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">You
Don’t Know Bo: The Legend of Bo Jackson (30 For 30)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Benji (30 For 30)</span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The
Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">On
The Way to School<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The
African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">We
Could Be King<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Doin’
It in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, New York City<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Crips
and Bloods: Made in America<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Something
to Cheer About<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">American Experience: 1964</span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">20
Feet From Stardom</span></i></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-37859160348823764442015-07-06T21:43:00.000-05:002015-07-06T21:49:09.293-05:00To Infinity and Beyond The Lights (If Our Super Heroes Were Black)<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">One of the most highly recognizable generic
characters is the super hero. And they’re everywhere. Every time I go to see a
film a supernatural flick is on the “now playing” list and with good
reason. Super heroes are irresistible fantastical figures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Colorblind casting annoys me. It’s not so much
the absence of racial consideration itself, but the idea that this methodology
can replace the telling of Black and other minority stories. The word “colorblind”
itself says a lot. When casting directors choose “not to see color” does that
mean that they’re also choosing not to see the social, cultural components that
make up that color? My experiences, like those of all of my brothers and
sisters, make up the Technicolor fabric that some are choosing not to see.
We’ve had color television since like the early 50’s, right? So I think it’s
only fitting that film and television honor that through recognizing the
differences that beautify us and the unique struggles that unite us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">“Micah, I thought we were talking about super
heroes?” I’m getting there, give me a sentence or so. I have this friend (it’s
a real person. I promise.) Our conversations always seem to be geared towards
art, especially film. This time, we were talking about Michael B. Jordan’s
upcoming performance in <i>Fantastic Four</i>. Lately, this has been a hot topic
because Jordan, a Black actor, was cast as traditionally blonde-haired,
blue-eyed Johnny Storm. Furthermore, he penned a response to doubting (likely
racist) speculators in <i>Entertainment Weekly</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I personally, thought Jordan’s
essay response was strong. It did a good job of speaking to the issues specific
to this film. He is breaking down longstanding barriers and being thoughtful
and vocal about it. That is absolutely work that needs to be done in mainstream
film…and I’m glad that his face is the one doing it. However, I was bothered by
the fact that his entire argument was based on colorblindness. Kudos to Michael
for the work that he is doing, but I am always more interested in Black people
being in their own stories than being inserted into White molds. So, as usual,
after an overly enthusiastic but intellectually stimulating conversation, I got
to thinking: what if our super heroes were Black?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmpgHMe0t21PYFhFirRGKml_D_iXr0gBnv1Cg-Cpp_MplMgvMBhwR3FdMhaNikJZrm1KqbYnUVkwUW8giDrBa7Eo0FTt2wIIOyztTeTcratHZnx28XL0sMi7bZAReMeO6U5xVSXlzlRQ/s1600/Michael+B.+Jordan+Fantastic+Four.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmpgHMe0t21PYFhFirRGKml_D_iXr0gBnv1Cg-Cpp_MplMgvMBhwR3FdMhaNikJZrm1KqbYnUVkwUW8giDrBa7Eo0FTt2wIIOyztTeTcratHZnx28XL0sMi7bZAReMeO6U5xVSXlzlRQ/s320/Michael+B.+Jordan+Fantastic+Four.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">When I heard that Ava DuVernay will be
directing <i>Black Panther, </i>I thought I’d found the answer. My first emotion was
pure excitement, because I was thinking Angela Davis, Fred Hampton, Oakland,
Free Breakfast, Berets, the whole shebang. Turns out I was wrong. My question
of Black superheroes still needed exploration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">First of all, what constitutes a White mold? In
this conversation, I first
argued that stock characters and clichés that lack cultural specificity are
inherently White. This is because White culture has been dominant for so long;
no matter how “translucent” a character’s mold, it still would reflect whiteness.
Cultural specificity is a means of affirming humanity. Ultimately, I’d like to
see clichés and stock characters reflect other cultures, too. My friend
countered that by saying that whiteness “won’t [even] escape a Black character
because we do not live in objectivity of that culture. As it is birthed on
those stock characters [and clichés], it is birthed on specific characters.” Touché.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO4KNtmd060h6lp3wg3BUW4ULoNhxrDs68EQcPgawE0EBx3mh9abwi26F39KCFsdaj_7-QTUhFqCbgrClq3Hdp7D9GNejAWdP__DTRUciq5Oi-gSGENMWYV0hbMVoHE4oCxtwnATcaHQ/s1600/IMG_4027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO4KNtmd060h6lp3wg3BUW4ULoNhxrDs68EQcPgawE0EBx3mh9abwi26F39KCFsdaj_7-QTUhFqCbgrClq3Hdp7D9GNejAWdP__DTRUciq5Oi-gSGENMWYV0hbMVoHE4oCxtwnATcaHQ/s320/IMG_4027.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So what about superhuman characters birthed
from blackness?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">It’s hard to say exactly what a Black superhero
would look, sound, or act like because Black experiences are varied. We could
try to impute certain qualities and values on that hero—those things could
definitely be a means of affirming their blackness. However that character
could reflect Stokley Carmichael, Beyoncé, or Shongo a Yoruba Orisha god and
would be considered heroic by some Black person somewhere. So, I can’t really
pick a set of universally honorable or beautiful qualities. Furthermore, I
don’t think that there is a single formula for making Black stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So, after some thinking, I came to the
conclusion that a Black super hero would be more about whom that modern-day
knight is saving and what battles they’re fighting. One grand theme that has
been present in most of my African-American Studies classes is that the Black freedom
struggle is an extremely pressing matter and that all Black resources,
especially our diverse minds, should contribute to our collective unshackling.
As such, I think that an epic hero with supernatural ability should be
primarily geared to this struggle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">See, struggle is unifying. Although, as I
mentioned before, Black people have varied experiences, so much of who we are
as a people can be traced back to White supremacy and the resulting
tribulations. It transcends shade, location, gender, religion, politics, and
socioeconomic status. It often seems as though no earthly force will be able to
help us. Black people are in a crisis. It only makes sense that our super hero
would be one that would try to fix our problems. Instead of flying in to save a
damsel in distress, our hero would swoop down to free the unlawfully and
disproportionately imprisoned. Their mega strength or super mind rays could
villains could be used to battle on historical segregationist lawmakers or
today’s unfortunate education system. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4__AiJPz5i2a3BpQsnSDmcDGoF9Ozb1WLgFEhCYQJWJKTn3zI-kmj6WOPVoGgFdOL4-hs38anjfajvWrPKStQwyku6U0WGDtrVyhPmB-6E52skwYvEQbj0fSujfhioCPagg6wDzZqFAU/s1600/Marcus+Convo+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4__AiJPz5i2a3BpQsnSDmcDGoF9Ozb1WLgFEhCYQJWJKTn3zI-kmj6WOPVoGgFdOL4-hs38anjfajvWrPKStQwyku6U0WGDtrVyhPmB-6E52skwYvEQbj0fSujfhioCPagg6wDzZqFAU/s320/Marcus+Convo+4.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In keeping our struggles in mind, I don’t think
that creativity has to be lost. Our hero should have all of the glamour and
mystic of Ironman or Superwoman. We should be able to look up to them and use
our childlike imaginations to fantasize about a figure that really could free
us from our desperation. Visually stunning movie-magic fluff would only help to
take our minds to the place of believability. Langston Hughes argues that skill
and artistry is just as important as the message of a piece. I think that
applies here too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Super heroes allow people to see the strongest
parts of themselves and their society projected on screen. A truly Black super
hero could be a really effective way of empowering our community. As my friend
pointed out, Black stories should not have to be restricted to "slaves and
civil rights, sports, or hood dramas.” Those stories are very much a part of us
and they matter. But Blackness doesn’t stop there. It can go to infinity and
beyond.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-86740733693155282732015-06-19T22:03:00.001-05:002015-06-19T22:05:37.411-05:00#Black9<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I really love how “Black
Twitter” is truly a community. Whether it be television or tragedy, we have
found a way to share our experiences through social media. In the wake of the
Charleston, South Carolina shooting the hashtag “Black 9” was started—people
tweet the names of nine people who inspire them. Participation is contagious.
So, to honor those who lost their lives at Emanuel AME church and those who
inspire me to do something about it, in no particular order, here is my Fade To
Black #Black9 list:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Ava DuVernay</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RRBuP8ztQpaZgjNGOF-nb0ZsZ6nXdDwM9QcyeAUFXenc-f3XlRINEG_2RQJsP_-ZhNMNRDmqXaW61Ug9oadBxQ_hvuQsctAaFhOpAgo3yqZdWO86wLO5ZvrCs0zHjZ0udsnRFipiQmA/s1600/Ava+DuVernay.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RRBuP8ztQpaZgjNGOF-nb0ZsZ6nXdDwM9QcyeAUFXenc-f3XlRINEG_2RQJsP_-ZhNMNRDmqXaW61Ug9oadBxQ_hvuQsctAaFhOpAgo3yqZdWO86wLO5ZvrCs0zHjZ0udsnRFipiQmA/s1600/Ava+DuVernay.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I think that I became
an Ava DuVernay fan even before I saw <i>Selma</i> for the first time. While watching
interviews and reading about her I became enamored. I find her drive to be
contagious. She makes me want to tell stories. Ms. DuVernay reminded me that it
is still possible to a Black woman and participate in the liberation struggle
through the screen. After seeing <i>Selma </i>twice, I felt like I had to validate my
undying fandom. So, I spent four fantastic hours watching her two other films,
<i>I Will Follow</i> and <i>Middle Of Nowhere</i>. I loved them just as much as I loved
Selma. Although these films are different, like <i>Selma</i>, they both succeed in
putting Black women at the forefront and reiterating the humanity of blackness
that often seems to get lost in clouds of self-doubt and White supremacy. Ms.
DuVernay’s blockbuster hits are just as combustible as her indie gems. To put
it simply: she’s fierce. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Oprah Winfrey</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbUMK9iHui_2Iv3SjnvyB3Y1qeQmBX_lV-wtC9qZlqrN6KT89rI9AxpOtP09c3AMg4_fPBgtSqoyA6y0ZhFjSunsgGaNa-2EiVCmTjSOhZX-NHliI8-7RjzOdm_MpAenP1j3nh3BsqJk/s1600/Oprah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbUMK9iHui_2Iv3SjnvyB3Y1qeQmBX_lV-wtC9qZlqrN6KT89rI9AxpOtP09c3AMg4_fPBgtSqoyA6y0ZhFjSunsgGaNa-2EiVCmTjSOhZX-NHliI8-7RjzOdm_MpAenP1j3nh3BsqJk/s320/Oprah.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Cliché, I know, right.
But it’s only a cliché because we all know that she is a force to be reckoned
with. Oprah inspires me because she has done it all--news casting, acting,
producing, talk-show-hosting, writing, running a network, you name it. It seems
that with Ms. Winfrey, it’s less about a specific job or niche, and more about
what she brings to the table as a person. She is Black woman who runs things.
Not only does she run things, but she also runs them with the purpose of
bringing truth to light. I think that should be a goal of anyone in the
industry, especially those who come from a lineage of oppression. I also
appreciate Oprah because, in her rise to the top, she has brought people along
with her. That’s community building. When I make it big (Philippians 4:13 on
‘em), helping others to pursue their dreams will be a priority. I have faith
that someone will help me along the way, so I plan to continue the cycle. Thank
you Oprah for teaching me this lesson. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Tyler Perry</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OP5Ai3QBEjR7zXCvyaudnS_f0E4QvbnTZACMuABYNCbd6k3MWX0DgIUBjNPldil0g5djZOEWwAe4_eLg1u0Y9N6MbpYZqaeeT57Z2Yy0AOl6Rp_gXmhx55Y_faeDMVOiMu_v1h5i4ok/s1600/Tyler+Perry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OP5Ai3QBEjR7zXCvyaudnS_f0E4QvbnTZACMuABYNCbd6k3MWX0DgIUBjNPldil0g5djZOEWwAe4_eLg1u0Y9N6MbpYZqaeeT57Z2Yy0AOl6Rp_gXmhx55Y_faeDMVOiMu_v1h5i4ok/s320/Tyler+Perry.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Before you start on
your elitist, pseudo-intellectual, Black Nationalist rant, let me just say that
I understand and in some ways agree. But hear me out, okay? There’s a reason
that he made this list. Mr. Perry complicates stereotypes. I think that we are
made uncomfortable by this complication because it forces us to confront
racially rooted clichés. The issue with this confrontation is that Black people
aren’t the only ones watching his films. I always say that it’s not his films
themselves that bother me as much as the thought of White people watching them.
But, if everyone weren’t watching his films, then he probably wouldn’t have
made this list. He tried, failed, and then rose to the top. 1 part struggle and
2 parts dream equals a success story that inspires. Say what you will, but this
man writes, directs, produces, has is own studio and acts in his own films, not
to mention stage plays and television shows. He runs the whole process,
something Black leaders have been urging us to do economically for years. If
nothing else, he gives us laughter, something our community is desperately in
need of. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Lupita Nyong’o</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYszQKGgxRB0oAYKjYgmQyroep0l-K7n2SwDdVVK9v6Cht8hKUSFYrBKOTXQmK4_NinlyZk_8UlAu6yqXa_MYcxIUUZQPsnXwa3WDiY4oM2Mp4YgFxFGbZPY1vHKEozh94sw94p51WQM/s1600/Lupita+Nyong%2527o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYszQKGgxRB0oAYKjYgmQyroep0l-K7n2SwDdVVK9v6Cht8hKUSFYrBKOTXQmK4_NinlyZk_8UlAu6yqXa_MYcxIUUZQPsnXwa3WDiY4oM2Mp4YgFxFGbZPY1vHKEozh94sw94p51WQM/s320/Lupita+Nyong%2527o.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">It means a lot to me to
see a face that looks like mine, not only on the screen, but also holding an
Oscar. It may seem simple, but I like that a dark girl is an “it girl”. Her
existence and celebrity rejects the hackneyed idea that Black is not synonymous
with beauty, talent, poise, and intelligence. If her Oscar acceptance speech
were a person, it absolutely would have made this list. I’m hoping that her
moment in the sun is not ephemeral and will not be chalked up to tokenism. She
is our jewel and I pray that she doesn’t fade away, like so many other Black
actresses. In closing, please allow this quick rant: Let’s all learn how to
pronounce her name. Just “Lupita” doesn’t cut it for me. We should give one of
our brightest stars the respect of honoring her entire name. She spent three
years at Yale perfecting her craft; the least we could do is take two minutes
to learn how to pronounce her name. Carry on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Mara Brock Akil</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In the late 90’s and
early 2000’s Brock Akil dominated the world of Black sit-coms. I am inspired by
her because she has mastered the art of making portrayals of blackness
simultaneously real and funny. She has furthered her exploration of Black
womanhood through her BET hit <i>Being Mary Jane</i> (which I desperately need to catch
up on). The idea that even the simplest of Black stories are worth telling is
so important. I also really love that she and her husband, Salim Akil, are in
the same business, often working on the same projects. Who doesn’t love a power
couple? She keeps it raw and classy. I like that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Justin Simien</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In the days leading up
to 2014’s Academy Awards, I watched a special on Black cinema (shocker). Right
before commercial break they briefly mentioned this indie film that may or may
not make it to theaters, <i>Dear White People</i>. Naturally, the title sparked my
interest and I later went on a two-hour YouTube binge (the first of many),
watching any and everything I could find on the film. His “The More You Know
About Black People” videos are genius. Satire is extremely difficult to write
because it forces writers to mold ugly truths into digestible (or in Simien’s
case comically forceful) pills. He does this artfully. I was euphoric when I
saw <i>Dear White People</i>…On my birthday… With a group of other conscious Black
students… After eating hole-in-the-wall soul food… Yas. I sat there thinking “I
want to do this” then later, “I <u>can</u> do this.” Siemen inspires me because he’s
young, witty, and conscious. He makes me want to be a part of this generation
of Black filmmakers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Shonda Rhimes</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">#TGIT. Need I say more?
Yeah, I probably should, huh? With every cliffhanger, we are reminded that so
many people feel like they know her on a first-name basis. That says a lot. How
many screenwriters, let alone Black female ones, can be considered household
names? She is responsible for three of the most popular shows on television:
<i>Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder</i>. Her stories have
penetrated our homes and given communities something fun to rally around
(probably the 3rd thing I did when I got to college was search for fellow
#Gladiators). Indiscretions aside, she has also put powerful Black characters
on primetime television. That’s huge, culturally and psychologically. I also
realized that she’s responsible for keeping Genovia alive by writing the
Princess Diaries 2. This calls for an elevation to bae-status.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Cicely Tyson</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30mkmyjA_I2NRXNJFRT1L31PWNYQcbbUSRZmgU5loJ7mDkAyhoQXyjM_-S_g0ZHwMkH_Q9I5L0U7eX525F34LVb9dSlc__VdPjuINr0QhyTAwejy8ZLD-OtJwbGi1SXxrLUWR7XQrgfE/s1600/Cicely+Tyson.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30mkmyjA_I2NRXNJFRT1L31PWNYQcbbUSRZmgU5loJ7mDkAyhoQXyjM_-S_g0ZHwMkH_Q9I5L0U7eX525F34LVb9dSlc__VdPjuINr0QhyTAwejy8ZLD-OtJwbGi1SXxrLUWR7XQrgfE/s1600/Cicely+Tyson.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What I like most about
Ms. Tyson is that she is a fighter. For years she has held the banner of Black
pride high. Admittedly, I know more about her from specials and documentaries
and her recent work than I do from her earlier pieces. However, I think that
says a lot about who she is and her legacy. She inspires me to be legendary. I
am still learning what all that entails, but I think leaving a mark that shifts
the way we think is a part of it. By only accepting roles gilded in truth, she
had an impact on the way Black people see themselves and the way the world
views Black people. Our value extends far beyond stereotypes. She continues to
execute her craft with grace and skill. So many of us want to be like her. I
understand why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Angela Basset</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Angela, how do I love
thee? Let me count the ways. As an actress, she has a unique transformative
ability. I never her view on screen as versions of herself, but instead as the
embodiment of full immersion, hard work, and reality with each role she plays.
From a young Tina Turner to the newly grooving Stella, she always has and
continues to remain fabulous. I admire her most because she is someone in the
entertainment industry who got her education first. I attribute some of her
characters’ depth to her Yale African-American Studies degree. She reminds me
that there is more than one path to greatness in this industry. Education and
art do not have to be mutually exclusive. She is someone that I can remember in
times of doubt. Thank you, Ms. Basset. May your Black never crack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-67629097620210367222015-06-07T00:51:00.001-05:002015-06-19T22:03:40.131-05:00Syncopated Love (Love Jones, 1997)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxDSlUdzNTwR_2NKN8bXK4lX0HTlRt6XYTEqWXHYPa81hmE4MlLI3qcWmwLzQKlvopmblBmevpCRr92BSCvk1zp2XhTastXOe_ipI3rAe-EgfWJks7jJKeRYvLnI-StUALzci3wSFc6s/s1600/Love+Jones+Picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxDSlUdzNTwR_2NKN8bXK4lX0HTlRt6XYTEqWXHYPa81hmE4MlLI3qcWmwLzQKlvopmblBmevpCRr92BSCvk1zp2XhTastXOe_ipI3rAe-EgfWJks7jJKeRYvLnI-StUALzci3wSFc6s/s320/Love+Jones+Picture.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I confess this was my first time seeing 1997's <i>Love Jones</i>, staring Larenz Tate and Nia Long. But, hey,
better late than never, right? (I wish my professors shared that sentiment).
And the verdict is… I really liked it. This movie was made in the hay-day of
the Black romance movie, which I like to think of as the late nineties and
early two thousands. This era includes hits like <i>The Best Man</i> and <i>Brown Sugar</i>, and stars like
Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan, whose marriage I will patiently await until the
day I die. So, in my defense, these films were a part of the “Micah, close your
eyes… No, actually go upstairs and watch Disney”-era. I think I will finally
feel like an adult when I finally watch another Nia Long favorite, <i>Soul Food</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">80’s romantic comedies are something that I
<i>have </i>seen, though. The scene between Darius and Nina in the record store
reminded me of John Hughes’ <i>Pretty In Pink</i> (my not-so-guilty pleasure). I don’t
know if that was intentional, but I liked how it harkened back to something
classic and familiar, then turned it on its head. It took something I
recognized and expanded on it, giving new perspective. <i>Love Jones</i> does that a
lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Although this film is centered around a love
story that pulls on heartstrings, it’s not “cute”. Cute is what you’d use for
<i>27 Dresses</i>. Love Jones is much deeper than that—it’s rhythmic. It felt like a
good song. This story was artfully projected without being corny. Well, aside
from Darius’ name and his first few pick-up lines. I mean “Lovehall"?
Really!? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Love Jones’ power was in the tempo of the words
and in the melody of the plot’s movement. The poetry of this movie, like
“Brother To The Night (A Blues For Nina),” mirrors the film
itself—rhythm-drenched words paired with rich blues and jazz. Darius’ friend Eddie
describes poetry as “the possibility of words” and Darius says that, “Romance
is about the possibility of the thing.” Possibility. That’s the point here.
Darius goes on to say that he’s “the blues in [her] left thigh, trying to
become the funk in [her] right.” **snaps** I think that trying is the important
word here. Because Darius and Nina never really achieve romantic or relational
perfection, the film is more of a continuous journey than a hear-warming
success story. See, the film makes Black love a reality instead of an
unachievable fantasy. It shows the hardships of relationships. And even though
this love story is beautiful, it’s beauty is derived from gritty truth not from
a perfect Eurocentric fairytale mold. I can’t say that I’ve ever been in love,
but I would believe <i>Love Jones</i> before I believe in Cinderella. Perfection is a
subjective standard that leaves us empty. Possibility is an idea that possesses
hope and honesty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Despite never having a lot of the experiences
portrayed in this movie, I found myself connecting to it. I think that has to
do with the intersection of Black art portrayed here. Poetry, music, and
photography are all present in this film. There was a clear jazz undertone,
both literally and figuratively. This harkens back to another time when art was
overflowing, changing, and melding—The Harlem Renaissance, and even The Black
Arts Movement. There is a unifying, intangible, and practically inexplicable
aesthetic that exists in Black art. When watching <i>Love Jones</i> I often found
myself caught up in the music or wanting to snap in agreement with the poetry.
These art forms intertwined in such a way that focusing on one did not take
away from the other, but instead supported it. For example, during the many
moments in the story that would give me a parental death sentence, I would be
so pleasantly mesmerized by the color and rhythm that I could find something in
that scene that resonated with me. I believe that there are different Black
experiences. However, I think that the best Black art strikes a cultural chord
that can be understood universally. This Theodore Witcher classic does that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">That said, maybe my fondness of this film just
boils down to the fact that I could spend all day listening to poetry and
talking about art, or that I dig Darius’ vinyls (I proudly named my record
player Bertha-Symone.) Maybe it’s that Nia Long’s hair was perpetually laid,
but she was symbolically willing to sacrifice aesthetic beauty for her heart. Any
way you slice it, <i>Love Jones</i> affirmed my belief in Black love. We need more
movies like that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4895455930987346426.post-52419293477514502272015-06-04T00:03:00.000-05:002015-06-04T00:03:08.563-05:00I Cried Dark Tears. (Fruitvale Station, 2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHQVtAAoO8LgUQTZcPz2o2eiXMWhYQJq4cIEhG83bU2YFwBuCj-hqOIN-AS2HV5oDkS-Pb4fe8qa7w88FCqMhyphenhyphenfmDfnLqMYogdAf48AfYvsSN3eqR5qtQ5ijYxoWP421Ic3URpfdHLrY/s1600/Fruitvale+Sation+picture.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHQVtAAoO8LgUQTZcPz2o2eiXMWhYQJq4cIEhG83bU2YFwBuCj-hqOIN-AS2HV5oDkS-Pb4fe8qa7w88FCqMhyphenhyphenfmDfnLqMYogdAf48AfYvsSN3eqR5qtQ5ijYxoWP421Ic3URpfdHLrY/s1600/Fruitvale+Sation+picture.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I don’t usually cry in movies. I just don’t. I
just put on a tough face and try to think artistically (probably overly so).
And that’s what I did today. I grabbed some pasta for lunch, turned on Netflix,
and started watching <i>Fruitvale Station</i>. Now, I know I’m a little behind. This
movie came out a few years ago. I didn’t really want to go see it in theaters
because I don’t do violence very well. I just sit there like a six-year old
with my eyes squinted waiting for the brutal moments to end. I didn’t even go
to see Michael B. Jordan, who I would now like to take a moment to officially
swoon over. But today, his physique and swagger were irrelevant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Today, I cried all of the way through the
credits. Not like a little misty eye, but actual this-isn’t-cute-at-all tears.
The tears came because this film felt real. They continued because it is real.
<i>Fruitvale Station</i> was pleasantly simple. It wasn’t overly dramatic or
contrived. I like that. It highlighted moments of humanity, fear, compassion,
love, and normality in a way that didn’t seem pushy. The cinematography was
also a contributing factor to this. A lot of the film had an unsteady look and
was likely shot with a single handheld camera at moments. As the frame followed
Oscar, I felt like I, too, was walking behind him, making me feel closer to him
and his loved ones. As a result, this movie really hit home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The film ended with little Tatiana Grant asking
where her dad is; and with that strike to black, I became heartbreakingly aware
that the thump of my heart and the falling drops on my wet face were in sync.
As the names rolled down I just kept thinking about the loss of another one of
our men and replayed the horror over and over again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I wasn’t crying because I saw blood--there was
blood, but not enough to cause tears under normal circumstances. I don’t even
think I was crying because someone died—I hate to say it, but <i>A Walk To
Remember</i> didn’t even get me. I cried partially for Oscar’s daughter Tatiana—her
final words made the reality of loss sink in even more. But mostly I cried
because of the questions I had during the film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The movie starts with actual footage from a
cell phone of Oscar Grant’s murder. So, from the beginning, everyone knows
what’s going to happen. It’s no secret that he gets shot. Because I knew that,
I kept searching for the moments in the movie where Oscar transitioned from a
person to a corps. Yeah, sure, biologically that’s when he dies. But what is it
that a Black man does that strips him of his personhood before God strips him
of his breath? Is there an alarm that goes off labeled “you are no longer
valuable to us?” (“Us” is a totally different and necessary conversation). Was
Tatiana, like so many little Black girls, born into tragedy? Is there a moment
when we no longer matter? I sat waiting, watching, and wondering for
eighty-five minutes and never found that moment. Those moments don’t exist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I’m glad that I waited to watch this film. A
year ago, when I was in high school, I think that I would have felt bad and
probably would have been outraged—outraged because I saw another one of my
brothers dying. After a year in college, planning to major in African-American
Studies, I am more informed and therefore look at this movie differently than I
would have a year ago. Today, I am sad. I’m sad because I am more aware of the
systems that exist in this country (and in the world for that matter) that even
made it possible for this movie to be based on a true story—a story that’s far
too familiar. We can talk about why Oscar was in prison. To be fair, I believe
in personal responsibility and choices. I also believe that people are forced
to make those choices for a reason. Why is it that Pete (I believe his name
was), the White man with the pregnant wife could steal a wedding ring and then
go on to start his own business? Meanwhile, Oscar, who also committed a crime,
is struggling to make ends meet, let alone buy jewelry for his longtime
girlfriend. Call me a White supremacy theorist, but…actually, yeah, you can
call me that. It’s not a theory. But this is about movies, right? So let
me refer you to <u>The New Jim Crow</u> by Michelle Alexander. Like this film, it’s
enlightening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">This
post wasn’t necessarily meant to be about politics. But, as Amiri Baraka would
argue, Black art is and must be inherently political. It needs to serve a
purpose. It needs to expose so that we can deal with the issues and move
forward. <i>Fruitvale Station</i> did that. I was reminded of how much work there is
to be done and given the opportunity to cry for my brothers and sisters. The
work screenwriter and director Ryan Coogler (who will be the subject of my
internet stalking for the next couple of days) is proof that film is an
effective and necessary tool in our community. Kudos to all of those
filmmakers, especially the Black ones, who create art with a purpose. We need
you. I hope to be one of you. Together, we will fight on, because <i>Fruitvale Station
</i>doesn’t need a sequel. </span><!--EndFragment-->
Micah Ariel Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05964300626822246334noreply@blogger.com0