February Films
Mar. 4th, 2018 02:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kiki_engThis month just past, as a kind of black history month thing, the only films I watched were ones about black people. I made it to twenty-four and really enjoyed the whole thing. I filled some gaps in my history of cinema education and saw some really great movies. I wrote reactions as I was going through for each and will probably write a tiny bit more about the whole thing in a few days.
Shaft (1971). I knew Shaft was iconic, I knew he was a private detective and there'd be resulting Humphrey Bogart vibes just because of that, but I wasn't prepared for just how much of the performance of Shaft would fit that particular vibe, and how much performance of gender and sexuality there would be. Like, Shaft is cooler than Bogey; he Han Solo-ed his girlfriend about a decade before that film came out, he's good with a plan, he's a bit of an asshole and everyone is in love with him or wants to fuck him or both. The intro song should have prepared me for that but somehow didn't. The gay character threw me a bit because I wasn't expecting him to be there; it felt like he time-traveled from a 90s film. (Apparently I don't expect representation in the 70s even though there were queer films made then.) Ben is someone I wonder about, because he and Shaft have a history and when they meet up again there's that animosity and then Ben kind of melts and there's that scene when he's staying at Shaft's friend's house and Shaft wakes him up in the morning, shirtless and Shaft looks at him and his chest. And there's this thing where Shaft moves people around and puts them in different places, to sleep, or fuck, or knock out some mobsters. How he interacts with the rest of the world and especially how the rest of the world interacts with him is really interesting to me.
Shaft's Big Score! (1972). People were less in love with Shaft in this film and I enjoyed it less. The twenty minute chase sequence didn't make me happy the way a twenty minute chase sequence should, maybe because it doesn't really have dialogue or comedy or emotional investment or any kind of uncertainty backing it up, so it's just a seventies car chase and I'm not really a fan of the photography. I did enjoy Rita's driving, though, and would have been down for learning more about her. The women in these films are really trapped by the whole male gaze and writing set up happening here; the film had a bit of a James Bond feel happening, with the hidden weaponry, swing window entrance, and continued objectification of women. I am really glad that soft-focus glass barrier abstraction way of shooting sex scenes has died.
Shaft in Africa (1973). This felt like a Bond film. We found out that Shaft is circumcised and has a big penis. Also his first priority isn't always to get his dick wet, which is good to know. The scene where Amafi's girlfriend rides past a road crew of enslaved workers and gets off on them was creepy as hell. It was interesting to see how they chose to represent Africa and Africans. Shaft got a dog and then someone killed it and I think that might be the most upset we ever see him. The first one remains my favourite.
Selma (2014). Historical drama about Martin Luther King Jr. and the marches at Selma. It's a story about part of a hard battle towards victory, and it ends on a pretty positive note, but Ferguson's in the end credits music for a reason, and I finished this film feeling dehydrated and kind of cynical - to be fair that's not far from my norm. I liked this film; I think that it did what it set out to do well. I was impressed by David Oyelowo - playing iconic people is hard - and amused that the Alabama governor sounded not unlike Christopher Walken.
Hidden Figures (2016). I think this is the fourth time I've seen this film. (I dragged a few different people to the theatre.) It still makes me happy even though it's not perfect. I like the costumes and the music and the representation and Taraji P. Henson is amazing in this.
Medicine for Melancholy (2008). I was not prepared for this film. I was expecting it to be romcom adjacent because of the promo image and it's not. The use of color in this film distracted and distressed me - it uses a limited palette for a lot of it and that palette shifts and changes and I desperately wanted to have all of the colours unmuted which is never really achieved - there are some images of the city that exist in vibrant seventies-type tones that serve as a contrast between that ideal and the world the protagonists are going through which is full of those kind of immersive close-ups and less fluid camera work that you get in short films that both jar and grab a viewer and can give more of a sense of engagement with the text - you get more of a sense of space in some ways than something fluid and even - but can also give a sense of being trapped. ...which all works within the context of the film and its themes of gentrification and being a member of a minority within the city and not part of that gentrification. I can't with BD sometimes because of the limited palette - I really like colour, and I became more invested in the colours than anything else in this film - how were they changing, what did it mean, when would there be more, were there more now why were there less now, no, would they come back. This film felt like the shorts I was watching in the mid noughts and it was strange to see that in a feature length film for me and made watching it a little like time traveling. The characters are very awkward with each other in parts of this and there were a few lines of this that felt written, like lines of the script that hadn't been pulled off. *hands*
Beyond the Lights (2014). Tropey narrative goodness. Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays a pop singer on the cusp of release of her debut album and Nate Parker is the police officer on her protection detail who stops her from falling down and rescues her when she attempts suicide. He gives her a hand up and she figures it out and how to stand up by and for herself. They're both really pretty and they fall in love. They get an ending that makes sense for their characters and that they deserve.
Creed (2015). It's a boxing movie! A Rocky sequel. There's a lot of blood and punching near the end. My previous knowledge of the original Rocky films was basically Philippe Candeloro routines, but this was set up in a way that worked well for someone new to the series and was also a good way to do a sequel; it was well-structured. I loved Adonis' mom and also his found family. I liked that his girlfriend used hearing aids and I liked them together. I liked this film, except for the punching. (I liked Rocky in this, too, but watching it I was like, I feel like Stallone's name has come up on the news recently....)
Pariah (2011). This might be the first time I've ever seen a butch lesbian as the lead in a film. I was super invested in Alike and all of her relationships, every single one of them. Her family drama felt very real. I hated Bina a lot, because she's kind of the villain, but also a little bit because she's the evil bisexual that hooks up with women and then dates men, I mean I think she has issues that separate her a bit from that type but I also think that they make her a fuller illustration of that type than she would be without it; she's the woman who's ashamed of hooking up with women and so chooses to date men instead. I loved Alike having poetry as an outlet and the way her poems fit into and were a part of the story and frame her journey. I love that she does, in fact, break out of her cocoon and go off to live her butterfly life. That was great. I enjoyed this film.
42 (2013). A sports film! I started this and was instantly like I'm going to end up crying about baseball, aren't I?. I did okay, considering. Anyway, yes, this is a film about Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player in MLB. It's very shiny, and does a really good job of showing how white people deal with their racism, including threats of violence against black people, racial slurs, refusal of service, throwing a hissy fit when they're inconvenienced, grudging acceptance of the situation, trying to help, creating opportunities - a pretty full spectrum. ...and we get Jackie's reaction to that and him just trying to do his thing in the middle of everything. Some of the actors nearly disappear into their characters in this. It was good; I liked it.
Sleight (2016). I just wanted magic and Dulé Hill and then Dulé Hill made the main character hack someone's hand off. I was not prepared. I expected an event to happen ten minutes in that actually happened in the last thirty minutes of the film. I liked it, once it was over; it was more intense than I'd anticipated but the film I actually watched (not the film I expected to watch) was well-paced, I think. Also Cameron Esposito is in this and I had no idea she existed outside of stand-up and I continue to hate her haircut a lot. (She has a side mullet. I can't.) ...and the main character was like Tony Stark, a bit; the magic was fun and mad science-y.
Get Out (2017). So this was weak from a hard science fiction stand point (it's not hard science fiction and doesn't try to be) but great from a horror standpoint. This is some fucked up white people racist horror-show bullshit and it's great, and basically exactly how I like my horror films executed. There are some really good tropes in here - young couple off to an isolated location, animal trophies are evil, TV box of horrors, hypnotism, tea is evil, uncanny servants, manor of doom, dark secrets under lock and key, criminals auctioning, etc. I liked her perfect geometric lines of photos of her with her victims over her bed next to the lion stuffed animal - that's some solid old school horror evil signaling right there. ...and I loved Rod, and also how Chris does eventually try to get out and is sensible about it, and the twist at the end.
Carmen Jones (1954). Fifties retelling of the Bizet opera with new lyrics. I liked the concept of this but opera tropes aren't my favourite. I picked this up so that I could watch Dorothy Dandridge, so that was a success, but I have concerns about historical accuracy and lots of feelings about opera that made this not my favourite.
Black Panther (2018). This was really good. There's a kind of consistency in it and a high intensity that makes sense for a superhero film. They do a really lazy thing with the villain's girlfriend to let you know that he's evil that I think they would have been better off without. T'challa's sister, Shuri, is amazing and science-y. It's not really a film about learning how to be king, the way that a lot of narratives are, but more about about foreign policy. It feels timely, or maybe timeless; isolationism vs. aid vs. takeovers has been debated for a long time in a lot of different places. The film is bright and shiny and hopeful, though, and when the villain died in theatres my friend and I were both wiping away tears, which is impressive. I liked this film.
Fruitvale Station (2013). So I didn't realise this until the end credits, but this was the third film directed by Ryan Coogler and also third with Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Black Panther) I watched this month and I decided to watch it the same day I saw Black Panther because I'd already cried over Michael B. Jordan. This was also the same week as the Parkland, Florida school shooting and about a week after the Colten Boushie verdict and why the fuck are we like this and how is any of this acceptable? I think I spent a solid ten minutes at the end crying. This film does a really good job of showing you exactly who Oscar is, and then they kill him; it's well-constructed and well-paced, I think. It's good. I wish that I didn't feel like I could have chosen another time to watch this at random and had another two recent events to point at and tie this film to.
Timbuktu (2014). This was really beautiful and stark. It's about an oppressive regime and hypocrisy and trying to find moments of joy within it and absurdity and fear and power-seeking men with guns. There's this really great scene where a group of men and boys are playing imaginary soccer, running up and down a pitch and goalkeeping with no ball, and then a man on a motorcycle comes and they switch to exercises and then as soon as he turns his back go back to playing imaginary soccer and it is ridiculous and sad and this film is full of moments like that. I wasn't sure what the ending would be with this but it tied everything together perfectly.
Friday Foster (1975). I really like how sex positive this genre of films is and, look, I don't know if Friday meant to imply a threesome at the end of the Jerico discussion or not but that is what I am choosing to take from it. I'm also a fan of seeing gay and trans people existing, even though that's handled with basically zero sensitivity. I feel like this film is pretty weak and there's some pretty clunky dialogue and bad effects, and the whole thing is very male gaze-y, but I had a pretty good time anyway.
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). Solid opening credits decisions were made and then the whole thing was solid. This was the film noir I was wanting. It's pretty and tropey and not feminist.
After Earth (2013). This was garbage. Space garbage, but garbage. I missed Atlantis a little bit because of that and then I got caught up a bit. Mostly in finding the son obnoxious, and also the father. This thing has two female characters who have names and they're a mother and a dead daughter and they don't talk to each other even in flashbacks. The med bay is inefficient - there are way too many people standing around a body doing nothing at one point and the thing in this movie that pissed me off the most was that the son gets adopted by a bird and then the bird dies.
Night Catches Us (2010). This was beautiful. The music is by The Roots. There's a police search scene that has fireflies in it; it was good. The main characters are great and you sympathise with them and want the best for them. It's pretty basic but I like the structure of the arrival at the beginning and the departure at the ending and got excited when it became apparent the camera wasn't going to move again and the ending would be him leaving the frame. I liked the footage cut into the film and how everything conspired together to give this film atmosphere. I liked how everything fit together and I really enjoyed this film.
Queen of Katwe (2016). Feel good Disney movie about a Ugandan girl becoming a chess champion. I liked the colours and some of the evil villain signaling. It was fun.
Mo' Better Blues (1990). I think this comes from the same sort of place as all of those pieces about English professors, witty and disillusioned with an attractive co-ed flinging themselves at him, his marriage on the rocks, and looking for meaning in his life. Self-centred masculine bullshit. Bleek is weird about his trumpet and he needs to get his shit together. I don't think it's a bad film but I wasn't really in the mood for it.
Coffy (1973). Another blaxploitation film. She kills everyone and it still doesn't feel like enough. This was darker than I expected it to be. Cleavage and racism and fiery revenge. There was a queer lady couple in this, I think, which was neat, though we're not supposed to like either of them.
Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005). I think I had somehow forgotten how beautiful Halle Berry is. The water and the dress and the hair in the beginning reminded me of Lemonade. This film felt so heterosexual in places - I'm not even entirely sure what I mean by that but I said it aloud more than once watching this; maybe: this film is so entirely focused on Janie's relationships with men, and she's so straight, and there's some resulting female gaze in the context of an m/f relationship. That said, it reminded me of Fried Green Tomatoes, a bit, with its female lead and emphasis on finding love and living life.
Shaft (1971). I knew Shaft was iconic, I knew he was a private detective and there'd be resulting Humphrey Bogart vibes just because of that, but I wasn't prepared for just how much of the performance of Shaft would fit that particular vibe, and how much performance of gender and sexuality there would be. Like, Shaft is cooler than Bogey; he Han Solo-ed his girlfriend about a decade before that film came out, he's good with a plan, he's a bit of an asshole and everyone is in love with him or wants to fuck him or both. The intro song should have prepared me for that but somehow didn't. The gay character threw me a bit because I wasn't expecting him to be there; it felt like he time-traveled from a 90s film. (Apparently I don't expect representation in the 70s even though there were queer films made then.) Ben is someone I wonder about, because he and Shaft have a history and when they meet up again there's that animosity and then Ben kind of melts and there's that scene when he's staying at Shaft's friend's house and Shaft wakes him up in the morning, shirtless and Shaft looks at him and his chest. And there's this thing where Shaft moves people around and puts them in different places, to sleep, or fuck, or knock out some mobsters. How he interacts with the rest of the world and especially how the rest of the world interacts with him is really interesting to me.
Shaft's Big Score! (1972). People were less in love with Shaft in this film and I enjoyed it less. The twenty minute chase sequence didn't make me happy the way a twenty minute chase sequence should, maybe because it doesn't really have dialogue or comedy or emotional investment or any kind of uncertainty backing it up, so it's just a seventies car chase and I'm not really a fan of the photography. I did enjoy Rita's driving, though, and would have been down for learning more about her. The women in these films are really trapped by the whole male gaze and writing set up happening here; the film had a bit of a James Bond feel happening, with the hidden weaponry, swing window entrance, and continued objectification of women. I am really glad that soft-focus glass barrier abstraction way of shooting sex scenes has died.
Shaft in Africa (1973). This felt like a Bond film. We found out that Shaft is circumcised and has a big penis. Also his first priority isn't always to get his dick wet, which is good to know. The scene where Amafi's girlfriend rides past a road crew of enslaved workers and gets off on them was creepy as hell. It was interesting to see how they chose to represent Africa and Africans. Shaft got a dog and then someone killed it and I think that might be the most upset we ever see him. The first one remains my favourite.
Selma (2014). Historical drama about Martin Luther King Jr. and the marches at Selma. It's a story about part of a hard battle towards victory, and it ends on a pretty positive note, but Ferguson's in the end credits music for a reason, and I finished this film feeling dehydrated and kind of cynical - to be fair that's not far from my norm. I liked this film; I think that it did what it set out to do well. I was impressed by David Oyelowo - playing iconic people is hard - and amused that the Alabama governor sounded not unlike Christopher Walken.
Hidden Figures (2016). I think this is the fourth time I've seen this film. (I dragged a few different people to the theatre.) It still makes me happy even though it's not perfect. I like the costumes and the music and the representation and Taraji P. Henson is amazing in this.
Medicine for Melancholy (2008). I was not prepared for this film. I was expecting it to be romcom adjacent because of the promo image and it's not. The use of color in this film distracted and distressed me - it uses a limited palette for a lot of it and that palette shifts and changes and I desperately wanted to have all of the colours unmuted which is never really achieved - there are some images of the city that exist in vibrant seventies-type tones that serve as a contrast between that ideal and the world the protagonists are going through which is full of those kind of immersive close-ups and less fluid camera work that you get in short films that both jar and grab a viewer and can give more of a sense of engagement with the text - you get more of a sense of space in some ways than something fluid and even - but can also give a sense of being trapped. ...which all works within the context of the film and its themes of gentrification and being a member of a minority within the city and not part of that gentrification. I can't with BD sometimes because of the limited palette - I really like colour, and I became more invested in the colours than anything else in this film - how were they changing, what did it mean, when would there be more, were there more now why were there less now, no, would they come back. This film felt like the shorts I was watching in the mid noughts and it was strange to see that in a feature length film for me and made watching it a little like time traveling. The characters are very awkward with each other in parts of this and there were a few lines of this that felt written, like lines of the script that hadn't been pulled off. *hands*
Beyond the Lights (2014). Tropey narrative goodness. Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays a pop singer on the cusp of release of her debut album and Nate Parker is the police officer on her protection detail who stops her from falling down and rescues her when she attempts suicide. He gives her a hand up and she figures it out and how to stand up by and for herself. They're both really pretty and they fall in love. They get an ending that makes sense for their characters and that they deserve.
Creed (2015). It's a boxing movie! A Rocky sequel. There's a lot of blood and punching near the end. My previous knowledge of the original Rocky films was basically Philippe Candeloro routines, but this was set up in a way that worked well for someone new to the series and was also a good way to do a sequel; it was well-structured. I loved Adonis' mom and also his found family. I liked that his girlfriend used hearing aids and I liked them together. I liked this film, except for the punching. (I liked Rocky in this, too, but watching it I was like, I feel like Stallone's name has come up on the news recently....)
Pariah (2011). This might be the first time I've ever seen a butch lesbian as the lead in a film. I was super invested in Alike and all of her relationships, every single one of them. Her family drama felt very real. I hated Bina a lot, because she's kind of the villain, but also a little bit because she's the evil bisexual that hooks up with women and then dates men, I mean I think she has issues that separate her a bit from that type but I also think that they make her a fuller illustration of that type than she would be without it; she's the woman who's ashamed of hooking up with women and so chooses to date men instead. I loved Alike having poetry as an outlet and the way her poems fit into and were a part of the story and frame her journey. I love that she does, in fact, break out of her cocoon and go off to live her butterfly life. That was great. I enjoyed this film.
42 (2013). A sports film! I started this and was instantly like I'm going to end up crying about baseball, aren't I?. I did okay, considering. Anyway, yes, this is a film about Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player in MLB. It's very shiny, and does a really good job of showing how white people deal with their racism, including threats of violence against black people, racial slurs, refusal of service, throwing a hissy fit when they're inconvenienced, grudging acceptance of the situation, trying to help, creating opportunities - a pretty full spectrum. ...and we get Jackie's reaction to that and him just trying to do his thing in the middle of everything. Some of the actors nearly disappear into their characters in this. It was good; I liked it.
Sleight (2016). I just wanted magic and Dulé Hill and then Dulé Hill made the main character hack someone's hand off. I was not prepared. I expected an event to happen ten minutes in that actually happened in the last thirty minutes of the film. I liked it, once it was over; it was more intense than I'd anticipated but the film I actually watched (not the film I expected to watch) was well-paced, I think. Also Cameron Esposito is in this and I had no idea she existed outside of stand-up and I continue to hate her haircut a lot. (She has a side mullet. I can't.) ...and the main character was like Tony Stark, a bit; the magic was fun and mad science-y.
Get Out (2017). So this was weak from a hard science fiction stand point (it's not hard science fiction and doesn't try to be) but great from a horror standpoint. This is some fucked up white people racist horror-show bullshit and it's great, and basically exactly how I like my horror films executed. There are some really good tropes in here - young couple off to an isolated location, animal trophies are evil, TV box of horrors, hypnotism, tea is evil, uncanny servants, manor of doom, dark secrets under lock and key, criminals auctioning, etc. I liked her perfect geometric lines of photos of her with her victims over her bed next to the lion stuffed animal - that's some solid old school horror evil signaling right there. ...and I loved Rod, and also how Chris does eventually try to get out and is sensible about it, and the twist at the end.
Carmen Jones (1954). Fifties retelling of the Bizet opera with new lyrics. I liked the concept of this but opera tropes aren't my favourite. I picked this up so that I could watch Dorothy Dandridge, so that was a success, but I have concerns about historical accuracy and lots of feelings about opera that made this not my favourite.
Black Panther (2018). This was really good. There's a kind of consistency in it and a high intensity that makes sense for a superhero film. They do a really lazy thing with the villain's girlfriend to let you know that he's evil that I think they would have been better off without. T'challa's sister, Shuri, is amazing and science-y. It's not really a film about learning how to be king, the way that a lot of narratives are, but more about about foreign policy. It feels timely, or maybe timeless; isolationism vs. aid vs. takeovers has been debated for a long time in a lot of different places. The film is bright and shiny and hopeful, though, and when the villain died in theatres my friend and I were both wiping away tears, which is impressive. I liked this film.
Fruitvale Station (2013). So I didn't realise this until the end credits, but this was the third film directed by Ryan Coogler and also third with Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Black Panther) I watched this month and I decided to watch it the same day I saw Black Panther because I'd already cried over Michael B. Jordan. This was also the same week as the Parkland, Florida school shooting and about a week after the Colten Boushie verdict and why the fuck are we like this and how is any of this acceptable? I think I spent a solid ten minutes at the end crying. This film does a really good job of showing you exactly who Oscar is, and then they kill him; it's well-constructed and well-paced, I think. It's good. I wish that I didn't feel like I could have chosen another time to watch this at random and had another two recent events to point at and tie this film to.
Timbuktu (2014). This was really beautiful and stark. It's about an oppressive regime and hypocrisy and trying to find moments of joy within it and absurdity and fear and power-seeking men with guns. There's this really great scene where a group of men and boys are playing imaginary soccer, running up and down a pitch and goalkeeping with no ball, and then a man on a motorcycle comes and they switch to exercises and then as soon as he turns his back go back to playing imaginary soccer and it is ridiculous and sad and this film is full of moments like that. I wasn't sure what the ending would be with this but it tied everything together perfectly.
Friday Foster (1975). I really like how sex positive this genre of films is and, look, I don't know if Friday meant to imply a threesome at the end of the Jerico discussion or not but that is what I am choosing to take from it. I'm also a fan of seeing gay and trans people existing, even though that's handled with basically zero sensitivity. I feel like this film is pretty weak and there's some pretty clunky dialogue and bad effects, and the whole thing is very male gaze-y, but I had a pretty good time anyway.
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). Solid opening credits decisions were made and then the whole thing was solid. This was the film noir I was wanting. It's pretty and tropey and not feminist.
After Earth (2013). This was garbage. Space garbage, but garbage. I missed Atlantis a little bit because of that and then I got caught up a bit. Mostly in finding the son obnoxious, and also the father. This thing has two female characters who have names and they're a mother and a dead daughter and they don't talk to each other even in flashbacks. The med bay is inefficient - there are way too many people standing around a body doing nothing at one point and the thing in this movie that pissed me off the most was that the son gets adopted by a bird and then the bird dies.
Night Catches Us (2010). This was beautiful. The music is by The Roots. There's a police search scene that has fireflies in it; it was good. The main characters are great and you sympathise with them and want the best for them. It's pretty basic but I like the structure of the arrival at the beginning and the departure at the ending and got excited when it became apparent the camera wasn't going to move again and the ending would be him leaving the frame. I liked the footage cut into the film and how everything conspired together to give this film atmosphere. I liked how everything fit together and I really enjoyed this film.
Queen of Katwe (2016). Feel good Disney movie about a Ugandan girl becoming a chess champion. I liked the colours and some of the evil villain signaling. It was fun.
Mo' Better Blues (1990). I think this comes from the same sort of place as all of those pieces about English professors, witty and disillusioned with an attractive co-ed flinging themselves at him, his marriage on the rocks, and looking for meaning in his life. Self-centred masculine bullshit. Bleek is weird about his trumpet and he needs to get his shit together. I don't think it's a bad film but I wasn't really in the mood for it.
Coffy (1973). Another blaxploitation film. She kills everyone and it still doesn't feel like enough. This was darker than I expected it to be. Cleavage and racism and fiery revenge. There was a queer lady couple in this, I think, which was neat, though we're not supposed to like either of them.
Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005). I think I had somehow forgotten how beautiful Halle Berry is. The water and the dress and the hair in the beginning reminded me of Lemonade. This film felt so heterosexual in places - I'm not even entirely sure what I mean by that but I said it aloud more than once watching this; maybe: this film is so entirely focused on Janie's relationships with men, and she's so straight, and there's some resulting female gaze in the context of an m/f relationship. That said, it reminded me of Fried Green Tomatoes, a bit, with its female lead and emphasis on finding love and living life.