#i love watching very famous critically acclaimed movies and just treating them like any other movie <3 unironically fun

[teenagefeeling]

just watched suspiria and can recommend, i thought it was super silly and fun (and of course quite violent). everyone in the letterboxd reviews is going off about the direction and the lighting and the score or whatever but honestly? i really just enjoyed the plot itself, which is pretty rare for a horror movie. normally i want them to just shut up and start getting murdered after cursory exposition and a few one-liners but i was fully engaged in the mystery of this one even tho it was like not exactly mysterious. it kinda had the feel of something like dracula, where the audience knows exactly what tf the monster is but we're watching the characters try to figure it out. with the boarding school setting and the music and the witches it almost had like a h*rry p*tter vibe at points???? idk i had fun with it lmao

[velocicraptorr]

What’s up with cassavetes?

So, I’ve seen a number of those criterion videos where directors recommend their favourite films. I’ve heard a number of them talk about John Cassavetes. But who exactly is he? Why are his films worth mentioning? He’s got such a fun name, but why exactly are famous directors talking about this guy when no one has heard of him? 

I asked a number of those questions-in exactly that tone-of a friend working in film festivals and programming. His answer? Cassavetes treated his actors in a way that was revolutionary for the time. His directing was apparently liberating for actors. 

But I have so many follow-up questions! How did the directors who cite him know? Did they glean this treatment from his films or was it his E! Hollywood Story that gave it away? How did they all manage to get to watching his damn E! Hollywood Story in the midst of all of that directing that they presumably had to do? 

I’m not sure. So here’s a video of Martin Scorsese (who people do actually know) talking about him: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTLedTEs4lY

Scorsese at some point says the phrase “rollercoaster of love”. He also says “(Cassavetes) insisted on having fun while making his films, while searching for truth.” That’s admirable. That and the liberation... It makes sense, but I’m missing some details.

In entry number one of this terribly framed, self-indulgent masturbation blog, I’m going to talk about John Cassavetes. I’ll naively, and perhaps ill-advisedly, write about him without watching his films. And I’ll then update this entry after having watching some of his films. Number one on films of his to watch is apparently A Woman Under the Influence. 

Okay.

What’s Up With Cassavetes (this is obviously going to be a rip off of his wikipedia page...)

Life 

Death

Style

Influence 

1.  Life 

He was born in New York City and is the song of Greek Americans. He went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he met his future wife and collaborator Gena Rowlands (who’s in A Woman Under the Influence, aha!). 

He taught acting in New York City and played parts in B rated films (I now need to know if B-movies are of a specific genre, and B films are something else entirely). He then guest starred in Beverly Garland’s Decoy as a jazz pianist moonlighting as a private detective (or... a PI moonlighting as a jazz pianist. I am very intrigued. Another thing: the word ‘intriguing’ is difficult to spell. I turn off spellcheck because I fear losing even more neural connections given the amount of alcohol I’ve had to drink in the past couple years. Words like intriguing make me regret committing to being better). Okay, I’ve gotten that wrong. He was in decoy, a TV show about an undercover detective (not him). He was also in Johnny Staccato, where he plays, you guessed it, Johnny Staccato (there’s two Cs and only one T in ‘staccato’, by the way). This might seem surprising, but, according to wikipedia, the latter of those shows was critically acclaimed.  

The guy then signed a bunch of deals with a bunch of studios and continued acting in television. He saved up some money, moved to California, acted in a bunch of films (like Rosemary’s Baby, a Polanski film AND a film my mom loves... I’d also like to point out that very rarely do people like my mom get updated about the private lives of people from the west, so she doesn’t quite know who did what and will enjoy the films with the quite endearing assumption that the film just... came into being). 

He directs a bunch of films including, yes, A Woman Under the Influence (1974). Two years later, he strikes again with another Criterion Collection favourite often mentioned on picks videos, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), never mind the title. Opening Night (1977), which I saw a tiny bit of, comes out a year later. 

Wait, I’m still not sure what he was about. He taught acting, acted, and later directed. Isn’t that Vincent Gallo? What’s so great about Cassavetes? 

2. Death

He died of cirrhosis (wikipedia says ‘of the liver’. Now wondering if there’s a kind of cirrhosis that affects something other than the liver. Okay. What does the word cirrhosis mean?) in 1989 (the year Taylor Swift was born) “caused by many years of alcoholism”. 

Here’s a song with his name in its title: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI87_X52wmk

Well, a quick listen... Maybe a little regretful, this entry. Maybe I never should have asked. 

Okay, I’ll keep asking. Another ‘by the way’: I followed Le Tigre to Kathleen Hanna to Bikini Kill and now, DIY ethic and Ladyfest. That’s a fifth of my night in wikipedia pages. Quick summary: Hanna formed Le Tigre after her Bikini Kill years, a band that was part of the riot grrrl movement of the early 90s that began in Washington State (source of many a garage band; i.e. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana). Also, I know! Pre-meme triple lettering. Cray. 

Ripped off wikipedia yet again: “In 1991, young women coalesced in an unorganized collective response to several women's issues, such as the Christian Coalition's Right to Life attack on legal abortion and the Senate Judiciary Hearings into Anita Hill's accusations of sexual harassment by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Young feminist voices were heard through multiple protests, actions, and events such as the formative opening night of the International Pop Underground Convention and later L7's Rock for Choice.”

And DIY ethic? The ethic of self-sufficiency suggesting you can do tasks yourself, rather than rely on paid labour. 

3. Style

Here’s Cassavetes talking about the role of the audience in Opening Night (1977): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePptcNqXRJA

“I’m telling you. They’re not gonna see something stupid. They’re gonna see something that challenges their own intelligence and that awakens their own emotions. And I like it... I wanna see lines around the block TOMORROW.”

I’m not doing a good job of describing any of this. So have another video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoEr9nsXXRQ

Polarising. I can see how someone might describe this process as liberating. He frequently collaborates with the same people. That also makes sense. 

4. Influence

Maybe I’ll get to a supercut of directors talking about him in those Criterion Collection videos. 

And maybe more reading, too. 

[helthehatter]

Why Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue is GENIUS

First off, the sequel knows what the audience wants and had NO Don Bluth in it. Because of COURSE who wants one of the most famous animators in charge of a movie? The answer: no one. The movie opens up with a prophecy that tells the rats of NIMH would be saved by a son of Jonathon Brisby. Now for anyone who saw the first film you’ll know that there was no such prophecy and would call this bullshit. But it’s not. It’s genius. Now we’ll get a story of two brothers torn apart by living up to their father’s legacy but ultimately understand the importance of family, right? No! Once again the movie knows we don’t want to be ENTERTAINED so they automatically name Timothy the hero. Even though this contradicts the made up prophecy we were just told it is clear we’d rather focus on the mouse that had only one line in the original film. The movie also knows we have no interest in seeing the rest of the Brisby family so quickly moves on to Thorn Valley. Said valley is nothing like it is in the books and you know what that means? It means it’s genius. Because films that don’t follow the books they are based off of are ALWAYS loved and critically acclaimed! At Thorn Valley Timothy who has done absolutely nothing is treated like mouse Harry Potter which of course NEVER backfired ONCE! And unlike that barely known series that had very likable and interesting characters this movie sucked any likability from the rats of NIMH leaving them idiotic and boring wastes of animation. GENIUS!!! And where other films would’ve at least have Timothy grow to the hero he so OBVIOUSLY is, this one would not waste such time. Instead they simply say over and over and over and OVER again that he’ll be his father. Even though he does absolutely nothing. What a valuable lesson to give our youth. So years passed and Timmy is now a teenager who is treated like a unruly child who thinks he knows best. And get this! The rats never realize that might be because that’s what they told him throughout his life. All the while never ever telling him what NIMH is. Woah, plot twist! One night while not letting Timmy show off the potential they insist is there he meets a girl mouse named Jenny, played by Hynden Walch. You might know Hynden as Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time and this girl has the audacity to try and make the character ENJOYABLE. You stop that P.B! You’re ruining the movie’s genius! Anyway Jenny is the daughter of some NIMH mice and bla de bla, now we have an epic rescue to go on. Or so you feared! No instead the rats decide to stay put because the risk to Thorn Valley is too great! And those who aren’t enlightened might say that makes no sense. But I assure you, it does. And instead of letting Jenny leave to do it herself they hold her hostage. THE ONLY LOGICAL THING TO DO! Because then we learn, as sudden as a smack to the face, that Martin was kidnapped YEARS ago by NIMH. And Timmy doesn’t give a solitary fuck. Once again showing not only stellar character but also stellar story telling. After years of not caring his flesh and blood was taken Timmy decides to follow the pretty girl mouse and escape. Another great lesson for the kids! Only help your family if someone hot accompanies you. Skipping another chance for any of that pesky character development our heroes come across Jeremy the crow. In the original film he was a clumsy, scatterbrained but good-hearted soul. In this one he’s a criminal who cons animals out of their jewels by pretending to be the Great Owl. Because why WOULDNT wild animals have jewels? And why WOULDNT we have Jeremy’s partner in crime who’s a pointless character named Cecil. But tragically Jeremy’s scam is ruined so he instead takes Timmy and Jenny to NIMH where they meet up with Justin and co who somehow got there first. And then they go in to face NIMH’s leader the evil scientist Dr. Valentine and- …You need to brace yourself. You need to sit down and get comfortable. Because the chilling twist I am about to give made me faint. It is a better twist than “If only there was someone who loved you” NEIN! It is better than even “Luke, I am your father.” Ready? Be sure to take a moment to breathe after you read my next words: ….Martin is the villian. I know, I KNOW! But it gets better! HE is the evil genius that is ruling NIMH and voiced by the majestic ERIC IDLE!! And he is jelly of Timmy because of that prophecy! So it’s only because of that that Martin is the villian! ISNT THAT FUCKING BRILLIANT!?! And then they have a boring climax and rushed love confession because of course WHO WANTS A THRILLING CLIMAX AND INTERESTING ROMANCE?! NO ONE THATS WHO! Everyone returns to Thorn Valley to throw Timmy /another/ celebration and build him a statue. Because while Mrs. Brisby may have faced down cats and owls and machinery and drugged Dragon and save the rats of NIMH THAT ISNT NEARLY AS IMPORTANT as Timmy starting problems and doing nothing! Secret of NIMH 2 is a masterpiece of writing and animation so much better than the acclaimed official that had fantastic art, characters, and stories. Take a precious hour from your life and go watch it.

[tonyjones2222]

FRANCE FRANCOIS

ARE BLACK EXPATS FREER ABROAD THAN IN THE USA?

During the International Film Festival in Panama last month, the acclaimed documentary “I Am Not Your Negro” was shown. I went to see it with a few friends, expats and Panamanians after we had all heard stirring reviews from movie critics and friends alike.  I acutely remember feeling the oppressive weight of all that the U.S. represented as I watched it. Baldwin summed up this feeling at one point by saying, “In America, I was free only in battle, never free to rest, and he who finds no way to rest cannot long survive the battle.”

Thus, I wasn't surprised when James Baldwin then went on a self-imposed exile to Paris, France in the 1970s. After the movie, I told a friend that my steps were lighter in Panama, I did not have to engage in the constant battle that Baldwin describes in poignant detail throughout the documentary. However, I didn’t want to assume that others shared my feelings, so I reached out to friends and acquaintances, all black people who have become expats, or exiles, l and asked them a simple question: Do you feel freer outside of the US? 

Here is a snapshot of the responses I received:



@recorrehonduras

FEMALE, 42, HONDURAS

I definitely feel less of the weight that being a black woman in the U.S. can place on you. I find it difficult to pinpoint why exactly...I do feel safer outside of the U.S., and that's saying something given that I live in the former murder capital of the world, Honduras. When I used to live in the States, I tried to limit my interaction with the police. It was just too risky and far too easy for things to end up with my dead- or at least that was perception. The deaths of Tamir Rice, Freddy Gray, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, and so many others cemented for me that, simply by being a black person in America, I was a threat.

 I am not naïve enough to believe that I am immune to police misconduct here in Honduras but, unless I am involved in narco-trafficking, there is no reason to suspect that the cops will shoot me. On the other hand, being black in this country does carry stigmas. Here people make assumptions about my level of education, income, and other socioeconomic factors because so few blacks have been able to rise to success in Honduras. However, @@I do not miss the systemic racism I regularly fought in the U.S.@@ I have traveled to Europe, Asia, and Africa and I always feel safer than I ever did in the United States.



@emanifresh

MALE, 40 YEARS OLD, BRAZIL

Yes, I do feel different living abroad than in the US. As a black American, Brazil isn't the easiest place to live. Race, color, and especially class issues all play a part in my daily interactions. For example, I had to walk somewhere today with my housekeeper. She is “preta” (afro-descendent). When a white person came towards us, to my surprise, she immediately stepped off the sidewalk!  I live in a wealthy neighborhood and, while it wasn't apparent to me when I moved here, I am the only black person here, other than housekeepers. I wouldn't say that I'm treated better but, at times, I am treated differently as an American. There is always an underlying level of respect that I get here as a lawyer that was missing in my interactions with people in the U.S. It's that fundamental level of respect that, as a black man, you feel like you must fight for in the States. Even in certain professional "bubbles” (DC, NYC, etc.), there are a lot of people who don't believe that you are who you are as a black professional with means.

I have experienced racism here, but nothing like what I’ve lived through in the US because of my socioeconomic status and nationality. For example, on election day, I hailed an Uber. When the car arrived, I sat in the front as is customary here. When I got in, I noticed a certain look on the face of the older white driver at the sight of me. He asked me brusquely if I’d bothered to vote that day. When I told him that I couldn't vote because I'm American, his attitude and demeanor completely changed and he became pleasant with the realization that I wasn’t a black Brazilian.



@haitinoula.hnl

MALE, 41, HAITI

I was born in Haiti.  I came from a middle-class Haitian family in Port-au-Prince. At the age of 13, I was sent to Washington D.C. to finish my studies. I moved there when Haiti was constantly in the news for all the wrong reasons. As a result, my high school experience was challenging due to constant bullying, xenophobia, and ignorance. However, I eventually realized that it didn't matter where you were born. What mattered in America was the color of your skin. Being black in the U.S. meant that I was going to be followed in stores and harassed by the police.  

The first time I traveled outside of the U.S. was as a college student visiting an African American friend studying abroad in Chile in the 90s. From the moment I arrived to when I left, people seemed to treat us with fascination. As black males, we stopped traffic at times because people had never seen black people before. We were even invited on stage to sing along with a famous Chilean band because black people must know how to sing, right? A few times we were called mono (monkey in Spanish) and were told to go back to Africa. 

Whether it’s being called a monkey in Chile or having an egg thrown at me in Barcelona, I never really felt truly threatened by anyone abroad though. Any racist acts towards me were committed in the shadows or passing. There was never a confrontation that could escalate into something more. In contrast, racism at home in the U.S. is so direct, virulent, and always has the underlying possibility of becoming a life or death situation, making America a stressful environment to live in for me. So, to answer your question, @@I do feel freer abroad than I do in the U.S.@@



@_nana.kweku

FEMALE, 30, NORTH MARIANA ISLANDS

I definitely do feel freer and safer outside of the U.S. I have lived abroad for six years. I have lived in China, Japan and the Northern Mariana Islands. I am not saying that I have never encountered racism in these places- I have- but not as frequently as I did while living in the States. I  dealt with so many microaggressions in the office in DC that I tried to avoid associations that would add fuel to the fire,  such as eating chicken or watermelon at work events.  While in Japan, I learned that the Japanese love fried chicken (who doesn't)! There was fried chicken everywhere, even at the 7-11. I bought it and sat on the curb eating it with a friend- just free. No one batted an eye! It felt great! @@I have traveled to a lot of Asian countries and have felt both free and safe in action, spirit, and mind.@@ Now though, I feel a draw to return home to the States after being gone for so long. I want to try again and see what happens. I know I can leave again whenever and if ever I want to, and that comforts me.



@shantelligence

MALE, 45 YEARS OLD, SOUTH AFRICA

For all South Africa's problems, I like living in a country where it's not illegal to be black. This country does have its version of the "Mexican problem" with regards to immigrants from Malawi and Zimbabwe. However, @@when I turn on my television, most people are black, meaning that the default positive role models are also black.@@ All the politicians that I either support or complain about are black. My doctor, lawyer, butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, are also more than likely to be black,  an alien concept to most black people who have only lived in the West. I strategically chose to be in a black environment. It’s given me peace of mind and has had a significant impact on how I raised my youngest son. Raising a child with healthy self-esteem and positive associations with blackness trumps almost any supposed benefit of living in a white or non-black country. 



@quenton_w

FEMALE 34, COLOMBIA

I definitely feel freer living in Colombia. Instead of that ever present "black people don't belong here" glare we receive in places in the U.S. (or just being outright ignored), in Colombia I feel welcomed. I've never felt uncomfortable here simply because I'm black. There are obvious race issues here. However, it's mostly a "live and let live" culture. You could break into song and dance or walk around with a crown and cape on and no one would blink an eye. 

I went to a new hipster coffee shop in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina to meet a friend while I was visiting the U.S. this past December. I walked around the whole place, and not one employee greeted me, the only person of color there. Even when we placed our orders, the cashier barely bothered to speak or make eye contact. Back in Colombia, however, a group of friends and I walked into a restaurant and were greeted with free shots from the owner moments later. Last night in the Poblado neighborhood of Medellín, I went out with some friends to a lounge, and the staff treated us like royalty. The night also ended with me walking around with a plastic tiara on my head. Free AF.



@honeysuckle_vixen

MALE, AGE 42, PHILIPPINES

I feel like I get more respect living in Asian countries than the U.S. I think it's because so few of us travel and live outside of the U.S. that it elevates the few black people in Asia to almost celebrity status. The usual images of blacks abroad are of actors, rappers, or basketball players. I'm 6 feet tall so I tower over most Asians and I'm usually asked if I play basketball- I don't. Regardless, I feel welcomed by the host countries a lot more than the US. Once when I was stationed in Japan with the Air, I had to go back to the States for a temporary duty assignment for about a week. You often hear the term “culture shock” from people that travel outside of their home country, but I experienced culture shock when I returned to the U.S.! Our nation, to put it kindly, is very rude. My shock at being subject to certain behaviors, poor customer services, and racism in the U.S. feels more pronounced after living abroad. I couldn't wait to leave. 



@cedinthecity

38, FEMALE, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

I have been living in Dubai for almost four years. It has been a good experience for me. My life is so much more comfortable here. There are times that I dread the idea if having to return to the U.S. to live there. The U.S. doesn't feel like home to me anymore; the environment seems toxic. Oddly enough, I feel safer here in the Middle East than I do in my hometown. @@Being American almost entirely overrides race, an uncomfortable reality.@@ Thus, I'm less likely to be a victim of crime partly for that reason. I can leave my door unlocked without fear. I left the convertible top down on my car with the spare key in plain sight. I lost my wallet in a taxi at the airport. They found my work ID, emailed me and held onto it for eight weeks. None of this would have happened in the U.S. But, being away from the U.S. also causes me to have some mixed feelings: relief that I am at least semi-removed from many of the aggressions that others are experiencing but, also guilty for leaving others behind to deal with it.



FEMALE, 36, SAUDI ARABIA

I lived in China and now I live in Saudi Arabia.  I've felt safer in both places than living in Chicago or Philadelphia. I don't worry about my personal safety in the same way, even when I go out at night. I certainly don't worry about getting shot. Right now my biggest concern is returning to the States for the summer and getting treated like a terrorist because I have so many stamps in my passport. my mind isn't at ease even though I live abroad because my family is still in the U.S. I feel as if the situation is deteriorating, but they won't leave until it's too late. 



@1stclassfrance

FEMALE, 28, URUGUAY

For the past four years, I've been living abroad. At first, it started out as a way to "get away from it all." The pressures of the U.S. can make you question your worth as a black person. The first time place I lived abroad was in the Dominican Republic in 2013. Initially, I felt a sense of ease because I saw more black and brown people daily than I had growing up in San Diego. After just a short period, however, I realized that there was still some resentment and stigmas towards darker skinned people there. Even as a fledgling natural hair movement challenged the status quo, with my natural hair and brown skin, I was mistakenly called “Haitian” on countless occasions as a slur. On one occasion, a group of my black friends and I were denied entry into a club due to our skin color. 

When I moved to Panama two years later, the colorism was less blatant than in the DR. In Panama, I maintained a community to negate any negative experiences.  This sense of community- being surrounded by other multilingual and cultured black people who share my worldview and experiences- is a big part of what has kept me living abroad. @@I feel a deep connection to the people and places that I’ve encountered@@, even as they struggle with the same adverse effects of colorism and colonialisms that we too have been trying to overcome in the U.S. It makes me feel as if I am not alone. 

 

 

All the responses came from people who have lived abroad for years and have immersed themselves in a new society and culture, making a conscious decision to disengage from the U.S. and reaffirm their humanity elsewhere- an act that is still revolutionary in its simplicity almost 50 years after Baldwin left for Paris. Rather than remaining static, Baldwin reminded us that we have a responsibility “to move as largely and freely as possible.”

France FrancoisApril 26, 2017

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