EXCLUSIVE: Meet the three women who just launched #WakandaTheVote, a new voter registration drive at #BlackPanther screenings across the country ??. https://t.co/CEXWRvNuvc
— Blavity (@Blavity) February 16, 2018
The Spousal Unit and I intend to make one of our rare forays to see this in an actual movie theatre. Just not this weekend, cuz we’re old and not good with crowds. (And there will *be* crowds — quite possibly our local chains are already sold out.) Herewith some links to stuff about the movie that y’all might find interesting.
NO SPOILERS, okay?
.
Happy #BlackPanther Day, everyone.
Give my @TIME cover story a look.
(It’s safe to read this before you see it.)https://t.co/CldGBeVaM7— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) February 15, 2018
The first movie I remember seeing in a theater had a black hero. Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams, didn’t have any superpowers, but he ran his own city. That movie, the 1980 Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back, introduced Calrissian as a complicated human being who still did the right thing. That’s one reason I grew up knowing I could be the same.
If you are reading this and you are white, seeing people who look like you in mass media probably isn’t something you think about often. Every day, the culture reflects not only you but nearly infinite versions of you—executives, poets, garbage collectors, soldiers, nurses and so on. The world shows you that your possibilities are boundless. Now, after a brief respite, you again have a President.
Those of us who are not white have considerably more trouble not only finding representation of ourselves in mass media and other arenas of public life, but also finding representation that indicates that our humanity is multifaceted. Relating to characters onscreen is necessary not merely for us to feel seen and understood, but also for others who need to see and understand us. When it doesn’t happen, we are all the poorer for it…
Derek Robertson, at Politico, “How the Quietly Radical ‘Black Panther’ Took Over Hollywood”:
… [I]f you’ve been on the internet at any point over the past 12 months, you’ve likely noticed the intensifying hype around that hero’s upcoming film, the 18th in Marvel Studios’ endless procession of world-beating blockbusters. With a nostalgist in the White House who seems to relish sticking his finger in the country’s open wound of racial grievance, it’s easy to understand why a big-budget, black-directed superhero film featuring an almost entirely black cast would be cause for celebration. But its appeal doesn’t lie solely in backlash. Black Panther may have never sold as many copies as Spider-Man or The Incredible Hulk, but the series’ history and politics are as rich and unique as either, if not more so—and they explain how this moment helped poise a formerly second-string hero to shatter box-office records…
The cultural critic Mark Dery coined the term “Afrofuturism” in a 1993 essay, referring to the loosely defined common characteristics of black science fiction in art spanning from Sun Ra’s experimental jazz to the novels of Octavia Butler. Author and UCLA professor Tananarive Due recently described its unique function in the African diaspora as a “reimagining of race, racial constructs, history … and liberation themes, through what we call a speculative lens.” Black Panther, both the comic series and the film, falls squarely on this continuum, as has been noted in several features leading up to the movie’s release. Due, on a recent podcast appearance, discussed Afro-futurism’s galvanizing effect in providing representations of black “power, technological prowess, courage, family [and] community.”
The upcoming film is the most prominent example of the phenomenon thus far, directed and co-written by Fruitvale Station and Creed auteur Ryan Coogler with the full production and marketing strength of the Disney-industrial complex behind him. It pits the Panther, portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, against Erik Killmonger (portrayed by frequent Coogler collaborator Michael B. Jordan), an American rival and mercenary who aims to usurp his throne and foment a global revolution…
Zack Linly, in the Washington Post:
… The enthusiasm around “Black Panther” isn’t just about finally getting to see a mostly black action blockbuster, a milestone we should have been celebrating decades ago. It’s about being able to go to the movies without feeling like the future of black film is at stake.
Black progress in Hollywood has been slow. As long as black actors and actresses are routinely typecast and black filmmakers struggle for opportunities to go beyond the same few genres, black moviegoers will feel pressure to support any and every black production that manages to break the mold. We hold our breath hoping that box office results are strong — and if they’re not, we wonder whether another black movie will get a chance. “Black Panther,” whose record-breaking ticket pre-sales all but ensured that it will be a success, is an exception. We don’t have to root for it to win. We can just watch the movie…
.
Also, even before its release, Black Panther was pissing off all the Right people…
@jbouie pic.twitter.com/x2MU6BHdTF
— G. Scott Shand (@GScottShand) February 13, 2018
Conservative commentators who feel compelled to do pissy takes on Black Panther are well aware of who their audience is and what they expect from them.
— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 14, 2018
All that being said, if you’ve seen it already: Whacha think?
Shuri is the real mvp. That is all. #BlackPanther #BlackPantherSoLIT pic.twitter.com/lwytvB38Gi
— Geeks of Color (@GeeksOfColor) February 16, 2018
NotMax
Lando Calrissian was about as complicated as a two-piece jigsaw puzzle, same as Lucas’ other characters.
Baud
Ironman: No, Black Panther. I am your father.
lamh36
@NotMax: Which says a lot about the scarce number of “complicated” portrayals of People of Color in movies and esp the sci-fi/fantasy genre to the point where yes, Lando may not be that complicated, but who else we got? Nothing from nothing leave nothing.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: I thought that was Ted Cruz and Mike Lee; now I’m confused again.
lamh36
As to the film i’m sure good already know i saw it (i can’t seem to shut up about it…LOL)
Loved it, and i agree Shuri was a STAND OUT!!
Betty Cracker
My kiddo and friends went to see it last night and thought it was great. I’ll either wait until all the hoopla fades and see it on the big screen or wait until it shows up on the small screen.
Aimai
@NotMax: wow. You really don’t get it? I do. Thelma and louise was just a buddy movie where two characters abandon their ordinary lives and go on the road—but it had never been done with two women. So it was never a possibility before for the viewer to identify and explore those possibilities. I can count on one hand the number of black actors who had that much agency and power in a movie—even including Rosy Grier and Jim Brown and Sidney Poitier.
lamh36
@lamh36: Also speaking on what makes the film “revolutionary”, I happened upon a series of video made by this film student, I believe, who spiliced together speaking videos and lines from various blockbuster or big name sci-fi fantasy films, like the entire franchise of Harry Potter films, the entire series of the LoR franshise, amd others, to show the amount of on screen spoken words uttered by actors of color (in costumes or not…for ex like actors of color in the Orc costume from LoR)…
Results/ “Throughout the entire Harry Potter series, Black actors spoke for 6 minutes and 18 seconds; in the Lord of the Rings series, Black actors spoke for a total of 47 seconds; in Maleficent Black actors spoke for 19 seconds; and in E.T., Black actors spoke for 10 seconds”
Black Panther blew those away in the first 5 min
satby
My movie-going friends all saw it already. I won’t for a long time because I don’t like seeing movies in theaters. Not matter where I sit, I end up behind a tall person and next to yakkers. All you folks enjoy the Panther.
(Though I expect to go see the Philadelphia Story on the big screen this Wednesday because the entire crowd there will be old movie geeks like me.)
NotMax
@aimai
Also too, Woody Strode, whose acting career spanned over half a century.
Oh, I get it. Just found the description “complicated” a stretch.
Baud
@satby: I don’t go to the movies anymore either. Looking forward to streaming it.
OzarkHillbilly
@NotMax: I had to look him up. Never knew his name but I sure know a # of his films.
Raven
Protect the Pecker!
satby
I should say I also never saw LOTR, any of the Harry Potters, only the first two Star Wars, and basically zero of any of the other big action movies. Just not my thing, but I get why people are so pumped about this one. I hope it starts an entire franchise of it’s own.
hueyplong
I wouldn’t mind owning one of those Black November buttons.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAH
What an apt way to end Infrastructure Week.
satby
@Baud: yeah, it just isn’t enjoyable for me anymore. Must mean I’m an old fart.
Raven
@OzarkHillbilly: He played tackle at SC, he was a wonderful actor.
Baud
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: ?
Baud
@satby: I was born an old fart.
Betty Cracker
@Raven: Such a perfect name for the National Enquirer publisher. Straight out of Dickens.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
Hmmmmm. This sounds familiar. I can’t quite remember. But I recently read about a federal investigation into someone vastly overstating data to obtain a multi million dollar loan from a bank. Damn. I wish I could remember who it was.
Raven
Lapassionara
@Raven: LOL. What an aptly named guy.
Amir Khalid
@NotMax:
And all Lt Uhura did was sit in a chair and say, “Hailing frequencies open.” But just as her presence as a black woman on a mostly white starship was significant, so is Lando’s as a black man in a fictional universe where (at that point) all the other human-looking characters are played by white actors. And he is a community leader, rather than a sidekick or mere comic relief.
So I can understand why a simply-drawn character would mean a lot to a young black moviegoer.
NotMax
@Betty Cracker
Can’t help but wonder if he was nicknamed Shorty in grade school.
:)
@satby
Yeah, as movie theaters became more comfortable they became less enjoyable. Inverse proportion.
hueyplong
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Infrastructure Week would be regarded as a microcosm of Trump’s governance were it not for some other stuff that went down yesterday.
Most of us are distracted by contemplation over whether the guy who pled guilty yesterday can keep his distance from umbrellas, teacups, large staircases and open windows.
hueyplong
Has anyone here seen a movie called 1945? We’re thinking about going next week when we visit the peninsular asylum often referred to as Florida.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
I was surprised at how revolutionary it felt to have mostly women and POC in central roles in the most recent Star Wars. It dawned on me only gradually in the theater, and I felt this kind of muted joy.
OzarkHillbilly
@Raven: He sounds like a real dick.
OzarkHillbilly
@Raven: Yeah he was. I didn’t know he won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for in Spartacus.
Raven
@hueyplong: Here’s a review “This story is a story about all consuming guilt, about petty jealousies and how sin is its own punishment. But above all it’s a story of how the war doesn’t end when it ends. And it’s done with a very competent hand and deep understanding of cinematic media. A very good ensemble of actors, amazing cinematography, great story and superlative directing.” Sounds pretty good!
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@NotMax: Nobody goes to the movies anymore, they’re too crowded.
Raven
@OzarkHillbilly: He played at UCLA not SC.
hueyplong
@Raven: It seems like they took Bad Day at Black Rock and put it into a more natural setting for the narrative of “town with a guilty secret.” Reviews seem positive, but I don’t know anyone who has seen it (it has played only in NY, LA and now FLA, so far).
Raven
@OzarkHillbilly: Intense scene from Pork Chop Hill with him and Peck. https://youtu.be/VWXgAMGc6Aw
Raven
@hueyplong: I’ll sure go! I guess there are elements of High Noon too.
Cermet
Let’s not forget the hugely popular and successful “Hidden Figures” last year! Not only were blacks the primary hero’s (in a movie that included white astronauts, too) but these were mathematical genius’s who, by their shear talent, broke racial barriers in the 50’s and early 60’s; as a social tool, this movie showed that black woman leads mattered and could make Hollywood money! Also, these black ladies were were extremely smart in both the sciences and mathematics.
Baud
Best defense ever
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
So Drumpf didn’t want to visit the shot up teens in Florida, but he’s playing golf this weekend about 40 miles away from the hospital and his staff told him he faced another firestorm if he failed to make the nearby visit.
Lock him up!
TS
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Rats leaving the ship – and these are all the “family friends” – from wiki
He was also on the transition committee – wonder if the Mueller getting closer is bothering him.
Baud
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
Daily Beast
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Baud: The Brits sure have a way with words¹.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: Yeah, “We’re not Nazis!” rings kind of hollow.
WereBear
Dang, am I ever a fan of Woody Strode.
JPL
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Trump and Melania spent fifteen minutes at the hospital and then visited first responders. The officers stood around in a circle and all had the chance to thank him for coming.
Lapassionara
@Baud: Yeah, “but we didn’t do an unimaginable horror, so the horror we did do wasn’t so bad.”
Brachiator
I will be seeing Black Panther this morning. Bought my tickets online and there were plenty of seats for morning through eatly afternoon screenings. I expect a lot of walk ins.
Oddly enough, there is a little counter-programming here and there. For those looking for a more “traditional” hero, the biblical epic “Samson” is playing in 1,250 theaters. For smaller kiddies, the animated “Early Man” looks like fun.
I’m still trying to avoid spoilers for Panther, but snippets I heard on the local Filmweek program suggests that the movie is big fun with heart and surprising depth for a superhero movie. I’m really looking forward to seeing it.
Amir Khalid
@Baud:
Given how Trump has treated Gold Star families as a candidate and as POTUS, I’m not at all surprised. I wouldn’t want his graceless and hurtful “consolation” either. But it’s a sad day for America when the President has to be shunned as unfit company for grieving families.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: I’m so old, I remember when a President play golf was a bad thing.
debbie
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
I miss the old days when there were smoking sections. There was always plenty of room up there.
TS
They’re all leaving. When the next president arrives there will be no-one with experience left in any department.
From the Washington Post
Brachiator
@NotMax:
What an odd comment.
debbie
@Baud:
Jeez. Reminds me of the BP CEO who whined he’d had a bad day, too.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Raven: Confusing those two is like confusing Dems and Rethugs; one wears blue and one wears red.
Arm The Homeless
Maybe someone should blow Ben’s mind and tell him that there’s also a white, Jewish panther who is a NYPD cop. I feel like if he had that icon as a child, he might have turned out to be a better person.
Kasper Cole y’all
Brachiator
@TS:
Trump supporters are seeing this as evidence of him draining the swamp and reducing a bloated government. They willfully blind themselves to any potential problems. Even if they end up getting hurt themselves.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
Putian apologist and conspiracy theorist Katrina vandenHeuvel reacted to the indictments by saying it’s okay cuz the US does it too!
I’m sure she approved of all those acts, too – amirite.
Sad!
rikyrah
Good Morning,Everyone ???
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
rikyrah
WAKANDA FOREVER????
rikyrah
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
Let her go down when all of this shakes out
?BillinGlendaleCA
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Trump heightens the contradictions, so it’s all good. Nach Trump, Uns!
OzarkHillbilly
@TS:
Whatever could she be speaking of?
Hill Dweller
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Greenwald said the same thing.
Baud
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
Who talks like that?
True. Therefore,….?
rikyrah
@satby:
One of my favorite unexpected experiences was the ability to see The Philadelphia Story, on the big screen, in Paris. I just stumbled upon a screening. It was glorious ??
OzarkHillbilly
Are we in the end times?
2 Timothy 3
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Brachiator
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
I think she is doing the “lefties who hate America” polka. We cannot complain about Russia because we are insufficiently pure and have done bad things ourselves.
And yeah, her implied defense or excuse of Putin is just obnoxious.
Brachiator
@OzarkHillbilly:
I will be happy to see the end times of the Trump administration.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Baud: It was better in the original Яussian
rikyrah
Kevonstage has a reply to people who say that Black folks are “doing too much” when it comes to Black Panther
https://youtu.be/Ihol5jSy2gY
debbie
@Baud:
Trump tweeted about this visit and included a photo of him posing with medical staff. I don’t think his usual thumbs-up pose was at all appropriate.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Hope to see it while still in the theaters, but this weekend is kind of busy. My wife feels a little oversaturated by superhero flicks though, so we may see some chick flick or “Early Man” first. Not that I have any big objection to either.
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady): And of course there was huge gnashing of teeth and rending of garments over exactly that progress, from the usual quarters. I was glad to see it (the diversity, not the tooth-gnashing) as well.
Also glad to see, for instance, Octavia Spencer show up in roles that didn’t seem to necessarily call for an African-American actor but could have been open casting. I’m thinking of Chris Evans’ neighbor in “Gifted” and Sally Hawkins’ friend and coworker in “The Shape of Water”. It gives me hope that there are more opportunities for people of color in Hollywood, more roles of unspecified ethnicity where the casting people are not necessarily thinking white by default.
Or I could be kidding myself. But I don’t think so.
Gin & Tonic
@Brachiator: Her husband has been doing that polka for four decades now.
NotMax
@debbie
And, germophobe that he is, probably washed his hands 47 times in succession immediately after.
cosima
I watched Three Billboards last night at our local community theatre. Full house. I’ve read great reviews, and bad reviews, it seems to be a movie that you love or hate. It was an emotional rollercoaster, that movie. Bad people doing good thing, good people doing bad things. What is a ‘good’ person, what is a ‘bad’ person? I love movies that don’t give you the answers to those questions, that don’t give you a tidy ending. ‘Breaking the Waves’ remains one of my favourite movies of all time because it did such a great job of presenting all of those issues, messily, and without any sort of closure.
If Black Panther comes to our theatre I’ll watch it, but otherwise it will have to wait for me to buy the DVD. Anyway, if you have a chance, watch Three Billboards!
OzarkHillbilly
@Brachiator: It struck me as an almost a perfect description of trump.
GregB
Funny the same rightwing crumb-bums naysaying and being upset about African-Americans being excited about a film like Black Panther are the same exact people who have bemoaned what they call gangster culture, negative black media personalities etc.
The film seems to be loaded with heroes, positive role models etc. but they are all angry at others happiness.
SiubhanDuinne
@satby:
I was tentatively planning to see The Philadelphia Story tomorrow, but now I think I’ll wait till the Wednesday matinee. Love the film, and it’ll be a treat to see it on the big screen.
germy
Black Panther is so good, even the National Review couldn’t figure out how to give it a bad review. “Believe The Hype” they said. “Black Panther Delivers”
But then they had to go and be all National Reviewy in their analysis:
I expect this point to be lost on many of its fans, but Black Panther takes the side of sober, wise elites patiently enacting incremental change rather than of charismatic mob leaders fanning the flames of rage and revolution.
LOL
Betty Cracker
@SiubhanDuinne: C.K. Dexter Haven!
OzarkHillbilly
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: I rather suspect that “thinking white by default” is a thing that will continue for some time.
NotMax
@rikyrah
You might find this enjoyable.
Ken
@Brachiator:
I hope it’s not the kind of “depth” Hollywood’s been putting in superhero movies lately. They seem to have equated “complex character” with “kills a lot of innocent bystanders”.
(Oh lord, I suppose out there someone is claiming it’s all a conspiracy by the lieburals in Hollywood, to portray the white superheroes as psychopathic mass murderers and make Black Panther look good in comparison.)
Kay
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
It’s such a weird argument. They conflate “the Russian government” with “Russia”. They also conflate individuals with the citizenry as a whole.
There are specific people named in the indictment. That idea is just so central to criminal justice – these individuals did THIS- that for “liberals” not to see it indicates to me that they have some basic misunderstanding of “justice”.
The indictments say “The United States of America” but the offense is against THE PEOPLE of the United States. That’s inherent and understood. She can’t “miss” this idea. It’s essential.
I an allowed to object to the interference of the Russian government in an election because I’m a citizen and I have a stake in the outcomes of elections, just as ANY citizen of any country where elections are interfered with is allowed to object. I don’t lose that right because “a” or “many” US offocials did or did not interfere in another government.
It’s a ludicrous argument.
raven
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Fuck both of em works.
Kay
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
The government of the United States robbed assets from black people after the civil war. Therefore, no US citizen may ever again object to the United States or any other country robbing assets from anyone.
This is really the position of The Left? It’s nonsense. It misunderstands the entire grounding of the justice system.
germy
That’s how the National Review ends their review of Black Panther.
(I messed up the blockquote)
SiubhanDuinne
@debbie:
It was grotesque.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: Foo on you.
gene108
Saw it Thursday night. I ended up sitting next to a 13 year old girl, give or take a year. There’s a plot twist I worked out before the big reveal. The girl did not and her gasp of surprise at the reveal was refreshing. To hear the gasps and oohs and aahsss of young eyes seeing some plot twists that were new to her was refreshing to me. Helped me enjoy the movie more.
Kay
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
What she’s describing is “turnabout is fair play” or “an eye for an eye” or “you got what you deserved” with “you” being the entire citizenry of the US. What it ISN”T is a description of any formal justice system, anywhere.
germy
What if Siri had been around in the 1980s?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGcrvGTMgkg
This video perfectly captures the experience of using Siri in the ’80s.
germy
@Kay: Maybe the 13 are innocent.
OzarkHillbilly
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Watch out for the Foo bird!!!
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@germy: Didn’t some prominent Republican famously say that you only get indicted if you’re guilty, in fact you can only be a suspect if you’re guilty? (I would only be slightly surprised if that person was GG himself, but I don’t think it was)
Hildebrand
@germy: So, T’Challa is actually Barack Obama? I like it.
Another Scott
@Aimai: I loved Genna Davis on “Buffalo Bill” on TV but never really kept up with her. T&L seemed to be a huge breakout for her, but then she sorta disappeared mostly.
With all the Weinstein and similar stuff in the news, I have several times wondered if she was victimized like that or if there was some other reason why she never became the huge star that I thought she should have been. (Maybe it’s her more publicly lefty-than-most (on gender issues) politics, or something.)
(I see from the Wiki that she’s had more movies and TV shows, but still…)
Cheers,
Scott.
(“Who hasn’t watched much TV or movies in decades…”)
Kay
@SiubhanDuinne:
I’m bothered by his “first responders” babble. He said it took “20 minutes”(or something) for first responders to get there.
They’re carefully ignoring the real first responders, who were the staff. They don’t want to talk about the fact that the people who are in place to respond are not police and fire and EMT’s- they’re school staff. That’s the reality of these shootings. At the very least we should admit that. It makes them uncomfortable because of how ludicrous it is that we now train school staff to respond to mass casualty events, but we do do that. We have to.
Let’s call them what they are- adults who we expect to handle school shootings while the shootings are in progress. If they have this additional duty they should get credit for it.
Brachiator
@satby: The movie podcast The Canon recently did a fun and illuminating matchup of His Girl Friday vs The Philadelphia Story.
Hepburn’s character in The Philadelphia Story was inspired by Helen Hope Montgomery Scott, “a socialite and philanthropist whom Vanity Fair once called ‘the unofficial queen of Philadelphia’s WASP oligarchy.'”
germy
This is interesting: Trumps digital campaign manager. Remember her? She’d tweeted “We didn’t cheat – we just rant a better campaign. MAGA”
She forgot to take this particular tweet down, and Dane noticed:
SiubhanDuinne
@Betty Cracker:
LOL! Jimmy Stewart was a wonderful drunk!
Betty Cracker
Did anyone see Possum Queen’s official statement on the Mueller indictments? It’s one of the most defensive and ass-covering documents I’ve ever read, and I’ve worked in advertising and PR for a couple of decades:
LOL!
Kay
@germy:
Well, on this ONE thing I agree with him. I think it’s patronizing and boring to “remind” people of it, though.
We know, Glenn. We understand the basic tenets of the US justice system. We can skip today’s scolding on what an indictment means.
They’re insufferable.
germy
@Hildebrand: I thought it was really condescending of the National Review to say “I expect this point to be lost on many of its fans” but that magazine is staffed by assholes, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
Another Scott
@satby: Agreed. Movies in theaters are torture for me. Even when there is almost nobody there but us, the 20-30 minutes of commercials, the slightly out of focus screen, the over-the-top sounds and music (why do the same generic “walking” and “punching” sounds get used over and over again?).
I tried to order BP on BluRay last night, but apparently it’s not out yet.
Here’s hoping it’s a huge blockbuster. We need new stories and new viewpoints in mass-market entertainment.
Cheers,
Scott.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
It’s crazy-town. I saw a list. Trump denied there was Russian interference FORTY FOUR times publicly.
He’s a moron or he’s a liar. And, probably.
This is the alternate universe presidency. They lie and lie and the next day they pretend they never said it. All of them.
Colleeniem
@SiubhanDuinne: Sorry to derail a lovely Wakanda Thread (our favorite theater is sold out through the weekend so we will go later)…something else about this photo.
This is extremely petty, but is a small indicator to me of how terribly the trump administration does symbolism, critical to their role as a public entity: Why the hell is Melania wearing a white party dress? This is a tragedy, and they are meeting serious people with serious purposes. I know that FLOTUS responsibilities are based in sexist expectations, but c’mon…the model can’t figure out the importance of costume?
Get out of here.
Amir Khalid
@germy:
Glenn Greenwald must know that prosecutors pick fights they’re confident they can win. It would be unprofessional to indict where you didn’t have the strongest possible case. I don’t know Mueller’s batting average as a prosecutor, but given his fearsome rep I presume it was well north of .500.
Brachiator
@Another Scott:
I loved her on that show as well. She had a very substantial film career. She was great in The Fly and fun in the comedy film Beetlejuice. Also kickass as a spy in The Long Kiss Goodnight. And won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in The Accidental Tourist.
I think I recall reading that at one time she was an Olympic caliber archer.
Immanentize
@Brachiator: yeah my parents always were very clear with me: Two wrongs make a right.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
I’m sort of grimly amused that the people dressed as Hillary Clinton in orange jumpsuits were a campaign tactic planned by the Russian government.
Russian government interference looks EXACTLY like far Right campaign plans! No wonder their supporters couldn’t tell the difference. Hell, I can’t tell the difference. On EVERY issue, guns, racism, homophobia, immigration, economics, the US Right is on exactly the same page with Putin.
That’s the real scandal here. The Republican Party has somehow ended up with a platform that is identical to that of Putin. It takes a federal prosecutor to pick them apart- they’re THAT close.
NotMax
@Colleeniem
Because someone on staff Googled ‘pictures of doctors and nurses’ and saw they wore white.
Baud
@Kay: You, Kay, are an imperialist.
rikyrah
@SiubhanDuinne:
My, she was yar.
Hildebrand
@germy: It never fails to amaze me that most right-wing assholes project more than a cineplex. How many times did these people kvetch about Obama being condescending, only to constantly feel the need to ‘educate’ the hoi polloi about things clearly above our intellectual capacity to understand. I think the people at National Review are the worst for this, but so many on the Right carry the kind of arrogant attitude that afflicts undergraduate Philosophy majors, ‘I’ve read exactly two excerpts of Nietzsche and Plato, I am now the philosopher king leading you all out of the cave of your own ignorance.”
NotMax
@Brachiator
The less said about Cutthroat Island, the better.
Brachiator
@germy:
Wow. Racist condescension and positive appreciation of the movie at the same time.
The National Review writer certainly knows his intended audience.
Baud
@germy: Rosenstein made the same point in his comments. So what?
Immanentize
@SiubhanDuinne:
My wife and I adopted “my she was yar” into our family lexicography….
Amir Khalid
@debbie:
Those photos look just inappropriate. You’d never see one of Obama like that. He and Pete Souza knew better.
OzarkHillbilly
@germy: Rules are made to be broken? So are kneecaps. Wonder how she feels about that.
eric
One of my favorite interviews: Nichelle Nichols talking about meeting MLK about Star Trek
Immanentize
@rikyrah: you beat me to it. If you were in my area, I would reward you by taking you to see the movie, my treat, popcorn included.
Yar
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: But 3 lefts do.
Brachiator
@NotMax:
Davis was married to the director of the film, Renny Harlin. I remember the film as being undistinguished, but not among the crappiest of all time.
It’s failure beached most pirate movies until Johnny Depp and that Pirate franchise.
KS in MA
@OzarkHillbilly: Could be … but when has that description not been true?
CarolDuhart2
Those creepy smiles by Orange and Mrs. Cheeto. They look like the smiles you see once a successful real estate transaction has been made. If you didn’t know the background of that picture, it could be a bedside contract signing-as in, we need to get this done now so it’s a legal purchase. And of course, they aren’t even looking at the patient and family at all-I mean the patient was shot and nearly died-so they certainly deserve more than a little attention and affection.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly:
⬅️
⬇️
➡️
Colleeniem
@NotMax: Ha!
But seriously, the outfit is one thing able to planned in advance, they knew the express purpose of this thing was to take pictures, and Melania stands out in all of them for no good reason…she’s not the one being “honored” here.
They are just so bad at this!
SiubhanDuinne
@Amir Khalid:
“This is a terrible tragedy and the entire nation grieves. Now — big grin, everybody!”
SiubhanDuinne
@Immanentize:
Lovely line.
OzarkHillbilly
@KS in MA: the similarities to trump were overwhelming.
germy
germy
@Colleeniem: Hasn’t she been wearing all white ever since the Stormy revelations?
I thought she was trolling 45 with her HRCCosplay.
Immanentize
@Betty Cracker:
President Trump couldn’t “say” that last paragraph even with a teleprompter any more than I could sing the Hungarian National Anthem in Cantonese.
TS
@Brachiator:
She was in Stuart Little – which I think – was the last time I went to the movies – took the daughter. We both loved it.
Brachiator
@Ken:
No, the white racist troll reaction is even more simplistic and stupid, but I’m not going to waste time polluting this thread with details.
I’m looking forward to enjoying the film.
I can’t say much about the critic’s appraisal of the film’s complexity because I didn’t want to be spoiled and skipped everything after the opening summary. But this particular reviewer has been very insightful about other films and does not equate complexity with gratuitous violence.
Gin & Tonic
@germy: Ha!
TS
@Colleeniem: She has zero style – and if she pays anyone to sort it for her – they are well overpaid – then again – maybe they are paid so badly they do a terrible job.
GregB
I want to point out the best thing about infrastructure week.
Robert Mueller built one hell of a foundation.
lamh36
@Ken: It’s like no superhero movie you’ve seen in a while, if ever (and I’ve seen most of them)…as a review said, Black Panther has something to say, and you might just agree with it.
See for yourself
pamelabrown53
@Immanentize:
Which do you like better: “The Philadelphia Story” or the musical version “High Society” with Grace Kelley, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra?
MomSense
Russia played the right and the purity left like a fucking Stradivarius.
Colleeniem
@germy: Yes. But! She (undeservedly, probably unwillingly) has a bigger role to play now, and her tragedy and anger are expected to be sublimated for someone’s greater pain.
This is all small and insignificant, but if I dwell on the larger things these people are incompetent at, I am driven to despair.
Immanentize
@pamelabrown53: I like both, but I generally don’t prefer musicals, so — Philly story. Also, I love the little sister and Liz characters so much in PS….
Frankensteinbeck
@TS:
I suspect she dresses in the style her rich husband wants her to dress, and always has. Trump’s taste is legendarily bad. By now it must be automatic, and even when she dresses to irritate him, it’s still in the context of his tastes.
OzarkHillbilly
@MomSense: They are nowhere near as difficult to play as a violin.
Tokyokie
@Raven: Au contraire! Woody Strode didn’t play tackle for SC. That was John Wayne. Strode was a UCLA Bruin and played in the same backfield as Jackie Robinson and Kenny Washington, the first black to sign with an NFL team. Strode was also a top decathlete, able to high-jump 6’4″ and throw the shot more than 50 feet.
I’m not sure how good an actor Strode was, because he was rarely given the chance to show his acting breadth. The exception would be Sergeant Rutledge, which, unfortunately, is probably the hardest John Ford western to catch; it isn’t available on Blu-ray and is only available as a manufacture-on-demand DVD. But what Strode had was and an extraordinary presence. With his high cheekbones, broad shoulders, and narrow waist, he didn’t need to say anything to project strength. (Just consider the opening sequence of Leone’s C’era uno volta il West.) His presence was such that he could hold his own on screen with such white macho action stars as Wayne (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) or Kirk Douglas (Spartacus, for which Strode received an Oscar nomination).
I’ve read that during the filming of Richard Brooks’ The Professionals, Burt Lancaster, who took enormous pride in his athletic prowess, kept challenging Strode to feats of strength — and Strode kept kicking his increasingly frustrated ass. I always figured the machismo dripping from that production would make for a great nonfiction book, as the cast also included Jack Palance, no slouch at macho posturing himself, and a couple of World War II Marines, Robert Ryan and Lee Marvin. Just hearing Marvin’s drunken asides about Lancaster probably would have been more entertaining than the movie — and the movie’s a hoot.
Anyway, I’m not a UCLA fan, but I’ve long been one of Woody Strode, and were he still around to read your accusation of his having played football at the University of Spoiled Children, he’d be really pissed off. And I can think of few actors in film history you’d want less to piss off than the great Woody Strode.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
I’m reading John Green’s TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, and a character is described as a Star Wars fanatic. Like she writes fanfic about Chewbacca’s love life. And for just a minute, I thought that could be cool.
Timurid
@germy:
So we have to go to Wakanda to find sober, wise elites? There are none of those here.
germy
Can someone tell me why, for the past week or so, I’ve been getting these drop down notifications on my macbook?
It happens on a few different sites, including the WaPo. I always select “cancel” but it’s becoming annoying.
BruceFromOhio
Very fired up to see this film. The introduction in Civil War was a sweet teaser, and it appears this film delivers the real deal.
And I love love love the vitriol and idiocy on display from the idiots. If I ever need a quick, easy snapshot of why I can never trust KKKlown Kar Parade of Fail participants and their sycophants, this is a good one.
RSA
@germy:
Funny. I expect this point to be lost on many of its conservative fans, but the first Star Wars trilogy was all about blowing up the established order.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@germy: I suddenly started getting that on EVERY website in Firefox. It was a buggy upgrade to my anti virus software.
Did you just do a security upgrade of some sort?
germy
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Actually, no. I haven’t upgraded anything.
germy
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: I think APPLE has given up on me. I used to have software updates every week. Now when I check in, they say “Nope. Nothing for you.”
Tenar Arha
@cosima: 3 Billboards: tour de force of acting, fantastic questioning of who is a good person, Frances McDormand was riveting, I actually was both surprised by and enjoyed the open ending.
Also, OMG there was a certain POV that was intentionally strong in that picture. And some characters were more props than anything else. I had read one review that somehow managed not to spoil the movie but managed to point that out, & daaaamn, after I saw the picture I thoroughly agreed & felt it.
Elizabelle
You guys have got me excited about seeing Black Panther. One day this week.
Look forward to seeing another Ryan Coogler movie. “Fruitvale Station” has stayed with me ever since I saw it; haunting. Subtle but very authentic.
Amir Khalid
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):
Thanks to Rule 34, I now find myself trying to imagine Wookiee porn. With all that hair, would you actually get to see anything happen?
Elizabelle
@GregB:
I like that.
matryohshka
@cosima: “Three Billboards” is the best movie I’ve seen in a decade. The music, the story, and the characters haunt me, and I love that there are no easy answers–just humans struggling with human problems. I saw it twice and would watch it again. The song “His Master’s Voice” by Monsters of Folk and the way it was used in the movie was brilliant.
MomSense
@OzarkHillbilly:
Perfect execution.
cain
I saw the movie on Thursday. It was pretty good. But the best part is that the movie is dominated by strong and intelligent women. The women stole every scene. T’Challa’s sister stole every scene especially. Great action scenes, but there was a lot of underlying themes. The villain was a troubled soul that never found redemption.
Finally, I would like to move to Wakanda. :-)
ETA – There were a lot of older folks there that said this was their first comic book movie. Welcome to nerd culture, enjoy and hope you stay!
Kayla Rudbek
To add my two cents, this article came up on my Facebook page (Black Panther as a scientist role model). Now I’m regretting that I didn’t sign up to go to Black Panther with the affinity groups at work to celebrate Black History Month – would have to take annual leave during a work day and I felt that if there were a limited number of tickets, that they should go to the affinity group members first
sigaba
Not a spoiler per se, but the film is on track to make about $212 million this weekend, making it the biggest February opening of all time and biggest Marvel opening of all time.
It also got an A+ CinemaScore, strongly suggesting it will have a 5x+ multiple and make over a billion dollars.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Tell your wife this is not the typical super hero movie.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to call it an extended meditation on what it means to be the leader of a nation. With occasional fistfight.
Tenar Arha
@cosima: I had to go look it up, & just as FYI I was thinking of Gene Denby’s critique of the picture.
dogwood
@Tenar Arha: @matryohshka:
Amen to both of you re Three Billboards. Frances McDormond is indeed riveting which is par for the course whenever she’s on screen, but I’ll give a shout-out to Sam Rockwell for going toe to toe with her. It’s not an easy task. 2017 was the the worst year ever in terms of politics and the tragectory of the country, but it was a great year for film.
Miss Bianca
@rikyrah: so, you are going today, i take it? Have fun in Wakanda!
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: a meditation on leadership with the occasional fist fight….now that sounds like my kind of movie, lol!
Mnemosyne
Sitting in a Starbucks in Burbank, and I’m already seeing kids with Black Panther toys. ?
(I was going to say “white kid,” but then I saw his dad. That’s what I get for making assumptions!)
Suzanne
I am really excited to see Black Panther! It’s a really busy weekend with the Spawns, so it may have to wait until next weekend, but it’s gonna be great.
I got to see Hamilton on Wednesday night, too. Woot! So much exciting culture!
My last day at my office is Wednesday. Then I start the new gig the following Monday, I am excited.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
I saw the movie after work yesterday. Full house, camera crew from network affiliate outside, standing O at the end. Afterwards, I spent half an hour in the parking lot discussing it with people I had never met. Outstanding experience.
Calouste
@germy: I realized yesterday that both Wilmer and the shitgibbon are talking about running against Obama in the summer of 2011, but decided not to do it. Did Putin think the time wasn’t ripe then?
sdhays
@OzarkHillbilly: I’m someone who thinks the Bible isn’t much more than the edited tribal history of the Jewish people plus some Romans’ favorite scribblings of a sanctimonious hustler (most of the New Testament), but I have to admit that this shook me:
Remember the reports that Trump won’t let the WH cleaning staff strip his bed because he doesn’t want them to know he’s can’t control his bodily functions (as if they wouldn’t know by picking the sheets off the floor)?
How did Paul know that all those years ago???
matryohshka
@dogwood: Completely agree. Sam Rockwell shredded my heart in that role. He was off the charts. McDormand always brings her A game, but Rockwell was a revelation for me.
Sounds like I better myself to “Black Panther,” too.
All of this is to say that in times like these, stories are important. They remind us of who we are, and how we can change in a way that nothing else does.
Fair Economist
The usual Gamergate/MAGA/MRA types are trying to trash them movie with fake 0 and 1/2 star ratings, same as with TLJ. The campaign is slightly less successful this time, but not without effect. So everybody who has seen the movie, please post reviews on the online sites to try to drown them out.
Mnemosyne
@Kay:
Most reports are that the teachers’ quick thinking of getting the kids back into their classrooms after the false fire alarm saved many lives, and a couple of the teachers who died essentially sacrificed themselves getting the kids to safety. So, yeah, they deserve way more credit than the “first responders” who showed up with automatic weapons and body armor to protect themselves.
sdhays
@matryohshka: I thought 3 Billboards was an excellent movie as well. One of the biggest things that was seared into my mind was how many awful things white people did and got away with; the only person who goes to jail in the whole movie is Frances McDormand’s character’s boss/friend for possession of pot in order to coerce McDormand’s character to take down the billboards.
Some things in the movie are over the top to drive the drama, but that’s all too real.
Mnemosyne
@Colleeniem:
In some cultures, white is the color or mourning.
The United States is not one of those cultures, and visiting a city in mourning is not a good time to get creative with shit like that.
Jay Noble
@OzarkHillbilly: This passage was up in in my FaceBook feed – from born again Trump voters who apparently see liberals in their mirrors rather than their own visages.
Kay
This is all I wanted, really. I want to know what happened:
If the special prosecutor does nothing else this alone is worth hiring him. The idea that we are going on 2 years past this event and the public are just now getting some real information is appalling to me but at least they are getting it and the ONLY reason they are getting it is Robert Mueller.
We have been fed a steady diet of bullshit and lies for going on 3 years about the 2016 election. Reading the facts listed in that indictment is like someone finally, finally turned a light on.
Newsreaders should skip the commentary and just read the indictment aloud. Something has to cut thru this fog and this is the only thing that has so far.
Mnemosyne
@eric:
They did a story about Nichelle Nichols on “Drunk History.” Jaleel White played Dr. King. I have to say, for someone most famous for playing an awkward adolescent on TV, White has matured into a very good-looking adult man.
Mnemosyne
@Suzanne:
Yay! I hadn’t seen that you did take one of the jobs you were recruited for. Good luck, and remember to ask where the ladies room is as soon as you get there so you don’t have to stumble around looking for it when you need it. ?
MB in CA
@Cermet: This is my awakening at age 41: Dead wrong is the narrative that historically, women and POC were so oppressed that they rarely did anything great. It’s stupid, and I’m embarrassed, of course, to have been taken in for so long. The very title of “Hidden Figures” is a revelation: generation upon generation of unsung geniuses, whose works and discoveries have determined the very framework of our existence, and who I never (in the 80s/90s) ever saw in my school history books, whose names I never knew by rote. Even those who were discussed, Rosa Parks, say, were held firmly in that narrative of helplessness. But come to find out Rosa Parks was a fierce legal eagle and fiery civil rights organizer…not some tired old lady with a bunch of shopping bags as she is portrayed in the history books. And once you look around, the hidden figures are everywhere. Some recent luminaries I’ve discovered include Anna Atkins, a botanist worked in the 18th century, documenting an immense library of specimens and considered one of Britains first photographers. And Pauli Murray, who contributed seminal writings to Brown v. Board of Education and the civil rights movement as a whole.
JoeyJoeJoe Junior Shabadoo
@TS: Davis was also good in season 1 of the Exorcist tv show. The show is really good, too bad almost nobody has even heard of it
Matt McIrvin
@Another Scott: Cutthroat Island happened. It was one of those famous flops that ruins careers.
Apocalipstick
@Another Scott: Well, she won an Oscar for the Accidental Tourist, headlined a couple of big action movies (Cutthroat Island was the kind of bomb that harms careers), did some producing. She’s had a really nice career, esp. if she didn’t want to be a mega-star.
Apocalipstick
@matryohshka: Have you seen Rockwell in Moon? Pretty much a one-man show and a fine, fine film.
rikyrah
@pamelabrown53:
The Philadelphia Story??