Movie Review: Dear White People

Well, everyone seems to have an opinion of this movie, or at least, of its Netflix adaptation.  So, I figured I'd finally post my review.  I've been wanting to review this one even before all the controversy.  Hey, I watch this movie before it was cool.  So, what movie are we going to talk about?  We're going to be taking a look at Dear White People. 

The movie takes place at fictional Winchester Academy; think Ivy League style liberal arts college, and you wouldn't be too far off the mark.  It is told from the point of view of a wide variety of black students.  You've got Lionel, a nerdy gay student who finds himself alienated by both the gay and black students.  You've got Troy, the son of the dean who dreams of being a comedian, and is also a closet nerd.  You've got Coco, who dreams of fame and fortune.  Most of all, however, you've got Sam.  She's a radical member of the Black Student Union, or mixed-race ancestry, who hosts a radio show called Dear White People.  

All of the characters, and many more, start of as somewhat separate storylines, but begin to intertwine as the movie progresses.  By the end of the movie everything collides together for the big finale.  Okay, that's enough summary for now, let's talk about what I thought about this movie. 

I don't know exactly where I saw the trailer for this movie, but based purely on that, it looked like it would be reasonably funny and entertaining film.  I could have gone to see it at my local independent films theater, but I never got around to it for various reasons.  However, I did eventually rent it, and I can safely say that my first impression proved true.  Now, before we go any further we need to talk about why this film is so controversial 

A lot of the complaints about the film have to do with Sam, along with her fellow radicals, and the things they say.  They certainly do make some fairly charged and inflammatory comments about race, particularly with regards to white people.  However, there's something a lot of people miss: Sam isn't meant to be a sympathetic character.  Well, not entirely at any rate.  Sam's character arc is based around her coming to terms with being mixed-race.  Her mother is black and her father is white, and Sam is secretly in a relationship with a white guy.  Throughout her life she felt inadequate and as though she was being judged by other black people.  As a result, she felt the need to over compensate, and so she crafted an angry black women persona in response.  

I have known certain mixed-race individuals who have gone through similar things; so it certain does have a ring of truth to it.  Another aspect is that, at least initially, a few of the BSU's grievances are at least somewhat legitimate.  However, the problem arises with how they express those views.  For example, there's one scene where they are protesting the latest Tyler Perry movie.  A lot of the thing they say are actually criticism I myself have of Mr. Perry's films.  The problems comes when, instead of complaining to a producer or a script writer, they scream at the ticket dude at the local theater.  

So there's people who might see a clip from the movie out of context and get the wrong impression.  On the flip side there's a, frankly disheartening, amount of people on places like Tumblr that unironically worship pre-character development Sam.  Well, actually, that's not so surprising.  This is Tumblr we're talking about here.  Side note, it's always rather awkward to write about characters named Sam, but I digress. 

For what it's worth Justin Simien, the writer, director and producer of the movie, has said that he considers the movie a love letter to white people.  In particular, the many white boyfriends he's had over the years.  

Now let's talk about some of the other characters, specifically Lionel.  His problem is that he's too gay for the black students, but not stereotypically gay enough for the gay students.  His character arc is all about learning to be true to himself and forge his own identity, rather than conforming to the desire of others.  You could as see his arc at least partially as a commentary on anti-gay sentiment within the black community.  Justin Simien is himself a gay black man.  I like to think there's a bit of him in Lionel.     

Coco's arc is also about learning to accept herself.  She's worried that she acts too stereotypically black to fit in.  It certainly doesn't help that her real name is Collandrea.  There's certain times she insists that she isn't that black, despite being rather dark skinned.  I have known certain black people who have expressed similar concerns about fitting in, so it does all feel true to life.  

That leaves us with Troy.  I should have meaning this earlier, but his dad is played by Dennis Haysbert, better known as the Allstate guy.  You will probably get a chuckle or two because of this.  Anyway, he's trying to please his father while also trying to find his own voice.  He’s also a closet nerd, but tries his best to hide this from his popular white friends.  As you can see, the movie's theme can easily be summarized as "be yourself, not who others want you to be, and forge your own identity."

So now we've got to talk about one of the other more infamous parts of this movie: the blackface party at the end.  Well, it's actually one of the first things we see in the movie, but the bulk of the plot is explaining how we get there.  Originally, Justin Simien was going to cut it out on the grounds that it was too unrealistic, but then he founded example of actual college blackface parties.  It reminds me of the end of my senior year of high school.  There were some students throwing a party, which I didn't attended because I wasn't interested/did really have many true friends.  The girls dressed as jungle princesses, and the boys...wore full-body blackface.  I won't name any names, to protect the ignorant.  Did I mention that I went to a small private Catholic high school full of rich white kids?  

The point I'm trying to make is, I had no problem believing a party like that could exist.  So, how does it come about?  I'll leave that for you to find out when you watch this movie.  So, while the main theme of the movie is about find your own identity, there's also a bit of satirization about race relations and collegiate craziness.  The cinematography can be described as simple yet understated.  The movie is divided into different acts much like a play.  Each act is introduced by a translation card that looks like a piece of fancy stationary.  

Recently, Dear White People has been adapted into a Netflix series of the same name.  I haven't seen it as of the posting of this review.  The movie feels like a pretty complete story in and of itself, but I can maybe see the series working.  It could dive into the character's personalities and backstories more; give us a chance to really get to know them.  On the other hand, it could stretch things out for too long, and mishandle the social commentary, so you never know.  

What can I say?  Dear White People is a funny, crazy, wild, and even at times heartwarming, dramedy about finding your identity.  It was easily one of the best films of 2014, and it is certainly more than worthy of your time.  Well, there you have it.  Another review draws to an end.

Hmm, I probably should talk a bit about future projects I have going on...but I can't think of anything else to say.  I will see you guys next time.

Anime Review: The Place Promised in Our Early Days

I've got a shorter anime movie review today for you, but it is reasonably sweet all the same.We're reviewing The Place Promised in Our Early Days.

It's set in a world where the Soviet Union has occupied almost all of the island of Hokkaido since 1973. The Soviet began construction on a mysterious tower after they secured Hokkaido, while the rest of Japan is backed by the United States. The movie follows three characters named Hiroki, Takuya and Sayuri. The three initially meet as teenagers and make a promise that one day they will fly to the mysterious tower. The movie then skips ahead three years as tensions grow high between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Takuya is a physicist who is working with the United Nations on a project to contact other universes. Hiroki is a student in Tokyo and has been greatly effected by Sayuri's disappearance and is doing everything he can to find her. Meanwhile, Sayuri has slipped into a coma and is being monitored for possible psychic abilities. As the world draws closer to World War III could she be the key that ties everything together?

Now that sounds like a pretty good set up with lots of alternate history possibilities. Well, we'll talk about that in a minute. For now let's talk about the alternate history itself. Unless the Soviet Union was feeling suicidal, 1973 is way too late for them to nab Hokkaido. At best you might see them getting it in an alternate World War II outcome, but even that's kind of dicey given how small the Soviet Pacific fleet was. I suppose the film makers were trying to draw parallels to the partition of Korea. Also, the tower appears to stretch miles into the atmosphere and can be seen from Tokyo. The technology to build something like that didn't exist in the 1970s, or even in the present day for that matter.

The Soviet Union is shown to have survived to the present day though that was a bit more believable. Also, though it's never mentioned, I would assume that Korea is united under communist rule in this world.

Okay, now for the big one. You know all of that alternate history I just told you about within the setting? Well it's not really the main focus of the plot. Don't get me wrong, it does factor into the plot and is involved with moving the the story forward, but it isn't front and center like in something like Code Geass. Also, you only find our certain details of the setting if you read the back of the box the DVD comes in. The primary focus of the plot is on Hiroki and Sayuri's relationship. So how does it do in that regard?

I'd say, all things considered, reasonably well. Their relationship builds slowly and steadily. There's no grand deceleration of love or love at first sight. It all feels very genuine and sincere. They, as well as Takuya, are just average people trying to live their lives even as the world inches closer to conflict. I guess that's kind of how history works for the average person on the street. There are events going on around us that shape the world we live in, and will live in, but we all go on with out lives as best as we can.

I'd also like to take a minute to talk about the soundtrack. It's filled with lots of classical music and violin pieces. It is beautiful, elegant and adds a lot of emotional depth to the movie. The artwork, especially the scenery and flying scenes, is quite good as well. It's very reminiscent of the film's of Hayao Miyazaki and there are a few instances that feel like visual references to those films. The voice acting, and here I'm referring to the English dub, was also quite excellent.

All things considered, I quite enjoyed this movie and I think you will too. It's beautiful, elegant and heartfelt. However, if you're going into it primarily for the alternate history aspect you might be a bit disappointed, so just be aware of that.

Anime Review: Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

I can't think of any way to open this review so let's get right to it. Today we'll be taking a look at the anime movie Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. It takes place in a world where Germany won the Battle of Stalingrad and conquered the Soviet Union. After that it wasn't long before all of Europe was under Germany's control. With Europe secured Germany began to turn its attention towards its former ally Japan. Despite a valiant effort Japan ultimately surrendered after Germany used atomic bombs. Shortly thereafter Japan was formally occupied by Germany.

Jin-Roh takes places during the 1960s. The Germans are beginning to pull out and Japan is finally getting some room to breathe. The Japanese government has instigated several rapid industrialization programs in order to boost their economy. Unfortunately, there's also quite a bit of social unrest as a result of these programs. Riots frequently breakout, socialist movements are getting worryingly popular and anti-government terrorists seem to get more numerous by the day. To restore law and order a special paramilitary police force known as the Kerberos Panzer Cops has been established.

The movie follows a member of the Panzer Cops named Kazuki Fuse. He's allways considered himself a loyal member of Kerberos, but he's shaken to his core after witnessing a young girl blow herself up during one of the riots. He finds himself increasingly drawn towards the girl's sister, Kei Amemiya. At the same time there's an ongoing investigation into a possible counterintelligence cell that has infiltrated the Panzer Cops. This cell is known by the name Jin-Roh.

Okay, before we go any further we need to talk about how this movie came to be. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is based upon the Kerberos Cycle manga by Mamoru Oshii, who also helped with the production of the movie. It's actually the third adaption of the Kerberos Cycle. There are two live-action movies, The Red Spectacles and Stray Dog, which came out before Jin-Roh. Chronologically, however, Jin-Roh comes first since it takes place in the 1960s while the live-action movies take place in the 1990s. Mamoru Oshii has also been involved with several classic anime films such as AKIRA and Ghost in the Shell. Now let's examine the alternate history itself.

Plausibility wise this movie is probably on the softer side. Nazi Germany never had any plans to expand into East Asia or to stab Japan in the back. Then there's the reason Japan fell to Germany: the atomic bomb. For multiple reasons Germany was nowhere near developing atomic bombs in our world, and they wouldn't be any closer in the world of Jin-Roh. On the flip side, the socioeconomic situation in post-occupation Japan is a bit more believable because it echoes the real world. We see several left-wing movements gaining popularity, particularly among the youth, just like in our world's Japan in the 1950s. The rapid industrialization and urbanization, along with all of the resulting problems, parallels South Korea during the 1960s and 1970s.

Now let's talk about the art style. Nine times out of ten if you watch an anime it's probably going to employ the standard anime art style. The technically term for this is Mukokuseki, which roughly translates as statelessness. This often employed to add visual diversity to a cast characters and make them easier to differentiate. Jin-Roh falls into the remaining one tenth that forgo Mukokuseki in favor of a more realistic art style. Personally, I tend to favor the typical anime look, but Jin-Roh's art style does make for an interesting change of pace.

This movie has really great atmosphere to it. It has a very gritty and cynical feel to it, and there's shades of grey all around. The terrorist may have legitimate grievances, but their violent and destructive methods aren't serving anyone. The Panzer Cops are certainly necessary to maintain order and protect the populous, but they have to resort to increasingly harsh measures to do so. At the end of the day nobody really looks that good, and there really aren't any easy answers. This is very much a movie steeped in cynicism, and if you're the kind of person who likes happy endings you might be disappointed.

There's a lot of wolf imagery throughout the movie. For example, the members of the Panzer Cops frequently get compared to wolves and their organization's flag features a wolf. The original version of Little Red Riding Hood also features prominently throughout the movie. If you're not familiar with that version, I won't give the ending away. I will, however, mention that in the original version there was no woodsman. The guns, uniforms and vehicles are all clearly German and very accurately depicted. This does make sense, given that Germany has only recently pulled out of Japan.

Overall I found this movie to be enjoyable, but there were a few minor flaws here and there. I felt like Fuse and Kei's relationship could have been developed just a bit more. The pacing of the movie also felt like it got a bit rushed towards the end. It's not really a flaw, but I do kind of wonder what happened to America in this world. Granted, the movie is focused on Japan, so that wouldn't be plot relevant, but I still wonder about how America fared.

The English language dub is absolutely top-notch, and the whole cast does a great job. The English dub was licensed by Bandai Entertainment, which closed its North American division a few years ago. Fortunately, Discotek Media was rescued the license and re-released Jin-Roh on DVD and Blu-ray.

Well there you have it. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is a dark and cynical alternate history political thriller. If you enjoy darker anime movies you won't want to miss this one. Well, time for me to find some more anime movies to review for you guys. I will see you all next time.

Movie Review: The Martian

Back when I review the book The Martian by Andy Weir, I said that I hadn't seen its movie adaptation.  Well I am happy to say that I have finally gotten around to fixing that problem.  So without further ado let's take a look at Ridley Scott's adaption of The Martian.

In the not too distant future the Ares III mission to Mars has had to return Earth prematurely due to surprise dust storm.  Unfortunately, Mark Watney has been left behind because everyone assumed that he died during the storm.  Now it's going to take everything Mark's got and then some to stay alive, reestablish contact with mission control and get back to Earth.

So how well does the plot stack up to that of the book?  It does an absolutely beautiful job of preserving and replicating the book's plot.  Sure, there were a few scenes cut here and there, but that was to make things more streamlined and better fit the medium of film.  The biggest changes were to a few character.  In the book Mission Control was run by Venkat Kapoor, an Indian-American man.  In the movie we have Vincent Kapoor, who is half-Black and half-Indian.  Originally, an Indian actor had been cast in the role, but he had prior obligations in Bollywood.  So they cast Chiwetel Ejiofor at the last minute.  

In the book minor character Mindy Park was most likely Korean-American, but in the movie she's played by a white actress.  On the more subjective side, Commander Lewis isn't necessarily described as ugly per say, but it is mentioned that Beth Johansson is the good looking one of the Ares III crew.  Personally, I thought that Jessica Chastain was better looking than Kate Mara, but that's just my opinion. 

Andy Weir has even said that he cried tears of joy during the first eight minutes of the movie because he got to see his vision come to life on the big screen.  Suffice it to say, he's very happy with how the movie turned out.  There's plenty of scientists who gave this film their stamp of approval, including Neil deGrasse Tyson himself.  It's really an accomplishment when you can get Dr. Tyson onboard with your film.  The Martian is easily Ridley Scott's best film to date.  

It even made it all the way to The Oscars and was nominated for best picture. It lost, but in The Academy's defense, Spotlight is a really good movie and more than earned its award.  That being said, The Martian did very well at The Golden Globes, BAFTA and the Critic's Choice Awards.  It even won best comedy, which is weird because it isn't a comedy.  Don't get me wrong it's very lighthearted and has many moments of comedy, but I wouldn't call it a comedy per say.  It is great that so many hard science fiction films are getting the recognition they deserve as of late. 

If I had one complaint it would be that the marketing campaign really did this movie a disservice. They made the movie look much darker than it actually is.  I mean, there are serious and dramatic moments, but on the whole it's pretty lighthearted.  Though I am happy to say that the misaimed marketing didn't effect the film's success in the slightest.  

I loved the practical effects involved with this movie, especially how much of it was filmed in Jordan's Wadi Rum desert for the shots of Mars' surface.  Though there were also plenty of soundstages in Hungry.   I also loved the way music from the 1970s was incorporated into the soundtrack.  Mark probably would have screamed his head off if he ever saw this movie, but I liked it.  The special effects were also really well done.  

I haven't been talking much about the actually plot, but I really covered most of that in my review of the book, so you can always check that out.  It is a really fun movie, the science is science is rock-solid and I'm glad I got to share this movie with my family.  Seriously, do yourself a favor and go rent this movie, or buy it if you're so inclined. 

This was a somewhat short and haphazard review, but I figured I should get something out after so long.  I do intend to review more movies in the future so be on the lookout for that.  Well then, that's all for me for now.  I will see you guys next time.