Sometimes, when I watch a movie, I end feeling somewhat confused by what I'm looking at. It's not that I don't understand the plot or the characters, I understand them plenty. It's just I feel confused by what's going on and I wonder how the people in the movie can make something so small feel so big. That's how I felt when I watched Moolaade and even I write this, I still feel confused by the movie.
The film revolves around a African woman named Colle, who's strongly against the custom of women having their genitals cut. In order to protect a group of little girls who are forced to have their genitals removes, Colle performs a Moolaade, or Magical Protection barrier in order to protect. When I saw that, I instantly asked myself why is she going through all the trouble of doing that. It's not that I'm for genital cutting, but why perform some ritual that the viewer knows is a scare tactic. People in the movie are seen walking through it so it should be obvious that it doesn't work. Maybe I'm just being critical, but I just found that to be really confusing and somewhat dumb.
Other than that, I really don't have much to say about the movie as a whole. I think it's worth a watch if your interested in the argument on whether or not women should have their genitals cut. All I recommend is that you prepare yourself for some scenes that you might not understand and that the movie itself is spoken in another language, which means you'll have to read the subtitles.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Beasts of the Southern Wild Review
As I grew up, I quickly grew to accept the fact that not everyone is going to have the same opinion has me when it comes to things. This is especially true when it comes to video games and movies. Recently, I happened to watched a film called Beasts of the Southern Wild and at first, I didn't really like it that much. However, as I took the time to think about it, I came to realize just how good the movie was. The characters were unique and the problems that they were facing were very deep, mostly because it seemed like something like that could actually happen in real life. Still, despite that though, some reviewers of the film found the movie to be insulting, which ended up confusing me a little.
Beasts of the Southern Wild revolves around a young African American girl named Hushpuppy, who lives with her somewhat abusive father, Wink, in a Louisiana bayou called the Bathtub. One day, a powerful hurricane destroys most of their community, leaving only Hushpuppy, Wink, and a couple of other survivors alive as try to fend for themselves. From then on, the story shows how the young Hushpuppy matures as she tries to survive with her father and everyone else.
Although the premise of the movie is somewhat simple, it's actually very deep as it reminds the viewer of the tragic event that was Hurricane Katrina. To me personally, I kinda think that a similar incident might have happened in real life, in which people from a small community had to survive on their own after the hurricane took place. It's those realistic similarities and the imagery that the film shows which makes it really good. Despite that though, some reviewers weren't a big fan of the film and found it somewhat insulting. To those people, I say...whatever.
Personally, I don't give two cents about what others think about a movie. I find something bad, that's my business. Everyone has the right to their own opinion and to me, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a great movie and one that I think everyone should at least try to watch once. If you truly invest your time in the film, I'm positive that you'll find it to be very enjoyable. However, if you still happen to dislike it, then more power to you.
Beasts of the Southern Wild revolves around a young African American girl named Hushpuppy, who lives with her somewhat abusive father, Wink, in a Louisiana bayou called the Bathtub. One day, a powerful hurricane destroys most of their community, leaving only Hushpuppy, Wink, and a couple of other survivors alive as try to fend for themselves. From then on, the story shows how the young Hushpuppy matures as she tries to survive with her father and everyone else.
Although the premise of the movie is somewhat simple, it's actually very deep as it reminds the viewer of the tragic event that was Hurricane Katrina. To me personally, I kinda think that a similar incident might have happened in real life, in which people from a small community had to survive on their own after the hurricane took place. It's those realistic similarities and the imagery that the film shows which makes it really good. Despite that though, some reviewers weren't a big fan of the film and found it somewhat insulting. To those people, I say...whatever.
Personally, I don't give two cents about what others think about a movie. I find something bad, that's my business. Everyone has the right to their own opinion and to me, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a great movie and one that I think everyone should at least try to watch once. If you truly invest your time in the film, I'm positive that you'll find it to be very enjoyable. However, if you still happen to dislike it, then more power to you.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Panther movie review
When deciding on which movie I want to watch, a number of important factors appear inside my mind as I attempt to make my choice. Some of the factors involve the overall theme of the story, the quality, the characters, and even the setting. Eventually, after some thought, I decided that the next Black Film that I was going to review would be Panther, a dramatization of the founding of the Black Panther Party of Self Defense.
Originally, I first watched the movie several years ago for as an assignment for my high school Social Studies class. Back then, although I thought the movie was interesting, I didn't really think much of it. However, now that I'm much older and possess a greater insight on things, I realize now that Panther is a really intriguing film. I didn't really know much about the Black Panther party and this movie allowed me to discover what they were and why they ended up forming.
Another reason why I like this movie is because it's a kinda like a dramatization and a documentary mixed into one. The story is told through the eyes of the main character, Judge, who happens to join the Black Panther party during it's beginnings in the 1960's. As the film goes on, you hear of voice over Judge as he explains some of the important events that either happened to the Black Panther party or the United States during that time in history. I really liked that since the movie allowed me to get the best of both a documentary and a regular movie.
In conclusion, Panther is a great black film that I think everyone who plans on studying African American history should watch at least once. It's not a perfect film, but then again no film is ever perfect. However, I really think it allows the viewer to understand what life was like for African Amercians back in the 1960's and what they did when they decided to fight back. In a lot of ways, some of the events that took place during this film are still taking place even now. Because of that, it will make think about if life for black people has actually gotten better, which I believe was the overall purpose of the film.
Originally, I first watched the movie several years ago for as an assignment for my high school Social Studies class. Back then, although I thought the movie was interesting, I didn't really think much of it. However, now that I'm much older and possess a greater insight on things, I realize now that Panther is a really intriguing film. I didn't really know much about the Black Panther party and this movie allowed me to discover what they were and why they ended up forming.
Another reason why I like this movie is because it's a kinda like a dramatization and a documentary mixed into one. The story is told through the eyes of the main character, Judge, who happens to join the Black Panther party during it's beginnings in the 1960's. As the film goes on, you hear of voice over Judge as he explains some of the important events that either happened to the Black Panther party or the United States during that time in history. I really liked that since the movie allowed me to get the best of both a documentary and a regular movie.
In conclusion, Panther is a great black film that I think everyone who plans on studying African American history should watch at least once. It's not a perfect film, but then again no film is ever perfect. However, I really think it allows the viewer to understand what life was like for African Amercians back in the 1960's and what they did when they decided to fight back. In a lot of ways, some of the events that took place during this film are still taking place even now. Because of that, it will make think about if life for black people has actually gotten better, which I believe was the overall purpose of the film.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Fruitvale Station review
My next movie review is called Fruitvale Station. It's a dramatization directed by Ryan Coogler and is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man who was killed by a police officer at a local train station.
When I first watched this movie, my initial feelings about it was that it tends to exaggerate things in order to build tension. That annoyed me somewhat because what happened to Oscar Grant really happened and I don't like that movie add certain things that may or may not have happened in his life. Now, I'm not saying that the movie wasn't entertaining, but I think it would've been better if it was a documentary. If it was like that, then we could get a look at both sides of the argument. I don't like the fact that people consider one side completely right and another side to be completely wrong. In every situation, there's always a middle ground and that should be explored too.
However, as I continued to watch the movie, I began to like the aspect of it. You start to become sympathetic to both Oscar and the people that are around him while you wait for what eventually going to happen. By getting into the mind of these characters, you start to feel for them which, in the end, is what a movie is supposed to do. So, in that particular effect, the movie did its job well. It's just that, when it comes to something like Oscar Grant's death, I wished the producers could've done something different. If you like the movie the way it is, more power to you. I just think that if the movie was a documentary about the situation, it would've liked it a bit more.
In conclusion, I think that this movie is pretty good and should be watched if you want basic information about the situation involving Oscar Grant. However, if you want a more in depth look about it, I recommend that you either read a news article or watch something on the news about it.
When I first watched this movie, my initial feelings about it was that it tends to exaggerate things in order to build tension. That annoyed me somewhat because what happened to Oscar Grant really happened and I don't like that movie add certain things that may or may not have happened in his life. Now, I'm not saying that the movie wasn't entertaining, but I think it would've been better if it was a documentary. If it was like that, then we could get a look at both sides of the argument. I don't like the fact that people consider one side completely right and another side to be completely wrong. In every situation, there's always a middle ground and that should be explored too.
However, as I continued to watch the movie, I began to like the aspect of it. You start to become sympathetic to both Oscar and the people that are around him while you wait for what eventually going to happen. By getting into the mind of these characters, you start to feel for them which, in the end, is what a movie is supposed to do. So, in that particular effect, the movie did its job well. It's just that, when it comes to something like Oscar Grant's death, I wished the producers could've done something different. If you like the movie the way it is, more power to you. I just think that if the movie was a documentary about the situation, it would've liked it a bit more.
In conclusion, I think that this movie is pretty good and should be watched if you want basic information about the situation involving Oscar Grant. However, if you want a more in depth look about it, I recommend that you either read a news article or watch something on the news about it.
The Black Candle review
My next movie review revolves around a documentary called the Black Candle. For the most part, the documentary revolved around the Holiday of Kwanzaa, from how it was first created to how it became what it is today.
I found the film to very interesting in a lot of ways. Although it was cool to know all the meanings of Kwanzaa and what each of the days mean, it wasn't the thing that interest me the most. If I wanted to know all the things about the meaning of the holiday, I could simply read an article on the internet. What I liked the most is that everyone of the individuals that talked during the documentary had their own particular feelings on the matter. I liked that a lot since not everybody had the same feelings about Kwanzaa than everyone else. It allowed me to see the holiday from other people's point of view, which to me is extremely helpful.
Another thing that I liked about the Black Candle is that it taught me that not a lot people really know about Kwanzaa. Although they may know some of the things about the holiday, like how it's near Christmas, that's about all they know. I'll even admit that I don't much about it either, mostly because I don't celebrate the holiday. The documentary, in a way, opened my eyes to the fact that Kwanzaa, despite not being as well known or celebrated like the other holidays, is still very important and that everyone African American, at least needs to have a better understanding of it.
In conclusion, I think the Black Candle was a good documentary, one that should be watched during the holiday season. I can say for sure that if you do watch it, you'll understand what I've been trying to say here.
I found the film to very interesting in a lot of ways. Although it was cool to know all the meanings of Kwanzaa and what each of the days mean, it wasn't the thing that interest me the most. If I wanted to know all the things about the meaning of the holiday, I could simply read an article on the internet. What I liked the most is that everyone of the individuals that talked during the documentary had their own particular feelings on the matter. I liked that a lot since not everybody had the same feelings about Kwanzaa than everyone else. It allowed me to see the holiday from other people's point of view, which to me is extremely helpful.
Another thing that I liked about the Black Candle is that it taught me that not a lot people really know about Kwanzaa. Although they may know some of the things about the holiday, like how it's near Christmas, that's about all they know. I'll even admit that I don't much about it either, mostly because I don't celebrate the holiday. The documentary, in a way, opened my eyes to the fact that Kwanzaa, despite not being as well known or celebrated like the other holidays, is still very important and that everyone African American, at least needs to have a better understanding of it.
In conclusion, I think the Black Candle was a good documentary, one that should be watched during the holiday season. I can say for sure that if you do watch it, you'll understand what I've been trying to say here.
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