Change Your Image
marcwpolite
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
American Fiction (2023)
American fiction is a thoughtful film that challenges its audience
Movies about writers are few and far between. Especially when we're talking about Black writers and the struggle to successfully navigate through the publishing industry. "American Fiction" tells the story of a Black writer who strives to maintain their integrity. Jeffrey Wright portrays frustrated author Thelonius Ellison, a man who wants to be reflect the Black experience as more than just the time worn tropes that some are forced to fit into as a player in the publishing game. While there are some who hold that Black life in America is best represented by showing what is "real", others may ask, what if that definition of real turns up being a caricature? Why can't a more varied depiction of Black American life be regarded as just as real?
Are you willing to sacrifice your artistic integrity for "the bag?" At what personal cost? Based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett, American Fiction gets into these questions, and more. It is a sarcastic, thoughtful, and necessarily scathing critique of how the American publishing industry pigeonholes Black writers.
I recommend American Fiction if you want to see something different, and more thoughtful about our culture.
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
We have all been Cassius Green
Movies about the day to day realities of working people are few and far between. In an industry that is inundated with comic book movies, and sequels, it takes a lot for such a film to stand out.
Fortunately, Sorry to Bother You stands out in various ways. Starring Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius Green, we see a young man working to make headway as a telemarketer. Directed by Boots Riley, who is from the Oakland based rap group The Coup, this film offers a different take on what the world of work means for Black people.
Cassius struggles initially, netting no customers. It's only through the suggestion of one of his co-workers that he adjust by using his "white voice" that things begin to turn around for him.
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? All is well, until conditions at the company compel many working there to organize for better wages. Now Cassius finds himself in a quandary: does he concern himself with his own come up, or stay in the fight with his fellow workers?
Encouraged by his desire to see his life conditions change for the better, he decides to move forward. In embracing doing what he had to do, he typifies the refrain of "Get your money, Black man" from Childish Gambino's "This is America" We see that Cassius follows the individualistic road, but at a great cost.
Sorry to Bother You is a commentary on the conflict that can arise within a person when it comes to the approach of "going for self" vs. Collective struggle. It deals a lot with the reality of Toxic Ambition, a concept that has recently been explored by Antonio Moore of Tone Talks.
"Sorry to Bother You" is a trip of a film. A lot of messages about integrity and what it means to sell out. It shows how enticing the trappings of prestige are and the desire of people to avoid undue suffering can distort ones ethics.
Touching upon issues of wage slavery, racism, and poverty in a memorable and pointed way is no small feat. Boots Riley pulls it off here, showing his worldview and the reality of so many of us at the same time.
Sorry to Bother You gets weird as hell with The Island of Dr. Moreau twist towards the end of the film. You'll understand what I mean when you see it. It took away a bit from the film plot and made it absurd. But, in a way, it's a commentary on the monstrosities that are created by our capitalistic society.
This is a film I recommend seeing. It's perfect for a discussion group.
The Lost Arcade (2015)
An ode to the Arcade Days of New York City
The arcades of New York City hold a special memory for those who remember that era. Before the rise of online gaming, the arcades were the place where gamers tested their skills against each other. Although online gaming has its positives in terms of keeping score of total statistics and building a community of players, it is not quite the same as the arcades of the era preceding it. Before the home consoles outpaced the arcade hardware, that was the place to be seen doing the nicest combo strings, and drawing exclamations of "ooohhh!!!" from the crowd after a particularly tough win. The Lost Arcade is a reminder of that, and more.
The Lost Arcade tells the story of the last old school arcade in New York City, Chinatown Fair. This, in contrast to the family entertainment centers that seemed to spring up everywhere in the 2000's. This film by Kurt Vincent and Irene Chin tells the story of this legendary arcade in Manhattan, where people came from all around the city to play. Entire gaming communities sprung up around this place, as was true of any dedicated arcade in those days. In the film, they interview many of the key people, including the owner of the arcade. They also interview the people that frequented CTF, who added to the scene.
Alamo Drafthouse
As a gamer, this film was a trip down memory lane. I have been to Chinatown Fair.. a few times(to be modest), and recall what that place was like. This documentary did a good job on capturing the feeling of those days. We are talking about an arcade that closed in 2011, that did end up reopening a year after under new management. However, as is the case with many things, it just was not the same. The impact of this reality was brought home in the documentary, and we see just how different things are. While it is understandable that the arcade purists feel a certain way about their era, what has been apparent is that the old business model of the arcades just is not viable economically. Those are the realities of gaming in an online console connected and mobile gaming era.
I also want to mention that I was fortunate enough to catch this particular documentary at the Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn. Considering the focus of this venue, it was the ideal place to show such a film. It's a really nice, new theater, and I liked the retro movie theme that was apparent. Irene Chin was at the theater, taking questions about The Lost Arcade and what motivated its creation. Although the era is gone, and not likely to return, it is worth noting. For teenagers and young adults, there was nothing like putting your quarters up and calling out "I Got Next!" to the line of people in front of you. A place where many sorts of outcasts gathered, it was a place where you could just be. In this writer's opinion, you have to love video games to really get The Lost Arcade. From the footage of matches shown, to the soundtrack, it was all done quite well. If you want to remember what it was like in those arcade hopping days before Evo was even a thing, then The Lost Arcade is for you.