Smart about Race

So, on the way back from Chicago this summer, Julien, Becky and I were talking about The Help. The movie hadn't been released yet, but both Becky and I were skeptical. Julien asked about our skepticism. Do you think the movie will be racist?

The point, I said, was not that the movie would be racist. Most everything is racist. Hollywood itself, for that matter. But when I think about films, I told Julien that I think some films are smart about race and some films are stupid about race. I assumed from the trailer that The Help would be stupid about race.

I was right. The Help is actually extremely stupid about race. From its total ignorance about the state terror under which black people lived (and continue to live) in the South to its insistence on black women's love for the white children they're forced to raise to the almost total absence of black men in the film to the humorous way The Help deals with black women's fear of white men, The Help is just dumb about race.

Any film with a magic negro in it falls in the category dumb-about-race for me.

But all this got the three of us to thinking about what films are smart about race. I might need some feedback on this. I could not think of that many. These are the films I could think of:

Two films by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck: Sugar and Half Nelson. The first is about a baseball player from the Dominican Republic who comes to the U.S. and is transplanted to a midwest farm team. The second is about a teacher who is addicted to crack. Half Nelson in particular taught me about my own racist prejudices when I watch a film. That film stars Ryan Gosling and Anthony Mackie. So good.

I also recently watched the film Claudine from 1974 with Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones and found it funny and moving and extremely smart about race.

I always thought Monster's Ball was pretty smart about race, too, but it's been a while since I saw it, so I can't remember that all that well.

Of the films I've seen in the last ten years:
Precious.
The Class.
The Visitor.
The Last King of Scotland.
Caché.
Junebug.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.
Dirty Pretty Things.
Raising Victor Vargas.

There are probably a couple more that I am missing here. Anyhow, the point is: the list as such is not very long.

Thoughts?

Oscar Nominees: Part Three

JUNEBUG

1 Nomination: Best Supporting Actress
A Really great film, buoyed by excellent performances all around. The script is really great, too. I wish this film had gotten more recognition, but I suppose I should just be happy Amy Adams nabbed a nomination.
Will Win: Nothing
Could Win: Supporting Actress (I hope I hope I hope)
My Rating: #8 out of 82 films

MATCH POINT

1 Nomination: Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen's return to greatness? Pretty much... or so it appears. I have loved Woody Allen for years and it's nice to see him get another Oscar nomination. The last one was eight years ago for Deconstructing Harry.
Will Win: Nothing
Could Win: Nothing
My Rating: #13 out of 82 films

THE SQUID AND THE WHALE

1 Nomination: Best Original Screenplay
Clever little film with truly odious characters. This movie was critically acclaimed and truly deserves its nomination, but it hasn't a prayer to win... and I don't really think it ought to, either. My reasoning for this is chiefly based on the horrible, horrible outfits Laura Linney wore throughout.
Will Win: Nothing
Could Win: Nothing
My Rating: #55 out of 82 films

THE NEW WORLD

1 Nomination: Best Cinematography
My favorite film of the year and the most maligned by the Academy of all the films nominated. It probably suffered from its extremely late release date. But it is a truly gorgeous film and Emmanuel Lubeski very much deserves his nomination.
Will Win: Nothing
Could Win: Nothing
My Rating: #1 out of 82 films

BATMAN BEGINS

1 Nomination: Best Cinematography
The best comic book movie that's come out in a long time. Christopher Nolan did great work with the Batman mythology and everyone in Hollywood was pleased. I expected it, frankly, to perform better on nomination morning, but a B-picture is a B-picture, and action films aren't usually the stuff of Oscars. A shame, because the costume design and art direction for this film were excellent, and the score (disqualified by the Academy—too many composers) had people talking as well.
Will Win: Nothing
Could Win: Nothing
My Rating: #29 out of 82 films

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

1 Nomination: Best Costume Design
Tim Burton! Hi! I'm Tim Burton! Look at how weird I am! I'm being mean. I actually really liked this movie, but I guess I'm one of very few. Everyone else seemed to really dislike it. It's box office was pretty good, but critics panned it and none of my friends liked it either.
Will Win: Nothing
Could Win: Nothing
My Rating: #34 out of 82 films

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

1 Nomination: Best Art Direction
How this missed for Visual Effects I just don't know. Ah well. Harry Potter has all the money in the world. He doesn't need a bunch of Oscar nominations to boot.
Will Win: Nothing
Could Win: Nothing
My Rating: #26 out of 82 films

STAR WARS - EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH

1 Nomination: Best Makeup
No comment. Why did I see this movie again?
Will Win: Jack Shit Nothing
Could Win: Visual Effects
My Rating: #82 out of 82 films

Weekend Redux

I don't think I've posted about Junebug, a new film by a guy named Phil Morrison that I saw on Friday night. It's great. I have been seeing really good movies lately and I've been loving it. If you do get a chance to see this very interesting drama about red-state/blue-state value systems I would love to talk about it with you, so drop me a line. It's very challenging and I know I love the film, but I'm not sure how I feel about what it has to say. Anyway...

This weekend after watching In Old Arizona on DVD, I drove out to Cathedral City (near Palm Desert) to stay with my friends Linda & Matt for the evening. We spent the day in the pool (it's so fucking hot out there it's unbelievable) and then we walked down the street to have dinner with their friends Michael & Jim. I had such a nice time, and not just because of the free food. I love visiting my friends and spending quality time with them. Spending a good six or seven hours with people I love is one of the great joys in life. (I had a similarly enjoyable time with Justin, Elizabeth and Mike a couple weeks ago.)

So I drove back from the desert this morning and ran a rehearsal. Two Gentlemen, by all accounts, is going splendidly. I am not sure how I feel about the show itself, and sometimes I think I'm not getting quite as much work done as I want, but I am having a damn good time directing this show. It's a low-stress thing (except for that one hiccough last Sunday) and everyone in the show is my friend. That's as much fun as the work itself: watching people I love perform onstage. I mean, I always want my actors to succeed and to do good work, but I think it is an entirely different thing to direct a cast I care about as much as this one. It's like it was all those years ago when I did Gross Indecency except that I know this group better than I knew those actors, and I have been directing a lot longer.

After rehearsal, I came home and did laundry and watched a charming little film by Mike Binder called The Upside of Anger. I have been meaning to see it for a while because Nathaniel has consistently predicted since February that Joan Allen is going to get an Oscar nomination for the role. I still disagree with him on this, but I think the film is worth seeing. It's a nice rental. The reason I am recommending it, though, is because of Kevin Costner, who I think gives a stellar performance (inexplicably and unpredictably reminding me of my father in a lot of ways). When you see it, I think you'll see why I think Joan Allen is gonna be assed-out come January when the nominations are announced. The character is really really difficult to sympathize with. The writing is great, though, and Mike Binder could end up with a nomination... actually I don't think the film will be looking at any Oscar noms, but the film is a charming piece that plays very well... and I'm telling you, Costner rocks.