I'm Back/Spike Lee

 

Hello all. Sorry for the long break. I have been posting more on my Instagram account @thefreshflix throughout the last year.
  Spike Lee is actually the one that encouraged me to start typing again. Last week Spike Lee wrote an essay on Instagram stating how he has decided to boycott the Oscar ceremony by not attending due to lack of "diversity" among acting nominees. He stated that this is the second year in a row that there is no "flava" among acting candidates.
  While I agree that there does need to be more diversity among nominees I don't agree with the way that Spike Lee thinks of diversity ("flava"). If there had been Asian, Hispanic or Indian nominees perhaps he wouldn't have made the statement, however, Lee is known to be an outspoken civil rights activist and I believe the only diversity he cares about is his own race (African American). I could be wrong.
  Others have followed Lee's example and are coming out publicly with their views about the situation, including: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jada and Will Smith.
  I think Lee is being immature about the whole situation. The kind of statements he has made aren't doing any good for the cause he's fighting for or for the outcome he's looking for. It's a slap in the face to all of those being nominated (including African American nominees).
  Lee is right. There does need to be more diversity among nominees. However, diversity means more than "flava".

Thoughts on 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave

Release: November 8, 2013; Directed by: Steve McQueen; Starring: Chiwitel Eieofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbacht, Paul Dano and Brad Pitt. 

8.2

I think anyone who sees 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, will feel something regarding race within them. More than a cinematic review this post is more about my thoughts on race after seeing this film.

  Throughout cinema it is frequent that we run into the issue of white patriarchal capitalism. In the film 12 Years a Slave(Steve McQueen 2013) we see a film adaptation of a distinguished African American man named Solomon Northup. Northup is a successful violinist and family man. Throughout Norhtup’s life journey he runs into obstacles racially and is eventually cast into slavery. Throughout the film we see that Northup has relationships with many different white men. These men can be put into three different groups: deceiving, crude and Christlike. It is not without great difficulty that Northup gains his freedom, he has to go through deceiving and crude men but throughout the film he is surviving until his freedom is “opportune”. In 12 Years a Slave freedom is not “opportune” without a white savior.
  When Northup is traveling on a slave transport boat to his destination of slavery he becomes friends with two fellow slaves: Robert(Michael K. Williams) and Clemens Ray(Chris Chalk). They talk about overthrowing the white power on the boat and taking it for themselves to gain freedom. They decide not to. When one of the women on the boat is waken up in the middle of the night by a white man Robert is also awake. He stands up to the mans sexual intentions and tries to intervene, he is stabbed and dies. This shows the power of the white, even on water and the helplessness of the slaves to even help each other at crucial times. Another example of this is the beatings that go on. Throughout the film slaves are beaten brutally. In one instance Northup is lynched by his overseer Tibeats(Paul Dano) and two other men. The men are chased off at gun point, however, Northup remains hanging by the neck and struggles to survive by staying on his tippy toes. He is left like this all afternoon while the slaves walk by unable to help him. He is then cut free by his master(Benedict Cumberbacht). In this instance, his white savior.
  In the Bible Jesus Christ is the prophesied savior of the world. It states that he came to redeem the world of its sins and to atone for the physical and spiritual pains of all mankind, black and white. To pass the time in the field the slaves sing songs together. These songs are very passionate and heartfelt most of the time. And almost all of them are gospel songs pertaining to stories of the Bible or about their faith in Jesus Christ. Perhaps subconsciously the slaves are singing and pleading all day for their white redeemer to come and save them. Although they know that it is unlikely that Jesus Christ will come down and personally save them they all know that it is only through a Christlike white man that they can gain their freedom and therefore their happiness.
  Northup encounters many different white men in the journey through life that we see. He encounters some good men but mostly bad. The bad can be narrowed into the categories of deceiving and cruel, most times both. There are many instances where the slaves are treated like outright animals. Solomon is whipped on all fours at one point inferring he is no better than livestock and Mr. Freeman(Paul Giamatti), a slave auctioneer, sells the slaves to their masters by telling them the positive characteristics of each one. Northup knows what a cruel and deceiving man looks like. So when a white savior would come around, if ever, a slave would probably recognize it. And, in due time, the white savior comes along and Northup recognizes it. Northup’s final place of slave residency is under the command of the maniacal Edwin Epps(Michael Fassbender). He is working alongside white Canadian Mr. Bass one day when Epps offers him a drink and a break. Bass chuckles and continues to work. Epps then asks Bass what he is laughing at. Bass replies that he was chuckling at the fact that Epps had offered him hospitality but completely ignored his slave Northup. Bass proceeds to tell him about his beliefs on slavery. He tells hims that God will judge him one day for the wrongs he has committed and all men are created equal, black and white. Northup immediately recognizes his white savior who is played none other than Brad Pitt. Bass goes to great risk to bring the scandal against Northup to light and eventually Northup is saved.
  12 Years a Slave is the story of the struggles of African Americans in early America  and the freedom of Solomon Northup. He was taken unfairly to a hellish world he’d never known. Northup's freedom was surely "opportune" the moment Bass, who coincidentally is also a carpenter, was introduced to the story. The door to his freedom opened because his white savior had arrived.
  Because of the bravery and heroics of men such as Solomon Northup we are able to talk freely about race and all races are provided with the same liberties and opportunities as everyone else.

The Dark Knight

Release: July 18, 2008; Director: Christopher Nolan; Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, etc.

In Batman's pursuit of ridding Gotham of crime a villain emerges that will prove most difficult for him, the Joker.

9.3

   I will try not to get too geeky or subjective in this post. Excuse me if I do. This film is the greatest film ever made. Christopher Nolan and Co. definitely hit the nail on the head.
  Nolan presents the story of Batman to us in such a different way than we've seen before. Elements like: Batman's inner struggle with himself, Bruce Wayne's struggle to not let relationships interfere with who he really is, Hanz Zimmer's score stimulates everyone in the audience to the edge of their seats, plot twists and turns that no one sees coming, Heath Ledger's performance of the Joker leaves you craving for more screen time of him as well as countless other qualities that makes this film prime. I have never had a movie experience like this one.
  The beginning scene of the bank robbery grabs you by the ears from the get go and the grip doesn't loosen until the credits roll. And you get an idea of how crafty and intelligent the Joker is. This sets his tone for the duration of the film.
  The casting of the film is phenomenal. Many of the main characters from Batman Begins returned for the sequel with the exception of Katie Holmes. Holmes has to be regretting leaving the Batman franchise for Mad Money(a film that only grossed $20 million, $2 million less than its budget). Casting Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-face ended up being a genius decision. Eckhart provides a charismatic and passionate performance as he slowly becomes one of the villains he warns Bruce about at the beginning of the film, a tragic irony. And Ledger's performance of the Jokers may be the best in cinema history.
  One aspect that I love about this film is that there are many villains, not just one. This pays homage to the Batman comics and cartoons that contained many villains at once. We see a big "gangster" meeting and in attendance are the Italian mob, Russian mob, Blacks, Whites and Japanese. All of these men are intimidating and threatening men. However, one man trumps them all. An outsider. The Joker. The very instant you hear his maniacal laughter interrupt the "gangster" meet you are mesmerized. Heath Ledger takes this character into such a dark and deep place the audience can feel the portrayal in their living room. The Joker leaves all members present in a given scene on their toes. He's unpredictable, chaotic, reckless and intelligent. A true counterpart of our hero, Batman. Everyone that encounters him suddenly mistrusts everything they once new to be true and makes them question some of the most basic human instincts, including Batman. I can't think of a better villain.
  Just as brilliant as the Joker's performance is Christopher Nolan's. Just as you are catching your breath your are punched in the gut by another chaotic blunder. Just like the Joker, Nolan is  unpredictable with the plot, it leaves you guessing at every turn.
  One thing that is disappointing about this and its sequel(The Dark Knight Rises) is it doesn't address what happened in the previous film really. This leaves for more content that Nolan is trying to cover but it would be good address the condition of "The Narrows", one of the main premises in Batman Begins and in The Dark Knight Rise's case the Joker isn't mentioned once.
  All in all Christopher Nolan and Co. have come as close to film perfection as one can hope to get.

Movie Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu8FvFezAI4

3 of my top 10 so far(not in order)

My Top Flicks may change over time due to my different views of movies and because there are always new movies coming out! But these are the movies of which I feel most fondly of as of late.

The Dark Knight

Release: July 20, 2012; Director: Christopher Nolan; Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and many more. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/?ref_=sr_2

Inception

Release: 2010; Director: Christopher Nolan; Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao; 

Link to trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TuSJo4dZM

Se7en

Release: 1995; Director: David Fincher; Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwenyth Paltrow

Link to trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YV2_TcCoE

Black Swan

Release: December 3, 2010; Director: Darren Aronofsky; Starring: Nataie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, etc.

Nina, a dedicated ballet dancer, earns the leading role of the Swan Princess in the play "Swan Lake". Her dream part! She plays two parts, the white swan and the black swan. She embodies everything that the white swan is, purity, innocence, beauty. However, as she strives to embrace the black swan which embodies jealousy, seduction, greed, and violence in her dance reality slowly loses its grip and the black swan takes over.

8.3

Wow. This movie is phenomenal. Director Darren Aronofsky is known for making movies that are honestly mind blowing and overwhelming (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Pi) and this adds to the collection, perhaps the most magnificent of them. The color work in this film is outstanding. The film mostly consists of white, grey and black. Natalie Portman's character Nina begins the film wearing mostly white and as she starts to embrace the black swan she is a mix of white and black, grey. And once she fully embraces the black swan her wardrobe turns black. I loved that! Natalie Portman puts on an Oscar winning performance. I noticed that she didn't talk hardly at all in the movie but what is so significant about her performance is her dancing ability and her reactions as she realizes she is losing control and her strife to be "perfect". Her performance was perfect. Mila Kunis was great as well, totally fulfilled her role. Black Swan is a very heavy movie and is not for the weak-at-heart. At one point I had to second guess if this was a dramatic movie or a horror movie! Furthermore, the score is terrifyingly brilliant. Despite the darkness and depressiveness of the story it is beautiful.

Trailer for the movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs

Gladiator

Release:  May 5, 2000; Director: Ridley Scott; Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, Connie Nielsen, and many more.

Conspiracy. Rome is full of it. When the Roman Emperor(Harris) gives his coveted title to his all deserving Roman general(Crowe) and not the his own son(Phoenix) conspiracy ignites. The general is betrayed, his family is killed, his competitor(Phoenix) takes the empire away from him, and he is sold into slavery. However, opportunity arises when he becomes a gladiator. His next conquest: survive and kill the emperor.
 

8.3

"Are you not entertained?". A gladiator's job was to entertain and that is exactly what the movie did. Maximus'(Crowe) success, although enslaved, is inspiring. His lines: classic. The Coliseum: magnificent! Joaquin Phoenix does an excellent job as well. He plays his character perfectly: greedy, cunning, selfish, and "merciful"? Director Ridley Scott is known to make successful Hollywood movies and this is another, perhaps his most successful. The ending is a bit cheesy but no movie is perfect(unless directed by Christopher Nolan).

Link for trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol67qo3WhJk

The Babymakers

Release: August 3, 2012; Director: Jay Chandrasekhar; Starring: Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn, Kevin Heffernan, Wood Harris, Nat Faxon, Jay Chandrasekhar

A baby-hungry couple, Tommy and Audrey Macklin(Schneider and Munn), are having trouble getting pregnant. Every possible solution seems to fail for them. Only two options remain: adopting,  (which cost at least "$10,000") or robbing a sperm bank Tommy donated to years ago. Tommy and his gang decide the latter. With the help of ex-Indian mafia man by the name of Ron Jon (Chandrasekhar) the team sets out to make Tommy Macklin a father.

5.7

 
Although most critics gave this movie a very low rating I actually enjoyed myself! I found myself laughing out loud in multiple scenes! Schneider and Munn's (sounds like a law firm) chemistry is great! As well, Schneider's misfit gang is hilarious. We also have a surprise appearance from the director, Jay Chandrasekhar. The movie is highly sexual but that is the way it was supposed to be made. There was one particular scene with Kevin Heffernan that I almost gagged at because of it's grossness, but very funny at the same time. It's a select movie that only certain people will like and it is a pretty cliche rom-com(just more gross), however, the hilarity was enough for my taste.

Link for trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQxJIfBDMmw