Thursday, May 25, 2017

Get Out, a movie review

When I saw Keanu, I really couldn’t believe how funny that movie was.  I had never seen Key and Peele before so I had no idea what I was in for.  I find most cat-centered humor hilarious, but that movie took the cake.  (As an aside, it got way too violent in the middle, but the memory of Keanu will always be a good one.)

That said, I have very much been looking forward to seeing Get Out, Jordan Peele’s first directorial role, and his latest film endeavor.  I’ve been reading about it and listening to people talk about it, and I knew going in it was a horror film about race.  I am not an aficionado of the horror genre, but it sounded smart and interesting and, of course, since Mr. Peele made it, I knew I wanted to see it.

Well, you know maybe I should be a fan of the horror genre.  ‘Cause it was fun.  I like the music, the well-timed, little snippets here and there.  And, I thought I’d be too scared to watch some of it, but it wasn’t horror in that kind of way.  I never had to cower and hide my eyes in fear.  It was amazingly well-crafted, the shots, the actors, the timing.  I feel like it was almost perfectly done.  And it was short, which I liked.

But now that I am at the end of it, I am wondering, was that about race?  Or was that more specifically a horror story told from a black person’s perspective?  Like Get Out is a black person’s idea of terror?  And maybe that’s what makes it about race??  We (me) are so used to hearing everything from a white person’s perspective, ie television news, history. (does most of what is massly consumed in our country have a white bias? Even if it is made by and marketed to people who aren’t white?) 

So confusing.   Either way, whatever this movie is supposed to be, it’s good.  I thought to myself, a couple times watching it, I am glad he made this movie.  I’m glad he’s able to make this movie.  We’re lucky.

addendum:  I've had a night to sleep on it, and have decided we can move the conversation beyond race.  This movie, in a nutshell, is "it's scary how f%cked up people are."  And this move is one example (fictionalized) of just that.

Friday, May 5, 2017

daydream

Billions.  Do you watch it?

When I get into my I’m going to make a fortune now frame of mind, I think “What would Bobby Axelrod do?”

The other day I was kind of dreaming, thinking what if I could wake up in a tv show, and it was kind of like a nightmare, where the characters were themselves but kind of wicked, and I couldn’t escape.  My backdrop was Billions.  I imagined myself waking up in that world.

Fun.

Thursday, May 4, 2017

On the benefits of aging

There are a lot of questions that don’t have answers.  And a lot of stories, situations that don’t need to be explained.  It was the first time I considered myself “grown up,” when I realized this.  There is so much that goes on and goes by, and to just say “who cares,” and turn my mind off, or turn it the other way.   It was a miracle when I realized how amazing this is to do.