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Showing posts with label Martin Luther King Jr.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Luther King Jr.. Show all posts

Monday, January 19, 2009

Medicine for Melancholy

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After waking up from a one night stand, two Black people with nothing in common besides the shade of their skin, spend a day together trying to get closer, despite that fact that the woman has a white boyfriend, who's away on a business trip.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketStop! Imagine if Before Sunrise took place in San Francisco, and had hardly any dialogue. Yes, this is a movie about two people talking, that has almost no words.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The woman's emotional arc might. Let me paint you a picture. When she wakes up next to him she seems deeply annoyed, and yet she agrees to go to coffee with him. When he shows up at her house with the wallet she left in the cab, she seems deeply annoyed, and yet she lets him come in for a drink. When he won't leave the house (which she tells him belongs to her boyfriend), she seems deeply annoyed, and yet she agrees to spend the rest of the day with him... Not only that, she starts to smile and laugh at his lame attempts at humor. Then out of nowhere she angrily snaps at him, "This is just a one night stand!" Which is obviously followed immediately by playfully running around San Francisco and taking a ride on a Merry-Go-Round. Although it was never mentioned that she might have a mental disorder, I have to imagine her psychosis is the reason for the "medicine" mentioned in the title.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Yes!... Oh, no, wait. I was just having a bout of dyslexia and I thought the question said, "Will this movie make me cyr?" Hold on a minute, it doesn't make you cyr either.  That's southern for "care."  It's true, ask anyone from the south. (Disclaimer: I've never met or spoken to anyone from the south.)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It's nominated for 3 Independent Spirit Awards-- which is a dead giveaway that the movie will be esoteric and make you feel very sleepy.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I find Wyatt Cenac to be a little too understated for my taste, both here and on The Daily Show. But he's also specific enough in that thing he does that his whole acting style could catch on as a hip joint.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Disjointed and non-sequitur are two words that come to mind. I would like to mention the cinematography, too, which was one of the only interesting aspects of the film. They shot in 97% color, so it looks like they shot on colored film and then developed it in black & white. I thought it was a pretty cool effect until I found out (during a Q & A with the director of photography) that this look was only chosen because they couldn't figure out another way to light the Black actors without making their skin look chalky.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's supposed to be about the growing socio-economic divide occurring in San Francisco as the poor get pushed out due to gentrification. It's not... But there is a random scene where we see a group of concerned citizens, who have nothing to do with the rest of the film, discussing those ever-so-timely Propositions 98 and 99 from last June's California ballot. In case you didn't get the memo, they were about getting rid of Rent Control and they didn't pass.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: The filmmakers clearly know a lot of aspiring Indie Rock musicians, and they put all of their music in the film. So the soundtrack is pretty good if you like that sort of white boy independent stuff. That said, I'm not sure it went well with the characters in this story who are constantly discussing the Black man's place in this city.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFHWGvDRKYw

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Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Secret Life of Bees

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: In 1964, a teenage girl (Dakota Fanning) runs away from home with her Black nanny (Jennifer Hudson), to follow a path that she hopes will lead to learning more about her dead mother. During these racially charged times, these interracial friends are taken in by a family of Black women who make and sell honey.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany, Tristan Wilds, Hilarie Burton, Nate Parker

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! If you like culturally relevant dramas that explore the many shades of what it is to give and receive love, this is the one for you.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Here and there, it's very rare. Dramas just don't care. Laughter is meant to be shared.
(If you noticed that was a Haiku, You Are Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, and you should audition here: http://www.fox.com/areyousmarter/showinfo/)

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Well, first off, there's a montage to a song called, "Beautiful," by India.Arie that always makes me cry-- so that's cheating. But before all is said and done, the film itself also manages to earn a few of your tears.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Sophie Okonedo has a good chance of getting a nod for Best Supporting Actress, because she plays a somewhat mentally handicapped person. In fact, she has just the right amount of mental handicap to win an Oscar, if you follow the lore explained in Tropic Thunder-- which I do.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: How is Dakota Fanning a child actress? She's such a consummate professional that it's hard to imagine she's only 14. And watch-out world, she's growing up fast now, kissing boys on screen, and as soon as she starts wearing make-up, she's going to be as much of a knockout as Heather Locklear in the 80s. Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys are passable, but they don't quite hold their own next to Queen Latifah's strength and charisma, or Sophie Okonedo's conviction and depth of character.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Aside from a few pacing problems where things could've been tightened up, there's nothing particularly wrong with the directing, but at times it is all too clear how often the director has worked in television.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Spike Lee could take some lessons from Gina Prince-Bythewood on how to confront racism in a manner that's relevant and compelling.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: You should know going in that Queen Latifah's character is supposed to be in her upper forties or lower fifties. Without that information, certain scenes may be confusing.

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