#blackkklansman spoilers

[oswlld]

oswlld's monthly wrap up: january

note: i am trying something a bit different this year, so bear with me as i figure out how i want to format this. i wanted to spend more time sharing what i consume, beyond what i rb, and put my thoughts in one place. these posts are okay to rb

--

The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin [started 11/03, finished 01/23] This was originally a dnf from 2023 that i decided to pick up again. My entry point into her work was The City We Became and fell in love with her voice. With Fifth Season, however, I felt like I loved parts of the story but didn’t fall in love with the sum of the whole. I will go more into why in the tags because it will touch on spoilers (mildly!) I still gave it 4⭐️ in storygraph. — The Moth Presents: All These Wonders, Catherine Burns [started 01/05, finished 01/31] I bought this collection from Half Price so long ago, I’ve forgotten what drew me in. Probably because of the Neil Gaiman foreword. I had not heard of The Moth so I went into this blind. Some of the stories made me wish I heard it live and feel the story breathe and beat with the audience. 4.25⭐️ in storygraph.

Flavorful Origins, Netflix [started: 09/28, finished 01/04] I watched s1/s2 in 2023 at various pts of the fall/winter. Finally wrapped up s3 in January and caught up. Unsure if its a complete series or ongoing, but I do hope to return to the series in the future if they do upload more seasons. This series reminds me of the YT channel Liziqi, where they take one ingredient and unravel the techniques and related dishes by region. A great palate cleanser amongst all the other shows I typically gravitate towards. — Last Twilight, GMMTV on YT [started 11/10, finished 01/26] The only show I watched in real time, as it premiered week by week. If I solely focus on the January episodes, for the sake of this post, I can’t say I was happy with the way the final act was handled. If I look back on the whole of it, it’s still really special to me. In fact, there are episodes that still stand as the very best in television, THE BEST. Still licking the wounds inflicted by the finale, though. — Moving, Hulu [started 01/08, finished 01/30] This lured me in by process of dash osmosis, which is the very best brand of entry pt. I am O B S E S S E D with this show, I am singing its praises! It soothed the scars left by the show Heroes. Amongst all the action sequences, espionage, and high school drama is this huge heart beating loud and strong. Lee Mihyun, the way I love youuuuu, the character you are 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼 Guys, she saved January for me.

Chevalier, Hulu [watched on 01/14] The short runtime (well, short for the current landscape of cinema) did give me pause. I think some of the emotional beats could have been deepened if given 20 more min of his involvement in the rebellion. I think I wanted the betrayal to really cut me to the bone, but it felt like a papercut. — BlacKkKlansman [watched on 1/31] At this point, I would follow John David Washington’s career to the very end. I love his natural charisma. I want to see him go thru alllll the situations and wish this movie gave him a lot more room to breathe. Laura Harrier took me by surprise, portraying the BSU president Patrice. The story came to a very mild end and felt very tame, but the suspense held its own.

Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever), Noah Kahan [first time listening] I originally learned about him when I was in my Lizzy McAlpine hyperfixation last year and heard she was a feature in one of his songs. And then I discovered a duet Noah did with Hozier and knew I had to spend time this month to sit down and really digest his album. WHOA MAN, this is one of those formative moments when music perfectly aligns with my current state of being. Take that as you will. Current top 5: Come Over, Strawberry Wine, Northern Attitude, Halloween, Your Needs My Needs — Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812 [relistening] what else is there to say, this is a mandatory yearly listen when it becomes below 0 outside. When I saw this show live, it was a January date as well so this relisten really got me spiralling. These two albums got me Feeling 🧍🏻‍♀️ on my walks.

Minecraft [game, on Switch] I got this game as a christmas gift and was where I spend most of my waking hours outside of work. I enjoyed watch MC streams on twitch and knew I would enjoy playing on my own. I get it now, I am soooooo late to this game. I think and dream Minecraft. My mountain house and harbor builds? Immaculate. They basic, but immaculate. Now I’m in my fishing era, esp when I have Stick Season playing in the background (nothing else mattered when the sun was rising and the song The View Between Villages played in the bg, it was a religious experience). — Lethal Company [game, on Twitch/YT] My entire month has been hopping from one stream to another, lobby after lobby. This game is so fun to watch and witness how all the mods evolved as time went on. I don’t think I myself would play the game myself, as I am a bit of a scaredy cat, but watching my fav groups play has been a highlight.

[fantasticalleigh]

LEIGH'S RIDICULOUSLY BIG TBR/TBW LISTS

like i mentioned before i am too busy/hesitant to actually consume a lot of new media (or at least be able to focus on it) so i'm critically behind on so much stuff. don't judge me pls :S lmao

anything in bold is something that i've begun but not finished :P tagging @snow-in-the-desert bc you expressed interest in seeing the lists!

TO READ:

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood

The Hurricane Wars - Thea Guanzon

Winter's Promise - Christelle Dabos

The Stand - Stephen King

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Work - Louisa May Alcott

Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes

Dr. Sleep - Stephen King

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

The Last Duel - Erik Jager

Portrait of a Lady - Henry James

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton

The Great Mortality - John Kelly

Dead by Sunset - Ann Rule

Dracula - Bram Stoker

It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth - Zoe Thorogood

The Great Influenza - John M. Barry

The Monster of Florence - Douglas Preston

The Lottery and other stories - Shirley Jackson

Helter Skelter - Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry

White Noise - Don DeLilo

Icebreaker - Hannah Grace

She Is a Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran

This Thing Between Us: A Novel - Gus Moreno

Parable of the Sower - Octavia E. Butler

^^ This is an incomplete list--I know there are others but these are the books I've bought over the past couple years and have not yet finished/ready. They are stacked on my desk and around my room, silently accusing me of neglect. I wither in shame. The rest of the list escapes me currently. This also doesn't include the tbrs currently on my e-reader since I can't remember where it is to see what's on there.

MOVIES/MEDIA TO WATCH:

Any Adam Driver movie that isn't on Netflix (House of Gucci, Annette, Paterson etc.) I have seen the Last Duel, Blackkklansman, This is where I leave you, Marriage Story, White Noise, Frances Ha and a few others). I know Ferarri is in theaters right now but I've kind of developed a phobia of theaters since 2020 :S

a ridiculous number of documentaries/video essays on youtube that I do not have the energy to go look for right now

Fall of the House of Usher (I love Mike Flanagan's work but I'm still hooked on Midnight Mass and Daddy Father Prewitt)

The Haunting of Bly Manor (I know everyone was obsessed with this and I meant to watch it but I was reading the Turn of the Screw when it came out and didn't want to get spoiled for it so I avoided it like the plague and finished the book but never got to watching the show)

Blue Eye Samurai

The Beguiled

Ugly Betty (I'm actually on season 2 and it's charming and funny but holy shit the amount of body shaming/slut shaming/ homophobia in this show. definitely a product of its time.)

Anne with an E

Fleabag (never finished it but thought it was amazing)

What we do in the shadows (have seen all but the most current season)

Reservation dogs

The Batman (2023)

Black Swan

The Crown

Band of Brothers

Demon Slayer

Whiplash

Wolf of Wall Street

Birds of Prey

Downton Abbey

Peaky Blinders

Nimona

Drag me to Hell

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Queen Charlotte (halfway through but haven't finished. i hate things that make me cry when i watch them so i have to be in a very specific mood to watch emotional heavy things)

Lady Bird

The Banshees of Inisherin

BARBIE (*ducks thrown rocks* I'll get to it, i SWEAR) (but i'm amazing at avoiding spoilers at this point i still know very little about the movie)

Men

Pearl

The Invisible Man

The Turning

Succession

Suspiria

Promising Young Woman

Shiva Baby

Luca

The Green Knight

Licorice Pizza

Bullet Train

The Menu

Women Talking

Knives Out + Glass Onion (*ducks more thrown rocks*)

Paddington 2!!!!

SHadow and Bone (honestly I lost almost all interest in reading/watching this once I heard the hot villain dies. BOOOO)

Carol

That one newish show with Adam Scott that looks super liminal and sci fi i can't remember the name

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Oppenheimer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Guardians of the Galaxy 3

M3gan

Turning Red

Everything Everywhere All At once

Nope

Barbarian

Just like the book list, I'm sure there's many other titles I'm forgetting to put here. I actually have branched out and watched a fair amount of new movies this year so i'm going to keep it going! and here's one more list just because this is fun

Stuff I watched or read in 2023 that I loved/recommend (with the caveat that not all of this came out in 2023): (and i'm not including obvious stuff like Spider man across the spiderverse)

White Noise

Don't Look Up

Living in the Time of Dying (documentary on Youtube. It is HEAVY on existentialism and the science/data on the current state of climate change. This WILL ruin your day so I'm warning you now. Definitely don't watch it today. This really affected me and I cried for a long time after watching this but it is incredibly important to keep in mind.)

Blackkklansman (i had to watch this with the volume on the lowest setting bc of all the n words being dropped so frequently lmao but goddamn this was so good and funnier than i expected.)

DIMENSION 20: Burrow's End!!!!! As well as The Unsleeping City season 1. Neverafter and A Crown of Candy are probably at the lower end of the list but I still love them. (thank you to @rogueimperator for cluing me onto how amazing D20 and Dropout are. <3 this is a whole new world lol)

Midnight Sun :)

7. Christine and the Queens - Redcar les adorables étoiles Full show on Youtube. I was supposed to see him live in October but he got injured and had to cancel the rest of his tour :( but this album and the video are incredible! Slight warning for semi nudity.

8. Game Changer on Dropout. he's been here the whole time!

9. The 1975 live at Madison Square Garden. I was lucky enough to see them twice this tour with my twin sister and we had an absolutely amazing time. They always put on amazing shows and this particular tour/their latest album meant so much to us. Even our younger brother has come with us for some of these shows so it's something we all share. (Last time they came to Chicago in 2022 the venue was too small so they didn't have the House set with them so we didn't get to see it in action until this year) Sex and The Sound will always be the perfect closers for their shows and I get so emotional every time I hear them. Core memories for sure.

10. Puss in Boots: the last wish. this seems like another obvious answer that i probably could have left off but this gets an honorary mention because our family cat was diagnosed with advanced bone cancer in August, and we had to put him down very soon after that diagnosis. We spent an agonizing week tending to him and cherishing every last second we could get with him. I've been fortunate enough to never experience the death of a pet until this year, and i almost wish we didn't have any pets at all because I've never felt such excruciating grief. He was a fat, grumpy orange boy with beautiful yellow stripes and a little yellow mustache. I was trying to distract myself and found this movie on Netflix and watched it, then recommended it to my sister (who is actually Thomas's owner but we all shared him) though I warned her the movie did deal with themes on mortality. We all watched it together the night before his final vet visit and Tommy was there with us on a comfy pillow. I hope he approved of the movie, because now any time I think of Puss in Boots i think of him. <3

I could add more to this but my eyes are tired and I'm wired up from coffee. I know this is long as hell so sorry but I had fun making it! I'll probably keep coming back to this post in the future to cross out what I've watched.

[driveresque]

still want me to take your jew detector test?

[knights-of-reylo-reborn]

When Adam wore a Klan outfit in the BlackkKlansman trailer

Antis: HA SEE YOUR FAVE IS IN THE KKK, WHAT NOW--?!

Everybody with a brain:

[falllpoutboy]

blackkklansman

lets talk about how the film left patrice and ron’s relationship ambiguous towards the end after describing their moral differences

lets talk about john david washington and laura harriers spectacular performances

lets talk about spike lees excellent direction

lets talk about how it was perfectly balanced between its tense and humorous moments

lets talk about how the film didn’t make us empathize with the kkk members or david duke

lets talk about how that racist cop got what was coming to him after killing a black kid and repeatedly harassing ron and patrice

lets talk about how the end of the film hit us like a ton of bricks and had left the theaters in complete silence

lets talk about the ending of the film was supposed to remind us to stay resolved, aware and angry.

[dreamboatdriver]

underrated flip moment:

“alright, where’s my money?”

[phoukanamedpookie]

Yes, see Blackkklansman. Yes, take the trigger warnings seriously.

While I would have vastly preferred a Jewish person get the role of Flip Zimmerman (especially considering a couple of exchanges in the film), it’s required viewing for John David Washington alone.

Now, I should give you fair warning: this film does not shy from the things white nationalists say and do, but there are a few scenes that can be triggering (and I don’t use this term lightly) if you don’t go there knowing what to expect. Three stick out the most:

A white cop gropes a Black woman while “searching” her

A man gives a very graphic description of the lynching of a developmentally disabled person

Graphic footage from Charlottesville’s Unite the Right rally

[safetythirst]

I am very familiar by now with Adam’s eye color and the size of his hands. I did not see him under that hood in the last shot of the film. That man had average hands and boring eyes. Wtf movie did that reviewer see?

[rosalynbair]

Ok so just saw Blackkklansman. It was INCREDIBLE like at a loss for words. One thing threw me off. At the end when the show the cross burning and they zoom in on the eye and then get kinda under the hood to see parts of the guys face. Like it was the scene before they started showing the modern protest footage. WAS THAT FLIP????? IMMA BEAT HIS ASS IF IT WAS BUT I CANT FIGURE IT OUT

That’s what I thought at first while I was watching it as well tbh. ((while I wasn’t distracted by the absolute gorgeous shots of it because my film student heart was bursting)) But the more I looked at it, I stopped thinking that it was him because he was a lot heavier than Adam. He had a slight hanging chin and it looked like a dark/shadow of a beard, and the hands/wrists weren’t the same as Adam’s (Flip wears a watch for most of the movie) So I think it might have been the drunk guy (Ivanhoe?) that was under the mask. But I think they just had it as an extra scene to show that it didn’t stop after their investigation. Flip wouldn’t have gone back in because it was revealed who he was by that point. 

[late-night-melancholy]

So here is probably the best article discussing this:

Then when you get more into answering the question, I definitely think it is a matter of personal opinion. If you look under the Reddit subsection regarding this, there are many compelling arguements for and against Flip being the masked klansman.

Some ideas supporting this idea include those mentioning that he may still have been undercover (since in real life this was a sting operation that went on for numerous years and corroborated by the fact that Flip's character was outraged at the closing of the case), his name is literally "Flip" so his character change ought to be expected, his facial hair is unmistakable, it's easy to misconstrue his speech about "belonging to a group", he seemed to get into the "Birth of a Nation" viewing, and/or it helps to show how you can never fully be sure of anyone's beliefs (even today).

On the other hand, others say that they saw Ivanhoe's face and Adam Driver's performance gave no hints as to his intentions earlier on in the film (which would be very uncharacteristic if this were to be true).

Personally, I do think it probably was Flip. It's a Spike Lee movie, and when you read the arguements for, it makes sense. However, I don't think he was there out of malice; Flip was at the cross-burning either because he was still undercover with the station, or because he decided to "go rogue." When we remember the scenes that follow this, the ones of unyielding hatred and violence, I'd like to think the movie ended on a more positive note- with eyes that were staring at the cross detesting it's existence rather than worshipping it (but that just might be my white naiveté talking).

I'll end by linking Adam Driver's interview about why he accepted the role (spoiler: it was because he witnessed Klan activity as a child).

Blackkklansman ending. wtf?

So… watched it against night and noticed that in the burning cross at the end that sure looks like Flip. 

And then I spent the rest of the evening wondering if that meant he actually joined the Klan or continued the investigation on his own.  

Both seemed unlikely to me, but the first option, is just terrible and quite honestly ruins the whole movie for me. 

If Spike Lee chose to show a jewish character, that throughout the movie showed (IMO) no sign of buying the Klan’s bullshit and hatred, become enamored with racism, well that’s a fucked up message and leaves a damn bitter taste in my mouth. 

[thefaultinourforcebond]

Blackkklansman won Adapted Screenplay!!!!!!!!11!!!!

[driverdaily]

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

[pandoraspocksao3]

Go See BlacKkKlansman!

Saw this movie tonight with one of my best friends. I’m basically still stunned.

I’m hesitant to review it for fear of spoilers, so no details except to say that while both Adam Driver and John David Washington were superb (and yes, hot), there is so much going on subliminally and on the surface and the full impact didn’t hit me until the final minutes of the film, although I found myself flinching and uneasy throughout the film and picking up on different things. I’ll just tell you how it made me feel. 

Spike Lee did something amazing with this film, and he got his powerful message across without resorting to theatrics or gore. I’m not a crier and I sat in the theater until the house lights came up, and I was sobbing by the end as it all hit. It’s a culmination of things, one being history, past and recent. If you live where I live, you may have felt like you’ve been wearing a muzzle on your true thoughts for the past couple years because you can’t tell what’s behind that mild mannered neighbor’s facade. So you bury yourself in something else and don’t talk about it. “It” means a lot of things in the news these days. 

This movie manages to be light and funny most of the time while also reminding us of history, both in the distant past and recent past, and feeling unsettled about the future. Spike Lee never makes a movie that’s meant to leave you with warm fuzzies - his movies are meant to make you think and provoke a reaction while keeping you invested in the story. 

I’d just advise you to really take in what you see and hear and don’t turn your eyes away (it won’t be gory, but there will be language, stories, and old photographs that can and should get under your skin, whatever tone your skin palette happens to be). Spike doesn’t make things up; he holds up a mirror.

I cried for probably 20 minutes with my friend through the closing credits and beyond, and we had one of the best talks ever. It was a relief to get out some of the anxiety I’ve had about the state of affairs in the world for some time and also the lessons of history and what has and hasn’t changed, my concern for the next generation of women growing up during these turbulent times because man’s inhumanity to man isn’t confined just to Jews or blacks -  it’s gays, women, minorities, immigrants - and you can probably think of more. 

Two girls to our right laughed at the part we laughed at, and we all turned to each other simultaneously and gave each others’ hands a squeeze because where I live, you don’t know who it’s safe to let your real feelings about current events show. It’s like a signal that lets you know you found a tribe member where you weren’t expecting it. 

The movie is NOT a downer, but it may touch you on a deeper level than you expect. Go with a friend and have a discussion afterward. This is a movie that I hope starts a dialogue with everyone...particularly the country in which I reside.

[hotaru-dream]

@myalex13000

(Blackkklansman spoilers) THE UPSIDE DOWN AMERICAN FLAG. so idk about other countries and their flags, but in the US there’s a set of guidelines about what you should and shouldn’t do with the American flag. Not laws per say, but traditions/customs (most are ignored) One that generally isn’t ignored is that you don’t fly the flag upside down except as a signal of “dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property 1/2

2/2 so the fact that Spike Lee ends the movie w/ an upside down American flag is extremely significant. It’s a sign of distress, to Americans and to the world.

SHUT THE FUCK UP 😱 The British flag is the same upside down as it rightside up so we’ve got no concepts like that. I thought the upside down flag was meant to symbolise that the country is upside down at the moment, I had no idea that the meaning went far, far deeper. My sister and I cried at the end. It was so, so powerful. Everyone needs to see it. Thank you for the insight!!!!

[knights-of-reylo-reborn]

Rewatched Blackkklansman again today

Fuuuuuuck

I want to throw all the Academy Awards at Adam’s face. Him and John David are an awesome team #stallworthbrothers

There’s that one scene with Ron where Flip talks about growing up without a relatively strong Jewish influence and the acting was...damn. It zooms in on Adam’s face and wow. Adam can fuckin kill you emotionally with one look, he’s that good. The sensitive content he has to deal with as an actor doing scenes with members of the KKK (including racial slurs and violence) is executed so well that I didn’t cringe like I thought I would. Adam really transforms into his characters so it almost seemed right for him to say what he said (for Flip’s sake as an undercover cop).

Also the fact that Adam can fire a gun without flinching is super sexy (however the context with which he fires the gun is awful and made me pretty sad). Otherwise the movie is also pretty funny and I burst out laughing a bunch of times. The message of the movie is so important, especially right now. Top notch movie go watch it if you haven’t!!

I might do a longer review later but I’m at work right now so...yeah brb

[swan2swan]

HI this movie is making me mad at SO MANY THINGS that aren’t The Last Jedi and that makes me FURIOUS.