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Blog Post 6

This last week of class has been extremely entertaining. Seeing the short films and stories that my peers created was inspiring. One of my favorite student show films was “The Breakup.” I thought the split screens made it interesting. I also liked the use of music throughout the story. Nevertheless, the acting was incredible (maybe a little too good). The microaggressions that the friend was making showed how Black women have to deal with backhanded comments and racism on a daily basis. This is something that needs to be shown more in film. This specifically happens in high school and should be addressed. Younger audiences are the ones that are watching horror and films and this message would be perfect to include in a film to show how uncomfortable people feel when these comments are made. However, I think my favorite work created was Maiya’s story, “Those Who Don’t Know History are Doomed.” Something that is extremely important to me is education and making sure that history is being taught in an accurate manner. This story focuses on what happens when people are not educated and how history can repeat itself which is dangerous. Nevertheless, the use of robots was amazing. I think we can all agree that the thought of robots taking over the world is scary but the robots in this story are not just terrifying because you can train them to do whatever you would like but they are Black and depict racist stereotypes. When Maiya started singing the song that the robots were singing when they were mowing the lawn I gasped. Not only was I shocked at how racist these robots and their owners were but I was shocked at how intelligent this story was. Taking such a horrific time period but making it a modern day horror is so creative. Something else I want to note is the imagery in every single short film. The entire time my mind was picturing all of the events that the readers were describing. Also, every single one of these stories kept me on the edge of my seat. I am not someone who usually reads horror but after these short stories I might have to start looking into more horror books. This class and the short stories and films were a reflection of what Hollywood could be if there is more room for diversity and inclusivity. I think that it is time to change the basic stories and narratives in Hollywood and it is time to have more meaningful stories in cinema like the ones that students created.

[lesliepsr]

Blog Post 5

Beloved is one of the most challenging films I have ever watched. Even though this film had extremely graphic scenes, it is exceptionally well-made and genuinely shows what African Americans faced during slavery. I have seen many films focusing on slavery, but Beloved shows the trauma people faced during this time. Even though the film is hard to watch, I think it is worth watching to understand the tortures and hardships that African American people faced during this time. However, what stood out to me was how I went into this film thinking it was a basic horror film, but it was a different type of horror we typically do not see. Whenever we think of horror, we think of ghosts, zombies, demons, etc., and even though this film has a spirit, it's a more impactful horror film. The characters' events are a type of horror that we cannot imagine, yet it has happened in real life. The thought of having to murder your children because they can be sold off to other slave owners is something that a mother should never have to think about. Or having your breast milk get taken from you and having large scars from whippings is not something that people should go through. Even though this is a tough film to watch, it is transparent. It does not belittle the things that Black people had to go through.  Going back to the spirit, I was confused about the spirit's purpose at the beginning of the film. However, the film was much more impactful once I realized it was Beloved. The spirit was a metaphor for Sethe's guilt of having to murder her child. No mother would want to do this, but she was forced to. Sethe felt as if she had broken her family apart. Her sons had run away, and she had murdered her child. Nevertheless, Sethe did this to try and take care of her baby. It is saddening to think that instead of having your child grow up and live a good life, they are born into a world where they will be tortured and possibly raped and murdered. Once Beloved appears and reveals that she is her daughter, Beloved starts having episodes, and Sethe gets ill. It is still a constant reminder of her past and current traumas. Overall this film is melancholic and chilling. There are various moments when the film looks like it will turn into something positive, but it does not. I would have liked to see at least Denver get a happy ending. I had never heard of Beloved up until this course. I am looking forward to reading the novel.

[lesliepsr]

Blog Post 4

I had never seen Tales From the Hood, and I went in knowing absolutely nothing about it. I guess the title entails that there will be multiple "tales," but I was surprised that it was different segments that focused on various issues. I enjoyed that they were like mini-films; however, there were some visuals that I did not enjoy.

I think all the segments were made with much thought about helping the African American community; however, some seemed too extreme. Even though it is focused on the obstacles that Black people face among society the film also touches on the issues that occur inside the Black community. The first segment was straightforward and could be something we could use in today's political climate since there is still so much police brutality in the African American community. The overall concept was brilliant. Taking a Black politician murdered by cops that comes back to life to murder those cops is brilliant. The second segment that focused on domestic violence was more problematic. Although I can understand where the director was coming from, the scene where the "monster" starts beating up his wife was unnecessary. This scene can be triggering to those who have experienced domestic violence. I would have enjoyed this segment without this specific scene. The third segment is not as problematic. It focuses on a racist senator that lives on an old slave plantation. Even though people were against him living in the house, he continued to do so and paid the price. I found it interesting how the art piece hanging in his office was his cause of death, as the people in the drawing came to life as little dolls. This segment was a good way of tackling white supremacy. Now the third segment was tough to watch. This segment focuses on "black-on-black crime." In this segment, the director compares Black people who kill other Black people to white supremacists. The Black man that kills another Black man is even compared to a Nazi. This man is taken to a rehabilitation center to try and "change him." He is shown multiple images, including lynchings. The scene seemed eternal; it was uncomfortable to watch. While watching the film, I could not understand who this film was made for. Was it for white people? For Black people? Or both? The idea of this film was brilliant; however, it was too extreme. Even though these topics are uncomfortable subjects there could have been different ways in which these stories are portrayed.

[lesliepsr]

Blog Post 3

After watching both the 1992 and 2020 versions of Candyman, it is interesting to see how times in Hollywood have changed regarding filmmaking and how there is more room for black creators. The first Candyman is centered around Helen Lyle, a white woman studying urban legends. The black actors in this film, except Bernadette, are portrayed as poor or aggressive. Most of the black men in this film are shown as "thugs." Nevertheless, Bernadette is killed in the film, returning to the trope of black characters being the first ones killed in horror movies. Of course, the elephant in the room is Candyman being cast as a black man, which then changes the film's central theme, which is that black men are obsessed with white women. This is an extremely old trope that is problematic. There was no need for Candyman to have some obsession with Helen. Helen is used as a lens to portray black trauma. When Helen meets Anne-Marie, Helen is caring and helps Anne since she is a single mother living alone in a building that is almost falling apart. Another problematic trope in the film is the portrayal of the "ghetto." They exaggerate the living conditions of the building Anne-Marie lives in, and when we see Helen's apartment, there is a drastic change. At the film's end, Helen is the white savior and helps the community by killing this monster and saving Anthony (Anne-Marie's son). The 2020 version of Candyman continues the original film by focusing on Anthony, Anne-Marie's son, whom Helen saved. This version is a dramatic shift from the 1992 version since, first and foremost, it is directed by Nia DaCosta, who is a black director. One of the most beautiful things about this film is the puppeteering that gives us insight into the trauma and backstory of Candyman and the African American community. We now see black trauma through a black lens. In this film, the black characters are not killed or portrayed negatively. However, one of the changes we see in the film is the type of people that Candyman kills. In the film, Candyman hardly kills anyone that is Black; instead, he kills those that are a part of the system of oppression. In the end, Brianna preferred to call Candyman than to get arrested. The 2020 version of Candyman is a way for African Americans to take this villain and make it their own; considering the lack of representation that the African American community has, it is a way for the villain to redeem himself. Candyman's race should not be why old Hollywood tropes are reinforced.

[lesliepsr]

Blog Post 2

Jordan Peele's US is a brilliant horror film that will not only keep you on the edge of your seat but will shed light on our privilege and how we do not appreciate or see how fortunate we are. In the film, there are tunnels occupied by doppelgängers, versions of ourselves that live with limited resources and are trapped in these tunnels while mimicking the actions of those who live above in the real world. Seeing the contrasts between Adelaide and Red clearly indicates how people live the "American Dream" while others cannot because of the obstacles they face. We can see this in our everyday lives while we stare at our phones and enjoy simple things in life, while others are not fortunate enough to have these things. The film foreshadows how there are people that cannot achieve the American dream because they are at a disadvantage. It is ironic how at the end of the film the tethered come together to hold hands. They are following Red’s directions as she watched a commercial for the Hands Across America fundraiser before she was switched in the hall of mirrors. The fundraiser was more of a demonstration showing that people were coming together as a symbolic act. We still see people do this. Instead of actually helping disadvantaged people they present symbolic acts that don’t really help anyone like the video celebrities made during quarantine while they sang “Imagine.” While people were suffering from the pandemic, instead of celebrities donating money to help those who were sick or unemployed they made this video that did absolutely nothing to help. I think this was another theme that Peele hid in the film to show how nobody helps those in need they only pretend to help.

While watching Jordan Peele's Nope, one of the themes that I caught was exploitation. It is prevalent today for the paparazzi to destroy celebrities' lives or for humans to use animals to profit. Even though Jupe is not the main character, he plays a crucial role in the purpose of this film. He survived the horrific episode where Gordy the chimp killed all his co-stars while he watched as he hid under a table. Gordy sees Jupe but is not aggressive with him. Instead, he reaches out his hand and offers him a fist bump. As an adult, Jupe feels a sense of power since he survived; he feels like he can manipulate any spectacle. Jupe creates a show where he wants to show off the alien to the world while using OJ's horses as bait. This backfires on Jupe since the alien does not go for the horse; instead, it absorbs all the people in the audience, himself and his family. We see something similar happen when the paparazzi visit OJ and Emerald to try and get information about the incident at Jupiter's Claim (Jupe's amusement park). As he searches for answers, he is also killed by the alien. We see this in the real world, in which there is so much exploitation that we have become desensitized.

[lesliepsr]

Blog Post 1

Jordan Peele's Get Out is revolutionary. As someone who is not highly familiar with Black Horror, I think this was the perfect way to start diving into this new genre. One of the critical factors in this film that I enjoyed was that there were no common black stereotypes or typical endings. I would have expected Chris to get arrested at the film's end when the police showed up. Instead, Peele made sure that there were no familiar tropes even at the end. If anything, the common trends were reversed: white people were the bad guys. It is refreshing to watch a film that does not have the same plot as every other horror story, showing Hollywood's need for more diversity.

While watching the film, there were specific themes that I was able to grasp, but it is after watching the film and analyzing it that you understand the meaning behind this film. One of the themes is forced assimilation. We can see this with Andre and Georgina; in the film, they are forced against their will, but this also happens in the real world, where Black individuals feel the need to fit into society to achieve upward mobility. We see this with women changing their hair to fit the eurocentric beauty standard to fit in and obtain a better job. Another trend that has been seen is code-switching, where Black individuals create a façade in order to assimilate.

The whole idea of the "sunken place" is brilliant. At the time, I thought, "how weird Chris is sinking into the couch; what does that mean?" After finishing the film, the sunken place exists in Get Out and our everyday lives. We live in a caste system where white men rule at the top while Black people are in the lowest tier, trying to climb up. However, the elite has created a system that ensures Black individuals stay at the bottom to maintain control. How exactly do they keep control? The prison industrial complex and the school-to-prison pipeline are examples of Black and Brown people being shoved into the sunken place and kept there. The scene where Chris is floating down paralyzed into the sunken place while Missy stares at him from afar perfectly depicts Black individuals being silenced by the white elites. 

After watching Get Out, there must be more stories like this. Films that can be watched and enjoyed also work as a form of education in which we can understand and see people's struggles. It can be one of the easiest ways of informing others of the Black community's obstacles, yet it is so hard for Black directors and actors to tell their stories.