Today I saw Green Book, starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali.
Tony (Mortensen) needs a temporary job while the club he works for undergoes renovations; Dr. Shirley (Ali) is a pianist who needs a driver who can double as a bodyguard for his upcoming tour. Tony is Italian; Dr. Shirley is black. It's the 1960s and America isn't the safest place for black citizens.
As they embark on their journey, the differences between the two men become clear: Dr. Shirley is an educated man who takes pride in behaving with dignity; Tony is a tell-it-like-it-is guy with an uncommonly large appetite and low threshold for BS. At first, this personality contrast divides them, but as their trip carries on they begin to mutually appreciate each other's differences.
So why is the film called Green Book?
That's the travel guide black families used in that era to determine safe places to sleep and eat across America. It's the book these two utilized when they took their actual trip (the film of course is based on a true story). It's absurd that the guide ever existed—that it ever had to—but it's also a symbolic reminder of how far we've come as a nation, though our nightly news would indicate otherwise.
Though the film was undeniably formulaic and predictable (even if you hadn't read up on the real story), it was enjoyable from start to finish. The two lead actors disappeared into their roles and delivered award-winning performances.
It's a long movie that doesn't feel long, which drives home a lesson that a nation should have long ago learned: we're all more alike than different.
~~~
Showing posts with label civil rights movement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label civil rights movement. Show all posts
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Detroit
Last night I saw Detroit, starring John Boyega and Will Poulter.
The 1967 Detroit Rebellion was a reaction to a police raid of an after-hours unlicensed black bar, where a celebration was being held to welcome back soldiers. Over 40 lives were lost and nearly 2,000 people were injured during the five days of riots.
One incident that erupted during that unsettling time happened at the Algiers Motel, where a group of young black men and two white women were held hostage by white police and tortured because of a gunshot the cops thought they heard coming from the property. By the end of the incident, three unarmed black men were dead. No weapon was ever found.
In Kathryn Bigelow's fictionalized version of that event, she retells what happened with minor poetic license. Though most are represented accurately (according to survivors and witnesses), dialog of course has to be imagined with the exception of phrases/insults that were recounted in court transcripts at the murder trials.
The film is long, but so was that night for the innocent victims who suffered at the hands of brutal racists. Watching their agony and seeing the merciless actions of the white men continue is just a painful reminder that we haven't come so far since then. Police brutality is alive and well in America, as is racism, so we must force ourselves to sit through art such as this to see why we can't let these injustices continue.
The performance Will Poulter gives as Krauss, the ringleader of the whole operation, is Oscar-worthy, as you can barely look at him by the time the film concludes. Also stellar is John Boyega as Dismukes, a black guard who witnessed the incident, but remained unharmed because he "befriended" the cops. The struggle to stay silent is reflected in his eyes as the horrors play out.
Though it was unpleasant and uncomfortable to watch, I truly hope that high schools around the country will show this film as part of their Civil Rights lessons and show how a dark period in America's past played out. If we don't convince the youth to be color-blind, we'll find ourselves right back in that horrible place in no time.
~~~
The 1967 Detroit Rebellion was a reaction to a police raid of an after-hours unlicensed black bar, where a celebration was being held to welcome back soldiers. Over 40 lives were lost and nearly 2,000 people were injured during the five days of riots.
One incident that erupted during that unsettling time happened at the Algiers Motel, where a group of young black men and two white women were held hostage by white police and tortured because of a gunshot the cops thought they heard coming from the property. By the end of the incident, three unarmed black men were dead. No weapon was ever found.
In Kathryn Bigelow's fictionalized version of that event, she retells what happened with minor poetic license. Though most are represented accurately (according to survivors and witnesses), dialog of course has to be imagined with the exception of phrases/insults that were recounted in court transcripts at the murder trials.
The film is long, but so was that night for the innocent victims who suffered at the hands of brutal racists. Watching their agony and seeing the merciless actions of the white men continue is just a painful reminder that we haven't come so far since then. Police brutality is alive and well in America, as is racism, so we must force ourselves to sit through art such as this to see why we can't let these injustices continue.
The performance Will Poulter gives as Krauss, the ringleader of the whole operation, is Oscar-worthy, as you can barely look at him by the time the film concludes. Also stellar is John Boyega as Dismukes, a black guard who witnessed the incident, but remained unharmed because he "befriended" the cops. The struggle to stay silent is reflected in his eyes as the horrors play out.
Though it was unpleasant and uncomfortable to watch, I truly hope that high schools around the country will show this film as part of their Civil Rights lessons and show how a dark period in America's past played out. If we don't convince the youth to be color-blind, we'll find ourselves right back in that horrible place in no time.
~~~
Friday, January 06, 2017
Loving
Tonight I saw Loving, starring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton.
It was the summer of 1958 when Richard Loving (Edgerton) married the love of his life, Mildred (Negga). They had the ceremony in Washington, D.C. because their home state of Virginia had banned interracial marriage, and they were two different races: Richard, white; Mildred, black.
Just five weeks after their happy nuptials, the couple were arrested in their own bedroom for violating the Racial Integrity Act. Their choice from the judge, after pleading guilty, was to either serve a year in prison or flee the state. So, they packed up and moved a few hours away to Washington.
But life wasn't the same in the city as it was in the country. They weren't near their families; their three children had no yard to play in. They lived there for nine years, before their fight made any progress. Mrs. Loving wrote a letter to Bobby Kennedy, who was the Attorney General at the time, and he referred her to the American Civil Liberties Union. Lawyers with the ACLU took the case, and the rest is history.
What's wonderful about this film is the authentic feel it brings to the memory of this true-life couple. They were good, decent, simple people who just fell in love and wanted to do right by their feelings. No matter what hostility they faced from the law or from racists in their town, their decision to stay together was never in question. They were the very definition of the perfect American family: Dad had a respectable blue-collar job, Mom was an excellent homemaker, the kids were smart and well-behaved.
What Jeff Nichols conveys so well in both his screenplay and his direction is the very absurdity of the situation. While real crimes are being committed and a nation is struggling to recover from a beloved president's assassination, small-minded folks are concerned about a squeaky-clean family simply living their lives. He builds tension when they are hunted and displays tenderness in their quiet moments, all the while making you feel like you're surviving along with them in the humid summer heat. It's absolutely superb.
The performances from the leads are brilliant and a nice cameo from Michael Shannon as a Life Magazine photographer is a welcome addition.
Please go see this film. Especially in our country's current political climate—it unfortunately couldn't be more timely.
~~~
It was the summer of 1958 when Richard Loving (Edgerton) married the love of his life, Mildred (Negga). They had the ceremony in Washington, D.C. because their home state of Virginia had banned interracial marriage, and they were two different races: Richard, white; Mildred, black.
Just five weeks after their happy nuptials, the couple were arrested in their own bedroom for violating the Racial Integrity Act. Their choice from the judge, after pleading guilty, was to either serve a year in prison or flee the state. So, they packed up and moved a few hours away to Washington.
But life wasn't the same in the city as it was in the country. They weren't near their families; their three children had no yard to play in. They lived there for nine years, before their fight made any progress. Mrs. Loving wrote a letter to Bobby Kennedy, who was the Attorney General at the time, and he referred her to the American Civil Liberties Union. Lawyers with the ACLU took the case, and the rest is history.
What's wonderful about this film is the authentic feel it brings to the memory of this true-life couple. They were good, decent, simple people who just fell in love and wanted to do right by their feelings. No matter what hostility they faced from the law or from racists in their town, their decision to stay together was never in question. They were the very definition of the perfect American family: Dad had a respectable blue-collar job, Mom was an excellent homemaker, the kids were smart and well-behaved.
What Jeff Nichols conveys so well in both his screenplay and his direction is the very absurdity of the situation. While real crimes are being committed and a nation is struggling to recover from a beloved president's assassination, small-minded folks are concerned about a squeaky-clean family simply living their lives. He builds tension when they are hunted and displays tenderness in their quiet moments, all the while making you feel like you're surviving along with them in the humid summer heat. It's absolutely superb.
The performances from the leads are brilliant and a nice cameo from Michael Shannon as a Life Magazine photographer is a welcome addition.
Please go see this film. Especially in our country's current political climate—it unfortunately couldn't be more timely.
~~~
Monday, January 12, 2015
Selma
Tonight I saw Selma, starring David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo.
The year is 1965 and a team of activists, led my Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., are planning a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to fight for their right to vote. The Civil Rights movement is brimming with electricity and the South is having none of it.
In this film, we see Dr. King (Oyelowo) like we never have before: vulnerable, hesitant, guilty—even remorseful. He's still the hero we all recognize, but here, Director Ava DuVernay shows him for the human he was. Imperfect, troubled, brilliant and thoughtful. Oyelowo resembles him so much that each frame of the movie feels like one more step into a time machine. One that reminds us even the greatest of men have their flaws.
His wife Coretta (Ejogo) is also refreshingly real, taking her husband to task for his alleged infidelity, and expressing her (prophetic) fears about his certain death. She's quiet and stoic, but definitely no pushover.
And the film isn't just about the Kings; it's about so much more. It's about everyday people who fought for justice in a time of horrible racial tension. It's about overcoming ignorance. It's about coming to the end of one's collective tether. It's about righting decades of wrongs. It's about growing an America we can all be proud of, someday.
The film filled me with such rage, I only wish I'd been alive at the time to march alongside the group (I would be born 10 years later, unfortunately). Today's demonstrations, which are sadly still necessary, just don't seem to possess the same conviction these noble Americans had.
Our present day protesters don't have the organization, the discipline, the strength of spirit that those in the 60s worked so hard to perfect. Instead, the core good people that mobilize for change now are overshadowed by the directionless, needy idiots who only want to be sure their mug makes it to social media.
Everyone should see Selma. If not for the history lesson, than for the reminder that justice is worth the fight at any cost.
And we still have so far to go.
~~~
The year is 1965 and a team of activists, led my Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., are planning a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to fight for their right to vote. The Civil Rights movement is brimming with electricity and the South is having none of it.
In this film, we see Dr. King (Oyelowo) like we never have before: vulnerable, hesitant, guilty—even remorseful. He's still the hero we all recognize, but here, Director Ava DuVernay shows him for the human he was. Imperfect, troubled, brilliant and thoughtful. Oyelowo resembles him so much that each frame of the movie feels like one more step into a time machine. One that reminds us even the greatest of men have their flaws.
His wife Coretta (Ejogo) is also refreshingly real, taking her husband to task for his alleged infidelity, and expressing her (prophetic) fears about his certain death. She's quiet and stoic, but definitely no pushover.
And the film isn't just about the Kings; it's about so much more. It's about everyday people who fought for justice in a time of horrible racial tension. It's about overcoming ignorance. It's about coming to the end of one's collective tether. It's about righting decades of wrongs. It's about growing an America we can all be proud of, someday.
The film filled me with such rage, I only wish I'd been alive at the time to march alongside the group (I would be born 10 years later, unfortunately). Today's demonstrations, which are sadly still necessary, just don't seem to possess the same conviction these noble Americans had.
Our present day protesters don't have the organization, the discipline, the strength of spirit that those in the 60s worked so hard to perfect. Instead, the core good people that mobilize for change now are overshadowed by the directionless, needy idiots who only want to be sure their mug makes it to social media.
Everyone should see Selma. If not for the history lesson, than for the reminder that justice is worth the fight at any cost.
And we still have so far to go.
~~~
Saturday, November 09, 2013
Lee Daniels' The Butler
This morning I saw Lee Daniels' The Butler, starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.
Cecil Gains (Whitaker) was a real-life man named Eugene Allen, who was employed by The White House from the Truman administration all the way up through the Reagan administration. He began as a pantry worker and was soon promoted to butler, utilizing the skills he'd learned working in exclusive places around Virginia and Washington, D.C. And, he was black.
The film shows how he was trained as a child as a "house negro" to serve and dazzle the higher class, and takes great pride in doing good work for his superiors.
His wife Gloria (Winfrey)—who was named Helene in actuality—has a drinking problem and turns to another man for intimacy as her husband works long hours. Winfrey gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a woman who clearly adores her husband, but has so much brimming just beneath her emotional surface, she has to find other ways to cope.
The film has fairly been compared to Forrest Gump for its predictable trip down memory lane, but just as I didn't mind it in Forrest Gump, I didn't mind it here either. Though the big-name stars (Robin Williams, John Cusack, etc.) who play the various presidents are distracting, the overall message is clear: it really hasn't been that long since America was a terribly unbalanced country, devoid of human rights for all. In fact, it reminds us that though things are better, we still have a long way to go.
For all its unfaithfulness to the true story, it was still an engaging, well-paced movie that made me wish I was more like its main character: content in hard work, patient in times of injustice and lacking in envy of the riches that surround him.
~~~
Cecil Gains (Whitaker) was a real-life man named Eugene Allen, who was employed by The White House from the Truman administration all the way up through the Reagan administration. He began as a pantry worker and was soon promoted to butler, utilizing the skills he'd learned working in exclusive places around Virginia and Washington, D.C. And, he was black.
The film shows how he was trained as a child as a "house negro" to serve and dazzle the higher class, and takes great pride in doing good work for his superiors.
His wife Gloria (Winfrey)—who was named Helene in actuality—has a drinking problem and turns to another man for intimacy as her husband works long hours. Winfrey gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a woman who clearly adores her husband, but has so much brimming just beneath her emotional surface, she has to find other ways to cope.
The film has fairly been compared to Forrest Gump for its predictable trip down memory lane, but just as I didn't mind it in Forrest Gump, I didn't mind it here either. Though the big-name stars (Robin Williams, John Cusack, etc.) who play the various presidents are distracting, the overall message is clear: it really hasn't been that long since America was a terribly unbalanced country, devoid of human rights for all. In fact, it reminds us that though things are better, we still have a long way to go.
For all its unfaithfulness to the true story, it was still an engaging, well-paced movie that made me wish I was more like its main character: content in hard work, patient in times of injustice and lacking in envy of the riches that surround him.
~~~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)